The Last of Us Part 2 is Naughty Dog’s biggest game yet, and while that doesn’t mean the sequel is going open world, it does mean Naughty Dog is aiming to create an expansive, varied new series of environments for players to explore and survive. Speaking to IGN ahead of The Last of Us Part 2’s final preview embargo, Director Neil Druckmann explained both the development team’s approach to creating Seattle, and how the introduction of new enemy factions added more variety to both story and gameplay. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/01/the-last-of-part-2-the-final-preview"] “One of the reasons we picked Seattle is because of how many diverse locations it has. We knew we're going to spend a lot of time in the city and, like a good Naughty Dog game, we need to switch things up as far as art styles and locations go,” Druckmann said, noting the variety of city, residential, and environmental areas in the Pacific Northwest. “So the team studied a lot of the architecture of the city, the foliage that grows in that part of the country. They scanned different materials so we can make them authentic.” These decisions of course, are in concert with ensuring the level designers can create interesting exploration and combat spaces for players — as Druckmann said, they do a bit of “location scouting.” “And then the level designers what they would do is also study that architecture as well,” he said. “What are interesting locations for exploration or for our new physics system to get different kinds of puzzles. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-last-of-us-part-2-state-of-play-impressions-beyond-episode-647"] “For combat, this has been an ongoing principle, [we want] to combine the familiar with the unfamiliar,” Druckmann continued, noting that residential areas, now overgrown with vegetation in this post-pandemic world, can offer something unexpected. Druckmann also pointed to how the use of Seattle’s sewers and other similarly “creepy, dank areas” allowed the team to play up the sequel’s horror elements. “We have Stalkers that are grown into the wall and sometimes they're dead and nothing will happen, and sometimes they’ll rip off the wall and charge at you,” he teased. Seattle is also home to the Washington Liberation Front and the Seraphites, two groups Ellie will contend with that offer new combat challenges playing to the strengths of the environmental design. “You have the WLF, this secular militaristic faction and then the Seraphites, this religious group that has rejected technology of the old world and they built everything from the ground up,” Druckmann said. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-new-screenshots&captions=true"] “Those two groups and their conflicts speaks to the cycle of violence, but mechanically how we wanted to separate them, the WLF has accrued all this military equipment. So they use more machine guns and they have vehicles in certain setups,” he continued. “But the Searphites, what makes them creepy and scary to go up against is they’re very stealthy and quiet ... and they'll sneak up on you and use the vegetation the way that Ellie does and the WLF doesn't.” For more, read up on what Druckmann recently had to say about how the infected enemies in The Last of Us Part 2 have changed, as well as what he told us last year about how enemy dogs lead to tough choices in The Last of Us Part 2. Learn about some of the incredible tiny details Naughty Dog is filling the sequel with, and find out when you can read IGN's The Last of Us Part 2 review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation podcast. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

The NASA astronauts aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon ventured into space in suits custom-made by the same artist who helped suit up and armor many big screen superheroes, from Batman and Wonder Woman to Captain America and Wolverine. Ironhead Studio's Jose Fernandez created the very cool and elegant flight suits worn by the SpaceX astronauts, which you can check out below:

Tomorrow, @NASA astronauts @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug will fly from their home base at @NASA_Johnson to @NASAKennedy aboard an agency Gulfstream aircraft.

Tune in to NASA TV at 4 p.m. ET on May 20 for the crew arrival news conference: https://t.co/w152mMNVra pic.twitter.com/bsxWTHFIHE — NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) May 19, 2020

Fernandez applied what he learned creating form-fitting but flexible garb on superhero movies to the Daft Punk-esque SpaceX suits. (The Daft Punk resemblance is no accident, as Forbes points out, since Fernandez has made some of the musicians' signature helmets.) Fernandez credits SpaceX founder Elon Musk with the visual formality of the flight suits. "He (Musk) kept saying, 'Anyone looks better in a tux, no matter what size or shape they are,' and when people put this space suit on, he wants them to look better than they did without it, like a tux. You look heroic in it," Fernandez explained to Forbes. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batman-ranking-the-movie-batsuits&captions=true"] But the SpaceX flight suits weren't just designed for style but for function and safety. As an expert in joinery, Fernandez was able to build suits made of different materials which have to meet up perfectly and also be air proof. Fernandez was also able to address an issue that's dogged NASA since the era of the Apollo missions: astronauts not being able to move their heads thanks to their bolted-on helmets and thus having an obstructed field of vision. As the artist who sculpted the cowl that allowed Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader to turn his head in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Fernandez's helmets have an articulated neck piece among other features that make these flight suits lighter and allow better vision for the astronauts. In the tweet seen below, NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley praise the suits for their comfortability and ease in getting in and out of in a zero gravity environment:

