King of the Hill is set to make a comeback, 25 years after Fox launched the original animated sitcom and introduced us to Hank and the gang.

You may want to meet us in the alley because the word on the street is that King of the Hill is being revived. According to The Hollywood Reporter, original series creators Greg Daniels and Mike Judge have reunited to form their own animation company called Bandera Entertainment that has more than a dozen animated series in various stages of development.

Daniels and Judge haven't shared any official details about the return of King of the Hill, other than to say that something is in the works. Other projects at Bandera include Netflix's newly ordered Bad Crimes, starring Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus, and Freeform's previously announced Praise Petey, headlined by Schitt's Creek vet Annie Murphy.

"We were very excited to go into different tones and different styles and try to expand the animation art form," Daniels said of Bandera's animation slate. "We're in a golden age for content, right? That's animation, too. That was one of the things we were talking about in founding the company: 'Let's push animation into all these different genres.'"

King of the Hill aired for 13 seasons on Fox between 1997 and 2009, making it one of the most successful animated sitcoms to debut in the wake of The Simpsons. The series follows the mundane day-to-day struggles of Hank Hill, his family, and the many other eccentric personalities in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, the heartland of America.

Writer Brent Forrester previously teased the possibility of a King of the Hill revival in March last year when he revealed that both Daniels and Judge were locked in "hot negotiations" to revive the popular Fox series, which would see Hank Hill and his family drawn back to life at a time when the "characters have all aged 15 years" following the events of the series finale.

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

Marvel's Moon Knight has unmasked several members of its cast, starring alongside Oscar Isaac's titular MCU character.

Moon Knight tells the story of Marc Spector, a former soldier of fortune, whose encounter with an Egyptian god of vengeance and moon deity, Khonshu, leads to his transformation into a costumed vigilante. He will find himself facing off against a gauntlet of threats, including Ethan Hawke's flowy-haired cult leader who is said to be inspired by David Koresh.

Keep reading for a rundown of who else is appearing in Moon Knight — and don't forget to bookmark the page, as we'll be updating this article with all-new casting announcements.

Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector/Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac will lead the cast of Marvel's Moon Knight, playing the show's eponymous vigilante, suffering from a dissociative identity disorder. The first full trailer shows Isaac at war with his various personalities, including that of Steven Grant, who puts in an appearance as "a mild-mannered gift-shop employee," rather than the millionaire playboy of the comics.

Curiously, the Moon Knight trailer and synopsis features zero references to Jake Lockley, who happens to be one of Marc Spector's other aliases in the comics. Fans are now wondering whether the titular mercenary's moustached alter-ego will be making an appearance in the series or whether he has been erased from the storyline altogether.

Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow

Ethan Hawke decided to make the jump to the MCU last year when he signed on to play the main villain of the Moon Knight series. Hawke has notoriously stayed away from comic book movies and mainstream Hollywood franchises, however, Isaac managed to get him on board for the MCU miniseries by simply asking him if he wanted to join in on the action.

For a long time, it was unknown which villain Hawke would portray, but the closed captions on Moon Knight's YouTube trailer via the Marvel Entertainment page revealed him to be Arthur Harrow, a character who only appeared in one comic - Moon Knight Vol. 2 #2 - and was a mad scientist working on stopping pain in the human body by using human subjects.

May Calamawy

According to The Hollywood Reporter, May Calamawy joined the cast of Marvel's Moon Knight in an undisclosed role. Calamawy is best known for playing Dena Hassan in Hulu's Ramy, and she has now reportedly nabbed another key role on the small screen. It's possible that she'll star as Isaac's love interest Marlene Alraune in Moon Knight but we'll have to wait and see.

Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart/Midnight Man

ScreenRant previously reported that a listing on Gaspard Ulliel's talent agency page showed the actor as taking on the role of Anton Mogart aka Midnight Man in Moon Knight, but Marvel has yet to confirm Ulliel's involvement. Moon Knight appears to have been wiped from Ulliel's portfolio since the initial report, though he is listed on the show's IMDB cast page.

Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter

Emily VanCamp is heavily rumored to be reprising her role as Sharon Carter in Marvel's Moon Knight series following her stint in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The speculation, fuelled by a report from The Ronin, suggests VanCamp will be making a return to the MCU's Phase 4 in Moon Knight, though it's unknown if she would be taking on a brief cameo or a larger role.

Keep checking back here for all the latest casting updates for Marvel's Moon Knight.

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

Nintendo has revealed that the N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie will be available to all Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members on January 20, 2022.

Nintendo shared the news in a tweet that features gameplay from the beloved platformer that was released in 1998 and stars a bear and a bird that are trying to stop an evil witch named Gruntilda.

Embark on a wild quest with an unlikely pair! The adventures of Banjo and Kazooie begin here!

Banjo-Kazooie is coming to #NintendoSwitch for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members on 1/20! #Nintendo64 pic.twitter.com/R349r8gbvD

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 19, 2022

While Rare worked closely with Nintendo for years, Microsoft acquired the company in 2002 and still owns the rights to Banjo-Kazooie to this day. Rare Studio head Craig Duncan expressed his excitement over the collaboration between the two companies, saying in a Tweet that it's "always a pleasure to work with our good friends at Nintendo, I’m a big fan of #NintendoSwitchOnline and it’s really important to preserve classic games for future generations to play."

This isn't the first time Banjo-Kazooie have appeared on Switch as the pair joined Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2019. In our review of the duo character, we said, "Banjo and Kazooie feel right at home in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, though their moveset isn't quite up to the level of their look and sound."

Banjo-Kazooie made it all the way to the fourth spot on our list of the best N64 games of all time with the help of Mumbjo Jumbo, the iconic golden puzzle pieces called Jiggies, hidden Jinjos, and so much more.

In our original review of Banjo-Kazooie, IGN's Peer Schneider said "This is the best 3D platformer I have ever played, and a more than worthy successor to Super Mario 64. From the beginning to the surprise
ending, everything about this game screams quality."

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Microsoft Activision Blizzard acquisition will bring together one of the game industry’s big-three companies, with one of the industry’s leading game developers. As Xbox continues its strategy of major acquisitions, will the Activision Blizzard purchase run afoul of antitrust laws? A legal expert says not likely at this stage.

Remember how Xbox successfully acquired Bethesda without running into complications with antitrust laws? This is because it was a form of vertical integration where a distributor of content, like Xbox, purchased a content producer, like Bethesda.

David Hoppe, a Managing Partner at the San Francisco-based Media and Tech law firm Gamma Law says Xbox’s acquisition of Activision runs on the same principle.

“The acquisition is another example of so-called ‘vertical integration’ in the video game industry — a console manufacturer (distributor) acquiring a game developer (producer). Of course, this is the largest such deal in games industry history, but U.S. courts have historically been unwilling to apply restrictive antitrust principles to vertical transactions,” Hoppe says.

Indeed historically the Justice Department has not had issues with console exclusivities, which is a likely outcome of the Xbox-Activision deal.

While there is a chance the deal could be viewed as a “horizontal” acquisition — where two direct competitors are merged — given that Xbox is also a game developer. Hoppe says, "it is difficult to apply legal competition principles when the ‘products’ are creative works like video games, each one of which is arguably unique and therefore not in direct competition."

While convergence in the industry means all entertainment options compete with each other in some way, Hoppe explains that “It would be quite ridiculous at this point to try to make an antitrust case on the basis that the acquisition will result in less consumer choice in the shooter games product category, for example.”

In fact, Xbox’s lack of presence in the mobile games space is one of the reasons Activision offered when it discussed the strategic benefits of Xbox acquiring Activision, which includes mobile developer King.

