Gearbox Has 9 AAA Games in Development as Owner Embracer Continues to Grow

Gearbox currently has nine AAA games in development as it continues to grow alongside its colossal owner Embracer Group.

The Borderlands creator has both developing and publishing wings, and while it's unclear where these nine games in development fall, it's certainly a lot more than the company has announced previously.

Gearbox's owner Embracer - who recently purchased three studio's from Square Enix along with the Tomb Raider and Deus Ex IPs - revealed the number during its latest financial results.

"Gearbox continues to scale the organization to deliver on its ambitious growth plan, and there are currently nine AAA games under development," it said.

We currently know of five games being published by Gearbox - Homeworld 3, Hyper Light Breaker, Relic Hunters Legends, Have a Nice Death, and Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom - but despite the "AAA" term being slightly subjective, most people likely wouldn't refer to the latter two or three of these as AAA games.

We also know that Tales From The Borderlands 2 is on its way from Gearbox itself, but again, this smaller, narrative led game may not be considered a AAA title by some.

Embracer overall had a strong year with operating profits increasing by 17% and games such as Gearbox's Tiny Tina's Wonderlands performing better than expected.

Embracer said it "was well-received and reviewed by consumers and critics alike" (IGN said it was great) and "sales exceeded management's expectations".

Elsewhere, Embracer's latest release, Saber Interactive's Evil Dead: The Game, has sold 500,000 copies in just five days, making a good start for the Dead by Daylight-style asymetrical horror game. The company is also anticipating success with the upcoming Saints Row reboot from Deep Silver, which it says “is expected to step change the pace of organic growth”.

It's not all great news despite the overall sunny picture for Embracer. ELEX II “did not live up to management’s financial expectations in the quarter", but looking head the company expects the RPG from developer Piranha Bytes to provide "a positive ROI over time.”

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

G.I. Joe: Diamond Select Toys Reveals The Baroness PVC Diorama

If you're a fan of G.I. Joe collectibles but crave something a little larger and fancier than the traditional action figures, Diamond Select Toys has you covered. The company is adding iconic Cobra villain The Baroness to its growing lineup of G.I. Joe PVC dioramas.

IGN can exclusively reveal the first images and details for this impressive piece. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at Baroness and the previously announced, SDCC-exclusive version of Snake-Eyes.

The Baroness diorama features a classical take on the character as she leaps over the wreckage of a BAT android with guns blazing. The diorama was designed by Uriel Caton and sculpted by Sam Greenwell. It measures roughly 9 inches in height.

Preorders for The Baroness will open on Friday, May 20. The diorama is priced at $59.99 and is slated for a Winter 2022/2023 release.

As for Snake-Eyes, this new version of the original PVC diorama features a blue paint scheme designed to mimic the look of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero animated series. This piece is one of Diamond Select's SDCC 2022 exclusive and is available to preorder now on the DST website.

The G.I. Joe franchise last hit the big screen with 2021's Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, which earned a solid 7 in IGN's review. While Paramount has yet to officially greenlight a sequel, the film's ending and mid-credits scene certainly set the stage for a larger G.I. Joe cinematic universe.

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

G.I. Joe: Diamond Select Toys Reveals The Baroness PVC Diorama

If you're a fan of G.I. Joe collectibles but crave something a little larger and fancier than the traditional action figures, Diamond Select Toys has you covered. The company is adding iconic Cobra villain The Baroness to its growing lineup of G.I. Joe PVC dioramas.

IGN can exclusively reveal the first images and details for this impressive piece. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at Baroness and the previously announced, SDCC-exclusive version of Snake-Eyes.

The Baroness diorama features a classical take on the character as she leaps over the wreckage of a BAT android with guns blazing. The diorama was designed by Uriel Caton and sculpted by Sam Greenwell. It measures roughly 9 inches in height.

Preorders for The Baroness will open on Friday, May 20. The diorama is priced at $59.99 and is slated for a Winter 2022/2023 release.

As for Snake-Eyes, this new version of the original PVC diorama features a blue paint scheme designed to mimic the look of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero animated series. This piece is one of Diamond Select's SDCC 2022 exclusive and is available to preorder now on the DST website.

The G.I. Joe franchise last hit the big screen with 2021's Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, which earned a solid 7 in IGN's review. While Paramount has yet to officially greenlight a sequel, the film's ending and mid-credits scene certainly set the stage for a larger G.I. Joe cinematic universe.

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

Fortnite is Available For All GeForce Now Members

After months of closed beta testing, Fortnite has officially exited beta testing on GeForce Now. This means all members of Nvidia's cloud gaming service can now stream the popular free-to-play Battle Royale on iOS and Android devices, previously it was available on PC via the native GeForce Now app.

