At a special online presentation during Tokyo Game Show 2020 today, publisher Level-5 and developer Netmarble showed a few minutes of gameplay of their upcoming mobile RPG Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds. The entire presentation was later uploaded to YouTube with English subtitles ("for a limited time" according to the official Twitter account).

Cross Worlds is a departure from the previous Ni no Kuni games, which used a traditional fantasy setting. Instead, Cross Worlds has a science-fiction twist: the player is a regular person in the "real" world of Ichi no Kuni (literally "one country") who is beta-testing a new virtual reality game called Soul Diver, which takes them into the world of Ni no Kuni. Five player classes have been revealed for Ni no Kuni Cross Worlds: Swordsman, Witch, Rogue, Destroyer and Engineer. In today's online presentation, popular Japanese YouTuber Masuo was able to begin a game as the Swordsman, although his in-game character looked different than the default version, suggesting there will be character customization options (but none were shown). In the game inside the game, his character was greeted by an AI character called Rania. A sudden glitch in the system replaces Rania with a "real" version of the same woman, but before they can explain the situation everything goes dark. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/26/ni-no-kuni-cross-worlds-15-minutes-of-gameplay-japanese-vo-tgs-2020"] The Swordsman awakes in a burning city greeted by a small imp-like creature called Cluu, but the action starts immediately as the player must swipe the screen to avoid a falling tower. After a brief encounter with a dragon wearing a giant amulet, Cluu directs the player to head towards the castle to aid the Queen. This gives us a glimpse at the control interface for Cross Worlds: A virtual slide pad on the left of the screen moves the player, while the camera can be adjusted by swiping the screen. The Swordsman enters combat, which is controlled with a circle of buttons on the right side of the screen; a big "attack" button is in the center, and Masuo was hammering it to slash the monsters. Smaller buttons around the attack button were not explained but appear to be special abilities which have a cooldown timer before becoming active again. Debris blocks the way to the Queen and the only way through is to pick up a bomb and throw it through contextual button presses and swipes. Once he reaches the Queen and interrupts her death at the hands of a towering villain, the player discovers she is the woman he met when he first entered Ni no Kuni. At this point the demo cut off, but other trailers have shown the player travelling to Evermore on a quest to save the kingdom. It should be said that unlike previous Ni no Kuni mobile titles, Cross Worlds looks on par with the console releases of the past: Despite being entirely 3D creations, the characters resemble 2D drawings from famed Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, which was a collaborator on the first Ni no Kuni; indeed, during the presentation, Netmarble Japan CEO Yuji Endo said that the new game recreates Ghibli's world from the original. In footage during today's presentation, a variety of lush environments were shown, from forests to deserts and fields to cities. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ni-no-kuni-cross-worlds-screenshots&captions=true"] Two other gameplay modes were featured in today's presentation, Kingdom and Team Arena. Kingdom Mode is a cooperative multiplayer mode where players can explore the city and countryside together. Players also have a familiar who trails behind them and can "help them on their journey" though no skills were shown; one touch of a button beneath them can swap the familiar for another. During today's video, the on-air hosts were shown chasing wild animals and capturing them, though earlier footage showed competitive games like soccer or dice. In Team Arena, six players were able to compete in a 3-on-3 combat mini-game. Rather than a test of strength, the actual goal is to collect creatures called "higgledies" inside the arena. Players can attack each other and throw items to make their opponents lose their higgledies, but even if they are knocked out they will come back in a few seconds. The only way to win is to collect the most higgledies and evade the other players for 10 seconds. Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds has no formal release date, but previous announcements suggest it will be out in Japan before the year ends. No foreign releases or localization have yet been confirmed either, but the presence of fully subtitled English and Chinese videos on the official Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds channel suggests international versions may be released later. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

