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.

Sony has revealed a special edition PS4 Pro based on The Last of Us Part 2, alongside other branded peripherals. There's also a Last of Us 2 beer tie-in on the way. Launching alongside the game on June 19, the collection - themed after Ellie's new tattoo sleeve - will include a PS4 Pro with controller, a Seagate 2TB hard drive, and a wireless headset. You can see them all in the gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-special-edition-hardware-and-peripherals&captions=true"] A PS4 Pro bundle will include the controller, a copy of the game, and a code to redeem digital content. It will retail at $399.99 USD. The controller will be sold separately for $64.99 USD. The headset - in a classy black and red finish - will sell for $99.99 USD, and  the (slightly less understated) Seagate Game Drive will retail at $89.99 USD. In the US, Boulevard Brewing Co. has also created special branded six-packs of Space Camper Cosmic IPA, and will give away 10 of the PS4 Pro bundles alongside it. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/19/the-last-of-us-part-2-limited-edition-ps4-pro-trailer"] Naughty Dog art director John Sweeney explained that the choice to theme the console after Ellie's tattoo was based on fan reaction to the design: "When we first revealed The Last of Us Part II, we had no idea how quickly fans would embrace Ellie’s tattoo. Within a day, we started seeing real-life versions showing up on social media and fans have been sharing photos of their new tattoos with us week after week ever since. "When the opportunity arose to create a custom PS4 Pro for The Last of Us Part II, I worked with our graphic designer at the time, Angel Garcia, and we considered a few different ideas, but we kept coming back to Ellie’s tattoo. By that point, it had become a symbol of the game and for the community–much like the Firefly logo in the first game. It was the clear choice, but we wondered: what if it could be engraved? It hadn’t been done before, so we weren’t sure it was even possible, but thanks to the incredible efforts of the teams at PlayStation, we found a way. " With not long to go until release, The Last of Us 2 is getting a new video series about its development, and we've learned it will be the first Sony game to get the new PlayStation Studios intro. We're on the home stretch, so make sure you watch out for spoilers. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida has said the company will be announcing a lineup of games for PlayStation 5 'soon'. Speaking as part of a statement about corporate strategy for Sony, Yoshida (according to Bloomberg's Takashi Mochizuki) said: "we will soon be announcing a strong lineup of PS5 games." Much has been made of Sony's relative silence on PS5 - and particularly its games - in recent weeks, especially when compared to Xbox's somewhat more open approach to revealing its own Series X console. There has been speculation about a PS5 event taking place in June, and some have taken this statement to support that, although Sony has made no further comment. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] As part of the corporate strategy report, Sony also outlined the future of its Game and Network Services department. "The launch of PlayStation®5, scheduled for the holiday season of this calendar year," reads a statement, "will deliver even more immersive experiences on a game console. Higher speed, enhanced sensory perceptions generated by its revolutionary controller, and sound delivered in 3D audio will combine to realize truly next generation console game experiences unlike anything before." As part of the statement, Sony also announced that Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and President Jim Ryan is now also now a Senior Executive Vice President of Sony Corp as a whole. Until we're shown some PS5 games, we always have the recent Unreal Engine 5 demo, which shows us how they could look. Sony recently made clear that PS5 hardware was on track, and that there were "no major issues" with software development for the console. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/13/ps5-unreal-engine-5-tech-demo"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Square Enix has revealed that upcoming mobile game Kingdom Hearts Dark Road has been delayed due to "current conditions," most likely related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kingdom Hearts Dark Road is a mobile spin-off which was revealed back in January and was slated for a Spring 2020 release. The official Kingdom Hearts Dark Road account issued a statement apologizing for the late update, noting that this is due to the team "trying to find some means of making a Spring release." The statement didn't include a revised release date but revealed that another announcement related to the game is set to arrive in early June, and we'll be sure to update you when that lands. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/01/24/kingdom-hearts-3-review"] Square Enix revealed some details about the game in February alongside some screenshots, noting that the game will offer "exhilarating, high speed battles that depend on reflexes." The game was originally known as Project Xehanort and will live within the popular Kingdom Hearts Union χ [Cross] app as a standalone experience. Players will be able to uncover Kingdom Hearts villain Xehanort's past and learn why he became the seeker of darkness. It appears to be an action-card game of some kind. While you don't have to play Union χ [Cross] to play Dark Road, there will be benefits for trying both: "The more complete your KHUX Medal Album is," reads a news post, "the more points you can earn in KHDR to trade in for Cards to be used in battle". The game will land on iOS, Android and Amazon devices when it launches inside Union χ [Cross] later this year. For more on Kingdom Hearts, check out our review of the long-awaited third full instalment, Kingdom Hearts 3. Here's how to help and stay safe during the coronavirus outbreak. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Developer Mike Bithell (Thomas Was Alone, John Wick Hex) has revealed that he's had demos of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, and talked up the controller's haptic feedback capabilities.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Play, Watch, Listen podcast (starting at around 1:20:00), composer Austin Wintory discusses the new audio systems promised by Unreal Engine 5, and more particularly PS5's Tempest Engine, which will reportedly allow the console to simulate the sound of individual raindrops in a storm.

