The Nintendo Switch is apparently "barely in the middle" of its life cycle, according to reports from Nintendo's latest investor Q&A. That fact was reported by investment advisor David Gibson, who attended the Q&A following Nintendo's latest earnings report and explained that Nintendo representatives had said it was, "Barely in the middle of the switch cycle, no change to that view." The Nintendo Switch is just over three years old, which would put the expected end of its life cycle at around 2023 at least. That thinking matches up with Nintendo's other recent successes - Nintendo Wii was released in 2006 and followed by Wii U in 2012, while Nintendo DS was released in 2004, with 3DS coming 7 years later in 2011. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/e3-nintendo-direct-in-june-reportedly-delayed"] This doesn't necessarily discount an upgraded model of Switch arriving during that time - several Nintendo consoles have seen updates during their life cycle, and we've already seen Switch Lite - but we know that there are no plans for a rumoured Switch Pro model in 2020. This news isn't a huge surprise - Switch and its software continues to sell well, with April seeing new records broken for hardware sales, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons selling over 11 million copies in 11 days. It's been enough for EA - which once said its players don't want games on Switch - to announce that it will release multiple games for the console this year. In January, Nintendo explained: "we believe it is important to continue to communicate the appeal of both Nintendo Switch systems and expand the installed base." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be shorter and smaller than some other Assassin's Creed games, to address criticism that Assassin's Creed Odyssey was somewhat bloated. The move was revealed by Ubisoft Middle East head of communications, Malek Teffaha on Twitter (as translated by VG247 and confirmed by IGN): “FYI, it won’t be the longest or biggest game in the series. They addressed criticism on this one." While Odyssey's epic scale and 60 hour+ length were appreciated by many, there was mention of the amount of less meaningful content and long travel times between major moments. In our mostly glowing review, we did single that out for criticism: "Oftentimes the payoff of a major character reveal was dulled because I had to spend six hours chasing my tail through half the Greek world to reach it." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-first-screenshots&captions=true"] This by no means indicates that Valhalla will be a straightforwardly small game, though - creative director Ashraf Ismail previously told us that the game would feature a Norway region as well as four English kingdoms, making up "quite a large chunk of England" in total. Hopefully, this move will mean a more densely packed game - it certainly sounds like there's a fair bit to do, from building a Viking settlement to fishing, hunting and, er, historically accurate Viking rap battles. We're due to see the first gameplay trailer for Valhalla in today's Inside Xbox broadcast for third-party games - here's how you can watch it live. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Andy Serkis is set to embark on an unexpected journey on Friday morning, as he has announced that he is hosting a continuous live reading of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit to raise money for charity during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Taking to Twitter, the actor, who played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies, invited fans to tune in for the "armchair marathon" across Middle Earth, which is expected to take approx. 12 hours from start to finish.

I want to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written. Join me for a 12-hour armchair marathon reading of “The Hobbit”, in aid of two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those most in need@NHSuk @bestbeginnings #hobbitathon pic.twitter.com/q8qIO3diPT

— Andy Serkis (@andyserkis) May 7, 2020

The Hobbitathon will start at 10:00 AM GMT (5:00 AM EST, 2:00 AM PST) on Friday, May 8th. The link to the live stream will be posted on the official GoFundMe page for the event, which is in aid of NHS Charities Together and Best Beginnings. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/12/22/ranking-peter-jacksons-lord-of-the-rings-and-hobbit-movies"] "So many of us are struggling in isolation during the lockdown," Serkis said in a video accompanying the announcement. "While times are tough, I want to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written, a 12-hour armchair marathon across Middle Earth whilst raising money for two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those most in need." This campaign comes shortly after celebrities signed up to collaboratively read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first of J.K. Rowling's beloved fantasy book series. Daniel Radcliffe launched the project by reading the first chapter of the book as part of the next phase of the Harry Potter At Home initiative, run by J.K. Rowling and the Wizarding World team of magic makers. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] For more lockdown entertainment offerings, check out John Krasinski's YouTube series "dedicated entirely to good news", listen to Seth MacFarlane's podcast hosted by Family Guy's Stewie and Brian, watch Jodie Whittaker's Doctor Who give an "emergency transmission", and tune in for Sir Patrick Stewart's daily sonnet readings. More importantly, for a list of recommendations on how best to help, and stay safe, during the coronavirus pandemic, please read our resource guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Microsoft has revealed a new badge that will be used to indicate games that have been optimised for Xbox Series X.

Every game you’ll see on #InsideXbox tomorrow will be Xbox Series X Optimized. Spoilers, you’re going to see this badge a lot.

