"We feel absolutely compelled to follow the most responsible course of action and prioritize the safety and well-being of our attendees, our staff and of course the general Icelandic public."

Kojima Productions may have just teased that it's working on a Silent Hill game in a very strange way. Or it might be trolling the internet. Or it might be a coincidence. Whatever it is, it's fun. On the Death Stranding studio's English language Twitter account, head of communications Aki Saito posted a picture of himself to jokingly prove he still worked at the company. He wrote: "Sorry to be silent everyone! I've been really busy lately.....I think i can say more soon about what we are going to....."

Sorry to be silent everyone! I've been really busy lately.....I think i can say more soon about what we are going to.....#KojimaProductions https://t.co/Vr0qPj3DwV pic.twitter.com/BiweDgGC4v

— Kojima Productions (@KojiPro2015_EN) February 28, 2020

That message, and that picture have sent internet detectives into overdrive. The subtle hint about talking more what the company's working on is one thing, then the use of the word "Silent". Getting even deeper, zooming into the picture reveals a notepad Saito's using that reads "Next week!". And, if you want to get really wild, the pencil he's written it with says "PYRAMID". Some have taken the use of 'silent' and 'pyramid' (Pyramid Head is the series' most notable antagonist) to mean the company is working on a Silent Hill game, and that it will be announced or teased next week. But, it must be stated clearly, this may be a joke from Kojima Productions, or a total coincidence. [caption id="attachment_2311088" align="alignnone" width="878"] A close-up of Aki Saito's hand, notepad and pencil. I can't believe this is work for me.[/caption] To the theory's credit, we did learn recently that Hideo Kojima has been working on a new concept, and has recently tweeted that he's watching scary movies to "make the scariest horror game". In a separate report, we recently learned that Konami may be working on a "soft reboot" of the Silent Hill series, with two new games apparently in the works. Infamously, Hideo Kojima was at one point working on a Silent Hill game, Silent Hills, but it was cancelled by publisher Konami, after Kojima left the company, taking much of his staff with him. He'd go onto use the touted star of Silent Hills, Norman Reedus, as the star of Death Stranding. If Konami and Kojima had reconciled and begun working together it would be almost as astoundingly strange a story as, well, this one you're reading right now. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/09/18/silent-hills-concept-trailer-tgs-2014"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and his mind feels like it's spinning out of control. Follow him on Twitter.

Kojima Productions may have just teased that it's working on a Silent Hill game in a very strange way. Or it might be trolling the internet. Or it might be a coincidence. Whatever it is, it's fun. On the Death Stranding studio's English language Twitter account, head of communications Aki Saito posted a picture of himself to jokingly prove he still worked at the company. He wrote: "Sorry to be silent everyone! I've been really busy lately.....I think i can say more soon about what we are going to....."

Sorry to be silent everyone! I've been really busy lately.....I think i can say more soon about what we are going to.....#KojimaProductions https://t.co/Vr0qPj3DwV pic.twitter.com/BiweDgGC4v

— Kojima Productions (@KojiPro2015_EN) February 28, 2020

That message, and that picture have sent internet detectives into overdrive. The subtle hint about talking more what the company's working on is one thing, then the use of the word "Silent". Getting even deeper, zooming into the picture reveals a notepad Saito's using that reads "Next week!". And, if you want to get really wild, the pencil he's written it with says "PYRAMID". Some have taken the use of 'silent' and 'pyramid' (Pyramid Head is the series' most notable antagonist) to mean the company is working on a Silent Hill game, and that it will be announced or teased next week. But, it must be stated clearly, this may be a joke from Kojima Productions, or a total coincidence. [caption id="attachment_2311088" align="alignnone" width="878"] A close-up of Aki Saito's hand, notepad and pencil. I can't believe this is work for me.[/caption] To the theory's credit, we did learn recently that Hideo Kojima has been working on a new concept, and has recently tweeted that he's watching scary movies to "make the scariest horror game". In a separate report, we recently learned that Konami may be working on a "soft reboot" of the Silent Hill series, with two new games apparently in the works. Infamously, Hideo Kojima was at one point working on a Silent Hill game, Silent Hills, which was cancelled by publisher Konami, and led to Kojima leaving the company, and taking much of his staff with him. He'd go onto use the touted star of Silent Hills, Norman Reedus, as the star of Death Stranding. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/09/18/silent-hills-concept-trailer-tgs-2014"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and his mind feels like it's spinning out of control. Follow him on Twitter.

