Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s narrative director has confirmed that both male and female variants of main character Eivor are considered canon to the storyline. Talking to a fan on Twitter who asked “But who is cannon [sic] the female side or male side”, Ubisoft Montreal narrative director Darby McDevitt replied “Both choices are canon, but we’re not going to spoil how we managed that trick until you play the game.”

Both choices are canon, but we’re not going to spoil how we managed that trick until you play the game.

— Darby McDevitt (@DarbyMcDevitt) April 30, 2020

The question of which gender is canon stems from how Assassin’s Creed Odyssey handled its protagonist; while players had a choice of either male Alexios or female Kassandra, the official tie-in novel was written with Kassandra in the main role, thus establishing her as canon. The key difference between Odyssey’s and Valhalla’s approach is that in Odyssey, Alexios and Kassandra are two different characters; both exist within the world, and the character you don’t pick becomes an NPC. In Valhalla you play the same character, Eivor, but choose if they are male or female. By McDevitt’s comment, it seems like Valhalla will reveal the nuances of its approach to canon when we can finally play it in Holiday 2020. While both characters are canon, it is male Eivor who can be seen in Ubiosft’s marketing artwork and in the trailer. Female Eivor has been shown in screenshots, as well as in a statue that ships with the collector’s edition of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-official-trailer"] Male Eivor is played by Magnus Bruun, and female Eivor is played by Cecilie Stenspil. Both are Danish actors, with Brunn having played Cnut in Viking show The Last Kingdom. For more on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, check out everything we know about the story details and gameplay, as well as our trailer breakdown and 36 facts you should know. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s narrative director has confirmed that both male and female variants of main character Eivor are considered canon to the storyline. Talking to a fan on Twitter who asked “But who is cannon [sic] the female side or male side”, Ubisoft Montreal narrative director Darby McDevitt replied “Both choices are canon, but we’re not going to spoil how we managed that trick until you play the game.”

Both choices are canon, but we’re not going to spoil how we managed that trick until you play the game.

— Darby McDevitt (@DarbyMcDevitt) April 30, 2020

The question of which gender is canon stems from how Assassin’s Creed Odyssey handled its protagonist; while players had a choice of either male Alexios or female Kassandra, the official tie-in novel was written with Kassandra in the main role, thus establishing her as canon. The key difference between Odyssey’s and Valhalla’s approach is that in Odyssey, Alexios and Kassandra are two different characters; both exist within the world, and the character you don’t pick becomes an NPC. In Valhalla you play the same character, Eivor, but choose if they are male or female. By McDevitt’s comment, it seems like Valhalla will reveal the nuances of its approach to canon when we can finally play it in Holiday 2020. While both characters are canon, it is male Eivor who can be seen in Ubiosft’s marketing artwork and in the trailer. Female Eivor has been shown in screenshots, as well as in a statue that ships with the collector’s edition of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-official-trailer"] Male Eivor is played by Magnus Bruun, and female Eivor is played by Cecilie Stenspil. Both are Danish actors, with Brunn having played Cnut in Viking show The Last Kingdom. For more on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, check out everything we know about the story details and gameplay, as well as our trailer breakdown and 36 facts you should know. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

LeBron James has revealed the official title and logo for Space Jam 2, which appears to be on target to hit theatres in 2021. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, NBA star LeBron James, who is teaming up with the Looney Tunes for more basketball-based hijinks in the forthcoming follow-up, revealed that the title for the next instalment is "Space Jam: A New Legacy." James shared a short video with his 63.6m followers, showing him wearing a black hat emblazoned with the logo for Space Jam: A New Legacy, along with the caption "2021." The official Space Jam Twitter account reposted James' teaser and rebranded its profile to provide a better look at the logo, which pays homage to the original Michael Jordan-starring movie, with a similar circular pattern wrapped around the cosmic-style text. [caption id="attachment_234581" align="alignnone" width="800"] Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures[/caption] Warner Bros. currently has Space Jam 2 slated for a July 16, 2021 release date, but they've been trying to get this movie made since 2014. Around this time, the studio announced the sequel would star LeBron James, but it's been slow-moving ever since. Justin Lin came on board as director in 2016 but left the project in 2018. Later that year, Black Panther's Ryan Coogler joined as producer, with Terence Nance hired to direct. The movie started filming on June 25, 2019, but Nance left the project less than a month later, on July 16th, over creative differences. Malcolm D. Lee then replaced him. Meanwhile, Tony Bancroft, one of the directors behind Disney's 1998 Mulan, joined the project as an animator. As progress continues to be made on the animated/live-action mash-up, Space Jam: A New Legacy appears to be on schedule to slam-dunk its 2021 release date despite all of the other shifts, shake-ups, and delays in the film industry recently. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

