UPDATE: Xbox's Aaron Greenberg further clarifies that this will be focused on third-party games as "the Xbox Game Studios teams are hard at work on some big summer plans. More details soon!" Original story follows. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Xbox has announced we will get our first look at next-gen gameplay from Xbox Series X games from its global developers partners during a special Inside Xbox on Thursday, May 7 at 8am PT/11am ET/3pm GMT. Xbox announced the news via Twitter, but gave no further information as to what games we can expect to see. It is important to note that it specifically mentions its "global developers partners," and not its first-party Xbox Game Studios. One game that has been confirmed to be showcased, however, is Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Ubisoft Nordic's Twitter quote tweeted Xbox's tweet and said "We will be happy to reveal our first Assassin’s Creed Valhalla gameplay trailer during the First Look Xbox Series X Gameplay on Inside Xbox. Stay tuned!" [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/13/xbox-series-x-console-announcement-trailer"] Assassin's Creed Valhalla had its first cinematic trailer drop this morning, revealing the next entry in the long-running franchise will take place in ninth-century Europe and will have players taking on the role of Eivor, a Viking raider who must take his people out of Norway and find a new home in the kingdoms of England. As for what games could be featured in next week's Inside Xbox, our list of confirmed Xbox Series X games indicate we could potentially see more from Battlefield 6, Godfall, Gods and Monsters, Outriders, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. As always, there may also be some surprises in store. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-trailer-images&captions=true"] We've already learned a lot about the Xbox Series X hardware, which boasts 12 Teraflops of power, 16 GB of GDDR6 RAM, a 1TB SSD hard drive, and much more. [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.

Ubisoft unveiled Assassin's Creed Valhalla with a reveal trailer, the first in-game screenshots, and plenty of story and gameplay details. But among the many bits of information Ubisoft has revealed about the next Assassin's Creed, one stands as quite a surprise - Viking rap battles. Yes, according to an official description for Valhalla on Ubisoft's website, the open-world of ninth-century England and Norway will feature common activities like hunting, drinking games, and fishing. But more importantly, you'll be able to engage in flyting, aka, rap battles. The full description reads:

Sail across the icy North Sea to discover and conquer the broken kingdoms of England. Immerse yourself in activities like hunting, fishing, dice, and drinking games, or engage in traditional Norse competitions like flyting – or, as it's better known, verbally devastating rivals through the art of the Viking rap battle.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-trailer-images&captions=true"] Flyting was a battle of insults, akin to modern-day rap battles, allowing you to quite literally add insult to injury against all those who oppose the main character Eivor during Valhalla's story. Flyting comes from Old English and is translated as "to quarrel," and examples of it have been found in Norse, Celtic, Old English, and more writings. If it sounds like a far cry from the stereotypical activities you hear Vikings would embark on — namely, a lot of raiding and pillaging, well, you're not alone in that belief. But Thierry Noël, historian and inspirational content advisor of the Editorial Research Unit on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, spoke to Ubisoft about the unexpected gap in how Vikings actually lived compared to their perceived lives. "The gap between the reality of Norse society and the image we have of the reckless Viking was really interesting to me. They were a fascinating society in terms of culture and pretty fair in the way they treated women, who had important rights at the time. It was certainly contradictory to the common image we have of Vikings," Noël told Ubisoft. And given that Valhalla is leaning into the player choice the series has recently adopted, including adding new character customization options and important dialogue choices, it only seems fitting we'll be able to choose how to verbally devastate foes in between raiding parties and settlement upgrades. Speaking of settlements, Valhalla is placing a big emphasis on building and shoring up Eivor's Viking settlement in the new Assassin's Creed, as game director Ashraf Ismail told IGN in a recent interview, which you can watch below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-director-gives-gameplay-details"] Assassin's Creed Valhalla is set to be released this holiday season on PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC exclusively on the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store, Google Stadia, and UPlay+. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise. Debate with him which is the best in the series on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla was fully announced today with a CGI trailer, but the press release also included the first in-engine screenshots of the game. While almost certainly composed, rather than taken during regular gameplay, they give a sense of what the first next-generation Assassin's Creed game will look like. Check them out in the gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-first-screenshots&captions=true"] The images include a castle-based battle scene, possibly a siege, a group sailing in a longship, and a verdant countryside scene. The latter two images show off the female version of main character, Eivor. Assassin's Creed: Valhalla was teased in a lengthy stream yesterday, and subsequently revealed as a current- and next-gen game, coming this Holiday 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-official-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