You ready? We’re ready. pic.twitter.com/pzSJmUvNUp — Xbox (@Xbox) May 7, 2020

The official Xbox Twitter account posted an image of the bright green badge, stating that “Every game you’ll see on Inside Xbox tomorrow will be Xbox Seires X Optimized. Spoilers, you’re going to see this badge a lot.” The tweet suggests that many developers have specifically optimised their games to make the most of the Xbox Series X’s 12 teraflops of computing power. We’ll likely see the logo on-screen with each of the new gameplay trailers in the next Inside Xbox presentation and further Xbox 20/20 shows this summer, although I’m also hoping for the ‘World Premiere’ voice to have an ‘Optimised for Series X’ line, too. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/26/phil-spencer-talks-about-his-vision-for-consoles-beyond-xbox-series-x-ign-news"] For more on Xbox, check out why Phil Spencer believes next-gen will “dramatically” change the feel of games, and our breakdown of the tech inside the Xbox Series X. And for more games, Xbox has joined IGN’s Summer of Gaming event, and will be bringing new game information in June. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 11.77 million copies in its first 11 days on sale, making it the fastest selling Nintendo Switch game released so far. The figure was announced as part of today's Nintendo end-of-year earnings report, which counts sales until the end of March 31. Animal Crossing has gone onto sell 13.41 million units in its first 6 weeks on sale. On Nintendo's official chart of best-selling Switch games, it's in 7th place, but those subsequent sales likely put it above Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, which had 11.91 million sales at last count. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains the Switch's biggest seller by a distance, at just shy of 25 million copies sold. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/revealed-your-top-5-animal-crossing-new-horizons-villagers-power-ranking"] New Horizons is now already the best-selling game in the Animal Crossing franchise, surpassing Animal Crossing: New Leaf's 12.55 million lifetime sales. We awarded New Horizons a 9/10 review, calling it "an expanded, polished, next-generation reboot of a classic Nintendo game that's full of surprises." If you're one of the millions playing, check out all the fish and bugs you can catch this month, how to spot Redd's fake art, and learn about how some of the paintings you buy might be haunted. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 11.77 million copies in its first 11 days on sale, making it the fastest selling Nintendo Switch game released so far. The figure was announced as part of today's Nintendo end-of-year earnings report, which counts sales until the end of March 31. Animal Crossing has gone onto sell 13.41 million units in its first 6 weeks on sale. On Nintendo's official chart of best-selling Switch games, it's in 7th place, but those subsequent sales likely put it above Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, which had 11.91 million sales at last count. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains the Switch's biggest seller by a distance, at just shy of 25 million copies sold. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/revealed-your-top-5-animal-crossing-new-horizons-villagers-power-ranking"] New Horizons is now already the best-selling game in the Animal Crossing franchise, surpassing Animal Crossing: New Leaf's 12.55 million lifetime sales. We awarded New Horizons a 9/10 review, calling it "an expanded, polished, next-generation reboot of a classic Nintendo game that's full of surprises." If you're one of the millions playing, check out all the fish and bugs you can catch this month, how to spot Redd's fake art, and learn about how some of the paintings you buy might be haunted. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Everything's got a price... except for John Wick, this Friday (May 8th) at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET. The first John Wick will be live-streamed in its entirety for free on IGN's YouTube, the Lionsgate Movies YouTube page and Fandango's MovieClips YouTube page as part of the month-long Lionsgate LIVE! A Night at the Movies initiative. So cuddle up with your puppy (or dog... or whatever pet!) and get ready for some John Wick action. Previously installments of the Lionsgate program have seen the studio provide free streams of The Hunger Games, Dirty Dancing and La La Land in support of theater employees furloughed by the COVID-19 crisis. The special John Wick screening will be age-gated to users 18 and above, and will require users to sign in with an account and verify their age. The stream is also geo-gated to only United States and Canadian users. John Wick joins Lionsgate's free screening series in an effort to support the people who make the movies special; each live stream is benefiting the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, which is dedicated to helping people who work in the motion picture industry and currently providing financial assistance to theater employees. Lionsgate Live! is encouraging donations to the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/03/john-wick-series-in-5-minutes"] John Wick has quickly become one of our favorite action franchises ever, and its titular hero, played by Keanu Reeves of course, is a character we keep wanting back. (Fortunately, John Wick 4 is still on the way.) That's why we at IGN are so excited to support this great cause and provide this movie for free in this special live stream since it not only is beloved to us, but also to all of you, our fans. Hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis, the John Wick free movie screening will feature pre-show interviews with series stars Reeves, Halle Berry, Lance Reddick, Asia Kate Dillon and directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. And if you're looking for more weekly programming celebrating our love of movies, be sure to check out IGN's Watch From Home Theater, where we rewatch some of your favorite films -- from Jurassic Park to Rogue One -- live with the people who made them. WFH Theater is like Lionsgate's A Night at the Movies -- a love letter to cinema where we all want to bring the magic of the movie theater experience directly to fans during this time. To learn more about A Night at the Movies, go to the Lionsgate LIVE! website.

