Yearly Archives: 2020
Star Wars: True Origin of Kylo Ren and His Crossguard Lightsaber Revealed
With the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren #4 by writer Charles Soule and artist Will Sliney, we now have the complete origin story revealing how Ben Solo transformed into Kylo Ren with his signature crossguard lightsaber. Here’s a breakdown on how the once-promising young Jedi became a tragic villain.
Warning: beware of spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren!
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Check out our video breakdown of the story below or continue scrolling to read the article.
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To recap the story so far, after Ben’s confrontation with Luke Skywalker that left the Jedi Master buried in rubble, the Jedi academy was destroyed by freak lightning strikes from the sky, heavily implied to be the work of the Emperor. Ben fled to Snoke and was instructed to join the Knights of Ren, but the leader, named Ren, tells Ben that he must take a life as part of his initiation, and it must be a good death. A group of three remaining Jedi go after Ben to hopefully turn him back to the Light Side, but when Ben accidentally kills one of them, the last two Jedi decide it’s now their mission to put Ben down.
The final, climactic chapter picks up with the Knights of Ren attempting to steal a rare artifact known as the Mindsplinter (a nice reference to Splinter of the Mind’s Eye) by slaughtering the miners on the Minemoon of Mimban. Ren and his knights have no qualms about killing the miners, but Ben is still resistant to needless killing -- a sign that the Light and Dark Sides are raging inside him, pulling him at both ends. The two remaining Jedi (Tai and Voe) arrive to protect the miners, stop the Knights of Ren, and finally deal with Ben.
Ben engages in a lightsaber duel against his old friend and classmate Tai, but when he disarms him, he can’t bring himself to take his life. Things get extremely emotional for Ben as he expresses how he’s felt like both the Light Side and the Dark Side have tried to claim him since his birth, and he’s never felt like he had a choice about which path to take in his life. Whether it’s Luke or Snoke, he’s fed up with being seen as a “legacy” rather than a person. Tai pleads with Ben to break from all that and choose his own path, but he’s cut short when Ren uses the Force to snap Tai’s neck. (Ren isn’t a trained Sith/Jedi, per se, but he does have a crude command over the Force and wields a red lightsaber.)
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Ben is shocked and saddened by the death of Tai. Ren taunts Ben, saying he’s been fighting the whole process of becoming a Knight of Ren because he doesn’t want to live in the “shadow” (the term Ren uses to describe the Dark Side of the Force). Ben corrects him, saying he is the shadow. The two have a brutal lightsaber battle, knock each other off a high cliff, and continue to battle mid-air while tumbling down.
As they fall, Ben’s hatred begins to manifest as something more profound and we see shots of various Force users around the galaxy sensing his ultimate fall to the Dark Side. Snoke and the Emperor encourage Ben's self-destructive actions and appear to speak in one voice, showcasing how they are one in the same, as we learned in The Rise of Skywalker. Leia reacts in alarm at what her son has become. And a young Rey on Jakku feels a cold chill through the Force, a hint at their connection as a Force Dyad.
As the two combatants reach the ground, Ben plunges his lightsaber into Ren, killing him and finally delivering a “good death.”
With Ben now having embraced the Dark Side, he turns to his last remaining Jedi classmate, Voe, picks up Ren’s red lightsaber, and kills her.
As the dust from the battle settles, we see the Knights of Ren bowing to their new leader, Ben Solo.
The closing sequence aboard the Knights of Ren’s ship the Night Buzzard finally reveals how Ben builds his crossguard lightsaber. We watch as he takes the blue kyber crystal from his lightsaber and infuses it with crackling red Dark Side energy. This is a Dark Side technique we’ve seen before where one can “bleed” normal kyber crystals by channeling their hate and anger into it. However, as Ben performs the ritual, he sees the faces of the people who have cared most about him in his life -- Han Solo, General Leia, Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and Tai -- and though the crystal does turn red, it also cracks in his hand.
It seems that even though Ben has embraced the Dark Side, he hasn’t fully committed to it because he still feels the love of his former family and friends, which is why the crystal broke. It’s imperfect and fractured, split in two by the pull of the Light and the Dark, just like he is.
