Halo Infinite's long-awaited campaign co-op does not include online matchmaking in either its current beta phase or final version.

As reported by GamesRadar+, 343 Industries has confirmed that the game will not include an option to connect with a stranger online, only including direct user-to-user invites.

"Online matchmaking will not be available with final co-op," an Xbox spokesperson said. "We encourage you to use the Halo [Looking for Group service] and the new Discord voice call feature on Xbox to find players to party up with as you continue playing the beta."

The campaign co-op beta finally went live on July 15 eight months after Halo Infinite was released. It was delayed from the game's initial release date in December last year. 343 later announced another delay to the mode, saying it wouldn't arrive until May 2022 at the earliest, and only in June confirmed a beta would begin in July.

The game hasn't had the smoothest post-launch period and even 343 admitted its multiplayer mode is lacking content, and while the Season 2 update was meant to address concerns, it too had a bumpy launch.

Elsewhere in the world of Halo, however, excitement has built around a new $20,000 competition launched by content creator Charlie ‘Cr1tikal’ White, who will award the cash to anyone who can complete the game on the hardest difficulty without dying.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Armor Wars writer Yassir Lester has assured fans that the Disney+ series is still going ahead, even though it didn't get a mention from Marvel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022.

As reported by CBR, Lester shared an Instagram story to ease cancellation concerns surrounding Armor Wars after fans noticed that it was absent from Marvel's announcements at SDCC this year. The words "I promise it is still coming out" reportedly appeared on a black screen posted on Lester's stories, referring to the previously announced Disney+ series starring Don Cheadle's War Machine.

Armor Wars was a seven-issue Iron Man story arc that was written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton, with art by Mark D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith. That story is expected to become the basis of the MCU series, which was first announced at Disney's Investor Day 2020 along with the premise that War Machine will find out "what happens when Tony Stark's tech falls into the wrong hands."

The Cheadle-led Armor Wars series is just one of two MCU projects planned to spotlight Tony Stark's legacy, with the other being Ironheart, also coming to Disney+. That series has now been tied to a Fall 2023 release window and will tell the story of Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams, "a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man."

War Machine will also be making an appearance in Secret Invasion when that premieres on Disney+ in Spring 2023. Cheadle's character appeared in a trailer for the MCU series that exclusively debuted at SDCC. The footage showed Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in action as he launches an investigation into a sect of Skrulls who have infiltrated the highest levels of authority in the MCU.

Armor Wars does not yet have a release date, but there's plenty to keep Marvel fans busy in the meantime. The studio showcased a whole range of previously revealed projects at SDCC, while also teasing new Marvel movies and shows in the works, like Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars — hinting at what's to come by showcasing not just all of the MCU's Phase 5, but most of Phase 6 as well.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

British actor David Warner, who starred in Star Trek and Tron among many other projects, has died, aged 80.

The BBC reports that Warner died of a “cancer-related illness.” His family shared the news “with an overwhelmingly heavy heart.”

“Over the past 18 months he approached his diagnosis with a characteristic grace and dignity,” said an official statement. “He will be missed hugely by us, his family and friends, and remembered as a kind-hearted, generous, and compassionate man, partner, and father, whose legacy of extraordinary work has touched the lives of so many over the years. We are heartbroken.”

Warner began his career on the stage in 1962, making his debut as Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Royal Court Theatre. However, he went on to a long and celebrated career in film and television – appearing on Doctor Who and landing several Star Trek roles.

These included St. John Talbot in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Warner’s career spanned decades, appearing in numerous popular sci-fi properties – notably as the characters Sark, Dillinger, and the Master Control Program in the cult Disney sci-fi flick, Tron.

According to The Guardian, Warner developed stage fright after a disastrous stage production of I, Claudius in 1973, and began to focus on his film work even more. He soon racked up an impressive filmography, often playing villains. These included performances in Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits, and several collaborations with Sam Peckinpah such as The Ballad of Cable Hogue, Straw Dogs, and Cross of Iron.

