Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers. To learn more, please visit our timeline as well as our in-depth report on the subject.

Call of Duty is ramping up its anti-cheat effort in a big way when its kernel-level anti-cheat, Ricochet, in December and with it is updating its permanent ban policy to include all Call of Duty games past and future. That’s right, if you earn a permanent suspension now, you may be barred from playing future games in the series.

In a new Call of Duty blog post, the Ricochet anti-cheat team announced it is getting ready to deliver the kernel-level driver alongside the Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific update in December. As part of a policy update, the team announced that permanent suspensions will be more severe.

“Permanent suspensions for security infractions may now apply franchise-wide, including Call of Duty: Vanguard as well as any past, present, and future titles in the Call of Duty franchise,” states the blog post.

The Ricochet team could issue a permanent suspension for “extreme or repeated violations of the security policy,” as well as “any attempt to hide, disguise, or obfuscate your identity or the identity of your hardware devices.”

Cheating in the popular Call of Duty: Warzone battle royale game has been a serious problem, and Activision is taking a page from Riot’s book by introducing a kernel-level defense. Despite some potential security concerns, kernel-level anti-cheat like Riot’s Vanguard has proven effective and popular.

Activision looks to prevent serious offenders from even attempting to cheat with its new policy, especially since it could prevent a cheater from playing any Call of Duty game past or present.

For more, check out IGN’s review of Call of Duty: Vanguard or find out more about the upcoming Pacific update for Warzone which will include a brand new map.

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

Adam Driver says he didn't enjoy his one-and-only Comic-Con experience.

Speaking on BBC's The Graham Norton Show as part of the House of Gucci press tour, the Kylo Ren actor jokingly recounted the stressful experience he had at a Comic-Con he attended ahead of The Force Awakens release where Driver revealed he wasn't even allowed to leave the hotel to get a coffee during the event.

“I didn’t know the rules of a Comic-Con.” Driver said. “And they’re like, ‘Oh no, you can’t get a coffee.’ I’m like, ‘Maybe I’ll get a coffee in the hotel.’ They’re like, ‘No, you can’t get a coffee in the hotel. We have some masks in a bag if you want to put a mask on in a bag.' They had an option of like an Iron Man mask or a Darth Vader mask. If you want to go outside, they’re like, 'Put a mask on so nobody knows who you are.'"

Driver said the event was full of energy because fans were anticipating the return of Star Wars with The Force Awakens,

“I opened my window because I’d been in the room for 24 hours before this thing we were supposed to do,” Driver said. “And then there was a band at the bottom of the building playing the ‘Star Wars’ theme on repeat because we were all staying in the hotel. It was scary. You show up and it's like 2,000 people who are very devoted. It's just a lot of energy, as you can imagine."

When asked if that was his only Comic-Con experience, Driver said he doesn't plan to attend another in the near future.

"Only the once," Driver said. "I saw what it was. I mean, it’s nice. I’m not anxious to go again.”

Driver played Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy from 2015 to 2019, which included The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. Besides Star Wars, he hasn't appeared in any projects that have caused him to return to Comic-Con, but the actor has kept himself busy in projects like Marriage Story, BlacKkKlansman, and more.

He most recently appeared in The Last Duel, which we called "great", saying it, "offers several bloody, brutal battle scenes and a fierce final duel that’s up there among director Ridley Scott’s finest fight scenes."

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

Since its inception, Xbox Game Pass skeptics have wondered whether Microsoft's popular subscription program is too good to be true. With Xbox generally reluctant to share hard numbers, observers have speculated that the service is being treated as a loss leader in order to build up as many subscriptions as possible.

But during a press blitz intended to promote today's Xbox's 20th anniversary celebration, Xbox Executive Vice President Phil Spencer said that isn't the case, even with subscriber growth beginning to slow. Instead, he said the service is "very, very sustainable" and is "continuing to grow."

"I know there's a lot of people that like to write [that] we're burning cash right now for some future pot of gold at the end," Spencer told Axios in a new interview. "No. Game Pass is very, very sustainable right now as it sits. And it continues to grow."

