Author George RR Martin gave fans an update on how things are coming along with writing The Winds of Winter, the next book in his hit fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire that inspired the juggernaut TV series Game of Thrones. After sharing details on what will be happening with his various businesses and events in light of the coronavirus pandemic in a blog post titled “Strange Days,” Martin assured fans that he’s taking all appropriate measures to ensure he remains safe and healthy. “For those of you who may be concerned for me personally… yes, I am aware that I am very much in the most vulnerable population, given my age and physical condition,” Martin wrote. The author is age 71. The CDC says that older adults are especially at risk because the virus has a higher chance of affecting them in a serious way. “But I feel fine at the moment, and we are taking all sensible precautions. I am off by myself in a remote isolated location, attended by one of my staff, and I’m not going in to town or seeing anyone.” Martin shared that in his isolation he’s been able to consistently spend time working on the next novel in the Song of Ice and Fire saga. “Truth be told, I am spending more time in Westeros than in the real world, writing every day. Things are pretty grim in the Seven Kingdoms… but maybe not as grim as they may become here,” he wrote. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=how-game-of-thrones-main-characters-looks-have-changed-over-the-seasons&captions=true"] Martin also informed fans that his interactive art exhibit Meow Wolf, local movie theater Jean Cocteau Cinema, and non-profit arts class the Stagecoach Foundation (all located in Santa Fe, New Mexico) will all be closed until further notice. His bookstore Beastly Books will remain open for the time being with new health and safety practices implemented. The previous novel in Martin’s hit series, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011, so fans have been waiting a long time for the release of The Winds of Winter, and there is one more planned novel still to be written and released after that, A Dream of Spring. To finish off his blog post, Martin shared a hand-washing guide set to a quote from Frank Herbert's Dune. Check out IGN’s safety guide for COVID-19 here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

Author George RR Martin gave fans an update on how things are coming along with writing The Winds of Winter, the next book in his hit fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire that inspired the juggernaut TV series Game of Thrones. After sharing details on what will be happening with his various businesses and events in light of the coronavirus pandemic in a blog post titled “Strange Days,” Martin assured fans that he’s taking all appropriate measures to ensure he remains safe and healthy. “For those of you who may be concerned for me personally… yes, I am aware that I am very much in the most vulnerable population, given my age and physical condition,” Martin wrote. The author is age 71. The CDC says that older adults are especially at risk because the virus has a higher chance of affecting them in a serious way. “But I feel fine at the moment, and we are taking all sensible precautions. I am off by myself in a remote isolated location, attended by one of my staff, and I’m not going in to town or seeing anyone.” Martin shared that in his isolation he’s been able to consistently spend time working on the next novel in the Song of Ice and Fire saga. “Truth be told, I am spending more time in Westeros than in the real world, writing every day. Things are pretty grim in the Seven Kingdoms… but maybe not as grim as they may become here,” he wrote. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=how-game-of-thrones-main-characters-looks-have-changed-over-the-seasons&captions=true"] Martin also informed fans that his interactive art exhibit Meow Wolf, local movie theater Jean Cocteau Cinema, and non-profit arts class the Stagecoach Foundation (all located in Santa Fe, New Mexico) will all be closed until further notice. His bookstore Beastly Books will remain open for the time being with new health and safety practices implemented. The previous novel in Martin’s hit series, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011, so fans have been waiting a long time for the release of The Winds of Winter, and there is one more planned novel still to be written and released after that, A Dream of Spring. To finish off his blog post, Martin shared a hand-washing guide set to a quote from Frank Herbert's Dune. Check out IGN’s safety guide for COVID-19 here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

