Sony has showcased what PS5 box art will look like, with the reveal of the Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales box art ahead of its launch later this year. Check out the box art, which sports a white top bar with the PS5 logo, as opposed to the blue top bar of PS4 box art. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-ps5-box-art&captions=true"] Sony showed off the new design with arguably one of the PS5's biggest games in its launch window — Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. This game's box art will include Miles in his Spider-Man suit, alongside a bit of webbing and hints at his unique powers in comparison to Peter Park's Spider-Man. The art also reveals what appears to be the new standard for PS5 boxes — the white top bar, while a stark, bright contrast from the blue trim of PS4 boxes, is very clearly in theme with the initial design of the PS5 and the PS5's new controller, the DualSense. The case itself, however, appears to retain the blue, translucent design of this generation's box art. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/spider-man-miles-morales-announcement-trailer-ps5-event"] The side panels of the PS5, as seen in its initial reveal, sport a bright white color, while the DualSense itself is also primarily white. It's also worth noting that the "Only on PlayStation" phrasing found on PS4 exclusives is not included here. However, the PlayStation Studios logo, which is Sony's new indicator for first-party produced and published games, is included on the artwork. We recently learned some story details about Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and how it picks up Miles' story where it left off in Marvel's Spider-Man. After some confusion following its initial reveal, Insomniac Games confirmed Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a standalone adventure.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-playstation-exclusive-from-sonys-ps5-event&captions=true"]

For more on the upcoming PS5 lineup, and if you'd like to start imagining potential PS5 box arts to come, be sure to check out our look at every confirmed PS5 exclusive showcased at Sony's PS5 reveal event.. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor and host of Podcast Beyond! Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.  

A new making-of for Half-Life: Alyx has revealed a swathe of games developed and shelved by Valve between the release of Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Valve's latest VR game. That list includes details on a version of Half-Life 3 that was in development for around a year, and an open world Left 4 Dead 3. Geoff Keighley's The Final Hours of Half-Life: Alyx is a multimedia making of the latest installment in the Half-Life series - think of it as an interactive storybook - comprising 15 chapters of information about the creation of the game, including videos, mini-games and more. Within the story, Keighley reveals that at least 5 Half-Life games (not all of which are mentioned specifcially in the text) were cancelled between Episode 2 and Alyx, along with a number of other projects - the most notable being a project officially referred to within Valve as Half-Life 3. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/23/half-life-alyx-review"] Here's every cancelled Valve project mentioned, and the details provided on them:  

