Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has confirmed that Xbox will be at E3 2020 following the news that Sony would be sitting out for the second year in a row. Spencer took to Twitter to confirm that the Xbox team is "hard at work on E3" and that they "look forward to sharing with all who love to play what's ahead for us." With Sony opting for "hundreds" of other consumer events across the globe, this year's E3 could be Xbox's chance to prove that the Xbox Series X is the best choice for this holiday season. Xbox will continue building on The Game Awards 2019 reveal of the Xbox Series X hardware and announcements of such games as Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 and Halo: Infinite. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/13/xbox-series-x-console-announcement-trailer"] Spencer, who is already using an Xbox Series X as his primary console at home, will also surely discuss the future of xCloud and its game streaming service that will one day allow players to stream games they own and even Xbox Game Pass games. For more on Xbox Series X, be sure to check out everything we know about Microsoft's newest next-gen console, how it compares to the PlayStation 5, and read Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty's comments on how Xbox won't have Series X exclusives for at least a year. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-series-x-reveal-images&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Nintendo fans will soon be able to live out their dreams as the Super Nintendo World theme park is opening at Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan this summer. To celebrate, Galantis and Charli XCX have collaborated on a brand-new music video that gives fans a CGI look at this new world. Announced by Nintendo, the new video for We Are Born to Play doesn't show any actual footage of the much-anticipated theme park, but it does give fans an idea of what to expect, including that guests will have Disney MagicBand-like wrist bands that will allow them and their smartphones to interact with this "life-size, living video game."

Here is a special music video collaboration between @wearegalantis, @charli_xcx and @USJ_official celebrating #SUPERNINTENDOWORLD! The #Nintendo theme park experience will open in Japan this summer. #USJ https://t.co/2w1DR2nqhJ

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 14, 2020

Kurumi Mori of Bloomberg reported on the Super Nintendo World presentation in Japan and provided more info on the park that is scheduled to open before the Summer Olympics, which begins on July 24, 2020. The presentation showed more of these "Power Up Bands," which include designs inspired by Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Mario, Toad, and Daisy. Also shown were images of the smartphone app that includes a map of the park and will allow guests to collect digital coins, compete with others, and earn achievements. It was previously reported that Super Nintendo World will include a Super Mario Kart Ride and one called Yoshi's Adventures. There will also reportedly be integration with the Nintendo Switch, with rides that interface with Nintendo's latest console. While we know Super Nintendo World will also open at Universal Studios Hollywood, Orlando, and Singapore, no opening date or time frame was mentioned in this presentation. For more on Super Nintendo World, check out photos of the under-construction theme park and Shigeru Miyamoto's comments on the park that will soon make many Nintendo fans around the world very happy. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/17/the-biggest-nintendo-games-coming-in-2020"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can't wait and is so excited he just can't hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Sony has officially announced that it will not be attending E3 2020 (and not bringing its PlayStation 5, slotted for a fall 2020 released date) for the second year in a row. However, Sony has stated that it will be "participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe." What other events could these be? Let's take a look. Sony has attended the Taipei Game Show in the past and it will once again show off some of its newest titles from February 6 - 9. It has already announced most of what its showing, including Elden Ring, so it may be too soon for us to see anything PlayStation 5-related. PAX East takes place from February 27 - March 1 and Sony usually has a presence there. February could be a good time to have the PlayStation 5 reveal event as the PlayStation 4 was unveiled in February of 2013, and PAX East could be a good event to at least show video or even have a console behind glass for the world to see. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/13/playstation-will-not-be-at-e3-2020-ign-now"] PAX West usually runs near the end of August and, like PAX East, Sony has continued to show up to the Seattle event. The Tokyo Game Show has always been a big event for Sony, and with it being held from September 24 - 27, it may potentially be a good spot to market to the Japanese audience before its Holiday release date. Paris Games Week is another event Sony has a big history with. This year's event is from October 23 - 27 and could also a good time to show off the PlayStation 5 before it's released to the world. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-top-25-playstation-4-games&captions=true"] Now, Sony did mention "hundreds" of consumer events, so this could mean Sony is planning to host events itself throughout the year. Could we see the return of PlayStation Experience, which hasn't seen a show since 2017? Will they take PlayStation buses or host other pop-up events in cities around the world? Only time will tell. One thing is clear, Sony has a plan for PlayStation 5 and it doesn't include E3, a show that was once the centerpiece of the year for all video games. For more on PlayStation 5, check out its official logo, see our list of all confirmed PS5 games, and see our comparison of PlayStation 5 vs. Xbox Series X. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ps5-games-we-think-might-already-be-in-development&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

