Sony has scheduled a release date for a new Marvel movie: October 8, 2021. The information comes from the Jeff Bock-run Twitter account Exhibitor Relations Co. 2 that monitors box office performance. IGN can confirm that the release date is accurate. The tweet reads, “Sony's web continues to grow. UNTITLED SONY/MARVEL pic now set for Oct. 8, 2021.” Sony controls the rights to make movies based on Spider-Man and his vast collection of related characters. Sony has partnered with Marvel Studios for the last two Spider-Man movies starring Tom Holland, Homecoming and Far From Home, both of which were set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony has also been working on its own Marvel movies featuring Spider-Man characters without Marvel Studios helping produce. The first was Venom starring Tom Hardy (which released October 5, 2018) and the next is Morbius starring Jared Leto (July 31, 2020) followed by Venom 2 (October 2, 2020). This is the first we’ve heard of Sony’s plans after this year’s Morbius and Venom 2. Numerous properties in Sony’s pool of Spider-Man characters have reportedly been in development over the years, so this untitled Sony/Marvel movie may be one of them finally come to fruition. Those include Silver Sable, Black Cat, Kraven the Hunter, Nightwatch, Madame Web, Jackpot, and Sinister Six. Although, there are many other characters in the Spidey family that Sony could potentially make a film about that we haven’t heard of. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-spider-man-movies-rotten-tomatoes-score&captions=true"] The first trailer for Sony’s Morbius showed that the film takes place in the same world as Spider-Man and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as evidenced by the appearance of Michael Keaton’s Vulture. The meeting of these two Spider-Man antagonists is enough to make us wonder if Sony is setting up the Sinister Six, as there are several other villains who could also join, like Shocker, Scorpion, and Tinkerer, maybe even Venom or the teased Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson, and if Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio faked his own death (as many have theorized) then he could join the party, as well. Sony has established more than enough baddies to reach the magic number, and they have plenty more to choose from on top of those. While there is no official villain set for Tom Holland’s third solo Spider-Man movie, director Jon Watts has said that he’d love for the film to feature Kraven the Hunter. That may take him out of the running to claim this new 2021 date, but on the other hand, perhaps he’ll get his own movie before crossing paths with the Wall-Crawler. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/28/ranking-the-spider-man-movies-2019-edition"] At this point, all we can do is speculate. What movie do you want to see in that October 8, 2021 release slot? Let us know in the comments. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

Samsung announced three new smartphones today: the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. While you might have expected Samsung to introduce Galaxy S11 phones, the company explained it went with the 20-series naming scheme on account of the new decade. Model names aside, the Galaxy S20 line brings some big changes. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=samsung-galaxy-s20-hands-on&captions=true"] The Galaxy S20 Ultra is Samsung’s new flagship device, featuring a 6.9-inch screen with a QHD+ resolution (511ppi) and a 120Hz refresh rate. And unlike the Google Pixel 4’s implementation of a high-refresh rate display, the S20 Ultra display can be set to always refresh at 120Hz so it’s more in line with Apple’s latest iPads. Those faster screens will make the Galaxy S20 Ultra an even better gaming phone, especially when you factor in the new 240Hz touchscreen polling rate. This display option basically tells the phone to scan for touch inputs more often in order to reduce latency, and it's set to engage automatically whenever you’re playing a game Beyond that really big screen, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra features a 108MP main camera. However, at the end of the day, you’re really capturing 12MP photos with this high-resolution sensor because it uses pixel binning to merge nine pixels into one. This way, the imaging sensor absorbs more light in order to render photos with a wider dynamic range. That extremely high-resolution sensor also allows the Galaxy S20 Ultra to shoot 8K videos at 24 frames per second – which users can then stream directly to a Samsung QLED 8K TV like the Samsung Q950TS. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=samsung-galaxy-s20-ultra-zoom-range&captions=true"] The telephoto camera has also seen a big upgrade – it’s now using a 48MP image sensor with a “folded lens.” This new optic and sensor combo allows the S20 Ultra to push in with a combination of optical and digital zoom. The results of this new zoom technology are a 10x “lossless zoom” and 100x space zoom. Unfortunately, the ultrawide camera hasn’t received as much love and attention and will stick to a basic 12MP sensor with a 120-degree field of view optic. On the chipset end, the Galaxy S20 Ultra comes with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865 processor plus 128GB of storage and 12GB of RAM in the base configuration. Additionally, this flagship smartphone will come with 5G radios as a standard feature (last year Samsung made a special Galaxy S10 5G model) and a 5,000mAh battery. All of this flagship experience comes at a high premium though as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra starts at $1,399. Preorders begin on February 21 and the phone will be available starting on March 6th. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=samsung-galaxy-s20-hands-on&captions=true"]

