Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to Get 60 FPS Support on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S

Assassin's Creed Odyssey will officially get 60 FPS support on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S through backward compatibility tomorrow, August 24.

Ubisoft shared the news on Twitter, revealing that it will be part of Assassin's Creed Odyssey's Title Update 1.6.0. This is obviously a welcome addition for those with next-gen consoles, especially as there is no proper PS5 or Xbox Series X/S version of 2018's Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Adding 60 FPS support to older games is becoming a big trend in this PS5 and Xbox Series X/S generation, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey follows such games as Dark Souls 3 and The Last of Us Part 2 in giving fans another reason to jump back in.

In our review of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, we said that its "open-world adventure through ancient Greece is a gorgeous thrill, and the best the series has ever been."

Assassin's Creed games are known for their post-launch support, from bug fixes to expansions to DLC, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla is no different as it recently got its Siege of Paris expansion.

Bringing Assassin's Creed Odyssey to 60 FPS is great for fans who want to jump back in to the story or experience it for the first time and get ready for Assassin's Creed Infinity - a game that represents a huge shift in the franchise as it is reportedly an online platform that could include multiple historical setting and evolve over time in a way seen in Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto Online.

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.

Fallout: London Modder Hired By Bethesda to Design Quests

Fallout: London is a highly-anticipated full-scale mod coming to Fallout 4, and its head writer has now been officially hired by Bethesda to design quests.

Fallout: London aims to turn Fallout 4's Commonwealth into London and it has been in the works for over two years. It was officially unveiled back in June to wide success — its official reveal trailer has garnered over 2.5 million views.

Stephanie Zachariadis was one of the lead writers for the project, but now she's been hired as a new associate quest designer for Bethesda, as reported by RockPaperShotgun.

"Stephanie has been a pillar of support for the team and has helped create a fantastic and interesting main story, and dialogue, that we feel you will really enjoy, and we just know she'll be bringing these talents to the writing boards of [Betheda's Todd Howard] herself," the Fallout: London team said in its announcement. "We expect a bright future for her and we fully give her all of our support."

The team then addressed some questions Fallout: London fans might have after hearing the news. Namely, if everything is ok with the game. The announcement says that because of Zachariadis' outstanding professionalism, the team was able to lay a strong enough support system that Fallout: London "will be more than able to manage for the foreseeable future."

The team also said that the mod's main story is already written and that the new head writer it hires to replace Zachariadis will be aware of that. They’ll instead be tasked with writing the rest of the mod’s remaining dialogue.

For more information about the future of Fallout: London and updates of the mod's progress, check out the official Fallout: London Twitter. Read this story about how a Skyrim community modder was hired by Bungie after impressing the studio with their mods, and then read about The Forgotten City's nine-year journey from a Skyrim mod to a standalone game after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

New to Disney+ in September 2021: Star Wars: Visions, Doogie Kamealoha, and More

September 2021 will bring with it to Disney+ the premiere of Star Wars: Visions - a collection of animated short films from seven Japanese anime studios that will each offer a different take on that galaxy far, far away.

You can watch the official Star Wars: Visions trailer in the video player below:

Fans of Up will also be happy to know that Dug Days will debut in September and follows the adventures of the film's lovable dog as he "discovers the dangers of suburbia like puppies, fireworks, and... SQUIRRELS!!" While Dug Days is a series of shorts, Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. is a new show arriving on Disney+ that is inspired by Doogie Howser, M.D. and follows a 16-year-old prodigy who has to juggle between pursuing her medical career and being a teenager.

Billie Eilish's Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles will arrive on September 3 and is a "cinematic concert experience" that features all of the songs from her Happier than Ever album from the stage of the Hollywood Bowl.