With Star Wars having concluded the Skywalker Saga with Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, one Marvel fan decided to have some fun imagining what the distant future of the Avengers might look like when that franchise reaches its ninth installment. Reddit user DeLarge93 shared an image to the r/marvelstudios subreddit showing the would-be opening crawl for Avengers: Episode IX - Annihilation. Using the structure of the opening crawl for The Rise of Skywalker, it paints the picture of an MCU future where Rocket Raccoon has heard a mysterious broadcast alluding to the return of Thanos, retired Avenger Sam Wilson is working with the Skrulls to gather intel on the Mad Titan’s return, Captain Marvel (the last hope of the Avengers) is training to defeat the Children of Thanos, and Galactus is on the hunt for Thanos to destroy this threat to his power. The “Annihilation” subtitle refers a Marvel Comics event storyline where the villain Annihilus leads his insect horde known as the Annihilation Wave from the Negative Zone into the Marvel Universe to wage war against Marvel’s mightiest heroes. Many fans guessed that Annihilation would be the subtitle to the fourth Avengers movie before we found out it was Endgame. Sam Wilson and Carol Danvers become a couple in the comics, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that they would still be around and working together to help protect the universe even in their later years. Thanos has been defeated (and even killed) only to return again and again in the comics, so who’s to say that he couldn’t come back in the MCU? If the Emperor can do it, surely he can, too! Galactus is a Fantastic Four antagonist that fans are eagerly anticipating, as the Devourer of Worlds is an iconic Marvel character whose arrival brings about a planet-wide threat. It’s interesting to pit him against Thanos because Galactus is more of a force of nature that naturally balances out the universe by consuming entire planets, acting as the biggest fish on the universal food chain. Whereas Thanos tried to impose his own twisted sense of balance on the universe by killing off half of all life. Hearing these two debate what’s best for the universe would certainly make for an enthralling conversation. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Many commenters got in on the fun imagining how Star Wars could inform what eventually happens in the Avengers saga. Striker_2603 joked: Who are you? I’m Carol. Carol who? Carol Stark Rogers Flamma_Man posited: Does...does this mean that Carol Danvers and Galactus will make out for no discernible reason? What do you think of this fan’s thoughts on what the future of the MCU might hold? Let us know in the comments. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

With Star Wars having concluded the Skywalker Saga with Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, one Marvel fan decided to have some fun imagining what the distant future of the Avengers might look like when that franchise reaches its ninth installment. Reddit user DeLarge93 shared an image to the r/marvelstudios subreddit showing the would-be opening crawl for Avengers: Episode IX - Annihilation. Using the structure of the opening crawl for The Rise of Skywalker, it paints the picture of an MCU future where Rocket Raccoon has heard a mysterious broadcast alluding to the return of Thanos, retired Avenger Sam Wilson is working with the Skrulls to gather intel on the Mad Titan’s return, Captain Marvel (the last hope of the Avengers) is training to defeat the Children of Thanos, and Galactus is on the hunt for Thanos to destroy this threat to his power. The “Annihilation” subtitle refers a Marvel Comics event storyline where the villain Annihilus leads his insect horde known as the Annihilation Wave from the Negative Zone into the Marvel Universe to wage war against Marvel’s mightiest heroes. Many fans guessed that Annihilation would be the subtitle to the fourth Avengers movie before we found out it was Endgame. Sam Wilson and Carol Danvers become a couple in the comics, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that they would still be around and working together to help protect the universe even in their later years. Thanos has been defeated (and even killed) only to return again and again in the comics, so who’s to say that he couldn’t come back in the MCU? If the Emperor can do it, surely he can, too! Galactus is a Fantastic Four antagonist that fans are eagerly anticipating, as the Devourer of Worlds is an iconic Marvel character whose arrival brings about a planet-wide threat. It’s interesting to pit him against Thanos because Galactus is more of a force of nature that naturally balances out the universe by consuming entire planets, acting as the biggest fish on the universal food chain. Whereas Thanos tried to impose his own twisted sense of balance on the universe by killing off half of all life. Hearing these two debate what’s best for the universe would certainly make for an enthralling conversation. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Many commenters got in on the fun imagining how Star Wars could inform what eventually happens in the Avengers saga. Striker_2603 joked: Who are you? I’m Carol. Carol who? Carol Stark Rogers Flamma_Man posited: Does...does this mean that Carol Danvers and Galactus will make out for no discernible reason? What do you think of this fan’s thoughts on what the future of the MCU might hold? Let us know in the comments. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

GameStop has announced plans to cancel the midnight launch for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal this Friday due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

