Canadian pop singer Grimes, who has a role in Cyberpunk 2077, revealed details about her character's backstory during a livestream. Warning: Spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077 follow. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/30/cyberpunk-2077-live-pax-gameplay-reveal"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Grimes took fan questions during a livestream over the weekend, during which she was asked about her involvement with Cyberpunk 2077. The livestream has since been taken down, but a summary of the spoilers Grimes dropped can still be found on Reddit. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=7-cyberpunk-games-to-play-while-youre-waiting-for-cyberpunk-2077&captions=true"]

"I did my voice acting for Lizzy Wizzy, that game is going to be f***ing good. I mean I haven’t played it, but I saw someone play an hour of the game," Grimes said. "The game was fantastic, and I play a pop star who committed suicide on stage, and they had to quickly come and perform emergency surgery and replace her whole body with cybernetics while she was dead for an hour. Then she finished the show as a cyborg. One of the greatest pieces of performance art ever made."

It sounds like Grimes' character has a pretty tragic backstory, based on the quote. At The Game Awards 2019, it was revealed that Grimes is a part of the Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack, along with a handful of other artists. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/13/cyberpunk-2077-soundtrack-reveal"] Cyberpunk 2077 was originally set to launch this April, but CD Projekt Red delayed the game to September 17, 2020. Even with the delay, the developers said they'll still have to crunch "to some degree" to get the game out on time. We recently learned that players who buy Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox One will be able to upgrade to the Xbox Series X version for free, thanks to Microsoft's newly announced Smart Delivery feature. If you want to secure your copy now, check out our Cyberpunk 2077 preorder guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.

Hot Wheels maker Mattel announced Monday that a remote-controlled Tesla Cybertruck is available for preorder. Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Cybertruck to the world last November and it became a viral sensation overnight. With a price tag of roughly $40,000, it's not a vehicle that everyone can own, but Mattel has somewhat of a solution. The remote-controlled Cybertruck is a 1:10 scale version and it has a price tag of $400. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=mattel-tesla-cybertruck&captions=true"] Preorders went live this morning, February 24, but they're already sold out as of press time. Anyone wishing to preorder can join a waitlist that will notify them if additional preorder slots are made. A 1:64 scale version is launching alongside the bigger model and it's also remote-controlled. That version will cost you $20. Both are expected to ship in December. Mattel's site details what owners can expect of their remote-controlled Cybertruck when it ships this year. The 1:10 version will be much more in line with the real Tesla Cybertruck, featuring the same trademark tailgate and functioning headlights and taillights. It features Chill and Sport driving modes, a removable plastic body that can be removed to reveal the vehicle's interior and grant access to the internal battery and drivetrain system, and a reusable cracked window vinyl sticker for good measure. The official site describes the 1:64 version as a 3-inch, radio-controlled Cybertruck that combines the Tesla design with the standard Hot Wheels vehicle size. This version features a Chill and Sport mode, just like the 1:10 version, and can be used on Hot Wheels track pieces. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=mattel-tesla-cybertruck-164-version&captions=true"] If this Hot Wheels version of the Cybertruck is your first look at the vehicle, you can catch up on the Cybertruck reveal and read about how the latest Tesla model is inspired by games like Halo. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/22/tesla-cybertruck-revealed"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN and he definitely cannot afford the real Cybertruck, which makes this Hot Wheels version all the more appealing. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.  

The final unknown character for Streets of Rage 4, Floyd Iraia, has been announced alongside two ways of playing with others online and offline in the upcoming brawler. Floyd joins the roster of five characters as a cybernetic powerhouse brawler. The official description of his playstyle, as described via an official press release, reads:

"The new character, Floyd, dishes out serious damage with his incredibly strong cybernetic arms, a cutting-edge upgrade courtesy of Streets of Rage 3’s playable cyborg, Dr. Zan. Although Floyd’s movement and health recovery are slower than most, he boasts the longest reach among the playable roster and tremendous power, ensuring any combo he puts an enemy through will be devastating."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/24/streets-of-rage-4-floyd-iraia-multiplayer"] Publisher Dotemu also showcased how cooperative play works with two-player online and four-player offline modes, as you can see in the video above. Fans going to PAX East will have a chance to try the Streets of Rage 4 demo at booth 28051, from February 27 to March 1. Floyd will be playable at the booth for those interested in trying the cyborg character. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=streets-of-rage-4-new-character-floyd-iraia&captions=true"] The other four playable characters include Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, Cherry Hunter, and Adam Hunter. A trailer featuring seven minutes of gameplay for Cherry Hunter was shown in August 2019. Streets of Rage 4 will be released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC sometime in Spring 2020. For more information on Streets of Rage 4, take a look at why brawler games are suddenly returning and our thoughts on how it was back in 2018. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jeffrey Lerman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @Snakester95.