During a special livestream event at Tokyo Game Show 2020, D3 Publisher producer Nobuyuki Okajima outlined what to expect from the upcoming Earth Defense Force spin-off title, World Brothers, and we got a brief look at the fully fledged Earth Defense Force 6. World Brothers will be released in Japan on December 24 for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, while an "early 2021" release is planned for other territories. In a departure from past EDF games, which had semi-realistic giant insects attacking the planet, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers is entirely made of voxels. Even the Earth itself is now a cube, or at least it was until the Dark Legion arrived from space and blew it to bits. That was not the end of the battle though; the voxel Earth still exists as pieces floating in space, each segment a tiny environment unto itself. Okajima played through the game's tutorial level live on the stream (which you can watch below), where a gruff military commander on-screen explained the above backstory and charged the player with becoming an EDF commander and building their own squad to fight the invaders and rescue what's left of the Earth. His default soldier was a Ranger but after shooting some ants in Manhattan he found a Wing Diver unconscious on the ground. Rescuing fallen allies adds to your squad: Players can have up to four soldiers in their party and switch between them instantly with the D-pad. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/26/earth-defense-force-world-brothers-12-minutes-of-gameplay-japanese-vo-tgs-2020"] Earth Defense Force: World Brothers will include "over 100" different characters, including a variety of fighters from past EDF games such as Jet Lifters, Air Raiders and Fencers. Given the theme of this new game, there will also be a variety of new "brothers and sisters" based on cultures from around the globe (sorry, cube) who can become allies. Okajima showed still images that included a Cowboy Brother with a six-shooter, a Pharaoh Sister carrying an ankh, and a masked El Dorado Brother from South America. Every character in Earth Defense Force: World Brothers has their own ability (mapped to the L2 button on PS4). For the Ranger, it is a dodge roll with a brief cooldown timer. For the Wing Diver, it is a jetpack that allows limited flight. Given that the Earth is in pieces, it is possible to fall off the edge of the stages in World Brothers, so Okajima recommended always including at least one flyer in your party to avoid plummeting into space. Okajima also showed how multiplayer works in Earth Defense Force: World Brothers. Online play supports up to four people at once, each controlling their own squad. On PlayStation 4, offline splitscreen play for two players is available, but Switch players must each have their own console and copy of the game to team up with friends. A special "double enlistment pack" for Switch will be sold in Japan bundling two copies of the game together at a slight discount for this reason. With the boxy visuals that are clearly reminiscent of Minecraft, Earth Defense Force World Brothers is a kid-friendly version of the 17 year old bug-shooting franchise. With that history in mind, Okajima hopes that World Brothers can be a game that is both welcoming to beginners and "nostalgic" for established fans. He pointed out that people who grew up with EDF might be parents by now and suggested that playing World Brothers together could be a family activity - though he stressed that the game is not explicitly "a kids' game" (in Japan it is rated B, making it ideal for "12-year-olds and above"). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/26/earth-defense-force-6-8-minutes-of-gameplay-japanese-vo-tgs-2020"]

The stream ended with a brief discussion of Earth Defense Force 6, the next proper sequel in the series which is slated for 2021. Early screenshots were shown, which you can see above, and Okajima explained that Earth Defense Force 6 will take place three years after the events of Earth Defense Force 5, which came out for Steam and PlayStation 4 in 2017. Civilization has almost entirely collapsed and the human race is near extinction. There are so few people left that anyone can be a member of the EDF, not just soldiers.

After the official TGS presentation ended, Okaijima appeared on a segment of D3 Publisher's own livestream (guest starring famed video game pitchman Takahashi Meijin) to show actual gameplay footage of Earth Defense Force 6. While no platforms for EDF6 have been announced yet, he appeared to be playing the game with a DualShock 4 controller.

On screen, the Earth was indeed in total ruin. Okajima played as a character in full military gear, but some of his squadmates were civilians wearing normal clothes and talking about their past professions. With the invasion of Earth supposedly completed, he and his team were on patrol looking for aliens who were left behind on Earth by their fleet. They eventually found some giant frogs walking amongst the rubble and a battle began.