In a statement from GameStop senior vice president of store operations Gary Riding, the company announced several procedures for GameStop locations meant to curb close contact, including canceling midnight launches. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-animal-crossing-game-review&captions=true"] “Like many businesses, we are taking action to institute multiple social distancing practices in our stores such as only allowing 10 customers in our stores at any given time, canceling all gaming events and midnight launch activities until further notice, disabling temporarily all interactive gaming stations in our stores, introducing in-store line management practices that creates a 1-meter parameter between customers in checkout lines, and encouraging customers to several our online ecommerce capabilities and direct deliveries to their homes from our warehouses or stores,” says Riding. Riding also says that GameStop stores have “implemented heightened cleaning practices on all high-touchpoint surfaces within our stores. And like other retailers, we are taking aggressive actions, in an admittedly difficult environment, to quickly obtain the necessary cleaning supplies needed.” The last part of that statement may be a response to ongoing concerns by GameStop employees who claim that stores are not being properly outfitted with cleaning materials. The r/GameStop subreddit is filled with numerous complaints from people who claim to be employees at GameStop who worry that stores aren’t being properly cleaned to handle COVID-19. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/12/doom-eternal-launch-trailer"] IGN reached out to GameStop to ask what the most up-to-date policies for employees’ health and safety are, but have not heard back from the company by the time of publication. In response to the growing outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, retailers and movie theater chains are closing down locations to prevent unnecessary contact between people. While GameStop hasn’t announced store closures in cities that don’t require them to, it will be difficult for the retailer as there’s a recent initiative to make GameStop more public, event spaces. For more, check out IGN’s COVID-19 safety guidelines for more info on how we’re handling the outbreak. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. If you're an employee at GameStop you can reach him at Twitter or at mkim@ign.com

GameStop has announced plans to cancel the midnight launch for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal this Friday due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

In a statement from GameStop senior vice president of store operations Gary Riding, the company announced several procedures for GameStop locations meant to curb close contact, including canceling midnight launches. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-animal-crossing-game-review&captions=true"] “Like many businesses, we are taking action to institute multiple social distancing practices in our stores such as only allowing 10 customers in our stores at any given time, canceling all gaming events and midnight launch activities until further notice, disabling temporarily all interactive gaming stations in our stores, introducing in-store line management practices that creates a 1-meter parameter between customers in checkout lines, and encouraging customers to several our online ecommerce capabilities and direct deliveries to their homes from our warehouses or stores,” says Riding. Riding also says that GameStop stores have “implemented heightened cleaning practices on all high-touchpoint surfaces within our stores. And like other retailers, we are taking aggressive actions, in an admittedly difficult environment, to quickly obtain the necessary cleaning supplies needed.” The last part of that statement may be a response to ongoing concerns by GameStop employees who claim that stores are not being properly outfitted with cleaning materials. The r/GameStop subreddit is filled with numerous complaints from people who claim to be employees at GameStop who worry that stores aren’t being properly cleaned to handle COVID-19. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/12/doom-eternal-launch-trailer"] IGN reached out to GameStop to ask what the most up-to-date policies for employees’ health and safety are, but have not heard back from the company by the time of publication. In response to the growing outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, retailers and movie theater chains are closing down locations to prevent unnecessary contact between people. While GameStop hasn’t announced store closures in cities that don’t require them to, it will be difficult for the retailer as there’s a recent initiative to make GameStop more public, event spaces. For more, check out IGN’s COVID-19 safety guidelines for more info on how we’re handling the outbreak. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. If you're an employee at GameStop you can reach him at Twitter or at mkim@ign.com