Spencer's comments follow in the wake of Forza Horizon 5's successful launch, which was available as a Day 1 release to Game Pass subscribers. With more than 8 million players since launch, Forza Horizon 5 is the biggest Xbox Game Studios launch so far.

Earlier this year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed that the Game Pass now has 18 million subscribers. Not bad for what was originally envisioned as a rental service.

In the meantime, Halo Infinite multiplayer released today, and Xbox is winding down its backward compatibility program. You can find our guide on how to access Halo Infinite's multiplayer right here.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

Mel Gibson is set to direct Lethal Weapon 5, picking up the torch from former director Richard Donner, who died last July.

The Hollywood Reporter says that Donner, who directed the original Lethal Weapon and all its sequels, was preparing for a fifth Lethal Weapon for some years, with scriptwriters coming and going from the project. Donner died at the age of 91. THR notes that the idea of handing off directorial duties to Gibson had been in the works for months and likely originated from Lauren Shuler Donner, a film industry producer and Richard Donner's longtime wife.

Citing UK tabloid The Sun, THR reported that Gibson confirmed during an event on Sunday he would direct Lethal Weapon 5 and received blessing from the late Donner.

“[Donner] was developing the screenplay and he got pretty far along with it," Gibson said. "And he said to me one day, ‘Listen, Kid, if I kick the bucket, you will do it.’ And I said, ‘Shut up.’ He did indeed pass away. But he did ask me to do it and, at the time, I didn’t say anything. He said it to his wife and to the studio and the producer. So, I will be directing the fifth one.”

The first Lethal Weapon, released in 1987, helped launch Gibson and co-star Danny Glover to broader film success, building up on Gibson's his success in the Mad Max franchise and Glover's success in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple. The franchise similarly launched the career of Shane Black, who would go on to write Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and direct/write Iron Man 3, The Nice Guys, and The Predator. The films follow Gibson as LAPD Sergeant Martin Riggs and Glover as veteran homicide sergeant Roger Murtaugh. Its blend of action film stylings and buddy cop drama were parodied throughout cinema in the years since in films like Hot Fuzz.

Gibson is no stranger behind the camera either, winning an Oscar for best director for Braveheart. He also directed The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, and WWII film Hacksaw Ridge.

Last we heard in 2020, Danny Glover said that Lethal Weapon 5 would have a "very strong relevance" to current events, but that remains to be seen if script changes have been made since.

Blogroll image credit: Kurt Krieger/Getty Images

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/lethal weapon for IGN.

Following the news that Patty Jenkins Star Wars movie has been delayed indefinitely, reports have surfaced suggesting that the move was made due to creative differences between the director and Lucasfilm executives.

Former THR editor and noted insider Matthew Belloni reports that issues between Jenkins and the studio caused the film to be taken off Lucasfilm's production schedule. Specifically, Belloni reports that the issues have revolved around the film's script, stating that Jenkins and studio executives including senior VP Michelle Rejwan couldn't agree on how to move forward.

Belloni states that this is a "laughably recurring problem" at Lucasfilm. According to the article, a number of agents have previously reported that top filmmakers are often keen to sign on for a movie within the franchise, but find themselves hampered by issues of "micromanagement and plot-point-by-committee" processes.

Belloni cites that similar experiences were held by Game Of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss who "bailed" on creating a new Star Wars trilogy as well as Rian Johnson, whose own trilogy was also shelved.

Jenkins' Star Wars film was originally announced in December 2020. Disney revealed at the time that the film would be called Star Wars: Rogue Squadron and that it would be the first title in the franchise to feature a female director. While the title shares its name with a franchise-based video game, Disney confirmed shortly afterward that Rogue Squadron would not be an adaptation and instead would feature its own original story.

While little else was known about the film's plot, the future of the film now appears to be far from certain. If production does resume again in the future, it's likely that fans won't see anything from the film for some time yet.

For more on Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, make sure to check out our dedicated IGN page for the film.

