UPDATE November 4, 2022: The Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Edition Switch OLED is out now, and if you missed preorders, the good news is it's not too late to grab one. Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy currently have available stock of the limited-edition Pokémon Switch, but Best Buy is pick-up only.

Nintendo has announced a new Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Edition Switch OLED.

The new Pokémon-themed console launches on November 4, 2022, and features art inspired by the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games with the legendary pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon pictured on the system dock.

Additionally, the console’s joy-con controllers are scarlet and violet colored, with the emblems of the games' Naranja and Uva Academies taking pride of place. The console itself is covered with purple and red graffiti, which includes drawings of the new starter pokémon – Fuecoco, Quaxly, and Sprigatito.

Other symbols are “ones the player might recognize throughout the game” which seems to include the new logo for the game’s Team Rocket counterpart, Team Star. The Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Edition Switch OLED will be available in stores and on My Nintendo Store from November 4 for around $359.99.

Meanwhile, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet have been making waves with a new trailer that gives us a bit more detail about the upcoming Paldea region, as well as what trainers can expect there.

New trainers will take on three unique storylines in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, including traditional gym challenges, a face-off with Team Star, and a quest to discover new mystical plants.

IGN’s Nintendo Switch OLED review gave it 8/10 and said: “The Nintendo Switch OLED Model’s brighter, more vibrant, and slightly larger screen has made me want to take it out of docked mode much more often – and not just when I am about to travel. I feel more encouraged to lounge around on the couch or even in direct sunlight in the yard and play games handheld. The revised kickstand makes playing on any flat surface easier, and the Ethernet-enabled dock makes downloads quicker. While it’s a tougher sell for current Switch owners, particularly those that mostly keep their console docked, there are enough revisions to make it an easy recommendation for anyone who doesn’t own a Switch already.”

Want to read more about Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet? Check out the new 4-player co-op coming to the games, and find out about the new terastallizing mechanic.

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

Stranger Things Day 2022 is officially arriving on November 6, 2022, and Netflix has shared the schedule of events that will help celebrate the big day, and it includes "surprise reveals about the upcoming season."

November 6 is a special day in the world of Stranger Things as it was the day, in 1983, when Will Byers first went missing in Hawkins, Indiana. Will was luckily saved by his friends, so the day isn't as sad as it could have been.

You can check out the full schedule below, but the event kicks off at 12am PT/3am ET/7am GMT/6pm AEDT. Throughout the day, Netflix will be "teasing new and exclusive content on our social channels, hosting live fan experiences, virtual and in-person special screenings, and introducing limited edition merchandise online and in brick-and-mortar stores around the world!"

The full schedule for Stranger Things Day 2022 is as follows;

Stranger Things Day 2022 Schedule

• Kick off! - 12am PT
• New Photo Drop 001 - 8am PT
• Prepare to be Puzzled - 10am PT
• Roblox Watch Party - 11am PT
• New Photo Drop 002 - 12pm PT
• Headsets on - 1pm PT
• Superfan Trivia w/ Special Guest - 2pm PT
• Merch Hour - 3pm PT
• Super Secret, Be There - 4pm PT
• S4 Volume 2 Theatrical Screenings Throughout the Day

While it isn't crystal clear as to what exactly Stranger Things fans can expect, Netflix is saying that there will be "news and debuts from across the Stranger Things universe; from gaming to new merchandise drops to never before seen photos and surprise reveals about the upcoming season."

As for the movie theater experience, fans in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco, Austin, Denver, Detroit, Cleveland, Washington DC, Seattle, Las Vegas, Jacksonville, and Toronto will be able to head to select theaters to watch Stranger Things 4: Volume 2 on the big screen for the first time ever. Additionally, there will be costume contests with prizes, trivia, giveaways, and "other surprises."

The Roblox Watch Party will begin at 11am PT and will see Netflix welcoming fans into its Stranger Things world on Roblox. In the world, fans will be able to watch the first episode of Stranger Things and "interact with the immersive world of Hawkins like never before." If interested, fans can visit www.roblox.com/strangerthings for more.

There will also be a party and exclusive items at both Netflix's Stranger Things Experience pop-ups in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and London, and the Stranger Things official stores in Dallas, Miami, and Paris. Lastly, there will be new merch at Walmart, Target, Amazon, Zara Kids, Carrefour, Lush, and Primark, as well as the official online store of Netflix, QVC+, and more.

