Red Candle Games, the Taiwanese studio behind critically acclaimed horror adventure game Detention, has announced that its next project will feature a change in genre as the studio looks to bring to life an action game inspired by From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

As announced on Twitter, Red Candle Games' next project is Nine Sols - "a lore rich hand-drawn 2D action platformer with Sekiro-inspired deflection-focused combat." While very few details have been revealed about the game, the studio has teased the game's premise with a short statement alongside some art.

According to the tweet, players entering Nine Sols will "Embark on a journey of Asian fantasy, explore the land once home to an ancient alien race & follow a vengeful hero’s quest to slay 9 Sols, rulers of a forsaken realm."

WIP title #NineSols, a lore rich hand-drawn 2D action platformer with Sekiro-inspired deflection-focused combat. Embark on a journey of Asian fantasy, explore the land once home to an ancient alien race & follow a vengeful hero’s quest to slay 9 Sols, rulers of a forsaken realm pic.twitter.com/yRy4yHtlnF

— redcandlegames (@redcandlegames) December 16, 2021

As can be seen above, the additional concept art shared by the studio depicts what appears to be an anthropomorphic cat gazing into its own reflection in a pool of blood. While further details surrounding the game's plot are yet to be revealed, it seems as though it may draw on a blend of natural and technological themes.

Where one of the corpses on the ground in the background appears to have a mechanical limb protruding from its lifeless body and the floor of the massacre is giving off the same green vibes as an old motherboard might, a beautifully showcased natural world can be seen reflected somewhat ironically in the artworks blood-soaked scene of death and destruction.

While Nine Sols now has an official title, this isn't the first time that the studio has shown off footage from the game. Earlier this year, the developer teased a short 12-second clip on Twitter depicting the game's crisp 2D art style and the build-up to a combat sequence.

Work in progress pic.twitter.com/yPiNIWEOv6

— redcandlegames (@redcandlegames) March 19, 2021

Nine Sols will be Red Candle Games' third project. In 2017, the studio released its critically acclaimed horror adventure game Detention, in which players find themselves trapped and vulnerable in a cursed high school. Following the success of Detention, the studio returned to the horror genre once again with its launch of Devotion in 2019.

Similar to Detention, the 2019 horror was also initially welcomed with critical praise. However, only a week after launch, the game became inundated with poor reviews from Chinese citizens. These came as the result of an included art asset in the game, which drew comparisons likening Chinese President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh.

Following the controversy, the game was delisted by Steam and remains off the platform to this day. In 2021, the game became available digitally for the first time in two years where it can be downloaded from the studio's very own e-shop.

Given the high praise that the studio's first two games received - controversial Winnie the Pooh memes aside - Nine Sols could certainly be a game to keep on your radar in the future. While the studio continues to tease details about the action-platformer's development, it has remained silent over a potential release date for the game.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The King’s Man director, Matthew Vaughn, has said that he hopes to explore “the history of espionage” in a series of Kingsman prequel movies.

Talking to IGN, Vaughn said that he hopes The King’s Man performs well enough at the box office to allow the Kingsman films to exist as two series; the original modern day-set movies and prequels in period settings.

“I would love to go through history through the eyes of the Kingsman,” he said. “[I’d like to] take some historical events and find some gray areas to sneak into, but also do the history of espionage because it gets very interesting. I mean, the idea that we can end up doing a Kingsman movie set in the Cold War, and set it in '62 like Dr. No…”

Much like The King’s Man, Vaughn envisions a Cold War-era film to have a more serious tone. But, depending on the era of the story, he sees potential for something closer to the humour of the Bond-spoof original films.

“The Cold War, I think it was the period for writing spy movies, or novels, or scripts,” he said. “And that tone will be serious. I mean, more serious, but still fun and entertaining, but we can because of the periods and we can adapt to the '50s to the '60s, to the '70s. '70s will go a bit more Austin Powers-y maybe, who knows. The history writes the stories for us.”

In Vaughn’s mind, if he were able to continue The King’s Man thread of the franchise, it could bring the whole series full circle by reintroducing Colin Firth’s Harry Hart as a younger man, pre the first Kingsman story.

