The first episode of The Mandalorian Season 2 features a major plot point that is remarkably similar to the story outline previously rumoured for a Boba Fett standalone Star Wars movie.

Warning: spoilers follow for Season 2, episode 1 of The Mandalorian. 

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/30/the-mandalorian-season-2-episode-1-review"]

Back in 2014, a report suggested that The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens co-writer Lawrence Kasdan had pitched a Boba Fett solo movie that would be about a “complete stranger killing Boba Fett and taking his armour, starting a Man-With-No-Name bounty hunter tale.”

The first episode of Season 2 of The Mandalorian, 'The Marshal', features a character who has taken Boba Fett’s armour for himself and now wears it while protecting the Tatooine settlement of Mos Pelgo. While not the exact same plot, there’s a notable similarity here, as a character largely a stranger to the audience (aside from those who may have read the Star Wars Aftermath novels) and is now walking around dressed as Boba Fett.

Provided the rumours about the Boba Fett film plot were actually true, this wouldn’t be the first time Star Wars has taken unmade old ideas and used them as the basis for something new. A 2015 art book collecting concept work for The Force Awakens features images of an underwater Death Star, which would have been included in a scene for Episode VII where Rey explores the sunken wreck. That scene was, of course, not part of The Force Awakens, but an underwater Death Star did appear in The Rise of Skywalker. It may be we’re seeing a similar case with The Marshal.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-in-the-mandalorian&captions=true"]

For more on The Mandalorian, check out our Season 2, episode 1 review, and the prequel trilogy Easter egg we spotted.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

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

Sony has reportedly entered into "final negotiations" with AT&T to acquire the US-based anime streaming service Crunchyroll. According to Nikkei Asia, Sony recently obtained exclusive rights to bid for the hugely-popular streaming service and is now prepared to pay upwards of $957 million to acquire the platform, which has 70 million free members and 3 million paying subscribers signed up globally. As part of the deal, it is reported that Crunchyroll would also give Sony access to more than 1,000 anime titles. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/25/top-10-best-anime-series-of-all-time"] Sony previously acquired anime distributor Funimation and its one million subscribers back in 2017. However, the company is said to now be looking to expand its customer base further by strengthening its entertainment offering to better compete with the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and other global streaming services that are currently dominating the market. Sony isn't the only company looking to invest more in anime content. Netflix recently unveiled its plans to produce more anime titles after noting an exceptional uptake in anime streaming on the platform. According to statistics, over 100 million global households watched at least one anime title on Netflix between October of last year and September of this year. If the Sony acquisition is realized, then the global competition for content is likely to heat up and intensify, with streaming companies battling to license popular movies and shows. It's possible that Sony could even consider merging Crunchyroll with Funimation, which is the licensee of several anime properties in the US, including Attack on Titan and One Piece. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=must-watch-horror-anime&captions=true"] With an abundance of streaming providers, including the ever-growing Disney+ and Apple TV+ platforms, all competing for your hard-earned cash, it can be difficult to pinpoint which streaming service is the best choice for you. Fortunately, we've put together a detailed review of why we think Crunchyroll is the best streaming service to watch anime. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Marvel has revealed a 'launch day bonus' Into the Spider-Verse suit for Insomniac Games' Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which will be available to both PS4 and PS5 players.

Your first look at the unmistakably stylish "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" Suit, a launch day bonus for "Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales" on PS4 and PS5: https://t.co/DFVXFslvmK #BeGreater #BeYourself @PlayStation pic.twitter.com/mUlS4WQrwO

— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) October 30, 2020

The suit, which is identical to the one worn by Miles in the animated movie, is not just a new skin for the game character; it's actually animated to look like it's at a lower frame-rate to recreate the distinct look of the movie. Alongside that, comic-book sounds appear in the world, just like in the Spider-Verse movie, including a great 'ssspak!' and 'thock' when hitting a goon. If you wanted a faithful recreation of Mile's Spider-Verse moves, it looks like Insomniac Games may well be delivering the goods. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/spider-man-miles-morales-gameplay-trailer"] Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a launch game for PlayStation 5, and will feature new famous villains as well as a new look for Peter Parker. For more, check out our round-up of all the gameplay details. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