Throughout his career, Warner has worked with some of the biggest filmmakers in the business, landing a role in James Cameron’s Titanic, as well as the David Lynch classic, Twin Peaks. He even starred as photographer Keith Jennings in the horror classic, The Omen.

The Rada-trained actor eventually returned to Stratford in 2007 for the first time in more than 40 years to play Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 at the Courtyard Theatre.

Already, tributes to the British actor have begun pouring in, with fans and filmmakers alike paying their respects to the beloved actor.

Very sad to hear of David Warner's passing, an actor with a huge legacy on stage & screen and unforgettable roles in; Morgan: A Suitable Case For Treatment, Straw Dogs, From Beyond The Grave, The Omen, Time After Time, Time Bandits, Tron, Titanic and much more. He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/sBh4VVvEfH

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) July 25, 2022

“David Warner. Immaculate and singular in every part he played,” said Reece Shearsmith via Twitter. “Such fun working together, (always patient with me when I discussed his head coming off in “The Omen”). An honor to have worked with him and got to see him at his absolute funniest. A sad day.”

IGN sends its condolences to Warner's family and friends.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn isn’t worrying about the superhero team’s next lineup.

During an interview with IGN, the 55-year-old filmmaker confirmed once more that this current version of the Guardians of the Galaxy won’t be together for much longer.

“This iteration of the team is done after this [movie],” he said. But it looks as though he’s too bothered about who comes next right now.

“I never said there was a new team,” he explained. “I don’t care about the new team. All I care about is what this team is and being really true to the story of these characters, and finishing the story in an honorable way, and telling Rocket’s story fully, and telling Nebula’s story fully, and telling Quill’s story fully, and really getting into what this is now.”

It’s no surprise that the Guardians of the Galaxy could shift their line-up. After all, heroes come and go throughout comic book history, so a new roster for the MCU’s version of the Guardians of the Galaxy would be an interesting change.

But Gunn isn’t thinking that far ahead. And it seems he’s not really as into the interconnectedness of working within a cinematic universe as he is telling his own stories within it.

“I’m not into everything going off here, and this is to set up this, and this is to set up… I don’t care,” he said. “I never have cared about any of that. All I care about is the story here and now, moving an audience, sharing our love for the material and our love for each other, with the audience. That’s what matters.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wrapped filming just a few months ago and will debut early next year as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming Phase 5.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Vin Diesel as Groot. They’re joined by Karen Gillan, Elizabeth Debicki, Chukwudi Iwuji, and Will Poulter.

James Gunn both wrote and directed the movie based on characters created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.

Want to find out more about Marvel’s upcoming slate? Check out everything that was announced at Marvel’s SDCC panel, and find out why the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer still isn’t online.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Microsoft will soon implement an Xbox Series X and S update that makes the console boot up faster.

As reported by The Verge, Xbox's director of integrated marketing confirmed on Twitter (below) that the new feature being tested in Xbox Insider builds cuts the console's boot time in half.

Xbox has created a new animation that, while it doesn't seem too different, cuts the original boot time of nine seconds down to a much quicker four, meaning Xbox users can now get into their consoles and games even faster. As it's currently just in a beta testing phase the update isn't available for all Xbox users but will likely be released fully soon.

Can confirm - worked with @harrisonhoffman and @jakerose27 to create a shorter boot up animation (~4s) from the original boot up animation (~9s), helping to reduce the overall startup time.

— Josh Munsee (@joshmunsee) July 23, 2022

The faster time will only be available those who set their consoles to Energy Saver mode - which results in slightly slower start-up overall but is better for the planet and energy bills - as those on Standby mode typically skip the start-up screen altogether.

Microsoft has implemented a number of changes to make its Energy Saver mode more appealing, including an update in March that allowed updates to be downloaded while switched to this setting.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

The Gray Man star Ryan Gosling reportedly wants to enter the superhero genre as the new Ghost Rider – and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is equally eager to cast him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

MTV News's Josh Horowitz tweeted earlier in June (below) that Gosling denied rumours he'd be playing Nova in the upcoming MCU project but said he would like to play Ghost Rider. When Feige was asked about it at San Diego Comic-Con, he didn't mention Ghost Rider specifically but said he'd love to cast the Drive actor in some way.