A whole new galaxy

Samsung didn’t leave its more traditional Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ models to pasture. These phones have seen very similar spec upgrades as the S20 Ultra. For starters, the Galaxy S20's 6.2-inch screen and the Galaxy S20+'s 6.7-inch screen utilize Samsung's new 120Hz displays complete with the 240Hz touchscreen polling rate. These phones are also able to shoot 8K video and will be able to connect to 5G networks like the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The only thing missing from these two lesser handsets is a massively high-resolution main camera. Sadly, you only get a 12MP wide-angle camera on the two regular Galaxy S20 phones – but at least the telephoto camera is nice and sharp with a 64MP sensor, and it’ll give you lossless 3x hybrid optic zoom and a 30x Space Zoom. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=samsung-galaxy-s20-plus-hands-on&captions=true"] In terms of internals, the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ both feature the same Snapdragon 865 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, plus 5G connectivity standard. Of course, being smaller handsets, the Galaxy S20 only has a 4,000mAh battery while the S20+ features a 4,500mAh battery. The Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ will be available for a starting price of $999 and $1,199, respectively. Preorders begin on February 21st and the phones release on March 6th.

Better with Buds

Last but not least, Samsung also announced an updated pair of truly wireless earbuds: the Galaxy Buds+. Easily the biggest improvement these headphones have seen is a dramatic boost in battery life that now nets you 11 hours of playtime on both the earbuds themselves and the case. Compared to last year’s Galaxy Buds, which only had six hours of battery life on the buds with an additional seven hours in the case, you’re looking at about double the amount of playtime. The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ also feature 2-way dynamic speakers and three microphones for improved sound and voice quality. Additionally, the Galaxy Buds+ are now iOS compatible so you can connect them to an iPhone 11 Pro, iPad, or any mobile Apple device. Available starting February 14th, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ will retail for $149. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam

Xbox will match donations up to $250,000 to a nonprofit charity for veterans. OSD supports veterans and family members with community projects and various services. The donations made through the Xbox partnership will provide "video games, tabletop games, coffee and more" to deployed troops. Donations can be made here with Xbox donating dollar-for-dollar up to $250,000 until March 31. "OSD has programs including Supply Drops and Games to Grunts emphasizing gaming as one of many activities to drive shared experience and relationship building," OSD CEO and Executive Director Glenn D. Banton, Sr. said in a statement. "We also ensure a focus on balancing varying needs for an individual's social, professional and service motivations.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"] Streamers, esports teams, and other gaming communities can sign up for OSD charity streams with access to on-screen notifications and other features. To participate, visit the donation link and click "Register." The features will support services such as Twitch, Mixer, YouTube and Facebook Gaming. This isn't the first time OSD and Microsoft have partnered up. As part of OSD's Supply Drops program, a video was released on OSD's YouTube channel where a stunt performer jumped out of a plane with an Xbox One so he can deliver it to a retired Navy corpsman. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/07/next-gen-console-watch-how-powerful-ps5-xbox-series-x-may-be"] In recent charity news, Awesome Games Done Quick was able to pull together over $3 million in donations during their 2020 event and a Twitch streamer was able to get over $347,000 for an LGBTQ+ charity playing Donkey Kong 64. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

This week in Red Dead Online, grab 40% XP bonuses, get 25% discounts on Moonshiner property, and gather the Lovers Collection for Madam Nazar.

