Olija, a 2D action-adventure centred around a mystical harpoon, has been announced for a Fall 2020 release on PC and Nintendo Switch. Revealed at today's Devolver Direct conference, the pixel-strewn adventure looks equal parts haunting and horrible, seeing a shipwrecked hero called Faraday attempting to escape the hostile country of Terraphage. You can try a playable demo on Steam right now. Olija's the work of one man, Thomas Olsson, under the guise of Skeleton Crew Studio. It's been in development for some time, and is inspired by the likes of the original Prince of Persia and Another World. [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.

Olija, a 2D action-adventure centred around a mystical harpoon, has been announced for a Fall 2020 release on PC and Nintendo Switch. Revealed at today's Devolver Direct conference, the pixel-strewn adventure looks equal parts haunting and horrible, seeing a shipwrecked hero called Faraday attempting to escape the hostile country of Terraphage. You can try a playable demo on Steam right now. Olija's the work of one man, Thomas Olsson, under the guise of Skeleton Crew Studio. It's been in development for some time, and is inspired by the likes of the original Prince of Persia and Another World. [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.

Carrion will be released on July 23 for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC. Announced at Devolver Direct, the 'reverse horror' game sees you stalking the corridors of a lab as an eer-growing tentacle creature, slaughtering its human occupants as you go. A playable demo is out on Steam now. In a hands-on last year, we called it the horror movie monster game we've always wanted. [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.

Devolver Digital has released Devolverland Expo, a miniature first-person game that includes trailers for games shown off in today's Devolver Direct broadcast. Out now for free on Steam, Devolverland Expo takes you through a ruined convention hall filled with aggressive robots, and offers missions, puzzles and items to find along the way. Ultimately, your goal is to grab Devolver swag from game booths - while watching trailers for upcoming Devolver games along the way. The trailer also looks as though it's covered in Steam codes - it might be worth freeze-framing and grabbing one of those if you can. [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.  

Another Devolver Direct, another opportunity to question ourselves about whether it was something we should ever have been allowed to watch. Thankfully, we also got a raft of new gameplay and announcements, all of which you can find below:

Devolverland Expo

Described as a "first-person marketing simulator", this free mini-game places you in abandoned conference center and has you fighting and puzzling your way to find Devolver-themed goodies, including trailers of games shown in the Direct.

Shadow Warrior 3

We got our first look at Shadow Warrior 3 gameplay, showing off the 2021 game's gunplay, platforming, melee combat, and a range of ludicrous demons designs to disembowel.

Olija

Coming this Fall to PC and Nintendo Switch, Olija is a Prince of Persia-inspired action-adventure featuring a shipwrecked captain, and a country full of people who really don't want him to be there.

Fall Guys

The 60-player battle royale/game show is coming to PC and PS4 on August 4, and we got a look at its many minigames and costumes - including a pre-order exclusive Half-Life outfit to grab on PC.

Carrion

The tentacle-propelled reverse-horror game is finally arriving on PC, Switch and Xbox One in just two weeks, on July 23.

Serious Sam 4

We got another peek at the absurdly action-packed FPS ahea dof its August release on PC and Stadia.

Blightbound

This online and local multiplayer dungeon brawler is coming to Steam Early Access on July 29, and we got a look at its three classes, multiple worlds, puzzles, and lots and lots of combat.

Weird West

We got a fresh look at this new, isometric immersive sim from the co-creators of Dishonored and Prey, Weird West is due in 2021. Director Raphael Colantonio showed off the action-RPG, which has you playing as 5 gunslingers in a fantastical take on the Old West. [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.

