Tyler "Ninja" Blevins announced that he will begin streaming on YouTube Gaming following the news that Microsoft will shut down Mixer. His first stream on YouTube ever premiered today, July 8. Ninja left Twitch in 2019 to join Mixer, but since the service will no longer exist at the end of July, all eyes were on Ninja to see whether he would return to Twitch or choose another platform. Ninja reportedly declined to join Facebook's streaming service. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ninja-career-highlights&captions=true"] Ninja made waves back in 2019 when he announced that he signed a deal with Microsoft to stream exclusively on Mixer. However, Microsoft has since announced that it will be shutting down Mixer and redirect streamers to Facebook instead. The news that Mixer was shutting down created tremors throughout the world of internet streaming. Partnered Mixer streamers were offered immediate partner status with Facebook Gaming, but for many other streamers it was a sudden and swift loss of both a platform and potential income. Meanwhile, Ninja, who reportedly signed an exclusivity deal rumored to be worth millions, declined to sign a similar deal with Facebook Gaming. He's since largely stuck to posting videos and updates on his YouTube channel. Ninja rose the prominence with the advent of Fortnite Battle Royale. Despite being a pro Halo player for years, Ninja's career exploded alongside the popularity of Epic's battle royale shooter. Ninja has since become one of the most recognizable video game streamer, and has made inroads into mainstream culture with appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Amazon is set to release a short film centred on Karl Urban's Billy Butcher as a "companion piece" to The Boys season 2. In an interview with Collider, series showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that the second episode of the forthcoming season was originally supposed to show what happened to Butcher off-screen in-between seasons. However, the footage was eventually cut due to pacing issues and repackaged into a short film to be released "sometime in the middle of the release of the [next] series." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/amazons-the-boys-season-2-official-teaser"] "We are going to release a pretty substantial thing," Kripke said. "It's not really spoiling anything to say that as season two begins Butcher is MIA and then shows up. In episode two, we originally shot something that really revealed where he went and what his experiences were, but it ultimately didn't end up fitting that well into the episode because it made Butcher's story a lot less mysterious and intriguing." "It was better to not know in that particular episode but we had these scenes," he explained further. "So we strung them into a short film called 'Butcher,' and we're going to release that... it'll work as a companion piece to the show. There's actually references in the show that you won't understand unless you see this thing because it was really tied into our plot." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=amazons-the-boys-9-surprising-differences-from-the-comics&captions=true"] Earlier today, Amazon Prime Video debuted the official teaser trailer for The Boys Season 2, alongside a new poster of the show's "wanted" cast members who are shown to be running from the law in the aftermath of the events from season one. The Boys Season 2 will premiere its first three episodes worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on September 4, 2020, with the remaining five episodes airing every Friday right the way through to the show's season finale on October 9, 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Amazon is set to release a short film centred on Karl Urban's Billy Butcher as a "companion piece" to The Boys season 2. In an interview with Collider, series showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that the second episode of the forthcoming season was originally supposed to show what happened to Butcher off-screen in-between seasons. However, the footage was eventually cut due to pacing issues and repackaged into a short film to be released "sometime in the middle of the release of the [next] series." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/amazons-the-boys-season-2-official-teaser"] "We are going to release a pretty substantial thing," Kripke said. "It's not really spoiling anything to say that as season two begins Butcher is MIA and then shows up. In episode two, we originally shot something that really revealed where he went and what his experiences were, but it ultimately didn't end up fitting that well into the episode because it made Butcher's story a lot less mysterious and intriguing." "It was better to not know in that particular episode but we had these scenes," he explained further. "So we strung them into a short film called 'Butcher,' and we're going to release that... it'll work as a companion piece to the show. There's actually references in the show that you won't understand unless you see this thing because it was really tied into our plot." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=amazons-the-boys-9-surprising-differences-from-the-comics&captions=true"] Earlier today, Amazon Prime Video debuted the official teaser trailer for The Boys Season 2, alongside a new poster of the show's "wanted" cast members who are shown to be running from the law in the aftermath of the events from season one. The Boys Season 2 will premiere its first three episodes worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on September 4, 2020, with the remaining five episodes airing every Friday right the way through to the show's season finale on October 9, 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Amazon Prime Video has debuted an official teaser trailer for The Boys Season 2, alongside a new poster of the show's "wanted" cast members. The new trailer opens with a small fleet of military vehicles embarking on a "multi-state manhunt" for Billy Butcher and his known associates who are on the run from the law, as they desperately try to regroup and fight back against Vought and the Superheroes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/amazons-the-boys-season-2-official-teaser"] A quick montage of clips in the trailer reveals that Butcher's "plan" to overcome these threats involves some signature blood-crushing violence, explosive distractions, and scream-inducing speedboat escapes. Meanwhile, Stormfront, the newest member of The Seven, arrives on the scene threatening to disrupt the status quo and cause problems for Homelander, as she unleashes her super-powerful plasma bolt capabilities. Alongside the action-packed new trailer, Amazon released a blood-splattered one-sheet of "wanted" posters for Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), Frenchie (Tomer Kapon), and Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso). The Boys Season 2 will premiere its first three episodes worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on September 4, 2020, with the remaining five episodes airing every Friday right the way through to the show's season finale on October 9, 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/26/amazons-the-boys-season-1-review"] For more on The Boys, find out more about the second season's upcoming premiere schedule, read IGN's interview with Karl Urban about the future of the satirical superhero series, and dive into this piece about the biggest differences between the TV series and the comic books. Alternatively, for a more complete round-up, take a look at everything we know about The Boys Season 2 so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Amazon Prime Video has debuted an official teaser trailer for The Boys Season 2, alongside a new poster of the show's "wanted" cast members. The new trailer opens with a small fleet of military vehicles embarking on a "multi-state manhunt" for Billy Butcher and his known associates who are on the run from the law, as they desperately try to regroup and fight back against Vought and the Superheroes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/amazons-the-boys-season-2-official-teaser"] A quick montage of clips in the trailer reveals that Butcher's "plan" to overcome these threats involves some signature blood-crushing violence, explosive distractions, and scream-inducing speedboat escapes. Meanwhile, Stormfront, the newest member of The Seven, arrives on the scene threatening to disrupt the status quo and cause problems for Homelander, as she unleashes her super-powerful plasma bolt capabilities. Alongside the action-packed new trailer, Amazon released a blood-splattered one-sheet of "wanted" posters for Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), Frenchie (Tomer Kapon), and Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso). The Boys Season 2 will premiere its first three episodes worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on September 4, 2020, with the remaining five episodes airing every Friday right the way through to the show's season finale on October 9, 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/26/amazons-the-boys-season-1-review"] For more on The Boys, find out more about the second season's upcoming premiere schedule, read IGN's interview with Karl Urban about the future of the satirical superhero series, and dive into this piece about the biggest differences between the TV series and the comic books. Alternatively, for a more complete round-up, take a look at everything we know about The Boys Season 2 so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Audible and DC have launched The Sandman "Drawn from the Dreaming" campaign, which offers fans the limited-time opportunity to have one of their dreams illustrated by a top DC artist. From now through to July 25, fans are invited to share their "encounters from The Dreaming where Lord Morpheus, The Sandman, reigns" by visiting drawnfromthedreaming.com or by calling 515-SANDMAN (515-726-3626), a contest-specific hotline that is now open for US residents. As the official website explains, "Your dream could be one of over 100+ illustrated by a top DC artist, possibly even a creator of the original graphic novels," though only select dreams will be illustrated and shared on the Drawn from the Dreaming Instagram page. However, everyone who submits an offering into the contest will be rewarded with an exclusive episode of The Sandman on Audible. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=14-comics-that-defined-dcs-vertigo-imprint&captions=true"] This news comes shortly after the official Audible trailer for The Sandman swept on to our screens. The upcoming audio drama is based on the first three graphic novels in the original comic book series, with creator Neil Gaiman both writing the scripts and narrating the series. Audible recently revealed the full voice cast for The Sandman, which includes the vocal talents of major Hollywood stars like James McAvoy (Split), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Riz Ahmed (Rogue One) and Kat Dennings (Thor). The Sandman audio series will be available on Audible from July 15, 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Audible and DC have launched The Sandman "Drawn from the Dreaming" campaign, which offers fans the limited-time opportunity to have one of their dreams illustrated by a top DC artist. From now through to July 25, fans are invited to share their "encounters from The Dreaming where Lord Morpheus, The Sandman, reigns" by visiting drawnfromthedreaming.com or by calling 515-SANDMAN (515-726-3626), a contest-specific hotline that is now open for US residents. As the official website explains, "Your dream could be one of over 100+ illustrated by a top DC artist, possibly even a creator of the original graphic novels," though only select dreams will be illustrated and shared on the Drawn from the Dreaming Instagram page. However, everyone who submits an offering into the contest will be rewarded with an exclusive episode of The Sandman on Audible. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=14-comics-that-defined-dcs-vertigo-imprint&captions=true"] This news comes shortly after the official Audible trailer for The Sandman swept on to our screens. The upcoming audio drama is based on the first three graphic novels in the original comic book series, with creator Neil Gaiman both writing the scripts and narrating the series. Audible recently revealed the full voice cast for The Sandman, which includes the vocal talents of major Hollywood stars like James McAvoy (Split), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Riz Ahmed (Rogue One) and Kat Dennings (Thor). The Sandman audio series will be available on Audible from July 15, 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Since it’s reveal during the PlayStation 5 showcase, it has been difficult for many, myself included, to get Bugsnax out of our heads. That’s both thanks to the earworm of a song that debuted in the announcement trailer and the unexpected, peculiar trailer itself, which offered a tease of what Bugsnax will be, while leaving plenty of mystery about what the game actually is. And while there’s still, purposefully, plenty left as a mystery ahead of its planned holiday 2020 launch on PS5 and PS4, I spoke with Phil Tibitoski and Kevin Zuhn of developer Young Horses, to learn a bit more about the game itself, what goes into making a titular bugsnak, and how that catchy tune came to be. Watch our full interview below at the 39-minute mark. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/01/the-last-of-us-part-2s-accessibility-features-bugsnax-interview-beyond-episode-653"]