Lucasfilm and Disney have released a new TV spot from Episode 5 of the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, titled "Gone With a Trace." The episode will premiere on Disney+ on Friday, March 20, 2020. Here's how the streamer describes the episode: "After leaving the Jedi Order, Ahsoka Tano finds herself in the underworld of Coruscant where she befriends aspiring pilot Trace Martez. Enlisted by Trace’s sister Rafa to help build dangerous droids, Ahsoka opts to keep her Jedi past a secret." You can watch the exciting new clip featuring Ahsoka Tano in action in the video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/17/star-wars-the-clone-wars-season-7-ahsoka-tano-official-tv-spot"] Disney+ also revealed a batch of new images from "Gone With a Trace" featuring Ahsoka, aspiring pilot Trace Martez, a deadly droid, and more. Check out the new photos in the gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-the-clone-wars-final-season-gallery&captions=true"] For more on The Clone Wars, check out our review of "Unfinished Business," Ahsoka Tano explained, a new Clone Wars five-issue comic miniseries from IDW, or refresh your memory with a recap of The Clone Wars so far and a guide to watching in chronological order. [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Lucasfilm and Disney have released a new TV spot from Episode 5 of the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, titled "Gone With a Trace." The episode will premiere on Disney+ on Friday, March 20, 2020. Here's how the streamer describes the episode: "After leaving the Jedi Order, Ahsoka Tano finds herself in the underworld of Coruscant where she befriends aspiring pilot Trace Martez. Enlisted by Trace’s sister Rafa to help build dangerous droids, Ahsoka opts to keep her Jedi past a secret." You can watch the exciting new clip featuring Ahsoka Tano in action in the video below or at the top of the page: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/17/star-wars-the-clone-wars-season-7-ahsoka-tano-official-tv-spot"] Disney+ also revealed a batch of new images from "Gone With a Trace" featuring Ahsoka, aspiring pilot Trace Martez, a deadly droid, and more. Check out the new photos in the gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-the-clone-wars-final-season-gallery&captions=true"] For more on The Clone Wars, check out our review of "Unfinished Business," Ahsoka Tano explained, a new Clone Wars five-issue comic miniseries from IDW, or refresh your memory with a recap of The Clone Wars so far and a guide to watching in chronological order. [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Call of Duty: Warzone's newest mode adds solos play for everyone looking to get a little alone time in the new battle royale. Developer Infinity Ward announced the solos mode becoming available in its latest blog post detailing how the new mode will work. The same amount of 150 players, including you, will drop in with only a few minor changes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/11/call-of-duty-warzone-isnt-just-a-battle-royal"] "Solos is an option for players who are true mercenaries and only want to carry themselves across Verdansk. Only lone wolves need apply; Solo games are the quintessential experience for the player who want the ultimate challenge – all or nothing," the blog post reads. Players that are already familiar with how Warzone works won't be taken too much by surprise. The only major changes include playing alone and not having teammates to revive you using buy stations. Despite teammates no longer being able to revive you, the Gulag and self-revive kits are still available in solos for getting back into the fight. The contracts system is still in place as well for helping players rack up cash. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-every-call-of-duty-single-player-campaign&captions=true"] Call of Duty: Warzone surpassed six million players within its first 24 hours, and has since surpassed over 15 million players. If you weren't one of them but are ready to jump in, go in prepared with the best Warzone loadouts and our guides at the Call of Duty: Warzone wiki. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jeffrey Lerman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @Snakester95.

Call of Duty: Warzone's newest mode adds solos play for everyone looking to get a little alone time in the new battle royale. Developer Infinity Ward announced the solos mode becoming available in its latest blog post detailing how the new mode will work. The same amount of 150 players, including you, will drop in with only a few minor changes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/11/call-of-duty-warzone-isnt-just-a-battle-royal"] "Solos is an option for players who are true mercenaries and only want to carry themselves across Verdansk. Only lone wolves need apply; Solo games are the quintessential experience for the player who want the ultimate challenge – all or nothing," the blog post reads. Players that are already familiar with how Warzone works won't be taken too much by surprise. The only major changes include playing alone and not having teammates to revive you using buy stations. Despite teammates no longer being able to revive you, the Gulag and self-revive kits are still available in solos for getting back into the fight. The contracts system is still in place as well for helping players rack up cash. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-every-call-of-duty-single-player-campaign&captions=true"] Call of Duty: Warzone surpassed six million players within its first 24 hours, and has since surpassed over 15 million players. If you weren't one of them but are ready to jump in, go in prepared with the best Warzone loadouts and our guides at the Call of Duty: Warzone wiki. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jeffrey Lerman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @Snakester95.