"Ryan's amazing. I'd love to find a place for him in the MCU," Feige told MTV News. "He's dressed up as Ken on Venice Beach [and] he gets more press than giant movies coming out that weekend. It's amazing."

Will @RyanGosling be #GhostRider and what does the future hold for #HarryStyles in the #MCU? #KevinFeige give @joshhorowitz the scoop at #SDCC2022. pic.twitter.com/KEVBWEJr5d

— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) July 24, 2022

Ghost Rider wasn't one of the several new Marvel films or TV shows announced during Comic-Con and Marvel hasn't explicitly mentioned the character appearing in the MCU before, but seeing how far and wide the universe is expanding it wouldn't really be a surprise to see it eventually. However, previously we've seen The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus seemingly pitch for the role.

Feige himself explained that the MCU is now open enough to encompass the character – who, if you don't know, began as a stunt biker who sells his soul and becomes a skeletal spirit of vengeance. "You talk about Ghost Rider," said Feige. "We've got Blade, we've got Doctor Strange, we've got the supernatural angles."

Ghost Rider previously appeared in Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, but there's some debate over whether that show could be considered MCU canon.

Gosling has a fairly busy schedule at the moment anyway, having just released The Gray Man (with MCU royalty Chris Evans and The Russo brothers directing), recently wrapped filming on Barbie, and he's also involved with a number of upcoming projects including Wolfman, The Fall Guy, The Actor, and Project Hail Mary.

Ghost Rider last made a film appearance with 2012's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance starring Nicolas Cage. In our 8/10 review, we said: "The film bears little relation to the original 2007 adventure of Cage's cursed Johnny Blaze, which surely was seen as a blessing."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

2022 promises to be a big year for God of War fans. God of War: Ragnarok has been confirmed for a November 9, 2022 release date, and now the game will be joined by a hardcover book called The Art of God of War: Ragnarok.

Check out the dynamic cover to this new hardcover collection below:

As with Dark Horse's previous art books, The Art of God of War Ragnarok features several hundred pages of concept art, developer commentary and other behind-the-scenes material for the game.

Dark Horse will also be releasing a Deluxe Edition version of the hardcover. The Deluxe Edition features a unique, faux-leather clamshell case and an art portfolio containing two lithograph prints of Kratos and Atreus.

The standard version of The Art of God of War: Ragnarok is priced at $49.99, while the Deluxe Edition will cost $129.99. Both versions will be released in bookstores on November 29 and comic shops on November 30. You can preorder The Art of God of War Ragnarok now.

Previous Dark Horse art books include The Art of Horizon: Forbidden West, The Art of Halo Infinite, The Art of Deathloop and The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

For more on God of War: Ragnarok, find out how you can preorder the game and what special editions will be available.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Director James Gunn has decided against releasing the first Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer to the public for the time being because he isn't completely satisfied with the VFX.

The first official footage of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 debuted at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, but it was exclusively screened for those in Hall H and didn't appear online afterwards. Several fans took to social media to share their disappointment over its notable absence online, to which Gunn replied and explained that he felt it wasn't quite ready for public viewing.

I wish you could have too. But it’s not just Marvel, it’s also me. Although I love the teaser some VFX aren’t where I’d want them to be for repeated views & close inspection - remember we didn’t wrap long ago - so you’ll have to wait just a beat! Sorry! https://t.co/NAz0gIedo8

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 25, 2022

Gunn explained that, while he personally loves the trailer, he has decided to hold it back for "a beat" because the VFX needs some fine-tuning before it receives "repeated views and close inspection" from the general public. He also reminded fans that they only finished filming in May, so there is still quite a lot of work to be completed in post-production at this stage.