“This is the birth of a baby Kingsman,” he continued. “Hopefully, if in success we can get to that point, we meet a young Harry Hart and he realizes that the Kingsman are now totally out of touch. They've probably forgotten why they were founded, and he decides he wants to bring in new blood and make the Kingsman relevant to modern society. So there's a lot that we could do as long as people want it.”

The King’s Man releases on December 22 after a multi-year delay. For more, check out our exclusive Rasputin clip, the movie’s red band trailer, and our The King's Man review.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

The King’s Man director, Matthew Vaughn, has explained that the movie’s somewhat more serious, historical epic tone was influenced by 1975’s The Man Who Would Be King, starring Sean Connery and Michael Cain. Furthermore, he considers any future prequels would share that tone, while the modern day films can be “more fun and gonzo”.

Talking to IGN, Vaughn said, “We wrote a backstory for The Secret Service with no intentions of ever making a prequel at that point. And then I re-watched a movie called The Man Who Would Be King, and I just forgot A) how much I loved that film, and B) how brilliant it is. And I was like, ‘Why is no one making movies like that anymore?’ It had everything in it, it was epic, historical, humour, emotion, some very strong political points. And it gave me an itch that I had to scratch.

“I thought, ‘You know what? Let's do a prequel.’ That's where it began,” he said.

“I think the modern ones can be more fun and Gonzo and we just do some stuff that people aren't expecting, and the other side will be more serious, but not boring. And that's the thing that I think we've forgotten is these old epic films. They were commercial entertainment back then. The Man Who Would Be King was not an art house, serious, worthy movie. It was just a great epic adventure. I wanted to try and bring it back because I loved them and I think there's no harm in trying to be a little bit different.”

Aside from its historical epic inspirations, the World War 1 setting also helped provide a bit more gravity to The King’s Man’s tone. “The whole point about this film is it's the birth of Kingsman, and Kingsman was born out of tragedy and out of the world needing to have people who are clever, who are responsible enough to think we should never have another war like this,” said Vaughn. “A pointless war basically, and a war that most people, even historians, cannot pinpoint why it happened, and what the aims were. I mean, it was crazy.”

For more from the world of Kingsman, check out Vaughn's hopes for a prequel series of movies that explore the history of espionage, as well as our exclusive Rasputin clip and review of The King’s Man.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn has revealed that his gritty superhero movie is being rebooted, and it’s going to be even more controversial than the original.

During an interview with Collider, the Kick-Ass director confirmed that the real-life superhero movie is getting a reboot, and it’s coming soon.

“We’ve got a big reboot of Kick-Ass in two years,” he said. “Big reboot.”

Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular hero, Kick-Ass follows the story of teenager Dave Lizewski as he takes up the superhero moniker, ‘Kick-Ass’. He soon meets his fellow vigilantes Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) as the trio become embroiled in a fight with the criminal underworld.

Despite a middling box office return, Kick-Ass became incredibly popular on home video, developing something of a cult following.

Now, after licensing out the international rights for 10 to 13 years, it looks as though those rights are about to return to Vaughn’s production company, Marv. And that makes it the perfect time to reboot the Kick-Ass series.

“It's so fucking nuts that I can't talk about it,” he said. “But we've got that ready to go. All the rights revert back in two years and then we're going to reboot it where people will be like, he is insane.”

But why reboot Kick-Ass? Why not make Kick-Ass 3?

“Because I think the clue is in the title,” said Vaughn. “I think Kick-Ass became a new type of genre. Everyone was like, ‘Oh, you can’t make R-rated superheroes. No one will want to see an R-rated superhero. You can’t do this. You can’t do that.’ So, I had this idea, and it was so nuts that I went, ‘Yeah, great. It’ll cause just as much controversy, and everyone will talk about it and as many people that love it will hate it’.”

“I’m not saying it hasn’t got the characters in it and won't have, you know,” he added. “I'm just saying it's not what anyone could be imagining what it is. And I'm going to need one very, very brave actor or actress to play the new Kick-Ass because it will scare the shit out of them.”