• Half-Life 3: Created in the Source 2 engine and drawing some gameplay inspiration from Left 4 Dead, the project known as Half-Life 3 would have used procedural generation between hand-crafted story moments to create a more replayable game. For instance, the game would generate a building and an objective (such as rescuing a prisoner), then create a route through it and fill the building with enemies, meaning that section would always play out differently. The team went as far as scanning Frank Sheldon, the actor whose likeness was used for the series' G-Man. However the Source 2 engine was unfinished, and the project "didn't get very far" before it was dropped. It was in development for around a year between 2013 and 2014.
• Left 4 Dead 3: An open world game set in Morocco and potentially featuring featuring hundreds of zombies at a time, this was also deemed unworkable because of the unfinished Source 2.
• RPG: This RPG project was simply codenamed 'RPG', drawing inspiration from the likes of The Elder Scrolls, Dark Souls and Monster Hunter, and was envisaged as being released in small chunks, but "never really left the conceptual stage". After RPG was abandoned, experiments went into turning it into a single-player RPG based on DOTA character Axe, which were also shelved.
• A.R.T.I.: A light-hearted, voxel-based game that allowed for open-ended destruction and creation in the vein of Minecraft. One version included Half-Life 2 and Portal writer Erik Wolpaw voicing a character called King Kevin, who had to be broken out of prison using the game's tools. A.R.T.I. was later resurrected as a VR game, but was shelved as Half-Life: Alyx grew.
• SimTrek: A VR game develoepd by members of the Kerbal Space Prgram team that was also shelved during Alyx's development.
• Shooter: A Half-Life themed VR shooter that would have been a part of The Lab, Valve's VR showcase. Using only Half-Life 2 assets, it would have had players take part in short gunfights, and was designed more like a Half-Life theme park ride than an continuation of its story. However, it was deemed not to be ready in time for The Lab's release.
• Borealis: A Half-Life VR project, led by writer Marc Laidlaw, that would have been set on the time-travelling ship mentioned in Half-Life 2. Skipping between the Half-Life series' Seven Hour War, and a time period shortly after Half-Life 2: Episode 2, no gameplay details were revealed, aside from that it included a fishing minigame.
• Hot Dog - Another new take on Left 4 Dead, purposely codenamed so that people on the Internet wouldn't know it was a Left 4 Dead game. No details were revealed.
• Vader - Valve's first internal attempt to create a VR headset. Vader was designed without compromise, but was scrapped when it became clear that it was too ambitious. The team estimates it would have cost $5,000 per unit if released. Half-Life: Alyx was initially conceived to launch alongside Vader.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/valve-explains-why-they-didnt-do-half-life-2-episode-3-ign-news"] As for what Valve has coming next, Keighley explains that much of the team would like to work on a full-scale, non-VR Half-Life game, but that there is trepidation over the scale of such a project. Encouragingly, however, Valve's Phil Co explains that, after Half-Life: Alyx's release and success, "We're not afraid of Half-Life no more". The Alyx team has previously told us that it wants to make more Half-Life games. It's also mentioned that a "top secret project" is still in development at Valve, and has been since 2018 - although no hint is given as to what that might be. The Final Hours of Half-Life: Alyx was released today, and is available through Steam on PC and Mac. There is much, much more to the app than just the cancelled games' information, including insights into Valve's working culture, scrapped elements of Half-Life: Alyx, and story changes that would have wildly changed the Half-Life story. It's a fascinating read(/watch/listen/play) - I recommend you take a look. [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.  

A new making-of for Half-Life: Alyx has revealed a swathe of games developed and shelved by Valve between the release of Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Valve's latest VR game. That list includes details on a version of Half-Life 3 that was in development for around a year, and an open world Left 4 Dead 3. Geoff Keighley's The Final Hours of Half-Life: Alyx is a multimedia making of the latest installment in the Half-Life series - think of it as an interactive storybook - comprising 15 chapters of information about the creation of the game, including videos, mini-games and more. Within the story, Keighley reveals that at least 5 Half-Life games (not all of which are mentioned specifcially in the text) were cancelled between Episode 2 and Alyx, along with a number of other projects - the most notable being a project officially referred to within Valve as Half-Life 3. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/23/half-life-alyx-review"] Here's every cancelled Valve project mentioned, and the details provided on them:  

