Larry Hryb’s latest episode of the Major Nelson podcast brought together Xbox boss Phil Spencer and Bethesda’s Todd Howard and Pete Hines in the first interview since Xbox announced it acquired Bethesda. And while the respective company heads still kept a lot of details close to the chest, there were some details about the upcoming Starfield and what the union means for the two companies. While Hryb primarily asked his panel of guests about the blockbuster deal where Xbox acquired all of ZeniMax Media — which includes Bethesda and studios like Arkane — Hryb did have a surprise question about the upcoming Starfield for Todd Howard. Hryb asked Howard if there is any new information the Bethesda game director could share about Starfield, the studio’s long-in-development space RPG. While Howard refrained from sharing too much, he did reveal that the project will be a “major engine rewrite” which will utilize the next-gen systems. “The people all know me, I like to wait as long as possible to show stuff so uh, we’re closer to show stuff than we were at the beginning of the conversation,” Howard joked. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/11/starfield-teaser-trailer-e3-2018"] Bethesda's Creation Engine was the focus of some controversy back in 2018 when Howard revealed its next-gen games like Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6 would be using the studio's proprietary game development tool. Though engines aren't static and are upgraded with new features and tools regularly. Other topics that were discussed include how the deal between Xbox and ZeniMax even happened, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer reiterated that it was all based on the long relationship between the two companies. “For us there’s this long-standing relationship of what does it mean for [Bethesda] to build what they’re trying to build on top of our platform that makes, in many instances, us feel like one team,” Spencer said. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] When asked if Spencer had any closing thoughts, he responded, “At a fundamental level our goal with every move that we make at Team Xbox is to enable you to play the games you want to play with the people you want to play with and where you want to play them.” Spencer added, “I just want people to know that these kinds of partnerships, these kinds of steps whether it’s a technology move or a partnership move with a studio like Bethesda, are all just about furthering our vision there. Of allowing more people to play, giving creators the best place to build the most amazing things they can build, and find the largest audience they can.” For more on the Xbox ZeniMax acquisition, check out IGN’s top takeaways from the deal, and our special Unlocked discussing the developments. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales will have an ultimate edition on PS5 that includes a remastered version of PS4's Marvel's Spider-Man, but there are currently no plans to offer the remaster as a standalone game for PS5 players. In a statement provided to IGN by a Sony representative, the company confirmed that the only ways to get Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered are by buying the Miles Morales Ultimate Edition for PS5. Additionally, if you buy Miles Morales for PS4, you can play the PS5 version of that game at no additional cost, and you can purchase an additional "paid-upgrade" to gain access to Spider-Man Remastered. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/spider-man-miles-morales-gameplay-trailer"] And while players will have the chance to play Marvel's Spider-Man on PS5 via backward compatibility, existing owners of the game on PS4 cannot upgrade or buy the remastered edition separately. Sony's full statement reads:

“Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered is an enhanced version of Marvel’s Spider-Man, and is included as part of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition for the PlayStation 5. In addition, players who purchase Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PlayStation 4 can upgrade* at no additional cost to the PS5 version of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and can take advantage of a paid-upgrade to download Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered. There are no plans currently to offer Marvel's-Spider-Man: Remastered as a standalone. Players with a copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 can purchase Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition to experience Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered on PS5.  Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 also will be backwards compatible on PS5. *Owners of the Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales PS4 game disc can access this offer by inserting the disc into their PS5 console. PS4 game disc owners who buy the PS5 Digital Edition disc-free console will not be able to access this offer.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-game-and-announcement-featured-in-the-playstation-5-showcase-event&captions=true"] This seems to line up with the remaster being treated, essentially, as a new game, especially as we know it will include its own PlayStation trophy list, and feature new costumes, updated textures, facial animations, character models, more cars and pedestrians, and DualSense support. Developer Insomniac Games also recently confirmed that Spider-Man: Remastered would not have a physical release, nor would saves carry over to the remaster, and we also recently learned the file size for Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS5. Earlier this month, Sony confirmed Spider-Man: Miles Morales will launch with the PS5 on November 12, and will also be available for PS4. For more on the upcoming adventure, be sure to read IGN's explainer on the story, villains, and more from Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and read our Spider-Man PS4 review. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/04/marvels-spider-man-ps4-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor and host of Podcast Beyond! Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Disney has pushed nearly all of its 2020 film releases to 2021 with the exception of Free Guy and Pixar's Soul. The release date changes affect the first wave of openings for films in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the expected delay of Black Widow from November to next May. Black Widow's new May 7, 2021 date is almost exactly year after its original May 1, 2020 release date. The COVID-19 pandemic first prompted Disney to push Black Widow to November 6th and, well, here we are. It was reported in March, via an unnamed Marvel insider, that "pushing Black Widow affects nothing on the MCU timeline." Here is the full list of Disney release date changes:

• DEATH ON THE NILE (20th) previously dated on 10/23/20 moves to 12/18/20
• THE EMPTY MAN (20th) previously dated on 12/4/20 moves to 10/23/20
• BLACK WIDOW (Disney) previously dated on 11/6/20 moves to 5/7/21
• ETERNALS (Disney) previously dated on 2/12/21 moves to 11/5/21
• SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (Disney) previously dated on 5/7/21 moves to 7/9/21
• UNTITLED DISNEY EVENT FILM (Disney) previously dated on 7/9/21 is removed from schedule
• DEEP WATER (20th) previously dated on 11/13/20 moves to 8/13/21
• UNTITLED 20TH CENTURY (20th) previously dated on 8/13/21 is removed from schedule
• WEST SIDE STORY (20th) previously dated on 12/18/20 moves to 12/10/21
• THE KING’S MAN (20th) previously dated on 2/26/21 moves to 2/12/21

Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story has also been pushed almost exactly a year, from a holiday 2020 release to a holiday 2021 slot. Disney didn't explain why it's keeping the Ryan Reynolds video game action-comedy Free Guy and Pixar's Soul on their late 2020 release schedule. There had been speculation that Soul might be shifted to Disney+ instead of theatrical following Mulan and the early release of Pixar's Onward on the streaming service. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/mcu-timeline-reportedly-wont-be-affected-by-black-widow-delay"]

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss have opened up about their decision to leave Lady Stoneheart out of the HBO series. Entertainment Weekly reports that Benioff and Weiss shared the reasons behind the fan-favourite character's absence from the show in the upcoming book Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, a definitive oral history of the blockbuster series that answers some of the biggest questions that fans of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga have had about the small-screen adaptation. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/23/george-r-r-martin-gives-an-update-on-the-winds-of-winter"] While the Game of Thrones' duo claimed that there had never really been "much debate" about whether to include Lady Stoneheart, they both shared some very definitive reasons for her exclusion from the show, as they admitted that their insider knowledge of Martin's pre-planned storylines played a role in their decision to cut the character from the series. "Part of the reason we didn't want to put it in had to do with things coming up in George's books that we don't want to spoil [by discussing them]," Benioff explained, without divulging any details about the events that may have halted her appearance. On the subject of storylines, Benioff and Weiss explained how upcoming events in the show's scripts also had an impact on which direction to take with individual characters, as they had already established ahead of time what was coming up in the later seasons and wanted to ensure that other events didn't weaken future storylines. "We knew we had Jon Snow's resurrection coming up," Benioff said, speaking about the show's various character arcs. "Too many resurrections start to diminish the impact of characters' dying. We wanted to keep our powder dry for that." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-game-of-thrones-review-so-far&captions=true"] In their final reason for omitting Lady Stoneheart, the Game of Thrones showrunners referenced the traumatic Red Wedding scene, as they explained how the moments that played out in that episode provided the most powerful ending for Catelyn, so to then "bring her back as a zombie who doesn't speak felt like diminishing returns." Of course, fans of the books had expected to see the character appear in Game of Thrones' Season 4 finale but instead, the top-rated episode delivered a ton of other violent twists and turns. For more about the show's dragons, duels, and dads, take a look back at the 11 best moments from Season 4 or watch our five-minute roundup of all the action. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is getting a TV spinoff, with John Cena's character Peacemaker starring in his own HBO Max series. Cena will reprise his role for the show, which has been given a straight-to-series order by HBO Max. Gunn is writing the series and directing several episodes. Gunn confirmed the Peacemaker series news on Twitter and revealed he'll be executive producing the series alongside The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran. Cena will also co-executive produce. Peacemaker will be produced by Gunn’s Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros. Television. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-suicide-squad-2021-74-new-images&captions=true"] HBO Max also sent out this comic book-style teaser image for the series, which should give you some idea of the irreverent tone Gunn and company are going for: Cena's The Suicide Squad character was revealed along with the rest of the cast at DC Fandome in August. Peacemaker is a militant pacifist, one so devoted to the idea of peace he'll kill any man, woman, or child in order to obtain it. In other words, he's not the brightest bulb in the DC Universe. “Peacemaker is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag," said Gunn in a press release. "I’m excited to expand The Suicide Squad and bring this character from the DC film universe to the full breadth of a series. And of course, to be able to work again with John, Peter, and my friends at Warner Bros. is the icing on the cake.” “I have said before that it has been a tremendous honor and an incredible opportunity to be part of The Suicide Squad and to work with James on what is going to be a fantastic movie," said Cena. "I am unbelievably excited to have the chance to team up with him again for Peacemaker. We can’t wait for fans to see this.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/22/the-suicide-squad-official-cast-reveal"] This news comes a few months after HBO Max announced a Gotham PD prequel series connected to Matt Reeves' The Batman. Gotham PD will take place a year before the events of that movie and shed more light on the vast criminal conspiracy linking many powerful Gothamites. These two announcements certainly seem to suggest a larger trend at WarnerMedia. Will other DC movies like The Flash also receive companion series on HBO Max? Does this imply that upcoming HBO Max series like JJ Abrams' Justice League Dark and Greg Berlanti's Green Lantern Corps will be tied to the DCEU? Time will tell. The Suicide Squad is currently scheduled for release on August 6, 2021. [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.

