The 93rd annual Academy Awards show isn't scheduled to air until February 28, 2021, but it appears that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming ceremony could be delayed. Per Variety, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is considering a postponement of the 2021 telecast on ABC. "It's likely they'll be postponed," a source close to the situation informed Variety. The outlet goes on to report that the details surrounding the potential delay have not been formally discussed and "another source says the date is currently unchanged." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-history-of-comic-book-movies-at-the-oscars&captions=true"] Back in April, the Oscars changed its rules in a big way because of Coronavirus, allowing movies that debuted on digital or streaming platforms to qualify for Best Picture. However, this new exception is only being made for the upcoming 93rd Academy Awards. In normal circumstances, the Academy requires a movie to be shown in a movie theater in L.A. County "for a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily." In regards to whether or not the Oscars will actually be delayed, Academy president David Rubin told Variety that "It’s impossible to know what the landscape will be. We know we want to celebrate film but we do not know exactly what form it will take." In other Oscar news, find out why Joker was never going to win Best Picture, and check out the complete 2020 winner's list right here. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/11/what-was-eminem-doing-at-the-oscars-ign-now"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Ruby Rose is exiting the title role in The CW's Batwoman. The network will recast the role of Kate Kane with a new actress for the second season, which isn't slated to debut till January 2021. “I have made the very difficult decision to not return to Batwoman next season,” Rose said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.” Rose continued, "I am beyond appreciative to Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Caroline Dries for not only giving me this incredible opportunity, but for welcoming me into the DC universe they have so beautifully created." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batwoman-season-1-photos&captions=true"] Batwoman, which just recently aired its first season finale, was already renewed for a second season at the time Rose announced her exit. While no official reason was given for Rose's exit, Deadline reports that it is not related to the very serious injury Rose endured filming season one. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-jokers-arrowverse-fate-revealed-ign-now"] The creative powers-that-be reiterated that they would recast the role of Batwoman with another LGBTQ actor: “The studio and network are firmly committed to Batwoman’s second season and long-term future, and we — along with the show’s talented creative team — look forward to sharing its new direction, including the casting of a new lead actress and member of the LGBTQ community, in the coming months.” For more on Batwoman, check out our review of the Season One finale, how it sets up the next CW crossover, and get the skinny on that (kinda sorta) Bruce Wayne reveal.

Ghost of Tsushima’s State of Play showcase culminated with a look at how the Sucker Punch-developed PS4 exclusive is paying homage to the samurai films that inspired it, with a black-and-white film grain mode that can be turned on from the start. But of course, with a game that is clearly built with as colorful and vibrant a world as Tsushima’s evidently has been, did the developers run into any issues ensuring the cinematic mode was still fun to play? Speaking to IGN after the State of Play, Ghost of Tsushima Creative Director and Art Director Jason Connell explained how Sucker Punch’s rigorous playtesting practices helped them ensure playing through Tsushima's adventure would be just as fun in its standard or filmic looks, given much of Tsushima's naturalistic approach to guiding players involves those very players noticing unique parts of the world. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ghost-of-tsushima-gameplay-customization-and-upgrades"] “There are definitely some things that are more challenging when you're in that mode. Once we created that mode, and you can play the whole game through it, we quickly realized there were some areas that we need to reevaluate,” Connell said. “Like, if we were using the same icon on the map but just using a different color, then that doesn't work that well. So you have to change the shape of the second icon because the color alone won't work.” Connell explained how this work to make the game fully understandable in that mode took some of its cues from how colorblind accessibility modes in games work. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ghost-of-tsushima-ps4-4k-screenshots&captions=true"] “And frankly, we take a lot of cues from learning from a colorblind accessibility mode. It effectively would be that for us. We just put the mode on and play the game a ton and find out where it breaks and rework on the design. And that's how we work in general about almost everything,” he said. That mode will be something players can experience the entire game in, while the State of Play also confirmed players can turn on a Japanese language voice track from the start if they so choose. And, befitting of Sony’s first-party efforts this generation, Sucker Punch will include a photo mode that allows players to change particle effects and even choose portions of the soundtrack to back players’ scenes. Connell also spoke to IGN about why Ghost of Tsushima isn’t using Infamous’ karma meter, as well as what Ghost of Tsushima biggest Sucker Punch’s biggest game ever means for the scope of what players can expect. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/18-minutes-of-ghosts-of-tsushima-gameplay-full-4k-60fps-presentation"] For more on Ghost of Tsushima, which is set to be released on PS4 July 17, be sure to read everything we learned from the Ghost of Tsushima State of Play, and find out why the Ghost of Tsushima showcase wowed us on the latest episode of our weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Editor's note: Former IGN employee Andrew Goldfarb is currently working for Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch. Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

