The MLB could introduce "robot umpire" systems as early as 2024 according to commissioner Rob Manfred.

While this conjures images of C-3PO style bots taking to the field, it's instead baseball's automated ball strike-zone system, more akin to goal-line technology in soccer.

In an interview with ESPN, Manfred addressed fan concerns over the length of stoppages in MLB games caused by video-replay reviews of umpire calls. He appeared fairly confident that the technology is ready, saying simply that "we have an automated strike zone system that works", and could be introduced as early as 2024.

The automated robot system would seek to speed up the process in a number of potential ways. It's currently being tested in minor league games and has reduced the time of games by an average of nine minutes so far.

One example given would see the technology call every pitch and transmit the balls and strikes to the home play umpire via an ear piece.

Managers may also get a set number of challenges each game, somewhat similar to the coach's challenge system in the NBA, in which a replay review system of balls and strikes would then be used.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Thumbnail credit: Chuck Savage/Getty Images.

The team behind Fallout 4's DLC-sized mod, Fallout London, has certainly caught the eye of Bethesda as the developer keeps offering its members jobs.

The Fallout London Twitter page shared an update (below), which explained that lead technical adviser Ryan Johnson would be leaving the modding team to start working for Bethesda. This marks the second time (that we know of) the developer has hired straight from the Fallout London team after lead writer, Stephanie Zachariadis was also hired by Bethesda in August 2021.

Not only that, but Fallout London's project manager Dean Carter was also offered a position at Bethesda's UK office to work on Fallout 76, though they declined in order to see the mod's development through to the end.

We have a few very special and bittersweet announcements for you all today.

Please read: pic.twitter.com/nZihjqSifH

— Fallout London (@FalloutLondon) June 30, 2022

The post said development would not be impacted by the departure of Johnson, meaning it should still be on track for its recently announced 2023 release window. "We have known about this move for a while and thus [Johnson] has helped collate his knowledge into invaluable design documentation so the rest of the team can work on in his stead seamlessly," it said.

"More so, [Johnson] finished all of his expected level design tasks as well as a few extra ones we didn't expect him to do. The man's professionalism and dedication will honestly and truly be missed and felt throughout the team, however it brings us hand on heart joy to know that he will be taking his amazing talents to a company we all love."

Fallout: London - which lets players explore the British capital post-apocalypse - is likely the only taste of the franchise (albeit unofficially) that fans will get for a long time. Director Todd Howard revealed recently that Fallout 5 is planned to be released after the Elder Scrolls VI, which is likely still years away given it was put to one side while Bethesda focuses on its space RPG Starfield.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

The team behind Fallout 4's DLC-sized mod, Fallout London, has certainly caught the eye of Bethesda as the developer keeps offering its members jobs.

The Fallout London Twitter page shared an update (below), which explained that lead technical adviser Ryan Johnson would be leaving the modding team to start working for Bethesda. This marks the second time (that we know of) the developer has hired straight from the Fallout London team after lead writer, Stephanie Zachariadis was also hired by Bethesda in August 2021.

Not only that, but Fallout London's project manager Dean Carter was also offered a position at Bethesda's UK office to work on Fallout 76, though they declined in order to see the mod's development through to the end.

We have a few very special and bittersweet announcements for you all today.

Please read: pic.twitter.com/nZihjqSifH

— Fallout London (@FalloutLondon) June 30, 2022

The post said development would not be impacted by the departure of Johnson, meaning it should still be on track for its recently announced 2023 release window. "We have known about this move for a while and thus [Johnson] has helped collate his knowledge into invaluable design documentation so the rest of the team can work on in his stead seamlessly," it said.

"More so, [Johnson] finished all of his expected level design tasks as well as a few extra ones we didn't expect him to do. The man's professionalism and dedication will honestly and truly be missed and felt throughout the team, however it brings us hand on heart joy to know that he will be taking his amazing talents to a company we all love."

Fallout: London - which lets players explore the British capital post-apocalypse - is likely the only taste of the franchise (albeit unofficially) that fans will get for a long time. Director Todd Howard revealed recently that Fallout 5 is planned to be released after the Elder Scrolls VI, which is likely still years away given it was put to one side while Bethesda focuses on its space RPG Starfield.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Lena Headey is reportedly being sued by her former agency for $1.5 million over unpaid commission fees relating to several projects, including her cut Thor: Love and Thunder role.

Variety reports that U.K. agency Troika, who previously represented Headey, has filed a lawsuit against the actor over outstanding commission fees connected to multiple projects. The agency is seeking $1.5 million in total, which includes $500,000 - around 7% of her fee - for her earnings on Thor 4, though she does not appear in the final cut of the Marvel movie.

