Embracer Eyes ‘Sequels, Remakes, Remasters, and Spin-offs’ for Deus Ex, Tomb Raider, and More

Embracer Group - the owner of Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and other IPs bought from Square Enix in early May - sees "great potential" in making sequels, remakes, remasters, and spin-offs of these franchises.

Revealed in the colossal holding company's latest financial results, Embracer said it had "further strengthened [its] development capabilities and IP-portfolio" by purchasing Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal which included "Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain and other IPs."

In addition to the sequels, remakes, remasters, and spin-offs, Embracer also sees potential in "transmedia projects" across the group, later referring to similar initiatives from company's such as Netflix and Amazon.

Embracer Group also owns Dark Horse Comics and board game company Asmodee, which "will also enable the use of gaming IPs across yet another media".

Alongside the four previously-Square Enix games mentioned above, the Embracer deal also included more than 50 back-catalogue games developed by the three studios.

Tomb Raider is arguably the biggest franchise acquired in the deal and, while we last saw a new release in 2018 with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics announced not long before the Embracer sale that it was working on a new game in the franchise.

The last mainline Deus Ex game was 2016's Mankind Divided, while Thief returned briefly in 2014 after the original trilogy ran from 1998 to 2004, and there hasn't been a Legacy of Kain game since 2003.

Embracer's financial results also revealed that Borderlands creator Gearbox has nine AAA games in development as the developer/publisher continues to grow under its giant owner.

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

WandaVision’s Matt Shakman to Direct Godzilla Apple TV Plus Series

After stomping through theaters again in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, the King of the Monsters is trying to conquer streaming as well. Back in January, Apple TV+ announced that a live-action Godzilla series was in development. Today, we have a few more details, as WandaVision director Matt Shakman has signed on to direct part of the series.

Shakman will direct the first two episodes and serve as executive producer. We still don't have a full title for the show, which Apple TV+ refers to as Godzilla and the Titans while also still calling it the "untitled Monsterverse series."

The show follows the events of 2014's Godzilla, where Godzilla and the MUTOs met in San Francisco for a massive battle. One family will have to dive into its past to uncover its secret connection to the global organization known as Monarch. The series is co-created by Chris Black, a writer on Star Trek: Enterprise and Outcast, and Matt Fraction, writer of comics like Hawkeye, The Defenders, and Sex Criminals. Black will also serve as the showrunner for the series.

The untitled Apple TV+ series isn't the only upcoming entry in Legendary's Monsterverse. Last week, Legendary tapped Dan Stevens as the star of the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel film. According to Deadline, Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard will be returning for the sequel, with production beginning this summer in Australia.

There's also the animated series Skull Island, which is being produced for Netflix. Powerhouse Animation, the studio behind other Netflix animated shows like Castlevania, Blood of Zeus, and Masters of the Universe: Revelation, is handling the show. Similar to the film Kong: Skull Island, the show will focus on a crew shipwrecked on the legendary island.

Neither Skull Island, the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel, nor the live-action Godzilla series have any sort of release window. So there's a bright future for Godzilla and King Kong fans, we just don't know when that future is going to be realized.

WandaVision’s Matt Shakman to Direct Godzilla Apple TV Plus Series

After stomping through theaters again in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, the King of the Monsters is trying to conquer streaming as well. Back in January, Apple TV+ announced that a live-action Godzilla series was in development. Today, we have a few more details, as WandaVision director Matt Shakman has signed on to direct part of the series.

Shakman will direct the first two episodes and serve as executive producer. We still don't have a full title for the show, which Apple TV+ refers to as Godzilla and the Titans while also still calling it the "untitled Monsterverse series."

The show follows the events of 2014's Godzilla, where Godzilla and the MUTOs met in San Francisco for a massive battle. One family will have to dive into its past to uncover its secret connection to the global organization known as Monarch. The series is co-created by Chris Black, a writer on Star Trek: Enterprise and Outcast, and Matt Fraction, writer of comics like Hawkeye, The Defenders, and Sex Criminals. Black will also serve as the showrunner for the series.

The untitled Apple TV+ series isn't the only upcoming entry in Legendary's Monsterverse. Last week, Legendary tapped Dan Stevens as the star of the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel film. According to Deadline, Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard will be returning for the sequel, with production beginning this summer in Australia.