"Bob and I have had a ton of time in those suits. I bet you we've donned and doffed those suits a couple hundred times." @Astro_Doug discusses the custom-fit @SpaceX suits they wore as he and @AstroBehnken launched into space: pic.twitter.com/mtyDAWGFI4

— NASA (@NASA) June 1, 2020

In addition to Batfleck's cowl, Fernandez's Ironhead Studio also created that film's Bat-mech suit. He previously worked on Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin. Fernandez also worked on Wonder Woman's armor in BvS. Fernandez has also lent his skills to plenty of Marvel movies, sculpting the helmets for Captain America, Thor, Loki, and Magneto. Ironhead also built the Black Panther helmet from Captain America: Civil War. Fernandez also designed and sculpted the makeup, helmet, and armor for Thanos in Marvel's The Avengers, and worked on The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Abe Sapien in Hellboy, and The Thing in the original Fantastic Four movies. He also designed and constructed the specialty costumes in X2: X-Men United, including Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. You can view Fernandez and Ironhead's many comic book movie designs on Instagram. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/designing-the-perfect-batsuit"]

Sony has announced that it has decided to delay the PlayStation 5 reveal event, originally set for June 4.

pic.twitter.com/ZAY8StN0EU

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 1, 2020

"We have decided to postpone the PlayStation 5 event scheduled for June 4. While we understand gamers worldwide are excited to see PS5 games, we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration and for now, we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard," the statement reads. Sony originally had announced last week a PS5 reveal event for this Thursday, June 4, which would have debuted games set for Sony's next-gen console, the PlayStation 5. Since that announcement, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic the world is facing, protests around the United States and the world have been ongoing, centering on police brutality following the death of George Floyd. Sony has not announced any rescheduling plans for the event or its included announcements. It remains unclear at this time whether planned games will be showcased in the weeks and months to come or if Sony will put together a replacement event down the line. The PS5 is still set for a holiday 2020 launch, and Sony CEO Jim Ryan recently said the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed the company's plans for the PS5 price. The only aspect of the physical console Sony has shown is the DualSense, the PS5's new controller.

The WWE 2K series is taking an extra year to rehabilitate the franchise after WWE 2K20 failed to meet the expectations of fans and critics. The development team at Visual Concepts hired a new executive producer and they hosted an AMA on Reddit last weekend to share some plans for the series’ future, including a big leap in gameplay. During a Reddit Q&A, WWE 2K executive producer Patrick Gilmore, who previously worked on games like Killer Instinct and Medal of Honor, answered questions from fans and shared how the developers are approaching gameplay for the next WWE 2K game. “Core gameplay is one of the major investments we’re making in the next installment,” Gilmore says. “We are looking at much-loved previous games like No Mercy or Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain, along with top franchise installments, and more modern wrestling and fighting games to build an all-new philosophical foundation for the game.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-wwe-game-review-ever&captions=true"] Gilmore also shared some examples of what those philosophical foundations entail. For example, the team is working on “Accessibility, Depth and Wrestling Experience,” and intends to make the game “a lot smarter about what the player is trying to do given a gameplay situation (in a grapple, on the ropes, against a turnbuckle, etc.)” The goal appears to be a deeper level of gameplay and systems that allow players to anticipate and counter their opponents while new players will be able to “accidentally pull off awesome moves just by playing with and experimenting with controls” before improving. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/24/wwe-2k20-review"] In other parts of the AMA Gilmore shared some smaller details like how the dev team is looking into features like mod support and cross-platform play, but could not confirm if those features will make it into the final game. Gilmore also mentioned that WWE 2K20 will not be supported with additional content while the team is developing the next WWE title. WWE 2K20 was the last wrestling sim and was developed by Visual Concepts after 2K split with its longtime wrestling game dev partner Yuke’s. Although there won’t be a new WWE 2K game this year, the company announced WWE 2K Battlegrounds, a more arcade-style take on wrestling that will be released later this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Good news for fans of The Mandalorian and Star Wars Rebels. Hasbro has revealed several new waves of Star Wars: The Black Series action figures featuring bounty hunter Din Djarin aka the Mandalorian and the entire main cast of Rebels, including fan-favorite heroine Ahsoka Tano. The new Rebels-themed wave comes as part of an ambitious overhaul of the Black Series line. Upcoming waves will feature redesigned packaging with color-coded box art that connects to form a larger collage image. Along with the new Rebels and Mandalorian waves, Hasbro is also teasing another Empire Strikes Back-themed wave as the company continues celebrating the 40th anniversary of that Star Wars sequel. From Ahsoka to Hera Syndulla to Darth Vader, check out the new Black Series figures revealed in the slideshow gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-ahsoka-tano-the-mandalorian-and-more-incredible-black-series-figures&captions=true"] While many of the Rebels characters featured here have already had Black Series figures in the past, Zeb Orrelios is a newcomer to the line. Even the returning characters are being upgraded with improved head sculpts using Hasbro's "Photo Real" digital scanning technology. As for Din Djarin, this new figure will be a welcome release for anyone still struggling to find Hasbro's previous Mandalorian figure in stores. This isn't a re-release of that figure, however, but instead a new version featuring the lone gunfighter wearing his upgraded Beskar armor. He'll be accompanied by a new Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper figure, and hopefully we'll continue to see more characters from Season 1 get Black Series figures. All of these figures are slated for release in Fall 2020 and will range in price from $19.99 to $29.99. Earlier this year at ToyFair, Hasbro unveiled its elaborate Baby Yoda animatronic action figure, and it's just as adorable as you'd expect. See it in action in the video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/hasbros-baby-yoda-animatronic-figure-in-action"] In other recent collectibles news, Knights of the Old Republic villains Darth Revan and Darth Malak are getting new Funko Pop! figurines, while Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is being immortalized in the form of an insanely expensive statue. [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.

