It’s been less than a week since PlayStation announced it won’t be attending PAX East in Boston due to “increasing concerns” over COVID-19, otherwise known as the novel coronavirus. Now, the mayor of Boston has reached out to Sony to appeal to the company, urging them to make a decision based on “facts, not fear,” and urging PlayStation to not play into “harmful stereotypes” about Chinese people.

According to WCVB (via Eurogamer), Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has sent a letter to PlayStation CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, saying to the gaming company president that the risk of individuals contracting the COVID-19 in Boston and Massachusetts remains extremely low. Walsh also stated in the letter that anti-Chinese and anti-Asian sentiment and misinformation have played a role in the increasing fear of the COVID-19 in the United States.

"These fears reinforce harmful stereotypes that generations of Asians have worked hard to dismantle," reads Walsh's letter. "They trigger our worst impulses: to view entire groups of people with suspicion, to close ourselves off, and to miss out on the opportunities and connections our global city provides. Boston is united in our efforts to dispel these harmful and misguided fears."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"]

Walsh specifically urged PlayStation to play a role in pushing back against these fears.

"As a large, international company, you have an opportunity to set a good example," Walsh wrote. "As a leader in technology, you can show that you are motivated by facts, not fear. As a leader in gaming and culture, you can show that you believe in connection, not isolation."

So far, only one Boston resident has been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19. That resident, a man in his 20s who attends the University of Massachusetts and returned from recent trip to Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak, has since been kept in isolation in his home where he is currently recovering.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/21/othercide-reveal-trailer-pax-east-2020"]

Since COVID-19 appeared in Boston, Walsh has started a social media campaign focused on easing the fears of the city’s Chinatown’s business.

PlayStation has yet to publicly respond to Walsh’s letter.

An increase in racist comments and attacks has been linked to increasing fear over COVID-19. A viral video recorded recently shows a man on an LA subway train ranting at an Asian woman, saying “every disease has ever came from China.” Similarly, another video recorded at a Super 8 in Plymouth, Indiana shows a man denying a room to two Hmong men over a similar fear. Other video footage shows a man attacking an Asian woman seemingly for wearing a face mask, a common accessory in Asian communities long before COVID-19 arose.

As of February 23, COVID-19 has killed approximately 2,442 people in China’s mainland, with a total of 76,936 reported infections, according to Aljazeera. According to CNN, United States health officials have confirmed 35 cases of COVID-19 in the country. The highest concentration of individuals with COVID-19 appears to be in California, with a confirmed eight cases.

PlayStation and Facebook (which owns the Oculus VR brand) similarly also pulled out of the 2020 Game Developers Conference, which is hosted in San Francisco’s downtown district from March 16 to March 20, citing the same concerns over the coronavirus.

“We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19… We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily," Sony said in a statement. "We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern. We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/21/game-scoop-567-400-is-the-magic-number-for-a-console-launch"]

PlayStation not attending PAX East also means that a previously planned demo of The Last of Us Part II will not be available for the public.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has interrupted other gaming events as well. The Overwatch development team has announced it will temporarily relocate its Chinese teams to South Korea, and Nintendo confirmed the outbreak will impact Animal Crossing: New Horizons shipments in Japan.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

It’s been less than a week since PlayStation announced it won’t be attending PAX East in Boston due to “increasing concerns” over COVID-19, otherwise known as the novel coronavirus. Now, the mayor of Boston has reached out to Sony to appeal to the company, urging them to make a decision based on “facts, not fear,” and urging PlayStation to not play into “harmful stereotypes” about Chinese people.

According to WCVB (via Eurogamer), Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has sent a letter to PlayStation CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, saying to the gaming company president that the risk of individuals contracting the COVID-19 in Boston and Massachusetts remains extremely low. Walsh also stated in the letter that anti-Chinese and anti-Asian sentiment and misinformation have played a role in the increasing fear of the COVID-19 in the United States.

"These fears reinforce harmful stereotypes that generations of Asians have worked hard to dismantle," reads Walsh's letter. "They trigger our worst impulses: to view entire groups of people with suspicion, to close ourselves off, and to miss out on the opportunities and connections our global city provides. Boston is united in our efforts to dispel these harmful and misguided fears."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"]

Walsh specifically urged PlayStation to play a role in pushing back against these fears.

"As a large, international company, you have an opportunity to set a good example," Walsh wrote. "As a leader in technology, you can show that you are motivated by facts, not fear. As a leader in gaming and culture, you can show that you believe in connection, not isolation."

So far, only one Boston resident has been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19. That resident, a man in his 20s who attends the University of Massachusetts and returned from recent trip to Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak, has since been kept in isolation in his home where he is currently recovering.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/21/othercide-reveal-trailer-pax-east-2020"]

Since COVID-19 appeared in Boston, Walsh has started a social media campaign focused on easing the fears of the city’s Chinatown’s business.

PlayStation has yet to publicly respond to Walsh’s letter.

An increase in racist comments and attacks has been linked to increasing fear over COVID-19. A viral video recorded recently shows a man on an LA subway train ranting at an Asian woman, saying “every disease has ever came from China.” Similarly, another video recorded at a Super 8 in Plymouth, Indiana shows a man denying a room to two Hmong men over a similar fear. Other video footage shows a man attacking an Asian woman seemingly for wearing a face mask, a common accessory in Asian communities long before COVID-19 arose.

As of February 23, COVID-19 has killed approximately 2,442 people in China’s mainland, with a total of 76,936 reported infections, according to Aljazeera. According to CNN, United States health officials have confirmed 35 cases of COVID-19 in the country. The highest concentration of individuals with COVID-19 appears to be in California, with a confirmed eight cases.

