Yearly Archives: 2020

National Hockey League Suspends Season Over Coronavirus Concerns

The National Hockey League has paused the 2019-20 season over COVID-19 (Coronavirus) concerns. The news was announced by NHL League Commissioner Gary Bettman, and arrives a day after the NBA announced that it too would be suspending the current season after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The full statement from the NHL is as follows: “In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019‑20 season beginning with tonight’s games. “The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night’s news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus – and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point – it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time. “We will continue to monitor all the appropriate medical advice, and we will encourage our players and other members of the NHL community to take all reasonable precautions – including by self-quarantine, where appropriate. Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/11/e3-officially-canceled-over-coronavirus-concerns-ign-news"] The NCAA announced that, for the time being, the March Madness tournament would still take place, although it would be held without fans in attendance. Reports are also stating that the MLB is expected to announce the postponement of its upcoming season and spring training as well. These are just a few of the entertainment events impacted by COVID-19, as E3, GDC, SXSW have all cancelled or postponed their annual events. [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.

Every IGN Animal Crossing Review Ever

Animal Crossing has wormed its way into the hearts of millions around the world since it made its debut in Japan on the N64 as Doubutsu no Mori/Animal Forest in 2001. The franchise has earned some of IGN's highest scores with its main entries, but it also had a spin-off, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, that didn't quite live up to the bar set by its predecessors. With Animal Crossing: New Horizons being released on Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020, we thought we'd take a look back at every Animal Crossing game that IGN has reviewed. Check out all the scores in the slideshow below. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-animal-crossing-game-review&captions=true"] Let us know which game has been your favorite in the comment section below. [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 who can't wait to owe Tom Nook a lot of Bells. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

BAFTA Games Awards Will Now Be an Online-Only Event

The BAFTA Games Awards will ditch their red carpet ceremony and host an online-only event due to the spread of coronavirus. The show will go on as planned on its scheduled date, April 2. The announcement was made in a press release on Thursday. "Amid growing concerns over the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the number of nominees due to travel from overseas, we have made the decision to change the format of next month’s BAFTA Games Awards," the press release reads. "The health and wellbeing of our guests and our staff remain our top priority, so there will be no live audience and we are now in the process of informing all our nominees, guests, partners and suppliers of the change." IGN's Game of the Year is nominated for 11 BAFTAs. Check out our review: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/26/control-review"] Many countries are banning travel to select territories, which are mostly territories like China, Iran and Italy. As of right now, there is no restrictive access to the U.K. United States President Donald Trump banned American travel to and from 26 European countries, but the U.K. is still available to access. The British Academy Television Craft Awards and Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards are still scheduled to go ahead as planned on April 24 and May 17 respectively. Control and Death Stranding are nominated for a record 11 BAFTA Awards each at the ceremony. Hideo Kojima is set to receive the BAFTA Fellowship. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-kojima-game-review&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

Tom Holland Confirms Spider-Man 3 to Begin Filming in July

Tom Holland is gearing up to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor confirmed to The Philippine Daily Inquirer that filming on the third MCU Spider-Man movie is set to begin in July 2020. "I’m super happy about it. We will be shooting 'Spider-Man 3' in July in Atlanta," Holland told the Inquirer. He also described the story as "absolutely insane" and confirmed Zendaya will return as MJ. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-spider-man-movies-rotten-tomatoes-score&captions=true"] Holland didn't have much else to reveal about the plot or cast, as Marvel and Sony are no doubt trying to keep the sequel tightly under wraps. And while we know Spider-Man will appear in at least one other MCU movie, Holland seems uncertain of what that might entail. Holland did discuss the friendship he's built with Onward costar Chris Pratt, revealing Pratt has helped him navigate the challenges of superhero stardom. "Since I got cast as Spider-Man, he’s been like a big brother to me," said Holland. "He’s always on the other end of the phone should I need to ask him advice about dealing with this concept of being famous and people feeling like they own a little piece of you." The news that cameras will begin rolling in a few months is good, considering the uncertainty surrounding the film last year. In August news broke that Holland's Spider-Man was out of the MCU after negotiations between Disney and Sony broke down. However, a new deal was announced in September 2019. Sony continues to move forward with its own Spider-Man cinematic universe, with both Venom 2 and Morbius due for release in 2020. The first trailer for Morbius suggests these movies could actually be set within the MCU. In other news, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 co-writer Roberto Orci is reportedly writing an untitled Spider-Man spinoff. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/18/pixars-onward-behind-the-scenes-with-tom-holland-and-chris-pratt-exclusive"] Holland will also reprise his role as part of Disneyland's Marvel's Avengers Campus theme park expansion, which will include a Spider-Man ride called WEB Slingers featuring Holland. Are you pysched about Spider-Man 3? Let us know in the comments below. [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.

The Last of Us Part 2’s Delay Reportedly Led to Sustained Crunch, Not Less Crunch