LeBron James has revealed the official title and logo for Space Jam 2, which appears to be on target to hit theatres in 2021. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, NBA star LeBron James, who is teaming up with the Looney Tunes for more basketball-based hijinks in the forthcoming follow-up, revealed that the title for the next instalment is "Space Jam: A New Legacy." James shared a short video with his 63.6m followers, showing him wearing a black hat emblazoned with the logo for Space Jam: A New Legacy, along with the caption "2021." The official Space Jam Twitter account reposted James' teaser and rebranded its profile to provide a better look at the logo, which pays homage to the original Michael Jordan-starring movie, with a similar circular pattern wrapped around the cosmic-style text. [caption id="attachment_234581" align="alignnone" width="800"] Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures[/caption] Warner Bros. currently has Space Jam 2 slated for a July 16, 2021 release date, but they've been trying to get this movie made since 2014. Around this time, the studio announced the sequel would star LeBron James, but it's been slow-moving ever since. Justin Lin came on board as director in 2016 but left the project in 2018. Later that year, Black Panther's Ryan Coogler joined as producer, with Terence Nance hired to direct. The movie started filming on June 25, 2019, but Nance left the project less than a month later, on July 16th, over creative differences. Malcolm D. Lee then replaced him. Meanwhile, Tony Bancroft, one of the directors behind Disney's 1998 Mulan, joined the project as an animator. As progress continues to be made on the animated/live-action mash-up, Space Jam: A New Legacy appears to be on schedule to slam-dunk its 2021 release date despite all of the other shifts, shake-ups, and delays in the film industry recently. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

If you missed IGN's live watch party for Netflix's new action-thriller Extraction, you can rewatch the stream at your leisure here.

If you missed IGN's live watch party for Netflix's new action-thriller Extraction, you can rewatch the stream at your leisure here.

There may have been some confusion among fans when Sony Pictures' official Spider-Man movies Twitter account referred to the "Spider-Man Universe of Characters" in a recent tweet. That would seem to be an all-encompassing name for not only the past Spider-Man movies featuring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield but also the current Tom Holland/MCU-related films as well as titles such as Venom and Morbius.

Join Spider-Man and all his friends while you swing through all the films from the Spider-Man Universe of Characters! Complete your #SpiderMan movie collection with this limited-time @PrimeVideo offer!https://t.co/a1HqdrDYra pic.twitter.com/UiBkMItcV6

— Spider-Man: Far From Home (@SpiderManMovie) April 30, 2020

But, no, Sony's Spidey-verse is not called the Spider-Man Universe of Characters or the Spidey-verse. IGN reached out to the studio for clarification on what their Marvel movie universe should be called and were told its official name is the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. This information, as it turns out, has been out there for a while but just not widely known. The studio refers to the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters in this Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation from 2019, which also confirms that they're developing a Kraven the Hunter movie. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-spider-man-movie-spin-off-in-development&captions=true"] We've heard rumblings about a Kraven movie since 2018, with screenwriter Richard Wenk stating at the time that the movie would draw inspiration from the famous comics storyline "Kraven's Last Hunt" and that he might write Spider-Man into the story. And while it remains unclear how Venom: Let There Be Carnage might connect to the Tom Holland/Spidey movies, the first trailer for Morbius did confirm that the movie takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/morbius-is-part-of-the-mcu-with-spider-man-and-vulture-ign-now"] What do you think of the name "Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters"? Sound off in the comments!

There may have been some confusion among fans when Sony Pictures' official Spider-Man movies Twitter account referred to the "Spider-Man Universe of Characters" in a recent tweet. That would seem to be an all-encompassing name for not only the past Spider-Man movies featuring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield but also the current Tom Holland/MCU-related films as well as titles such as Venom and Morbius.