Movie fans will be getting a ton more choices next month as well, as Dark Phoenix, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Fault in Our Stars, and Tomorrowland will all be added to Disney+'s library.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a spotlight of some of the most notable September 2021 Disney+ releases, followed by the full list:

Wednesday, September 1

  • Alaska Animal Rescue (S2)
  • Cesar Millan: Better Human Better Dog (S1) Ep. Tall End Of Trauma
  • Cesar Millan: Better Human Better Dog (S1) Ep. Hijacked Pack
  • Disney Junior The Chicken Squad (S1), 4 episodes
  • Dug Days (Shorts) - Season 1 Premiere (All Episodes Streaming)
  • Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life - Episode 106 "The Hazelnut King / Egg Baby / Mega Muscle Chip"
  • Marvel Studios Legends - The Ten Rings
  • Monsters at Work - Episode 110 "It's Laughter They're After"
  • Turner & Hooch - Episode 107 "To Serve and Pawtect"
  • What If...? - Episode 104

Thursday, September 2

  • Behind the Scenes of Growing Up Animal - Premiere

Friday, September 3

  • Dark Phoenix
  • Smoky Mountain Park Rangers
  • Tomorrowland
  • Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles - Premiere

Wednesday, September 8

  • Disney Junior Mira, Royal Detective (S2), 15 episodes
  • Disney’s Pepper Ann (S1 - S3)
  • The Incredible Dr. Pol (S19), 5 episodes
  • The Wizard of Paws (S1)
  • Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. - Premiere - Episode 101 "Aloha - The Hello One"
  • Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life - Episode 107 "Struggling Duckling / Friends of the Family / Top Dog"
  • Turner & Hooch - Episode 108 "Arf Appreciation"
  • What If...? - Episode 105

Friday, September 10

  • Disney Far Away From Raven’s Home
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  • Twenty Something (Short) - Premiere

Wednesday, September 15

  • Disney Junior Ready For Preschool (S2)
  • Life Below Zero: Next Generation (S16)
  • Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (S4), 13 episodes
  • Unknown Waters with Jeremy Wade (S1), 3 episodes
  • Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life - Episode 108 "The Ghost / The Imperfect Crime / Nut Soup"
  • Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. - Episode 102 "Love Is A Mystery"
  • Turner & Hooch - Episode 109 "Witness Pup-tection"
  • What If...? - Episode 106

Friday, September 17

  • Confessions of a Shopaholic
  • Disney Descendants: The Royal Wedding
  • Disney’s Broadway Hits At London’s Royal Albert Hall
  • Flooded Tombs Of The Nile
  • Jade Eyed Leopard
  • Nona (Short) - Premiere

Wednesday, September 22

  • Dog: Impossible (S2)
  • Spidey And His Amazing Friends (S1), 7 episodes
  • Star Wars: Visions (Shorts) - Season 1 Premiere
  • Star Wars: Visions (Filmmaker Focus) - Bonus Featurettes
  • Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life - Episode 109 "The Unusual Nutspects / An Evening With Clarice / Craft Craze"
  • Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. - Episode 103 "License To Not Drive"
  • Turner & Hooch - Episode 110 "Lost and Hound"
  • What If...? - Episode 107

Friday, September 24

  • Spooky Buddies
  • The Fault in Our Stars
  • A Spark Story (Premiere)

Wednesday, September 29

  • Disney's Magic Bake-Off (S1), 7 episodes
  • Disney Junior Muppet Babies (S3), 8 episodes
  • Disney Junior Ready For Preschool (S1)
  • Disney Junior Vampirina (S3)
  • Great Barrier Reef (S1)
  • The Hatcher Family Dairy (S1)
  • Rolie Polie Olie (S1 - S5)
  • Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life - Episode 110 "Too Late To Hibernate / Sorry Nut Sorry / Never Trust A Sausage"
  • Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. - Episode 104 "Lahela & Stitch"
  • Turner & Hooch - Episode 111 "Hooch Machina"
  • What If...? - Episode 108

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.

Stardew Valley Is Officially an Esport Now

Eric Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley, has officially announced the Stardew Valley Cup — meaning that the famed relaxing farming simulator has now become... an eSport?

The Stardew Valley cup will pit four teams against each other: Sandy's Candies, Pierree's Cherries, Pam's Yams, and Krobus's Crocuses. The four teams will compete against one another in the Cup on September 4 where they will complete a range of tasks to earn points and a shot at almost $40,000.