For more, check out our review of Stranger Things 4, Part 1 and Part 2, the burning questions we have as we wait for the final season, and why that last season will most likely be shorter than this past one.

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.

Hideo Kojima has addressed the report that stated he was working with Google Stadia on an exclusive Death Stranding sequel, saying those rumors were "unfounded."

Kojima was speaking to The Game Awards' Geoff Keighley on his Spotify podcast Brain Structure and was asked about the report that said he was working on this project with Google before Stadia VP and general manager Phil Harrison made the final decision to cancel the project as the company didn't think a solo experience would sell well on the cloud platform.

"The rumor that Death Stranding, moreover a sequel, was in the works to be an exclusive title for Google is unfounded, and Phil Harrison ultimately rejecting that is quite impossible," Kojima said. "I’ve never once said anything to Phil about wanting to create a Death Stranding sequel. I don’t know who pulled this information from where.”

The report came out around the same time as the news that Google Stadia would officially be shut down on January 18, 2023. Google said the platform "hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected," and it informed its users that it would be refunding those who purchased either hardware or games from Google and Stadia.

This episode of Brain Structure was all about clearing up rumors, as Kojima also responded to the rumblings of his supposed involvement with Blue Box Game Studios' Abandoned and how many believed that it was actually a Silent Hill game in disguise.

He said that he was not involved in any way with Abandoned, and that his fans should know that, after the reveal of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain via the fake company Moby Dick Studio, he "wouldn't do the same thing twice."

We are still waiting to hear about the future of Death Stranding, even though the game's star Norman Reedus may have accidentally shared that he was working on a sequel. Kojima playfully responded to Reedus' comments, but didn't outright deny it.

Speaking of things that aren't ready to be talked about yet, Kojima's next game may have leaked online, and it appears to be a game called Overdose starring Death Stranding's Margaret Qualley.

Kojima has begun talking about one of his upcoming projects, and has revealed that Elle Fanning and Shioli Kutsuna will be part of it.

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.

Final Fantasy XVI is less than a year away, but Square Enix has left most of the details to be speculated on by the fans. A recent trailer offered more hints about what to expect, including a hint of what crystals – a Final Fantasy standby – mean for the world. Now Final Fantasy XVI’s development team are delving deeper than ever into their upcoming RPG, opening about topics ranging from persistent comparisons to Game of Thrones to questions about representation for Black characters and other people of color.

For this interview, IGN spoke with director Hiroshi Takai, localization director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, and creative director Kazutoyo Maehiro, with producer Naoki Yoshida also weighing in for some extended thoughts of his own. They talk about it being the first M-rated game in the series, how sidequests will work, and several other topics. They also open up a bit more about its female protagonist, speculated to be Jill Warrick, and how Clive will interact with his companions.

“While [Final Fantasy XVI] does feature a prominent female protagonist, I would hazard the similarities end there. Celes and Aerith are unique in that so much of their games’ narratives revolve around their own respective stories,” Koji Fox says. “[Final Fantasy XVI’s] story, however, has, since the early concept phase, always been about Clive. But as is the case with all Final Fantasys, Clive’s story is about encounters. It is about companions. It is about relationships and how, through those relationships, Clive grows. No Final Fantasy character worth his or her salt ever saved the world on their own. Luckily, Clive won’t have to try, as he, too, is not alone.

You can find the rest of the interview below, and make sure to check out our conversation with Yoshida from earlier this year. Final Fantasy XVI is slated to release in summer 2023.

IGN: Can you talk about the role of the crystals in Final Fantasy XVI, and how they are both similar and different to previous games in the series?

Hiroshi Takai, Main Director: I believe they are similar to crystals in previous installments in the way they are crystallizations of aether, the source of all magic. In Final Fantasy XVI, people mine the crystals and consume them – as though they are deposits of resources, like oil. Perhaps you could say the way that crystals are portrayed as a vital and familiar part of people’s way of life is something that’s distinctive about their depiction in Final Fantasy XVI.