When it's released on March 23, Half-Life: Alyx will be a notable moment in the timeline of VR gaming – perhaps the medium's first true blockbuster. It's led to a rush of first-time VR buyers, eager to play the first full Half-Life game in 16 years. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus) has led to production shortages of several of the compatible headsets you'll need to actually play it. With under a month until release, we looked into each of the major VR headset manufacturers – Oculus, HTC, and developer Valve itself – and what the status of their production is ahead of HL: Alyx's release date, to get a sense of which units may be available to buy if you don't already have one. Before we get going, of course there are more important things than games, and factory shutdowns have been a major means of protecting lives in the wake of a virus that has already killed thousands – these are necessary means, not inconveniences. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/25/how-coronavirus-is-impacting-the-games-industry"]

Valve Index

Valve's Index headset was already sold out practically worldwide following the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, with Valve proactively working to supply more for those who hadn't secured a pre-order. In a statement, however, the developer confirmed that coronavirus-related factory shutdowns meant there would be "far fewer units" available on release than planned: "With Half-Life: Alyx coming March 23rd, we are working hard to meet demand for the Valve Index and want to reassure everyone that Index systems will be available for purchase prior to the game's launch. However, the global Coronavirus health crisis has impacted our production schedules so we will have far fewer units for sale during the coming months compared to the volumes we originally planned. Our entire team is working hard right now to maximize availability." It's unclear at time of writing how many will be made available at release, but it may well be that Index is in short supply, at best, come March 23.

Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S

Oculus Quest, considered a popular entry-level device for VR, is in a similar position. Facebook (which owns Oculus) has also announced that the standalone VR headset has been selling out in many regions, and remains unavailable to buy in the UK and US at time of writing. It too, has seen an impact on replenishing those stocks because of coronoavirus. A spokesperson told IGN, "like other companies we’re expecting some additional impact to our hardware production due to the Coronavirus. We’re taking precautions to ensure the safety of our employees, manufacturing partners and customers, and are monitoring the situation closely. We are working to restore availability as soon as possible.” Facebook wouldn't comment on the effect of production shutdowns on its other headset model, the Oculus Rift S but, given it too is made in China, it seems likely to have been hit by factory shutdowns as well. The Rift S is also currently unavailable to buy in the US or Australia, with no indication of when stock might be replenished. It remains to be seen how many units of either Oculus headset will be released in the next month but, again, it feels unlikely to meet demand.

HTC Vive

Of the three main manufacturers, HTC is the only company seemingly untouched by production problems, and its Vive headsets seem to be the surest bet for availability come launch day. In a statement to IGN, a spokesperson said, "As our Vive VR products are assembled and built in Taiwan, our supply chain has been relatively unaffected by COVID-19. In addition to having our Cosmos headset in stock, the newly announced Cosmos Elite began preorders on February 24 and will ship to those who preordered on or around the on-sale date of March 18 [...] We look forward to allowing customers to experience Half-Life: Alyx on our headsets as soon as it is released." Of course, Vive remains a relatively expensive way to play HL: Alyx – requiring a powerful PC as well as a headset that comes in at $499 USD / £499 / $939 AUD. However, with no production problems, it may be the easiest route to playing as Alyx on March 23. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/21/half-life-alyx-reveal-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