The competition is being run in coordination with Unsurpassable Z, a YouTuber known for creating content about the game. In a video on YouTube, Unsurpassable Z explained that they had come up with a list of a hundred different challenges that the teams would have to complete in the Cup. Each completed challenge is worth a varying number of points which Unsurpassable Z has calculated and assigned it based upon the difficulty. Each of the teams is set to compete compete simultaneously to rack up as many points as possible across the duration of the tournament.

Challenges in the Stardew Valley Cup range from completing tasks in the community center to reaching floor 100 in the Skull Cavern. Each of the teams has been granted a two-week period to view the challenge list and prepare their strategies accordingly. In addition to the task list already provided, Unsurpassable Z has said that there will be an additional five challenges added to the competition that teams won't know about in advance. With approximately $40,000 on the line, we imagine that the competitors will be revising possible contingency plans for the unknown tasks across the coming weeks.

With the immense popularity of the game, it's perhaps not surprising to see an official competitive tournament announced for Stardew Valley. Having been previously ported to Switch, mobile, and consoles, Stardew Valley will make its debut on Xbox Pass later this year whilst a Stardew Valley board game was released earlier this year.

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

The Office Showrunner Needs To Be on Board for Reboot To Happen, Hints NBCUniversal Exec

A reboot of The Office is not actively in the works, but an NBCUniversal executive has suggested the studio is very open to the idea of returning to Dunder Mifflin.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International TV Festival, NBCU content chief Susan Rovner confirmed to Deadline that the studio had not yet ruled out a reboot of the Steve Carrell-fronted sitcom. Rovner initially refused to comment on plans for a reboot, but then revealed an interest in the project, saying, "whenever Greg Daniels wants to do one, we're standing by."

In other words, any potential reboot of The Office would need to go through executive producer Greg Daniels, who shepherded the U.S. adaptation of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's comedy to the small screen. Earlier this year, Daniels told Collider that he "would want to be involved" with any kind of reboot of the show but he was busy with other projects.

Despite ending in 2013 after a successful 9-season run, The Office found a resurgence of popularity when the series joined Netflix's library, where it reportedly became 2020's most-streamed TV series in the United States, with over 57 billion minutes watched ahead of its official departure from the platform on December 31.

NBCUniversal acquired the rights to the show for its streaming service Peacock, where Peacock unveiled a never-before-seen cold open for the show in which John Krasinski's Jim Halpert plays a prank on Rainn Wilson's Dwight, plus 23 extended episodes dubbed The Office: Superfan Episodes featuring longer runtimes and footage that was previously cut.

Peacock has also played host to themed playlists of episode clips geared around Jim's best Dwight pranks, Michael Scott's various words of wisdom and the series' most memorable romantic moments. The streamer also offered a special Office Zen channel, with a continuous stream of office-related ambient noise designed to make the workday go a little bit faster.

NBCUniversal's Peacock service launched in July 2020, though The Office didn't join the platform until January of this year. Now fans can clock in to see Carrell, Krasinski and Wilson, together with co-stars Jenna Fischer, Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms, BJ Novak, Amy Ryan, Craig Robinson, Ellie Kemper and James Spader back together again in the workplace sitcom.

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

Aliens: Fireteam Elite — Suicide Squad

In the first real skirmish in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, you encounter more of the series' iconic Xenomorphs than in all of the films combined. This third-person shooter trades the slow tension of escaping one extraterrestrial predator for the chaos of trying to survive waves of hundreds at a time, instilling a different type of dread that the franchise has rarely balanced successfully. While not without its issues, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a strong step towards realizing the potential in that approach, with a surprisingly deep progression system, consistently entertaining firefights, and engrossing presentation that keeps the action gripping throughout.

Akin to squad-based shooters such as Left 4 Dead, Aliens: Fireteam Elite plays out over a series of acts which are part of larger chapters, and each one features new enemies and set pieces for your team of three colonial marines to tackle headfirst. The story leans heavily into iconography and tropes from classic Alien films, but its narrative is also influenced by modern entries such as Prometheus, directly referencing events from the divisive project. It doesn't add much to the overall lore of the series in its trajectory, nor does it potentially set up anything meaningful, but it is a nice touch for each chapter to feel like it has a significant place within the universe.