Join Spider-Man and all his friends while you swing through all the films from the Spider-Man Universe of Characters! Complete your #SpiderMan movie collection with this limited-time @PrimeVideo offer!https://t.co/a1HqdrDYra pic.twitter.com/UiBkMItcV6

— Spider-Man: Far From Home (@SpiderManMovie) April 30, 2020

But, no, Sony's Spidey-verse is not called the Spider-Man Universe of Characters or the Spidey-verse. IGN reached out to the studio for clarification on what their Marvel movie universe should be called and were told its official name is the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. This information, as it turns out, has been out there for a while but just not widely known. The studio refers to the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters in this Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation from 2019, which also confirms that they're developing a Kraven the Hunter movie. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-spider-man-movie-spin-off-in-development&captions=true"] We've heard rumblings about a Kraven movie since 2018, with screenwriter Richard Wenk stating at the time that the movie would draw inspiration from the famous comics storyline "Kraven's Last Hunt" and that he might write Spider-Man into the story. And while it remains unclear how Venom: Let There Be Carnage might connect to the Tom Holland/Spidey movies, the first trailer for Morbius did confirm that the movie takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/morbius-is-part-of-the-mcu-with-spider-man-and-vulture-ign-now"] What do you think of the name "Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters"? Sound off in the comments!

While the announcement of Assassin's Creed Valhalla didn't feature any gameplay footage just yet, it did include a host of information about the open world, the story, and gameplay of the first entry of the franchise set to hit PS5 and Xbox Series X. Below, we've broken down the biggest updates we learned as part of the Valhalla reveal, including officially released information from Ubisoft, information we received in our interview with Valhalla director Ashraf Ismail, and interviews from various other team members from other outlets. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/assassins-creed-valhalla-official-trailer"]

Open-World Gameplay and Combat

• Combat has been altered in some form, with an emphasis on making every hit feel impactful.
• That includes giving players the ability to dismember and decapitate foes.
• While Assassins have had two weapons at once before (two swords, for example), Valhalla places a new emphasis on dual-wielding weaponry, with players allowed to mix and match the game's arsenal.
• Shields return as part of that arsenal after being absent from Odyssey.
• The assassin's blade returns as well.
• Throwing axes will be available in Valhalla as one of Eivor's many weapon options.
• Players will traverse by sea via their Viking longship.
• Players can spot fortresses from the water to attack with their raiding party in massive raids.
• Largescale land battles will also be part of the story, though it's unclear if they'll function like Odyssey's army battles.
• RPG trappings introduced in Origins will return, with new skills, as well as new gear to collect.
• Open-world activities include hunting, fishing, dice, and drinking games.
• Additionally, Valhalla will introduce the competitive sport of flyting, aka, Viking rap battles.
• Eivor, the protagonist, will have a bird companion in the form of a raven, a common addition to the most recent Assassin's Creed.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-first-screenshots&captions=true"]

Story and World

• Valhalla is set in ninth-century England during the Dark Ages.
• It will follow Eivor, a Viking warrior who leads his people out of Norway and into England to settle.
• King Alfred of Wessex will be an opponent Eivor and the Vikings face
• Alfred will be an antagonist, but narrative director Darby McDevitt said it would be wrong to call him the "central antagonist" of the game. (via GameSpot)
• Where some other possible big antagonists may appear is in the modern-day story, as Ismail also confirmed Layla's modern story from Origins and Odyssey would continue in Valhalla. (via Game Informer)
• Eivor will eventually run across some group of Assassins in England, though at this time the Assassins and Templars are still being referred to as they were in AC: Origins and Odyssey: The Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients, respectively. (via Eurogamer)
• Valhalla's map will include Norway, which players can return to after the Vikings leave, and the four kingdoms of England: Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia.
• Major English cities included will be London, Winchester, and Jorvik. (via GameSpot)
• While Valhalla is not meant to be the end of the series, McDevitt called it a "good capper" to the franchise so far, and should include a lot of nods to the franchise's history (via GameSpot)

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/assassins-creed-valhalla-director-gives-gameplay-details"]

Development

• Ubisoft Montreal is the lead development studio on Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
• Ashraf Ismail is directing the project. Ismail and his team previously worked on Assassin's Creed Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Origins.
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be the first entry of the franchise for PS5 and Xbox Series X.
• It is also confirmed for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia, and UPlay+.
• It is set for a Holiday 2020 release window.
• Update 5/1: Ubisoft has confirmed Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be a day 1 launch title for Xbox Series X and PS5, but as we don't have release dates for those two consoles, could not elaborate further on its release plans.

