Yearly Archives: 2020

Ubisoft Delays Avatar Game Into 2022

Ubisoft has delayed its upcoming Avatar game to 2022, which would make it arrive in the same year as James Cameron's Avatar 2 in theaters. As reported by GameSpot, this news was included in the same earnings call that Ubisoft revealed that Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Quarantine were delayed and would now be releasing in its next fiscal year, which takes place from April 2021 to March 2022. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/19/why-being-an-avatar-fan-sucks-up-at-noon"] This new delay for the Avatar game by The Division developer Massive Entertainment was discussed in response to the delay of Avatar 2 in theaters to 2022. If that release date holds, it will arrive 13 years after the original film. Ubisoft announced its Avatar game in 2017, and revealed that Massive Entertainment is working alongside Fox Interactive and James Cameron's studio Lightstorm Entertainment to create the game. Ubisoft released Avatar: The Game alongside the first film, and in our review, we said "Avatar: The Game feels like all of the development effort was put into building out the look of Pandora... The gameplay feels like it needs more work. Loose controls, bad melee combat, weak mission design, and a wonky camera dull the experience. Middling storytelling doesn't help matters, and it ultimately fails in matters of motivation. The thrill of the fight just isn't here, and that's a problem for an action game." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

Bethesda Engine Is Getting Its Largest Ever Upgrade Before Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6

Bethesda's Todd Howard has said that the company's current engine – which will be used for Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 – is getting what could be its largest upgrade yet, and is being worked on by the largest number of employees the company has ever assigned to engine work. Speaking during the Develop:Brighton keynote session, Howard was asked how much work was being done on Bethesda's proprietery Creation engine, which has attracted criticism in the past. "We too will acknowledge it needs more work than it has in previous times," Howard replied, "and we do that between generations - and we've been doing it. I can say that the engine work started a while ago." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/29/bethesdas-todd-howard-hard-to-imagine-elder-scrolls-6-as-an-xbox-exclusive"] It sounds as though this is a major rework, too – perhaps the largest leap for the engine in its long history (Creation was born out of the older Gamebryo Engine, which was initially released in 1997). "We have more people doing engine work now, by a factor of five, probably than we've ever had," Howard explained. "So the overhaul in our engine is the largest we've probably ever had, maybe larger than Morrowind to Oblivion." Howard went on to explain that there are elements of Creation that Bethesda continues to like, but pointed out the sheer number of changes being made: "There are things we do that we still like. The way we build our worlds, the way people can mod it – these are things that I think are fundamentally good about our tech stack. But from rendering to animation to pathing to procedural generation – I don't want to say everything, but it's a significant, significant overhaul. "It's taken us longer than we would have liked, but it's going to power what we're doing with Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6, and when people see the result, they'll hopefully be as happy as we are with what's on the screen, but also in how we can go about making our games." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] We've previously heard that the engine was being worked on, when Howard explained that it was being rewritten for Starfield and next-gen consoles. That news came alongside Microsoft's $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax. Howard's also explained that it's 'hard to imagine' The Elder Scrolls 6 becoming a full Xbox exclusive after the buyout. [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

Bethesda Engine Is Getting Its Largest Ever Upgrade Before Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6

Bethesda's Todd Howard has said that the company's current engine – which will be used for Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 – is getting what could be its largest upgrade yet, and is being worked on by the largest number of employees the company has ever assigned to engine work. Speaking during the Develop:Brighton keynote session, Howard was asked how much work was being done on Bethesda's proprietery Creation engine, which has attracted criticism in the past. "We too will acknowledge it needs more work than it has in previous times," Howard replied, "and we do that between generations - and we've been doing it. I can say that the engine work started a while ago." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/29/bethesdas-todd-howard-hard-to-imagine-elder-scrolls-6-as-an-xbox-exclusive"] It sounds as though this is a major rework, too – perhaps the largest leap for the engine in its long history (Creation was born out of the older Gamebryo Engine, which was initially released in 1997). "We have more people doing engine work now, by a factor of five, probably than we've ever had," Howard explained. "So the overhaul in our engine is the largest we've probably ever had, maybe larger than Morrowind to Oblivion." Howard went on to explain that there are elements of Creation that Bethesda continues to like, but pointed out the sheer number of changes being made: "There are things we do that we still like. The way we build our worlds, the way people can mod it – these are things that I think are fundamentally good about our tech stack. But from rendering to animation to pathing to procedural generation – I don't want to say everything, but it's a significant, significant overhaul. "It's taken us longer than we would have liked, but it's going to power what we're doing with Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6, and when people see the result, they'll hopefully be as happy as we are with what's on the screen, but also in how we can go about making our games." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] We've previously heard that the engine was being worked on, when Howard explained that it was being rewritten for Starfield and next-gen consoles. That news came alongside Microsoft's $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax. Howard's also explained that it's 'hard to imagine' The Elder Scrolls 6 becoming a full Xbox exclusive after the buyout. [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