This week in Red Dead Online, grab 40% XP bonuses, get 25% discounts on Moonshiner property, and gather the Lovers Collection for Madam Nazar.

Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have announced they will no longer work with a game publication after one of its reviewers leaked images of Pokemon Sword and Shield back in November 2019.

The reviewer worked for Portugese website FNintendo and received a copy of the Nintendo Switch game early. He then shared photos of the game online that revealed multiple Pokemon in Sword and Shield that were unannounced at the time.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/13/pokemon-sword-and-pokemon-shield-review"]

Nintendo and The Pokemon Company discovered the source of these leaks and took immediate action. But now the two companies have gone further and announced in a statement released to press today that they've cut ties with that reviewer and FNintendo completely.

"Both he and FNintendo failed to handle confidential material, resulting in a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between Nintendo and the media outlet. As a result, Nintendo will no longer work with FNintendo," reads the statement.

"Nintendo will always protect its intellectual property and brands. Leaks hurt not just Nintendo, but the thousands of employees who work hard to bring games to market, and the millions of fans around the world who look forward to news and surprises.

To surprise and delight players through new experiences is a shared passion for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. We will pursue all avenues to preserve surprises for players of future Pokémon titles."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=25-most-wanted-pokemon-not-in-sword-and-shield&captions=true"]

FNintendo has released its own statement on the matter, which admits to being the source of the leaks, and offers an apology. Here's FNintendo's statement:

"At the beginning of November, a series of off-screen photographs leaked multiple new and unannounced Pokémon from Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. We want to take this opportunity to openly admit to our readers that FNintendo was responsible for leaking some of these photos.

Nintendo offered us a copy of the game for review purposes, with clear embargo guidelines, to which we agreed. This copy was then sent to one of our reviewers, who leaked the information. Following the investigation, FNintendo severed its relationship with this reviewer.

Our relationship with Nintendo Portugal dates back 11 years, but our part in this leak is a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between us, and, as a result, a total breach of trust with Nintendo.

We recognise it is impermissible to break embargo guidelines and we failed to handle the review materials with sufficient care. We fully respect Nintendo's decision to cancel the confidentiality agreement between our companies as a result of this breach of trust, and accept that we will no longer receive products from Nintendo, nor will we be invited to attend their events.

We want to apologise to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, and to our readers for letting them down."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/09/pokemon-sword-and-shield-expansion-announced"]

It isn't just FNintendo that were hunted down by The Pokemon Company for leaking unannounced Pokemon. In late November 2019, the company announced it was after 4Chan and Discord users that leaked photos from the Sword and Shield strategy guide before it was released.

Then, in December 2019, The Pokemon Company said it had been given legal permission to pursue those leakers to the full extent of the law. This involved seeking financial reimbursement from the leakers and any legal punishment that is deemed appropriate by court.

It wasn't just Pokemon Sword and Shield that was subject to huge leaks last year either. We summed it all up in the biggest leaks of 2019, which includes some of the biggest game announcements in recent years alongside info on next-gen consoles.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

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

Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have announced they will no longer work with a game publication after one of its reviewers leaked images of Pokemon Sword and Shield back in November 2019.

The reviewer worked for Portugese website FNintendo and received a copy of the Nintendo Switch game early. He then shared photos of the game online that revealed multiple Pokemon in Sword and Shield that were unannounced at the time.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/13/pokemon-sword-and-pokemon-shield-review"]

Nintendo and The Pokemon Company discovered the source of these leaks and took immediate action. But now the two companies have gone further and announced in a statement released to press today that they've cut ties with that reviewer and FNintendo completely.