The nations of Valisthea conduct large-scale wars over these crystals, something deeply connected to the story, so I hope people will be excited to discover more. Although, the crystals may have another, significant meaning…

IGN: The mural in the trailer shows Bahamut, Titan, Garuda, Shiva, Leviathan, and Ifrit. Are those all of the Eikons? Can we expect some surprise summons in Final Fantasy XVI?

Kazutoyo Maehiro, Creative Director; Original Screenplay: The mural shown at the end of the trailer we recently revealed doesn’t recount the story being told in Final Fantasy XVI – it was painted in an ancient age, many eons ago. So, you can consider these Eikons appearing in the mural the Eikons that have historically existed in Valisthea. I can’t say anything more about the mural at this point in time – and it may actually be a little tricky to answer whether all those Eikons shown in the mural will appear… regardless, any more than this is still a secret, haha. Eikons are at the core of Final Fantasy XVI’s story.

Unlike the Summons of other installments in the series, there aren’t too many of them, nor are there any hidden, surprise Eikons. But this is because the story focuses on the Eikons – not including any hidden Eikons or having a huge number of them means we can explore each

Eikon and their Dominant more thoroughly.

IGN: This is the first mainline Final Fantasy game to potentially get a Mature rating. Can you talk about why the team decided to make this game darker and more violent than its predecessors? What does it mean for the series as a whole?

Hiroshi Takai: In the early stages of development, we decided that we wouldn’t tell a juvenile story. Some of the major considerations were the age range of the players we expect to form our core audience, and also that we have an increased capability to portray things, in several meanings of the word. You say it’s a more “violent” direction – but the key point here is that we didn’t want to just make things more extreme, we wanted to show things more realistically and naturally.

The world of Final Fantasy XVI is wracked by endless wars between nations, so we inevitably had to include scenes of battle. And if a character doesn’t have any blood splatter on them after slashing someone with a sword, that ends up looking unnatural with modern graphical capabilities – which creates an even stronger sense of dissonance. I’m sure the series will continue to butt up against this question of depicting things realistically and naturally in the future as well.

IGN: Watching the trailer, I find myself mentally comparing it to popular fantasy like Game of Thrones and The Witcher. In particular, the focus on political intrigue and the warring kingdoms, with Clive seemingly standing in for Geralt. What do you think of these comparisons?

Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, Localization Director: The two series being so prominent, I suppose it’s hard to make a medieval high-fantasy game these days without drawing at least a few comparisons to Game of Thrones and The Witcher. And while we are ultimately

aiming for something that we hope can stand alone on its own merits, the truth is, there are a lot of fans of Game of Thrones on the development team, and so you will find some instances of similarity in narrative themes and character design. For the most part, however, these similarities usually don’t extend much beyond a few outward features, be they concerning appearance or characterization.

And that isn’t limited to Game of Thrones. Look hard enough, and you’ll find bits and pieces from many different types of media — be they novels, games, movies, anime, or manga. Drawing inspiration from other works is often how a lot of ideas are conceptualized in the early stages of development. When describing how you’d like a certain battle blocked, it is simply more effective to say, “like that one scene in so-and-so” and then work from there to give it its own life. The same can be said for characters. Broad strokes like Indiana Jones cocky, but with the looks of Vigo from Ghostbusters 2; help get everyone on the same page. The final results may still include some vestiges of that original concept that people may point at and say “Look, Vigo!” but once you dig deeper, you’ll find that it was really only the hairline. (Please note, there are no Indiana Vigos in XVI...probably.)

As for intrigue and warring kingdoms, well...it’s hard to save the world when the world doesn’t need saving, just as it’s hard to justify going out and beating up on soldiers from the imperial army when you are at peace with the empire. A lot of good stories are rooted in conflict. They give characters purpose. Generate loss. Provide heroes with something to overcome. Intrigue feeds into that. That said, I wouldn’t say that [Final Fantasy XVI] is a story about political intrigue. It’s a story about Clive. And while politics play a part in the things happening about Clive, he is not at the center of all that, but rather at the mercy of larger forces.

A prisoner of fate who has decided it’s time to break out.

IGN: The trailer introduces two new characters in Dion Lesage and Barnabas Tharmr. Can you talk about the process of designing these characters? Are they meant to represent the Dragoon and Dark Knight classes?