When Ben ignites his new saber, the crackling red energy blade immediately overheats the hilt, so he installs two side vents that form a crossguard, thus creating the iconic Kylo Ren lightsaber.
While this comic mini-series covers a lot of ground, there are still a few unanswered questions. There’s no mention of Ben taking on the name “Kylo” to become Kylo Ren, so we don’t know why he chose that name or its significance. In The Last Jedi when Luke told Rey what happened after his confrontation with a young Ben Solo, he said that Ben fled with a handful of students, but that's never covered in the story and seems to have been completely ignored. Much of Ben's Kylo Ren persona is based on Darth Vader, but aside from Ren giving him the idea to wear a mask, the story never shows how Ben's obsession with his grandfather influenced his decisions and informed how he chooses to dress himself as Kylo Ren.
For more news on Star Wars, check out 17 revelations from the Rise of Skywalker novel that answer burning questions the movie didn't address.
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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.
Complete Skull of the Smallest Known Dinosaur Found Preserved in Amber
Scientists have discovered the complete skull of a previously unknown species of dinosaur, believed to be the smallest on record, in a new study that has raised questions about the ecosystem of the dinosaurs.
As detailed in a recent Nature journal, the skeletal fossil, found trapped in a chunk of 99-million-year-old amber, appears to represent the smallest known dinosaur of the Mesozoic era, rivalling the bee hummingbird in size.
The skull of the new species, dubbed Oculudentavis khaungraae, measures 7.1 millimetres in length and features an enlarged and well-defined eye socket, comparable to lizards, together with a jaw packed full of serrated teeth.
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Pictures and scans of the preserved skull. Image credit: Nature[/caption]
"When I first saw this specimen, it really blew my mind. I literally have never seen anything like this," said Professor Jingmai O'Connor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, per CNN. "There's over 100 teeth present in the jaws. These weird eyes sticking off looking to the side. There's nothing like this alive today."
O'Connor explained how discoveries of skeletal fossils encased in amber had "completely transformed" palaeontology, as she admitted that we're prone to thinking of "huge skeletons" when we think of dinosaurs. Professor Lars Schmitz from Scripps College in California said the study indicates that "we are probably missing a big chunk of the ecosystem of the dinosaurs."
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The events of Jurassic Park were set into motion after the discovery of fossilized mosquitoes found in amber, but unfortunately, Xu Xing, a Chinese palaeontologist, who wasn't involved in this particular study, said scientists are unlikely to find this to be a source of genetic material in reality.
"Previously people thought amber will be a great source for DNA or proteins, but recent studies demonstrate that it is probably not the case," Xing explained to the outlet. "But, anyway, it often preserves skin, feathers and other non-skeletal tissues, and... we can get lots of information [from this]."
This certainly isn't the first time scientists have discovered elements in ancient fossils. A few years ago scientists at Imperial College London found blood cells in a fossilized dinosaur claw. In other discoveries, the oldest meat-eating dinosaur was recently discovered in Brazil and an amber-preserved beetle was also recently found, showing signs of ancient insect pollination.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Pictures and scans of the preserved skull. Image credit: Nature[/caption]
"When I first saw this specimen, it really blew my mind. I literally have never seen anything like this," said Professor Jingmai O'Connor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, per CNN. "There's over 100 teeth present in the jaws. These weird eyes sticking off looking to the side. There's nothing like this alive today."
O'Connor explained how discoveries of skeletal fossils encased in amber had "completely transformed" palaeontology, as she admitted that we're prone to thinking of "huge skeletons" when we think of dinosaurs. Professor Lars Schmitz from Scripps College in California said the study indicates that "we are probably missing a big chunk of the ecosystem of the dinosaurs."
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The events of Jurassic Park were set into motion after the discovery of fossilized mosquitoes found in amber, but unfortunately, Xu Xing, a Chinese palaeontologist, who wasn't involved in this particular study, said scientists are unlikely to find this to be a source of genetic material in reality.
"Previously people thought amber will be a great source for DNA or proteins, but recent studies demonstrate that it is probably not the case," Xing explained to the outlet. "But, anyway, it often preserves skin, feathers and other non-skeletal tissues, and... we can get lots of information [from this]."