It turns out everyone's current favourite space puppet, Baby Yoda or The Child from The Mandalorian, cost around $5 million to make. According to Entertainment Weekly, actor Adam Pally, who cameos as a Bike Trooper in the Disney + series, found out the hard way how much the puppet costs. Pally's character has cause to punch the puppet in one scene and told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour that he was called out by his friend and series creator Jon Favreau. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/03/the-mandalorian-season-1-review"] “I remember the first take that I did when I punched him,” Pally said. ” They called ‘Cut!’ and Jon, who was watching on a monitor in his office, he came down from this office and said, ‘I just want to let you know that this is the hero Yoda [the main prop used for close-ups] and it costs, like, $5 million. So while I want you to hit it, I just want you to know that.’ Because I think I took a big swing at it. And the next three takes I missed, because I was so nervous.” According to Pally it seems the puppet may know exactly how much he's worth, “I gotta tell you, the truth is that Baby Yoda is a bit of a diva,” Pally deadpanned. “He’s constantly vaping.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=an-adorable-gallery-of-baby-yoda&captions=true"] For more on The Child, here's Hasbro's Baby Yoda toy line, a look at Baby Yoda in Sims 4, a Baby Yoda pie, and this super cute gallery of Baby Yoda pics. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

The Morbius trailer dropped today and keen-eyed fans have spotted a very specific Spider-Man Easter egg. The Easter egg appears in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment when Jared Leto's Morbius is escaping from some kind of facility. In the shot, you can see an image of Spider-Man with the word "murderer" spray-painted over it. Here's why this shot has the internet buzzing. First, the presence of Spider-Man indicates that this film could be connected to previous Spider-Man films. Second, the word murderer signals that the film takes place after the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, which means this version of Spider-Man should be Tom Holland. However, the Spidey suit in question is not the one Tom Holland wears, but the one Tobey Maguire wore in his Spider-Man trilogy. Third, this specific shot of Spider-Man actually comes from a loading screen from Sony's PS4 game. So, is Sony just trolling here? Did they pull a random loading screen image from their game that just so happened to be of Toby Maguire? Are they trying to show that the Spider-Verse exists in Morbius, thus confirming that Sony's ongoing Spider-Verse is connected to past iterations of Spider-Man? Without confirmation from Sony, we may never know the answer. However, social media has some brilliant reactions to this webbed mystery.

Social Media Reactions to Morbius' Spider-Man Art

We've gathered a few Twitter reactions to the Spider-Man Easter egg, as well as a Reddit post discussing the implications. [caption id="attachment_2285933" align="alignnone" width="720"] @CalebOG doesn't care what happens in the Morbius trailer, as long as Spidey is in there.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2285934" align="alignnone" width="720"] @FrezzmanYT noticed the Raimi/Maguire suit right away.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2285935" align="alignnone" width="720"] Former IGN editor @TheEricGoldman wonders about the Maguire suit choice.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2285936" align="alignnone" width="720"] IGN Deputy Reviews Editor @TomRMarks notices some alterations to the suit.[/caption] And if we needed any further confirmation that this art is from the PS4 game, Bill Rosemann (head of creative at Marvel Games) tweeted this earlier today: [caption id="attachment_2286039" align="alignnone" width="720"] @Billrosemann's thinking emojis says it all.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2285937" align="alignnone" width="720"] @EvanFilarca notices all the levels of continuity and knows that J. Jonah Jameson would hate them all, lol.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2285938" align="alignnone" width="720"] @MisterSJW adds a gif to his Spider-Man thoughts, aptly quoting Han Solo about the Spider-Verse and the Force.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2285939" align="alignnone" width="720"] The SpidermanPS4 reddit thread discusses the layers of this image and whether the PS4 suit was intentional.[/caption] So, what is the truth? Does Morbius take place during the Toby Maguire/Sam Raimi Spider-Man universe? Does it take place during the Tom Holland timeline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? If Michael Keaton's appearance is a clue, then it's possible this takes place in the MCU and that the PS4 game also exists in that universe. If that's the case, that would be the most meta video game/film crossover in history. Or is it just a cute Easter egg that we should all stop thinking about so hard? (Pfft, are you new here?) Weigh in with your theories below! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=morbius-trailer-58-images-from-the-jared-leto-marvel-movie&captions=true"]

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Lauren Gallaway is a Social Media Coordinator for IGN. Find her tweeting at @LaurenGallaway and streaming at Glimpse Entertainment on Twitch.