Player Choice - Settlement, Customization, and more

• Like in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, players can choose either a male or female protagonist
• Gear will also be much more customizable in Valhalla
• Each piece of gear in the game will be unique (via GI)
• New customization options include hair, tattoos, clothing, and war paint.
• Players will be able to make custom Viking raiders for their raiding parties and even share them with friends
• Players will also get to forge a home for themselves and either Vikings with the focus on building a settlement, your Viking homestead.
• The settlement will include buildings to upgrade, like a blacksmith, barracks, tattoo parlor, and more
• Players will have to make choices throughout the campaign, including political and personal alliances, dialogue choices, and more
• Alliance examples include conducting a marriage to unite clans, while romance options will be available to the player, too (via Eurogamer)

[poilib element="poll" parameters="id=f90fefa4-336e-4d26-bf06-f994223841a7"]

While the announcement of Assassin's Creed Valhalla didn't feature any gameplay footage just yet, it did include a host of information about the open world, the story, and gameplay of the first entry of the franchise set to hit PS5 and Xbox Series X. Below, we've broken down the biggest updates we learned as part of the Valhalla reveal, including officially released information from Ubisoft, information we received in our interview with Valhalla director Ashraf Ismail, and interviews from various other team members from other outlets. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/assassins-creed-valhalla-official-trailer"]

Open-World Gameplay and Combat

• Combat has been altered in some form, with an emphasis on making every hit feel impactful.
• That includes giving players the ability to dismember and decapitate foes.
• While Assassins have had two weapons at once before (two swords, for example), Valhalla places a new emphasis on dual-wielding weaponry, with players allowed to mix and match the game's arsenal.
• Shields return as part of that arsenal after being absent from Odyssey.
• The assassin's blade returns as well.
• Throwing axes will be available in Valhalla as one of Eivor's many weapon options.
• Players will traverse by sea via their Viking longship.
• Players can spot fortresses from the water to attack with their raiding party in massive raids.
• Largescale land battles will also be part of the story, though it's unclear if they'll function like Odyssey's army battles.
• RPG trappings introduced in Origins will return, with new skills, as well as new gear to collect.
• Open-world activities include hunting, fishing, dice, and drinking games.
• Additionally, Valhalla will introduce the competitive sport of flyting, aka, Viking rap battles.
• Eivor, the protagonist, will have a bird companion in the form of a raven, a common addition to the most recent Assassin's Creed.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-first-screenshots&captions=true"]

Story and World

• Valhalla is set in ninth-century England during the Dark Ages.
• It will follow Eivor, a Viking warrior who leads his people out of Norway and into England to settle.
• King Alfred of Wessex will be an opponent Eivor and the Vikings face
• Alfred will be an antagonist, but narrative director Darby McDevitt said it would be wrong to call him the "central antagonist" of the game. (via GameSpot)
• Where some other possible big antagonists may appear is in the modern-day story, as Ismail also confirmed Layla's modern story from Origins and Odyssey would continue in Valhalla. (via Game Informer)
• Eivor will eventually run across some group of Assassins in England, though at this time the Assassins and Templars are still being referred to as they were in AC: Origins and Odyssey: The Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients, respectively. (via Eurogamer)
• Valhalla's map will include Norway, which players can return to after the Vikings leave, and the four kingdoms of England: Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia.
• Major English cities included will be London, Winchester, and Jorvik. (via GameSpot)
• While Valhalla is not meant to be the end of the series, McDevitt called it a "good capper" to the franchise so far, and should include a lot of nods to the franchise's history (via GameSpot)

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/assassins-creed-valhalla-director-gives-gameplay-details"]

Development

• Ubisoft Montreal is the lead development studio on Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
• Ashraf Ismail is directing the project. Ismail and his team previously worked on Assassin's Creed Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Origins.
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be the first entry of the franchise for PS5 and Xbox Series X.
• It is also confirmed for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia, and UPlay+.
• It is set for a Holiday 2020 release window.

Player Choice - Settlement, Customization, and more

• Like in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, players can choose either a male or female protagonist
• Gear will also be much more customizable in Valhalla
• Each piece of gear in the game will be unique (via GI)
• New customization options include hair, tattoos, clothing, and war paint.
• Players will be able to make custom Viking raiders for their raiding parties and even share them with friends
• Players will also get to forge a home for themselves and either Vikings with the focus on building a settlement, your Viking homestead.
• The settlement will include buildings to upgrade, like a blacksmith, barracks, tattoo parlor, and more
• Players will have to make choices throughout the campaign, including political and personal alliances, dialogue choices, and more
• Alliance examples include conducting a marriage to unite clans, while romance options will be available to the player, too (via Eurogamer)

[poilib element="poll" parameters="id=f90fefa4-336e-4d26-bf06-f994223841a7"]