NASA has now confirmed that more than 5,000 planets exist outside our solar system, which is "just a fraction" of the likely hundreds of billions in our galaxy.

The planetary odometer turned on March 21, as NASA officially added 65 more planets to its Exoplanet Archive, bringing the total number of confirmed, detectable planets beyond our solar system to over 5,000 — with 35% of these planets being categorized as Neptune-like, 31% identified as "super-Earths," 30% as gas giants, and only 4% terrestrial.

The percentages represent the variety of planets that have been discovered so far, with some being similar to those in our solar system, and others vastly different. There are "small, rocky worlds like Earth, gas giants many times larger than Jupiter, and hot Jupiters" as well as "super-Earths, which are possible rocky worlds bigger than our own, and mini-Neptunes."

"It's not just a number," said Jessie Christiansen, science lead for the archive and a research scientist with the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech in Pasadena, in a statement accompanying the announcement. "Each one of them is a new world, a brand-new planet. I get excited about every one because we don't know anything about them."

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory shared a video to celebrate the cosmic milestone, which was largely achieved by using powerful telescopes, both in space and on the ground. The first confirmed planetary discovery arrived in the 1990s when astronomer Alexander Wolszczan and his colleagues published a paper showing evidence of two planets orbiting a pulsar.

"To my thinking, it is inevitable that we'll find some kind of life somewhere–most likely of some primitive kind," Wolszczan said, noting how the "close connection between the chemistry of life on Earth and chemistry found throughout the universe, as well as the detection of widespread organic molecules, suggests detection of life itself is only a matter of time."

Thousands of planets logged in the archive were found using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, and there are likely hundreds of billions more to discover with next-gen instruments. The James Webb Space Telescope was recently launched to assist research into habitable conditions, while the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to launch in 2027.

Astronomers previously discovered 139 new "minor planets" in the far reaches of our solar system, just beyond Neptune's orbit. The vast expanse of the galaxy also plays host to a free-floating world without a host star, a "hell planet" that is strangely similar to Darth Vader's lava homeworld of Mustafar, and a Super-Earth that's nearly as old as the universe itself.

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

Thumbnail image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Stephen Wilhite, the computer scientist who created the GIF, has died aged 74 following a battle with COVID.

He passed away on March 14 surrounded by family, and his wife Kathaleen told The Verge that "even with all his accomplishments, he remained a very, humble, kind, and good man."

Wilhite won a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneering work on the GIF (graphics interchange format) in the 1980s.

Though he was working for CompuServe at the time, Wilhite worked on the project at home and only brought it into work after perfecting it, and his wife said this was his greatest achievement.

Thousands took to Twitter to honour Wilhite, acknowledging that the internet would not be what it is today without his influence, and one comment on his obituary page reads: "You changed the way we converse as a society, and immortalized countless moments that would otherwise be fleeting.

"In this, you cemented your legacy as a pioneer of modern communication. Rest in peace, and thank you for everything you worked so hard to give to us."

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

A "bidding war" has begun for a live-action Voltron film that already has Red Notice's Rawson Marshall Thurber attached to co-write and direct it.

As reported by THR, Warner Bros., Universal, and Amazon are among the "six or seven" studios and streamers that are fighting for the chance to bring Voltron to live-action. Despite Thurber directing Red Notice and Voltron: Legendary Defender calling Netflix home, the streamer is said not to be in the running.

This so-called bidding war began about two weeks ago and came complete with pitches and a teaser reel. Thurber himself created the story and Ellen Shanman will join him to co-write the film. According to THR's sources, a deal may be signed by the end of the weekend.

In addition to the Voltron film, Thurber is writing and planning on shooting two sequels to Red Notice, which Dwayne Jackson said was Netflix's biggest movie of all time. Shanman adapted the fantasy book series Crave for Universal and is also writing Ruby for Amazon.

Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman are set to produce the film alongside Bob Koplar, the head of World Events Productions, the company that currently owns the Voltron property.

A live-action Voltron has been tossed around since 2005 or so, and it was reported in 2016 that Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter was scripting a film with Universal.

For more on Voltron, check out our look at why Legendary Defender is a surprisingly complicated update off the classic cartoon and why we said Netflix's Voltron got a bittersweet ending.

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.

James Gunn successfully wrapped the first season of Peacemaker and it ended with a pretty surprising cameo. But according to Gunn, there was a lot of unused leftovers from this scene.

Spoiler warning for the first season of Peacemaker below.

A fun cameo scene connected Peacemaker to the wider DC Universe when some of the Justice League’s biggest hitters showed up in the John Cena-starring DC vehicle. While this included Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and The Flash, only Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller actually appeared in person.

And while the two were used to great comedic effect, Gunn says Miller riffed the scene and produced nearly 20 minutes worth of material.

“I have tons of stuff I didn’t use,” Gunn tells Total Film. “Ezra went on — and I’m not kidding — for 16 minutes about Aquaman having sex with fish. It was really funny.”

During the scene, the Justice League shows up to save the world, but Cena’s Peacemaker has already finished the job. Peacemaker then tells Aquaman to, uh, go back to the fishes which Aquaman angrily says is just a rumor.

Miller’s The Flash says otherwise, however.

“It was done through pure force of will on my part, or really pushing it to happen,” Gunn says of the scene. Luckily Gunn also says the next season will keep Peacemaker connected to the DCEU through the movies and other HBO Max shows.

Check out IGN’s review of Peacemaker for our take on one of the most surprising, and fun, outings in the DC universe.

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

James Gunn successfully wrapped the first season of Peacemaker and it ended with a pretty surprising cameo. But according to Gunn, there was a lot of unused leftovers from this scene.

Spoiler warning for the first season of Peacemaker below.

A fun cameo scene connected Peacemaker to the wider DC Universe when some of the Justice League’s biggest hitters showed up in the John Cena-starring DC vehicle. While this included Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and The Flash, only Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller actually appeared in person.

And while the two were used to great comedic effect, Gunn says Miller riffed the scene and produced nearly 20 minutes worth of material.

“I have tons of stuff I didn’t use,” Gunn tells Total Film. “Ezra went on — and I’m not kidding — for 16 minutes about Aquaman having sex with fish. It was really funny.”

During the scene, the Justice League shows up to save the world, but Cena’s Peacemaker has already finished the job. Peacemaker then tells Aquaman to, uh, go back to the fishes which Aquaman angrily says is just a rumor.

Miller’s The Flash says otherwise, however.

“It was done through pure force of will on my part, or really pushing it to happen,” Gunn says of the scene. Luckily Gunn also says the next season will keep Peacemaker connected to the DCEU through the movies and other HBO Max shows.

Check out IGN’s review of Peacemaker for our take on one of the most surprising, and fun, outings in the DC universe.

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

With PlayStation's acquisition of Haven earlier this week, the platform holder is pushing deeper into the live-service space. But PlayStation reiterates that it will continue to create the premier single-player games that it has been known for these last few years.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, head of PlayStation Studios Herman Hulst says, "Obviously we will always carry on making these single-player narrative-based games such as Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us, and Horizon Forbidden West."

He continued, explaining, "But you've spotted correctly that we have invested in live service games, because that's incredibly exciting for us. It allows us to build larger worlds, it allows us to create really meaningful social connections between players."

Hulst also notes that PlayStation still has plenty of single-player games in development or in conceptualism, but the Haven acquisition provides an opportunity to add a studio that specializes in live service games to the overall portfolio.

Haven Studio head Jade Raymond says that she's excited to make a PS5 exclusive game, considering PlayStation's track record with high-scoring first-party titles. "PlayStation has its own unique secret sauce to getting to those amazing games. It's not by chance that you see so many 90+ blockbusters [from Sony]," she explains. "It's because they do something a little differently, and that's been the thing that we've experienced over the last year."