With Genshin Impact's first major update, 'A New Star Approaches', arriving on November 11, we naturally wanted to know what miHoYo has planned for its open world adventure beyond that - and discovered the developer is working to a years-long timescale, and how player behaviour will change where the game goes next. Speaking to IGN, producer and CEO Hugh Tsai, explained that 1.1 is all about "polishing off the Liyue story" that began at Genshin Impact's launch, "while also continuing to enrich and improve players' general experience in the game." As for what comes after that, Tsai explains that "The addition of Dragonspine in Version 1.2 will mark the first major map expansion since the game's release. New gameplay will also be added at that time, but we can't reveal any specific details on that just yet. Stay tuned!" We also know that version 1.3 will add the Lantern Rite Festival event. But what about the overall philosophy for additions to Genshin Impact? Well, it seems that how the game progresses, and the stories told along the way, are somewhat up to the players themselves: "Ultimately, how we will advance the Genshin Impact story is not set in stone. We will consider where players are up to in their journey through [the game world] Teyvat when planning out new content, and either advance the main story or add stand-alone stories on the side. The bottom line, though, is that whatever we do will focus on telling the story of the Traveler's journey through Teyvat." It's clear that the overall goal is to add all seven major regions of Teyvat. The game launched with two, and Dragonspine will mark the third, but it'll be some time before the entirety of the world will be open to players: "At present, our team is still very much focused on releasing and refining the content for Teyvat. As we've said previously, it will take several years to cover all seven regions of Teyvat and their related cultures, stories, and other game content in full depth." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/29/genshin-impact-version-11-announcement-trailer"] I ask if there are plans for what happens when Teyvat is complete. The game opens with the suggestion that there are multiple dimensions or planes of existence in the universe of Genshin Impact - could we travel between them down the line? "All we can say," says Tsai, "is wait and see!" Story and locations are just a portion of what Genshin Impact offers, however - it's built on a base of action as well as exploration, and I ask Tsai if miHoYo sees that foundation as completely finished, or if we could see more action elements - perhaps even more elemental types and interactions between them - added over time. "Lots of the feedback we've received from players have been asking for expansions to the co-op mode and in-game interactions. Regarding the co-op part, we plan to keep enriching players' co-op experience through in-game events, such as the recently launched Elemental Crucible challenge, the Unreconciled Stars event in the upcoming Version 1.1 update, and further content to be announced in due course. "However, expanding on the fundamental rules that underlie how everything in Teyvat operates is not such a simple task. We would need to ensure that any new content fits seamlessly within the existing rules, while also continuing to ensure a fairly high degree of playability. This poses significant challenges to our design team." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/13/genshin-impact-review"] With that in mind, I ask if there's any kind of finish line in mind for miHoYo - is there a "final" version of Genshin Impact that they're working towards? "We do not have a hard-and-fast timeline at this stage, and our focus at present is on continuing to update the game and release new content to keep improving players' experience. It comes down to our team's faith in and passion for Genshin Impact on the one hand, and the ongoing support of players around the world on the other. As long as Genshin Impact can continue to deliver great experiences and quality entertainment, this otherworldly journey will go on." We said "incredible open-world and addictive exploration make Genshin Impact anime-zing adventure" in our 9/10 review. If you're playing right now, check out our interactive map of Teyvat to find its hidden secrets,a nd learn everything you need to know in our Genshin Impact wiki. [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.

Genshin Impact's 1.1 content update, called 'A New Star Approaches', is coming to PC, Android, iOS and PS4 on November 11. The game will also be playable via backwards compatibility on PS5. IGN can reveal that the update will add four new playable characters (two of which are 5-star characters), a brand new series of quests, the game's first seasonal event, and a new Reputation system for individual regions of the game. You can check out a trailer for the 1.1 update below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/29/genshin-impact-version-11-announcement-trailer"] Check out details for each of the new additions below:

New Characters

The update adds four new characters. Childe is a 5-star hydro archer that, unlike any other character, can switch between melee and ranged attacks. Zhongli is a 5-star geo polearm wielder with high defense, strong area-of-effect attacks, and can petrify enemies. Xinyan and Diona are new 4-star characters who have not yet been detailed, but will offer "more effective elemental combos and combat strategies".