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

A new Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer will premiere tomorrow, November 16, ahead of its December 17 theater release date. Marvel also released a new poster to mark the event.

The second official Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer will arrive tomorrow according to Marvel Entertainment's official Twitter account. A new poster featuring Spider-Man and Doctor Strange facing off against Doc Ock's arms, Electro (his electricity at least), and Green Goblin in the background has also been released.

The poster is a bit bare-bones, but we'll hopefully get a better glimpse of what's to come in tomorrow's trailer.

There have been several purported "leaks" for the new Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer but none of them have been shown to be valid. These fan-made trailers have tried to predict plot points from the film, including heavily rumored appearances by past Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. But without an official trailer, these remain fan theories and speculation.

Spider-Man: No Way Home marks the end of the "Home" franchise that began with Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Following the events of the last film, Peter Parker asks Doctor Strange for help regarding his secret identity and ends up messing with the multiverse.

Peter Parker actor Tom Holland has called the upcoming film the darkest in the trilogy. However, Marvel recently announced an animated prequel series set during Peter Parker's Freshman year which will premiere on Disney+

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

One of the biggest video game and pop culture conventions is making a return to Boston in 2022, and it will be live and in-person.

ReedPop has announced that PAX East 2022 will be held from Thursday, April 21 to Sunday, April 24 in Boston, Massachusetts. More details about the event will be coming soon. Presumably, it'll take place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center like it always has.

Additionally, ReedPop anticipates that all participants for PAX East 2022 will be required to be fully vaccinated and present proof of vaccination upon their time of entry. Masks are required as well for all attendees, including cosplayers, exhibitors, guests, artists, Enforcers, and staff.

#PAXEast returns, live and in-person, April 21-24, 2022. More details coming soon. pic.twitter.com/PZ3LMPVlRh

— PAX (@pax) November 15, 2021

There will be increased sanitation and hygiene standards, and the convention's layout will have physical distancing in mind. Interestingly, PAX East's Health & Safety guidelines page doesn't mention the option of presenting a negative COVID-19 test like PAX West 2021 did, so it seems like being fully vaccinated is the only way to attend.

After over a year of pivoting to virtual events, PAX came back as an in-person event for PAX West 2021 in Seattle, Washington. Originally, the convention didn't have a vaccine or negative COVID-19 test requirements but eventually implemented them after receiving criticism. It definitely looks like ReedPop wants to avoid that situation again.

In related news, last month ReedPop announced that it would be shutting down PAX South for the foreseeable future due to its stagnant growth.

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

IGN and Rogue Games are partnering to produce Rogue Jam, a brand-new game jam that's offering exclusive development deals along with $800,000 in total prizes to competing indie game developers.

Submissions will be accepted between November 29 and December 31 at Rogue Jam's homepage, with finalists being showcased in a show produced by IGN in early 2022. The grand prize winner will win $500,000 to develop their game as well as an exclusive Rogue Games publishing deal.

In addition to the grand prize, the competition will feature several other categories, including a "WTF" prize for Rogue Jam's weirdest and wildest game, and an "Eye-Poppingly Beautiful" award for the most attractive game of the competition. Both categories will offer prizes of $100,000 along with a publishing deal with Rogue. Smaller prizes of $50,000 plus a Rogue right of first refusal deal will be offered for "Huge Potential" and "Audience Choice" winners.

Judges for the event will include several well-known figures from across the games industry, including IGN Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer Peer Schneider and former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé. Here is the complete list.

• Kimberly Pointer Corbett, Warner Bros. Games Senior Vice President of Digital Publishing
• Reggie Fils-Aimé, former Nintendo of America President, Board Advisor at Rogue Games
• Peer Schneider, IGN Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer
• Chris Lee, Netflix Head of Game Sourcing and Interactive Games
• Matt Casamassina, Rogue Games CEO
• Chris Archer, Rogue Games Chief Strategy Officer

Rogue Games was founded by Casamassina, who served at IGN until his departure in 2010. Earlier this year, Rogue Games raised $2.5 million in funding to publish "batsh*t insane" indie games for PC, consoles, and mobile games.