Bithell says he's Googling to "find if it's been announced yet" before he replies: "You're going to love what they're doing with the controller on PS5 as well, with the DualSense stuff. Haptic... the raindrops thing; I've had some demos, they're very good [...] you're gonna have some fun and games with that." He and Wintory then agree that that's probably as close as they can get before breaking non-disclosure agreements. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] The connection between the two comments means it's possible Bithell is suggesting that the PlayStation 5 DualSense will let players feel in-game rain, or integrate with the Tempest Engine in some way, but he doesn't confirm either point. It's not a far-fetched possibility: Sony has previously discussed how the controller will attempt to communicate the feeling of walking through mud, or the tension on a bow string. In a hands-on with an early version of the controller, Wired also explained how the controller could simulate the feeling of driving on two different road surfaces simultaneously. It may be that these are the same demos Bithell has had – either way, it's exciting to hear that developers outside of Sony are coming away impressed with the technology.

The DualSense may have other bold new features to show off - check out this article covering a peculiar patent which claims that the DualSense may be able to sense a player's biometrics as they play. We've also speculated on what the DualSense means for Sony's wider plans for PS5. There's another new controller on the way with Xbox Series X, too, so why not check out our comparison chart of the two?

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5s-unconfirmed-new-tech-next-gen-console-watch"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN who believes that no one else can feel it for you, and only you can let it in. Follow him on Twitter.

Cyberpunk Red, the next edition of the tabletop game that Cyberpunk 2077 is based upon, has been delayed due to the impact of COVID-19. An update from Cyberpunk Red’s publisher, R. Talsorian Games, explained that the pandemic has forced the release date back in order to maintain the quality of the game. “The TRPG industry got punched in the gut by the pandemic and there’s just no way we can release in June without compromising quality,” the statement reads. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/07/11/ign-plays-cyberpunk-2020-with-its-creator"] “We’re currently looking at summer’s end for a release but until the world calms down and things stop fluctuating, our crystal ball is full of fog.” Technically speaking, Cyberpunk Red is already available to play via the Jumpstart Kit, which was released last August. However, this is a stripped-back starter edition, and the now-postponed core rulebook will feature the full game. The rulebook was originally set to launch alongside the Jumpstart Kit, but was delayed so that better ties could be forged with the lore of Cyberpunk 2077. Originally that delay pushed the game back to June 2020, but now we’ll be looking at a later date. Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed from April to September. With the lore of Cyberpunk Red - set in the era between the years 2020 and 2077 - directly tying into the world of CD Projek Red’s upcoming video game, the new target of the end of summer would bring the two projects closer together. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=100-new-cyberpunk-2077-screenshots-gangs-characters-and-playstyles-revealed&captions=true"] For more from the world of Cyberpunk, check out the cool new Mad Max-style vehicle featuring in 2077, the gory description of its adult content, and CD Projek Red's promise that 2077's DLC will be at least as big as The Witcher 3's expansions. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