New Quests

No major details have been revealed for the new series of quests coming in the 1.1 update, but we know that it will include the grand finale of the Liyue chapter, meaning there will be three full acts of quests in the core storyline. Producer and CEO Hugh Tsai tells IGN that more character-specific side quests will be added, too.

Seasonal Event - 'Unreconciled Stars'

Unreconciled Stars is a two-week event, "which calls on all players to fight back against a sudden and terrible catastrophe facing Teyvat". The event will add a series of quests, co-op challenges, and will offer rewards including 4-star character Fischl.

Reputation System

The new Reputation system will give players a separate rating in each of the game's cities, which will build upon completing activities in the surrounding region. Building Reputation will offer region-exclusive rewards, including customisation options and some of the new items listed below.

New Items

New tools include a portable waypoint, portable stove, treasure compass, and oculus resonance stones (which will mark nearby Anemoculi and Geoculi. The update will also add a Wind Catcher item, which stores anemograna to create on-demand wind currents, allowing for more exploration.

A Fun Monster Cameo

More a bit of fun than a meaningful addition, Tsai also tells us that the 1.1 update will add a new special monster called the Forrest Hilichurl. "The team designed this monster as an in-game cameo of our company president, Forrest Liu, in hilichurl form," the producer explains. "Players, whenever you feel in a bad mood, or there's something you're not happy about in the game — and after you've voiced your concerns via the Feedback function — please feel free to seek out this most unusual hilichurl and vent all of your frustrations on him with my blessing." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/13/genshin-impact-review"] Developer miHoYo has also confirmed that the game will be fully playable on PS5, with "with improved graphics and faster load times." We said "incredible open-world and addictive exploration make Genshin Impact anime-zing adventure" in our 9/10 review. If you're playing right now, check out our interactive map of Teyvat to find its hidden secrets,a nd learn everything you need to know in our Genshin Impact wiki. [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.

Activision has revealed that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will integrate with Call of Duty: Warzone in December, the month after the main game launches. The integration between the two games will come as Black Ops Cold War enters its first season, just weeks after its November 13 launch. Black Ops Cold War weapons and operators will be made available in Warzone, as well as battle pass and store content. Players will also be able to use their Cold War multiplayer loadouts in Warzone. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/15/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-fireteam-dirty-bomb-trailer"] The merge was explained as part of Activision’s latest investor call. "We'll bring Black Ops Cold War's characters and weaponry into the free-to-play experience," said Daniel Alegre, the company’s chief operating officer. "Along with substantial new content ensuring that Warzone remains both a terrific experience and a powerful on-ramp for the franchise's premium content." Activision president Rob Kostich further elaborated on this: “For example, all the awesome new Black Ops weapons and operators you unlock and your level one to 55 progression will be usable in Black Ops and in Warzone just like they work in Modern Warfare.” "One cool feature that players will see is that they'll be able to choose either their Black Ops loadout or their Modern Warfare loadouts in Warzone for their gameplay," he added. While this system sounds practically identical to the way Warzone works with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, there are some elements that make this integration a little more interesting. If you’ve played the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alpha, then you’ll know the new game plays and feels very differently to Modern Warfare, with the guns providing much of that change. And since both games are built on different tech, presumably the Warzone team has had to remake every Cold War weapon and balance them for use in an environment based on Modern Warfare's ‘ruleset’, for lack of a better word. We’ll no doubt see how it all works in December. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-call-of-duty-review&captions=true"] For more, check out why you’ll need to find another 250GB of space for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, as well as our chat with Raven Software’s co-founder about taking the lead on Black Ops after being a supporting studio for a decade. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Lucasfilm has unveiled a first look at the new batch of villains featured in Star Wars: The High Republic. StarWars.com has officially pulled back the curtain on a slew of new monsters and marauders that were terrorizing the galaxy during the High Republic sub-era of the Age of Republic, 200 years before the events of the Skywalker saga. Along with new character concept art, the creators behind Lucasfilm's multi-pronged publishing initiative shared some additional insight into the new adversaries, providing more details about the Drengir, the Nihil, and Marchion Ro. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/star-wars-the-high-republic-explained"] "One of the north stars for this initiative is to answer the question, 'What scares the Jedi?' Which is a really fun but extraordinarily challenging question to answer," explains Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain. "All five authors, as well as the Story Group and Publishing teams, had thoughts on what would scare them — and why — but everyone agreed that had to be something new." You can check out the new batch of villains in our slideshow below or keep scrolling for the full article. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-meet-the-villains-of-the-high-republic&captions=true"]