When The Last of Us Part II was delayed, crunch continued unabated rather than subsiding, according to a report on the game's developer. In a wide-ranging report on crunch culture at Naughty Dog (Uncharted, The Last of Us), Kotaku spoke to anonymous developers at the studio, who discussed the effects of the game's delay from February to April - the main point being that crunch would not subside as a result of the extra development time. One developer explained: “People thinking the extension is somehow to relieve stress or the workload on the team are wrong. The first thing that they wanted to reiterate is that we aren’t slowing down the pace.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/24/the-last-of-us-part-2-delayed-to-may-2020"] The report does make clear that some Naughty Dog staff were apparently relieved that the game was delayed from its February release date, as it would have been 'a mess' at that time. It also makes clear that many at Naughty Dog are in favour of, or at the very least accept, the crunch at a studio famous for its perfectionism. A developer said, "That’s one of the reasons crunch always happens here. People are given the freedom to keep working longer, to push the envelope of what they are working on, to make things just 10 percent better. It’s what the studio looks for when hiring people." At the time of the delay, creative director Neil Druckmann said that the delay was because the game was not yet "Naughty Dog quality." He added: "While we’re relieved that we won’t have to compromise our vision, we’re disappointed that we weren’t able to avoid this exact situation. We wish we could’ve foreseen the amount of polish we needed, but the size and scope of this game got the better of us. We hate disappointing our fans and for that we’re sorry." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20029358&captions=true"] It's not the first time we've heard of a delay leading to sustained crunch this year – CD Projekt Red publicly explained that developers would still have to crunch "to some degree" after Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed to September. Crunch - a term for sustained overtime during development, particularly when close to release - has become a hot topic in the games industry in recent years, with the likes of Rockstar, NetherRealm, and Epic Games all criticised for their working culture. The new Telltale Games was set up with a goal of a non-crunch work environment, and Nintendo has publicly said it won't release game before it's ready - and even delay it - partly because it wants to focus on the health of its employees. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Fast 9 Release Date Delayed to May 2021

UPDATE: Universal Pictures has once again delayed the theatrical release of Fast 9, but this time not as dramatically as they did back in March. Fast 9 will now open May 28, 2021, which is Memorial Day weekend in the United States. F9 was previously slated to open April 2, 2021, after being delayed to that date from its original May 22, 2020 slot. Our original report follows. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Universal Pictures has announced that Fast 9, the Fast and Furious sequel originally set for a release this May, will now be released in April 2021, in response to actions taken around the world concerning the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Fast 9, the 10th film in the Fast and Furious franchise, was originally meant for a theatrical release on May 22, 2020. However, a statement from Universal Pictures sent to IGN confirmed that "We are moving the global release date to April 2021, with North America opening on April 2." Universal explained the reasoning behind the delay, saying "It's become clear that it won't be possible for all of our fans around the world to see the film this May." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/31/f9-fast-furious-9-official-trailer-1"] The full statement reads:
To our family of Fast fans everywhere,   We feel all the love and the anticipation you have for the next chapter in our saga.    That’s why it’s especially tough to let you know that we have to move the release date of the film.  It’s become clear that it won’t be possible for all of our fans around the world to see the film this May.    We are moving the global release date to April 2021, with North America opening on April 2.   While we know there is disappointment in having to wait a little while longer, this move is made with the safety of everyone as our foremost consideration.    Moving will allow our global family to experience our new chapter together.  We’ll see you next spring.    Much love, Your Fast Family
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=from-groot-to-dominic-toretto-vin-diesels-8-best-roles&captions=true"] Fans of the Fast franchise were particularly excited for Fast 9's release following the reveal of a major character's return in the debut trailer. Fast 9's director described why that character's return had to happen, while star Vin Diesel has continued to look toward the future of the franchise, having recently discussed whether Fast 10 could be split into two films. Just days ago reports suggested that Universal's Fast 9 and Disney's Black Widow wouldn't see delays due to COVID-19, and while Black Widow's release remains unchanged, Fast 9 is not the only film to see delays. In terms of other delays, A Quiet Place II was delayed a week before its release while No Time to Die was delayed to November 2020. IGN recently spoke with several film industry experts about the potential impact on the film industry of COVID-19. The NBA has also indefinitely suspended its season due to COVID-19, while the gaming industry has seen the cancellation of E3 2020 and a postponement of the Game Developers Conference. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond! and an avid member of the Fast Family. Talk to him about the series on Twitter @jmdornbush.

A Quiet Place 2 Delayed a Week Before Release

A Quiet Place: Part II has been delayed one week before it was due to be released as a result of the "ever-changing circumstances" amid the global threat of COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus). Writer-director John Krasinski announced the delay on Twitter, where he directly addressed Quiet Place fans about the pushback, explaining his new plans to release the horror sequel at a time when everyone can watch it together. "One of the things I’m most proud of is that people have said our movie is one you have to see all together," Krasinski wrote in a statement on Thursday. "Well due to the ever-changing circumstances of what's going on in the world around us, now is clearly not the right time to do that. As insanely excited as we are for all of you to see this movie .. I'm gonna wait to release the film till we CAN all see it together! So here's to our group movie date! See you soon!" [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/10/a-quiet-place-part-ii-wait-here-clip"]   Developing... [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A Remaster of the Classic Blade Runner Adventure Game Is Coming to PC and Consoles Later This Year

Nightdive Studios is working to bring back an enhanced version of the 1997 Blade Runner adventure game to PC (via Steam), Xbox One, PS4, and the Nintendo Switch later this year. Originally developed by Westwood Studios (of Command and Conquer fame), the 1997 Blade Runner game tells a story set in the same cinematic universe, but with different characters. While the main character for the video game is a rookie Blade Runner named Ray McCoy, the events of the game take place at the same time as the 1982 Ridley Scott film. Some events in the game even intersect with the movie, making the two companions of sorts. Actors from the original film like Sean Young reprised their roles in the video game for cameo appearances. The Blade Runner video game was stuck in a legal rights battle but was finally re-released on GOG.com in December 2019. Nightdive will utilize its KEX game engine to restore Blade Runner for modern systems, similar to the work done on System Shock: Enhanced Edition, and Turok. Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition will feature updated character models and animations, upscaled cutscenes, widescreen support, keyboard and controller customization, and other improvements. Nightdive CEO Stephen Kick says however that since so much of the original game was ahead of its time, that the studio will preserve Westwood’s vision and gameplay. Meanwhile, the former members of Westwood Studios are working on their own remaster of the Command and Conquer series for EA. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.