DC's wildly popular zombie comic DCeased is getting another spinoff in 2020. DCeased: Hope at World's End is a digital-first series that fleshes out a missing period of time from the original book. The new series will again be written by DCeased writer Tom Taylor, with art by Dustin Nguyen (Descender), Renato Guedes (Action Comics), Carmine Di Giandomenico (The Flash) and Marco Failla (The Marvelous X-Men). Ben Oliver, Francesco Mattina and Yasmine Putri will provide covers. Check out the slideshow below for a look at covers and interior art for the new series: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dceased-hope-at-worlds-end-fleshes-out-dcs-superhero-zombie-saga&captions=true"] Hope at World's End spins out of the events of the original DCeased series, specifically filling in the time jump that takes place in DCeased #5. The series will offer greater insight into the struggles facing heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Stephanie Brown, Wally West and Jimmy Olsen as they deal with a world ravaged by an Anti-Life zombie plague. “There was a point in DCeased where we had to make the decision to skip weeks of losses and triumphs and heroism or our first miniseries wouldn't exactly be a miniseries,” said Taylor in DC's press release. “But we knew we had a larger story to tell, so we seeded plots we could expand on and deliberately left huge characters off the table for the future. That future is here.” Though it's a spinoff of the original series, Hope at World's End will also lay the groundwork for the upcoming sequel series DCeased 2, which launches in June 2020. DCeased 2 deals with a new generation of heroes rising up to replace the zombie-ravaged old, and Hope at World's End will help chronicle the evolution of younger characters like Jon Kent, Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne. “With Hope at World's End, we finally get to tell the tale of what Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Black Adam, Wink, the Aerie, Martian Manhunter, Black Manta, Steph Brown, Robin, Superboy and more did to save as much of humanity as they could,” continued Taylor. “And Super Sons fans won't want to miss the apocalyptic adventures of Damian and Jon as they stand up to the worst crisis the Earth has ever seen, and take their first steps on the road to becoming the next World's Finest.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/21/dceased-writer-on-creating-the-walking-dead-with-superheroes-comic-con-2019"] Hope at World's End will run 14 chapters in total. The first chapter is available now on the DC Comics app, ComiXology and other digital comics providers, with new chapters to follow every other Tuesday. DC hasn't yet confirmed a print version of the series, but based on past digital-first projects like Injustice: Gods Among Us, we assume the publisher will eventually release the series in both single issue and trade paperback formats. Hope at World's End is actually the second DCeased spinoff to debut in 2020. DC recently wrapped up DCeased: The Unkillables, a limited series that explores the events of the original comic from the perspective of more unsavory types like Deathstroke and Red Hood. For more on the DCeased saga, find out why the original series was nominated for IGN's Best Limited Comic Book or Mini-Series of 2019 and see seven other times zombies invaded our favorite superhero comics. [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.

Lionsgate announced Tuesday that Oscar winner Halle Berry will star in director Roland Emmerich's next sci-fi disaster epic, Moonfall. Frozen's Josh Gad is also set to star in the movie, which begins filming later this year in Montreal. Here's the official plot synopsis for Moonfall, which Emmerich also co-wrote with screenwriters Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen:

"In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact, and against all odds, a ragtag team launches an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love and risking everything to land on the lunar surface and save our planet from annihilation."

Berry will play "a NASA astronaut-turned-administrator whose previous space mission holds a clue about an impending catastrophe." She previously played an astronaut in the CBS television series Extant. Call us prescient but back in 2009 IGN listed the moon as one of the things Roland Emmerich hasn't blown up yet. "If you think about it, the moon really is just sitting there – like a useless dog napping in the evening sky – begging to be blown up or forever disfigured," we wrote at the time. "Because aside from controlling the ebb and flow of the tides – or illuminating the Earth during the nighttime – what exactly does it do? It's just a big floating rock that's nowhere near cool enough to give the sun a run for its money. There's nothing on it – no water, no life. Relatively speaking, it's barely even in space. So please, Roland, put the damn moon out of its misery already." Oh, be careful what you wish for, IGN! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/09/11/roland-emmerichs-life-in-trailers-universal-soldier"] Master of disaster Roland Emmerich's other world-threatening films include Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, Godzilla, and Independence Day: Resurgence.