Coming after the bright and colorful aesthetics of Earth Defense Force: World Brothers, watching EDF6 in action is jarringly different. It's not "realistic" because the aliens look like giant frogs, but when hit they bleed, and hits to their limbs can sever their arms or legs. These enemies are much smarter than the drones seen in World Brothers: They have weapons of their own and, rather than charging at the player, they tend to run for cover behind fallen buildings. However, Okajima showed that using a rocket launcher can demolish what's left of the scenery, so the aliens couldn't hide for long.

When asked about the release date of Earth Defense Force 6, Okajima said that the game is still in development and expressed his hope that it would be finished in 2021. However, he warned that it would not be early in the year and might be "closer to New Year's".

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During a special livestream event at Tokyo Game Show 2020, D3 Publisher producer Nobuyuki Okajima outlined what to expect from the upcoming Earth Defense Force spin-off title, World Brothers, and we got a brief look at the fully fledged Earth Defense Force 6. World Brothers will be released in Japan on December 24 for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, while an "early 2021" release is planned for other territories. In a departure from past EDF games, which had semi-realistic giant insects attacking the planet, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers is entirely made of voxels. Even the Earth itself is now a cube, or at least it was until the Dark Legion arrived from space and blew it to bits. That was not the end of the battle though; the voxel Earth still exists as pieces floating in space, each segment a tiny environment unto itself. Okajima played through the game's tutorial level live on the stream (which you can watch below), where a gruff military commander on-screen explained the above backstory and charged the player with becoming an EDF commander and building their own squad to fight the invaders and rescue what's left of the Earth. His default soldier was a Ranger but after shooting some ants in Manhattan he found a Wing Diver unconscious on the ground. Rescuing fallen allies adds to your squad: Players can have up to four soldiers in their party and switch between them instantly with the D-pad. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/26/earth-defense-force-world-brothers-12-minutes-of-gameplay-japanese-vo-tgs-2020"] Earth Defense Force: World Brothers will include "over 100" different characters, including a variety of fighters from past EDF games such as Jet Lifters, Air Raiders and Fencers. Given the theme of this new game, there will also be a variety of new "brothers and sisters" based on cultures from around the globe (sorry, cube) who can become allies. Okajima showed still images that included a Cowboy Brother with a six-shooter, a Pharaoh Sister carrying an ankh, and a masked El Dorado Brother from South America. Every character in Earth Defense Force: World Brothers has their own ability (mapped to the L2 button on PS4). For the Ranger, it is a dodge roll with a brief cooldown timer. For the Wing Diver, it is a jetpack that allows limited flight. Given that the Earth is in pieces, it is possible to fall off the edge of the stages in World Brothers, so Okajima recommended always including at least one flyer in your party to avoid plummeting into space. Okajima also showed how multiplayer works in Earth Defense Force: World Brothers. Online play supports up to four people at once, each controlling their own squad. On PlayStation 4, offline splitscreen play for two players is available, but Switch players must each have their own console and copy of the game to team up with friends. A special "double enlistment pack" for Switch will be sold in Japan bundling two copies of the game together at a slight discount for this reason. With the boxy visuals that are clearly reminiscent of Minecraft, Earth Defense Force World Brothers is a kid-friendly version of the 17 year old bug-shooting franchise. With that history in mind, Okajima hopes that World Brothers can be a game that is both welcoming to beginners and "nostalgic" for established fans. He pointed out that people who grew up with EDF might be parents by now and suggested that playing World Brothers together could be a family activity - though he stressed that the game is not explicitly "a kids' game" (in Japan it is rated B, making it ideal for "12-year-olds and above"). [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=earth-defense-force-6-screenshots&captions=true"]

The stream ended with a brief discussion of Earth Defense Force 6, the next proper sequel in the series which is slated for 2021. Early screenshots were shown, which you can see above, and Okajima explained that Earth Defense Force 6 will take place three years after the events of Earth Defense Force 5, which came out for Steam and PlayStation 4 in 2017. Civilization has almost entirely collapsed and the human race is near extinction. There are so few people left that anyone can be a member of the EDF, not just soldiers.

