Nintendo has announced that a Nintendo Direct will stream this Wednesday, and will be dedicated to Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Tune in on 6/22 at 7am PT for a livestreamed #XenobladeChronicles3 Direct presentation featuring roughly 20 minutes of information about the upcoming RPG adventure for #NintendoSwitch. pic.twitter.com/x3pRs0EYRA

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 20, 2022

Starting at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm UK, the Nintendo Direct will be 20 minutes long and provide a closer look at Monolith Soft’s upcoming RPG, which will launch on July 29.

Due to the lack of a cohesive E3 event, this year’s summer of gaming news has been a bit more scattered than usual, and so we’ve not seen a traditional June Nintendo Direct this year. While it looks like we won’t be getting a full overview of Nintendo’s plans in the immediate future, this is at least a big look at one of the Switch’s most important upcoming games.

The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct will be live on June 22. For more from the game, check out why fans are frustrated with the pre-order situation for the special edition, and the director discussing clues in the reveal trailer.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

Nintendo has announced that a Nintendo Direct will stream this Wednesday, and will be dedicated to Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Tune in on 6/22 at 7am PT for a livestreamed #XenobladeChronicles3 Direct presentation featuring roughly 20 minutes of information about the upcoming RPG adventure for #NintendoSwitch. pic.twitter.com/x3pRs0EYRA

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 20, 2022

Starting at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm UK, the Nintendo Direct will be 20 minutes long and provide a closer look at Monolith Soft’s upcoming RPG, which will launch on July 29.

Due to the lack of a cohesive E3 event, this year’s summer of gaming news has been a bit more scattered than usual, and so we’ve not seen a traditional June Nintendo Direct this year. While it looks like we won’t be getting a full overview of Nintendo’s plans in the immediate future, this is at least a big look at one of the Switch’s most important upcoming games.

The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct will be live on June 22. For more from the game, check out why fans are frustrated with the pre-order situation for the special edition, and the director discussing clues in the reveal trailer.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

If you saw the painfully bloody gameplay reveal for The Callisto Protocol at this year’s Summer Games Fest, it may not come as a total surprise that developer Striking Distance Studios studied real life examples of gore while researching how to portray the nastier side of horror.

In an interview with PCGamesN, Striking Distance’s chief creative officer, Chris Stone, said “we’ve found ourselves looking at a lot of real-life examples of horror and gore. While these were a lot less fun to research, it was some of the most memorable and valuable content when it came to creating realistic visuals and experiences.”

The extended gameplay trailer for The Callisto Protocol features numerous sequences of gory violence; weapons tear chunks from enemy bodies, while foes thrown through industrial fans explode into sloppy mist. I’m thankfully no expert on what bodies look like when torn apart, but I’d guess Striking Distance is in the right ballpark.

As the PCGamesN interview also notes, studios using real-life references for violence has been a source of controversy in the past. Those working on Mortal Kombat 11, for instance, worked in a studio where colleagues were watching detailed human and animal deaths as part of research. One developer was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of their exposure to such graphic material.

Not all of the research has been so grisly, though. Stone, who was animation director on the original Dead Space, also pointed to Silent Hill and Resident Evil as “obvious influences”, but also noted that the studio draws “a lot of inspiration from movies like The Thing and Event Horizon.”

For more, check out our own interview with Striking Distance, where we learned that The Callisto Protocol will be much more open and replayable than Dead Space ever was.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

If you saw the painfully bloody gameplay reveal for The Callisto Protocol at this year’s Summer Games Fest, it may not come as a total surprise that developer Striking Distance Studios studied real life examples of gore while researching how to portray the nastier side of horror.

In an interview with PCGamesN, Striking Distance’s chief creative officer, Chris Stone, said “we’ve found ourselves looking at a lot of real-life examples of horror and gore. While these were a lot less fun to research, it was some of the most memorable and valuable content when it came to creating realistic visuals and experiences.”

The extended gameplay trailer for The Callisto Protocol features numerous sequences of gory violence; weapons tear chunks from enemy bodies, while foes thrown through industrial fans explode into sloppy mist. I’m thankfully no expert on what bodies look like when torn apart, but I’d guess Striking Distance is in the right ballpark.

As the PCGamesN interview also notes, studios using real-life references for violence has been a source of controversy in the past. Those working on Mortal Kombat 11, for instance, worked in a studio where colleagues were watching detailed human and animal deaths as part of research. One developer was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of their exposure to such graphic material.

Not all of the research has been so grisly, though. Stone, who was animation director on the original Dead Space, also pointed to Silent Hill and Resident Evil as “obvious influences”, but also noted that the studio draws “a lot of inspiration from movies like The Thing and Event Horizon.”

For more, check out our own interview with Striking Distance, where we learned that The Callisto Protocol will be much more open and replayable than Dead Space ever was.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

A company that develops cheat codes for Destiny 2 has agreed to pay Bungie $13.5 million in damages in a move that will end a copyright infringement lawsuit.