"Both he and FNintendo failed to handle confidential material, resulting in a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between Nintendo and the media outlet. As a result, Nintendo will no longer work with FNintendo," reads the statement.

"Nintendo will always protect its intellectual property and brands. Leaks hurt not just Nintendo, but the thousands of employees who work hard to bring games to market, and the millions of fans around the world who look forward to news and surprises.

To surprise and delight players through new experiences is a shared passion for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. We will pursue all avenues to preserve surprises for players of future Pokémon titles."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=25-most-wanted-pokemon-not-in-sword-and-shield&captions=true"]

FNintendo has released its own statement on the matter, which admits to being the source of the leaks, and offers an apology. Here's FNintendo's statement:

"At the beginning of November, a series of off-screen photographs leaked multiple new and unannounced Pokémon from Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. We want to take this opportunity to openly admit to our readers that FNintendo was responsible for leaking some of these photos.

Nintendo offered us a copy of the game for review purposes, with clear embargo guidelines, to which we agreed. This copy was then sent to one of our reviewers, who leaked the information. Following the investigation, FNintendo severed its relationship with this reviewer.

Our relationship with Nintendo Portugal dates back 11 years, but our part in this leak is a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between us, and, as a result, a total breach of trust with Nintendo.

We recognise it is impermissible to break embargo guidelines and we failed to handle the review materials with sufficient care. We fully respect Nintendo's decision to cancel the confidentiality agreement between our companies as a result of this breach of trust, and accept that we will no longer receive products from Nintendo, nor will we be invited to attend their events.

We want to apologise to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, and to our readers for letting them down."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/09/pokemon-sword-and-shield-expansion-announced"]

It isn't just FNintendo that were hunted down by The Pokemon Company for leaking unannounced Pokemon. In late November 2019, the company announced it was after 4Chan and Discord users that leaked photos from the Sword and Shield strategy guide before it was released.

Then, in December 2019, The Pokemon Company said it had been given legal permission to pursue those leakers to the full extent of the law. This involved seeking financial reimbursement from the leakers and any legal punishment that is deemed appropriate by court.

It wasn't just Pokemon Sword and Shield that was subject to huge leaks last year either. We summed it all up in the biggest leaks of 2019, which includes some of the biggest game announcements in recent years alongside info on next-gen consoles.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