Pioneering NASA mathematician, Katherine Johnson, whose work inspired the story of the 2016 film Hidden Figures, has died at the age of 101. "Our NASA family is sad to learn the news that Katherine Johnson passed away this morning at 101 years old. She was an American hero and her pioneering legacy will never be forgotten," NASA Administrator James Bridenstine announced on Monday.

The @NASA family will never forget Katherine Johnson's courage and the milestones we could not have reached without her. Her story and her grace continue to inspire the world. https://t.co/UPOqo0sLfb pic.twitter.com/xwnRX9oZoi

— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) February 24, 2020

"Johnson helped our nation enlarge the frontiers of space even as she made huge strides that also opened doors for women and people of color in the universal human quest to explore space," he continued. "Her dedication and skill as a mathematician helped put humans on the moon and before that made it possible for our astronauts to take the first steps in space that we now follow on a journey to Mars." Born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, in 1918, Johnson demonstrated advanced mathematical abilities from an early age. According to her NASA biography, she was handpicked to be one of three black students to integrate West Virginia's graduate schools. Johnson was hired by NASA in 1953. She utilized her talent to provide trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 mission, America's first human spaceflight, in 1961. She went on to verify the final calculations for John Glenn's Earth orbit in 1962. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/08/15/hidden-figures-trailer-a"] Katherine's remarkable real-life story was recognized in the movie Hidden Figures, adapted from the book of the same name. In the film, she was highlighted as one of the three brilliant African-American women who were behind some of NASA's greatest operations in history. Together, Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson crossed a number of significant boundaries, including gender and race lines. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Anthem turned one year old this weekend but, despite the milestone, developer BioWare held no in-game celebration, nor recognised the date on the BioWare or Anthem Twitter feeds. While the developer may have decided to not celebrate the game’s birthday, Anthem fans took to Reddit to cheer it on. Anthem turned one year old on February 22. As perhaps a sign as to the game’s current state, Christmas decorations from the Icetide event still litter the Fort Tarsis social hub, and snow still falls gently from the sky. These were not replaced with birthday or anniversary elements to mark Anthem’s 12 months of being live, unlike what many other MMOs or shared-world games typically do. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/10/anthem-getting-major-overhaul"] While there seemed to be no movement in-game to recognise the anniversary, the Anthem Reddit hub had several posts celebrating the day. “Thank you guys for this amazing experience and I hope nothing but the best for the game’s future,” said user Velocity_Prime in a celebratory post. “You guys made a game that has an amazing and highly supportive community so know that you’ll always have at least a few gamers on your side!” Others posted significant gameplay moments and montages showing off the game at its best, with Javelins flipping and flying among Anthem’s beautiful world. One fan shared their favourite character build, while a few others discussed their memories and experiences, which naturally opened up both positive and negative comments. Bioware’s lack of attention to this anniversary may be due to the developer putting all its attention towards a major Anthem rework. The studio recently announced that it is focusing on “a longer-term redesign of the experience, specifically working to reinvent the core gameplay loop”. This will hopefully turn around the game’s fate and help it find new players. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-bioware-game-review&captions=true"] When it launched, our Anthem review found the game barebones and repetitive, meaning it failed to offer any compelling reason to become invested. While it’s nice to see a small community of players have stuck with Anthem, hopefully BioWare’s plans for the future will make the co-op RPG an easier sell and make that community much larger. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

Jens Nygaard Knudsen, who created the iconic LEGO Minifigure, has died at the age of 78, his former colleague told AFP. In speaking to the news agency, veteran LEGO designer Niels Milan Pedersen confirmed that Knudsen passed away on February 19 after spending a week in hospice care due to complications with his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

We're very sad to hear that Jens Nygaard Knudsen, the creator of the LEGO Minifigure, has passed away. Thank you Jens, for your ideas, imagination, and inspiring generations of builders pic.twitter.com/7YixYvHtRW

— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) February 24, 2020

"It is with great sorrow and dismay that I must announce that an amazing man, the best colleague of many years, an unforgettable friend, the most loving husband, father, father in law and grandfather: Jens Nygaard Knudsen has passed away on 19th February 2020," Pedersen said in a statement, per Brick Fanatics. "Among all those who have worked for, built with, and generally known and loved LEGO over the years Jens should be known and remembered as one of the most important designers ever. He was the man who created the LEGO Minifigure, he was behind all the classic themes: Space, Pirates, Castle, Trains and countless more besides. He was a leader and an inspired builder. "Few have ever had as much imagination and creative power as he and no one who has got to know, or simply met Jens will be able to forget his amazing, lovely and positive personality. LEGO fans around the world should know that perhaps the most important ever creator of the LEGO Universe is no more. Honour his memory. His equal no longer exists." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/06/30/where-do-lego-minifigures-come-from"]

A Look Back at the Life of Jens Nygaard Knudsen

Knudsen was a set designer for The LEGO Group from 1968 to 2000. He was reportedly hired by the Danish toy brick maker after responding to a job advertisement for a model builder, which appeared in the local newspaper. During his years in service, he was tasked with building hundreds of small LEGO Town cars and basic sets, along with larger sets that incorporated several of his innovative ideas, including the Fire Station and Police Station.