While PlayStation is still committed to creating single-player games, it's also hoping to put out at least 10 live-service ones by March 2026. Sony's surprise acquisition of Bungie last month is also a step towards that goal.

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

With PlayStation's acquisition of Haven earlier this week, the platform holder is pushing deeper into the live-service space. But PlayStation reiterates that it will continue to create the premier single-player games that it has been known for these last few years.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, head of PlayStation Studios Herman Hulst says, "Obviously we will always carry on making these single-player narrative-based games such as Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us, and Horizon Forbidden West."

He continued, explaining, "But you've spotted correctly that we have invested in live service games, because that's incredibly exciting for us. It allows us to build larger worlds, it allows us to create really meaningful social connections between players."

Hulst also notes that PlayStation still has plenty of single-player games in development or in conceptualism, but the Haven acquisition provides an opportunity to add a studio that specializes in live service games to the overall portfolio.

Haven Studio head Jade Raymond says that she's excited to make a PS5 exclusive game, considering PlayStation's track record with high-scoring first-party titles. "PlayStation has its own unique secret sauce to getting to those amazing games. It's not by chance that you see so many 90+ blockbusters [from Sony]," she explains. "It's because they do something a little differently, and that's been the thing that we've experienced over the last year."

While PlayStation is still committed to creating single-player games, it's also hoping to put out at least 10 live-service ones by March 2026. Sony's surprise acquisition of Bungie last month is also a step towards that goal.

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

An annual mental health game gam is coming soon, and will aim to create game concepts that could help treat and destigmatize mental health issues.

The new event from Global Game Jam (in partnership with DeepWell Digital Therapeutics, the new company from Devolver co-founder Mike Wilson) challenges developers to create games that use themes and mechanics that can be utilized in mental wellness treatment.

“The environment of a game jam is the perfect place for exploring and experimenting with new ideas and approaches to problem-solving,” said Global Game Jam executive director, Kate Edwards. “As the world’s largest game jam event, the Global Game Jam is thrilled to see our community create games around this critical topic.”

The first annual DeepWell DTx Mental Health Game Jam officially starts on May 1 (although participants can join at any time after that) and will run for several weeks, until May 22.

The aim of the new event is to acknowledge and further the role of game developers in identifying and treating mental health challenges – tapping into the power of play for the benefit of mental wellbeing.

Participants will be asked to create games that:

• Demonstrate how video game themes and mechanics can be utilized as treatment mechanisms.
• Help dispel misconceptions and social stigma related to openly discussing and addressing mental health issues.
• Build communities that work to connect and support those suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression.

Entrants must submit their games by May 22, 2022, with all development teams registered using this form.

All games submitted to the DeepWell DTx Mental Health Game Jam will be promoted and fully playable via Global Game Jam’s itch.io page.

“Don’t miss this opportunity to explore this critical theme through games and educate the world about the importance of mental health and wellness,” reads an official statement.

It sounds like a great opportunity to get create while also helping push forward the use of games and play when it comes to addressing mental health challenges. Prizes for the Game Jam’s top games are to be announced.

DeepWell itself was announced last week, a new games publisher explicitly dedicated to both developing and publishing games that provide proven health benefits.

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

An annual mental health game gam is coming soon, and will aim to create game concepts that could help treat and destigmatize mental health issues.

The new event from Global Game Jam (in partnership with DeepWell Digital Therapeutics, the new company from Devolver co-founder Mike Wilson) challenges developers to create games that use themes and mechanics that can be utilized in mental wellness treatment.

“The environment of a game jam is the perfect place for exploring and experimenting with new ideas and approaches to problem-solving,” said Global Game Jam executive director, Kate Edwards. “As the world’s largest game jam event, the Global Game Jam is thrilled to see our community create games around this critical topic.”