Those interested in playing Fortnite on the service will need to sign up for a GeForce Now membership, which has three membership tiers to choose from: Free, Priority, and RTX 3080. Important to note that the Free tier for GeForce Now only allows a 1-hour session of play.

In comparison, Microsoft, which announced earlier in the month that Fortnite is available on Xbox Cloud Gaming, allows you to play as much as you'd like, and you don't even need to subscribe to the service. However, Android users opting to play via Xbox Cloud Gaming can only stream Fortnite through a web browser, rather than a dedicated app. GeForce Now subscribers with an Android device, on the other hand, can play Fortnite on the GeForce Now Android app.

If you have subscribed to the Priority or RTX 3080 tiers of GeForce Now, there are some incentives to stream this version over Xbox Cloud Gaming one. Most notably, RTX 3080 tier members of GeForce Now will have the option to render Fortnite at up to 120FPS, so long as you are streaming the game on Android devices that support 120Hz, such as the Google Pixel 6 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

In January, Nvidia made Fortnite available on GeForce Now as a closed beta. According to the GPU maker, more than 500,000 people participated during beta testing, with over four million sessions streamed across hundreds of mobile devices.

Fortnite returning to mobile devices (sort of) helps circumvent the issue of playing the game on mobile devices following its removal from the App Store and Google Play in 2020.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Fortnite is Available For All GeForce Now Members

After months of closed beta testing, Fortnite has officially exited beta testing on GeForce Now. This means all members of Nvidia's cloud gaming service can now stream the popular free-to-play Battle Royale on iOS and Android devices, previously it was available on PC via the native GeForce Now app.

Those interested in playing Fortnite on the service will need to sign up for a GeForce Now membership, which has three membership tiers to choose from: Free, Priority, and RTX 3080. Important to note that the Free tier for GeForce Now only allows a 1-hour session of play.

In comparison, Microsoft, which announced earlier in the month that Fortnite is available on Xbox Cloud Gaming, allows you to play as much as you'd like, and you don't even need to subscribe to the service. However, Android users opting to play via Xbox Cloud Gaming can only stream Fortnite through a web browser, rather than a dedicated app. GeForce Now subscribers with an Android device, on the other hand, can play Fortnite on the GeForce Now Android app.

If you have subscribed to the Priority or RTX 3080 tiers of GeForce Now, there are some incentives to stream this version over Xbox Cloud Gaming one. Most notably, RTX 3080 tier members of GeForce Now will have the option to render Fortnite at up to 120FPS, so long as you are streaming the game on Android devices that support 120Hz, such as the Google Pixel 6 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

In January, Nvidia made Fortnite available on GeForce Now as a closed beta. According to the GPU maker, more than 500,000 people participated during beta testing, with over four million sessions streamed across hundreds of mobile devices.

Fortnite returning to mobile devices (sort of) helps circumvent the issue of playing the game on mobile devices following its removal from the App Store and Google Play in 2020.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

eFootball: New Update Launches in June, Finally Adds a Mobile Version

eFootball's next update will be available on June 2 with an official mobile version launching the same day.

Announced on Konami's Twitter (below), version 1.1.0 will be the first update released for eFootball since its official launch in April.

Though Konami is still being vague on what's included, it did say the update will improve the win/loss decision-making in online matches, enhance server capacity, and set the foundations for compatibility between the console and new mobile versions of eFootball, among other things to be announced later.

The mobile game will be a re-launched version of eFootball PES 2021, now fitted with the full eFootball branding and compatibility with the new game.

Konami again said more details would follow soon, including which features and players will carry over from last year's game to the new version, and did make clear that support on some devices would be cancelled "due to changes in the required operating environment".

The April 1.0.0 update to eFootball that marked the game's full launch added a Dream Team mode and extensive gameplay changes, but still lacked several beloved PES modes including Master League, Team Play, Co-Op, Match Lobby, and Edit.

The update was the development team's attempt to "regain the trust" of players after a pretty disastrous pre-release version launched in October (that IGN said was awful).

The official release didn't improve a lot, however, as in our 4/10 review, IGN said: "Yes, at least eFootball 2022 does now have a fully-fledged mode to take it past the point of being a demo, but it’s still lacking so much more than you’d expect from a 1.0 version of a game."

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

eFootball: New Update Launches in June, Finally Adds a Mobile Version

eFootball's next update will be available on June 2 with an official mobile version launching the same day.

Announced on Konami's Twitter (below), version 1.1.0 will be the first update released for eFootball since its official launch in April.

Though Konami is still being vague on what's included, it did say the update will improve the win/loss decision-making in online matches, enhance server capacity, and set the foundations for compatibility between the console and new mobile versions of eFootball, among other things to be announced later.

The mobile game will be a re-launched version of eFootball PES 2021, now fitted with the full eFootball branding and compatibility with the new game.