Kazutoyo Maehiro: Clive, the protagonist, is a character with a somewhat dark atmosphere, having sworn revenge. And so, Dion Lesage is a character who was created as a reflection of kinds, made in the traditional image of a prince. He’s an all-round Superman, with an Eikon’s power, good looks, and skilled in both the martial and intellectual arts.

Having said that, not everything in his past and his upbringing is always as gilded as it seems…so he’s quite a compelling character. On the other hand, Barnabas Tharmr was conceptualized in the image of a king cloaked entirely in mystery. Looking at past installments, they absolutely embody the Dragoon and Dark Knight archetypes.

IGN: Can you talk about what you consider to be the “essence of Final Fantasy storytelling” and how you’re incorporating it in Final Fantasy XVI? What’s your personal favorite Final Fantasy story to date?

Michael-Christopher Koji Fox: That’s hard to say, as each Final Fantasy in the series is independent of the others. Story-wise, there is little to tie any of them together outside of a handful of shared monsters, magicks, and music. And thematically, the only real similarity is that they all revolve around a band of unlikely heroes setting off to save the world. Oh, and crystals. A lot of crystals. That won’t change in Final Fantasy XVI.

However, if you look beyond the surface, and deeper into the core of Final Fantasy storytelling, I think you will find a common thread, and that is emotion. The Final Fantasy games do an excellent job of getting the audience to care about their characters and eliciting genuine emotional responses. We celebrate their victories and lament their tragedies as if they were our own—the shock, anger, sadness, joy we feel is real...and that is why it is lasting.

From a pure story/lore perspective, Final Fantasy XII is one of my favorites, but when I think back on what FF moment has stayed with me the longest, it will always be Galuf’s battle with Exdeath in FFV for exactly the reason I mentioned above.

IGN: In regards to diversity in the game, can we expect to see Black characters in Final Fantasy XVI, or people of color (non-white characters) in general? To clarify a bit more, there’s been discussion around the trailers to date featuring mostly white characters, and I wanted to get clarity on whether we can expect the final game to be more diverse.

Naoki Yoshida, Producer: This is a difficult question, but not one that was unexpected, seeing as diversity in entertainment media has become a much-discussed topic as of late. The answer I have, however, may end up being disappointing to some depending on individual expectations.

Our design concept from the earliest stages of development has always heavily featured medieval Europe, incorporating historical, cultural, political, and anthropological standards that were prevalent at the time. When deciding on a setting that was best suited to the story we wanted to tell—the story of a land beset by the Blight—we felt that rather than create something on a global scale, it was necessary to limit the scope it to a single landmass — one geographically and culturally isolated from the rest of the world in an age without airplanes, television, or telephones.

Due to the underlying geographical, technological, and geopolitical constraints of this setting, Valisthea was never going to realistically be as diverse as say a modern-day Earth...or even Final Fantasy XIV that has an entire planet (and moon) worth of nations, races, and cultures at its disposal. The isolated nature of this realm, however, does end up playing a large part in the story and is one of the reasons Valisthea’s fate is tied to the rest of the world.

Ultimately, we felt that while incorporating ethnic diversity into Valisthea was important, an over-incorporation into this single corner of a much larger world could end up causing a violation of those narrative boundaries we originally set for ourselves. The story we are telling is fantasy, yes, but it is also rooted in reality.

Conversely, the Final Fantasy series of games have always inherently dealt with conflict and struggle, especially between the empowered and those used and/or exploited by those privileged few—a prominent trend in human history. In a game that, by design, allows players to experience that conflict and struggle first- hand through dynamic, realistic battles, it can be challenging to assign distinctive ethnicities to either antagonist or protagonist without triggering audience preconceptions, inviting unwarranted speculation, and ultimately stoking flames of controversy. The best part of pulling inspiration directly from history, however, is that it allows us to revisit and re-examine our own pasts, while also allowing us to create something new.

In the end, we simply want the focus to be less on the outward appearance of our characters and more on who they are as people—people who are complex and diverse in their natures, backgrounds, beliefs, personalities, and motivations. People whose stories we can resonate with. There is diversity in Valisthea. Diversity that, while not all-encompassing, is synergistic with the setting we’ve created and is true to the inspirations from which we are drawing.