Ghost of Tsushima, the long-awaited PS4 exclusive from Sony first-party studio Sucker Punch, will lead players on the journey of samurai Jin Sakai. And while the themes of honor and dishonor can often be found in samurai-focused media, the studio has taken a different approach to examining morality than it has in the Infamous franchise, its most recent games. Speaking to IGN after the Ghost of Tsushima State of Play, Creative Director and Art Director Jason Connell spoke with IGN about whether it considered adding any sort of morality meter to Ghost of Tsushima, given the Infamous games’ penchant for having players choose a good or bad path for their protagonists. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ghost-of-tsushima-combat-and-stealth-gameplay"] “We thought about [a morality meter] because we had the karma system in [Infamous: Second Son], but we realized it was more important to us that we wanted to tell a human story of someone who is this way and has to evolve into something else, versus transform completely into something else,” Connell explained. “He doesn't flip flop back and forth, it muddied it up for us. We really wanted the story to reflect his transformation." Second Son, Sucker Punch’s most recent full release, had players decide whether protagonist Delsin Rowe would be a benevolent, life-saving hero or a carefree, and careless when it came to lives, antihero. With Jin and Ghost of Tsushima, it appears the studio is aiming to tell a more singular story of Jin’s life. And, according to Connell, it’s a story defined by the very human challenges many of us face. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ghost-of-tsushima-gameplay-screenshots-state-of-play&captions=true"] “It definitely plays with the notion of, you're born and raised into this certain way of life. There's expectations of you, the way you should perform. And then at some point, because some events happen, in this case a war, you have to challenge those things. And not everybody's going to love the fact that you're going to challenge an assumption that's made upon your life,” he explained. That's not to say Ghost of Tsushima will be lacking in ways for players to choose how they want to play. Whether it’s the black-and-white film grain mode, Japanese voice track, color changes for gear, and more, Sucker Punch is obviously finding ways for players to tailor Jin’s story to their preferences. One of those is the flexibility in playstyle — the State of Play showcased Jin fighting as both a samurai and as the titular Ghost. But these aren’t distinct modes players will be forced to play or spec Jin into throughout the game; the naming merely represents different facets of Jin as a character and fighter, emblematic of the "evolution" Connell referred to for Jin's character. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/18-minutes-of-ghosts-of-tsushima-gameplay-full-4k-60fps-presentation"] “There's definitely important story moments that are more reflective of this change than others. But the reality is that even as you have gotten to some story moments, you can still play the game as this Samurai, you may just be more potent or more powerful. We don't make you choose between [samurai and Ghost],” Connell said. "When he's a Ghost, he can turn around and play as a samurai because he's always a samurai. All his training, using the Katana, that stuff is buried in him deep. On the stealth [State of Play segement], if you wanted to jump off the roof and start fighting like a samurai, you could totally do that. We don't spec you out and suddenly you can't play as a samurai. He's always at his core, his heart of hearts, a samurai. The Ghost is this legendary warrior that he's evolving into," Connell said. Some of those techniques range from Jin’s ability to engage enemies in standoffs — which, as Connell amusingly put it, “is the most samurai thing in the world to do, just walk slowly up to somebody and call them out,” while Jin will learn some tactics as the Ghost to intimidate and strike fear in his foes. Techniques aren’t limited to either Ghost or samurai — you can perform standoffs as the Ghost too, which Connell noted is even a prompt that appears in the State of Play, but simply wasn’t acted on as the developers tried to showcase a variety of tactics. For more on Ghost of Tsushima, 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.