The first annual DeepWell DTx Mental Health Game Jam officially starts on May 1 (although participants can join at any time after that) and will run for several weeks, until May 22.

The aim of the new event is to acknowledge and further the role of game developers in identifying and treating mental health challenges – tapping into the power of play for the benefit of mental wellbeing.

Participants will be asked to create games that:

• Demonstrate how video game themes and mechanics can be utilized as treatment mechanisms.
• Help dispel misconceptions and social stigma related to openly discussing and addressing mental health issues.
• Build communities that work to connect and support those suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression.

Entrants must submit their games by May 22, 2022, with all development teams registered using this form.

All games submitted to the DeepWell DTx Mental Health Game Jam will be promoted and fully playable via Global Game Jam’s itch.io page.

“Don’t miss this opportunity to explore this critical theme through games and educate the world about the importance of mental health and wellness,” reads an official statement.

It sounds like a great opportunity to get create while also helping push forward the use of games and play when it comes to addressing mental health challenges. Prizes for the Game Jam’s top games are to be announced.

DeepWell itself was announced last week, a new games publisher explicitly dedicated to both developing and publishing games that provide proven health benefits.

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

What if King's Quest developer Sierra On-Line had purchased id Software before it had a chance to make DOOM? It's a fascinating "what-if" in gaming history, and it might have happened if Sierra founder Ken Williams hadn't balked at the extra $100,000 needed to close the deal.

John Romero, who founded id Software and played a key role in designing DOOM, related the story of Sierra's near-acquisition during a talk earlier today at GDC 2022. In the course of discussing the development of Wolfenstein 3D — which was completed in less than six months — Romero took a detour to recall Sierra's offer to purchase id Software.

According to Romero, id Software came to Sierra's attention after Romero sent Ken and Roberta Williams a copy of one of the studio's Commander Keen games. Ken Williams was impressed and invited the id Software to California to "talk business."

At the time Sierra On-line was a PC development powerhouse, having found great success with the King's Quest series and a host of other releases in the mid-to-late 1980s. Romero recalls being impressed by Sierra's picturesque studio, which had more than 200 developers and was nestled in a town not far from Yosemite National Park. By contrast, id Software had just four employees.

The id Software showed Ken Williams an early version of Wolfenstein 3D, and Romero recalls being "dumbfounded" by his response.

"After about 30 seconds of watching, he wanted to show me the new game they were working on, Red Baron Online," Romero said. "I was dumbfounded. Like, here's the future, the start of a new genre: the first-person shooter. And Ken could not pay it any notice."

Williams, for his part, was reportedly shocked to hear that id Software was making $50,000 per month from its shareware model, which was exploding in popularity in the early 90s. He offered to acquire id Software for $2.5 million in company stock.

Romero says id Software was thrilled by the offer, but decided to ask for an extra $100,000 in cash up front.

"Ken thought about it for a second, then he was like, 'No thanks, but good luck with everything.' So the 100k was a little too rich for him," Romero says.

Wildly diverging destinies

The destinies of Sierra On-Line and id Software diverged wildly after that encounter. Just a few years later, Sierra On-Line was acquired by CUC International, which put it on the path toward collapse and closure. In the meantime, id Software made DOOM, which propelled it into the ranks of the most famous studios ever, later to be acquired by Bethesda and eventually, Xbox.

Had id Software decided to go forward with the deal, it may have met the fate of Red Baron developer Dynamix, which was shuttered amid a restructuring effort in 2001. Either that, or the success of DOOM might have pushed Sierra On-Line away from its fateful acquisition. Either way, gaming history might have been very different.

As it happens, Ken and Roberta Williams recently returned to the games industry after a lengthy hiatus. They are currently working on Colossal Cave 3D — a massive update of the classic 1970s text adventure. As for Romero, he recently made a new level for DOOM 2 with all proceeds aiding refugees from the Ukraine conflict.

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.