IGN: Can we expect to see a female character on par with Celes, Aerith, or General Beatrix?

Michael-Christopher Koji Fox: While [Final Fantasy XVI] does feature a prominent female protagonist, I would hazard the similarities end there. Celes and Aerith are unique in that so much of their games’ narratives revolve around their own respective stories. [Final Fantasy XVI’s] story, however, has, since the early concept phase, always been about Clive. But as is the case with all Final Fantasys, Clive’s story is about encounters. It is about companions. It is about relationships and how, through those relationships, Clive grows. No Final Fantasy character worth his or her salt ever saved the world on their own. Luckily, Clive won’t have to try, as he, too, is not alone.

These companions, however, are not simply static, one-dimensional plot devices there to prop up Clive. They have their own pasts, their own motivations, and these are explored in-depth as the player progresses through the story. One such character does end up being featured more prominently. Strong, yet flawed. Brave, yet full of doubt, her relationship with Clive affects him in ways that reverberate throughout his arc.

IGN: Will Final Fantasy icons through history appear in Final Fantasy XVI, especially Moogles and Cactuars? If not, why?

Kazutoyo Maehiro: Chocobos and Moogles will appear in Final Fantasy XVI. They each have their own role, responsible for certain features and parts of the game. There are lots of other common elements as well, including monsters like Bombs and Morbols, and some terminology. Having said that, the world of Final Fantasy XVI is quite serious in tone, so we’ve not gone out of our way to include anything overly comical or things that don’t fit clearly into an ecosystem. This doesn’t relate to the gameplay experience, but we’ve also included a fair number of homages to past Square Enix games in names, etc. These are just like easter eggs – if you know, it’ll make you smile. If you’re the kind of player who likes finding these things, I hope you’ll try and discover the various little nods!

IGN: How linear is the story? How expansive are the individual areas? How much exploration is available? Will there be optional side quests that expand significantly on the lore?

Hiroshi Takai: The part that we call the main story is a rich, expansive narrative that moves forward without any branching points. However, there are lots of side stories interspersed around the main story. These side stories give a lot of insight into the lore and show different sides to the characters. The areas themselves are of varying sizes, some smaller and some larger, but there are multiple so-called “field” areas of around [two square kilometers], containing settlements and other features within them.

As you progress through the story, you’ll also encounter quite a good number of areas called “stages”. Although you can walk fairly freely around the field areas, it’s not like you need to really pour your energy into exploration to avoid the game becoming difficult to make progress with later on. In each area, we’ve included places to gather resources, search for strong enemies called Elite Marks, and situations that Clive will need to overcome whilst the powers he’s obtained from the Eikons are restricted – so it’s not a game that you can finish in its entirety by only following the main story.

IGN: What are the story elements that have been refined and updated the most over Final Fantasy XVI’s development, from initial concept to where the story and script are now? Can you give examples of this as well? In relation, which character has evolved the most through the voice acting, writing, and visual design process? Which character do you find most intriguing?

Kazutoyo Maehiro: In actual fact, there haven’t been any major changes from the very first draft of the story that I showed the Producer and Director. I spent an immense amount of time on the story in the early stages – I didn’t think of it as just a story, but “a story prepared specifically for people to play in the game Final Fantasy XVI”. This meant that there weren’t any significant updates from that point onwards. The same is true of the characters.

However, as I worked on the script, the character of Clive, the protagonist, became much clearer and better defined. Each time this happened, I went back and re-wrote dialogue, time and again. This is one of the reasons why I do think Clive is the most impactful character in the game. Having said that, there are lots of memorable characters in the game, and I hope players will find their personal favorite from among the extensive cast.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav continued to defend the deep cuts to the company's animation and streaming lineups during today's earnings call, signaling that more could be on the way after absorbing a $2.8 billion net loss in the most recent quarter.

"Spending money with abandon all in the service of building sub numbers is in our view deeply flawed," Zaslav said during the call.

His comments follow a period in which Warner Bros Discovery has aggressively slashed its animated offerings, canceled movies like Batgirl, and removed shows and movies from services like HBO Max.

Zaslav defended these cuts, saying "we've learned what doesn't work" and that the service is "getting the content that isn't working off." He reiterated WB Discovery's stance against direct-to-streaming movies, saying they "do almost nothing" for viewership and retention, and that WB Discovery would be focusing on franchises going forward.