When it's released on March 23, Half-Life: Alyx will be a notable moment in the timeline of VR gaming – perhaps the medium's first true blockbuster. It's led to a rush of first-time VR buyers, eager to play the first full Half-Life game in 16 years. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus) has led to production shortages of several of the compatible headsets you'll need to actually play it. With under a month until release, we looked into each of the major VR headset manufacturers – Oculus, HTC, and developer Valve itself – and what the status of their production is ahead of HL: Alyx's release date, to get a sense of which units may be available to buy if you don't already have one. Before we get going, of course there are more important things than games, and factory shutdowns have been a major means of protecting lives in the wake of a virus that has already killed thousands – these are necessary means, not inconveniences. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/25/how-coronavirus-is-impacting-the-games-industry"]

Valve Index

Valve's Index headset was already sold out practically worldwide following the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, with Valve proactively working to supply more for those who hadn't secured a pre-order. In a statement, however, the developer confirmed that coronavirus-related factory shutdowns meant there would be "far fewer units" available on release than planned: "With Half-Life: Alyx coming March 23rd, we are working hard to meet demand for the Valve Index and want to reassure everyone that Index systems will be available for purchase prior to the game's launch. However, the global Coronavirus health crisis has impacted our production schedules so we will have far fewer units for sale during the coming months compared to the volumes we originally planned. Our entire team is working hard right now to maximize availability." It's unclear at time of writing how many will be made available at release, but it may well be that Index is in short supply, at best, come March 23.

Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S

Oculus Quest, considered a popular entry-level device for VR, is in a similar position. Facebook (which owns Oculus) has also announced that the standalone VR headset has been selling out in many regions, and remains unavailable to buy in the UK and US at time of writing. It too, has seen an impact on replenishing those stocks because of coronoavirus. A spokesperson told IGN, "like other companies we’re expecting some additional impact to our hardware production due to the Coronavirus. We’re taking precautions to ensure the safety of our employees, manufacturing partners and customers, and are monitoring the situation closely. We are working to restore availability as soon as possible.” Facebook wouldn't comment on the effect of production shutdowns on its other headset model, the Oculus Rift S but, given it too is made in China, it seems likely to have been hit by factory shutdowns as well. The Rift S is also currently unavailable to buy in the US or Australia, with no indication of when stock might be replenished. It remains to be seen how many units of either Oculus headset will be released in the next month but, again, it feels unlikely to meet demand.