Update: After Sony confirmed they wouldn't be at E3 2020, IGN reached out to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) which runs E3 every year for a statement regarding Sony's absence again at its key consumer trade show. While the ESA did not mention Sony by name in its statement, the organization says there will be new experiences, partners, and programming at this year's event. Here's the statement in full below:

"E3 is a signature event celebrating the video game industry and showcasing the people, brands and innovations redefining entertainment loved by billions of people around the world. E3 2020 will be an exciting, high-energy show featuring new experiences, partners, exhibitor spaces, activations, and programming that will entertain new and veteran attendees alike. Exhibitor interest in our new activations is gaining the attention of brands that view E3 as a key opportunity to connect with video game fans worldwide.”

Original story follows: [poilib element="accentDivider"] Sony has announced that it will once again be skipping E3. This is the second year in a row the company has opted out of appearing at one of the biggest video game events of the year. It’s also particularly surprising given how Sony announced a holiday 2020 launch for the PlayStation 5. E3 2020 will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 9 to June 11, but Sony will not be present at the show for the second year in a row. In a statement to IGN, Sony said:

“After thorough evaluation SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020. We have great respect for the ESA as an organization, but we do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year. We will build upon our global events strategy in 2020 by participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe. Our focus is on making sure fans feel part of the PlayStation family and have access to play their favorite content. We have a fantastic line up of titles coming to PlayStation 4, and with the upcoming launch of PlayStation 5, we are truly looking forward to a year of celebration with our fans.”

Sony first skipped E3 in 2019. At the time, Sony issued a statement saying, “As the industry evolves, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to look for inventive opportunities to engage the community.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-top-25-playstation-4-games&captions=true"] In the past year, Sony has opted for a more direct approach to engaging with fans like the State of Play live streams. Similar to the Nintendo Direct, the State of Play is a live stream video that is published throughout the year with news and announcements for upcoming PlayStation games. Sony will be attending other game shows this year, including the Taipei Game Show where the company is holding some kind of PlayStation fan experience. Sony used to hold a PlayStation fan convention called the PlayStation Experience but hasn't hosted a convention in North America since 2017. E3 is one of the largest video game trade shows of the year. Hosted by the ESA, E3 has recently allowed members of the public to attend the convention. Other companies like Activision and EA have also skipped E3, and Microsoft technically hosts an off-site presence at E3. (via GamesIndustry.biz) [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

The 2020 Oscar nominees were announced Monday morning and along with a slew of snubs and surprises, the reveal holds a handful of historical firsts for this year's nominations from the Academy. The historical nominations can be seen below. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oscar-nominations-snubs-2020-all-the-major-misses-from-the-academy-this-year&captions=true"]

Parasite Makes History

Director Bong Joon Ho's Parasite is the first-ever Korean film to receive a nomination for Best Picture, along with being the first from the county to be nominated in the International Feature Film category, according to LA Times. In total, Parasite was nominated in six Oscar categories, including Best Director, Original Screenplay, Production Design, and Film Editing. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/20/igns-best-movie-of-2019"]

Scarlett Johansson's First Oscars

A record-breaking 62 women were nominated for awards this year from the Academy, which is approximately 1/3 of the nominees, as reported by NYT – but none of which were nominated for the Best Director category, including Greta Gerwig's Little Women, which ended up with six nominations, including Best Picture. Scarlett Johansson received nominations in two acting categories – for two separate films – along with being nominated for an Oscar for the first time this year in her career. CNN reports she is one of only a dozen actors who have received double nominations in those categories within the same year. Johansson was nominated for Best Actress in Marriage Story, along with Best Supporting Actress for her role in Jojo Rabbit. The rarity was last seen with Cate Blanchett over in 2008 and Jamie Foxx in 2005. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-history-of-comic-book-movies-at-the-oscars&captions=true"]

The Most and the Youngest

Martin Scorsese is the most-nominated living director, with a total of nine nominations over the years, and thanks to his Oscar nomination for The Irishman, as reported by ABC. Saoirse Ronan is now the second-youngest four-time nominee in an acting category for her nomination in Little Women – Jennifer Lawrence holds the title for the youngest from her Best Actress nomination for her role in Joy in 2015. Star Wars and legendary composer, John Williams, broke his own record on Monday with now a total of 52 nominations over his lifetime, which is the most a person has ever been nominated that is still living today. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/31/joker-review"] For more on the 2020 award shows, check out the complete list of Oscar nominations – with Joker leading the list with 11 nominations – and find out who won at the Golden Globes. Stay tuned to IGN for live updates from the Academy Awards, and find out which movie we chose to win Best Movie of the Year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jessie Wade is Homepage Editor at IGN and would really have liked to see a record break for most-female directors at the Academy Awards. Follow her on Twitter @jessieannwade. 