Despite the legal pathway for such a deal to go through, Hoppe does say consolidation at this scale could be bad for the industry and that at this time the clear winners are “likely to be Activision executives, who benefit from a major diversion of attention from a huge, potentially existential crisis, and undoubtedly have the assurance of rich exit packages at the appropriate time.”

The Xbox Activision Blizzard acquisition is set to finalize by June 2023. As we head towards this date, various agencies will announce whether they’ll clear the way for such a deal to proceed. Until then check out IGN’s full coverage of events so far, including reactions across the games industry, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick’s reasonings for the sale, and how this sets the stage for a new kind of content war.

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

Earlier today, Microsoft announced plans to buy Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion, putting huge franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and more under Xbox's umbrella. While we've already seen how the video game industry is reacting to the huge acquisition, you can now take a look at how Microsoft and Activision Blizzard leaders broke the news to their staff members.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, whose future with the company is still unclear at the moment, shared an email with all Activision Blizzard employees, saying Microsoft was the clear choice to partner with.

"In considering possible partners, all roads ultimately lead to Microsoft," Kotick wrote. "Like us, they have been making games for a long time. Microsoft has already distributed games to hundreds of millions of the world’s computers and computing devices and has technologies and innovation that will support the next generation of games."

Activision Blizzard has been under fire for months due to serious allegations of harassment and misconduct, with Kotick at the center of many of the headlines. Kotick told employees Microsoft will help improve Activision Blizzard's culture.

"Microsoft also will support our journey to further strengthen our culture," Kotick wrote. "Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, has been a passionate advocate for caring as the currency of leadership. Inspiring people through empathy is a powerful motivator, and one we embrace as we renew our resolve – and in the work we are now doing – to set a new standard for a welcoming and inclusive workplace culture."

The ABK Worker's Alliance has already responded to the news, saying the acquisition, "does not change the goals" of the organization working for workplace improvements and employee rights.

And, speaking of Nadella, MSPU posted the email penned by the Microsoft CEO, sent to all employees regarding the acquisition. In addition to celebrating the acquisition, Nadella also announced a new title for Xbox head Phil Spencer.

"Effective today, Phil Spencer will become CEO, Microsoft Gaming," Nadella wrote. "When the acquisition closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil. We look forward to extending our journey to create a more diverse and inclusive culture to our new colleagues at Activision Blizzard, and ensuring all our employees can do what they love, while thriving in a safe and welcoming environment — one where everyone feels empowered to do their best work."

Spencer also shared his own words with Microsoft employees, calling the agreement, "a milestone for our company, our business, and our industry. Spencer also somewhat addressed Microsoft's efforts to create inclusive environments at all of its studios.

"Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players," Spencer wrote. "We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard."

You can read the full statements from Kotick, Spencer, and Nadella, as the industry continues to digest this significant announcement. And, read up on how this transaction compares to other media mega deals over the last few years.

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

As superhero fanatics begin following John Cena's Peacemaker series on HBO Max, director and creator James Gunn has some promising news: A major character from Peacemaker will return in a DC film in the future.

On an interview with TV's Top 5 podcast, Gunn reiterated that Peacemaker takes place in the same cinematic universe as 2021's The Suicide Squad.

"It [Peacemaker] is part of the DCU, I mean they can use these characters," Gunn said. "I mean one of these characters, which people have kind of figured out, one of these characters is used in a future big DC movie that's from here. So we are connected to all of this."

Excluding Cena/Peacemaker, it's possible that Gunn could be referencing Peacemaker's best bud and utter sociopath Vigilante, played by Freddie Stroma.

Gunn also reflected on how it's unclear which characters or actors will take off in the DC extended universe, citing his work on Guardians of the Galaxy. Those movies featured relatively unknown characters in the Marvel comics universe, but popular reception helped launch them to key roles in Infinity War and Endgame.

Gunn's comments could also imply that NSA agent Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) will return in DC's Black Adam, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. With only the first three episodes available now, only time will tell.