• Half-Life 3: Created in the Source 2 engine and drawing some gameplay inspiration from Left 4 Dead, the project known as Half-Life 3 would have used procedural generation between hand-crafted story moments to create a more replayable game. For instance, the game would generate a building and an objective (such as rescuing a prisoner), then create a route through it and fill the building with enemies, meaning that section would always play out differently. The team went as far as scanning Frank Sheldon, the actor whose likeness was used for the series' G-Man. However the Source 2 engine was unfinished, and the project "didn't get very far" before it was dropped. It was in development for around a year between 2013 and 2014.
• Left 4 Dead 3: An open world game set in Morocco and potentially featuring featuring hundreds of zombies at a time, this was also deemed unworkable because of the unfinished Source 2.
• RPG: This RPG project was simply codenamed 'RPG', drawing inspiration from the likes of The Elder Scrolls, Dark Souls and Monster Hunter, and was envisaged as being released in small chunks, but "never really left the conceptual stage". After RPG was abandoned, experiments went into turning it into a single-player RPG based on DOTA character Axe, which were also shelved.
• A.R.T.I.: A light-hearted, voxel-based game that allowed for open-ended destruction and creation in the vein of Minecraft. One version included Half-Life 2 and Portal writer Erik Wolpaw voicing a character called King Kevin, who had to be broken out of prison using the game's tools. A.R.T.I. was later resurrected as a VR game, but was shelved as Half-Life: Alyx grew.
• SimTrek: A VR game develoepd by members of the Kerbal Space Prgram team that was also shelved during Alyx's development.
• Shooter: A Half-Life themed VR shooter that would have been a part of The Lab, Valve's VR showcase. Using only Half-Life 2 assets, it would have had players take part in short gunfights, and was designed more like a Half-Life theme park ride than an continuation of its story. However, it was deemed not to be ready in time for The Lab's release.
• Borealis: A Half-Life VR project, led by writer Marc Laidlaw, that would have been set on the time-travelling ship mentioned in Half-Life 2. Skipping between the Half-Life series' Seven Hour War, and a time period shortly after Half-Life 2: Episode 2, no gameplay details were revealed, aside from that it included a fishing minigame.
• Hot Dog - Another new take on Left 4 Dead, purposely codenamed so that people on the Internet wouldn't know it was a Left 4 Dead game. No details were revealed.
• Vader - Valve's first internal attempt to create a VR headset. Vader was designed without compromise, but was scrapped when it became clear that it was too ambitious. The team estimates it would have cost $5,000 per unit if released. Half-Life: Alyx was initially conceived to launch alongside Vader.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/valve-explains-why-they-didnt-do-half-life-2-episode-3-ign-news"] As for what Valve has coming next, Keighley explains that much of the team would like to work on a full-scale, non-VR Half-Life game, but that there is trepidation over the scale of such a project. Encouragingly, however, Valve's Phil Co explains that, after Half-Life: Alyx's release and success, "We're not afraid of Half-Life no more". The Alyx team has previously told us that it wants to make more Half-Life games. It's also mentioned that a "top secret project" is still in development at Valve, and has been since 2018 - although no hint is given as to what that might be. The Final Hours of Half-Life: Alyx was released today, and is available through Steam on PC and Mac. There is much, much more to the app than just the cancelled games' information, including insights into Valve's working culture, scrapped elements of Half-Life: Alyx, and story changes that would have wildly changed the Half-Life story. It's a fascinating read(/watch/listen/play) - I recommend you take a look. [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.  

According to Capcom, 80% of its games are sold digitally, and the company is encouraged by the trend to increase that number to 90% before long. During the Q&A portion of its recent annual shareholders' meeting, Capcom was asked what its plans were for strengthening digital sales. Capcom revealed that its “current digital download sales ratio is approximately 80%.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=pragmata-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] “While it ultimately depends on how our customers behave going forward, for the time being we are promoting our digital strategy with an objective of 90%, since there are some customers who prefer to own discs,” Capcom added. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Capcom’s digital sales have exploded, growing from 53.3% last year to 80%. Even Capcom predicted growth to only reach 75.4% this year, but it appears that the shift to digital is happening faster than anticipated. Capcom attributes the growth to titles like Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. But the company plans to increase digital sales by expanding the availability of digital games to more markets worldwide. Other companies like PlayStation announced that digital game downloads have overtaken physical game sales, and companies like EA and Activision also report strong growth in digital game sales. These upward trends explain why both Sony and Microsoft are looking at releasing digital-only next-gen consoles. Sony already revealed a slimmer, digital-only PS5, while Microsoft is rumored to announce Lockhart, a similarly digital-only Xbox Series X. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

According to Capcom, 80% of its games are sold digitally, and the company is encouraged by the trend to increase that number to 90% before long. During the Q&A portion of its recent annual shareholders' meeting, Capcom was asked what its plans were for strengthening digital sales. Capcom revealed that its “current digital download sales ratio is approximately 80%.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=pragmata-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] “While it ultimately depends on how our customers behave going forward, for the time being we are promoting our digital strategy with an objective of 90%, since there are some customers who prefer to own discs,” Capcom added. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Capcom’s digital sales have exploded, growing from 53.3% last year to 80%. Even Capcom predicted growth to only reach 75.4% this year, but it appears that the shift to digital is happening faster than anticipated. Capcom attributes the growth to titles like Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. But the company plans to increase digital sales by expanding the availability of digital games to more markets worldwide. Other companies like PlayStation announced that digital game downloads have overtaken physical game sales, and companies like EA and Activision also report strong growth in digital game sales. These upward trends explain why both Sony and Microsoft are looking at releasing digital-only next-gen consoles. Sony already revealed a slimmer, digital-only PS5, while Microsoft is rumored to announce Lockhart, a similarly digital-only Xbox Series X. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