After an extended teaser announcement, Ubisoft revealed Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the next entry in the long-running series, with a release date window of the 2020 holiday season for PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC exclusively on the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store, Google Stadia, and UPlay+. Revealed alongside a cinematic trailer offering a glimpse of the new setting and characters, Ubisoft confirmed Valhalla will be set in ninth-century Europe, as players take on the role of Eivor, a Viking raider who leads their people out of Norway and into the kingdoms of England. Valhalla is being developed at Ubisoft Montreal, which previously developed Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin’s Creed Origins, with over a dozen Ubisoft associate studios contributing as well to the new game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-official-trailer"]

Gameplay - Settlements, Raids, Customization

While the reveal trailer did not showcase direct gameplay, many of its scenes echo the new additions Valhalla is making to the franchise’s gameplay. The open world setting of England’s Dark Ages and Viking culture will also bring with it some key elements to Valhalla’s gameplay, perhaps most notably the Viking settlement Eivor is leading. Sounding akin to Black Flag’s Inagua settlement, and even Ezio’s Assassin’s Creed II villa before it, Valhalla game director Ashraf Ismail told IGN ahead of the announcement more about how important the settlement is to Eivor’s story, as well as what the gameplay of it may look like. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-trailer-images&captions=true"] “The settlement is a key feature of the game. It's quite grand in what we're trying to achieve with it. We want you to feel that this is your home, that you're building, that a lot of what you're doing in the game world is, at the end of the day, going to feed into the settlement so that it can grow, it can flourish. We have a ton of buildings that people can build. Each building comes with its own gameplay purpose,” Ismail said. “There's a lot of effort that's gone into making sure that players can feel like this home that they're developing is really meaningful to them. It's meaningful to the journey that they're on. The people that they invite to their settlement have meaning to them. Lots of events and things happen based on how you decide to kind of grow this place. It's really core to the experience of the game.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-director-gives-gameplay-details"] Of course, Eivor will need to leave their settlement and venture out into the world to experience it in true Assassin’s Creed style, and Valhalla introduces more adjustments there as well. The introduction of the Viking longship points to naval combat, which this development team pioneered in Black Flag, while Eivor will also be able to lead their people on raids from the waterfront to gather resources and money. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%22The%20settlement%20is%20a%20key%20feature%20of%20the%20game.%22"] Valhalla will also update the combat that saw a major revision in Origins, introducing dual-wielding weaponry against a promised “greater variety of enemies than ever before.” And Valhalla will build off of what Assassin’s Creed Odyssey offered in terms of player customization. In addition to playing Eivor as either male or female, players will also be able to customize Eivor’s hair, tattoos, clothing, war paint, and gear. Meanwhile, choices will have to be made in the story, including dialogue choices and “political alliances” that will affect the world of Valhalla. “There's customization on the character we've never had in the [franchise] before,” Ismail said. “The gear system has been revamped quite a lot to really push a balance between having great gameplay-oriented gear, but also the look that players can really customize the look of that gear. In terms of the grander choices, it comes down to the journey and the settlement, and what do you want to leave behind in the settlement and what kind of impact do you want to have on the people that you're trying to take care of?”

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla on PS5 and Xbox Series X

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be the first entry in the series to take advantage of the PS5 and Series X, and Ismail spoke to how those new consoles are helping to bring Valhalla’s world to life for what is meant to be a “flagship” Ubisoft game on the next-gen consoles. “Assassin’s Creed has always been committed to new technologies because our ambitions with these games and these worlds is to deliver the most immersive experience that we possibly can. So anytime there is new technology, we’re very open to it, our software is very open to it. Our software is open to it,” Ismail said. “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is meant to be a flagship game for next-gen for Ubisoft, so we’re quite excited.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-first-screenshots&captions=true"] Specifically, he said the team is quite excited about what the reduced load times will allow for the new entry’s world. “Having significantly faster loading times, effectively means we’re able to remove some of the friction of the immersion we’re trying to go after. We’re trying to build the most immersive experiences we possibly can, so having extremely fast loading helps us out a lot with that. These worlds, the Dark Ages of England and Norway, these are breathtaking, living worlds. So to be able to push them to an incredible potential is wonderful for us,” he said.