The closest asteroid to pass by Earth in a year is set to fly by on Thursday – but don't worry, it will safely pass us. This asteroid, which is roughly the size of a school bus at 15 to 30 feet wide, according to a report from the Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, will make its closest approach to our planet on September 24, but fear not – Earth is in the clear. This is because when the asteroid flies by, it will still be roughly 22,000 miles away. The asteroid might, however, break apart while passing through the atmosphere, at which point, it could become a bright meteor known as a fireball. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] "There are a large number of tiny asteroids like this one, and several of them approach our planet as close as this several times every year," director of the institute's Center of Near-Earth Object Studies Paul Chodas said. "In fact, asteroids of this size impact our atmosphere at an average of about once every year or two." This asteroid, which has since been named 2020 SW, was spotted by scientists at the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona on September 18. At that time, its trajectory wasn't known, but further studies allowed the scientists at the Catalina Sky Survey to determine its orbital trajectory, which is when danger to Earth was ruled out. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/10/scientists-have-revealed-the-first-photo-of-a-black-hole"] The closest approach will happen at 4:12 a.m. PDT / 7:12 a.m. EDT / 12:12 p.m. BST on September 24 over the southeastern Pacific Ocean. The asteroid won't return to near Earth until 2041 after it makes a full journey around the sun. It's expected to not come nearly as close to Earth as it'll be on Thursday, when it returns in the future. For some additional science news, be sure to read about the possible signs of life detected on Venus and then read about how scientists detected extragalactic radio signals back in February. You can also check out this story about how some scientists have claimed evidence of a parallel universe where time runs backward. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Following some hands-on time with non-functioning display Xbox Series X and Series S consoles in which we compared them to every other console we could find (see the gallery below), Microsoft has sent us a real Xbox Series X along with a Series X controller. This is a near-final preview unit, but it works. We'll have a lot more coverage for you in the coming days and weeks, but in the meantime you can get a first look at the real thing in the video above. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-series-s-and-series-x-comparison-photos&captions=true"] If you haven't been able to get an Xbox Series X (or S) preorder yet, don't give up and keep trying! Here's a list of retailers to check, all in one handy location. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