What is Bugsnax?

Well, we still don’t entirely know what the experience of Bugsnax will hold completely, and that’s by design. We’ve only just gotten its announcement — even though Tibitoski teased the idea six years ago — but we at least know what sends players to this island full of creatures combining both bugs and snacks. Though the team has spoken a bit about Bugsnax's central conceit in the past, the developers elaborated on the narrative-focused adventure. “You're this journalist who has received an invitation from Elizabert, the character you see in the trailer. She's told you, 'I've discovered these bugsnax, come to this island and report on the story, interview me.’ ...But when you get there, she's gone. Nobody knows where she is. And so you're on this quest to find her, find out what happened to her, but on the way you meet all of her friends, the other people who are living on the Island with her,” Zuhn said. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=bugsnax-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] “It's a pretty narrative-driven game. And while you're going through the island and finding all of these people who followed Elizabert to the island, you're finding out what exactly they need and what their problems are and trying to help solve them through bugsnax,” Tibitoski added. And while the trailer presents a seemingly cheerful vibe, its final moments hint at something darker happening Snaktooth island. While Zuhn and Tibitoski wouldn’t let slip what those darker aspects might be, they did point to the studio’s last game, Octodad, as emblematic of their approach to Bugsnax. “With Octodad, it was a pretty cute and fun and almost toy-like game on the surface, but there were some themes in it and some stuff in the story that was actually... deeper than that surface level appearance. And I think you can expect a similar level of depth from Bugsnax,” Tibitoski said.

How Bugsnax Works on PS5

Being a game coming so early in the life of the PS5, Bugsnax is aiming to take advantage of many of the new features the console’s controller, the DualSense, introduces. “Previously on pretty much any console that has vibration or rumble, it's a nice feature that sometimes can make things more immersive, but I haven't felt anything quite as intricate and sensitive as the DualSense's haptic feedback,” Tibitoski said. “In our game, being in first person, running on different terrain, jumping in and out of water or running into bugsnax, you can feel the difference between running on grass versus running in water versus running on sand or snow. There's weather in our game and if there's a thunderstorm and things of that nature, you can feel where the sound is coming from through the vibration. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/bugsnax-announcement-trailer-ps5-reveal-event"] In addition to using the DualSense’s speaker to play the sounds various bugsnax make,Young Horses is also using the DualSense’s adaptive triggers in the process of trapping bugsnax. “[We’re] even using the light on the controller to display how endanger you are of a bugsnak escaping from a trap. We're also using the adaptive triggers,” Tibitoski said. “Different traps have different functionalities and some of those are best exhibited through, tension in those triggers or rumble in them to make you feel like you're really using them. For more on Bugsnax, stay tuned to IGN. Or just hum the theme song in your head, as I did while writing this entire piece. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor and host of Podcast Beyond! Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Since it’s reveal during the PlayStation 5 showcase, it has been difficult for many, myself included, to get Bugsnax out of our heads. That’s both thanks to the earworm of a song that debuted in the announcement trailer and the unexpected, peculiar trailer itself, which offered a tease of what Bugsnax will be, while leaving plenty of mystery about what the game actually is. And while there’s still, purposefully, plenty left as a mystery ahead of its planned holiday 2020 launch on PS5 and PS4, I spoke with Phil Tibitoski and Kevin Zuhn of developer Young Horses, to learn a bit more about the game itself, what goes into making a titular bugsnak, and how that catchy tune came to be. Watch our full interview below at the 39-minute mark. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/01/the-last-of-us-part-2s-accessibility-features-bugsnax-interview-beyond-episode-653"]