If players wish to change their gender in World of Warcraft, they would have to purchase the $15 USD Appearance Change from the Blizzard store. With World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Blizzard will be dropping this fee entirely. Executive producer John Hight spoke to Eurogamer and explained the decision and how players will now be able to change their gender at a barber shop for free in Shadowlands. "A long time ago, we had the ability for players to go in - it was actually a paid service - and change their character. Much of that is now in the barber shop in the game," Hight said. "And as we were adding things up in Shadowlands, we realised, 'Gosh the only way you can change your gender in World of Warcraft is to go through this paid service.' And we felt like that's not the right message." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-developer-update"] "Unfortunately we can't fix that right now but it is our intent with Shadowlands to take that out of being a paid service thing and [put it] in the barber shop. But that's not something we can easily hotfix - unfortunately we can't do that right now. It is something that we're going to have in Shadowlands itself." Hight gave this answer after talking about the new Shadowlands NPC named Pelagos, who many believe to be the first trans character in the game. Pelagos is part of the Kyrian covenant, which players can join in Shadowlands, and will be a key part of the story. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is set to be released later in 2020 and a Beta is set to begin next week. This new expansion, which is World of Warcraft's eighth, will take place in Warcraft's version of the afterlife. It has five new zones, an "ever-changing dungeon" called the Tower of the Damned, and much more. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-gameplay-reveal-images&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.

EA has announced that EA Sports UFC 4 will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 14, 2020, and Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal will be the global cover stars. In EA Sports UFC 4, players will be able to go from an unknown amateur to a UFC superstar in the new career mode, experience "the origins of combat sports in two all-new environments," and battle others in new Blitz Battles and Online World Championships. UFC 4 promises more authentic fights with "fluid clinch-to-strike combinations that offer more responsive stand-up gameplay, and overhauled takedown and ground mechanics to deliver more control in those key phases of the fight." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/11/ufc-4-official-reveal-trailer"] The new environments mentioned are the Backyard and Kumite. The Backyard is meant to recreate where some of the most successful fighters made their first impressions, and Kumite will pay homage to the old lore of MMA as its an underground temple with one purpose, to allow fighters to "impose the dominance of their fighting discipline on any challengers." Those who pre-order EA Sports UFC 4 will be able to play as both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, two of boxing's biggest stars. There is no word as of yet on if EA Sports UFC 4 will be headed to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but it will be available on EA Access. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ea-sports-ufc-4-screenshots&captions=true"] In our review of EA Sports UFC 3, we said "EA went back to the gym with UFC 3 to work on many of the weaknesses that had the previous two games struggling to find their footing. A fantastic new striking system and a much-improved career mode lead the charge, but UFC 3 is still hamstrung by a cumbersome ground game, weird collision issues, and the straight-up terrible Ultimate Team Mode." [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.

Director Taika Waititi recently discussed two of his favorite '80s movies and how they influenced 2017's Thor: Ragnarok. While guesting on The Russo Brothers' weekly Pizza Film School Instagram TV series -- where the MCU's Joe and Anthony Russo chat about pizza joints and films with their Hollywood friends while the movie lovers are stuck at home during the pandemic -- Waititi chatted about how 1980's Flash Gordon and John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China, from 1986, were two films that meant a lot to him while growing up and ultimately had a lot to do with his approach to Thor. Here's a clip from Ep. 6, featuring Waititi, talking about the out-there space opera quality of Flash Gordon, a film he loves so much he's reportedly developing an animated adaptation of it. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/russo-bros-pizza-film-school-taika-waititi-on-flash-gordon-teaser"] “I wanted to capture a road trip of people who had no business hanging out with each other,” Waititi said, regarding using Flash as his blueprint for Thor. “And I put all that to 'Immigrant Song.' That song is basically about Thor. Just knowing the tone, knowing that it had to be playful and over the top. That this is unapologetically a space opera, and I’m going to pump this with color and life and energy and humor, and cool music. And the way I feel about that film is like if you’d ask a bunch of 10-year-olds what they want in that movie, we basically said yes to every idea.” The other film that helped shape Thor: Ragnarok was Big Trouble in Little China, which featured Kurt Russell as an overly-confident truck driver, Jack Burton, who gets caught up in a war against evil demons. "[Thor] just wants to get home," Waititi said. “All this stuff is going on, even with Hulk, he’s willing to leave people but also he’s trying to keep everyone together. He’s trying to be charismatic, and he’s trying to be a hero. He fails a lot, and tonally, that’s something from Big Trouble that I carried with me into Ragnarok.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=thor-love-and-thunder-6-characters-christian-bale-could-play&captions=true"] Since the onset of COVID-19, the MCU's Phase 4 schedule has been reshuffled a few times. The latest iteration has Thor: Love and Thunder opening February 11, 2022. Ragnarok director Taika Waititi will return for the film and has promised to "double down" on the craziness. Thor: Love and Thunder will feature Natalie Portman's Jane Foster as Thor and Christian Bale as a yet-to-be-revealed villain. The Russo's Pizza Film School can also be found on the AGBO YouTube Channel. [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.