The company has also agreed to a permanent injunction against the creation of any new cheating software for Destiny 2 or any other Bungie game.

As seen in court documents and a report from TorrentFreak, Bungie accused Canadian cheats company Elite Boss Tech of violating Destiny 2’s user agreement with its software, as well as costing the developer “exorbitant amounts of money” in developing anti-cheat technology. Bungie also noted that Elite Boss Tech’s software disrupted player experiences and damaged Destiny 2’s reputation, which in turn threatened the game’s commercial viability.

While Elite Boss Tech argues that it never copied Destiny 2 code and that some of Bungie’s claims were based on unenforceable statements from its Limited Software License Agreement, the cheats company has agreed to pay $13.5 million in damages and agree to never create Destiny 2 cheats again. The $13.5m was calculated based on the number of times Elite Boss Tech’s cheating software was downloaded; 6,765 times, with a penalty of $2,000 each.

“This permanent injunction is binding against Defendants worldwide, without regard to the territorial scope of the specific intellectual property rights asserted in the Complaint and may be enforced in any court of competent jurisdiction wherever Defendants or their assets may be found,” the settlement said.

“Any violations of this order by Defendants will subject them to the full scope of this Court’s contempt authority, including punitive, coercive, and monetary sanctions.”

Bungie isn’t the only company going after cheat companies. Activision recently filed a lawsuit against a Call of Duty cheat distributor. Riot, along with Bungie, also filed a lawsuit against GatorCheats last year. PUBG Mobile’s developer recently won $10m in damages from a cheat creator, too.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

A company that develops cheat codes for Destiny 2 has agreed to pay Bungie $13.5 million in damages in a move that will end a copyright infringement lawsuit.

The company has also agreed to a permanent injunction against the creation of any new cheating software for Destiny 2 or any other Bungie game.

As seen in court documents and a report from TorrentFreak, Bungie accused Canadian cheats company Elite Boss Tech of violating Destiny 2’s user agreement with its software, as well as costing the developer “exorbitant amounts of money” in developing anti-cheat technology. Bungie also noted that Elite Boss Tech’s software disrupted player experiences and damaged Destiny 2’s reputation, which in turn threatened the game’s commercial viability.

While Elite Boss Tech argues that it never copied Destiny 2 code and that some of Bungie’s claims were based on unenforceable statements from its Limited Software License Agreement, the cheats company has agreed to pay $13.5 million in damages and agree to never create Destiny 2 cheats again. The $13.5m was calculated based on the number of times Elite Boss Tech’s cheating software was downloaded; 6,765 times, with a penalty of $2,000 each.

“This permanent injunction is binding against Defendants worldwide, without regard to the territorial scope of the specific intellectual property rights asserted in the Complaint and may be enforced in any court of competent jurisdiction wherever Defendants or their assets may be found,” the settlement said.

“Any violations of this order by Defendants will subject them to the full scope of this Court’s contempt authority, including punitive, coercive, and monetary sanctions.”

Bungie isn’t the only company going after cheat companies. Activision recently filed a lawsuit against a Call of Duty cheat distributor. Riot, along with Bungie, also filed a lawsuit against GatorCheats last year. PUBG Mobile’s developer recently won $10m in damages from a cheat creator, too.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

When you think of Nerf, you likely have fond memories of using a variety of colorful and exciting blasters to fire an endless barrage of foam darts at your friends and family. But that's all about to change once the Hasbro-owned company's first-ever mascot, Murph, is seared into your mind.

Hasbro has just introduced, and this is not a joke, their new nightmarish mascot for NERF brand products named "Murph."

Murph's terrifying catchphrase is "unleash the play in you."

Here is Murph: pic.twitter.com/THZYb02sKY

— Alex Zalben (@azalben) June 17, 2022

Murph is an anthropomorphic character made out of hundreds of Nerf darts, who the company says has no set sex or gender and uses they/them pronouns. They lack any facial features – or anything besides a general human-like shape, really – ultimately looking more like something out of a horror film.

Murph is an unusual choice to lead Nerf's new campaign, called "Unleash the Play in You", which aims to get more kids and adults outside having fun in the sun. But despite looking like they just crawled out of the depths of hell, Hasbro's SVP and GM, Adam Kleinman, calls Murph a “playful spirit and gifted athlete."

“We wanted to introduce a mascot that represents this ageless, unbridled fun that lives in all of us and creates a physical embodiment of that feeling you get when you play with Nerf,” Kleinman said.

Murph looks more likely to grind us into meat than try to get us pumped for outdoor activities, but regardless, the new mascot will begin appearing in promotional materials and on Nerf's social media channels this month to spread the word about the company's summer initiative.

Anyways, good luck sleeping tonight. Hopefully he'll fuel fewer nightmares than the dreadful Nerf Legends FPS that released last year.

Billy Givens is a freelance writer at IGN.

When you think of Nerf, you likely have fond memories of using a variety of colorful and exciting blasters to fire an endless barrage of foam darts at your friends and family. But that's all about to change once the Hasbro-owned company's first-ever mascot, Murph, is seared into your mind.