This week in Red Dead Online you can get a free American Wildflower map, 50% bonus cash for turning the American Wildflower set to Madam Nazar, and much more.

2K Games and Hangar 13 have officially unveiled the full Mafia: Trilogy today. 2K Games previously announced the collection in a short teaser, and a leak online tipped the internet off about “Definitive Editions” for Mafia 1, 2, and 3. The first Mafia has been completely remade from the ground-up. The complete remake includes a new game engine, updated script, new cutscenes, added gameplay sequences, and more. However, Mafia 1 won’t be available to play until August 28, 2020. Meanwhile, Mafia 2: Definitive Edition is available today as part of the trilogy and received an Ultra HD remaster. Mafia: Definitive Edition follows cab driver turned mobster Tommy Angelo as he joins the ranks of the Salieri crime family during prohibition in the 1930s. The first Mafia is set the fictional city of Lost Heaven, Illinois, [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=mafia-trilogy-screenshots&captions=true"] Although only the first Mafia has been completely remade, Mafia 2: Definitive Edition features an ultra HD remaster that supports 4K visuals. Mafia 2 tells a different mafia story, this time in the fictional Empire Bay, New York post-World War 2. Veteran Vito Scaletta has to join the local family to help pay off his father’s debts. Meanwhile, Mafia 3: Definitive Edition follows Vietnam War veteran Lincoln Clay who sets out to start his own family to take revenge on the Italian Mafia that killed his loved ones. Both Mafia 2 and Mafia 3: Definitive Edition is available today and includes all their post-launch DLC. Mafia: Trilogy bundles all three Definitive Edition Mafia games, but each game will also be sold separately if you’re only looking to pick up one of the Mafia titles. Furthermore, players who already own Mafia 2 on Steam or Mafia 3 on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam will be upgraded to the Definitive Edition for free upon launch. The Mafia: Trilogy will also be available on the Epic Games Store at a later time. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/19/mafia-trilogy-announcement-trailer"] Purchasing the Trilogy at launch will grant immediate access to Mafia 2 and 3, but the Mafia 1 remake won’t be available until its launch in August. A physical edition will also be released in full on August 28, but only planned for select EMEA region territories. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare's latest patch has solved the mystery of what's behind the Warzone mode's mysterious locked bunker doors - but opened up yet more mysteries for players to ponder over. In classic CoD fashion, they might well involve a nuclear bomb. As speculated previously, the once-useless Red Access Cards added to the game last month do indeed open up the game's bunkers. Inside, players have found concentrated stashes of high-level loot - it's safe to say these could become a major draw to players in the coming days. But inside those locked bunker doors are... yet more locked doors, which seemingly hide more secrets. Some think they already know one of them – in a video by Geek Gaming Squad, it's shown that, of the 11 bunkers, Bunker 11 displays a red light on its outside, while the other bunkers show a green light. Once opened, it has a slightly different interior to the other bunkers. Most interesting, though, is what you can't yet access on foot.

In bunker 11, there appears to be some sort of Nuke in Call of Duty Warzone...

H/T @ModernWarzone pic.twitter.com/YliEkbgAod — Call of Duty Warzone News (@BattleRoyaleCoD) May 19, 2020

Geek Gaming Squad used a clipping exploit to guide a Recon Drone behind Bunker 11's locked doors and, alongside multiple rooms and even more chests, there sits what looks like a nuclear bomb. As pointed out by Eurogamer, Warzone dataminers were able to find the model for that nuke, which is listed under the title "nuke_coreless". Does that imply that players will be bringing the core to the nuke at some point? The real outstanding question is when those rooms will open, and how that nuke will be used - could we see a return to an instant game-winning mechanic as with nukes in the CoDs of old, or will this be a climactic event for the end of Warzone's third season? That's not the only mystery to emerge in today's update. The previously unusable phones dotted across the Warzone map have also begun ringing and, when answered, will play a message in Russian. According to Froxion and added to by other users on Reddit, that message says: "- To all units! The base is captured, change the encryption! - Now... - [Three numbers, depending on location] - You heard?" Some have wondered whether those numbers given can be, or will be used to unlock the further doors inside bunkers. No solution has been found as yet, and it may be that we need to wait for the next update to crack that one.