What is Bugsnax?

Well, we still don’t entirely know what the experience of Bugsnax will hold completely, and that’s by design. We’ve only just gotten its announcement — even though Tibitoski teased the idea six years ago — but we at least know what sends players to this island full of creatures combining both bugs and snacks. Though the team has spoken a bit about Bugsnax's central conceit in the past, the developers elaborated on the narrative-focused adventure. “You're this journalist who has received an invitation from Elizabert, the character you see in the trailer. She's told you, 'I've discovered these bugsnax, come to this island and report on the story, interview me.’ ...But when you get there, she's gone. Nobody knows where she is. And so you're on this quest to find her, find out what happened to her, but on the way you meet all of her friends, the other people who are living on the Island with her,” Zuhn said. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=bugsnax-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] “It's a pretty narrative-driven game. And while you're going through the island and finding all of these people who followed Elizabert to the island, you're finding out what exactly they need and what their problems are and trying to help solve them through bugsnax,” Tibitoski added. And while the trailer presents a seemingly cheerful vibe, its final moments hint at something darker happening Snaktooth island. While Zuhn and Tibitoski wouldn’t let slip what those darker aspects might be, they did point to the studio’s last game, Octodad, as emblematic of their approach to Bugsnax. “With Octodad, it was a pretty cute and fun and almost toy-like game on the surface, but there were some themes in it and some stuff in the story that was actually... deeper than that surface level appearance. And I think you can expect a similar level of depth from Bugsnax,” Tibitoski said.

How Bugsnax Works on PS5

Being a game coming so early in the life of the PS5, Bugsnax is aiming to take advantage of many of the new features the console’s controller, the DualSense, introduces. “Previously on pretty much any console that has vibration or rumble, it's a nice feature that sometimes can make things more immersive, but I haven't felt anything quite as intricate and sensitive as the DualSense's haptic feedback,” Tibitoski said. “In our game, being in first person, running on different terrain, jumping in and out of water or running into bugsnax, you can feel the difference between running on grass versus running in water versus running on sand or snow. There's weather in our game and if there's a thunderstorm and things of that nature, you can feel where the sound is coming from through the vibration. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/bugsnax-announcement-trailer-ps5-reveal-event"] In addition to using the DualSense’s speaker to play the sounds various bugsnax make,Young Horses is also using the DualSense’s adaptive triggers in the process of trapping bugsnax. “[We’re] even using the light on the controller to display how endanger you are of a bugsnak escaping from a trap. We're also using the adaptive triggers,” Tibitoski said. “Different traps have different functionalities and some of those are best exhibited through, tension in those triggers or rumble in them to make you feel like you're really using them. For more on Bugsnax, stay tuned to IGN. Or just hum the theme song in your head, as I did while writing this entire piece. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor and host of Podcast Beyond! Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope has received a release date of October 30. The next entry in the anthology series will arrive later in the year on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The game can be played through solo or online with another player via its shared-story multiplayer system. This is the second entry in Supermassive Games' The Dark Pictures Anthology following 2019's Man of Medan. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/the-dark-pictures-little-hope-release-date-announcement-trailer"] This entry in the series focuses on an abandoned New England town and stars four college students haunted by Little Hope's murky past. The game's cast includes Will Poulter (Midsommar, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch) and Pip Torrens (Preacher, The Crown.) To learn about the witch trials that inspired the game's plot, you can check out this dev diary from Supermassive Games. We reviewed The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan last year, calling it an "unnerving horror adventure." For more on Little Hope, check out our preview of the game from earlier this year, in April. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.