Ahead of its PulseCon fan event this weekend, Hasbro unveiled 4 figures in Wave 1 of its Transformers: Generations War for Cybertron: Kingdom line. Basically, if you grew up a fan of Transformers: Beast Wars, you're about to get your nostalgia wishes for new figures granted. Hasbro revealed Rattrap, Cheetor, Cyclonus and T-Rex Megatron. Check out the first wave in the gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=transformers-generations-war-for-cybertron-kingdom&captions=true"] War for Cybertron: Kingdom is the third and final chapter in the War for Cybertron trilogy, more details of which will be revealed this weekend during Hasbro PulseCon beginning at 10 AM ET and streaming live on YouTube. The figures themselves are scheduled to release January 1, 2021. However, they'll be available for preorder beginning September 26 at Hasbro Pulse and "most major toy retailers." The first 6 episodes of the Transformers: War for Cybertron series hit Netflix at the end of July after a COVID-19 related delay, and it's great. In our Transformers: War for Cybertron review, we called it "an action packed and insightful adventure." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Seth Macy is Executive Editor, IGN Commerce, and just wants to be your friend. Find him on Instagram at sethgmacy.

Larian has had to postpone the launch of the Baldur's Gate 3 early access build by six days in order to allow further testing and translation work. The new release date is now October 6, which the studio is - in a change from earlier dates - adamant that it will hit. In a statement on Twitter, Larian explained that the live development of Baldur's Gate 3 has meant that just under a week of extra preparations need to be made in order for this early access build to be ready for players. "We're nearly there but we had a few unexpected delays, and we still have some stability issues we're sifting through," says the statement.

We have bad news, and good news. But first, the bad news! We're delaying to October 6, by a week. We'll be back later today with the romance & companionship update to pick you all up again. pic.twitter.com/j2NOEk4jAi

— Baldur's Late (@larianstudios) September 23, 2020

Because of those unexpected delays, the game has been sent for translation later than expected. Larian wishes the localisation to be strong enough for "international fans to have a good time", and so extra time is needed to get that work done, too. The game also has to pass the World Tester, which Larian describes as a "sort of AI super-gamer that plays through the game at incredible speed, stress testing everything and pushing it to its limits". While there's still work to do, Larain has - for the first time in regards to a date for Baldur's Gate 3 - set the release in stone. "Early Access is going to launch on October 6th on Stadia, Steam, and GOG. It is. It really is," the statement reads. No 'maybe' in sight. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/18/baldurs-gate-3-intellect-devourer-gameplay-clip"] In addition, Larian has also published the minimum and recommended PC system requirements for Baldur's Gate 3. The developer notes that the requirements may decrease over the early access period as performance is improved. Minimum:

• Processor: Intel i5-4690 / AMD FX 4350
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GTX 780 / AMD Radeon R9 280X
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 70 GB available space

Recommended:

• Processor: Intel i7 4770k / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB / AMD RX580
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 70 GB available space

For more, check out our recent interview with the game's senior writer about how Baldur's Gate 3 is honoring and evolving the classic series, and several things we've learned from one of the recent gameplay reveals. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writers.

Black Mirror alum Toby Haynes has been recruited to direct the first three episodes of the Star Wars: Rogue One prequel series focused on Cassian Andor after Tony Gilroy stepped down from the role. According to Deadline, Gilroy decided to relinquish his directorial duties to Haynes after considering the complications that he would face travelling between New York and the U.K. during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With the series set to be shot in the U.K., Haynes stepped in to helm the opening episodes of the Disney+ series while Gilroy remains on board as showrunner and executive producer. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/12/the-history-of-star-wars-on-tv-from-the-holiday-special-to-disney-plus"] Haynes is a prominent British TV director who is well known for helming the Emmy-winning episode "USS Callister" from Season 4 of Black Mirror, together with his notable work on episodes of Doctor Who and Sherlock. The report notes that Haynes featured high up on the shortlist of directors to helm future episodes of Disney's upcoming Cassian Andor series, so he was quickly drafted in as the replacement. As of right now, little else is known about the Cassian Andor series, including the official title or a firm premiere release date. However, we do know that Diego Luna will reprise his titular role, along with Alan Tudyk as the voice of sardonic assassin droid K-2SO. VFX supervisor Neal Scanlan has also hinted that the series might re-purpose unused characters/creatures from past Star Wars projects. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=rogue-one-17-cool-star-wars-details-revealed-by-the-writers&captions=true"] The series is confirmed to take place five years before the events of Rogue One and explore Cassian's role in the growing Rebel Alliance. It joins a growing list of Star Wars content at Disney, including the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian, an Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff series, starring Ewan McGregor, and a LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.