"The audience will tell you what they love. They'll spend time with it and they'll watch it and rewatch it," Zaslav said. He later added, "We're trying to be deliberate about the shows that are helping us."

Both Zaslav and WB Discovery streaming and games CEO JB Perette hinted that big changes are on the way as the company continues to weather the shock of its merger. That's likely to include the price of HBO Max, which has remained stable for three years now but will soon be heading "north" according to Perette. Zaslav also revealed that the company's newly-combined HBO Max and Discovery service will be launching in Spring 2023 rather than Summer as planned.

Zaslav repeatedly referred to what he described as a "challenging environment," saying that Warner Bros. has "conviction" and that "we're getting through this."

Zaslav himself has received enormous criticism for creatives and audience members alike for WB's restructuring, which has resulted in layoffs, high-profile departures, and conflicting visions for the future from its biggest franchises.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Dobby's death scene is one of the more emotional moments in the Harry Potter movies — so much so that fans go out of their way to visit the location it was filmed in Pembrokeshire, Wales. So many Potterheads were stopping by to contribute socks and other mementos to Dobby's grave that the UK's National Trust reviewed if the memorial would be permitted to stay in place.

Now, in the National Trust's latest press release (via The New York Times), the organization decided that "the memorial to Dobby will remain at Freshwater West in the immediate term for people to enjoy."

Environmental officials are urging the public to only take photos during vists to the memorial, and stay away from bringing socks or other trinkets that could "enter the marine environment and food chain and put wildlife at risk."

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry tricks Dobby's master into giving the house elf a sock. House elves become free when their master presents them with clothes, leading to the iconic line: "Master has given Dobby a sock... Dobby is free!" So, a sock became the fitting item for well-intentioned fans to bring to Dobby's grave.

Along with the footwear, some fans were leaving messages painted on rocks that say, "Here lies Dobby, a free Elf", lining up with the grave Harry creates for the character in the movie.

But, according to the release, Freshwater West is a "Site of Special Scientific Interest" that is home to "large grey seals, harbour porpoise, and some of the largest populations of seabirds in the world." The Trust is asking visitors to leave no trace — in other words — leave no socks.

Elsewhere in the Potterverse, you can read about why Daniel Radcliffe felt he "needed to say something" in support of LGBT youth.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

HBO Max has reportedly canceled its planned reboot of the teen drama Degrassi, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The news comes as part of a larger report on the state of Warner Bros., which has been undergoing several cuts and cancellations following its merger with Discovery back in May. The Degrassi reboot was among several projects recently canceled, according to WSJ’s report, as part of cuts made to HBO Max projects aimed at children and teens, including a Charlotte’s Web remake.

The Degrassi reboot was in development by Lara Azzopardi and Julia Cohen, who had writing credits on the series, while co-creator Linda Schuyler and executive producer Stephen Stohn would not be returning, saying it was the time to “pass the baton” to new leadership.

The Degrassi series began in 1979 with The Kids of Degrassi Street, which would go on to produce several series in its teen drama framework, such as Degrassi: The Next Generation and Degrassi: Next Class, the latter of which was the last series to carry the name when it was canceled in 2017. Though the franchise originated in Canada, it would go on to find international success and syndication outside of its home country.

Degrassi is one of several casualties in the past few months during the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, as the entire process has resulted in cancellations of projects like the Batgirl film and much of the DC television universe, as well as lay-offs within subsidiaries like HBO.

Kenneth Shepard is a writer covering games, entertainment, and queerness all around the internet. Find him on Twitter at @shepardcdr, and listen to his biweekly video game retrospective podcast Normandy FM, which is currently covering Cyberpunk 2077.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Dave Zaslav took a defensive approach to questions about the various shows and movies leaving HBO Max, talking instead about how the company will be focusing on the big franchises going forward.

In a fiery response, Zaslav defended the company's decision to remove shows and movies from HBO Max, telling investors in the third-quarter earnings that shows like "Bonanza" aren't doing anything to gain new subscribers to HBO Max.

"The entire library or almost the entire library shouldn't be on HBO Max and paid for by HBO Max," Zaslav says citing vast libraries of unwatched shows that remain on the service while not generating interest for the service.

