Warner Bros. Discovery, the hulking monster born of the recent merger between Discovery Inc. and AT&T's WarnerMedia, has unveiled an outline of its plans to merge its HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services in the next year. Per the company's earnings call, we can expect them to smash together into their new form in the summer of 2023.

The rollout will begin in the US in the summer, followed by Latin America later in the year, European markets that have HBO Max already in early 2024, followed by more launches later that year. It's not yet known what they're calling this new service, but at one point in the call we heard some significant hints that it may not include "HBO" in the title.

Though pricing for the new merged service has not yet been shared, we did learn that for now, the company is going to focus on ad-supported and ad-free versions of its new service. But down the line, it also intends to explore options in the "free, ad-supported space."

And it also sounds like at least some users might get hit with price increases, too. Without giving numbers, we were told that the company is "shifting away" from heavily-discounted promotions, and that it's planning price increases "particularly in certain international regions where we are well below market," as well as periodic price increases over time.

Later on the call, when asked about a migration plan for subscribers of the cheaper Discovery+ service, we heard that WarnerMedia Discovery is planning to give some sort of transition period for lower-priced subscribers to move up, but at some point will have to ensure subscribers move to the "inevitable higher price point" in a "relatively short period" of time.

With over 92 million subscribers currently, WarnerMedia Discovery is expecting that these, along with a number of other strategic changes, will push it to 130 total subscribers worldwide by 2025, while it also works to seemingly cut costs by putting multiple projects on the chopping block and potentially laying off employees.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Warner Bros. Discovery, the hulking monster born of the recent merger between Discovery Inc. and AT&T's WarnerMedia, has unveiled an outline of its plans to merge its HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services in the next year. Per the company's earnings call, we can expect them to smash together into their new form in the summer of 2023.

The rollout will begin in the US in the summer, followed by Latin America later int he year, European markets that have HBO Max already in early 2024, followed by more launches later that year. It's not yet known what they're calling this new service, but at one point in the call we heard some significant hints that it may not include "HBO" in the title.

Though pricing for the new merged service has not yet been shared, we did learn that for now, the company is going to focus on ad-supported and ad-free versions of its new service. But down the line, it also intends to explore options in the "free, ad-supported space."

And it also sounds like at least some users might get hit with price increases, too. Without giving numbers, we were told that the company is "shifting away" from heavily-discounted promotions, and that it's planning price increases "particularly in certain international regions where we are well below market," as well as periodic price increases over time.

Later on the call, when asked about a migration plan for subscribers of the cheaper Discovery+ service, we heard that WarnerMedia Discovery is planning to give some sort of transition period for lower-priced subscribers to move up, but at some point will have to ensure subscribers move to the "inevitable higher price point" in a "relatively short period" of time.

With over 92 million subscribers currently, WarnerMedia Discovery is expecting that these, along with a number of other strategic changes, will push it to 130 total subscribers worldwide by 2025, while it also works to seemingly cut costs by putting multiple projects on the chopping block and potentially laying off employees.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Seth Rogen’s upcoming movie following the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has an official title and a new release date. The CG-animated film will be titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and will be released one year from today on August 4, 2023.

The film’s new release date comes a full week earlier than the one Rogen announced last summer. There is also a new logo for the film featuring artwork that seems to embrace its comic book roots.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is in theaters one year from today!!!!! pic.twitter.com/bm1jVyawa6

— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) August 4, 2022

Rogen, who is producing, has said in the past that the film will more heavily embrace the “teenage” aspect of the film’s leads.The film, which was first announced in 2020, is being produced by Point Grey Pictures, Rogen’s production company alongside Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Paramount Pictures will distribute.

The movie will be the first in new media surrounding the TMNT universe. Nickelodeon expects to follow Mutant Mayhem up with a series of films following the villains of the franchise, though Nickelodeon specifies that these spinoffs aren’t related to Rogen’s reboot and are meant to be part of a larger plan for TMNT.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been around since the early 1980s where it first came about as an indie comic book series. Since, it has been made into several cartoons, movies, and video games.

Most recently, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge released to much fanfare from fans. We gave it an 8/10 in our review and said “its fun, yet simple gameplay, excellent coop for up to six players online, and charming pixel-based art style will surely have 90s kids riding the wave of nostalgia all the way to its end.”

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

Seth Rogen’s upcoming movie following the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has an official title and a new release date. The CG-animated film will be titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and will be released one year from today on August 4, 2023.