After the official TGS presentation ended, Okaijima appeared on a segment of D3 Publisher's own livestream (guest starring famed video game pitchman Takahashi Meijin) to show actual gameplay footage of Earth Defense Force 6. While no platforms for EDF6 have been announced yet, he appeared to be playing the game with a DualShock 4 controller.

On screen, the Earth was indeed in total ruin. Okajima played as a character in full military gear, but some of his squadmates were civilians wearing normal clothes and talking about their past professions. With the invasion of Earth supposedly completed, he and his team were on patrol looking for aliens who were left behind on Earth by their fleet. They eventually found some giant frogs walking amongst the rubble and a battle began.

Coming after the bright and colorful aesthetics of Earth Defense Force: World Brothers, watching EDF6 in action is jarringly different. It's not "realistic" because the aliens look like giant frogs, but when hit they bleed, and hits to their limbs can sever their arms or legs. These enemies are much smarter than the drones seen in World Brothers: They have weapons of their own and, rather than charging at the player, they tend to run for cover behind fallen buildings. However, Okajima showed that using a rocket launcher can demolish what's left of the scenery, so the aliens couldn't hide for long.

When asked about the release date of Earth Defense Force 6, Okajima said that the game is still in development and expressed his hope that it would be finished in 2021. However, he warned that it would not be early in the year and might be "closer to New Year's".

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In Scarlet Nexus – Bandai Namco’s anticipated title that is being developed for current-gen and next-gen consoles as well as PC – players will slay over-the-top monsters by combining sword attacks with extra-sensory powers in an insane SF “brain-punk” world. In IGN’s Gamescom preview, we called it a “stylish, flashy, and edgy action-RPG”. However, during IGN Japan’s Tokyo Game Show 2020 interview with producer Keita Iizuka and director Kenji Anabuki, we learned that there might be more to the RPG side of Scarlet Nexus than meets the eye. With Anabuki having worked on the Tales series for many years, this might not come as a surprise, and Iizuka says that while the game’s setting and battle system are completely new, he believes that Scarlet Nexus will be highly enjoyable for fans of the RPG genre. “Until now, we have mainly shown the game’s action parts, but of course there is also a rich story and you will be fighting along with other party members in typical RPG fashion.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/scarlet-nexus-the-first-preview"] “Since my origins as a developer lie in the RPG genre, I wanted to make sure to implement elements that I am experienced and confident with. So you can expect to enjoy story, character customization, communication between characters and such as well,” Anabuki told IGN Japan. Furthermore, Anabuki explains that the game will also incorporate exploration elements in which protagonist Yuito Sumeragi has to put his psychokinesis into practice outside of battle as well. All of this doesn’t change the fact that Scarlet Nexus’ battle system is fast-paced real-time action, but Anabuki mentions that it is balanced so that even players not used to playing action games should be able to enjoy and beat the game. You won’t be able to completely customize your own party, but you will be able to decide which party members you want to learn more about. By communicating with these characters, you can learn their backstories while they will obtain new abilities, which Yuito Sumeragi can use himself as well through a system called “brain link”. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=scarlet-nexus-preview-screenshots-and-art&captions=true"] During IGN Japan’s TGS live show, Iizuka and Anabuki also explained how Yuito Sumeragi’s psychokinesis allows the player to smash objects as big as a bus into your enemy, how the creepy looking monsters called the Others came to be, why they wanted to create a game that incorporates supernatural powers in the first place, and much more. Scarlet Nexus is in development for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter here!