The list of games Rogue currently has in development includes Super Impossible Road, a spiritual sequel to Impossible Road due to release on Nintendo Switch on December 9, followed by a first quarter launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Rogue is also publishing Arcanium, an "open-world single-player strategy card adventures," and Sprawl, a retro FPS. In addition, Rogue Games recently announced that it is partnering with Bloober Team on an unannounced project.

The Rogue Jam submission portal will open beginning November 29, and submissions will be accepted until December 31. Submissions must be playable in order to be considered.

We've finally gotten a glimpse of the Halo series coming to Paramount+, but it seems to have come from an unintentional leak.

Ahead of Xbox's 20th Anniversary event – which is likely where this video was meant to be debuted – DexertoSpartans (below) reported that a teaser for the show was running on Facebook advertising.

The teaser includes a series of extreme close-ups of Master Chief's armour, showing the live action versions of his gloves, 117 insignia, and the back of his head as his helmet's put on. That's followed by the voice of Cortana saying, "Hello, Master Chief," alongside a shot of the front of the helmet.

A new teaser for the Halo TV Series has appeared on Facebook ads early

The show is set to release in 2022 on Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/8OG2NSC4L0

— Spartans News (@DexertoSpartans) November 15, 2021

After many previous attempts – from a Neill Blomkamp project that never came about to a disappointing Ridley Scott-produced spin-off – we finally got word of a full-on Halo TV series in 2018.

Originally destined for Showtime before moving to Paramount+, the show will include Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief, Danny Sapani and Olive Gray as Jacob and Miranda Keyes, Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066, Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Halsey, and Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac and Kate Kennedy as three new Spartan characters.

In a nod to the games series, Jen Taylor will reprise the voice of Cortana, after playing Master Chief's AI sidekick/helmet implant in all the mainline games. Earlier this year, we learned that the project lost both of its showrunners. Kyle Killen left the project last year, while Steven Kane will finish Season 1 but not return for any potential Season 2.

Reporters were previously given a look at Schreiber's Master Chief behind closed doors, and we came away impressed with the version coming to your screens. "The photo shows Chief seated alone on a ship," we wrote at the time. "Everything from Schreiber's detailed costume to the inside of the vessel feels very authentic to the Halo video game franchise."

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Before the likes of Netflix and Spotify successfully adopted a model of streaming media content to users via a subscription-based service, Xbox Game Pass was set to begin life as a video game rental platform.

Speaking to British GQ, Microsoft's head of gaming ecosystems Sarah Bond explained that Xbox Game Pass may have originally looked rather different. The studio's decision to launch as a streaming-based subscription service came in part due to the successes seen by other companies using the model – turning a rental service codenamed Arches into the game subscription service we know as Game Pass.

It also helped the company to build into another phenomenon in the industry – the longer duration over which games were generating revenue. “Something like 75 percent of a game’s revenue used to be made in the first two months of release,” explains Bond. “Nowadays it’s spread over two years.” Game Pass allows the company to offer the games themselves at an attractive price point for players, while expansions or other post-launch transactions remain valuable.

Bond went on to reveal that the idea of a video game subscription service was initially met with strong resistance from publishers, who believed that Game Pass would devalue games. When Xbox initially launched Game Pass in June 2017, it launched with a number of low-risk older games that publishers had granted the studio access to in order to test how profitable the service would actually be.

As per GQ, Xbox found that engagement from players surpassed all its estimates - a factor that eventually led to the company releasing an Xbox Studios project, Sea of Thieves, onto the platform at the same time as it launched to wider retailers, seeing continued success up to now, and encouraging it to release all new first-party games into the service, as well as attracting publisher support.

Earlier this year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed that Game Pass had amassed over 18 million subscribers. Subsequent reports from Microsoft have suggested that growth has slowed down across 2021, however, the company will likely be hoping that a strong November lineup for Game Pass including the likes of Forza Horizon 5, It Takes Two, and GTA San Andreas, will help to remedy the situation.

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