There's also the animated series Skull Island, which is being produced for Netflix. Powerhouse Animation, the studio behind other Netflix animated shows like Castlevania, Blood of Zeus, and Masters of the Universe: Revelation, is handling the show. Similar to the film Kong: Skull Island, the show will focus on a crew shipwrecked on the legendary island.

Neither Skull Island, the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel, nor the live-action Godzilla series have any sort of release window. So there's a bright future for Godzilla and King Kong fans, we just don't know when that future is going to be realized.

Margot Robbie Will Lead the Heist in a New Ocean’s 11 Prequel Set in the 1960s

The Danny Ocean-connected universe continues to grow.

The Ocean’s Eleven franchise is getting a prequel with Margot Robbie slated to star, according to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter. Not only is Robbie cast in the lead, but she’s also producing the Warner Bros. film alongside Tom Ackerley, her production partner at LuckyChap.

Details regarding the plot are under lock and key, but it’s said to be an original addition to the series set in 1960s Europe. The project is in active development, according to The Hollywood Reporter, but it is not greenlit. The goal is to begin production in spring 2023.

The 2001 Ocean’s Eleven is a remake of the original movie from the 1960s. It featured a star-studded ensemble cast with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, Bernie Mac, and Julia Roberts. The film was the fifth highest-grossing film of the year and garnered a lot of critical success.

It would go on to have two more ensemble entries in 2004 and 2007. In 2018, the series returned with a Sandra Bullock-led, all-female spinoff called Ocean’s 8. The film’s cast was highly praised, so it’s no surprise to see Robbie taking the lead in the prequel.

Robbie, who’s had her own fair share of success lately, will share the helm with Jay Roach who directed her to a best-supporting actress Oscar nomination in 2019’s Bombshell. Robbie has also had a number of scene-stealing turns as Harley Quinn in three different Warner Bros films. Last summer, she announced she needed a break from playing the “exhausting” character.

Be sure to keep an eye on Robbie this summer. She will take on the role of the iconic plastic doll, Barbie, alongside Ryan Gosling, who will play Ken.

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

Margot Robbie Will Lead the Heist in a New Ocean’s 11 Prequel Set in the 1960s

The Danny Ocean-connected universe continues to grow.

The Ocean’s Eleven franchise is getting a prequel with Margot Robbie slated to star, according to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter. Not only is Robbie cast in the lead, but she’s also producing the Warner Bros. film alongside Tom Ackerley, her production partner at LuckyChap.

Details regarding the plot are under lock and key, but it’s said to be an original addition to the series set in 1960s Europe. The project is in active development, according to The Hollywood Reporter, but it is not greenlit. The goal is to begin production in spring 2023.

The 2001 Ocean’s Eleven is a remake of the original movie from the 1960s. It featured a star-studded ensemble cast with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, Bernie Mac, and Julia Roberts. The film was the fifth highest-grossing film of the year and garnered a lot of critical success.

It would go on to have two more ensemble entries in 2004 and 2007. In 2018, the series returned with a Sandra Bullock-led, all-female spinoff called Ocean’s 8. The film’s cast was highly praised, so it’s no surprise to see Robbie taking the lead in the prequel.

Robbie, who’s had her own fair share of success lately, will share the helm with Jay Roach who directed her to a best-supporting actress Oscar nomination in 2019’s Bombshell. Robbie has also had a number of scene-stealing turns as Harley Quinn in three different Warner Bros films. Last summer, she announced she needed a break from playing the “exhausting” character.

Be sure to keep an eye on Robbie this summer. She will take on the role of the iconic plastic doll, Barbie, alongside Ryan Gosling, who will play Ken.

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

We Finally Get A First Look at CW’s Gotham Knights

Just in case you thought the CW was done making shows based on DC characters, the network unveils a first look at their newest show, Gotham Knights focused on Gotham City after the death of Batman.

The photo was posted to Twitter by showrunner Natalie Abrams as well as the official Gotham Knights Twitter page. This first look shows off the main cast members including Oscar Morgan as Turner Hayes, Tyler DiChiara as Cullen Bow, Navia Robinson as Carrie Kelley, Fallon Smythe as Harper Row, and Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela.