Story and World

As the reveal trailer indicates, Eivor’s journey will take them and their Viking community from Norway across the North Sea to the four kingdoms of England. While all those territories will be explorable in some fashion in Valhalla, Ismail indicated there are some surprises in store. “You can actually quite dynamically go back to Norway anytime you want. And Norway is quite breathtaking. We have the four kingdoms within England, Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia. It's quite a large chunk of England,” he said. “There's other surprises that I won't spoil, but our ambition has been to deliver the Viking experience, the Viking fantasy within the Assassin's Creed world." [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=f90fefa4-336e-4d26-bf06-f994223841a7"] Among the opposition Eivor and the Vikings will face is Saxon resistance, namely in the form of King Aelfred of Wessex. Of course, this being an Assassin’s Creed entry, there will likely be some tie-ins to the modern-day story present throughout the series, as well as more on the history of the Templar and Assassins, though what that will be is a mystery for now.

Inclusion of Norse Mythology

One notable moment in the reveal trailer features Eivor seemingly spotting the Norse god Odin on the battlefield, who then transforms into a raven and flies away, a good omen amidst the battle. Does this mean the Norse gods will heavily feature in Valhalla’s story, particularly given the name? While Ismail understandably did not want to explore the story, he said Norse mythology figures and beliefs are certainly part of the game because Eivor’s spirituality, and their belief in these gods, is very much a part of their and the Vikings daily lives. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-box-art-logos&captions=true"] “The Norse beliefs and the Norse mythology was an everyday part of the culture. And this is the way we're approaching it, from a sense of the grounded history of the Vikings and the Norse people,” Ismail said. “We also, we're telling a personal story of Eivor. So Eivor's perspective of the world, this is sort of what's hinted at in that trailer, how Eivor will take a sign or see something and put their own spin on it. “It's an important part of Eivor's journey through this world, but the cue [of Odin in the trailer] was the Norse people, their belief structures, that mythology itself was a part of the everyday life.

Preorder, Season Pass DLC, and Special Edition Info

Assassin's Creed Valhalla will have a season pass of DLC Ubisoft has not yet detailed, but the game will be available this holiday in several forms, including the standard edition. The other versions include:

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla Gold Edition: the base game and the season pass
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla Ultimate Edition: the base game, the season pass, and the ultimate pack, which includes exclusive customization content, like the Berserker Gear Pack, the Berserker Settlement Pack, the Berserker Longship Pack, and a set of Runes used to improve weapons and gear.
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla Collector's Edition: everything included in the Ultimate edition, plus a replica of Eivor and her longship (30 cm height), a collector's case, a steelbook, a numbered certificate of authenticity, a Viking statuette of Eivor with his raven and Dane axe (5 cm high), exclusive lithographs, and a selected soundtrack. This version will only be available on the Ubisoft store.

  Preordering Assassin's Creed Valhalla will net players an additional mission at launch, The Way of the Berserker, which has Eivor join a legendary Norse Berserker on a revenge quest. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise. Debate with him which is the best in the series on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Stockholm-based indie studio The Outsiders has halted development on its debut game, Darkborn, and moved on to a new project that it will reveal “very very soon”. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/02/darkborn-gameplay-reveal-15-minutes-of-monsters-vikings-and-story"] The developer announced the situation via a statement posted to Twitter. “Last April we released a gameplay trailer for Darkborn, knowing that it might be our final release,” it said. “In spite of our best efforts to continue, ultimately we had to make the difficult decision to halt development on the project.”