You can check out IGN's review of Peacemaker on HBO Max for our thoughts on the first three episodes, which writer Samantha Nelson called "a goofy takedown of vigilantism while hinting at bigger and darker plots to come." You should also absolutely check out the goofy dance choreographed opening credits sequence, featuring Wig Wam's "Do You Wanna Taste It?" Or check out the history of Peacemaker in DC comics and beyond.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/instrument of justice for IGN.

Nearly two weeks after the digital version of the Pandemic board game was quietly delisted from Steam for seemingly no reason, developer Asmodee Digital and publisher Z-Man have finally released a statement explaining their decision. Though some contemplated the decision was due to the impact of COVID-19, Asmodee's statement claims an alternate reasoning.

"The Pandemic app was released 9 years ago, and we no longer feel the current quality and reliability of the game is on par with what Pandemic deserves on digital platforms," Asmodee said. "The time has come to make way for the digital future of Pandemic. "

Asmodee clarified that current owners of Pandemic will not be impacted, and can still download and play the game. A multiplayer version of Pandemic has also remained available on Board Game Arena (which Asmodee owns) despite the delisting.

"We are truly thankful to the whole Pandemic community for their awesome support and involvement over these last years," Asmodee continued. "Stay tuned!"

Asmodee's statement implies that Pandemic's digital version will continue to exist in some form in the future, perhaps an updated version. It's possible that, since the original digital version released nearly a decade ago, it was due for a cosmetic and structural makeover.

In early 2020, a giveaway of Pandemic on the Epic Games Store was canceled. It was assumed at the time to be a matter of sensitivity thanks to the emergence of COVID-19, but Asmodee's most recent comment seems to imply the two decisions are unrelated.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

In his first interview following the news that Xbox is acquiring Activision Blizzard for close to $70 billion, current Activision CEO Bobby Kotick says the deal is necessary to compete with trillion-dollar competitors.

Speaking to VentureBeat, Kotick says that Activision Blizzard is looking increasingly outgunned in a field that now includes companies like Tencent, Netease, Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, Netflix, and Sony.

“It’s a reality that started to factor into our thinking. There is more competition from bigger companies with more resources,” Kotick says. “Facebook is spending [billions] a year on the metaverse. I’ve never seen as much competition, and we’re seeing it even in the wage inflation.”

Activision Blizzard makes around $8 billion a year according to analysts, which is no small figure. But as context, Microsoft is valued at over $2 trillion. Other tech giants like Netflix are trying their hands at games and Facebook renamed itself Meta and is positioning its VR platform as a key product.

According to Kotick, Microsoft’s offer of a 45% premium over the stock price was an attractive offer that got the longtime CEO to seriously consider the deal and looking at the industry as a whole cemented Kotick’s belief that partnering with Microsoft and Xbox for the future was the way to go.

“I think like, you’d think, ‘oh, ‘were this big company and have great resources.’ Kotick says. “But when you’re comparing us to, you know, $2 trillion companies and $3 trillion companies and trillion-dollar companies and 4500 billion companies, you realize, we may have been a big company in video gaming, but now, when you look at the landscape of who the competitors are, it’s a different world today than ever before.”

If Activision’s ongoing sexual harassment scandal had anything to do with the deal, Kotick only spoke of the matter to the extent it affected the company’s stock prices. And even then, Kotick says delaying the next Overwatch and Diablo had more of an impact there.

Kotick also didn’t elaborate on whether he will remain CEO after the deal between Activision and Microsoft is complete. Currently, Kotick will remain CEO and he says he will remain as long as he’s needed “However much time that takes, if it’s a month after the close, if it’s a year after that, I just care that the transition goes well.” Reports from sources say, however, that Kotick is expected to depart once the deal is finalized.