The third-person action is the foundation on which everything is built, though, and it's a strong one at that. Aliens: Fireteam Elite pulls generously from the pool of weapons available to Colonial Marines, with the recognizable pulse rifle just being the tip of the iceberg in terms of enjoyable weaponry you'll be able to wield. There are notable inclusions in every tier of weapon type, with powerful flamethrowers and enemy-seeking smart guns being desirable heavy weapons and a burst-shot hand cannon or sawn-off shotgun being notable in the sidearm category.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Aliens: Fireteam Elite — Suicide Squad

In the first real skirmish in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, you encounter more of the series' iconic Xenomorphs than in all of the films combined. This third-person shooter trades the slow tension of escaping one extraterrestrial predator for the chaos of trying to survive waves of hundreds at a time, instilling a different type of dread that the franchise has rarely balanced successfully. While not without its issues, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a strong step towards realizing the potential in that approach, with a surprisingly deep progression system, consistently entertaining firefights, and engrossing presentation that keeps the action gripping throughout.

Akin to squad-based shooters such as Left 4 Dead, Aliens: Fireteam Elite plays out over a series of acts which are part of larger chapters, and each one features new enemies and set pieces for your team of three colonial marines to tackle headfirst. The story leans heavily into iconography and tropes from classic Alien films, but its narrative is also influenced by modern entries such as Prometheus, directly referencing events from the divisive project. It doesn't add much to the overall lore of the series in its trajectory, nor does it potentially set up anything meaningful, but it is a nice touch for each chapter to feel like it has a significant place within the universe.

The third-person action is the foundation on which everything is built, though, and it's a strong one at that. Aliens: Fireteam Elite pulls generously from the pool of weapons available to Colonial Marines, with the recognizable pulse rifle just being the tip of the iceberg in terms of enjoyable weaponry you'll be able to wield. There are notable inclusions in every tier of weapon type, with powerful flamethrowers and enemy-seeking smart guns being desirable heavy weapons and a burst-shot hand cannon or sawn-off shotgun being notable in the sidearm category.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Dune Director Can Envisage a Film Trilogy, But Not ‘Further Than That’

Dune hasn't even hit theaters yet, and Denis Villeneuve is already thinking about how the movie could potentially evolve into a trilogy.

According to Collider, Villeneuve discussed his plans for Dune and the sequels it could spawn during an interview with CBC Radio Canada. He explained that, while the first two movies are planned to cover the first novel in Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi series, a third movie could serve as an adaptation of Herbert's 1969 sequel novel Dune Messiah.

"There is Dune's second book, 'The Messiah of Dune,' which could make an extraordinary film," Villeneuve teased, sharing his ambitions for the Dune franchise beyond the first movie, which is due out in October. "I always saw that there could be a trilogy; after that, we'll see. It's years of work; I can't think of going further than that."

The first book in Herbert's Dune series is an incredibly dense and multi-layered story, with many rival factions and characters, set against the backdrop of a futuristic human civilization. The sprawling saga has been notoriously difficult for filmmakers to adapt for the big screen, which is one of the reasons behind Villeneuve's decision to split the story across two films.

The filmmaker has addressed some of the changes that had to be made for the movie, such as keeping one of the villains, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, in reserve for Part 2. "The book is so rich. There are so many fantastic details about the different cultures," he said. "In order to preserve and have the time to bring that to the screen, we had to make important choices."

Villeneuve recently shared his eagerness to work on Part 2, revealing that Zendaya's character Chani would emerge as the female protagonist of the adaptation's next installment. She would star alongside Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides who would remain the central focus of the sequel, in keeping with the scope of the roles set out in the original novel.

While Part 2 hasn't officially been greenlit yet, Villeneuve has already expressed optimism about getting to make the second part of his Dune movie. As it stands, Dune Part 1 is set to be simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22 following the movie's world premiere on September 3 at the Venice Film Festival.