In Scarlet Nexus – Bandai Namco’s anticipated title that is being developed for current-gen and next-gen consoles as well as PC – players will slay over-the-top monsters by combining sword attacks with extra-sensory powers in an insane SF “brain-punk” world. In IGN’s Gamescom preview, we called it a “stylish, flashy, and edgy action-RPG”. However, during IGN Japan’s Tokyo Game Show 2020 interview with producer Keita Iizuka and director Kenji Anabuki, we learned that there might be more to the RPG side of Scarlet Nexus than meets the eye. With Anabuki having worked on the Tales series for many years, this might not come as a surprise, and Iizuka says that while the game’s setting and battle system are completely new, he believes that Scarlet Nexus will be highly enjoyable for fans of the RPG genre. “Until now, we have mainly shown the game’s action parts, but of course there is also a rich story and you will be fighting along with other party members in typical RPG fashion.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/scarlet-nexus-the-first-preview"] “Since my origins as a developer lie in the RPG genre, I wanted to make sure to implement elements that I am experienced and confident with. So you can expect to enjoy story, character customization, communication between characters and such as well,” Anabuki told IGN Japan. Furthermore, Anabuki explains that the game will also incorporate exploration elements in which protagonist Yuito Sumeragi has to put his psychokinesis into practice outside of battle as well. All of this doesn’t change the fact that Scarlet Nexus’ battle system is fast-paced real-time action, but Anabuki mentions that it is balanced so that even players not used to playing action games should be able to enjoy and beat the game. You won’t be able to completely customize your own party, but you will be able to decide which party members you want to learn more about. By communicating with these characters, you can learn their backstories while they will obtain new abilities, which Yuito Sumeragi can use himself as well through a system called “brain link”. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=scarlet-nexus-preview-screenshots-and-art&captions=true"] During IGN Japan’s TGS live show, Iizuka and Anabuki also explained how Yuito Sumeragi’s psychokinesis allows the player to smash objects as big as a bus into your enemy, how the creepy looking monsters called the Others came to be, why they wanted to create a game that incorporates supernatural powers in the first place, and much more. Scarlet Nexus is in development for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter here!

During a Cyberpunk 2077 livestream at Tokyo Game Show 2020, Hiroshi Sakakibara, Environment City Coordinator at CD Projekt Red, shed some light on the design behind the game’s principal location, Night City. Sakakibara is responsible for the visual appearance of Night City as part of the Environment Art team at CDPR, which he said is a somewhat large team of dozens of people that builds the game equivalent of what would be sets and props in a movie. The team is subdivided into three smaller groups – the quest location team which is in charge of creating locations for quests together with the game designers, a team that creates smaller scale items, like furniture and garbage cans, that dot the environments, and the city team led by Sakakibara, which brings Night City to life by designing the streets, buildings and more that you will see in this vibrant city. When asked for his favorite spot in Night City, Sakakibara said that while just picking one location is difficult, his favorite area would have to be Japantown, an area that can be reached by crossing the canal from Retro China, the area in which protagonist V resides. “Japantown is a vibrant downtown area with many towering buildings, and while walking through the narrow alleys in the area these skyscrapers make it feel like you are walking through a futuristic valley,” he said. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/cyberpunk-2077-night-city-wire-episode-3"] According to Sakakibara, entering one of the skyscrapers in the area and then randomly getting off the elevator halfway, and walking the stairs from there is a truly dynamic experience. “You will see details like terrace seating, kiosks and other shops, people hanging out their clothes, somebody sitting at a balcony, a drone carrying goods and more.” Sakakibara said that looking down at the streets or up at the little bit of sky you can see between the skyscrapers is an enthralling experience which will make players realize that they have truly come to a cyberpunk mega city. But what is it that makes cyberpunk such a unique genre? Sakakibara said that Cyberpunk 2077’s director Adam Badowski repeatedly reminded the team that “an environment filled with things that look futuristic is not cyberpunk, but simply science fiction”. What makes the cyberpunk style special is how it combines retro and futuristic aspects. “For example, you could have a run down building with an old wooden door, but an LED light might be attached to that door, which could be a part of a high-tech security system,” he said. “Or maybe an old-fashioned diner could have a modern device that allows its customers to make orders.” According to Sakakibara, the team has mixed futuristic elements together with more familiar aspects in order to create an atmosphere that could only be described as cyberpunk. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-25-new-night-city-images&captions=true"] As for inspiration sources, Sakakibara mentioned that since Night City is located in California, the team looked at cities in California, especially their suburbs. Blade Runner, which Sakakibara called “the bible of all cyberpunk”, has been another obvious source of inspiration, while he mentioned the team has also learned from Japanese anime and manga in the genre, such as Akira and the Ghost in the Shell series. Regarding Night City’s buildings, Brutalist architecture, an architectural style that uses bricks and concrete which emerged in the 1950s, has played an important role in creating Night City as well. The rough and violent style of Brutalist architecture was something that the team saw as a good match with Night City’s suppressed nature, since the city is ruled by a mega corporation. Sakakibara said that “all the artists have put their everything into each single street and building you can see in Night City, so I hope you will enjoy exploring everything the city has to offer”. We don’t have much longer to wait – Cyberpunk 2077 releases on November 19 2019 for consoles and PC. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter here.