Hasbro has just introduced, and this is not a joke, their new nightmarish mascot for NERF brand products named "Murph."

Murph's terrifying catchphrase is "unleash the play in you."

Here is Murph: pic.twitter.com/THZYb02sKY

— Alex Zalben (@azalben) June 17, 2022

Murph is an anthropomorphic character made out of hundreds of Nerf darts, who the company says has no set sex or gender and uses they/them pronouns. They lack any facial features – or anything besides a general human-like shape, really – ultimately looking more like something out of a horror film.

Murph is an unusual choice to lead Nerf's new campaign, called "Unleash the Play in You", which aims to get more kids and adults outside having fun in the sun. But despite looking like they just crawled out of the depths of hell, Hasbro's SVP and GM, Adam Kleinman, calls Murph a “playful spirit and gifted athlete."

“We wanted to introduce a mascot that represents this ageless, unbridled fun that lives in all of us and creates a physical embodiment of that feeling you get when you play with Nerf,” Kleinman said.

Murph looks more likely to grind us into meat than try to get us pumped for outdoor activities, but regardless, the new mascot will begin appearing in promotional materials and on Nerf's social media channels this month to spread the word about the company's summer initiative.

Anyways, good luck sleeping tonight. Hopefully he'll fuel fewer nightmares than the dreadful Nerf Legends FPS that released last year.

Billy Givens is a freelance writer at IGN.

The battle against cheaters is unfortunately one that will seemingly never end, but Activision's Team RICOCHET continues to come up with inventive ways to combat these ne'er-do-wells, including punishing them in-game by stripping them of all their weapons.

Team RICOCHET detailed its latest progress in taking the fight to cheaters in a blog and it revealed more of how it continues to work to make Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone a better experience for all.

It began by discussing how "anti-cheat solutions work like anti-virus software." There is no simple fix to take down cheaters, as they are constantly working on new ways to outsmart those trying to stop them.

Fortunately, the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat has continued to learn and evolve and is getting better at "the speed at which we can recognize when players are doing things they shouldn’t be doing."

When one of these "bad actors" is detected, they are hit with one or all of the tools from the team's "mitigation toolbox." This not only proves to be a nuisance to cheaters, but it also helps the team gather data to stop them in the future.

One of these tools is Damage Shield, which enhances player protection against cheaters. This allows players to realize they are being shot at and it gives them a better chance to enact revenge on the cheater.

Cloaking is another mitigation technique that makes a cheater's victim turn invisible when they are hit, making it impossible for them to see them anymore.

Disarm is the latest tactic being implemented and, when cheaters are detected, RICOCHET Anti-Cheat simply takes away their weapons and prevents them from even punching using their fists.

Mitigations are meant to keep cheaters in the game long enough to gather data that will help Team RICOCHET stop them in the future while "reducing their ability to impact a legitimate player's experience."

Mitigations are great and all, but bans remain the "biggest deterrent to cheating," and Team RICOCHET has banned over 180,000 cheaters since its last update in February 2022.

Those looking forward to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and/or Warzone 2.0 will be happy to know RICOCHET Anti-Cheat will be active on day one for both games.

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.

The battle against cheaters is unfortunately one that will seemingly never end, but Activision's Team RICOCHET continues to come up with inventive ways to combat these ne'er-do-wells, including punishing them in-game by stripping them of all their weapons.

Team RICOCHET detailed its latest progress in taking the fight to cheaters in a blog and it revealed more of how it continues to work to make Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone a better experience for all.

It began by discussing how "anti-cheat solutions work like anti-virus software." There is no simple fix to take down cheaters, as they are constantly working on new ways to outsmart those trying to stop them.

Fortunately, the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat has continued to learn and evolve and is getting better at "the speed at which we can recognize when players are doing things they shouldn’t be doing."

When one of these "bad actors" is detected, they are hit with one or all of the tools from the team's "mitigation toolbox." This not only proves to be a nuisance to cheaters, but it also helps the team gather data to stop them in the future.

One of these tools is Damage Shield, which enhances player protection against cheaters. This allows players to realize they are being shot at and it gives them a better chance to enact revenge on the cheater.

Cloaking is another mitigation technique that makes a cheater's victim turn invisible when they are hit, making it impossible for them to see them anymore.

Disarm is the latest tactic being implemented and, when cheaters are detected, RICOCHET Anti-Cheat simply takes away their weapons and prevents them from even punching using their fists.

Mitigations are meant to keep cheaters in the game long enough to gather data that will help Team RICOCHET stop them in the future while "reducing their ability to impact a legitimate player's experience."

Mitigations are great and all, but bans remain the "biggest deterrent to cheating," and Team RICOCHET has banned over 180,000 cheaters since its last update in February 2022.

Those looking forward to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and/or Warzone 2.0 will be happy to know RICOCHET Anti-Cheat will be active on day one for both games.

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.