A NASA probe heading for the Sun flew by Venus and picked up a natural radio signal, which happens to be the first measurement of the planet's atmosphere in nearly 30 years. The mission of NASA's Parker Solar Probe is to dive close to the Sun, but in order to do that, it needed to slow down its speed before the approach, according to a NASA blog post. It did this by flying close enough to Venus that its gravity and atmosphere would lower its speed. NASA also saw this as an opportunity to measure the Venusian atmosphere for the first time in almost 30 years and so it did. The probe picked up a radio signal that has been translated into sound and you can listen to it below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/05/nasas-parker-solar-probe-uncovers-radio-signal-from-venus-atmosphere"] "The goal of flying by Venus is to slow down the spacecraft so that Parker Solar Probe can dive closer to the Sun," Parker Solar Probe scientists, Nour E. Raouafi, of the Applied Physics Laboratory said in the blog post. "But we would not miss the opportunity to gather science data and provide unique insights into a mysterious planet such as Venus." This radio signal read came from a flyby the Parker Solar Probe made on July 11, 2020, and it was the closest flyby made to date – the probe was just 517 miles above the surface. It was the probe's FIELDS instrument, which is named after the "electric and magnetic fields it measures in the Sun's atmosphere," according to NASA, that actually picked up the radio signal. When the probe was close to Venus, the FIELDS instrument detected a natural, low-frequency radio signal for just seven minutes and this data caught the attention of Glyn Collison of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, who is the lead scientist on this study. He recognized the shape and the strength of the signal, according to NASA, but he couldn't quite place it. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] Collison woke up the next day saying, "Oh my god, I know what this is," NASA said, and that's because it was a signal he recognized from some of his previous work: a similar signal appeared when NASA's Galileo orbiter passed through the ionospheres of Jupiter's moons in the early 2000s. "Like Earth, Venus sports an electrically charged layer of gas at the upper edge of its atmosphere, called the ionosphere," NASA's blog post reads. "This sea of charged gases, or plasma, naturally emits radio waves that can be detected by instruments like FIELDS. When Collison and his team identified that signal, they realized Parker Solar Probe had skimmed Venus' upper atmosphere." The team behind the study used the radio signals from Venus to calculate the density of the ionosphere that the probe passed through, something that hadn't been done since the Pioneer Venus Orbiter's 1992 passthrough. Data obtained from that probe and in the years that followed seemed to indicate the ionosphere was thinner during the Sun's calm phase known as the solar minimum. That theory was impossible to confirm, but the Parker Solar Probe's flyby might change that. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/14/signs-of-alien-life-found-on-venus-ign-now"] "When multiple missions are confirming the same result, one after the other, that gives you a lot of confidence that the thinning is real," study co-author, Robin Ramstad, said in regards to the Parker Solar Probe also showing that Venus' ionosphere was thinner during the time it passed by. Venus and Earth have long been referred to as Twin planets – they were both born of a similar process, both are rocky, and their size and structural makeup is quite similar, but that doesn't mean there aren't differences. Venus doesn't have a magnetic field like Earth, and if a human tried to walk on the surface of the planet as they do on Earth, they'd likely instantly die due to the surface boiling at temperatures hot enough to melt lead. NASA says that at most, spacecrafts have lasted only a couple of hours on the planet. Despite how difficult it is to study Venus, its distance from Earth aside, it's an important scientific mission to do so as it, "helps scientists understand how these twins have evolved, and what makes Earth-like planets habitable or not." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] "To see Venus now, it's all about these little glimpses," Collison said. For more about Venus, read this story about how possible signs of life detected on the planet go back as far as 1978. Read this story about how the Moon is rusting and Earth might be the culprit after that and then check out this story about astronomers that have discovered 139 new "minor planets" at the edge of our solar system. Be sure to check out IGN's list of the 25 best sci-fi movies, too. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Warner Bros. is reportedly searching for a Black director to helm a new Superman movie, in which the Krypton-born superhero will be played by a Black actor. According to anonymous sources talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. and DC are "committed" to hiring a Black director to helm the movie, the script for which is being written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The plan is reportedly for the movie to feature a Black actor in the role of Superman. A source said it would be "tone-deaf" for J.J. Abrams, who is attached to produce, to also direct. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dc-extended-universe-every-upcoming-movie&captions=true"] The report has no concrete details on who could take on the role of Superman, nor which directors could be in the running. THR's sources do, however, note that this incarnation of Superman will not be part of the DCEU born from the ashes of the Snyderverse. While Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa's Aquaman, and Ezra Miller's Flash will continue a linked DC universe on-screen, the current plan is reportedly for the new Superman to be standalone, much like Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman and Todd Phillips' Joker. Furthering that standalone idea, the report states that one option currently under consideration for the Superman movie is that it is a 20th century period piece. This would, much like Joker and its 1980s setting, help separate Superman from other DC films. Recently, Michael B. Jordan downplayed rumours that he was going to wear the blue suit and red cape. He reportedly pitched a Superman movie to Warner and DC in 2019. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 will release for Nintendo Switch on June 25. Earlier this year Activision announced that the remake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 would arrive on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in March. At the same time it confirmed that a Switch version was also in the works, but offered no release date. Now, Activision has finally provided June 25 as the date we can expect Tony Hawk's to hit Nintendo's console. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/23/tony-hawks-pro-skater-1-and-2-ps5-xbox-series-xs-and-nintendo-switch-trailer"] Naturally, you shouldn't expect the fancy graphical enhancements present in the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions to be part of the Switch version, but it does feel like an ideal Switch game even without "High-fidelity atmospherics". Our Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Remake review is particularly glowing, saying that the remake "proves that going backwards has been the best step forward for the series in 15 years." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Following the departure of Google Stadia's Head of Product, it has been discovered that another six key Stadia staff have left the company. However, all six have joined the newly established Haven Entertainment Studios, the Montreal-based studio working on a new IP for Sony. As noted by a post on ResetEra and discovered via LinkedIn profiles, Stadia's General Manager Sebastien Puel, Head of Creative Services and Publishing Corey May, Staff UX Researcher Jonathan Dankoff, Graphics Programmer Pierre-Marc Bérubé, and Concept Artists Erwann Le Rouzic and Francis Denoncourt have all left Google Stadia Games for new roles at the swiftly expanding Haven Entertainment Studios. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/23/ea-motives-jade-raymond-on-the-dice-red-carpet-dice-2018"] In their new roles at Haven, Puel is a co-founder, May the World/IP Director, Dankoff the Insights Director, Le Rouzic and Denoncourt are concept artists, and Bérubé a software engineer. Haven Entertainment Studios was founded earlier this year when Jade Raymond (who previously ran Google Stadia's Games and Entertainment studio) left the company to create her own development studio in Montreal, citing the desire to "get back to what I love doing most, and do so in a way that gives our team the freedom to explore, inspire, and create." The studio was quickly supported by Sony to develop a new exclusive IP for PlayStation platforms. Raymond has previously worked at Ubisoft and EA, and is known for her work leading EA's Motive Studio and Ubisoft Toronto. Google Stadia Games and Entertainment was shut down earlier this year, with a desire to use its platform for third party games development. At the time, Google said it would try to find new roles in the company for those affected, but it’s clear that some decided this was the time to jump ship. However, this is not the first report of troubles within Stadia development, as earlier this year it was reported that Google was having to spend millions of dollars on porting AAA games, and difficulties with the development pipeline. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/08/terraria-on-stadia-canceled-after-developer-is-locked-out-of-google-accounts-ign-news"] It is not yet known what the team at Haven is working on, but given the success of gathering high profile AAA talent, and Sony’s backing, it is likely to play an important part in Sony’s exclusive games strategy moving forward. Haven Entertainment Studios was founded with a desire to be “a haven for developers”, said Raymond earlier this year. Given what is happening with Stadia, it looks like that vision is coming true. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman

Microsoft’s new Fable game is being developed using the Forza engine, according to a job listing on Microsoft’s website. The listing for a Software Engineer states that the team at Turn10 (developers of the Forza series) will be working with the ForzaTech engine, and will be “enriching the toolset to support an open world action RPG – Fable.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/fable-xbox-series-x-announcement-trailer"] Not only will the engine be powering one of Microsoft’s most anticipated new titles for Xbox Series X/S, but the role also involves adding some new bells and whistles to the engine, including “new features like raytracing”, which are becoming increasingly utilised in AAA game development. Fable was originally announced in July 2020 at Xbox’s major summer game announcement conference ahead of the release of the Xbox Series X and Series S. It was given a tone-setting CGI trailer that maintained the sense of humour and style that the series is known for, despite shifting a new developer Playground Games for the newest iteration. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/14/opinion-xboxs-exclusive-game-drought-is-finally-almost-over"] The job listing also mentions the role will “have a major impact on 3 AAA titles in development across 2 beloved Xbox franchises”, suggesting that as well as Turn 10's work on Forza Motorsport, development on the next instalment in the Forza Horizon series may well be continuing alongside the development of the new Fable game at Playground Games. The ForzaTech engine has been used to power some beautiful scenery and game worlds in the Forza series, so it makes sense for Microsoft to capitalise on this as they move forward with development. If you're interested in seeing more ForzaTech in action, be sure to get involved in the Forza Feedback Panel, which can help you get hands-on with the unreleased Forza Motorsport ahead of its release. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman

Owlcat Games has announced a release date for Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. The game will launch on September 2 for PC via Steam and GOG, Owlcat Games has revealed. Additionally, a second beta for Wrath of the Righteous that covers the game's first four chapters has also been made available today on Steam for those who contributed to the game's Kickstarter campaign. The beta is also available for certain tiers of Slacker Backers. The second beta includes all of the content from the first beta, but will also introduce a number of new features including Crusade gameplay, where players can "lead armies as a Crusade commander and fight against demonic armies through strategic army management and tactical turn-based combat." New side quests, abilities and archetypes for certain classes, dinosaur pets and mounts, and weather systems will also feature in the new beta, alongside the game's final UI design. A set of balance fixes have also been implemented for the Core difficulty. There's also a talking enchanted weapon called Finnean who has unlocked after fans helped Owlcat reach a Kickstarter goal. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/04/pathfinder-wrath-of-the-righteous-community-quest-trailer"] For now, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is just set for a PC release, but Owlcat promise it will share console plans "in the near future". Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous was announced in 2019 and follows 2018's Pathfinder: Kingmaker. It sits within the same Pathfinder universe but it isn't a sequel. Here's our review of Kingmaker from 2018 - we scored it a 6.8, noting that it had "so many promising ideas" that fell "well short in execution." If you want to learn more about Wrath of the Righteous you can check out our interview with the game's developers about how Owlcat is building a better RPG, with more demons. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Gamescom 2021 will be an all-digital event after all. Event organizer Koelnmesse announced today that the show will be returning to the format it used in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced events to pivot away from in-person gatherings. It's a shift from Gamescom's previously-announced hybrid format, which aimed to combine livestreams with the opportunity to try the latest games on-site. Instead, after "extensive discussions with partners and exhibitors," Gamescom 2021 will be hosting a streaming event that will kick off at the end of August, which you'll be able to check out right here on IGN. Gamescom 2021 will kick off on August 25 and continue through August 27, with highlights and promotions also running over the weekend. We're also happy to announce that IGN will once again produce the English-language Gamescom Studio as well as Gamescom: Awesome Indies, featuring important announcements and news from the indie gaming space. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/29/geoff-keighley-opening-night-live-and-the-ps5-gamescom-daily-show"] Geoff Keighley will host Opening Night Live on Wednesday, August 25, where developers will share announcements and world premieres. Last year's reveals included a new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War trailer, a first look at Dragon Age 4, and numerous release date announcements. Gamescom is major gaming event held annually in Cologne, Germany, where it is organized by Koelnmesse and the German Games Industry Association. Coming at the end of the summer, it opens the release season with new demos, trailers, and announcements. It is paired with Devcom, a developer-focused event that will open on August, 23. A planned business event, Gamescom Biz, will be postponed at least one year until Gamescom can once again attempt a hybrid event. Last year's shift to an all-digital format was a success, with Gamescom touting more than 100 million video views across all formats and channels. Gamescom 2021 hopes to add to last year's momentum by expanding the event still further. Stay tuned for more Gamescom 2021 announcements, and watch IGN for more info on other events as we roll into the Summer of Gaming. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @the_katbot.

Stonefly, the next game from Creature in the Well developer Flight School Studio, is set to be released in June. Publisher MWM Interactive and Flight School announced that the mech adventure will arrive on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on June 1. Flight School will offer players a closer look at Stonefly throughout the month leading up to its launch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/26/stonefly-gameplay-first-look-video"] Stonefly puts players in the role of Annika Stonefly, who is on a quest to recover a family heirloom. Annika will use customizable mech's that players can upgrade and cosmetically adjust to suit their style, as they pilot around a naturalistic world inspired by mid-century modern design and nature. "Our small team set out to create something visually unique and mechanically original with Stonefly and we think players are going to love following Annika's journey and gliding around the world we've created," said Bohdon Sayre, Game Director at Flight School Studio in a statement alongside the announcement. "We always challenge ourselves to put stakes in the ground outside the norm, and MWM Interactive have been a great partner to allow us the creative freedom to take risks and explore new territory. Stonefly is an ambitious project, different than anything we've made before, and a game that we are really proud of." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=stonefly-announcement-screenshots&captions=true"] For more on Stonefly, be sure to check out our first hands-off preview for a deeper glimpse into why Stonefly's striking art style impressed us and why its mech gameplay intrigued us. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.