The film’s new release date comes a full week earlier than the one Rogen announced last summer. There is also a new logo for the film featuring artwork that seems to embrace its comic book roots.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is in theaters one year from today!!!!! pic.twitter.com/bm1jVyawa6

— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) August 4, 2022

Rogen, who is producing, has said in the past that the film will more heavily embrace the “teenage” aspect of the film’s leads.The film, which was first announced in 2020, is being produced by Point Grey Pictures, Rogen’s production company alongside Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Paramount Pictures will distribute.

The movie will be the first in new media surrounding the TMNT universe. Nickelodeon expects to follow Mutant Mayhem up with a series of films following the villains of the franchise, though Nickelodeon specifies that these spinoffs aren’t related to Rogen’s reboot and are meant to be part of a larger plan for TMNT.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been around since the early 1980s where it first came about as an indie comic book series. Since, it has been made into several cartoons, movies, and video games.

Most recently, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge released to much fanfare from fans. We gave it an 8/10 in our review and said “its fun, yet simple gameplay, excellent coop for up to six players online, and charming pixel-based art style will surely have 90s kids riding the wave of nostalgia all the way to its end.”

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

It’s been several years since Beyond Good & Evil 2 was officially announced. After a lack of news for quite some time, there’s finally a new development for the long-awaited game: they’ve hired their lead writer.

In a tweet yesterday, Sarah Arellano announced that she was joining as the game’s Lead Writer. Arellano previously worked as Narrative Designer for Blizzard on World of Warcraft and at Volition, the studio responsible for Saints Row.

It’s my turn to do the thing pic.twitter.com/gS87kZn7UT

— Sarah Arellano (@TheSugarVenom) August 3, 2022

Beyond Good & Evil 2 was officially announced in 2017 at E3. The game will serve as a prequel to the original game with promises of being able to explore alone or with friends in its massive and ambitious world.

Beyond that announcement, there’s not been a lot of meaningful news since. We’ve gotten a look at some cool concept art and another look at the game at E3 in 2018. That last time we saw the game gave us a glimpse at Jade from the first game, seemingly as a villain.

Ubisoft initially planned for a beta of the game to be available at the end of 2019, but that never came to fruition. Beyond Good & Evil 2 also lost its director in 2020, leaving the game’s status even more up in the air.

Since then, the game got a mention in UbiSoft’s earning reports, confirming it is still around in some capacity. Then, earlier this year, a report came out saying the game was still in pre-production. The news of the game getting its lead writer, however, is a good step forward.

The first Beyond Good & Evil got a 9/10 from us in our review. We said it "tells its story with amazing pizzazz and polish. Even better, it's a story well worth telling."

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

It’s been several years since Beyond Good & Evil 2 was officially announced. After a lack of news for quite some time, there’s finally a new development for the long-awaited game: they’ve hired their lead writer.

In a tweet yesterday, Sarah Arellano announced that she was joining as the game’s Lead Writer. Arellano previously worked as Narrative Designer for Blizzard on World of Warcraft and at Volition, the studio responsible for Saints Row.

It’s my turn to do the thing pic.twitter.com/gS87kZn7UT

— Sarah Arellano (@TheSugarVenom) August 3, 2022

Beyond Good & Evil 2 was officially announced in 2017 at E3. The game will serve as a prequel to the original game with promises of being able to explore alone or with friends in its massive and ambitious world.

Beyond that announcement, there’s not been a lot of meaningful news since. We’ve gotten a look at some cool concept art and another look at the game at E3 in 2018. That last time we saw the game gave us a glimpse at Jade from the first game, seemingly as a villain.

Ubisoft initially planned for a beta of the game to be available at the end of 2019, but that never came to fruition. Beyond Good & Evil 2 also lost its director in 2020, leaving the game’s status even more up in the air.

Since then, the game got a mention in UbiSoft’s earning reports, confirming it is still around in some capacity. Then, earlier this year, a report came out saying the game was still in pre-production. The news of the game getting its lead writer, however, is a good step forward.

The first Beyond Good & Evil got a 9/10 from us in our review. We said it "tells its story with amazing pizzazz and polish. Even better, it's a story well worth telling."

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

Microsoft is testing an Xbox Game Pass widget with Windows Insiders according to a new post on the official Windows Insider blog.

The widget will make it even easier to see the latest additions, what games are leaving soon, and other games from highlighted categories across Game Pass.

