DC's raunchy, adults-only Harley Quinn animated series will return for a third season. However, you'll only be able to watch it on HBO Max. This renewal comes as DC has also finally confirmed what many fans have been suspecting for a while - the DC Universe streaming platform as we know it is going away. The service isn't being shuttered entirely, but will instead be re-branded as "DC Universe Infinite." The new service will emphasize DC's library of 24,000 digital comics, while HBO Max will become the sole home for Harley Quinn and other former DCU-exclusive shows like Young Justice, Titans and Doom Patrol. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=harley-quinn-new-gotham-gallery&captions=true"] No other details are available about Harley Quinn: Season 3 yet, though it's probably safe to assume Kaley Cuoco will return to voice the title character and executive-produce the series. Other executive producers in Seasons 1 and 2 included Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, Dean Lorey and Sam Register. While DC hasn't revealed when Harley Quinn: Season 3 might debut, we do know the DC Universe Infinite relaunch will take place on January 21, 2021 (with a global launch to follow later). The service will continue to offer access to DC's full digital comics library and unlimited offline downloads. DC's current print comics will now be added to the service six months after their original release rather than the current 12 month cycle. DC will also begin releasing exclusive comic book content on DC Universe Infinite, along with the ability to read digital-first titles like Batman: Gotham Nights and Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red before they debut on other platforms. DC will also offer members-only access to various fan events, likely building on the recent success of the DC FanDome virtual event. “Our fans love the platform’s robust library of comic books and, with the transformation, we will not disappoint,” said DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee in a statement. “I’m excited to share that not only will DC UNIVERSE INFINITE members still be able to read all of the great comics that they’ve enjoyed but new issues are debuting on the platform quicker than before, digital first exclusives are being created, and the members-only events will begin as soon as possible. There has never been a better time to be a DC fan!” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/14/dc-universe-review-is-the-subscription-service-worth-the-price"] DC Universe Infinite will retain the same pricing scheme as the current DC Universe platform, at $7.99 per month or $75 for an annual subscription. Current subscribers will be automatically rolled over to DC Universe Infinite and will be rewarded with vouchers for the DC Shop ($10 for monthly subscribers and $25 for annual pass holders) in February 2021. Let us know in the comments below if you plan on maintaining your subscription after the relaunch. In IGN's review for Harley Quinn: Season 1, we said, "If shows like Swamp Thing and Titans are too deathly serious for your liking, Harley Quinn hits like a breath of fresh air. This series provides a very goofy take on the DCU and its costumed denizens, one that shares much in common with the sorely missed Batman: The Brave and the Bold." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/26/harley-quinn-series-premiere-review"] In other DC Universe news, Doom Patrol was recently greenlit for a third season, while we learned Titans: Season 3 will add several iconic Batman characters. You can also check out our theories about what Young Justice: Phantoms might be about. [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.

Update: A federal judge has blocked the White House's ban on TikTok downloads in the United States just hours before the ban was set to take effect on Sunday night. Washington D.C. District Judge Carl Nichols agreed to TikTok's request for a temporary injunction against the U.S. ban after claiming that the Trump administration "likely exceeded the lawful bounds" of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. This is the Act the administration used to justify its ban on TikTok. Nichols cited how the IEEPA does not give the president any authority to ban "the importation or exportation of 'information or informational materials" or "personal communication, which do [] not involve a transfer of anything of value." Furthermore, Nichols sided with TikTok when the video app argued the ban will cause "irreparable economic and reputational harm" to the app as another reason to temporarily halt the ban. TikTok is still under threat of effectively shutting down by November 12 if a deal to sell its U.S. operations isn't complete by that deadline. TikTok asked Nichols for relief on that front as well, but Nichols said that matter should be handled by another proceeding. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Original Story: The Department of Commerce has ordered that downloads for mobile apps TikTok and WeChat be banned in the US from Sunday. American users will not be able to download the apps after September 20. Those with the apps already downloaded will still be able to use them, but they won't be able to access any future updates for TikTok or WeChat, which may damage their functionality. The apps will be fully banned and made illegal on November 12 if President Trump's security concerns with TikTok and WeChat are not resolved by that date. Oracle was recently negotiating to become TikTok's 'trusted tech partner' in the U.S. - if that deal goes ahead, the ban can be reversed. You can read the full release from the Department of Commerce here, in which Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross details the reasons behind the order. According to Ross, this order has been issued to "safeguard the national security of the United States." "The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the U.S. Today’s announced prohibitions when combined, protect users in the U.S. by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality." This move follows Executive Orders signed by Trump in August which sought to block TikTok and WeChat's operations in the US if they were not sold by their Chinese-owned parent companies, ByteDance and Tencent. Microsoft was in discussions to purchase TikTok in the United States after the app fell under scrutiny from the Trump administration. Microsoft has since said that TikTok operator ByteDance would not sell them its US operations. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Nintendistas (Brazilian Nintendo fans) were delighted with some long-awaited news on August 19th. On its official Twitter account, Nintendo of America announced that the Switch is coming soon to Brazil - Nintendo’s first official release in the country since it ceased operations in the country back in 2015. The official launch of the Nintendo Switch in Brazil arrives today, September 18, 2020, for the suggested price of 2,999 real - which is equivalent to about $567 USD. The announcement shared on social media was accompanied by an image of Switch’s standard version, leading fans to correctly guess that this model would be the only one to arrive in the country at launch. That information was confirmed by Bill van Zyll, Nintendo’s General Manager of Latin America, who added that the Pro Controller and Joy-Con will also arrive at launch, and that the Lite model will follow in 2021.