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

Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn has revealed that his gritty superhero movie is being rebooted, and it’s going to be even more controversial than the original.

During an interview with Collider, the Kick-Ass director confirmed that the real-life superhero movie is getting a reboot, and it’s coming soon.

“We’ve got a big reboot of Kick-Ass in two years,” he said. “Big reboot.”

Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular hero, Kick-Ass follows the story of teenager Dave Lizewski as he takes up the superhero moniker, ‘Kick-Ass’. He soon meets his fellow vigilantes Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) as the trio become embroiled in a fight with the criminal underworld.

Despite a middling box office return, Kick-Ass became incredibly popular on home video, developing something of a cult following.

Now, after licensing out the international rights for 10 to 13 years, it looks as though those rights are about to return to Vaughn’s production company, Marv. And that makes it the perfect time to reboot the Kick-Ass series.

“It's so fucking nuts that I can't talk about it,” he said. “But we've got that ready to go. All the rights revert back in two years and then we're going to reboot it where people will be like, he is insane.”

But why reboot Kick-Ass? Why not make Kick-Ass 3?

“Because I think the clue is in the title,” said Vaughn. “I think Kick-Ass became a new type of genre. Everyone was like, ‘Oh, you can’t make R-rated superheroes. No one will want to see an R-rated superhero. You can’t do this. You can’t do that.’ So, I had this idea, and it was so nuts that I went, ‘Yeah, great. It’ll cause just as much controversy, and everyone will talk about it and as many people that love it will hate it’.”

“I’m not saying it hasn’t got the characters in it and won't have, you know,” he added. “I'm just saying it's not what anyone could be imagining what it is. And I'm going to need one very, very brave actor or actress to play the new Kick-Ass because it will scare the shit out of them.”

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

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack has added five new SEGA Genesis games to its service, including Altered Beast, ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, Sword of Vermilion, and Thunder Force II.

Nintendo announced the news on Twitter alongside sharing a quick video of each of the five games in action. As a reminder, these games are available to all who have subscribed to the higher-priced Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service.

5 additional #SEGAGenesis games are now available for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members! Which will you play first?

- Altered Beast
- ToeJam & Earl
- Dynamite Headdy
- Sword of Vermilion
- Thunder Force II pic.twitter.com/MhtISzBN0M

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 17, 2021

After today's additions, the full list of SEGA Genesis games includes Castlevania: Bloodlines, Contra: Hard Corps, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Ecco the Dolphin, Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes, M.U.S.H.A., Phantasy Star 4: The End of the Millennium, Ristar, Shining Force, Shinobi 3, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Streets of Rage 2, and Strider.

Subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack also gives you access to N64 games, Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise DLC, and all the benefits of the standard Nintendo Switch Online service.

These games arrive after Nintendo added N64's Paper Mario to the service on December 10, and they are available a month before Banjo-Kazooie joins the ever-growing list of classic games that are playable on Nintendo Switch.

Hopefully, these SEGA games will help make your holiday season just a bit better. If you need even more ideas to help make the holidays brighter, be sure to check out our Nintendo Holiday Gift Guide to help get you and/or your loved ones the perfect present.

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.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack has added five new SEGA Genesis games to its service, including Altered Beast, ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, Sword of Vermilion, and Thunder Force II.

Nintendo announced the news on Twitter alongside sharing a quick video of each of the five games in action. As a reminder, these games are available to all who have subscribed to the higher-priced Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service.

5 additional #SEGAGenesis games are now available for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members! Which will you play first?

- Altered Beast
- ToeJam & Earl
- Dynamite Headdy
- Sword of Vermilion
- Thunder Force II pic.twitter.com/MhtISzBN0M

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 17, 2021

After today's additions, the full list of SEGA Genesis games includes Castlevania: Bloodlines, Contra: Hard Corps, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Ecco the Dolphin, Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes, M.U.S.H.A., Phantasy Star 4: The End of the Millennium, Ristar, Shining Force, Shinobi 3, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Streets of Rage 2, and Strider.

Subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack also gives you access to N64 games, Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise DLC, and all the benefits of the standard Nintendo Switch Online service.

These games arrive after Nintendo added N64's Paper Mario to the service on December 10, and they are available a month before Banjo-Kazooie joins the ever-growing list of classic games that are playable on Nintendo Switch.

Hopefully, these SEGA games will help make your holiday season just a bit better. If you need even more ideas to help make the holidays brighter, be sure to check out our Nintendo Holiday Gift Guide to help get you and/or your loved ones the perfect present.

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.

Update 3:23 pm PT: A little under an hour after posting and deleting a tweet justifying the decision to incorporate NFT technology into the upcoming STALKER 2, GSC Game World has published a follow-up statement announcing it is backing away from the use of NFTs.

"We hear you," GSC Game World writes in a new statement. "Based on the feedback we received, we've made a decision to cancel anything NFT-related in STALKER 2," the developer writes.

GSC Game World had come under intense scrutiny for announcing the use of NFT technology in its upcoming shooter. Critics say NFT in games offers nothing tangible to players while feeding a highly speculative market. There are also environmental concerns related to NFT's energy consumption.

Check out the full statement from CSC Game World below.

pic.twitter.com/mffnmpiQiw

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) December 16, 2021

Original story: STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl developer GSC Game World has responded to criticism for its decision to include NFTs in its upcoming first-person shooter game.

In a now-deleted tweet from the official STALKER game account, GSC elaborated on its decision to include NFTs, and asked fans to "hear us and understand our reasons." It's unclear why GSC deleted the tweet shortly after it was posted Thursday afternoon U.S. time, but the broad community sentiment appears to be negative, or unenthused at best.

Here's a screencap of the now-deleted statement.

All funds that GSC earns from sales of NFTs will go towards game development costs, GSC said.

"Why did we choose NFT?" the statement reads. "It's a new technology and we are eager to do NFT right, give certain fans an opportunity to get into the game without interfering with other players' experience. That's why the tokens are entirely optional and have no impact on gameplay or story (no weapons, quests, locations, etc) and can be activated only before the game release [date]."

GSC has stated it's making a number of NFTs for STALKER 2, but one particular draw is a token that will let the owner become an in-game NPC, provided they can get to GSC's studio in Ukraine after successfully bidding on the NFT. An auction will take place in January 2022, with the winning bidder receiving the prize of becoming what GSC refers to as a "metahuman" in STALKER 2. The winning bidder will also be able to sell their prize token to anyone else should they choose.

Other NFTs GSC plans to include: Nicknames/names of players on in-game items or architecture, gloves, tattoos, skins and badges for multiplayer mode, and collectible cards. GSC is partnering with the NFT marketplace "DMarket" to facilitate auctions and the collectible cards.

GSC added that their decision to partner with DMarket was influenced by a desire to keep blockchain CO2 emissions and other harmful effects minimized.

So in short: GSC still appears to be implementing NFTs into STALKER 2 when it launches in April 2022.

NFTs have quickly become a divisive and frequently derided topic in the video game and tech world. Major studios and businesses like Ubisoft and Fable creator Peter Molyneux are implementing NFTs into their respective games, including simple cosmetics and more elaborate purchases.

"Hey bro - you don’t need NFT’s or blockchain to pre-sell unique customized stuff in your game," Gearbox founder and CEO Randy Pitchford tweeted. "I’m not into that sort of thing because it’s, like, kind of a shittier version of ad placement. But it’s been done for years and you don’t need NFT’s to do it. Anyway - Love your work!"

Meanwhile, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has had unkind words for blockchain and NFT implementation, calling it "more exploitative than about entertainment."

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Update 3:23 pm PT: A little under an hour after posting and deleting a tweet justifying the decision to incorporate NFT technology into the upcoming STALKER 2, GSC Game World has published a follow-up statement announcing it is backing away from the use of NFTs.

"We hear you," GSC Game World writes in a new statement. "Based on the feedback we received, we've made a decision to cancel anything NFT-related in STALKER 2," the developer writes.