This certainly isn't the first time scientists have discovered elements in ancient fossils. A few years ago scientists at Imperial College London found blood cells in a fossilized dinosaur claw. In other discoveries, the oldest meat-eating dinosaur was recently discovered in Brazil and an amber-preserved beetle was also recently found, showing signs of ancient insect pollination.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.LEGO Mario Details Revealed – Not Quite a Game, More Than a LEGO Set
After a tease earlier this week from LEGO and Nintendo, we now know a lot more about the collaboration between the two companies that will bring Super Mario LEGO sets to the real world. But the work the two have done together isn't just resulting in a LEGO set or two — it's leading to a brand new type of LEGO play style that's like if Super Mario Maker came to life.
As revealed in new images, a teaser video, and an interview IGN conducted with Digital Design Lead on LEGO Super Mario, Jonathan Bennink – LEGO Super Mario, which will include a host of LEGO sets and builds to be revealed in full ahead of its launch later this year, is more than just a traditional LEGO set. Buyers will be able to, essentially, build customized Mario levels using specialty LEGO bricks, which will interact in various ways with the unique LEGO Mario figure you can see in the images below.
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That LEGO Mario is more than just a super-sized figure — he's got special functionality that allows him to interact with different pieces of these levels in unique ways, such as greeting a friendly character like Yoshi, crying out in pain when standing in lava, and more. The goal of these levels is to have Mario traverse the blocky terrain, competing against the clock while interacting with each variable piece to collect as many digital coins as possible. Bennink went a bit more in-depth with IGN about how the system all works, though saved some details for future reveals.
Is LEGO Super Mario a Game?
LEGO Super Mario is not a video game, though not purely just a LEGO set you build. A hybrid between an interactive game and a LEGO experience, Bennink described how the design team endeavored to capture elements of what fans love from both LEGO and Mario. Bennink cited Super Mario Maker as a clear analogue in Mario's gaming history. Though he declined to go into specifics about the LEGO sets themselves, Bennink did point to their modularity. While a piranha plant is very much intended to be a piranha plant in these sets, and the rotating platform shown in the video teaser is meant to be that as well, builders can ultimately decide for themselves when and how Mario will come into facing off with these elements in between the start and end of a level. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=LEGO%20Super%20Mario%20essentially%20brings%20Mario%20Maker%20to%20life."]With the goal of collecting coins and finishing a level before the clock runs out, it might seem like you would just hop Mario from a level's beginning to the end flag, right? Well, in addition to that modularity, it's the unique tech that LEGO is infusing into these sets that brings about that challenge. As Bennink said during our chat, "Everything is happening in the bricks." These sets, and the different elements within them, will have specialty activation points on them, which interact with LEGO Mario. (And for those wondering, Bennink confirmed these are not a whole new set of amiibo figurines – they are a unique brand of tech being employed. So there's no interactivity with Nintendo Switch at this time.) Mario will get coins, for example, from attacking enemies, while also losing coins if he spends too much time in lava. Familiar power-ups will be featured as well to help Mario prevent his coin losses. We'll have to wait until more sets are revealed to see just how creative players can get, but obviously with the creativity shown by players in Mario Maker, it's easy to imagine that will find its way to the inherently creative world of LEGO building. Bennink even teased that, while the functions of different blocks will be largely conveyed to buyers, LEGO is keeping some "hidden features" a secret to let players discover. So placing certain types of blocks next to others may result in something unexpected, but for now, like any good video game Easter egg hunt, that discovery will have to be made by the community. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/12/lego-super-mario-reveal-trailer"]What Nintendo Characters Will Be Included in the LEGO Mario Sets?