N3TWORK's Tetris mobile app has launched a new daily game show called Tetris Primetime, which offers players the chance to compete in a live tournament to win cash prizes. Per PocketGamer, Tetris Primetime is described as a "mix between a live television show and a video game tournament," with a daily competition hosted by actor Millen Baird, who will be awarding more than $1 million in annual cash prizes to players. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/05/23/the-top-7-tetris-blocks"] The game will kick off every night at 7:30 pm in various "anchor" cities around the globe, including Auckland, Perth, Moscow, Berlin, London, New York City, and Los Angeles, with participants in the first game playing for a chance to win a share of the $5,000 prize pool. Alongside this announcement, N3TWORK revealed that a further block of new game modes will be added to the Tetris mobile app home screen. Players can now join Tetris Royale, a previously-announced battle game, which sees up to 100 players compete to be the last person standing in the match. In addition, Tetris Together is also set to be rolled out as a brand new interactive experience, which will allow individual players to voice chat with their family and friends while also creating and sharing new levels for them to join on the platform. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-most-addictive-online-games&captions=true"] "We've kept the gameplay that you remember, and have infused it with competition, communication, community and an incredible global, daily game show with cash prizes," said Neil Young, founder and CEO of N3TWORK. "We think Tetris has the opportunity to be bigger than ever before as fans around the world can now play in both familiar and exciting new ways." The Tetris app is available as a free download on Android and iOS. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

N3TWORK's Tetris mobile app has launched a new daily game show called Tetris Primetime, which offers players the chance to compete in a live tournament to win cash prizes. Per PocketGamer, Tetris Primetime is described as a "mix between a live television show and a video game tournament," with a daily competition hosted by actor Millen Baird, who will be awarding more than $1 million in annual cash prizes to players. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/05/23/the-top-7-tetris-blocks"] The game will kick off every night at 7:30 pm in various "anchor" cities around the globe, including Auckland, Perth, Moscow, Berlin, London, New York City, and Los Angeles, with participants in the first game playing for a chance to win a share of the $5,000 prize pool. Alongside this announcement, N3TWORK revealed that a further block of new game modes will be added to the Tetris mobile app home screen. Players can now join Tetris Royale, a previously-announced battle game, which sees up to 100 players compete to be the last person standing in the match. In addition, Tetris Together is also set to be rolled out as a brand new interactive experience, which will allow individual players to voice chat with their family and friends while also creating and sharing new levels for them to join on the platform. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-most-addictive-online-games&captions=true"] "We've kept the gameplay that you remember, and have infused it with competition, communication, community and an incredible global, daily game show with cash prizes," said Neil Young, founder and CEO of N3TWORK. "We think Tetris has the opportunity to be bigger than ever before as fans around the world can now play in both familiar and exciting new ways." The Tetris app is available as a free download on Android and iOS. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

IGN is happy to announce that we'll be exclusively collaborating with San Diego Comic-Con to bring you Comic-Con@Home on IGN Live from July 22-26. With SDCC going all-digital and totally free for 2020, we'll be bringing you a selection of livestreamed panels throughout the show, handpicked from the 350+ options that Comic-Con is airing this year. On top of that, we'll be screening our own content, including exclusive interviews, expert analysis and much more, covering the length and breadth of Comic-Con content – from film, TV and comics, to gaming, cosplay and collectibles. We'll be releasing our full schedule next week, so make sure to check back with us for that. You'll be able to watch Comic-Con@Home on IGN Live across IGN.com, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch, and we'll have custom-created programming for Snapchat, Instagram, Samsung TV Plus and more. “We know this world inside and out, so to have the chance to collaborate with San Diego Comic-Con to bring their programming to a huge online audience was such a natural fit,” said IGN's Terri Schwartz. “We’re thrilled to continue to bring what we do best to the Comic-Con circuit, albeit under very different circumstances than previous years.” Panels so far announced for Comic-Con@Home as a whole (with far more to come) include:

• Amazon Prime Video: The Boys, Upload, Utopia, Truth Seekers
• AMC: The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, NOS4A2
• CBS: Star Trek Universe (Discovery, Lower Decks and Picard)
• Disney TV: A Conversation With Nathan Fillion
• HBO: His Dark Materials, Lovecraft Country
• HBO Max: Adventure Time: Distant Lands - BMO
• Hulu: Helstrom, Solar Opposites, Crossing Swords
• Fox: The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy
• FX: Archer, What We Do in the Shadows
• Orion: Bill & Ted Face the Music

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

IGN is happy to announce that we'll be exclusively collaborating with San Diego Comic-Con to bring you Comic-Con@Home on IGN Live from July 22-26. With SDCC going all-digital and totally free for 2020, we'll be bringing you a selection of livestreamed panels throughout the show, handpicked from the 350+ options that Comic-Con is airing this year. On top of that, we'll be screening our own content, including exclusive interviews, expert analysis and much more, covering the length and breadth of Comic-Con content – from film, TV and comics, to gaming, cosplay and collectibles. We'll be releasing our full schedule next week, so make sure to check back with us for that. You'll be able to watch Comic-Con@Home on IGN Live across IGN.com, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch, and we'll have custom-created programming for Snapchat, Instagram, Samsung TV Plus and more. “We know this world inside and out, so to have the chance to collaborate with San Diego Comic-Con to bring their programming to a huge online audience was such a natural fit,” said IGN's Terri Schwartz. “We’re thrilled to continue to bring what we do best to the Comic-Con circuit, albeit under very different circumstances than previous years.” Panels so far announced for Comic-Con@Home as a whole (with far more to come) include:

• Amazon Prime Video: The Boys, Upload, Utopia, Truth Seekers
• AMC: The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, NOS4A2
• CBS: Star Trek Universe (Discovery, Lower Decks and Picard)
• Disney TV: A Conversation With Nathan Fillion
• HBO: His Dark Materials, Lovecraft Country
• HBO Max: Adventure Time: Distant Lands - BMO
• Hulu: Helstrom, Solar Opposites, Crossing Swords
• Fox: The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy
• FX: Archer, What We Do in the Shadows
• Orion: Bill & Ted Face the Music

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

After a soft launch earlier this year, King has officially confirmed Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, a mobile runner featuring the platforming mascot, is officially on the way for a wider launch on iOS and Android phones. King announced today that On the Run! is currently available for pre-registration on the Google Play store for android phones, and will soon be available to pre-register on iOS as well. Those who pre-register will receive the Blue Hyena Skin from Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled when the game launches. You can check out a trailer for the mobile game below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/09/crash-bandicoot-on-the-run-announce-trailer"] On the Run! features Dr. Neo Cortex, along with his henchmen, aiming to take control of the multiverse. Crash and Coco will venture through various levels that harken back to classic Crash regions, like Temple Ruins, Turtle Woods, Bear It, and more, in the new runner game. Levels will include secret paths for players to find, much like any classic Crash experience, and boss battles will see returning villains like Scorporilla, Nitrus Brio, Nina Cortex or Dingodile. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=crash-bandicoot-on-the-run-first-screenshots&captions=true"] On the Run! will also feature a base for Crash and Coco, which players can build up, customize, and upgrade bu gathering rewards and ingredients. The runner will also offer asynchronus multiplayer to let players battle one another. Crash and Coco are set to have a busy year, as Toys for Bob's Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is set to be launched on PS4 and Xbox One on Oct. 2. Toys for Bob recently confirmed Crash 4 won't feature microtransactions, and we got a new look at Crash Bandicoot 4 gameplay. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and Crash Bandicoot specialist. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.