Warning. Full spoilers ahead for Season 1 of Netflix's The Witcher.  [poilib element="accentDivider"] As we anxiously wait for Season 2 of The Witcher to drop on Netflix in 2021, IGN spoke to showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich about the social media frenzy over the potential Witcher casting of Mark Hamill as Vesemir, Geralt's wise and wizened instructor. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/21/the-witcher-season-1-ending-explained"] As a refresher: back in 2018, Hamill jokingly responded to a Twitter thread suggesting that he would be the ideal fit to play Vesemir. The veteran actor replied via his Twitter account: "I have no idea what this is or what it's about but agree it could/should be played by me." Jump to a year later, after The Witcher's premiere on Netflix, and Hamill made another Witcher comment on Twitter in response to a post from IGN, offering some hope for fans that he might one day play Vesemir. Check out Hamill's response below: Hissrich (who replied to Hamill's above tweet with a tantalizing side-eye emoji) told us that she's a "huge Star Wars fan" so was particularly excited when Hamill first tweeted about the role: "It was one of those first Witcher moments for me where I was like, ‘oh my God, is this even possible? That Mark Hamill knows what this is and would be interested in doing that?'" She added, "Mark has always been of interest to me and interest to the project. We have not contacted his agent yet because we’re not casting the role quite yet, but that being said, I am loving what’s happening on the internet. And I’m loving all of the fan reaction to it. Obviously, we’ve seen what a huge fanbase The Witcher has, and to add that to a Star Wars fanbase... it makes my mind explode a little bit." For more on The Witcher, find out why the series didn't adapt Geralt and Ciri's first meeting from the books, how The Witcher was influenced by Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, and what the rest of the IGN's staff thought about The Witcher's first season. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-monster-in-season-1-of-netflixs-the-witcher&captions=true"] [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.

Sony has yet to reveal the official design of the PlayStation 5, and all we know of what the hardware could be is based on leaked photos alleging to reveal the PS5 dev kit. But thanks to one intrepid player and PlayStation's create-what-you-want game Dreams, we have one impressive, futuristic take on what the PS5 could look like. IGN fan (and longtime Podcast Beyond! listener and Facebook group member) Dan Kuhl built a PS5 concept design in Dreams, fashioning the would-be console out of the suite of tools included in Media Molecule's Early Access version of Dreams. Check out the gallery below. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ps5-dreams-concept-by-dan-kuhl&captions=true"] Speaking to IGN over email, Kuhl explained that he took some inspiration from the alleged leaked dev kit photos, but that he "just tried to make it look like a more consumer-friendly realistic(ish) console." The most difficult part of putting the console together for Kuhl was actually sculpting the ports on the back, as he hoped to make them appear somewhat real. Kuhl's original rough designs have begun to crop up around the web, with some trying to tout them as "real" designs, but Kuhl's creation is 100% fan made Kuhl wanted to note that he's not an expert 3D sculptor — most of his work in the field has come from Dreams, where he's made plenty of other designs you can check out. He's uploaded this design to the Dreamiverse so players can jump into the game and take a close-up look by searching for "PS5 Console Concept." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/08/ps5-news-rumors-and-predictions-beyond-episode-625"] As we wait for more info on the PS5, check out the latest episode of IGN's Podcast Beyond! above, which includes discussion about everything we know of the PS5 so far, as well as some predictions on what's to come. For more on Sony's upcoming console, check out how fans reacted to the PS5 logo, the alleged secs the PS5 and Xbox Series X may have, and the latest on what PS5's new controller may feature. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

At the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Showtime revealed the first image of Halo star Pablo Schreiber wearing Master Chief's iconic armor. The only bad news is... the photo won't be shown to the public, for now. Showtime's President of Entertainment, Gary Levine, revealed the behind-closed-doors image, and we're happy to report that Master Chief looks fantastic. Levine assured everyone that Schreiber was indeed the man behind the Chief's helmet in the costume rather than a stuntman (speculation that also plagued Pedro Pascal in The Mandalorian). The photo shows Chief seated alone on a ship. Everything from Schreiber's detailed costume to the inside of the vessel feels very authentic to the Halo video game franchise. Back in August 2019, Levine told Deadline that the series will remain "faithful to the canon." Levine did not give an update on the first quarter 2021 release window announced in 2019, however, he did say that production is well underway in Budapest, Hungary. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/17/halo-tv-series-finds-its-master-chief"] Here's how Showtime describes Schreiber's Master Chief: "Earth's most advanced warrior in the 26th century and the only hope of salvation for a civilization pushed to the brink of destruction by the Covenant, an unstoppable alliance of alien worlds committed to the destruction of humanity." In other Halo news, Showtime previously announced the casting of Natascha McElhone (Californication) as Dr. Catherine Halsey and Cortana, and David Sapani (Penny Dreadful) as Captain Jacob Keyes. [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.