Following the delay of Crysis Remastered's release date and trailer premiere due to mixed reactions to leaked footage, Crytek has announced that Crysis Remastered for Switch will still be released on July 23, 2020. The news was revealed on Twitter by the official Crysis account which said "Dear fans, you may have seen our last update about the Crysis Remastered release, and we have good news for you. We can confirm that Crysis will still  be coming to Nintendo Switch on July 23rd!" There is still no word on the release date for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or PC. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/01/crysis-remastered-delayed-after-mixed-reactions-to-leaked-footage"] The trailer and release date announcement were both supposed to happen on July 1, 2020, but Crytek made the decision to delay the remaster of the 2007 original to "get Crysis Remastered up to the PC- and console-breaking standard you've come to expect from Crysis games." In our review of Cysis in 2007, we said "Crysis is one of, if not the, most stunningly beautiful games we've ever seen. But even beyond that, it's a pretty fantastic shooter. Solid weapons, intelligent enemies, and fairly open level designs mix with nano-suit powers to make this one of the more entertaining ballistic showdowns in some time." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=what-games-got-right-and-mostly-wrong-about-life-in-2020&captions=true"] Crysis Remastered is being co-developed by Crytek and Saber Interactive, and will feature improved graphics and optimizations for current-gen consoles that include software-based ray tracing, high-quality textures, improved art assets, temporal anti-aliasing, SSDO, SVOGI, depth fields, new light settings, motion blur, and particle effects (where applicable). [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.

Marvel Comics has revealed its next major crossover event. Dubbed King in Black, this follow-up to 2019's Absolute Carnage will explore what happens when symbiote god Knull arrives on Earth. This new limited series will reunite Absolute Carnage writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Stegman. Marvel's press release teases, "Everything in Cates and Stegman’s landmark run on VENOM has led up to this monumental story, and readers will finally witness Eddie Brock’s climactic standoff with one of Marvel’s most terrifying villains." [caption id="attachment_2378437" align="aligncenter" width="1375"] Art by Ryan Stegman. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] While Eddie Brock will be the main protagonist of King in Black, the teaser art above suggests both the X-Men and Avengers will join the fight against Knull. Assuming this crossover is similar in scope to Absolute Carnage, we would expect to see tie-in miniseries spotlighting both teams along with other major players, and a companion storyline in the pages of the ongoing Venom comic. "As far as event books go, this is the coolest, darkest, most heavy metal, Cthulhu dark horror thing I’ve ever been able to do,” said Cates. “I still can’t believe that Marvel is letting us go as dark and scary as we’re going.” “One of the things I’m most proud of in this series… is the creation of the character Knull,” added Stegman. “We have some new designs that we’ll be unveiling throughout the series that are really cool and really creepy.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=venoms-30-most-wtf-moments&captions=true"] For those who haven't been following the current Venom series, Cates and Stegman previously established that the symbiotes were actually created by Knull, a demonic being who existed in the universal void before the Big Bang. Knull has waged a never-ending war on life ever since his peaceful slumber was disturbed by the Celestials. Knull previously used Carnage as his avatar in Absolute Carnage, with Cletus Kasady attempting to kill everyone who has ever bonded with a symbiote and harvest the traces of the symbiote codex from their bodies. Though Venom succeeded in stopping Carnage, he failed to prevent his old foe from awakening Knull and revealing Earth's location. King in Black #1 will hit stores in December 2020. But before that, Marvel has two other major crossovers planned for this year. First, Empyre will pit a united Kree and Skrull armada against the Avengers and Fantastic Four. Then, X of Swords will serve as the first line-wide X-Men crossover since last fall's Dawn of X Relaunch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/05/15/venom-writer-explains-how-he-made-eddie-brock-fear-the-symbiote"] [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.