We'll get more details on Pokemon Sword and Shield's Expansion Pass tomorrow, June 2 at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK / 11pm AEST. Revealed in a tweet by the Japanese Pokemon Twitter account (below), no details were given of what could be revealed. However, with the first expansion for the latest Pokemon games - The Isle of Armor - due to arrive by the end of June, it seems likely we'd get a release date.

6月2日（火）22時より、Nintendo Switchソフト『ポケットモンスター ソード・シールド エキスパンションパス』に関する新情報の公開が決定！ ぜひチェックしてね！https://t.co/6D0tsz56JB #ポケモン剣盾 pic.twitter.com/YRiHwV3c8W

— ポケモン公式ツイッター (@Pokemon_cojp) June 1, 2020

The Pokemon Sword and Shield expansions will include The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra (due this Fall), and each will add a new open area to explore. They'll also add new legendary Pokemon, new regular Pokemon, new Galarian forms, and dozens of returning Pokemon that were previously unavailable to catch. It marks a new step for the Pokemon franchise - which has previously preferred to release new versions of the same game, or semi-sequels. We think this is a very good next step. We awarded Pokemon Sword and Shield a 9.3 review, and since named it one of the best Nintendo Switch games. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/13/pokemon-sword-and-pokemon-shield-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

The Last of Us Part 2 sees Ellie facing off against new human threats as she ventures into Seattle, Washington, but of course the world of Naughty Dog's post-pandemic series is home to plenty of infected enemies as well. And while the familiar forms these foes take return in the sequel, they've changed in some notable ways, as new types have also begun to appear. While you can check out IGN's The Last of Us Part 2 final preview for a breakdown of how the new and improved combat can play out, Part 2 Director Neil Druckmann spoke to IGN about how the development team approached the return of the Clickers, Bloaters, Stalkers, and the new Shamblers. "Like everything we do in The Last of Us, it has to feel grounded and believable in the world we built in the first game. With this game specifically, we wanted to find ways to add greater mechanical depth than any previous Naughty Dog game," Druckmann said. When it came to adding a new type of infected enemy, the Shambler, Druckmann noted that it has to "have a lineage, it has to have the same physiology that we established in the first game," to feel believable as something new in this world. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/01/the-last-of-part-2-the-final-preview"] Shamblers have the ability to hurl noxious gas bombs at the player, which explode into a damaging, sight-obscuring cloud of smoke, and the foe does the same thing itself when defeated. Druckmann said this enemy idea played to the team's combat ambitions for the sequel. "One [reason for the Shambler] is it gets you to move, and the corrosive damage is [useful] when we don't want you to just stand still, we want the fights to feel dynamic," he said. "And, two, like any good horror [enemy], it limits your senses, it blocks your vision. So while the mechanic on its own might seem simple on paper, it's when you start combining it with all the other infected that can be coupled with the Shambler, it becomes really interesting. You have this situation where it bursts and you have this cloud you're trying to run away from and you don't quite see where the Shambler is. Now you have a Runner running through that cloud emerging from it; now the Runners become more dangerous." And, given that time has passed between the original and the sequel, and that Naughty Dog has also spent time improving Ellie's suite of moves, with new abilities like jumping and dodging, the returning infected types needed to be altered to present new challenges as well. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-new-screenshots&captions=true"] "Because we introduced dodge and now you can dodge Clickers in a way you couldn't in the first game, now with Clickers, we have to find ways to make them more dangerous. Because when they charge at you, with Joel, he'd die; Ellie can dodge out of the way. So now Clickers are faster and more nimble as well to compensate for all the new mechanics that Ellie has," he said. "Likewise because of the tech of the PS4, we can have more infected onscreen. There are scenarios where you could have a whole hoard of Runners chasing you and, when the number is larger, Runners become more dangerous." Perhaps one of the scariest foes Ellie will face is the Stalker infected type, which returns from the original game but marks a chance for Naughty Dog to more deeply explore this type of enemy. "With the first game we introduced the Stalkers, [but] we didn't really get a chance to develop them and develop different setups with them," Druckmann explained. "We can really play to the horror of the infected and instead of just charging at you, they will actually run away from you and hide, and look for opportunities to surprise and lunge at you. Then they'll attack as a pack, which creates a different kind of tension. You know they're around, they're actually more quiet, so listen mode doesn't always reveal where they are." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-last-of-us-part-2-state-of-play-impressions-beyond-episode-647"] For more on The Last of Us Part 2's combat, find out what Druckmann told us last year about how enemy dogs lead to tough choices in The Last of Us Part 2, learn about some of the incredible tiny details Naughty Dog is filling the sequel with, and find out when you can read IGN's The Last of Us Part 2 review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation podcast. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Codemasters has secured the official WRC (World Rally Championship) license as part of a new deal that runs through until 2027. This restores the license to Codemasters, who last made an official WRC licensed game in 2002. As reported by GamesIndustry, Codemasters has signed the exclusive five-year deal that not only allows the company to develop and publish official WRC games, but also run associated esports tournaments. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/20/wrc-9-announcement-trailer"] The developer’s last game shipped as an official WRC product was 2002’s Colin McRae Rally 3. The license was then passed to Evolution Studios, who began the WRC series in 2001. The official license was picked up by developer Milestone in 2010, and then Kylotonn in 2015. Kyloton and publisher BigBen Interactive will maintain the license until 2023, when it will pass over to Codemasters. With the WRC series, Codemasters will have two rally franchises in-house, as the developer currently has the Dirt series, itself the evolution of the once WRC-official Colin McRae Rally games. Codemasters plans to continue Dirt, and already has another entry planned ahead of the start of their tenure on WRC in 2023. This will also mark the company’s second major license; Codemasters currently develops the official F1 racing video games. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/07/dirt-5-announcement-trailer"] The WRC games from Codemasters will be released annually for console, PC, and mobile platforms, with the first game arriving in the 2023/2024 financial year. For more from Codemasters, check out the upcoming F1 2020, and the latest details on Dirt 5, which features voice actor legends Troy Baker and Nolan North. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

WWE has unveiled a free version of WWE Network, with more than 15,000 action-packed WWE titles available at launch. The company's award-winning digital streaming service has debuted a no-cost version of its content library, which includes new shows, original series and flagship programmes, together with historical WWE PPV's, events and highlights. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/10/wrestlemania-37-will-be-held-at-sofi-stadium-los-angeles-in-2021-ign-news"] "The launch of WWE Network's free version is a key component of our company's digitization strategy and a new way for all fans to be able to experience premium WWE content," Jayar Donlan, WWE Executive Vice President of Advanced Media, said in a statement. "As we continue to reimagine WWE Network's offering, the free version will serve as an effective way to reach a broader group of consumers and allow them to experience the history and spectacle of WWE." The free version of WWE Network is not ad-supported at launch. The robust library boasts new shows such as Raw Talk, which will stream on Monday night each week, alongside other originals like Monday Night War, Ride Along and Table for 3. In addition, WWE flagships Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown and NXT will be available together with a selection of highlight shows, including Top 10 and The Best of WWE. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=most-devastating-finishing-moves-in-wwe-history&captions=true"] WWE's 24/7 streaming network launched in 2014, offering wrestling fans exclusive access to live and on-demand programming with some original series and special partnerships. However, earlier this year, the company switched up its strategy by making a large amount of the WWE Network's content available for free ahead of WrestleMania 36; The Hollywood Reporter notes that this move resulted in the streamer's highest weekend of signups. The all-new, free-tiered edition of the sports entertainment giant's digital platform is available via the WWE App on any device, including TVs, gaming consoles, mobile phones, tablets, and computers. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.