Microsoft has announced that it will be permanently closing all of its retail stores, while four physical locations in London, NYC, Sydney, and Redmond will be re-imagined as Microsoft Experience Centers. Microsoft announced the news and said that "the company’s retail team members will continue to serve customers from Microsoft corporate facilities and remotely providing sales, training, and support." Microsoft has told The Verge that no layoffs will result from today's decision. Microsoft closed its retail stores in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had yet to re-open them. Since then, there focus has obviously shifted to its digital storefronts on Microsoft.com and the stores on both Xbox and Windows PC, which "reach more than 1.2 billion people every month in 190 markets." “We deliberately built teams with unique backgrounds and skills that could serve customers from anywhere. The evolution of our workforce ensured we could continue to serve customers of all sizes when they needed us most, working remotely these last months,” Microsoft Corporate Vice Pesident David Porter said in a statement. “Speaking over 120 languages, their diversity reflects the many communities we serve. Our commitment to growing and developing careers from this talent pool is stronger than ever.” In April, Microsoft explained its plan to take care of its employees in this changed world we are living in, saying how many employees had already shifted to remote work and had how it had continued to "provide regular pay for team members through the pandemic." This news arrives in the same year as the launch of Microsoft's newest console, the Xbox Series X, which is expected to be released in Holiday 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Netflix has shared an inside peek at The Cuphead Show in a new video that offers fans a closer look at the show's animation style. The streaming giant invited fans to take a behind-the-scenes look at the "intricate, nostalgic design" of the animated series in a new teaser shared on Twitter. The short video showcases character concept art for Cuphead (Tru Valentino) and his brother Mugman (Frank Todaro), together with Fleischer-style scenes that have been created to tell the tale of Cuphead, who is described as a "lovable scamp."

Take an inside peek at the intricate, nostalgic design of The Cuphead Show! pic.twitter.com/EF0kpAi973

— NX (@NXOnNetflix) June 26, 2020

The show's "ragtag tribe of enthusiastic artists and animators" provide an insightful commentary over the footage, with the team sharing details of everything involved in the creative process, from character creation and storyboarding to the role of the voice actors. The video concludes with another look at the official poster for the series, followed by a "coming soon" title card. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/18/6-games-that-should-be-netflix-shows-up-at-noon"] "Reimagining the Fleischer style with these incredibly relatable siblings is gonna be pretty fresh and new," executive producer CJ Kettler promised in one clip, while art director Andrea Fernandez suggested that the show would "bring you back to the wonder of childhood." Similarly to its video game counterpart, The Cuphead Show will follow the unique misadventures of the world's colourful characters through 1930s-style animation, however, it will not be a retelling of the game. The character-driven comedy will be hand-drawn, though not entirely to paper this time, and not by Studio MDHR themselves, but rather Netflix's own in-house animation studio. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cuphead-sketch-work&captions=true"] Netflix's The Cuphead Show does not have a release date yet, so, for now, you'll have to stick to playing the game. In our review of the Cuphead game, we praised both its incredible hand-drawn graphics and its meticulous co-op challenge. Though it originally released as an Xbox One game and a PC game, it has since been ported to Nintendo Switch and, as IGN exclusively reported, it's also on the way to Tesla vehicles as well. It has sold over 4 million copies so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

From the backyards of the American suburbs to a fantasy world where dwarves, fairies, and dragons are real, the new book Dwarf Story promises to take readers on a journey where homework and cell phones collide with a mystical turf war. Yeah, it must be Wednesday! Written by Professor W.W. Marplot, Dwarf Story tells the tale of middle-school student Arty, who stumbles upon "an ax-swinging, bearded, sweaty warrior Dwarf." Soon he and his friends realize that all manner of magical creatures has converged on their everyday lives, which of course leads to an adventure as the kids follow the clues in an attempt to figure out the mystery behind these critters. "And also," the book's logline reminds us, "whether you can give aspirin to Pixies." According to Waxing Gibbous Books, Professor Welkin Westicotter Marplot, of Coillemuir, Scotland, "is a collector of esoteric tales of global wisdom and curator of ancient manuscripts. He is a recluse and, as he claims, has been collecting and collating adventure and fantasy stories for over a century." Today we've got a free sample of Dwarf Story for you to check out. The book, which is available for pre-order now, will be released on June 30. Read on for the excerpt, and check out the cover below as well! Dwarf Story is available for pre-order now and will be released on June 30 as both an e-book and in paperback. And for more on W. W. Marplot and Dwarf Story, head to the official site right here.