Instead, Zaslav says the company will focus on popular franchises like Harry Potter, House of the Dragon, and Lord of the Rings which Zaslav reminded investors WBD still has rights to make movies.

"We're going to have a real focus on franchises. We haven't had a Superman movie in 10 years. We haven't done a Harry Potter movie in 15 years... One of the biggest advantages that we have -- House of the Dragon is an example of that -- Game of Thrones. Taking advantage of Sex of the City. Lord of the Rings, we still have the rights to do Lord of the Rings movies."

Zaslav says the company will focus on franchises like Lord of the Rings, and even more Harry Potter if author J.K. Rowling is interested.

Another pivot will be away from putting movies direct to streaming services like Dune and Matrix Resurrection. According to Zaslav, movies released in theaters have done significantly better than movies released direct to streaming which have not translated to more subscribers.

The decision to release movies direct to HBO Max was a decision implemented when Warner Bros. was still owned by AT&T, and seemingly a very unpopular decision by both Hollywood directors and the new owners at Discovery.

Zaslav says that the goal of the company is to reduce spending while working on big franchises that are sure to be hits. To help with that, Zaslav hired James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new heads of DC, who he's praised for bringing a unified approach and blueprint to DC.

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

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Dave Zaslav is promising a new era for DC under new studio co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.

The company sent shockwaves through the industry when it was announced that director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran will take over the newly formed DC Studios as co-CEOs. The move puts future DC movies, TV shows, and animation under Gunn and Safran and fills the gaping leadership hole at DC.

While Zaslav released a quote the day Gunn and Safran’s hiring was announced, he told investors today that he spent a lot of time talking with the pair over the last few months. “They have a powerful vision and blueprint that will drive a more unified creative approach,” Zaslav promised investors.

Gunn will oversee the creative side of DC Studios while Safran — a prolific producer behind films like Aquaman and The Conjuring franchise — will handle the business aspects. Gunn will continue to direct projects exclusively for DC with the deal expected to last at least four years.

Gunn and Safran will report directly to Zaslav, though not every ongoing DC project will fall under their purview. Todd Phillips’ Joker sequel will not be under Gunn and Safran, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman also exists in a gray area.

But for every other DC project going forward, Gunn and Safran will likely have oversight. Henry Cavill, who is already set to return to DC as Superman, says he’s excited to work with Gunn on the new DC chapter.

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

AMD has officially announced its next-generation Radeon RX GPUs today. After months of rumors and some teasing from AMD, the Radeon RX 7000 is officially here.

As part of its "together we advance_gaming," event, AMD unveiled the first two GPUs in the Radeon RX 7000 family: Radeon RX 7900 XTX and the Radeon RX 7900 XT. As AMD previously announced, the RX 7000 series uses the company's new RDNA 3 graphical architecture.

The Radeon RX 7900 XTX features 24GB of GDDR6 memory, a board power of 350 watts, 96 unified RDNA 3 computing units, a 2.3Ghz game clock, and is promised to be up to 1.7 times faster than AMD's previous flagship, the Radeon RX 6950 XT when gaming in 4K resolution. In comparison, the Radeon RX 7900 XT has 84 unified RDNA 3 computing units, a 2Ghz game clock, and 20GB of GDDR6 memory.

AMD also confirmed that both GPUs have two 8-pin connectors — meaning it will not use the 12VHPWR power connectors found in the RTX 4090 graphics card. Recently, the power connector used in Nvidia's new GPU has stirred up controversy as some owners of Nvidia's new flagship graphics card reported that the power connectors have either burned or melted.

In an interesting move, AMD announced that both the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT include DisplayPort 2.1. Meaning that these GPUs will support higher refresh rates in 4K and 8K resolutions. For context, Nvidia's new RTX 40-series GPUs use DisplayPort 1.4.

Succeeding RDNA 2, AMD's new graphical architecture, RDNA 3, promises 61 teraflops (38 more teraflops than found in RDNA 2), 24GB of GDDR6 memory, with the tech giant touting this as the "world's most advance gaming graphics."

Both the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT will launch on December 13. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX will retail or $999, while the RX 7900 XT will retail for $899.

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