Greetings to all the Brazilian Nintendo fans out there! We’re excited to announce that #NintendoSwitch will be coming soon to Brazil!

Stay tuned to these channels for more info: Facebook: https://t.co/dQwMX6PHP3 Instagram: https://t.co/Sp4HJFQA63 pic.twitter.com/0Ri5a8Vj6l — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 19, 2020

How did Brazilians have access to Nintendo products up until now?

While there is a large gray market for Switch consoles and a system to buy games digitally, it has been five years since Nintendo stopped official sales of its products in Brazil. Upon ceasing its operations in 2015, the company stated that its model of distribution in the country had become unsustainable due to “challenges in the local business environment”, such as “high import taxes”. Because of that, Nintendo fans in Brazil missed out on physical editions of major releases such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Pokémon Sun & Moon, as well as the New Nintendo 2DS XL. Nintendo first established a distribution model in Brazil back in 1993, when the company established a partnership with Gradiente and Estrela – which merged to become Playtronic. The enterprise assembled consoles domestically – to avoid high import tax payments – and translated printed materials, like manuals and packaging. At that time, clone NES and SNES consoles were so popular that the official releases struggled to outsell the fake ones. For more than two decades, Nintendo maintained some of its logistics in the country, changing its local distributors from time to time. Distribution was cut short for two years during the GameCube era, between 2004 and 2006 – however, the biggest gap started when the company ceased its contract with Gaming do Brasil in 2015. For the past five years up to 2020, the only way that Brazilians could buy Nintendo products was through the gray market. Retailers and specialized stores had to directly import consoles, peripherals and games and, because of that, there weren’t fixed prices and some products had prices considered excessive – a gray market Switch would sell for up to 4000 real ($756 USD). Many players found buying abroad or importing themselves a more viable option. [caption id="attachment_2409023" align="alignnone" width="2362"] Nintendo's booth at Brasil Game Show 2019.[/caption] Indeed, these gray market prices make the new official price of 2,999 real seem much more reasonable. For comparison, this is the same price as the PlayStation 4 Pro in Brazil; the standard PS4 sells for 2,000-2,500 real, about $378-$470 USD. It was only in 2018 that Nintendo took steps towards being closer to South America’s regional market again. During that year’s E3, the company revealed exclusively to IGN Brasil that it was planning to launch Loja Nintendo, a website from which fans can buy download codes of Switch games using local currency. Loja Nintendo has since had its catalog expanded and is now releasing games more quickly, in addition to offering pre-sale services. However, the catalog does not include all titles released on the Switch, and games like Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Spiritfarer are not available. At Brasil Game Show (BGS) 2018, the company announced a partnership with a local retail store to sell Nintendo Switch prepaid game cards, for those players who had imported a console. Nintendo also had a booth at BGS 2019, which further stoked the hopes of fans. Brazilian fans still don’t have a fully functional eShop – the app includes no browsable catalog or any other feature besides redeeming codes for digital versions of games. Other issues that Nintendistas face are related to technical assistance. Nintendo has only one certified repair center in the whole country, which is located in the city of São Paulo. Therefore, if a player wants their Joy-Con drift problem fixed, they will have to send it or come to the city themselves. [caption id="attachment_2409032" align="alignnone" width="2362"] Nintendo's booth at Brasil Game Show 2019.[/caption]

How will the Switch arrive in Brazil?