The Last of Us Part II has officially sold through over 4 million copies as of June 21, 2020, making it the fastest-selling PS4 exclusive ever. Senior Vice President of PlayStation Worldwide Marketing at SIE Eric Lempel took to PlayStation.Blog to reveal the milestone, all but confirming that The Last of Us Part 2 has surpassed Marvel's Spider-Man as Sony's fastest-selling exclusive for the PlayStation 4 in its first three days. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/20/14-brilliant-little-details-in-the-last-of-us-part-2"] Neil Druckmann, Vice President of Naughty Dog and Director of The Last of Us Part II, also shared a message with fans of the post-apocalyptic game we called a "Masterpiece."

"We are so immensely grateful to the millions of fans around the world that have played The Last of Us Part II and shared their experiences with us over the last week," Druckmann said. "We set out to tell a new kind of story, one that deals with difficult themes and would challenge you in unexpected ways. Hearing how the experience has resonated with so many of you and witnessing the type of thoughtful discussions it has sparked has been so incredible. We’ve also been so inspired by your creativity — whether it’s your gorgeous Photo Mode shots, jaw-dropping gameplay GIFs, or the songs you’ve recorded using Ellie’s guitar. " "The Last of Us Part II was made possible thanks to the efforts of the hundreds of talented and passionate developers here at Naughty Dog. We can imagine no greater honor than seeing that same passion mirrored by the people playing it. Thank you for helping us reach this amazing milestone."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-review-screenshots&captions=true"] For more on The Last of Us Part 2, which was also the fastest-selling boxed PS4 game in the UK, read Druckmann's comments on how there are "no plans" for DLC for The Last of Us Part 2 and check out 14 brilliant details in the sequel to the 2013 classic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Last of Us Part II has officially sold through over 4 million copies as of June 21, 2020, making it the fastest-selling PS4 exclusive ever. Senior Vice President of PlayStation Worldwide Marketing at SIE Eric Lempel took to PlayStation.Blog to reveal the milestone, all but confirming that The Last of Us Part 2 has surpassed Marvel's Spider-Man as Sony's fastest-selling exclusive for the PlayStation 4 in its first three days. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/20/14-brilliant-little-details-in-the-last-of-us-part-2"] Neil Druckmann, Vice President of Naughty Dog and Director of The Last of Us Part II, also shared a message with fans of the post-apocalyptic game we called a "Masterpiece."

"We are so immensely grateful to the millions of fans around the world that have played The Last of Us Part II and shared their experiences with us over the last week," Druckmann said. "We set out to tell a new kind of story, one that deals with difficult themes and would challenge you in unexpected ways. Hearing how the experience has resonated with so many of you and witnessing the type of thoughtful discussions it has sparked has been so incredible. We’ve also been so inspired by your creativity — whether it’s your gorgeous Photo Mode shots, jaw-dropping gameplay GIFs, or the songs you’ve recorded using Ellie’s guitar. " "The Last of Us Part II was made possible thanks to the efforts of the hundreds of talented and passionate developers here at Naughty Dog. We can imagine no greater honor than seeing that same passion mirrored by the people playing it. Thank you for helping us reach this amazing milestone."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-review-screenshots&captions=true"] For more on The Last of Us Part 2, which was also the fastest-selling boxed PS4 game in the UK, read Druckmann's comments on how there are "no plans" for DLC for The Last of Us Part 2 and check out 14 brilliant details in the sequel to the 2013 classic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Square Enix has revealed that The World Ends With You has become an anime project, and is currently in the works.

A newly-created TWEWY "The Animation" Twitter account notes that a full reveal of the project is coming during Anime Expo Lite on Friday, July 3 at 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern (that's July 4 at 2am UK / 11am AEST).

Anime Expo Lite will be a free livestream this year - it previously teased a collaboration with The World Ends With You during its key art reveal back in late May. You can check out the full TWEWY "The Animation" website here, which features a countdown and a glimpse at the 104 building, an iconic set piece from the 2007 Nintendo DS game, set in the Shibuya ward in Tokyo.

”The Animation”https://t.co/n6wDYuZhLg#TWEWY#すばらしきこのせかい

— すばらしきこのせかい The Animation 公式アカウント (@TWEWY_PR) June 25, 2020

If you've never heard of The World Ends With You before, it's a one-off Square Enix RPG with a massive cult following. The game breathes Shibuya youth culture and was worked on by Final Fantasy and Kingdom Heart's character designer Tetsuya Nomura. Characters from the game have featured in Kingdom Hearts games since its release, such as 3DS spin-off Dream Drop Distance. A port of the game was revealed in early 2018 and has since launched on the Nintendo Switch. You can check out our review of the port here, which we called "simultaneously a good port and a bad one." If you need some more convincing, here's an opinion piece detailing why you should care about The World Ends With You. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Square Enix has revealed that The World Ends With You has become an anime project, and is currently in the works.