The Drengir

First up: The Drengir. These amorphous, vegetated villains are looking to "reap a terrible harvest across the galactic frontier," according to High Republic writer Cavan Scott. With their tentacle-riddled bodies and mouths chock full of teeth, the Drengir are described as "sentient plant-life" who rise up from the ground to wreak havoc at a time when the Jedi are struggling to deal with the aftermath of the Great Disaster, and are "inescapably linked to the fate" of one of the Jedis. Scott says the concept of the new creeping terror came from a sketch by the legendary Star Wars artist Iain McCaig in the early days of The High Republic's development. Where to Find Them: Star Wars: The High Republic comic by Cavan Scott.

The Nihil

The Nihil are a group of "brutal, savage marauders, based in the Outer Rim," reveals Light of the Jedi author Charles Soule. The Nihil are organized into three main divisions known as Tempests, with each faction serving under a captain who wields total control over their plans, which run directly through both the Republic and the Jedi Order. The chaotic clan are fully equipped with weapons, ammunition and "anything that might kill you," which they're not afraid to use to get what they want. In fact, the Nihil sound like pure nightmare fuel because they have the ability to "appear anywhere almost at will" and "if you stand in their way, they will kill you and everyone you love," according to Soule. "The Nihil are truly unlike any villain we've seen in Star Wars before," adds Daniel José Older, the writer of The High Republic Adventures comic book series. "I am really excited to go deep behind enemy lines in the [IDW Publishing] ongoing series and give readers a chance to learn about the inner workings of one of the most vicious, unyielding, and chaotic groups the galaxy has ever known." Where to Find Them: Star Wars: The High Republic - Light of the Jedi novel by Charles Soule / Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures comic by Daniel José Older.

Marchion Ro

Marchion Ro "holds an important post within the greater Nihil organization — he is the Eye of the Nihil, as was his father before him," Soule explains. Ro isn't the person in charge of delivering the orders to the various factions because that role is already assigned to the Tempest Runners. However, everything is said to revolve around this mysterious cloaked character who seems to play an influential role in the group. "The things that make the Nihil more than just a bunch of Outer Rim raiders all come from Marchion," according to Soule. Where to Find Him: Star Wars: The High Republic - Light of the Jedi novel by Charles Soule / Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures comic by Daniel José Older. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Lucasfilm delayed the launch of its cross-media Star Wars prequel series from August 2020 to January 2021 as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, so there's still plenty of time to dig into The High Republic archives. Check out the opening crawl for this all-new era of tales, and then discover more about the galaxy's new Jedi Knights and Masters and the next class of Jedi Padawans. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 1 contains a number of a references to Star Wars movies of years gone by, but one of the more subtle ones harkens back all the way to The Phantom Menace. *Tusken Raider noise* There are spoilers for Season 2, Episode 1 of The Mandalorian ahead! Read our review of The Mandalorian Season 2, episode 1. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-mandalorian-season-2-trailer-breakdown"] Cobb Vanth, the Marshal of Mos Pelgo, strolls into The Mandalorian wearing one huge reference in the form of Boba Fett's armour, but it might be easier to miss that he also seems to be in possession of an even older piece of Star Wars history - part of Anakin Skywalker's podracer. When we see him riding alongside Mando's speeder bike, the hulking vehicle Vanth's driving is seemingly built out of one of the two engines Anakin uses to power his podracer - check out a comparison below: [widget path="global/page/imagecomparison" parameters="comparisons=%7B%22comparisons%22%3A%5B%7B%22caption%22%3A%22%22%2C%22images%22%3A%5B%7B%22id%22%3A%225f9bea76e4b01ef5eb1cf707%22%2C%22label%22%3A%22%22%7D%2C%7B%22id%22%3A%225f9bea75e4b01ef5eb1cf706%22%2C%22label%22%3A%22%22%7D%5D%7D%5D%7D"] There are a couple of minor differences to note - the "wings" around the central fan now look reinforced underneath, and the fan intake itself appears to be a slightly different shape, but the rest of the engine (which we see more of later in the episode) bears a striking resemblance to Anakin's pod engines. It may be that Cobb Vanth (or the person he bought the bike from) has modified the engine over time. It may also be that this is a more generic Swoop Bike, the name given to podracer engines converted into speeders in Star Wars lore. Either way, it's a neat nod to Star Wars history that might otherwise go under the radar - and also, weirdly, puts Cobb Vanth unwittingly in direct contact to multiple eras of the Star Wars universe. Want to keep track of when we'll get our next (probably reference-filled) episode of The Mandalorian? here's when every episode will arrive.   [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.