HTC Vive

Of the three main manufacturers, HTC is the only company seemingly untouched by production problems, and its Vive headsets seem to be the surest bet for availability come launch day. In a statement to IGN, a spokesperson said, "As our Vive VR products are assembled and built in Taiwan, our supply chain has been relatively unaffected by COVID-19. In addition to having our Cosmos headset in stock, the newly announced Cosmos Elite began preorders on February 24 and will ship to those who preordered on or around the on-sale date of March 18 [...] We look forward to allowing customers to experience Half-Life: Alyx on our headsets as soon as it is released." Of course, Vive remains a relatively expensive way to play HL: Alyx – requiring a powerful PC as well as a headset that comes in at $499 USD / £499 / $939 AUD. However, with no production problems, it may be the easiest route to playing as Alyx on March 23. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/21/half-life-alyx-reveal-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Epic Games and industry analyst SuperData are squaring off after a report claimed Fortnite's earnings had dropped to their lowest level since 2017. It began when SuperData put out a monthly games industry earnings report for January 2020. The report placed Fortnite as the 7th highest earner on console, but outside of the top 10 on PC and mobile, and summed up the game's performance by saying the game's "earnings continued their gradual decline and hit their lowest level since November 2017." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-top-secret-launch-trailer"] Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, an Epic spokesperson subsequently called SuperData's reports "wildly inaccurate", although didn't go so far as to point specifically at this latest one: "SuperData does not and has not ever had access to Epic's Fortnite revenue data, and SuperData's reports do not accurately reflect Fortnite's performance. We are disappointed that SuperData has repeatedly published wildly inaccurate reports about Fortnite based on what we believe is questionable methodology. While we do not and have not publicly shared revenue numbers for Fortnite, we will say that SuperData's reports do not align with reality." This is particularly notable as it's become increasingly rare to see Epic reach out to press about Fortnite, particularly around the hugely successful battle royale's financial success. SuperData, however, has hit back. The analyst told GI.biz that it stands by the results, and saying it has "a proven methodology and validation process". Epic has yet to reply. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-new-battlepass-and-map-changes"] It's an unusual squabble to see occur so publicly, and draws attention to how secretive the games industry – most particularly its top earners – tend to be about financial matters. Much of the analysis of in-game earnings tends to come from educated guesswork by analysts – and it remains to be seen how accurate SuperData is in this instance. Fortnite recently launched the second season of Chapter 2, and has added everything from Deadpool, to rickrolling, to mythic weapons. But is it all just a game? Ninja doesn't think so, and the Internet and lots and lots of opinions about that. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Epic Games and industry analyst SuperData are squaring off after a report claimed Fortnite's earnings had dropped to their lowest level since 2017. It began when SuperData put out a monthly games industry earnings report for January 2020. The report placed Fortnite as the 7th highest earner on console, but outside of the top 10 on PC and mobile, and summed up the game's performance by saying the game's "earnings continued their gradual decline and hit their lowest level since November 2017." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-top-secret-launch-trailer"] Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, an Epic spokesperson subsequently called SuperData's reports "wildly inaccurate", although didn't go so far as to point specifically at this latest one: "SuperData does not and has not ever had access to Epic's Fortnite revenue data, and SuperData's reports do not accurately reflect Fortnite's performance. We are disappointed that SuperData has repeatedly published wildly inaccurate reports about Fortnite based on what we believe is questionable methodology. While we do not and have not publicly shared revenue numbers for Fortnite, we will say that SuperData's reports do not align with reality." This is particularly notable as it's become increasingly rare to see Epic reach out to press about Fortnite, particularly around the hugely successful battle royale's financial success. SuperData, however, has hit back. The analyst told GI.biz that it stands by the results, and saying it has "a proven methodology and validation process". Epic has yet to reply. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-new-battlepass-and-map-changes"] It's an unusual squabble to see occur so publicly, and draws attention to how secretive the games industry – most particularly its top earners – tend to be about financial matters. Much of the analysis of in-game earnings tends to come from educated guesswork by analysts – and it remains to be seen how accurate SuperData is in this instance. Fortnite recently launched the second season of Chapter 2, and has added everything from Deadpool, to rickrolling, to mythic weapons. But is it all just a game? Ninja doesn't think so, and the Internet and lots and lots of opinions about that. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

HBO has revealed that Westworld Season 3's premiere episode will clock in at 1 hour and 8 minutes. The announcement, shared via TVWeb, was accompanied by six all-new character posters for the forthcoming season, featuring Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores, Aaron Paul's Caleb, Ed Harris' William, Jeffrey Wright's Bernard, Tessa Thompson's Charlotte, and Thandie Newton's Maeve. Check out the all-new character posters in our gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=westworld-season-3-character-posters&captions=true"] HBO Asia released the posters on Twitter, where the images were published in pairs alongside three separate taglines: "The real gods are coming" (Dolores and Caleb), "Welcome to the end of the game" (William and Bernard), and "You're not the only predator here" (Charlotte and Maeve). In 2018, Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy discussed how this newest season will be a "radical shift" from what came before, which certainly appears to be true from all of the promotional material that we've seen so far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/21/how-leaving-westworld-changes-westworld-in-season-3-comic-con-2019"] The series' latest trailer revealed more about Aaron Paul's mysterious character Caleb, who is the most significant new addition to the cast. The recent footage indicated that he would be drawn into Dolores' war for freedom as she and her fellow androids venture outside of the titular theme park into the human world. In addition to Paul, new cast members this season include A Black Lady Sketch Show's Lena Waithe, Black Swan's Vincent Cassel, We Are Who We Are's Scott Mescudi, Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Marshawn Lynch, The Newsroom's John Gallagher Jr., Stumptown's Michael Ealy, and Sons of Anarchy's Tommy Flanagan. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=westworld-season-3-teaser-trailer-gallery&captions=true"] Westworld Season 3 is set to premiere on HBO on Sunday, March 15, 2020, at 9 pm ET/PT. For more on the hit sci-fi drama, read about the three secret trailers that diehard fans found ahead of the third season, check out Westworld Awakening - a VR game where you play as a self-aware host, and find out why the Man in Black's story is Westworld's greatest tragedy. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