Nevertheless, Marvel gave the Hall H crowd a sneak peek of what's to come in the third and final chapter of Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. It showed some big changes taking place with the cosmic crew, including the debut of Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the Spacedog. The trailer also revealed Gamora running a section of the Ravagers, together with glimpses of Groot and Rocket Raccoon.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be part of Phase 5 of the MCU, and is set to be released on May 5, 2023. The trailer was screened during a deluge of news at SDCC, where we learned tons about Marvel's plans for the finale of Phase 4, as well as both Phases 5 and 6, now dubbed the Multiverse Saga, alongside tons of other announcements, trailers, and teasers at the event.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

The creators of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law have discussed the challenges of having a CG character lead a series, acknowledging the "growing pains" they went through to achieve the desired results.

She-Hulk head writer and executive producer Jessica Gao spoke to IGN at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 about the extraordinary challenge of relying almost entirely on VFX to bring Tatiana Maslany's titular superhero to life. Gao admitted it had been a process of "trial and error" and not one that they would necessarily rush to repeat, even though they eventually managed to pull it off.

"This was unprecedented because [Marvel has] never made a TV show where the lead character is completely CG when she's the title character," Gao explained. "When we first started, we didn't really have a plan or know how we were gonna do it. We just knew we were gonna do it and I just figured, 'Look, it's Marvel. They know what they're doing. They're gonna figure it out.'"

However, Gao admitted that it was not as simple as that and it took time for the team to reach an outcome that they were satisfied with. "It's been a process of trial and error," she added. "There's been a lot of growing pains. I think if we had to do it over again, we would probably think long and hard about how often we want a CG character on screen, but it all worked out."

Director Kat Coiro, on the other hand, viewed the undertaking as less of a challenge and more of an opportunity to experiment with VFX using the suite of tools that were available to them. She explained that the actors helped them to incorporate that into production, as they worked together to capture the authenticity of their characters.

"One of the coolest things about working with Marvel is that you get to try every tool that is out there and it's right on the cutting edge, so our methodology was [to use] everything that exists to capture actors' honest performance," Coiro said, sharing more about their approach. "It didn't even feel like a challenge at the end of the day. It felt like a part of the process."

The first trailer for She-Hulk received significant backlash for the sub-par quality of its VFX but the footage also revealed some important connections to the greater MCU as well as a few new players – including Frog Man, the beloved oaf with a heart of gold who has already made it into the hearts of fans across social media.

A new trailer for She-Hulk debuted at Comic-Con, teasing more of the series ahead of its premiere on August 17 and confirming the rumored appearance of Charlie Cox's Daredevil.

Marvel also delved deeper into their plans for the next few years, announcing that She-Hulk would be the penultimate Phase 4 entry and that more Avengers films are on the way.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Despite She-Hulk: Attorney at Law being a comedy overall, its fourth wall breaks aren't just for laughs, the cast and crew have said.

Speaking to IGN at San Diego Comic-Con, co-director Kat Coiro said the team has "some big surprises coming regarding the fourth wall", which will be broken for the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during She-Hulk's Disney+ series.

"I think breaking the fourth wall asks a lot of questions that I hope we get to answer for you in the show" added co-director Anu Valia. "So I just don't want to give too much away. But it's very fun, it's very cool."

The breaks also have a deeper meaning according to actress Tatiana Maslany (who plays Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk), who said the hyper-awareness displayed is representative of "a woman moving through the world".

Maslany continued: "You have to be so conscious of the systems that you're in, and you are just so aware of how it is when you're walking down the street, who's there, [and so on]. That kind of hyper-awareness in a lot of ways feels like her superpower and I think that's fun.

"And also, it's a great way to bring the audience in. They already jump into the universe of the MCU but to be like 'hey, I know, I see you coming in so let's go together' is kind of a fun thing."

Comic-Con also revealed a new trailer for She-Hulk ahead of its premiere date on August 17 and confirmed the rumoured appearance of Charlie Cox's Daredevil.

Marvel also delved deeper into their plans for the next few years, announcing that She-Hulk would be the penultimate Phase 4 entry and that more Avengers films are on the way.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.