Not to be confused with the video game, Gotham Knights, the show is nevertheless centered around the Dark Knight being killed. The official synopsis is as follows:

Batman is dead, and a powder keg has ignited Gotham City without the Dark Knight to protect it. In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder, his adopted son Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan, “De Son Vivant”) is framed for killing the Caped Crusader, along with the children of some of Batman’s enemies: Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan, “Days of Our Lives”), an unpredictable fighter and skilled thief who was born in Arkham Asylum and abandoned by her father, Harper Row (Fallon Smythe, “grown-ish”), a streetwise and acerbic engineer who can fix anything, and her brother Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara, “The Virgin of Highland Park”), a clever transgender teen who is tired of being polite and agreeable. With the charismatic and hard-charging District Attorney Harvey Dent (Misha Collins, “Supernatural”) and the GCPD hot on their trail, Turner will rely on allies including his best friend and formidable coder Stephanie Brown (Anna Lore, “All American”), and unlikely Batman sidekick Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson, “Raven’s Home”). But our Knights will soon learn there is a larger, more nefarious force at work within Gotham City. This team of mismatched fugitives must band together to become its next generation of saviors known as the GOTHAM KNIGHTS.

To be clear, Gotham Knights doesn't take place with the well-established "Arrowverse." That said, Supergirl and Black Lightning didn't either, yet were able to take place in crossover events like Crisis on Infinite Earths. It wouldn't be surprising if Gotham Knights somehow made a cameo appearance in one of the Arrowverse shows.

The Gotham Knight promotion comes as The CW continues to shut down other DC superhero shows such as Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow. While this could be a harbinger of the future of the Arrowverse, The Flash was renewed for season 9 and Superman & Lois received a greenlight for season 3.

While it's not exactly the same story, it is the inspiration for the Gotham Knights game being developed by WB Games Montreal. Instead of the children of villains, the game centers on Batman's bat-prodigy like Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Red Hood.

David Matthews is a freelance writer specializing in consumer tech and gaming. He also strongly believes that sugar does not go in grits. Follow him on Twitter @shortblktechie

We Finally Get A First Look at CW’s Gotham Knights

Just in case you thought the CW was done making shows based on DC characters, the network unveils a first look at their newest show, Gotham Knights focused on Gotham City after the death of Batman.

The photo was posted to Twitter by showrunner Natalie Abrams as well as the official Gotham Knights Twitter page. This first look shows off the main cast members including Oscar Morgan as Turner Hayes, Tyler DiChiara as Cullen Bow, Navia Robinson as Carrie Kelley, Fallon Smythe as Harper Row, and Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela.

Not to be confused with the video game, Gotham Knights, the show is nevertheless centered around the Dark Knight being killed. The official synopsis is as follows:

Batman is dead, and a powder keg has ignited Gotham City without the Dark Knight to protect it. In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder, his adopted son Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan, “De Son Vivant”) is framed for killing the Caped Crusader, along with the children of some of Batman’s enemies: Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan, “Days of Our Lives”), an unpredictable fighter and skilled thief who was born in Arkham Asylum and abandoned by her father, Harper Row (Fallon Smythe, “grown-ish”), a streetwise and acerbic engineer who can fix anything, and her brother Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara, “The Virgin of Highland Park”), a clever transgender teen who is tired of being polite and agreeable. With the charismatic and hard-charging District Attorney Harvey Dent (Misha Collins, “Supernatural”) and the GCPD hot on their trail, Turner will rely on allies including his best friend and formidable coder Stephanie Brown (Anna Lore, “All American”), and unlikely Batman sidekick Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson, “Raven’s Home”). But our Knights will soon learn there is a larger, more nefarious force at work within Gotham City. This team of mismatched fugitives must band together to become its next generation of saviors known as the GOTHAM KNIGHTS.

To be clear, Gotham Knights doesn't take place with the well-established "Arrowverse." That said, Supergirl and Black Lightning didn't either, yet were able to take place in crossover events like Crisis on Infinite Earths. It wouldn't be surprising if Gotham Knights somehow made a cameo appearance in one of the Arrowverse shows.

The Gotham Knight promotion comes as The CW continues to shut down other DC superhero shows such as Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow. While this could be a harbinger of the future of the Arrowverse, The Flash was renewed for season 9 and Superman & Lois received a greenlight for season 3.

While it's not exactly the same story, it is the inspiration for the Gotham Knights game being developed by WB Games Montreal. Instead of the children of villains, the game centers on Batman's bat-prodigy like Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Red Hood.