The video showing off LEGO Super Mario confirmed a couple of characters outside of Mario. Yoshi will be there as a friendly face to interact with, while Bowser, Jr. was shown as an enemy to overcome. Bennink promised there will be a "range of enemies" familiar to Mario fans, all with action tags to incorporate them into levels, but could not go into specific detail at this time. LEGO also is not discussing any costume changes for Super Mario, as he appears in his traditional overalls in his standard form, and no mention has been made about the possibility of changing his form just yet. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/17/the-biggest-nintendo-games-coming-in-2020"]LEGO Super Mario's Development
LEGO Super Mario has been a labor of love, as Bennink explained it has been in the works for over four years. He said that early on the idea of having this interactive character Mario would become was key to the design, while also wanting to "really infuse the LEGO DNA into the product." Over weekly calls with Nintendo, semi-annual visits in person, and constant iteration that Bennink said stemmed in part from Nintendo's famous philosophy for letting products take the dev time they need, LEGO Super Mario is finally now ready for the world to see. Balancing two iconic companies like LEGO and Nintendo is no easy task, and Bennink explained how Nintendo's philosophy intersected with LEGO's design experience. One of the biggest collaborative elements in LEGO Super Mario's design came from a shared desire to give players and builders a simple understanding of how these new sets work. Bennink said that Nintendo favored quality over quantity in Mario's interactions with other LEGO elements — they preferred his expressions and reactions to be more refined and unique rather than him simply having an abundance of them. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/10/super-mario-lego-seems-to-be-on-the-way-ign-news"]LEGO Super Mario Sets, Release Date
Unfortunately, we don't know any specific release date for LEGO Super Mario just yet, other than a planned release of this year. Additionally, LEGO has yet to go into detail about the various sets that will be part of this new line, though promises information is to come. The pieces seen in the demo images and video, however, are a pretty clear indicator of the types of elements LEGO is crafting. Stay tuned to IGN for more on LEGO Super Mario. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, Podcast Beyond! host, and has built many a LEGO on camera. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.Minecraft Library Created to Combat Censorship in Oppressed Countries
Reporters Without Borders and Blockworks have created The Uncensored Library, a Minecraft map that includes hundreds of virtual books containing articles that have been censored in countries across the world.
Many countries censor blogs, newspapers and websites that run counter to their ruling regimes' views and laws - but those same regimes don't block Minecraft. Reporters without Borders contracted Blockworks – a company that builds custom experiences inside the game – to build a library full of virtual books, filled with the same banned writing.
Launched today, the library currently contains 200 books, with more to be added as time goes on, including articles by censored, jailed, and even murdered journalists. Space has also been left on the map to add more sections to the library.
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Blockworks had 18 virtual builders take three months to design a huge neo-classical library made up of 12.5 million blocks. Rooms are themed after specific countries, including sculptures and exhibits along the theme of censorship and freedom of expression.
You can visit the Uncensored Library website to learn more, watch a Making-of video, and, most importantly, download the latest version of the map here.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.
Valorant Will Launch With 5 Unlocked Characters and Around 5 More to Earn
Valorant, the upcoming competitive PvP shooter from Riot Games, will launch with a roster of around 10 characters or ‘Agents’. Of that number, five will be available to use right away, while the other half will need to be unlocked using either in-game or real-world currency.
Talking to IGN, Valorant executive producer Anna Donlon said: “Of the ten or so agents available at Valorant’s launch, five will be fully unlocked out of the gate. From there, players can unlock additional characters.”
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Unlocking characters is done through an “engagement-incentivized model”, which is also used to unlock tiers on Valorant’s battle pass. Riot describes this as so: “Players will have the option of earning in-game content through playing and engaging with the game, or they can choose to purchase desired content as a shortcut.”
That essentially translates to players being able to earn characters and battle pass tiers via extended play, or unlocking them using real money instead. At a basic level, that's the same as Apex Legends and many other games that feature both unlockable characters and battle passes.
In addition, Valorant’s battle pass features both free and “premium” tiers, with a promise that there will be no ability to pay for gameplay or power advantages.
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Of the agents coming at launch, eight have been revealed: Brimstone, Jett, Phoenix, Sage, Sova, Cypher, Viper, and Omen. Footage of these Agents is gradually rolling out, starting with this video of British Agent, Phoenix.
For more, check out our Valorant hands-on preview, where we said it's "best described as a combination of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and hero shooters like Apex Legends or Overwatch". The game releases this summer.