The LEGO Minifigure

Knudsen designed the concept of the LEGO Minifigure in the 1970s. He created multiple prototypes before settling on the now legendary Minifigure design, with its interchangeable body parts, which allows the user to assemble the head, upper body and lower body, according to each individual's personal preference. The Minifigures were released in 1978 and have proven to be a huge success, collected by both adults and children worldwide.

A Tribute to Jens Nygaard Knudsen

Matthew Ashton, vice president of design at LEGO, expressed his condolences on social media, tweeting, "While I never met Jens,  what he created played such a huge part of my childhood as well as for many other millions of kids around the world. "Without him, I would have never been inspired to do the things I do today, without him I wouldn’t even have my job today! What an amazing man, and what an incredible legacy he leaves behind." In conclusion, Ashton vowed to "protect, care and nurture" Knudsen's little piece of toy history for as long as his LEGO career lasts. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Rob McElhenney has explained why the animated Minecraft movie he was going to direct ended up not going ahead.

McElhenney, known for playing Mac in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, was lined up to direct Minecraft: The Movie based on a script he co-wrote. It was going to star Steve Carrell and was due to be released in May 2019, but he dropped out in August 2018 with no proper explanation given as to why.

Now McElhenney has revealed his side of the story on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "I'm comfortable talking about it, because f**k them, at this point," McElhenney began.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/16/minecraft-movie-gets-2022-release-date"]

At first, he explains that he loved playing Minecraft with his kids, and got the idea to turn it into a movie after The Lego Movie came out in 2014. "I thought one of the greatest assets of Minecraft is that it didn't have a fixed narrative, that it was an open-world experience," McElhenney said. "And that all you were essentially given were the building blocks to do what you want."

After spending some time at Pixar to refine his pitch, McElhenney went to Warner Bros and met with Greg Silverman, who ended up giving him a budget of $150 million to make Minecraft: The Movie. McElhenney said the theme of his movie pitch was, "people taking agency over their own experience in this digital landscape."

Unfortunately, Silverman left Warner Bros. in 2016 and was replaced by Toby Emmerich, just one month before production was due to begin. McElhenney said that's when his Minecraft movie fell apart. "Toby [Emmerich] who runs the studio there - I dunno if he still runs the studio there - he was actually really gracious. He never actually said 'I don't believe in you' or 'you can't do this', it just slowly died on the vine."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=midseason-tv-2020-34-shows-we-cant-wait-to-watch&captions=true"]

McElhenney said he doesn't "harbour any resentment," as he wasn't Emmerich's choice, and he had a different vision for Warner Bros. But he adds that "the thing that bummed me out was that it was two-and-a-half-years of my life, and I was a month away from moving to Vancouver to start prep. Steve [Carrell] was already locked in, his deal was done, we were making the movie."

McElhenney said he learned a valuable and important lesson, which is that these projects can fall apart at any time, which means "you just have to live in that mystery" when it does. "So you better really, really love the process, and I did enjoy the process, but I didn't love it enough to do it again," he said.

McElhenney has been able to work on and finish a project based on video games since then. Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet is a show about the game industry made for Apple TV that McElhenney and his fellow Always Sunny star Charlie Day wrote together. It's already been renewed for a second season.

As to Minecraft: The Movie, it now has a new director in Peter Sollett, who previously worked on Raising Victor Vargas and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and who has written a whole new script for the adaptation. Minecraft: The Movie has a new release date of 2022.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Rob McElhenney has explained why the animated Minecraft movie he was going to direct ended up not going ahead.

McElhenney, known for playing Mac in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, was lined up to direct Minecraft: The Movie based on a script he co-wrote. It was going to star Steve Carrell and was due to be released in May 2019, but he dropped out in August 2018 with no proper explanation given as to why.

Now McElhenney has revealed his side of the story on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "I'm comfortable talking about it, because f**k them, at this point," McElhenney began.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/16/minecraft-movie-gets-2022-release-date"]

At first, he explains that he loved playing Minecraft with his kids, and got the idea to turn it into a movie after The Lego Movie came out in 2014. "I thought one of the greatest assets of Minecraft is that it didn't have a fixed narrative, that it was an open-world experience," McElhenney said. "And that all you were essentially given were the building blocks to do what you want."

After spending some time at Pixar to refine his pitch, McElhenney went to Warner Bros and met with Greg Silverman, who ended up giving him a budget of $150 million to make Minecraft: The Movie. McElhenney said the theme of his movie pitch was, "people taking agency over their own experience in this digital landscape."