It's a special week of Watch From Home Theater programming coming up to celebrate the big Star Wars anniversaries of Revenge of the Sith and The Empire Strikes Back! We're happy to announce not one but two digital watch parties with some very special guests. This Tuesday, May 19th at 5 p.m. PT, we're watching Revenge of the Sith with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order star Cameron Monaghan and Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Ashley Eckstein, joining IGN hosts Clint Gage and Max Scoville! The final film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy turns 15 on Tuesday, and its age has only increased your love of it; an IGN user poll conducted in January saw our fans rank Revenge of the Sith as your #2 favorite Star Wars movie. The larger RotS time period has been well explored in recent memory, both in the recent conclusion of The Clone Wars' final season, which happened concurrent with the movie, and in Jedi: Fallen Order, which takes place five years after these events. "Now that we've seen the Siege of Mandalore arc in The Clone Wars, I'm excited to go back and watch Revenge of the Sith,” said Ashley Eckstein. “I feel like it will be a completely different experience knowing what is simultaneously happening with Ahsoka, Captain Rex and Maul.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/star-wars-order-66-supercut-from-the-clone-wars-to-jedi-fallen-order"] Then, on Thursday, May 21st at 5 p.m. PT, we're watching The Empire Strikes Back on its 40th anniversary with superfan Rahul Kohli (The Haunting of Bly Manor, iZombie), joining IGN hosts Clint Gage and Brian Altano. In that same IGN user poll, our fans (rather unsurprisingly) rated The Empire Strikes Back as their #1 favorite Star Wars movie with a landslide 51 percent of the 25,000 votes. We want you to join the stream by tuning in on your platform of choice and dropping in everything from your questions for our guests to your favorite moments in the movies! While IGN won't be able to show the full movies in the live stream watch-along, we will be showing select clips throughout the live Q&A with our special guests. If you want the full WFH Theater experience, sync up the full movies on your devices and watch with us when we press "play" together! Both Revenge of the Sith and The Empire Strikes back are available to stream exclusively on Disney+. If you're not already signed up, Disney+ is offering a 14-day free trial. Want to tune in to IGN's WFH Theater? Here's what you need to know! Watch From Home Theater isn’t just a show or an opportunity to watch a movie; it’s a hangout with passionate people who share one thing in common -- their love of film. Each week, we'll invite our viewers to join in the conversation using our WFH Theater Discord channel to chat with our host, Clint Gage, as well as our celebrity guests. With running commentaries that range from insightful to silly, each viewing will take on a life of its own based on each film. Check out highlights from our recent episodes of WFH Theater below!

WFH Theater - Netflix's Extraction with Chris Hemsworth, Joe Russo and director Sam Hargrave

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/extraction-full-one-shot-scene-breakdown-wchris-hemsworth-joe-russo-and-director"]

WFH Theater - Star Trek: First Contact with actor/director Jonathan Frakes

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/data-and-the-borg-queen-totally-had-sex-and-other-star-trek-first-contact-secrets"]

WFH Theater - Jurassic Park with original movie star Joseph Mazzello

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/25/jurassic-park-the-t-rex-detail-you-never-noticed-and-other-secrets-revealed"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Terri Schwartz is Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment at IGN. Talk to her on Twitter at @Terri_Schwartz.

David Arquette will reprise his role as Sheriff Dewey Riley in Spyglass Media Group's upcoming relaunch of Scream, which will be the fifth title in the horror-comedy film franchise. Per Deadline, production is likely to begin later this year in Wilmington, North Carolina "when safety protocols are in place."  Deadline claims Spyglass is in talks to bring back "more legacy castmembers" for the project. And while details about the plot have not been revealed, Arquette did comment on what it means for him to return to the 24-year-old series. "I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new," Arquette said. "Scream has been such a big part of my life, and for both the fans and myself, I look forward to honoring Wes Craven’s legacy.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-horror-movies&captions=true"] Back in March, we learned Ready or Not's Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will direct from an original story co-written by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Guy Busick (Ready or Not). The previous four Scream films were directed by iconic horror director Wes Craven, who died at the age of 76 in 2015. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/09/5-creepy-horror-films-on-netflix-right-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.

David Arquette will reprise his role as Sheriff Dewey Riley in Spyglass Media Group's upcoming relaunch of Scream, which will be the fifth title in the horror-comedy film franchise. Per Deadline, production is likely to begin later this year in Wilmington, North Carolina "when safety protocols are in place."  Deadline claims Spyglass is in talks to bring back "more legacy castmembers" for the project. And while details about the plot have not been revealed, Arquette did comment on what it means for him to return to the 24-year-old series. "I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new," Arquette said. "Scream has been such a big part of my life, and for both the fans and myself, I look forward to honoring Wes Craven’s legacy.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-horror-movies&captions=true"] Back in March, we learned Ready or Not's Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will direct from an original story co-written by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Guy Busick (Ready or Not). The previous four Scream films were directed by iconic horror director Wes Craven, who died at the age of 76 in 2015. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/09/5-creepy-horror-films-on-netflix-right-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.