According to court documents obtained by the outlet, Headey joined Troika in 2005 and remained on their books until 2020, the same year the agency rebranded as YMU. However, the company claims that Headey owes them a hefty commission under the terms of their agreement, while Headey alleges that she never actually signed a contract with Troika.

Headey also claims that Troika was not involved in the negotiations regarding her now-axed role on Thor: Love and Thunder, as director Taika Waititi personally reached out to her about the part. In addition to her MCU fees, the agency is said to be seeking at least $300,000 from her lead role on 9 Bullets, and $650,000 for her titular role on scrapped Showtime series Rita.

Headey has allegedly disputed all of Troika's claims for these commission fees in her legal filings, asserting that the agency has been correctly paid up for the projects they had a hand in while they represented her. It's also noted that Troika wasn't her sole agent and therefore didn't lead all negotiations because she was simultaneously signed with CAA in the U.S.

It's unclear why Headey's role was cut from Marvel's upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, but she wasn't the only actor to have scenes removed during post-production. Christian Bale recently told Prensa Escenario that he had filmed scenes with Peter Dinklage's dwarf king Eitri, and Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster, but both encounters ended up as deleted scenes.

In addition to these cut cameos, some scenes with the existing cast also ended up on the cutting room floor. Bale, who will be making his MCU debut as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder, said that one scene was excluded because it was deemed a little "too extreme" for the movie, while plans for a Kate Bush dance scene also never came to fruition.

Thor: Love and Thunder will release on July 8 and sees Chris Hemsworth's character take on Gorr with the help of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, who will wield the Mjolnir as Mighty Thor.

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

Lena Headey is reportedly being sued by her former agency for $1.5 million over unpaid commission fees relating to several projects, including her cut Thor: Love and Thunder role.

Variety reports that U.K. agency Troika, who previously represented Headey, has filed a lawsuit against the actor over outstanding commission fees connected to multiple projects. The agency is seeking $1.5 million in total, which includes $500,000 - around 7% of her fee - for her earnings on Thor 4, though she does not appear in the final cut of the Marvel movie.

According to court documents obtained by the outlet, Headey joined Troika in 2005 and remained on their books until 2020, the same year the agency rebranded as YMU. However, the company claims that Headey owes them a hefty commission under the terms of their agreement, while Headey alleges that she never actually signed a contract with Troika.

Headey also claims that Troika was not involved in the negotiations regarding her now-axed role on Thor: Love and Thunder, as director Taika Waititi personally reached out to her about the part. In addition to her MCU fees, the agency is said to be seeking at least $300,000 from her lead role on 9 Bullets, and $650,000 for her titular role on scrapped Showtime series Rita.

Headey has allegedly disputed all of Troika's claims for these commission fees in her legal filings, asserting that the agency has been correctly paid up for the projects they had a hand in while they represented her. It's also noted that Troika wasn't her sole agent and therefore didn't lead all negotiations because she was simultaneously signed with CAA in the U.S.

It's unclear why Headey's role was cut from Marvel's upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, but she wasn't the only actor to have scenes removed during post-production. Christian Bale recently told Prensa Escenario that he had filmed scenes with Peter Dinklage's dwarf king Eitri, and Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster, but both encounters ended up as deleted scenes.

In addition to these cut cameos, some scenes with the existing cast also ended up on the cutting room floor. Bale, who will be making his MCU debut as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder, said that one scene was excluded because it was deemed a little "too extreme" for the movie, while plans for a Kate Bush dance scene also never came to fruition.

Thor: Love and Thunder will release on July 8 and sees Chris Hemsworth's character take on Gorr with the help of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, who will wield the Mjolnir as Mighty Thor.

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

Following his debut at Wrestlemania, Logan Paul has officially signed a deal with WWE.

The WWE and Paul announced the news on their respective social media channels. Along with pictures of Paul signing his WWE contract, the YouTube-turned-wrestler also issued a challenge to The Miz, his tag team partner who later betrayed him.

Just signed with the @WWE pic.twitter.com/7lYdxIKivF

— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) June 30, 2022

According to ESPN, Paul signed a multi-event deal that includes appearances in several WWE premium live events (formerly known as pay-per-views) as well as appearances on the weekly TV shows as needed.

Paul and The Miz faced Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio at Wrestelmania 38. Paul's wrestling gear included the most expensive Pokemon card worn around his neck. Following Paul and Miz's victory, The Miz betrayed Paul with a Skull-Crushing Finale.

Paul and his brother Jake began their careers as content creators for video platforms like YouTube. In recent years the pair have transitioned to other performances, with Jake Paul entering the world of boxing and now Logan Paul to the WWE. Paul is also an avid Pokemon card collector to varying levels of success.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Blogroll credit: WWE

Following his debut at Wrestlemania, Logan Paul has officially signed a deal with WWE.