Unfortunately, Silverman left Warner Bros. in 2016 and was replaced by Toby Emmerich, just one month before production was due to begin. McElhenney said that's when his Minecraft movie fell apart. "Toby [Emmerich] who runs the studio there - I dunno if he still runs the studio there - he was actually really gracious. He never actually said 'I don't believe in you' or 'you can't do this', it just slowly died on the vine."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=midseason-tv-2020-34-shows-we-cant-wait-to-watch&captions=true"]

McElhenney said he doesn't "harbour any resentment," as he wasn't Emmerich's choice, and he had a different vision for Warner Bros. But he adds that "the thing that bummed me out was that it was two-and-a-half-years of my life, and I was a month away from moving to Vancouver to start prep. Steve [Carrell] was already locked in, his deal was done, we were making the movie."

McElhenney said he learned a valuable and important lesson, which is that these projects can fall apart at any time, which means "you just have to live in that mystery" when it does. "So you better really, really love the process, and I did enjoy the process, but I didn't love it enough to do it again," he said.

McElhenney has been able to work on and finish a project based on video games since then. Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet is a show about the game industry made for Apple TV that McElhenney and his fellow Always Sunny star Charlie Day wrote together. It's already been renewed for a second season.

As to Minecraft: The Movie, it now has a new director in Peter Sollett, who previously worked on Raising Victor Vargas and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and who has written a whole new script for the adaptation. Minecraft: The Movie has a new release date of 2022.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

If you buy Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox One, you'll receive its eventual Xbox Series X version for free, thanks to Microsoft's new Smart Delivery feature. As part of a massive drop of new Xbox Series X details today, Microsoft announced Smart Delivery, which will give players both current and next-gen versions of cross-generation games for the price of a single purchase. This will be available on all Xbox Game Studios games, but Microsoft said any third-party developer could opt in - the Cyberpunk Twitter account duly obliged:

Gamers should never be forced to purchase the same game twice or pay for upgrades. Owners of #Cyberpunk2077 for Xbox One will receive the Xbox Series X upgrade for free when available. https://t.co/nfkfFLj85w

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 24, 2020

Cyberpunk 2077 will be released on September 17 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, but no release date has been given for next-gen versions of the game. Last time we heard about it, we were being told to assume that it wouldn't be around the launch timeframes of the new consoles (likely to be around November), so you might be playing your Xbox One version for several months before you get that upgrade. It's a fairly monumental move from developer CD Projekt Red - imagine if Rockstar had promised GTA V buyers that their 360 version of the game would get them the Xbox One edition for free later on. It'll be very interesting to see if Sony adopts (or has already adopted) a similar policy. We asked CD Projekt Red if it would theoretically make the same move between PS4 and PS5, should it be available, but got a no-comment. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=100-new-cyberpunk-2077-screenshots-gangs-characters-and-playstyles-revealed&captions=true"] The Cyberpunk 2077 collector's edition is still available for preorder at Walmart in the US, so this is a great opportunity to pick it up and upgrade later for free. Cyperpunk 2077 now joins the growing list of Xbox Series X games, and you can see the full list of confirmed Xbox Series X games here. Of course, even those current-gen versions of the game feel far away after Cyberpunk was delayed, but we've got 7 similarly themed games to tide you over in the meantime. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

If you buy Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox One, you'll receive its eventual Xbox Series X version for free, thanks to Microsoft's new Smart Delivery feature. As part of a massive drop of new Xbox Series X details today, Microsoft announced Smart Delivery, which will give players both versions of cross-gen games for the price of a single purchase. This will be available on all Xbox Game Studios games, but Microsoft said any third-party developer could opt in - the Cyberpunk Twitter account duly obliged:

Gamers should never be forced to purchase the same game twice or pay for upgrades. Owners of #Cyberpunk2077 for Xbox One will receive the Xbox Series X upgrade for free when available. https://t.co/nfkfFLj85w

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 24, 2020

Cyberpunk 2077 will be released on 17 September for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, but no release date has been given for next-gen versions of the game. Last time we heard about it, we were being told to assume that it wouldn't be around the launch timeframes of the new consoles (likely to be around November), however, so you might be playing your Xbox One version for several months before you get that upgrade. It's a fairly monumental move from developer CD Projekt Red - imagine if Rockstar had promised GTA V buyers that their 360 version of the game would get them the Xbox One edition for free later on. It'll be very interesting to hear if Sony adopts a similar policy. We asked CD Projekt Red if it would theoretically make the same move between PS4 and PS5, should it be available, but got a no-comment. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=100-new-cyberpunk-2077-screenshots-gangs-characters-and-playstyles-revealed&captions=true"] The Cyberpunk 2077 collector's edition is still available for preorder at Walmart in the US, so this is a great opportunity to pick it up and upgrade later for free. Developing...