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New Witcher Game Will Begin Development After Cyberpunk 2077 Release
CD Projekt Red has announced that it will begin developing a new game set in the world of The Witcher – but not The Witcher 4 – after Cyberpunk 2077 is released.
Speaking to Eurogamer Poland (with translation confirmed by IGN Poland), president of CD Projekt Adam Kiciński explained that the developer had created a "clear concept" for a new single-player Witcher game, and that production would begin in earnest once Cyberpunk 2077 is released.
After Cyberpunk 2077 sees its initial release, CD Projekt Red will have two larger teams working on Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer and DLC respectively, with a smaller team beginning work on the Witcher game.
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Kiciński also reiterated the fact that a new Witcher game would not be The Witcher 4, i.e. a continuation of the story of Geralt. the protagonist of the first three mainline Witcher games. This is in line with what Kiciński has been saying for several years – back in 2017, he said that Geralt's story was complete, but that the studio would "probably" return to The Witcher in some form.
Kiciński doesn't make clear what form the next Witcher game would take, but it seems likely that this would be a follow-on from the RPG style of the previous games, rather than a spin-off in the vein of Gwent: The Witcher Card game. No timeframe was given for release but, given the development cycles for The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, we can expect it to be several years away at the very least.
The company president also explained that CD Projekt currently only has games planned in the Witcher and Cyberpunk universes - it seems we won't be seeing any new IP from the Polish studio anytime soon.
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Cyberpunk 2077 is due for release on September 17, following a lengthy delay from its original April estimate. The game will be released for PC and current-gen consoles, with a next-gen release all but confirmed by the fact that CDPR has said players who buy the game on Xbox One will get a free upgrade for a Series X version, whenever that arrives.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and he wants a Witcher game where you play as a werewolf escaping from monster hunters. Just saying. Follow him on Twitter.
Assetto Corsa Competizione Coming to Consoles in June
505 Games and Kunos Simulazioni have confirmed that acclaimed GT racing simulation Assetto Corsa Competizione is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on June 23. It will be available digitally and at physical retail.
The official game of the Blancpain GT Series, Assetto Corsa Competizione is a spin-off to 2014’s original Assetto Corsa and focuses on authentic GT3 racing. It was originally released out of Steam Early Access on PC in May 2019.
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All tracks from the 2018 and 2019 Blancpain GT Series are featured, including laser-scanned versions of Monza, Paul Ricard, Zandvoort, Brands Hatch, Zolder, Silverstone, Misano, Spa, Nürburgring, Hungaroring, and Catalunya. Four tracks from outside Europe were added to the PC version in last month’s “Intercontinental GT Pack”, including Bathurst, Laguna Seca, Kyalami, and Suzuka. The “Intercontinental GT Pack” will be a pre-order bonus for console players but will also be available for separate purchase at some point following the game’s release.
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“Competizione is the finest expression of the Assetto Corsa brand, aiming to be known as a synonym of realism,” said Kunos Simulazioni co-founder Marco Massarutto alongside the announcement. “Console players have shown their high appreciation towards our approach to racing simulations, so we are certain they will appreciate our efforts to bringing also to their favourite platforms the experience, accuracy and depth that Assetto Corsa Competizione has to offer on PC.”
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Kunos Simulazioni has confirmed the studio is also preparing further content for Assetto Corsa Competizione on both PC and consoles, including a GT4 pack that will add over 10 more cars and a British track pack “offering three new iconic circuits that complete the seven-race calendar of the British GT Championship.”
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Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.
CinemaCon 2020 Canceled Due to Coronavirus Concerns
CinemaCon, the film industry's largest trade show gathering of theater owners from around the world, has been canceled due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, organizers announced Wednesday.
The event, which was to have taken place from March 30-April 2, 2020 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, would have seen the major studios touting their upcoming films to exhibitors along with appearances by a bevy of stars there to promote their next films.
“It is with great regret we are announcing the cancellation of CinemaCon 2020,” National Association of Theatre Owners president John Fithian and CinemaCon organizer Mitch Neuhauser said in a statement.