THE PHONES ARE RINGING IN WARZONE pic.twitter.com/lJDPapCwFv

— TST Blake (@blakecissel) May 19, 2020

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-call-of-duty-review&captions=true"] That's far from all that was added in the new Modern Warfare update - here’s a full list of updates in the patch via Infinity Ward. You'll notice there's a little teaser for... something at the end.

WHAT’S NEW

• Call of Duty Endowment “Fearless” Pack is now available!
• New Gunfight Map, Aisle 9!
• New Multiplayer Map, Hardhat!
• Modified Special Operations! Replay existing Operations with a twist! Some enemies may charge more frequently or maybe they can only be taken down with headshots. Check out new Modified Special Operations and earn new rewards each week!

PLAYLIST UPDATE

Modern Warfare

• Realism Moshpit with NVG
• Reinfected Ground War
• Core Ground War
• Blueprint Gunfight
• Aisle 9 Face Off Moshpit!
• Hard Hat 24/7!

Warzone

• BR Solos
• BR Trios
• BR Quads
• Blood Money Quads
• Armor Box (available via loot on the ground and purchasable at Buy Stations): Resupply the entire team’s armor
• Added Most Wanted contracts back (in addition to the other 3 contracts, none have been removed)
• Loot Update
  • Added the new SKS (legendary only)
  • Updated 5 New Blueprints:
    • AX-50 – Epic
    • Kilo 141 – Legendary
    • FAL – Epic
    • MP7 – Legendary
    • AUG- Epic
• Gulag Loadouts – the Gulag will now randomly choose from 6 ARs and 4 SMGs. All automatic, no burst or single fire guns included
  • Kilo 141
  • M4
  • AK-47
  • M13
  • SCAR
  • Ram-7
  • MP5
  • AUG
  • P90
  • Striker 45

GENERAL FIXES

• Infected and Gun Game now feature playlist text to reinforce that KDR and win loss are not affected
• Blueprint variants of Gun Game and Gunfight can now be enabled in custom match advanced options for their respective modes
• Added the fire throwing knife to restricted equipment for CDL
• Fix for the ‘Splash Guard’ shotgun weapon camo not applying properly to the weapon
• Fixed a bug where on occasion, your selected Operator would not appear in the squad walk
• Added a ‘Hold to Use’ option that allows you to choose between a hold or a press for the interaction button on keyboard and mouse
• Adjusted the Monitor Distance Coefficient slider option to maximum value from 2.00 to 5.00
• Out of map exploit fixes across various maps
• Fixed a bug where players could take the ATV out of the map on Aniyah Palace
• Fix for an XP exploit in Hardpoint
• Fix for the ‘Time to Reap’ watch not displaying the time
• Fix for the ‘Blue Skies’ watch appearing backwards when worn
• Fix for some players spawning facing a wall while playing FFA on Talsik Backlot
• Demolition: Added VO to alert the defending team a bomb site was destroyed
• One in the Chamber: This mode is now available in custom games!
• Regular Infected playlist now has random care package drops!
• Gun Game Reloaded is now in the Quick Play filter.
• Gunfight:
  • Fire throwing knife is now available in OSP mode
  • Fixes to the Snapshot grenade so it functions as intended in OSP mode
• Reinfected Ground War:
  • Removed IAV and Counter UAV
  • Added a hint to tutorialize how to sky dive in this mode
  • Do not show death icon when a player uses Field Upgrade Tac Insert to skydive
  • Deaths from Field Upgrade Tac Insert (skydive) no longer count as deaths on the scoreboard
    • Kills & Deaths do not count against your lifetime records in this mode, this is purely to reflect the accurate KDR on the scoreboard
  • Lower Juggernaut health in this mode only
  • No longer give killstreak points on kills if the player is in your party
  • Significantly lowered damage from killstreaks if the player called out the killstreak and then moved to the infected team
  • Added ATV visibility on the map to avoid players hiding while riding the ATV

CHALLENGES/MISSIONS

• Fix for Rodion’s Season 3, Objective 3 Mission from not tracking properly (“Purchase the Armor Bundle in Warzone 2 times while using Rodion as your Allegiance Operator”)
• Fix for the “Use the Dead Silence Field Upgrade in 3 different matches” not tracking properly