Dear Outsider friends and monster- lovers: pic.twitter.com/NRTwNUHxSp

— The Outsiders (@outsidersgames) April 30, 2020

While Darkborn may be gone (at least for now, The Outsiders has not ruled out returning to it), the studio has something else in the works. “We look forward to being able to share it all with you very very soon.” The studio has offered no hint as to what its new project is, but “very very soon” indicates that a reveal is not far away. Darkhold was revealed by IGN in April last year, and was a stealth action game in which you played as a monster being hunted by Viking-like barbarians. The plan was that your monster would grow from cub to predator over the course of the story, gaining more potent beast powers to make use of when taking your revenge for the slaughter of your family. The Outsiders is a small Swedish studio established by ex-DICE employees David Goldfarb and Benjamin Cousins. Goldfarb was previously game director on Payday 2 at Overkill Software before quitting to set up The Outsiders with his former colleague Cousins. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=darkborn-gameplay-reveal-screenshots&captions=true"] If you’re looking for an indie that lets you play as the monster, then you may be interested in Devolver’s Carrion, due for release this year, which sees you destroy a facility’s worth of scientists and soldiers as you break out of containment. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s producer, Yoshinori Kitase, has promised that the team has no intention of making any drastic changes to the original game’s story in subsequent games. Talking as part of an interview for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Ultimania book (translated by Aitaikuji), Kitase said “I’ve talked about this extensively with [co-director Tetsuya] Nomura, but I’m sure fans of the original are expecting to revisit familiar locations and scenes, so we have strong feelings to not stray away from that.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/06/final-fantasy-7-remake-review"] “From here on out, we’re not drastically changing the story and making it into something completely different than the original,” he added. “Even though it’s a Remake, please assume that FF7 will still be FF7 as usual.” Following on from this, story and scenario writer Kazushige Nojima said “For me, I create scenarios that follow the general flow of the original story but with the assumption that the way things are presented or how events occur might be slightly different.” This news may come as a relief to many players who are worried that their favourite moments from the original game may not feature in future Remake installments. Square Enix has made no secret of the fact that this new version of the Final Fantasy 7 story is expanded and tweaked, but it seems that any changes to be made will not stray away from the familiar narrative. Warning: spoilers for the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake follow. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=final-fantasy-7-remake-over-100-screenshots&captions=true"] This promise of the Remake project being “FF7 as usual” stands in contrast to what appears to be promised in the finale of Remake. As detailed in our Final Fantasy 7 Remake ending explained feature, the destruction of the Whispers seems to suggest that fate has been eliminated, freeing the writers to stray away from the original story. While it seems like we should expect some further changes, this interview does suggest that the departures won’t be as drastic as many players have feared. In regards to “doubts”, Nomura says “The story will still continue, so I don’t think we can answer much.” He does, however, confirm that Zack is alive. “That’s the biggest highlight of the mysteries that have been set up in this scene, isn’t it? (laughs)” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/10/final-fantasy-7-remake-ending-explained"] Nojima also references the mascot dog Stamp, which in Zack’s scene is a different breed of dog. While not divulging what this means, it is clearly important to the future of this aspect of the story. Our ending explained video presents a theory on what it could be. Further adding to the intrigue is that the Ultimania interview reveals that Remake is officially the fifth part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, which is made up of the movie Advent Children, mobile game Before Crisis, PSP game Crisis Core, and PS2 game Dirge of Cerberus. That official link lends further reinforcement to fan theories that the Sephiroth present in Remake is actually the Sephiroth from Advent Children, having traveled back in time in an attempt to foil Cloud. For more Final Fantasy 7 Remake, check out the developers' plans for future FF7 games, how a save game editor can put Red XIII in your party, and our guide to tackling FF7 Remake's hard mode. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