Justice League: Ray Fisher Says One Snyder Cyborg Scene Made It Into Whedon’s Cut

Justice League star Ray Fisher has claimed that almost every single scene featuring Cyborg ended up being reshot for Joss Whedon's theatrical cut of the film. Speaking to the hosts of the Geek House Show podcast, Fisher addressed the extent of Whedon's reshoots and how they altered Zack Snyder's intended arc for Cyborg, as he alleged that every single scene with Cyborg in the theatrical version of Justice League turned out to be a reshoot, except one brief appearance from his character assembling alongside the Justice League to meet up with Commissioner Jim Gordon on the rooftop of the Gotham City Police Department. "Some things were, like, similar with the reshoots as what we did with the original, and so it's hard to, like, tell with certain shots of other people for scenes that I wasn't there for," Fisher said of the reshoots. "But what I can tell you from my character, and for what you saw in the theatrical version, that every single scene with the exception of the Gotham City police rooftop scene with Commissioner Gordon and Batman and Flash and all that... every single scene that I'm in was reshot. I reshot almost the entire film on my end. As far as other people's stuff where I wasn't there, I can't really tell you." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/21/the-true-story-behind-the-snyder-cut"] Most of Cyborg's origin story was cut from the theatrical version of the film, including seeing the character learn to fly, use weapons, and hack into other computer networks, as well as his deeper connection to Mother Boxes (since he's basically born from a Mother Box). The majority of these scenes are expected to be restored in full for Zack Snyder's four-hour cut of Justice League, which will release across four parts on HBO Max in 2021. Snyder has already stated that he will not use even a "single frame" from Whedon's Justice League reshoots for his version of the film. In fact, he said that he would "literally blow that f***ing thing up" before using any of Whedon's material. Snyder has, however, started working on his own reshoots for the director's cut of Justice League, with several of the main cast reportedly returning to shoot additional footage to presumably flesh out existing scenes. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=justice-league-snyder-cut-all-the-known-differences-from-the-theatrical-version&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Justice League: Ray Fisher Says One Snyder Cyborg Scene Made It Into Whedon’s Cut

Justice League star Ray Fisher has claimed that almost every single scene featuring Cyborg ended up being reshot for Joss Whedon's theatrical cut of the film. Speaking to the hosts of the Geek House Show podcast, Fisher addressed the extent of Whedon's reshoots and how they altered Zack Snyder's intended arc for Cyborg, as he alleged that every single scene with Cyborg in the theatrical version of Justice League turned out to be a reshoot, except one brief appearance from his character assembling alongside the Justice League to meet up with Commissioner Jim Gordon on the rooftop of the Gotham City Police Department. "Some things were, like, similar with the reshoots as what we did with the original, and so it's hard to, like, tell with certain shots of other people for scenes that I wasn't there for," Fisher said of the reshoots. "But what I can tell you from my character, and for what you saw in the theatrical version, that every single scene with the exception of the Gotham City police rooftop scene with Commissioner Gordon and Batman and Flash and all that... every single scene that I'm in was reshot. I reshot almost the entire film on my end. As far as other people's stuff where I wasn't there, I can't really tell you." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/21/the-true-story-behind-the-snyder-cut"] Most of Cyborg's origin story was cut from the theatrical version of the film, including seeing the character learn to fly, use weapons, and hack into other computer networks, as well as his deeper connection to Mother Boxes (since he's basically born from a Mother Box). The majority of these scenes are expected to be restored in full for Zack Snyder's four-hour cut of Justice League, which will release across four parts on HBO Max in 2021. Snyder has already stated that he will not use even a "single frame" from Whedon's Justice League reshoots for his version of the film. In fact, he said that he would "literally blow that f***ing thing up" before using any of Whedon's material. Snyder has, however, started working on his own reshoots for the director's cut of Justice League, with several of the main cast reportedly returning to shoot additional footage to presumably flesh out existing scenes. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=justice-league-snyder-cut-all-the-known-differences-from-the-theatrical-version&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Mass Effect Cast to Reunite for N7 Day Amid Trilogy Remaster Speculation

Multiple cast members from the Mass Effect franchise are reuniting for an N7 Day celebration amid continuing speculation about a remaster of the the series' first three games. The news was revealed by Commander Shepard himself Mark Meer on Twitter, who added that the special event will take place on "11/7 @ 11 AM PST." Fans will be able to tune in on November 7 to check out a stream featuring Meer, Jennifer Hale, Steve Blum, Courtenay Taylor and many other talented voice actors who lent their skills to the sci-fi series. The event will be chaired by Bioware's Karen Weekes and Patrick Weekes. Naturally, this could just be a meeting of the minds to reminisce about a popular franchise, but given the speed at which the rumour mill is turning about a potential Mass Effect Trilogy remaster, it would be the perfect time to reveal something that will please franchise fans. Retail listings regarding a 'Mass Effect Trilogy Remastered' game collection for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch cropped up back in September. Then, in early October, a 'Mass Effect Legendary Edition' was rated in South Korea. Be sure to check back with IGN to find out if that becomes reality this weekend. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Mass Effect Cast to Reunite for N7 Day Amid Trilogy Remaster Speculation