David Matthews is a freelance writer specializing in consumer tech and gaming. He also strongly believes that sugar does not go in grits. Follow him on Twitter @shortblktechie

Syphon Filter Will Get Trophies When It Comes to New PlayStation Plus

Bend Studio has revealed that PlayStation Trophy support will be added to Syphon Filter when the all-new PlayStation Plus subscription launches.

"Agency intel reports that Syphon Filter will include Trophies when it arrives on the all-new PlayStation Plus," Bend Studio Tweeted out, with a video of a Trophy unlocking along with the familiar audio. It seems like one of the Trophies will be called "An Explosive Start" and it appears to be a Silver level trophy.

It's unclear right now whether this means that every original PlayStation title in the Premium tier will receive Trophy support or it will be on a case-by-case basis. Bend Studio is a first-party PlayStation developer, so Sony certainly has more say on what to do with its own games.

There are third-party original PlayStation games on the service such as Tekken 2 and Mr. Driller, and whether they get Trophy support as well is up in the air.

As of right now, Syphon Filter is the only game confirmed that will have this capability. Notably, PSP games didn't have Trophy support, and Super Stardust Portable is listed on the Premium tier. Its developer, Housemarque, was acquired by Sony last year and is now a first-party studio. So hopefully, this functionality could be extended to PSP games as well.

Sony released its list of New PlayStation Plus games lineup earlier this week. The revamped service is set to launch first in Asia (excluding Japan) next week on May 24, followed by Japan on June 2. North and South America will have access starting on June 13. Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are the last to receive the update on June 23.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Syphon Filter Will Get Trophies When It Comes to New PlayStation Plus

Bend Studio has revealed that PlayStation Trophy support will be added to Syphon Filter when the all-new PlayStation Plus subscription launches.

"Agency intel reports that Syphon Filter will include Trophies when it arrives on the all-new PlayStation Plus," Bend Studio Tweeted out, with a video of a Trophy unlocking along with the familiar audio. It seems like one of the Trophies will be called "An Explosive Start" and it appears to be a Silver level trophy.

It's unclear right now whether this means that every original PlayStation title in the Premium tier will receive Trophy support or it will be on a case-by-case basis. Bend Studio is a first-party PlayStation developer, so Sony certainly has more say on what to do with its own games.

There are third-party original PlayStation games such as Tekken 2 and Mr. Driller, and whether they get Trophy support as well is up in the air.

As of right now, only Syphon Filter is the only game confirmed with this capability. Notably, PSP games didn't have Trophy support, and Super Stardust Portable is listed on the Premium tier. So hopefully, this functionality could be extended to PSP games as well. Its developer, Housemarque, was acquired by Sony last year and is now a first-party studio.

Sony released its list of New PlayStation Plus games lineup earlier this week. The revamped service is set to launch first in Asia (excluding Japan) next week on May 24, followed by Japan on June 2. North and South America will have access starting on June 13. Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are the last to receive the update on June 23.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Troy Baker Stars in David Fincher’s Animation Debut for Love Death + Robots

The third volume of Netflix's Love, Death, and Robots drops tomorrow, and today we're learning voice actor Troy Baker will star in David Fincher's animation directorial debut.

Baker will star in the episode "Bad Travelling", which is based on a short story by Neal Asher. Here's the official description for the episode:

"A jable shark-hunting sailing vessel is attacked by a giant crustacean whose size and intelligence is matched only by its appetite. Mutiny, betrayal and ventriloquism with a corpse… welcome aboard the animation directing debut of David Fincher."

Fincher is the producer of Love, Death, and Robots, but this is his first time in the director's chair for an episode. The filmmaker is known for directing movies like Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network, and more.

Baker, meanwhile, is very much known for his voice acting work in video games. He is the voice of The Last of Us' Joel, Uncharted 4's Sam Drake, and BioShock Infinite's Booker DeWitt, among others. In animation, he has worked on shows including Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, One Piece, and Naruto.

Love, Death, and Robots is an adult animated show on Netflix. Each episode of the series is a standalone story produced by a unique creative team. As the title suggests, each episode handles the subjects of love, death, and robots in various ways.

While you wait for tomorrow's episode drop, you can check out the directors and episode titles for the rest of Love, Death, and Robots season 3. Or, if you're completely new to the series, check out our reviews for season 1 and season 2.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.