Everything's got a price... except for John Wick, this Friday (May 8th) at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET. The first John Wick will be live-streamed in its entirety for free on IGN's YouTube, the Lionsgate Movies YouTube page and Fandango's MovieClips YouTube page as part of the month-long Lionsgate LIVE! A Night at the Movies initiative. So cuddle up with your puppy (or dog... or whatever pet!) and get ready for some John Wick action. Previously installments of the Lionsgate program have seen the studio provide free streams of The Hunger Games, Dirty Dancing and La La Land in support of theater employees furloughed by the COVID-19 crisis. The special John Wick screening will be age-gated to users 18 and above, and will require users to sign in with an account and verify their age. The stream is also geo-gated to only United States and Canadian users. John Wick joins Lionsgate's free screening series in an effort to support the people who make the movies special; each live stream is benefiting the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, which is dedicated to helping people who work in the motion picture industry and currently providing financial assistance to theater employees. Lionsgate Live! is encouraging donations to the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/03/john-wick-series-in-5-minutes"] John Wick has quickly become one of our favorite action franchises ever, and its titular hero, played by Keanu Reeves of course, is a character we keep wanting back. (Fortunately, John Wick 4 is still on the way.) That's why we at IGN are so excited to support this great cause and provide this movie for free in this special live stream since it not only is beloved to us, but also to all of you, our fans. Hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis, the John Wick free movie screening will feature pre-show interviews with series stars Reeves, Halle Berry, Lance Reddick, Asia Kate Dillon and directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. And if you're looking for more weekly programming celebrating our love of movies, be sure to check out IGN's Watch From Home Theater, where we rewatch some of your favorite films -- from Jurassic Park to Rogue One -- live with the people who made them. WFH Theater is like Lionsgate's A Night at the Movies -- a love letter to cinema where we all want to bring the magic of the movie theater experience directly to fans during this time. To learn more about A Night at the Movies, go to the Lionsgate LIVE! website.

A video that surfaced online today supposedly for an unreleased Prince of Persia game was confirmed by former Ubisoft developers to be test footage for a canceled Prince of Persia pitch. The video was initially published on YouTube back in 2012 and has flown under the radar ever since. Titled Prince of Persia Redemption, the footage shows familiar elements from the Prince of Persia series including platforming and time-altering combat. Jonathan Cooper, a video game animator with credits on The Last of Us Part 2, Uncharted 4, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Mass Effect, revealed that the footage was a pre-rendered game pitch video created to simulate gameplay. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=canceled-prince-of-persia-redemption-screenshots&captions=true"] “Wow — haven’t seen this in ages. Amazing work from animation director Khai Nguyen (For Honor) and team. This target game footage (pre-rendered game pitch) inspired our own pitch for Assassin’s Creed 3[,]” Cooper Tweeted. In a follow-up Tweet, Cooper added, “Sadly Ubisoft are generally quicker to cancel Prince of Persia games than [other IPs] because [as far as I know] original creator Jordan Mechner still holds license rights so the profit margins are lower.” Cooper said that he would love to see a new Prince of Persia, preferably set in contemporary Iran. The footage is about three minutes long and shows a character, presumably the Prince, as he makes his way through a crumbling city. Along the way, he fights enemies, and time shifts a bit before a giant monster emerges from underneath the city. It’s been 10 years since a mainline console Prince of Persia game. The last video game release was Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands which was meant to coincide with the movie adaptation that was released that same year starring Jake Gyllenhaal. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2010/02/05/prince-of-persia-the-sands-of-time"] When reached by IGN for comment Ubisoft says that While “Prince of Persia is a beloved franchise and one that’s been important to Ubisoft’s development over the years” the studio doesn’t “have anything new to share at this time.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

A video that surfaced online today supposedly for an unreleased Prince of Persia game was confirmed by former Ubisoft developers to be test footage for a canceled Prince of Persia pitch. The video was initially published on YouTube back in 2012 and has flown under the radar ever since. Titled Prince of Persia Redemption, the footage shows familiar elements from the Prince of Persia series including platforming and time-altering combat. Jonathan Cooper, a video game animator with credits on The Last of Us Part 2, Uncharted 4, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Mass Effect, revealed that the footage was a pre-rendered game pitch video created to simulate gameplay. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=canceled-prince-of-persia-redemption-screenshots&captions=true"] “Wow — haven’t seen this in ages. Amazing work from animation director Khai Nguyen (For Honor) and team. This target game footage (pre-rendered game pitch) inspired our own pitch for Assassin’s Creed 3[,]” Cooper Tweeted. In a follow-up Tweet, Cooper added, “Sadly Ubisoft are generally quicker to cancel Prince of Persia games than [other IPs] because [as far as I know] original creator Jordan Mechner still holds license rights so the profit margins are lower.” Cooper said that he would love to see a new Prince of Persia, preferably set in contemporary Iran. The footage is about three minutes long and shows a character, presumably the Prince, as he makes his way through a crumbling city. Along the way, he fights enemies, and time shifts a bit before a giant monster emerges from underneath the city. It’s been 10 years since a mainline console Prince of Persia game. The last video game release was Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands which was meant to coincide with the movie adaptation that was released that same year starring Jake Gyllenhaal. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2010/02/05/prince-of-persia-the-sands-of-time"] When reached by IGN for comment Ubisoft says that While “Prince of Persia is a beloved franchise and one that’s been important to Ubisoft’s development over the years” the studio doesn’t “have anything new to share at this time.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.