"Each spring, motion picture exhibitors, distributors and industry partners from around the world meet in Las Vegas to share information and celebrate the moviegoing experience. This year, due to the travel ban from the European Union, the unique travel difficulties in many other areas of the world and other challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, a significant portion of the worldwide motion picture community is not able to attend CinemaCon."
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CinemaCon's cancellation is the latest major entertainment industry event to be nixed in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Earlier today came the official news that E3 had been canceled. Previously, the SXSW festival was canceled and Coachella was postponed.
The NBA also postponed the remainder of the current season due to Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert testing positive for the virus.
Hollywood's reaction to the COVID-19 virus has varied from the major studios largely staying the course on their big upcoming releases to films such as No Time to Die and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway having their release dates postponed just weeks from when they were slated to be released.
The global film industry has been roiled by the spreading viral outbreak, with Italy under quarantine and cinemas across China closed indefinitely.
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For more of our coverage on how Hollywood is responding to COVID-19, discover what a high-ranking studio exec and box office analysts said about its potential impact on the industry and find out if medical experts think postponing a film's release will make a difference.
Call of Duty: Warzone Reaches 6 Million Players In Its First 24 Hours
Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's free-to-play battle royale mode, has been played by over 6 million players in its first 24 hours.
Call of Duty revealed the news on Twitter, celebrating its first day since releasing the long-rumored mode into the wild.
It will be interesting to see how Warzone fairs in its first week, and see if it can come close to Call of Duty: Mobile's record breaking 100 million downloads.
For comparison, Apex Legends drew in 2.5 million players in its first 24 hours back in February 2019 and reached 10 million its first 3 days.
Call of Duty: Warzone released on March 10 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC and includes two modes: Plunder and a 150-player battle royale mode.
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It stands apart from other battle royale titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends with such features as the Gulag, which allows eliminated players to battle another 1v1 for a chance at a second life.
Warzone supports crossplay between consoles and PC and allows players to carry their progress wherever they choose to play.
For more on Call of Duty: Warzone, be sure to check out our Tips and Tricks wiki to learn successful strategies, especially if you are new to the battle royale game.
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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.
It will be interesting to see how Warzone fairs in its first week, and see if it can come close to Call of Duty: Mobile's record breaking 100 million downloads.
For comparison, Apex Legends drew in 2.5 million players in its first 24 hours back in February 2019 and reached 10 million its first 3 days.
Call of Duty: Warzone released on March 10 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC and includes two modes: Plunder and a 150-player battle royale mode.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/11/call-of-duty-warzone-battle-royale-trailer"]
It stands apart from other battle royale titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends with such features as the Gulag, which allows eliminated players to battle another 1v1 for a chance at a second life.
Warzone supports crossplay between consoles and PC and allows players to carry their progress wherever they choose to play.
For more on Call of Duty: Warzone, be sure to check out our Tips and Tricks wiki to learn successful strategies, especially if you are new to the battle royale game.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=call-of-duty-warzone-screenshots&captions=true"]
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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.NBA Suspends Regular Season Coronavirus
NBA officials have announced that the remainder of the regular season has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus.
The decision comes after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA announced in an official statement. The Athletic's Shams Charania first reported the story.
Here is the NBA's official statement:
"The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. The test result was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of tonight’s game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. At that time, tonight’s game was canceled. The affected player was not in the arena.
"The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice. The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic."
Both teams are currently being quarantined at the arena, according to The Athletics Tony Jones.
Despite testing positive for the coronavirus, reports state that Gobert feels "good, strong, and stable" and would have been capable of playing in the game tonight versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"This is crazy, this can't be true," said Mark Cuban to ESPN, the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Shark Tank star. "It's really not about basketball and money...you think about your family. You want to make sure you're doing this the right way," said Cuban. "This is much bigger than just the NBA."
This news comes just a few hours after the NCAA announced that the annual March Madness tournament would be held without fans in attendance. Further, the ACC, SEC, and other major conferences have followed suit, announcing that their conference tournaments would be played without fans.
The NHL has released an official statement stating that they are "continuing to consult with medical experts" and are "evaluating the options." Officials are expected to offer more information tomorrow.
This story is developing...