HBO has revealed that Westworld Season 3's premiere episode will clock in at 1 hour and 8 minutes. The announcement, shared via TVWeb, was accompanied by six all-new character posters for the forthcoming season, featuring Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores, Aaron Paul's Caleb, Ed Harris' William, Jeffrey Wright's Bernard, Tessa Thompson's Charlotte, and Thandie Newton's Maeve. Check out the all-new character posters in our gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=westworld-season-3-character-posters&captions=true"] HBO Asia released the posters on Twitter, where the images were published in pairs alongside three separate taglines: "The real gods are coming" (Dolores and Caleb), "Welcome to the end of the game" (William and Bernard), and "You're not the only predator here" (Charlotte and Maeve). In 2018, Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy discussed how this newest season will be a "radical shift" from what came before, which certainly appears to be true from all of the promotional material that we've seen so far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/21/how-leaving-westworld-changes-westworld-in-season-3-comic-con-2019"] The series' latest trailer revealed more about Aaron Paul's mysterious character Caleb, who is the most significant new addition to the cast. The recent footage indicated that he would be drawn into Dolores' war for freedom as she and her fellow androids venture outside of the titular theme park into the human world. In addition to Paul, new cast members this season include A Black Lady Sketch Show's Lena Waithe, Black Swan's Vincent Cassel, We Are Who We Are's Scott Mescudi, Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Marshawn Lynch, The Newsroom's John Gallagher Jr., Stumptown's Michael Ealy, and Sons of Anarchy's Tommy Flanagan. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=westworld-season-3-teaser-trailer-gallery&captions=true"] Westworld Season 3 is set to premiere on HBO on Sunday, March 15, 2020, at 9 pm ET/PT. For more on the hit sci-fi drama, read about the three secret trailers that diehard fans found ahead of the third season, check out Westworld Awakening - a VR game where you play as a self-aware host, and find out why the Man in Black's story is Westworld's greatest tragedy. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The Monster Hunter movie has two new teaser posters, and we can exclusively reveal them on IGN. The posters show stars Tony Jaa and Milla Jovovich respectively, each holding weaponry drawn from the game series. Jaa, who plays The Hunter, is holding the Great Hunter's Bow, Jovovich (playing Lieutenant Artemis) totes a Great Sword, the Giant Jawblade. The desert setting they're in is based on the look of Monster Hunter World's Wildspire Wastes area. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=monster-hunter-movie-2-new-posters&captions=true"] If you want one for yourself, and you find yourself in Boston, MA, both posters will be given out in miniature form at the Monster Hunter Festa event taking place at PAX East on Saturday, February 29. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Event Horizon), the movie will alter the normal Monster Hunter storyline somewhat for the big screen. Artemis and her unit of elite soldiers are transported from our world to one filled with monsters (largely drawn from the games), and need to partner with The Hunter to survive and find a way home. Anderson has previously stated that all of Artemis' costumes, weapons and equipment are based directly on the games - currently everything we've seen hews closest to Monster Hunter World (not a surprise, given that game's huge success). We've already put together a list of 12 details Monster Hunter fans will recognise based on what we've seen of the film. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-video-game-movie-in-development-almost&captions=true"] The film will be rated PG-13, and arrives on September 4. It's far from the only movie based on a video game in development right now - we've got a huge list of projects in the works. It's no surprise, given the fact that game movies are increasingly big business, and might actually be, you know, not terrible these days. [poilib element="accentDivider"]