During a Cyberpunk 2077 livestream at Tokyo Game Show 2020, Hiroshi Sakakibara, Environment City Coordinator at CD Projekt Red, shed some light on the design behind the game’s principal location, Night City. Sakakibara is responsible for the visual appearance of Night City as part of the Environment Art team at CDPR, which he said is a somewhat large team of dozens of people that builds the game equivalent of what would be sets and props in a movie. The team is subdivided into three smaller groups – the quest location team which is in charge of creating locations for quests together with the game designers, a team that creates smaller scale items, like furniture and garbage cans, that dot the environments, and the city team led by Sakakibara, which brings Night City to life by designing the streets, buildings and more that you will see in this vibrant city. When asked for his favorite spot in Night City, Sakakibara said that while just picking one location is difficult, his favorite area would have to be Japantown, an area that can be reached by crossing the canal from Retro China, the area in which protagonist V resides. “Japantown is a vibrant downtown area with many towering buildings, and while walking through the narrow alleys in the area these skyscrapers make it feel like you are walking through a futuristic valley,” he said. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/cyberpunk-2077-night-city-wire-episode-3"] According to Sakakibara, entering one of the skyscrapers in the area and then randomly getting off the elevator halfway, and walking the stairs from there is a truly dynamic experience. “You will see details like terrace seating, kiosks and other shops, people hanging out their clothes, somebody sitting at a balcony, a drone carrying goods and more.” Sakakibara said that looking down at the streets or up at the little bit of sky you can see between the skyscrapers is an enthralling experience which will make players realize that they have truly come to a cyberpunk mega city. But what is it that makes cyberpunk such a unique genre? Sakakibara said that Cyberpunk 2077’s director Adam Badowski repeatedly reminded the team that “an environment filled with things that look futuristic is not cyberpunk, but simply science fiction”. What makes the cyberpunk style special is how it combines retro and futuristic aspects. “For example, you could have a run down building with an old wooden door, but an LED light might be attached to that door, which could be a part of a high-tech security system,” he said. “Or maybe an old-fashioned diner could have a modern device that allows its customers to make orders.” According to Sakakibara, the team has mixed futuristic elements together with more familiar aspects in order to create an atmosphere that could only be described as cyberpunk. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-25-new-night-city-images&captions=true"] As for inspiration sources, Sakakibara mentioned that since Night City is located in California, the team looked at cities in California, especially their suburbs. Blade Runner, which Sakakibara called “the bible of all cyberpunk”, has been another obvious source of inspiration, while he mentioned the team has also learned from Japanese anime and manga in the genre, such as Akira and the Ghost in the Shell series. Regarding Night City’s buildings, Brutalist architecture, an architectural style that uses bricks and concrete which emerged in the 1950s, has played an important role in creating Night City as well. The rough and violent style of Brutalist architecture was something that the team saw as a good match with Night City’s suppressed nature, since the city is ruled by a mega corporation. Sakakibara said that “all the artists have put their everything into each single street and building you can see in Night City, so I hope you will enjoy exploring everything the city has to offer”. We don’t have much longer to wait – Cyberpunk 2077 releases on November 19 2019 for consoles and PC. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter here.