WEAPONS

• Renetti:
  • Reduced the max ammo reserve
  • MK3 Burst Mod - Significant hip spread increase
  • MK3 Burst Mod - Small decrease to damage
  • Reduced damage when Akimbo and MK3 Burst Mod are both equipped
• FAL: Decrease to ADS time
• SCAR: Decrease to ADS time
• LMGS: Lowered ammo count for reload warning on belt fed LMGs
• Reduced penalty for holding breath too long with sniper scopes
• Fix for the level 34 unlock of the Renetti showing the Merc Foregrip
• VLK Rogue
  • Increased rate of fire
  • Increased close damage range for 12 gauge
  • Increased damage range to 6” Revolt barrel
• Holger 26
  • Increased move speed
  • Improved ADS time
  • Slight recoil reduction
  • Attachments:
    • FTAC 8.98” Spitfire Barrel:
      • Improved ADS time
      • Faster movement
      • Reduced hip spread
  • XRK Ultralight Barrel:
    • Improved ads time
  • 30 Round Magazine:
    • Reduced sprint out time
    • Improved ADS time
    • Faster movement
    • Improved hip spread profile
  • Not Stock:
    • Increased sprint out time
    • Faster movement
    • Reduced hip spread
    • Improved ADS time
  • Stippled Grip
    • Improved ADS time

WARZONE

• Fix for a bug where a player could become immune to the gas if they were bought back as the final circle was closing
• Fix for a rare bug that left a player in the Gulag until the end of the match
• PC: Fixed an issue where the gas mask overlay could remain on screen after leaving the gas and entering a vehicle
• Removed the option to “Squad Fill” while in BR Solo
• Fix for voice chat sometimes cutting out during a match
• Reduced the RPG kill radius for players with full armor
• Final circle now moves (BR)
• The Most Wanted contract has had the time reduced from 5 minutes to 3 minutes
• Replaced Shield Turret with Armor Box at Buy Stations (Shield Turret is still in loot)

SPECIAL OPERATIONS

• When players are respawned via the plane their weapons will now start with at least one full magazine each, to fix getting into situations where you could respawn without any ammo
• Operation Headhunter - Fix for the players keeping the Gunship munition if the team wipes during the tank assault section
• Operation Brimstone - Fix for the Extraction Crate appearing to be already open if the team had wiped and restarted earlier in the match

SPECIAL OPERATIONS: SURVIVAL

• PS4: Atlas Superstore has been added to Survival Mode
• Teammates respawned via the ‘Respawn Flare’ item will now come back with full armor, to help them survive their dangerous respawns better
• Disallow usage of the ‘Respawn Flare’ item if no teammates are currently in last stand or spectating, and display why
• Fix for missing dialog, store icons, and sounds during the buy phase
• Fix for missing message display for players attempting to use the minigun at the weapons store
• Fix for the ammo store not filling your magazine, and only your stock, and fix its missing sounds
• Made the assorted stores’ Cash font easier to read on dark screens
• Players now get $10 per hit on enemy helicopters