GSC Game World had come under intense scrutiny for announcing the use of NFT technology in its upcoming shooter. Critics say NFT in games offers nothing tangible to players while feeding a highly speculative market. There are also environmental concerns related to NFT's energy consumption.

Check out the full statement from CSC Game World below.

pic.twitter.com/mffnmpiQiw

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) December 16, 2021

Original story: STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl developer GSC Game World has responded to criticism for its decision to include NFTs in its upcoming first-person shooter game.

In a now-deleted tweet from the official STALKER game account, GSC elaborated on its decision to include NFTs, and asked fans to "hear us and understand our reasons." It's unclear why GSC deleted the tweet shortly after it was posted Thursday afternoon U.S. time, but the broad community sentiment appears to be negative, or unenthused at best.

Here's a screencap of the now-deleted statement.

All funds that GSC earns from sales of NFTs will go towards game development costs, GSC said.

"Why did we choose NFT?" the statement reads. "It's a new technology and we are eager to do NFT right, give certain fans an opportunity to get into the game without interfering with other players' experience. That's why the tokens are entirely optional and have no impact on gameplay or story (no weapons, quests, locations, etc) and can be activated only before the game release [date]."

GSC has stated it's making a number of NFTs for STALKER 2, but one particular draw is a token that will let the owner become an in-game NPC, provided they can get to GSC's studio in Ukraine after successfully bidding on the NFT. An auction will take place in January 2022, with the winning bidder receiving the prize of becoming what GSC refers to as a "metahuman" in STALKER 2. The winning bidder will also be able to sell their prize token to anyone else should they choose.

Other NFTs GSC plans to include: Nicknames/names of players on in-game items or architecture, gloves, tattoos, skins and badges for multiplayer mode, and collectible cards. GSC is partnering with the NFT marketplace "DMarket" to facilitate auctions and the collectible cards.

GSC added that their decision to partner with DMarket was influenced by a desire to keep blockchain CO2 emissions and other harmful effects minimized.

So in short: GSC still appears to be implementing NFTs into STALKER 2 when it launches in April 2022.

NFTs have quickly become a divisive and frequently derided topic in the video game and tech world. Major studios and businesses like Ubisoft and Fable creator Peter Molyneux are implementing NFTs into their respective games, including simple cosmetics and more elaborate purchases.

"Hey bro - you don’t need NFT’s or blockchain to pre-sell unique customized stuff in your game," Gearbox founder and CEO Randy Pitchford tweeted. "I’m not into that sort of thing because it’s, like, kind of a shittier version of ad placement. But it’s been done for years and you don’t need NFT’s to do it. Anyway - Love your work!"

Meanwhile, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has had unkind words for blockchain and NFT implementation, calling it "more exploitative than about entertainment."

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

The Halo universe has an ever-expanding canon, but we're now learning the upcoming Halo TV series coming to Paramount Plus won't be a part of the current canon. In a video posted to Twitter (via Halopedia), Executive Producer Kiki Wolfkill says the decision should be beneficial for both universes.

"We're referring to this as the Halo Silver Timeline as a way of differentiating it from core canon," Wolfkill said. "In both protecting core canon and protecting the television story, and by that I mean being able to give ourselves the chance to evolve both and for both to be what they need to be for their mediums without colliding with each other."

The upcoming Halo TV show now has its own canon status! It falls under something called the "Halo Silver Timeline".

According to @k_wolfkill, this was done to help protect both the Core Canon and the TV show's story, letting each evolve to best suit the medium that they are on. pic.twitter.com/e3YAv5UDUm

— Halopedia (@Halopedia) December 16, 2021

The Halo universe is filled with canonical content, including the games, books, audio series, and more, so it makes sense for a television show to branch out from the firmly established lore. Otto Bathurst is director and producer of the Halo TV series, which we just got our first look at in a trailer debuted at The Game Awards.

The show will premiere on Paramount Plus next year, starring Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief, Danny Sapani and Olive Gray as Jacob and Miranda Keyes, and Jen Taylor, reprising her role as Cortana. You can check out the full cast list here. And, if you still want to know more about the show, check out everything you might have missed in the trailer in our breakdown below.

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