The WWE and Paul announced the news on their respective social media channels. Along with pictures of Paul signing his WWE contract, the YouTube-turned-wrestler also issued a challenge to The Miz, his tag team partner who later betrayed him.

Just signed with the @WWE pic.twitter.com/7lYdxIKivF

— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) June 30, 2022

According to ESPN, Paul signed a multi-event deal that includes appearances in several WWE premium live events (formerly known as pay-per-views) as well as appearances on the weekly TV shows as needed.

Paul and The Miz faced Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio at Wrestelmania 38. Paul's wrestling gear included the most expensive Pokemon card worn around his neck. Following Paul and Miz's victory, The Miz betrayed Paul with a Skull-Crushing Finale.

Paul and his brother Jake began their careers as content creators for video platforms like YouTube. In recent years the pair have transitioned to other performances, with Jake Paul entering the world of boxing and now Logan Paul to the WWE. Paul is also an avid Pokemon card collector to varying levels of success.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Blogroll credit: WWE

Since Skate 3’s release over 12 years ago, fans and newcomers alike have eagerly awaited the release of Skate 4 (also known as skate.). Though it’s been almost a year since Full Circle's last update, the newly-formed team wants players to know that they're “still working on it.”

Today, the team released a trailer for the game showing footage of the game’s various prototypes (or, as the trailer puts it, “pre-pre-pre-alpha” versions).

The trailer is noticeably transparent about the game development process, giving players a glimpse of various processes like character rigging and dealing with bugs, though there are a few segments of gameplay with more polished graphics to show players what the game's future might have in store

It also seems that player feedback is a big component of Skate 4 — the trailer shows a variety of comments that the development team took into account, supposedly confirming features like nonbinary player customization options, the ability to climb up to skate spots, and cross-platform play.

EA is also recruiting playtesters for the game here. However, it is a closed playtest, so only certain players will be selected (and those who are won’t be able to share any content from the game).

While not much else is known about what the final game might look like, EA previously released a trailer for the game teasing an open-world design. It’ll also be available on PC (a franchise first) and will likely include opportunities for user-generated content.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Since Skate 3’s release over 12 years ago, fans and newcomers alike have eagerly awaited the release of Skate 4 (also known as skate.). Though it’s been almost a year since Full Circle's last update, the newly-formed team wants players to know that they're “still working on it.”

Today, the team released a trailer for the game showing footage of the game’s various prototypes (or, as the trailer puts it, “pre-pre-pre-alpha” versions).

The trailer is noticeably transparent about the game development process, giving players a glimpse of various processes like character rigging and dealing with bugs, though there are a few segments of gameplay with more polished graphics to show players what the game's future might have in store

It also seems that player feedback is a big component of Skate 4 — the trailer shows a variety of comments that the development team took into account, supposedly confirming features like nonbinary player customization options, the ability to climb up to skate spots, and cross-platform play.

EA is also recruiting playtesters for the game here. However, it is a closed playtest, so only certain players will be selected (and those who are won’t be able to share any content from the game).

While not much else is known about what the final game might look like, EA previously released a trailer for the game teasing an open-world design. It’ll also be available on PC (a franchise first) and will likely include opportunities for user-generated content.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

At last, it looks like Halo Infinite is nearing its long-promised campaign co-op. 343 Industries has announced that a two-week-long beta preview of the feature is happening at last, running from July 11 through July 22.

The beta will include the entire campaign, and is available to anyone who either owns Halo Infinite or has Xbox Game Pass. Console players who are interested in trying it out will need to join the Xbox Insider Program, and the beta on Steam will only be available to Halo Insiders who are signed up for the program by July 5.

Players will need to download the campaign build and start a new playthrough, and won't be able to carry any existing progress over. Beta progress will also not transfer back to the retail version of the game. However, this is only for the beta, and when the full feature releases players will not need an isolated co-op save, and co-op progress will count toward a regular playthrough for all players involved if so desired.

According to lead world designer John Mulkey, this is how it will work in the full release:

"The way we are handling this is through something we internally refer to as 'No Spartan Left Behind'. When players join the Fireteam and choose their save slots to play on, the game aggregates the states of all missions across those saves and sets up a world state in which any missions completed by all Fireteam members are marked as complete while any missions not completed by all are marked as incomplete."

Additionally, cross-platform play will be fully supported including with xCloud, and co-op experience should be the same regardless of platform.

For the beta, 343 says the goal is to catch any lingering performance or technical issues ahead of the full release of the feature, and encourages people who experience issues to report them on the Halo Support site.

Per Halo Infinite's roadmap shared in May, the plan is for a full rollout of both campaign co-op and the option to replay missions in August. Revisiting the campaign with friends should hopefully be a good experience given how we felt about the single-player campaign in our review last year, calling it "exactly what this series needed."

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

This article was amended after publication to better clarify the start date of July 11.