According to van Zyll, when the Switch is officially released Nintendo will keep its operating system “simple” at first. The company will be working with two distributors – Rcell and Ingram Micro – as well as big retailers such as Lojas Americanas, Magazine Luiza and Submarino. This pared-down approach is intended to avoid the problems that led Nintendo to exit Brazil back in 2015. “We tried different approaches that seemed to be right at that time [2015], but we ran into different issues or different challenges in each case,” says van Zyll. “So, what we did this time is we took another step back and we really looked at it and we went with a model which is simple, direct, straightforward and something that we think will work and something that we think we can build on.” At this point, the company still has a long way to go to fully establish itself in Brazil. Economist Roberto Dumas believes that the reactivation of Nintendo’s operation in the country will cause an overall improvement in customer’s lives, but he also has words of caution. “One thing is for certain: This will improve fans’ well-being; otherwise, there would be no reason,” he says. “Brazil is a great consumerist market: 68% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is made by domestic consumption. We love to spend money, and Nintendo most certainly has noticed that people are buying more of their products during the pandemic, so they must have decided to not lose this good opportunity to invest here. However, don’t get your hopes too high, because now is not the time to establish a robust operation.” [caption id="attachment_2409026" align="alignnone" width="2362"] Nintendo's booth at Brasil Game Show 2019.[/caption]

Why now?

So, why return to Brazil now, five years after exiting the market and during a global pandemic? Van Zyll tells us, “This has been in the works for a while. This did not happen overnight. We've been working at this for some time, really, for years, and we took our steps, our deliberate steps, which is how Nintendo works.” According to the executive, the Brazilian market is very important for Nintendo. He explains that "Brazil is one of the top 10 economies in the world, it has 210 million consumers, and it’s the largest gaming market in Latin America." Van Zyll also mentions the passion of the Brazilian fans, the Nintendistas: "While we've been out there working and trying to get ready for this, we’ve continually heard from the Nintendistas. And I’ll tell you, every time I go to Brazil, I have a chance to talk to people and just that the passion, the love that people have for Nintendo it is just so... it really hits you! It's quite an experience. I think it's really unique." He adds: "Please don't confuse us getting late to Brazil as Nintendo not caring, because we absolutely do." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Helena Nogueira is a writer for IGN Brasil.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 will show new gameplay next year, with the most recent internal build offering "hours of gameplay and an incredible level of freedom in a seamless online sandbox". Following the retirement of director Michel Ancel from the games industry, senior producer Guillaume Brunier provided an update on the game, reassuring fans that the BG&E director hasn't been directly involved in the game for some time, and explaining that the game has passed important internal milestones. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/11/beyond-good-and-evil-2-trailer-breakdown-with-ubisoft-montpellier-e3-2018"] The key milestone has been a playable build of the game, which Brunier says, "proves our Space Pirate Fantasy and offers hours of gameplay and an incredible level of freedom in a seamless online sandbox, building upon the promise of our tech demos shown at E3. I’m incredibly proud of the team’s perseverance, dedication to each other and ongoing commitment to developing an amazing game." Along with the update, we also got a new piece of art for the game, which you can see below: The next milestone is to show the game in action "sometime next year". Brunier explains that he understands fans' eagerness to hear more (especially after the game seemingly vanished), but says, "we will take the time needed to get it right. We want to go beyond the high expectations you have of us, and that we have for ourselves." Lead studio Ubisoft Montpellier has brought on Ubisoft Paris as a partner on the game, and Brunier says the team is continuing to hire for new roles. No announcement has been made as to who will succeed Ancel as the director of the game. Brunier made clear his appreciation for the work that the creator put in: "For years, Michel imparted his creative vision and helped us remain faithful to BG&E’s incredible universe. His uncompromising passion pushed us to redefine what was possible in crafting an expansive, multicultural, and futuristic science-fiction world. As we move forward, we are all committed to remaining true to this vision." This marks the first major update we've had on the incredibly ambitious RPG for some time - here's everything we know so far. [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.

Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe has acquired Montreal studio Reflector Entertainment, which recently revealed its game Unknown 9: Awakening during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2020. According to a press release, this is part of Bandai Namco's strategy to "build Western development capabilities" as the publisher plans to develop "50% of its content outside of Japan." Reflector Entertainment was founded in 2016 and employs 120 AAA industry veterans. The studio's ambition is to build what it calls 'Storyworlds,' transmedia experiences that "people can interact with across a variety of media, including videogames, novels, podcasts, movies and more." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=unknown-9-awakening-screenshots-and-exclusive-concept-art&captions=true"] The studio's first Storyworld is Unknown 9, a "paranormal mystery" about a set of 9 immortal beings that "hold the keys to humanity's greatest mysteries." The story of Unknown 9 will unfold across a variety of platforms, with a novel trilogy, a scripted podcast and a comic book series available now. It's said that this acquisition will help Reflector "deepen its transmedia vision" for the Unknown 9 project. Unknown 9: Awakening is a 3rd-person, narrative-driven action-adventure game that will reside within this universe, and is headed to PC and next-gen consoles. If you want to check out some exclusive concept art and learn more details about the game, you can check out our interview with the developers here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Michael Ancel, creator of Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil, has said he's leaving the world of video games to open a wildlife sanctuary - but assured fans that work on Wild and Beyond Good & Evil 2 will continue without him. Posting on Instagram, the director wrote: "Today is very special for me. After more than 30 years, I’ve decided to stop working on video games and fully focus on my second passion : Wild Life ! My new project takes place in the real world and consists in a wild life open sanctuary dedicated to education , nature lovers and ... wild animals." Addressing his currently ongoing projects, Ancel reassured fans: "Many of you might want to know what will happen to Wild and BGE2. No worries, since many months now the teams are autonomous and the projects are going super well. Beautiful things to be seen soon." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/14-games-that-seemingly-vanished"] Wild was first announced in 2014, with Ancel setting up a brand new studio to create the open-world PlayStation exclusive. It's been very quiet for a long time, but we saw the game get an unexpected art update earlier this year as the developer continues to hire for the project. Beyond Good & Evil 2 was also first announced in 2014, but wasn't officially revealed until E3 2017. The incredibly ambitious RPG sequel to the cult classic original aims to offer "a seamless multi-planet world populated by dynamically-generated characters, with unique stories being told and optional social interaction throughout." In an update on Beyond Good & Evil 2, senior producer Guillaume Brunier wrote: "For years, Michel imparted his creative vision and helped us remain faithful to BG&E’s incredible universe. His uncompromising passion pushed us to redefine what was possible in crafting an expansive, multicultural, and futuristic science-fiction world. As we move forward, we are all committed to remaining true to this vision." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/11/beyond-good-and-evil-2-trailer-breakdown-with-ubisoft-montpellier-e3-2018"] An Ubisoft press release also pays tribute to the director:

"Today Ubisoft announces that Michel Ancel has chosen to leave the video game industry after an exceptional career spanning more than 30 years. A nature-lover, Michel has been working on a personal project dedicated to the protection of wildlife for a long time. This project, a wildlife sanctuary in the region of Montpellier, France, is now growing in scope, and he wishes to put his full effort into this longstanding passion. Michel is at the origin of some of Ubisoft and the video game industry’s most beloved franchises, including Rayman, the Raving Rabbids and Beyond Good and Evil, whose second opus, Beyond Good and Evil 2 is currently in development. The teams at Ubisoft Montpellier are currently focusing on the main stages of production, aligned with the vision set out by Michel. They will have more to share with their community of fans in the months to come. We would like to thank Michel for the incredible creative vision he has brought to Ubisoft over the course of his career, and wish him all the best for this new venture."

Ancel rose to fame as the creator of Rayman, and has helped create every mainline game in the series, going on to helm Beyond Good & Evil and the video game adaptation of Peter Jackson's King Kong. We've contacted Wild Sheep Studio for comment. [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.

Sony has said that the company doesn't plan to bring its new first-party games to a Game Pass-like subscription service because it wouldn't be "sustainable." Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan broke the news in an interview with GamesIndustry.Biz. The interview noted the surprising reveal of the PlayStation Plus Collection during the PS5 conference, which will bring a library of the PS4's best games to the console, available to PlayStation Plus subscribers for free. In light of this news, Ryan was asked whether PlayStation might follow Microsoft's lead in bringing all of its future first-party games to a subscription service upon the day of release. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/ps5-release-date-trailer"] "For us, having a catalogue of games is not something that defines a platform," Ryan told GamesIndustry.Biz. "Our pitch, as you've heard, is 'new games, great games.' We have had this conversation before -- we are not going to go down the road of putting new releases titles into a subscription model. These games cost many millions of dollars, well over $100 million, to develop. We just don't see that as sustainable." Ryan added that Sony's ambition is to make games "bigger and better, and hopefully at some stage more persistent." A day-one first-party subscription model like Game Pass wouldn't suit that ambition for PlayStation. "We want to expand and grow our existing ecosystem, and putting new games into a subscription model just doesn't sit with that." In other PS5 news, Ryan recently told Famitsu that the PS5 won't be backwards compatible with PS3, PS2 or PS1 games. You can also check out our list of all the PlayStation 5 launch games to prepare you for the console's November release. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.