Konami again said more details would follow soon, including which features and players will carry over from last year's game to the new version, and did make clear that support on some devices would be cancelled "due to changes in the required operating environment".

The April 1.0.0 update to eFootball that marked the game's full launch added a Dream Team mode and extensive gameplay changes, but still lacked several beloved PES modes including Master League, Team Play, Co-Op, Match Lobby, and Edit.

The update was the development team's attempt to "regain the trust" of players after a pretty disastrous pre-release version launched in October (that IGN said was awful).

The official release didn't improve a lot, however, as in our 4/10 review, IGN said: "Yes, at least eFootball 2022 does now have a fully-fledged mode to take it past the point of being a demo, but it’s still lacking so much more than you’d expect from a 1.0 version of a game."

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

Ubisoft’s Long-Delayed Roller Champions Will Finally Be Released Next Week

Ubisoft's Roller Champions is finally being released next week on May 25, almost three years after its initial reveal at E3 2019.

The free to play, fast-paced roller derby game (with splashes of Rocket League and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater) was due to be released in early 2020 but suffered several delays, with the most recent being in February 2022.

But following several rounds of alpha and beta testing, as Ubisoft likes to do with its multiplayer games, Roller Champions is finally ready to launch next week for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

Switch users will have to wait a little longer, however, as the game still has no release date on Nintendo's platform, alongside the Epic Games Store, Stadia, and Amazon Luna versions.

Roller Champions sees players battle in teams of three to race around roller derby tracks while in possession of a ball, with a successful score at the end of each lap granting a point. Whichever team is first to five points, or has the most points at the end of the match, wins.

The game also includes a Battle Pass that has both free and premium (purchasable) tiers, letting players unlock helmets, outfits, skates, emotes, and so on.

Cross-progression will let players continue their character and Battle Pass progress when switching between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

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

Ubisoft’s Long-Delayed Roller Champions Will Finally Be Released Next Week

Ubisoft's Roller Champions is finally being released next week on May 25, almost three years after its initial reveal at E3 2019.

The free to play, fast-paced roller derby game (with splashes of Rocket League and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater) was due to be released in early 2020 but suffered several delays, with the most recent being in February 2022.

But following several rounds of alpha and beta testing, as Ubisoft likes to do with its multiplayer games, Roller Champions is finally ready to launch next week for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

Switch users will have to wait a little longer, however, as the game still has no release date on Nintendo's platform, alongside the Epic Games Store, Stadia, and Amazon Luna versions.

Roller Champions sees players battle in teams of three to race around roller derby tracks while in possession of a ball, with a successful score at the end of each lap granting a point. Whichever team is first to five points, or has the most points at the end of the match, wins.

The game also includes a Battle Pass that has both free and premium (purchasable) tiers, letting players unlock helmets, outfits, skates, emotes, and so on.

Cross-progression will let players continue their character and Battle Pass progress when switching between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

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

HBO Max’s Wonder Twins Movie Isn’t Happening After All

It looks as though that Wonder Twins movie has been canned. According to Variety, HBO Max has put the brakes on the upcoming superhero comedy.

“The planned Wonder Twins live-action movie at HBO Max is no longer going forward,” they confirmed.

Obviously, this is a huge disappointment for Wonder Twins fans… especially as the film was confirmed to star KJ Apa and Isabel May just a month ago.

Apa and May were set to star as Zan and Jayna – the classic Wonder Twins who hail from the planet Exxor. Much like their Hannah-Barbera counterparts, Zan was a shapeshifter while Jayna was able to take the form of various animals.

Their powers are famously activated by the pair touching hands while declaring: “Wonder Twin powers, activate!” They also have a pet monkey, Gleek, who aids them in their crime-fighting.

The super-powered siblings debuted on The All-New Super Friends Hour back in 1977 before making their comic book debut the same year, in Super Friends #7.

Originally named Dick and Jane (with a sidekick called Mighty Monkey) they eventually became Zan and Jayna… while Mighty Monkey was named Gleek.

“Originally Zan (Dick) had Plastic Man powers and Jayna (Jane) could transform into anything, not just animals,” said animator Darrell McNeill in a 2011 interview. “But they were scaled back to their present powers as it made the other Super Friends (even Superman) seem almost superfluous.”

The comic books fleshed out the Wonder Twins considerably, giving them much more background and explaining how they came to join the Super Friends.

Their distinctive style was also based on popular pop culture at the time – the pair’s pointed ears based on the iconic Star Trek character, Spock, while their personalities were based on Donnie and Marie Osmond.

The Wonder Twins movie was first revealed back in February, with Black Adam and Rampage writer Adam Sztykiel on board to both write and direct the project. Production was expected to begin this summer in Atlanta.

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