Multiple cast members from the Mass Effect franchise are reuniting for an N7 Day celebration amid continuing speculation about a remaster of the the series' first three games. The news was revealed by Commander Shepard himself Mark Meer on Twitter, who added that the special event will take place on "11/7 @ 11 AM PST." Fans will be able to tune in on November 7 to check out a stream featuring Meer, Jennifer Hale, Steve Blum, Courtenay Taylor and many other talented voice actors who lent their skills to the sci-fi series. The event will be chaired by Bioware's Karen Weekes and Patrick Weekes. Naturally, this could just be a meeting of the minds to reminisce about a popular franchise, but given the speed at which the rumour mill is turning about a potential Mass Effect Trilogy remaster, it would be the perfect time to reveal something that will please franchise fans. Retail listings regarding a 'Mass Effect Trilogy Remastered' game collection for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch cropped up back in September. Then, in early October, a 'Mass Effect Legendary Edition' was rated in South Korea. Be sure to check back with IGN to find out if that becomes reality this weekend. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Gran Turismo 7 Reportedly Aiming to Launch in First Half of 2021

Gran Turismo 7 may launch in the first half of 2021, according to a reported Canadian PlayStation 5 advertisement. As reported by GTPlanet (and spotted by user ElietheStig on the site's forums,) a YouTube advert for the PlayStation 5 shows an image from the game. The screenshot is accompanied by a small piece of text, which reads "Sortie prévue pour la première moitié de 2021," which when translated reads "Release scheduled for the first half of 2021." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/gran-turismo-7-announcement-and-gameplay-trailer-ps5-reveal-event"] Sony has yet to announce an official release date for Gran Turismo 7, which was revealed back in June of this year, but this advert suggests that we might see Gran Turismo 7 release within the PlayStation 5's launch window, at some point in early 2021. The advert is yet to be verified by multiple sources, so do take it with a pinch of salt. If you want to learn more about Gran Turismo 7, you can check out our piece from the game's announcement here, which digs into some of the features coming to the game, including the reintroduction of GT Simulation Mode. An official PlayStation Blog post added that the game will benefit from the haptic feedback provided by the DualSense and the PlayStation 5's 3D Audio system. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Gran Turismo 7 Reportedly Aiming to Launch in First Half of 2021

Gran Turismo 7 may launch in the first half of 2021, according to a reported Canadian PlayStation 5 advertisement. As reported by GTPlanet (and spotted by user ElietheStig on the site's forums,) a YouTube advert for the PlayStation 5 shows an image from the game. The screenshot is accompanied by a small piece of text, which reads "Sortie prévue pour la première moitié de 2021," which when translated reads "Release scheduled for the first half of 2021." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/gran-turismo-7-announcement-and-gameplay-trailer-ps5-reveal-event"] Sony has yet to announce an official release date for Gran Turismo 7, which was revealed back in June of this year, but this advert suggests that we might see Gran Turismo 7 release within the PlayStation 5's launch window, at some point in early 2021. The advert is yet to be verified by multiple sources, so do take it with a pinch of salt. If you want to learn more about Gran Turismo 7, you can check out our piece from the game's announcement here, which digs into some of the features coming to the game, including the reintroduction of GT Simulation Mode. An official PlayStation Blog post added that the game will benefit from the haptic feedback provided by the DualSense and the PlayStation 5's 3D Audio system. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Call of Duty: Warzone Won’t Shift Engine, Even Though Black Ops Cold War Has

Call of Duty: Warzone won't be switching engine when it welcomes content from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - even though Black Ops Cold War uses a new engine itself. A verified Activision Art Lead revealed the news on ResetEra. "There will not be an engine shift for WZ," writes ShutterMunster, in response to a comment chain about the future of the battle royale game. Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War runs on a new engine, but it looks like Warzone won't be making the switch, despite the fact that weapons, operators and loadouts from the latest Call of Duty game will be brought to Warzone as part of a cross-franchise integration, arriving in December. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/23/call-of-duty-warzone-review"] The decision means that Warzone should feel broadly the same to play, even while the tools of war you use may be altered drastically by the update (although existing, Modern Warfare-themed equipment will reamin available to players). Equally, it may mean that playing Warzone and Black Ops Cold War side-by-side may take some getting used to. Some players in the same ResetEra thread are concerned about how the Black Ops Cold War arsenal of weapons will be balanced in Warzone when they make the jump between engines. We're sure we'll hear more about that when the game's integration is detailed further. Back in September, Activision reportedly banned around 20,000 Call of Duty Warzone cheaters during the launch of the game's Season 6 update. If you want our full verdict on Call of Duty's spin on Battle Royale, you can check out our full Call of Duty: Warzone review here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.