A newly-created TWEWY "The Animation" Twitter account notes that a full reveal of the project is coming during Anime Expo Lite on Friday, July 3 at 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern (that's July 4 at 2am UK / 11am AEST).

Anime Expo Lite will be a free livestream this year - it previously teased a collaboration with The World Ends With You during its key art reveal back in late May. You can check out the full TWEWY "The Animation" website here, which features a countdown and a glimpse at the 104 building, an iconic set piece from the 2007 Nintendo DS game, set in the Shibuya ward in Tokyo.

”The Animation”https://t.co/n6wDYuZhLg#TWEWY#すばらしきこのせかい

— すばらしきこのせかい The Animation 公式アカウント (@TWEWY_PR) June 25, 2020

If you've never heard of The World Ends With You before, it's a one-off Square Enix RPG with a massive cult following. The game breathes Shibuya youth culture and was worked on by Final Fantasy and Kingdom Heart's character designer Tetsuya Nomura. Characters from the game have featured in Kingdom Hearts games since its release, such as 3DS spin-off Dream Drop Distance. A port of the game was revealed in early 2018 and has since launched on the Nintendo Switch. You can check out our review of the port here, which we called "simultaneously a good port and a bad one." If you need some more convincing, here's an opinion piece detailing why you should care about The World Ends With You. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The Last of Us Part 2's director, Neil Druckmann has made clear that there are 'no plans' for DLC after the game's launch. Speaking during a spoilercast for the game on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Druckmann was asked about whether the new game would follow the original's lead with a Left Behind-style story DLC. "No, with Last of Us I think we had some season pass or something that said ahead of time we have some story DLC - no there's no plans for that." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/the-last-of-us-part-2-review"] This doesn't discount a multiplayer take on the game, like The Last of Us' Factions mode, as we've previously heard that that will be released as a standalone game of some kind. The wording of the original announcement - which said "when and where it will be realized is still to be determined" - could suggest the mode will arrive on PS5. We awarded The Last of Us Part 2 a full 10/10 review, and we called it "a masterpiece worthy of its predecessor". If you've finished the game recently, both Podcast Beyond! and the IGN UK Podcast have recorded full spoilercasts on their feelings about the game. [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.

The Last of Us Part 2's director, Neil Druckmann has made clear that there are 'no plans' for DLC after the game's launch. Speaking during a spoilercast for the game on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Druckmann was asked about whether the new game would follow the original's lead with a Left Behind-style story DLC. "No, with Last of Us I think we had some season pass or something that said ahead of time we have some story DLC - no there's no plans for that." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/the-last-of-us-part-2-review"] This doesn't discount a multiplayer take on the game, like The Last of Us' Factions mode, as we've previously heard that that will be released as a standalone game of some kind. The wording of the original announcement - which said "when and where it will be realized is still to be determined" - could suggest the mode will arrive on PS5. We awarded The Last of Us Part 2 a full 10/10 review, and we called it "a masterpiece worthy of its predecessor". If you've finished the game recently, both Podcast Beyond! and the IGN UK Podcast have recorded full spoilercasts on their feelings about the game. [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.

The PC-exclusive ray-tracing effects coming to Cyberpunk 2077 have been revealed by Nvidia. As part of the graphics card manufacturer's technical partnership with CD Projekt Red, Nvidia is bringing four immersive ray-traced effects to Cyberpunk 2077, which will enhance the game's performance and fine-tune its fidelity. You check out screenshots of the effects in action below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-pc-ray-tracing-screenshots&captions=true"] These immersion-bolstering effects include Ray-Traced Diffuse Illumination, which "captures sky radiance" and emissive lighting to ensure that the sun and moon "realistically illuminate Night City." The game will also feature Ray-Traced Reflections which as you might have guessed, make reflections more realistic in how they simulate the way light affects surfaces. Ray-Traced Ambient Occlusion will also affect the game's shading tech on PC, further darkening objects with ambient lighting. Finally, Ray-Traced Shadows have allowed CD Projekt Red to bring "pixel-perfect shadows" to the game, as well as "directional shadows from sun and moon light" to further increase your immersion. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-2077-braindance-gameplay-trailer"] Cyberpunk 2077 will also utilise Nvidia's DLSS 2.0 technology, an AI Rendering system that uses a deep learning neural network to boost frame rates "while generating beautiful, crisp game images," which should in theory allow you to crank the settings on launch. Nvidia also revealed that the game will land on its cloud streaming service, GeForce NOW, at launch, with support for ray-tracing effects baked in. It's possible that these ray-tracing effects could make it to the upgraded PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of the game arriving post-launch, but there's no confirmation of that right now. For more on Cyberpunk 2077, check out our article covering the four hours of gameplay we experienced during a recent preview. If you missed yesterday's slew of announcements via CD Projekt Red's Night City Wire, you can catch the full broadcast here.  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.