  Number station <redacted> is Protocol Yellow. Activate <redacted> system. <redacted> is inbound. Awaiting correct authorization. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Donald Glover has pitched his own plot for the prospective Community movie, as he started "writing the movie on the fly" during a virtual cast reunion earlier this week. Following a charity table-read of the classic episode "Cooperative Polygraphy," the ensemble cast of the cult TV show joined Variety for a sitdown Q&A session. The conversation quickly turned towards the possibility of a Community feature film, to which the cast reiterated their desire to enroll for the spin-off project. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/11/community-the-movie-dan-harmon-says-conversations-happening-ign-news"] Glover was asked about the uncertain fate of his character, Troy Barnes, who was last heard of being lost at sea after he left Greendale for a year-long sailing trip in the fifth episode of Season 5, "Geothermal Escapism." "In the Community world, [Troy] is definitely dead," Glover jokingly remarked in the opening minutes of the Q&A before elaborating further. "What am I doing, writing the movie on the fly or something?" he quipped. "[Troy] is probably lost. I feel like it's like Abed [Nadir]'s gotta find him. I like those movies." His quick-fire pitch for a potential storyline for the movie garnered support from the rest of the Community team. Danny Pudi chimed in, saying, "I love the idea of Troy being lost and Abed's mission is to go find him, try to track someone down — that would be fun." While series creator Dan Harmon added, "It writes itself… just put in some Die Hard references." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-and-worst-tv-revivals&captions=true"] Harmon previously raised the volume on the "six seasons and a movie" mantra, as he revealed that conversations were "happening that people would want to be happening" about a reunion movie following a renewed interest in the quick-witted, meta-riffic comedy after all six seasons became available on Netflix. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Ghost of Tsushima will be Sucker Punch’s biggest game ever, as the Infamous and Sly Cooper studio sets out to craft an ambitious story and world on the island of Tsushima. Speaking to IGN after the recent Ghost of Tsushima State of Play, Creative Director and Art Director Jason Connell spoke to the scope of Tsushima. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ghost-of-tsushima-ps4-4k-screenshots&captions=true"] “It's a lot bigger [than Infamous: Second Son]. It's definitely Sucker Punch's biggest game we've ever made by a landslide, both in the amount of stuff that's in it and also just sheer landscape, square footage-wise,” Connell, who also told IGN about Ghost of Tsushima's move away from a karma meter, said. Connell explained that the team often gets asked about Ghost of Tsushima’s size in terms of length of completing the game, though he noted it’s hard to pinpoint because “completing” can mean various things for people with open-world games. Some people just play the story and others want to find everything. The studio recognized this, and worked “to create a world big enough that has both those opportunities. People that can just play story and people that can go get lost in the environment.” And as our few looks at that environment have shown, Ghost of Tsushima looks to be a visually beautiful adventure. Given that it’s Sucker Punch’s first full game since Infamous: Second Son in 2014, one of the first first-party games on the PS4, Connell explained how the studio has worked to push the hardware now as, currently, the last PS4 first-party exclusive for the system. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ghost-of-tsushima-gameplay-exploring-tsushima"] “We've learned a ton and we've just built on tech, on tech, on tech, and we have amazing technical rendering gurus at Sucker Punch,” Connell said. “They've managed to pull out every little ounce of performance so that we could have our dreams of making this game. “You can see pretty far in the game as we show off, and that's not some fabricated thing with hacks. You can just get down from that mountain and go to those places. It's stunning what they've been able to pull off for us from a technical perspective,” he continued, noting the combined work of the many different teams within the studio coming together to produce Tsushima. That work has gone into producing the ambitious island of Tsushima, inspired by the real-life location, though set hundreds of years ago. Connell explained that while the team sought to honor and respect the real-life setting — the in-game landmass is pretty much geographically the same shape as the real-world Tsushima — it’s not meant to be a one-to-one recreation, especially given the setting’s period. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ghost-of-tsushima-gameplay-screenshots-state-of-play&captions=true"] “When it comes to some of the biomes and places that you go to, it's so long ago, there's not a perfect map of forestry of what was where,” Connell said, noting Sucker Punch's similar approach with Second Son to capture the essence of Seattle without necessarily recreating it building by building. One of the biggest aspects in creating this open, engaging space involved making the many areas of Tsushima artistically unique, as Connell pointed to the Golden Forest seen on the horizon during Tsushima’s State of Play. Connell didn’t offer an exact number of the distinct regions, but counted the giant fields showcased at Tsushima’s last E3 reveal, a bamboo forest, a swamp-like area, and more among Tsushima's biomes. [caption id="attachment_2353814" align="alignnone" width="720"] The Golden Forest can be seen beyond the green forest area, and Jin could head there from this spot.[/caption] “We try really hard from an art direction perspective to make [each area] feel distinctly different and try not to muddy things up,” he said. “And while that may feel a little bit loud, when you approach it, it feels very memorable. I can remember where it is, I can see it from everywhere on the island. And that's important to us because the island's big and so, and we're not putting markers all over the place, so you have to come up with other visual anchors to keep your directionality intact.” As for whether players can explore the entire island from the start, Connell remained coy on exactly how much would be available to explore, but from the sound of it, Tsushima will focus players in on Jin’s story first before opening the wider world. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/18-minutes-of-ghosts-of-tsushima-gameplay-full-4k-60fps-presentation"] “As a story as big as ours and a game as big as ours, it is incredibly important to us that people understand Jin's journey first. It's a lot to take in. So the first part, we want to make sure that you understand who he is, what's happened to this island. So there's a little bit of setup,” he said. “It's really important to do that before we just open the flood gates. But then once you get to that point, then it's pretty open.” It sounds like a model not unlike some other major open world games have taken, similar to how Horizon Zero Dawn opens up dramatically after The Proving early in its story. For more on Ghost of Tsushima, which is set to be released on PS4 July 17, be sure to read everything we learned from the Ghost of Tsushima State of Play, and find out why the Ghost of Tsushima showcase wowed us on the latest episode of our weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!. Stay tuned to IGN for more from our interview with Jason Connell. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Editor's note: Former IGN employee Andrew Goldfarb is currently working for Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch. Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.