A brand new heroine will be defending Gotham City in Batwoman: Season 2, and now we've gotten our first look at Javicia Leslie wearing the iconic Batsuit. Leslie posted the image on her Instagram account, showing what looks to be a screenshot of a costume test, along with the message, "Look out, Gotham, I'm suited up and ready to go... But just wait until Ryan Wilder puts her own spin on the Batsuit." It appears as though Leslie's character Ryan Wilder will be wearing the same Batsuit as Ruby Rose's Kate Kane (which itself is a modified version of the bulletproof suit originally worn by Bruce Wayne). But based on Leslie's message, we're guessing Ryan will eventually branch out and wear her own, personalized Batsuit. Hopefully Luke Fox or Cisco Ramon can hook her up with new duds. Previously, our only glimpse of the new Batwoman came in the form of a DC FanDome montage poster drawn by Jim Lee. You can see a fully suited-up Ryan Wilder in the lower left, amid dozens of other DC heroes from across the multiverse. [caption id="attachment_2412782" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Art by Jim Lee. (Image Credit: DC)[/caption] Like most of the current Arrowverse shows, Batwoman was forced to end its first season prematurely after production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly after the Season 1 finale, we learned original series star Ruby Rose won't be returning, with Rose citing the physical demands of the job and the back injury she suffered as reasons for wanting to move on. The CW eventually confirmed Leslie's Ryan Wilder will inherit the Batwoman mantle and Kate Kane herself won't be recast. Instead, Kate's sudden disappearance will be a major plot point in Season 2. Batwoman: Season 2 will begin in January 2021. Last we heard, the next Arrowverse crossover will unite Batwoman and new series Superman & Lois, though it's unclear if Rose's exit has changed those plans. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=crisis-on-infinite-earths-every-cameo-in-the-crossover&captions=true"] While we wait for more on the future of Batwoman, find out how the season finale (sort of) introduced the Arrowverse's Bruce Wayne, and brush up on all the big changes in the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

A brand new heroine will be defending Gotham City in Batwoman: Season 2, and now we've gotten our first look at Javicia Leslie wearing the iconic Batsuit. Leslie posted the image on her Instagram account, showing what looks to be a screenshot of a costume test, along with the message, "Look out, Gotham, I'm suited up and ready to go... But just wait until Ryan Wilder puts her own spin on the Batsuit." It appears as though Leslie's character Ryan Wilder will be wearing the same Batsuit as Ruby Rose's Kate Kane (which itself is a modified version of the bulletproof suit originally worn by Bruce Wayne). But based on Leslie's message, we're guessing Ryan will eventually branch out and wear her own, personalized Batsuit. Hopefully Luke Fox or Cisco Ramon can hook her up with new duds. Previously, our only glimpse of the new Batwoman came in the form of a DC FanDome montage poster drawn by Jim Lee. You can see a fully suited-up Ryan Wilder in the lower left, amid dozens of other DC heroes from across the multiverse. [caption id="attachment_2412782" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Art by Jim Lee. (Image Credit: DC)[/caption] Like most of the current Arrowverse shows, Batwoman was forced to end its first season prematurely after production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly after the Season 1 finale, we learned original series star Ruby Rose won't be returning, with Rose citing the physical demands of the job and the back injury she suffered as reasons for wanting to move on. The CW eventually confirmed Leslie's Ryan Wilder will inherit the Batwoman mantle and Kate Kane herself won't be recast. Instead, Kate's sudden disappearance will be a major plot point in Season 2. Batwoman: Season 2 will begin in January 2021. Last we heard, the next Arrowverse crossover will unite Batwoman and new series Superman & Lois, though it's unclear if Rose's exit has changed those plans. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=crisis-on-infinite-earths-every-cameo-in-the-crossover&captions=true"] While we wait for more on the future of Batwoman, find out how the season finale (sort of) introduced the Arrowverse's Bruce Wayne, and brush up on all the big changes in the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Amazon is warning customers that it may not be able to deliver Xbox Series X preorders in time for its November release date. Same as the PS5.