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

Simpsons: Hit and Run Remade in Unreal Engine, and the Original Designer Is Impressed

A lifelong fan of The Simpsons: Hit and Run has taken to remaking the game in Unreal Engine 5 and Joe McGinn, the lead designer on the original title, is impressed by the feat.

Reuben Ward, an Unreal developer, has seen recent success on his YouTube channel after remaking games in Unreal Engine 5. Following a polished-up version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the developer's latest project features a shiny new remake of The Simpsons: Hit and Run.

In a comment on the YouTuber's video, lead designer on The Simpsons: Hit and Run, Joe McGinn said "Amazing what you accomplished! Really gives a taste of what a full modern remaster could be. Impressive work!" - high praise for a project that apparently only took the developer a week.

Ward began his remake of The Simpsons: Hit and Run with its in-game map of Springfield. After importing the map using a tool created by another developer, Ward took a number of inventive shortcuts to reskin the game's outdated textures. Using AI-led image resolution enhancement software and a bit of DIY photoshopping, he was able to reskin the entire map and give it a more modern feel. The YouTuber even added in a few stylized trees to give Hit and Run's "New" Springfield a bit of extra life.

After the map, Ward got to work on other elements of the level. As the game's initial playable character, Homer Simpson received a few tweaks in the remake. The developer worked on coding advanced animations for the character and also enabled a first-person mode - because, as Ward so adequately puts it, "Why the hell not?"

The developer also made upscaled changes to the game's UI, added missions and collectables, ripped audio from the original game for voice work on his characters, and enabled ray tracing. The whole package was then released by Ward as a playable demo. Unfortunately, however, the developer has since had to remove the demo over copyright concerns. Despite not being able to play Ward's modern take on this Simpsons classic, you can still watch the full video detailing the changes the developer made to the game over on the Reubs YouTube Channel.

With Simpsons Hit and Run nearing its twentieth anniversary, fan-made remakes might be the closest we get to a true modern remaster. We recently spoke to Simpsons writer Matt Selman who explained why we might not see a remake anytime soon. Selman explained that whilst he "would love to see a remastered version of [Simpsons Hit & Run]", it would be "a complicated corporate octopus to try to make that happen.”

Ward's Hit and Run remake isn't the only fan-made content to come out of Springfield this week. We recently wrote about a fan-made Simpsons' TV set that has been brought to life by way of a miniature 3D-printed replica. The miniature set acts as a working TV and plays the show's first eleven seasons at random.

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

Cowboy Bebop: First Images, Release Date Revealed for Netflix’s Live-Action Series

Netflix has shared the first images of its upcoming live-action Cowboy Bebop series starring John Cho. As an added bonus, Netflix announced that the live-action series will debut on November 19.

In the first images revealed for the upcoming Cowboy Bebop series, the three main members of the Bebop crew are front-and-center. There’s John Cho as Spike Spiegel, a gun-toting, martial arts expert bounty hunter; Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black an ex-cop and Spike’s partner; and Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine an erstwhile ally of the crew when she’s not off pulling off one of her own scores.

Check out the first-look images in the gallery below:

Also in the cast but not shown are Alex Hassell as Spike’s nemesis Vicious, and Elena Satine as Spike’s former lover Julia. No look, however, at Ed the Bebop’s resident hacker who the showrunners have confirmed will appear in the live-action series. But so far no casting has been announced for the role.

The first images, which you can see in the gallery above, are all very Bebop-y for sure. Cho is rocking Spike’s classic blue and yellow outfit, while Jet’s metal prosthetics are in full view. Faye has just the slightest bit of a wardrobe update where it seems like she’s just wearing the jacket she always has around her elbows. And if you peak closely you can see Ein the Corgi.

This is the cast since earlier this year when Netflix announced that original composer Yoko Kanno will return to make original music for the live-action series.

Based on the casting announcements so far, Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop series will be adapting episodes from the original anime. Though we won’t know how closely these adaptations will adhere to the anime until the live-action series premieres in November.

Cowboy Bebop isn’t the only anime Netflix is adapting for live-action. Along with Cowboy Bebop, Netflix is also working on a live-action adaptation of One Piece. And though not technically an anime, Netflix also revealed the live-action cast for its upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

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