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

Joker star Zazie Beetz recently debated whether or not there should be a sequel to Todd Phillips' billion-dollar blockbuster. Speaking to MTV on the Oscars red carpet, Beetz, who played Arthur Fleck's neighbour Sophie Dumond in the Oscar-winning film, said she wasn't sure if there should be a Joker 2, even though she's confident Phillips would approach it "tastefully." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/04/joker-ending-explained"] "I don't know if it needs one,” Beetz admitted. "There is a lot of strength in not milking something. Honestly, I feel like Todd would be the person to [make a sequel] tastefully. If he felt it needed one. I really trust him. He's really creative and smart. So sure." Buzz for a potential sequel first emerged when Phillips said he would do anything that actor Joaquin Phoenix was signed on for. After everybody screamed "sequel", the director clarified his comments and shutdown sequel rumours, saying the original Joker was always pitched as one movie. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-joker-comics-to-read-after-watching-the-movie&captions=true"] However, while Phoenix was on the Joker press tour in October of last year, he cranked up the rumour mill once more, as he revealed that he and Phillips had talked about potentially continuing the story of Joker while on the set of the original movie. Towards the end of 2019, the director of the dark comic adaptation re-confirmed that no Joker sequel was in the works, but said he thought Warner Bros. had been giving him time to consider the best approach. However, he also acknowledged a desire from some of the audience not to see a sequel. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-history-of-comic-book-movies-at-the-oscars&captions=true"] In the meantime, Joker has been enjoying success on the awards circuit. The film recently earned 11 nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. At the Oscars ceremony, Phoenix took home the award for Best Actor while Hildur Guðnadóttir picked up Best Original Score for the music she composed for the film. Phoenix and Guðnadóttir also scored prizes at the Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards this season. Recent wins aside, check out our thoughts on why Joker was never going to win Best Picture at the Oscars.  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Joker star Zazie Beetz recently debated whether or not there should be a sequel to Todd Phillips' billion-dollar blockbuster. Speaking to MTV on the Oscars red carpet, Beetz, who played Arthur Fleck's neighbour Sophie Dumond in the Oscar-winning film, said she wasn't sure if there should be a Joker 2, even though she's confident Phillips would approach it "tastefully." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/04/joker-ending-explained"] "I don't know if it needs one,” Beetz admitted. "There is a lot of strength in not milking something. Honestly, I feel like Todd would be the person to [make a sequel] tastefully. If he felt it needed one. I really trust him. He's really creative and smart. So sure." Buzz for a potential sequel first emerged when Phillips said he would do anything that actor Joaquin Phoenix was signed on for. After everybody screamed "sequel", the director clarified his comments and shutdown sequel rumours, saying the original Joker was always pitched as one movie. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-joker-comics-to-read-after-watching-the-movie&captions=true"] However, while Phoenix was on the Joker press tour in October of last year, he cranked up the rumour mill once more, as he revealed that he and Phillips had talked about potentially continuing the story of Joker while on the set of the original movie. Towards the end of 2019, the director of the dark comic adaptation re-confirmed that no Joker sequel was in the works, but said he thought Warner Bros. had been giving him time to consider the best approach. However, he also acknowledged a desire from some of the audience not to see a sequel. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-history-of-comic-book-movies-at-the-oscars&captions=true"] In the meantime, Joker has been enjoying success on the awards circuit. The film recently earned 11 nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. At the Oscars ceremony, Phoenix took home the award for Best Actor while Hildur Guðnadóttir picked up Best Original Score for the music she composed for the film. Phoenix and Guðnadóttir also scored prizes at the Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards this season. Recent wins aside, check out our thoughts on why Joker was never going to win Best Picture at the Oscars.  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Netflix has revealed the official trailer for Season 2 of its mind-bending cyberpunk series, Altered Carbon, which is set to premiere on Thursday, February 27, 2020. In Season 2, Avengers: Endgame star Anthony Mackie will portray Takeshi Kovacs, replacing Season 1's Joel Kinnaman in the leading role. For a glimpse at what's to come in Altered Carbon Season 2, check out the trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/11/altered-carbon-season-2-official-trailer-2020-anthony-mackie-simone-missick"] Netflix says Altered Carbon Season 2 begins "30 years after the conclusion of Season 1, and finds Takeshi Kovacs (Anthony Mackie), the lone surviving soldier of a group of elite interstellar warriors, continuing his centuries-old quest to find his lost love Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry). After decades of planet-hopping and searching the galaxy, Kovacs is recruited back to his home planet of Harlan’s World with the promise of finding Quell. Haunted by his past and responsible for investigating a series of brutal murders, Kovacs is stunned to discover his new mission to solve the crime and his pursuit to find Quell are one and the same. With the help of his loyal A.I. Poe (Chris Conner), Kovacs must now partner with new allies to outwit his enemies and find the truth: Who is Quellcrist Falconer?" One of the biggest WTF moments from the trailer is the reveal of Will Yun Lee wearing Takeshi Kovacs' birth sleeve. Sure, we've seen Lee's portrayal of Kovacs during flashbacks in Season 1, but what's he doing talking to the present-day Kovacs played by Anthony Mackie? It's possible that Lee's Kovacs is in Season 2 due to a process called "double sleeving," which happens when there are duplicate cortical stacks of the same person placed in separate sleeves. It's very, very illegal, and can't possibly end well. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=altered-carbon-season-2-gallery&captions=true"] For more on Netflix, check out everything else coming to the streamer in February, our reviews of the first seasons of Ragnarok and Locke & Key, plus find out how Netflix fared at the Oscars. [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.