Activision and Treyarch have revealed the PC specs for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and confirmed that it will require up to 250 GB of storage if you wish to run the latest Call of Duty with Ultra RTX settings. Fortunately, for those who don't need to run Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on the highest settings, it is possible to download Multiplayer only for 50 GB on Minimum Specs and all game modes for 175 GB on Recommended and Competitive Specs. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/27/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-official-launch-trailer"] It's also important to note that these requirements are specifically for launch, and will hopefully go down as time goes by. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has also dealt with storage requirements of over 200 GB, but Infinity Ward recently released a patch that gives PC players an option to uninstall specific game modes to reduce its file size. The full list of official specifications for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on PC are as follows;

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Minimum Specifications

• OS: Windows 7 64-Bit (SP1) or Windows 10 64-Bit (v.1803 or higher)
• CPU: Intel Core i3-4340 or AMD FX-6300
• RAM: 8GB RAM
• HDD (at launch): 50GB (MP only), 175GB (all game modes)
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 / GeForce GTX 1650 or Radeon HD 7950
• DirectX 12 compatible system Required
• Broadband Internet Connection Required

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Recommended Specifications

These are the recommend specs to run 60GFPS in most situations with all options set to medium:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Ryzen R5 1600X processor
• RAM: 12GB RAM
• HDD (at launch): 175GB HD space
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 / GTX 1660 Super or Radeon R9 390 / AMD RX 580
• DirectX 12 compatible system Required
• Broadband Internet Connection Required

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Recommended Specifications (Ray Tracing)

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update)
• CPU: Intel i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 1800X
• RAM: 16GB RAM
• HDD (at launch): 175GB HD space
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
• DirectX 12 compatible system Required
• Broadband Internet Connection Required

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Competitive Specifications

Here are the competitive specs to run at a high FPS for use with a high refresh monitor:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update)
• CPU: Intel i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 1800X
• RAM: 16GB RAM
• HDD (at launch): 175GB HD space
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 / RTX 3070 or Radeon RX Vega64 Graphics
• DirectX 12 compatible system Required
• Broadband Internet Connection Required

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Ultra RTX Specifications

Here are the Ultra RTX specs to run the game at a high FPS in 4K resolution with Ray Tracing enabled:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest Update)
• CPU: Intel i9-9900K or AMD Ryzen 3700X
• RAM: 16GB RAM
• HDD (at launch): 250GB HD space
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
• DirectX 12 compatible system Required
• Broadband Internet Connection Required

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-campaign-screenshots&captions=true"] Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on PC will feature 4K graphics, uncapped framerate, RTX Shadows and Ambient Occlusion, NVIDIA DLSS and Reflex Technology, Ultrawide and Multi-Monitor support and much more. Additionally, developer Beenox worked closely with Treyarch and all other studios to "bring over 200 individual settings to fine tune the PC version of Black Ops Cold War." To further explain, RTX Shadows and Ambient Occlusion will allow for more photo-realistic shadows, NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) will use "AI to construct sharp, hi-fidelity images all while rendered fewer pixels," and NVIDIA Reflex will "aid pros or pros-to-be in ensuring there is as little delay between their click or press and what happens on their screen as possible." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/09/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-13-minutes-of-miami-multiplayer"] Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be released on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 13, 2020. For more, check out our review in progress for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's Beta, our best tips and tricks for the newest Dirty Bomb mode, everything else we know about the latest Call of Duty game. [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.