The Xbox Activision Blizzard acquisition story is developing and there will be plenty to unpack in the coming months. The games industry is already reacting to the news of Xbox’s latest big purchase, and the move could signal a shift towards the content wars versus a traditional console war.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
Thumbnail Image Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Paramount+ has officially ordered Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 to "engage," with the streaming giant announcing that the show has been renewed for a fifth season.

The news was included among a raft of Star Trek updates from Paramount+, including a release date for Star Trek: Picard and a second season for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the retro series starring Captain Christopher Pike. It's all part of Paramount's sustained push for the franchise, which has enjoyed a revival since Discovery first came on the scene back in 2017.

In addition to Star Trek: Discovery's renewal, Paramount+ confirmed that Star Trek: Picard's second season will begin streaming weekly on March 3. It will be followed by the premiere of Strange New Worlds, which debuts on May 5.

Meanwhile, Star Trek's animated efforts are also getting a push, with Lower Decks returning in the summer for a 10 episode fourth season, and the rest of Star Trek: Prodigy's first season set to air later in 2022. In other words, if you want more Star Trek in your life, you're pretty much all set.

In the short-term, Star Trek: Discovery's fourth season returns with new episodes on February 10. In our review of the the premiere, we said that the episode meets the "high visual bar" established by the show in recent years, but wondered how it will balance its season-long mystery with its weekly adventures.

2021 was a great year to be a video game company, or at least it was if you had a big existing franchise to repackage and make tons of money off of. A surprising number of 2021's best-selling games were also best-selling games in 2020, and the rest were part of big, beloved franchises. Like Pokémon, for instance.

In fact, 2021 was huge for the Pokémon games. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, despite being remakes of games from 2006, were the third best-selling games in December and the fourth best-selling games the entire year in the US, according to The NPD Group. They were also the best-selling games on Nintendo consoles for both the entire month of December and for the full year.

Specifically, a lot of people were buying physical copies of not just Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but other Pokémon games too, like New Pokémon Snap. In total, physical sales of Pokémon games in 2021 were the best they've been since 2000 when Pokémon Gold and Silver first came out in the US. That doesn't count digital sales, of course, which didn't exist for Pokémon games in 2000 and have likely surpassed total sales ever since, but it's still a massive milestone.

Pokémon games aside, Call of Duty was, as usual, 2021's favorite game to throw money at. Vanguard was the best-selling game for both December and the full year, and Black Ops: Cold War was the second best-selling game of the year.

That makes Call of Duty the best-selling gaming franchise for the 13th consecutive year and marks the third year in a row that a Call of Duty game has topped the charts for a full year since Red Dead Redemption 2 broke its previous streak in 2018.

The rest of the top sellers of 2021 should look pretty familiar. Notably, seven of the top 20 were also in the top 20 last year, and three of them (Mortal Kombat 11, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Mario Kart 8) were also in the top 20 for 2019.

1. Call of Duty: Vanguard
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
3. Madden NFL 22
4. Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl
5. Battlefield 2042
6. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
7. Mario Kart 8
8. Resident Evil: Village
9. MLB: The Show 21
10. Super Mario 3D World
11. Far cry 6
12. FIFA 22
13. Minecraft
14. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
15. NBA 2K22
16. Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
17. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
18. Back 4 Blood
19. Mortal Kombat 11
20. Forza Horizon 5

The month of December taken by itself similarly had little variety:

1. Call of Duty: Vanguard
2. Halo: Infinite
3. Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl
4. Madden NFL 22
5. Battlefield 2042
6. Mario Kart 8
7. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
8. Mario Party Superstars
9. NBA 2K22
10. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Overall, gaming spending for the full year of 2021 was up 8% from 2020 to a new record high of $60.4 billion. Spending in December was down 1% to $7.5 billion, mostly due to increases in gaming subscription spending and recurrent spending balanced out by decreases in premium game sales.

Hardware spending in 2021 was up 14% to $6.1 billion, and the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console of 2021 both in unit sales and dollar sales.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.