The update test comes as part of the newest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build. It will hopefully alleviate some of the current unevenness while navigating the Xbox app. The widget will take you to the Xbox app where you’ll be able to install your favorite games on your PC and see game reviews.

Windows also teased that they’re working on even more updates for the widget. Including the ability to “sign-into your Xbox profile and easily jump back into recently played games as well as see personalized recommendations of games we believe you’ll love.”

In March, changes to the Windows release roadmap are coming. In the past, a new Windows was released every three years. This later changed with Windows 10 which received updates for six years before Windows 11’s release.

Windows 11 first released in October 2021 and came equipped with several new features including auto HDR for gaming and, of course, widgets – a centerpiece for the operating system.

We gave Windows 11 a 7/10 in our review and found the lack of “gaming-focused improvements and features” disappointing.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

Microsoft is testing an Xbox Game Pass widget with Windows Insiders according to a new post on the official Windows Insider blog.

The widget will make it even easier to see the latest additions, what games are leaving soon, and other games from highlighted categories across Game Pass.

The update test comes as part of the newest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build. It will hopefully alleviate some of the current unevenness while navigating the Xbox app. The widget will take you to the Xbox app where you’ll be able to install your favorite games on your PC and see game reviews.

Windows also teased that they’re working on even more updates for the widget. Including the ability to “sign-into your Xbox profile and easily jump back into recently played games as well as see personalized recommendations of games we believe you’ll love.”

In March, changes to the Windows release roadmap are coming. In the past, a new Windows was released every three years. This later changed with Windows 10 which received updates for six years before Windows 11’s release.

Windows 11 first released in October 2021 and came equipped with several new features including auto HDR for gaming and, of course, widgets – a centerpiece for the operating system.

We gave Windows 11 a 7/10 in our review and found the lack of “gaming-focused improvements and features” disappointing.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

Microsoft announced on their official blog they are rolling out a plan to Xbox Insiders that allows multiple people to share Game Pass Ultimate benefits. The preview feature is only rolling out in Colombia and Ireland currently.

Microsoft’s goal with the preview is to make it even easier for gamers to play the games on Game Pass with friends and family across console, PC, and cloud by enabling them to add up to four people to their subscription.

The plan is only available to Xbox Insiders, but those folks are able to add people to the plan who are not a part of the program as long as they’re in the same country. When players join the preview, the new plan will “convert the time remaining on your membership to time in the new plan, based upon the monetary value of the old membership.”

In March of this year, it was announced Microsoft was reportedly working on an Xbox Game Pass Family Plan. The details from then, including requiring added members to be in the same country, are the same or similar to that initial report.

Xbox Game Pass gives subscribers a rotating list of games to play for $9.99 a month. Oftentimes, it even includes day one releases for Microsoft's first-party titles at no additional cost. The next tier is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It combines the service with Xbox Live Gold for $14.99 a month. This gives players access to Xbox's online multiplayer functionality as well as free monthly games via Games With Gold.

August’s selection of games just began to roll out. They include Ghost Recon Wildlands and Turbo Golf Racing which are available now. Later this month, games like Two Point Campus and Expeditions: Rome will be added.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

Microsoft announced on their official blog they are rolling out a plan to Xbox Insiders that allows multiple people to share Game Pass Ultimate benefits. The preview feature is only rolling out in Colombia and Ireland currently.

Microsoft’s goal with the preview is to make it even easier for gamers to play the games on Game Pass with friends and family across console, PC, and cloud by enabling them to add up to four people to their subscription.

The plan is only available to Xbox Insiders, but those folks are able to add people to the plan who are not a part of the program as long as they’re in the same country. When players join the preview, the new plan will “convert the time remaining on your membership to time in the new plan, based upon the monetary value of the old membership.”

In March of this year, it was announced Microsoft was reportedly working on an Xbox Game Pass Family Plan. The details from then, including requiring added members to be in the same country, are the same or similar to that initial report.

Xbox Game Pass gives subscribers a rotating list of games to play for $9.99 a month. Oftentimes, it even includes day one releases for Microsoft's first-party titles at no additional cost. The next tier is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It combines the service with Xbox Live Gold for $14.99 a month. This gives players access to Xbox's online multiplayer functionality as well as free monthly games via Games With Gold.

August’s selection of games just began to roll out. They include Ghost Recon Wildlands and Turbo Golf Racing which are available now. Later this month, games like Two Point Campus and Expeditions: Rome will be added.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.