The digital download of The Last of Us Part 2 will require at least 100GB of hard-drive space. The game's American store page, includes the space requirement at the bottom amid licensing and copyright details. It was already common knowledge that the physical release of The Last of Us Part 2 would ship on two discs, so it's no surprise that the digital download is sizeable. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/12/the-last-of-us-part-2-gameplay-trailer-e3-2018"] Red Dead Redemption 2 first brought back the two-disc trend when it launched back in October 2018, but stopped you from having to switch halfway through by including a Data Disc and a Play Disc. Whatever format you go for, make sure you clean up your PS4's storage before release day. It's been a rough week for The Last of Us 2 after major plot points from the game were leaked earlier in the week. Check out our PSA to help you stay clear of spoilers. Amidst the chaos, Sony pegged an updated release date for the game, with The Last of Us Part 2 now launching on June 19th. The game was originally delayed indefinitely due to supply chain problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more on The Last of Us Part 2, check out these screenshots which offer a glimpse at the game's vistas and returning character. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Veteran Star Trek actor and director Jonathan Frakes has confirmed that he will be returning to the director's chair for Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard. Speaking on IGN's WFH Theater on Wednesday, Frakes, who reprised Riker on-screen and directed a couple of episodes of Picard's first season, discussed his involvement in the upcoming season of the CBS All Access show, as he revealed that he would be taking command of the camera once again. "I've been asked, so I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to get back to work," Frakes told IGN in the Live Q&A Watch-Along. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/01/12/star-trek-the-picard-shows-timeline-explained"] Star Trek: First Contact marked Frakes' feature film directorial debut, though he had previously directed multiple episodes of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Frakes' Star Trek directing career continued on from 1998's Star Trek: Insurrection up through the two currently ongoing Star Trek series, Discovery and the TNG-sequel Picard. The Trek vet helmed Episode 4, "Absolute Candor," and Episode 5, "Stardust City Rag," of Picard Season 1. Speaking of the different approach in directing the series, Frakes told IGN, "The shooting style is a little bit different. You've got to keep it cool, though. ... It's not like Next Gen where it was closeup, two shot, closeup, closeup. You know I mean. That s#!t is... That doesn't fly on television anymore!" [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-trek-picard-photos&captions=true"] Frakes also made his return to the screen as William Riker in Episode 7, "Nepenthe," and Episode 10, "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part II," of Picard Season 1, although his beloved character almost didn't make it into the episodes at all. If you missed those episodes yourself and need a Star Trek refresher, you can check out our Star Trek: Picard viewing guide that lays out the essential Picard-centric episodes to watch before steaming Star Trek: Picard Season 1 on CBS All Access. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Paramount is moving forward with their long-planned Transformers animated feature, and has reportedly hired Josh Cooley, the director of the Oscar-winning Toy Story 4, to helm it. According to Deadline, the film "takes place on Cybertron, the planet from which the good-guy and bad-guy robots came from. The film revolves around the relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron." Deadline says the film is separate from the main live-action film series. The script was written by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man and the Wasp) several years ago, but now Paramount and Hasbro/eOne have "more or less begun production" on the film. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dumbest-transformers-movie-moments&captions=true"] One big reason for this Transformers project moving forward now is the coronavirus pandemic, which will complicate the production of live-action films once Hollywood gets back to work due to new health precautions and safety measures that will need to be implemented to keep casts and crews safe. Transformers is no stranger to animation, of course, having spawned a popular cartoon in the 1980s and then launching to the big screen with 1986's The Transformers: The Movie. The Transformers franchise last hit theaters with 2018's period spinoff Bumblebee, which, while the most critically acclaimed film in the franchise, was also its lowest-grossing entry. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/12/20/how-well-does-the-bumblebee-cast-know-totally-rad-80s-toys"] How do you feel about a new Transformers animated movie? Let us know in the comments.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 will return for a live online special this Sunday, May 3, according to the cult show's creator and host Joel Hodgson. Chatting with AV Club, Hodgson revealed that the streaming special Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live Riff-Along will air Sunday, May 3rd, at 6pm ET on the following platforms: Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Pluto TV, Stirr, Xumo, Redbox, and Vizio. It will also include a new short titled Circus Day, while Facebook will provide behind-the-scenes looks at the special. The cast lined up for the live online special will be the gang behind Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live: The Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour. Joining Hodgson will be his fellow self-isolating co-stars Emily Marsh (Emily Crenshaw), Conor McGiffin (Tom Servo), Nate Begle (Crow T. Robot), and Yvonne Freese (as both Mega-Synthia and GPC). Hodgson said the live special will riff on MST3K's own first season episode lambasting the 1969 "moon western" Moon Zero Two. This time, the live show's crew will poke fun at their 1990 counterparts' jokes as they watch along. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/07/23/mst3k-new-cast-talks-treading-its-cult-following-ign-access"] “We tend to ignore the first season, because we got so much better the next season—we had a bunch of shows under our belts, so we just improved so much,” Hodgson told AV Club. MST3K originally ran from 1988-1999, spawned a feature film in 1996, and was then was briefly revitalized as a Netflix show featuring a new cast. Hodgson launched The Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour in 2019.