PlayStation and Facebook (which owns the Oculus VR brand) similarly also pulled out of the 2020 Game Developers Conference, which is hosted in San Francisco’s downtown district from March 16 to March 20, citing the same concerns over the coronavirus.

“We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19… We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily," Sony said in a statement. "We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern. We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/21/game-scoop-567-400-is-the-magic-number-for-a-console-launch"]

PlayStation not attending PAX East also means that a previously planned demo of The Last of Us Part II will not be available for the public.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has interrupted other gaming events as well. The Overwatch development team has announced it will temporarily relocate its Chinese teams to South Korea, and Nintendo confirmed the outbreak will impact Animal Crossing: New Horizons shipments in Japan.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

It was a neck and neck race this weekend at the box office between Sonic the Hedgehog and Call of the Wild, starring Harrison Ford and man's best CGI friend. In the end, Sonic edged out Call of the Wild, pulling in an estimated $26.3 million, which brings the video game adaptation to a grand total of $107 million domestically, per Variety. Call of the Wild, which is based on Jack London's famous novel from 1903, brought in an estimated $24.8 million, which is more than analysts predicted but still small compared to the film's giant $135 million budget. Our own review of Call of the Wild said the the movie was all bark and no bite due to an "over-reliance on CGI." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/20/the-call-of-the-wild-official-trailer"] Sonic vs. Wild wasn't the only close contest this weekend. Horror flick Brahms: The Boy II fizzled with critics and movie-goers, nabbing $5.9 million for the weekend - which was just barely enough to overtakeBad Boys for Life's fourth place spot. A spinoff/sequel to 2016's The Boy, the film stars Katie Holmes, Ralph Ineson, and Owain Yeoman.

North American Box Office Estimates

Birds of Prey was third this weekend, with $7 million, finishing the weekend with an estimated $72 million total domestic take to date. The rest of the Top 10 contained Oscar winners 1917 and Parasite, which continue to do well in the wake of the Academy Awards, as well as holiday juggernaut Jumanji: The Next Level, which has now a whopping $311 million domestic haul. TruTV's Impractical Jokers: The Movie, in limited release, landed in 11th place, with $2.3 million. Here are the Top 10 North American box office estimates for the (2-day) weekend (via Box Office Mojo)

• 1. Sonic the Hedgehog $26,300,000
• 2. Call of the Wild $24,820,000
• 3. Birds of Prey $7,005,000
• 4. Brahms: The Boy II $5,900,000
• 5. Bad Boys for Life $5,860,000
• 6. 1917 $4,400,000
• 7. Fantasy Island $4,185,000
• 8. Parasite $3,121,000
• 9. Jumanji: The Next Level $3,000,000
• 10 The Photograph $2,800,000

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sonic-the-hedgehog-all-the-easter-eggs-and-hidden-references-from-the-movie&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

It was a neck and neck race this weekend at the box office between Sonic the Hedgehog and Call of the Wild, starring Harrison Ford and man's best CGI friend. In the end, Sonic edged out Call of the Wild, pulling in an estimated $26.3 million, which brings the video game adaptation to a grand total of $107 million domestically, per Variety. Call of the Wild, which is based on Jack London's famous novel from 1903, brought in an estimated $24.8 million, which is more than analysts predicted but still small compared to the film's giant $135 million budget. Our own review of Call of the Wild said the the movie was all bark and no bite due to an "over-reliance on CGI." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/20/the-call-of-the-wild-official-trailer"] Sonic vs. Wild wasn't the only close contest this weekend. Horror flick Brahms: The Boy II fizzled with critics and movie-goers, nabbing $5.9 million for the weekend - which was just barely enough to overtakeBad Boys for Life's fourth place spot. A spinoff/sequel to 2016's The Boy, the film stars Katie Holmes, Ralph Ineson, and Owain Yeoman.

North American Box Office Estimates

Birds of Prey was third this weekend, with $7 million, finishing the weekend with an estimated $72 million total domestic take to date. The rest of the Top 10 contained Oscar winners 1917 and Parasite, which continue to do well in the wake of the Academy Awards, as well as holiday juggernaut Jumanji: The Next Level, which has now a whopping $311 million domestic haul. TruTV's Impractical Jokers: The Movie, in limited release, landed in 11th place, with $2.3 million. Here are the Top 10 North American box office estimates for the (2-day) weekend (via Box Office Mojo)

• 1. Sonic the Hedgehog $26,300,000
• 2. Call of the Wild $24,820,000
• 3. Birds of Prey $7,005,000
• 4. Brahms: The Boy II $5,900,000
• 5. Bad Boys for Life $5,860,000
• 6. 1917 $4,400,000
• 7. Fantasy Island $4,185,000
• 8. Parasite $3,121,000
• 9. Jumanji: The Next Level $3,000,000
• 10 The Photograph $2,800,000

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sonic-the-hedgehog-all-the-easter-eggs-and-hidden-references-from-the-movie&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

SPOILERS for Westworld seasons 1, 2, and promo material for season 3 below. Read with caution if you want to go into season 3 absolutely blind.

While we’ve all been waiting patiently for Westworld season 3, a group of diehard fans has managed to dig through a fake website tied to an ARG (augmented reality game) for the show. In the process, three new trailers for Westworld season 3 have been discovered.

According to a report from Westworld Watchers (via io9), Westworld fans dug through the real website for the very much fake Incite Inc, a shadowy company that appears to play a role in Westworld season 3. Specifically, Reddit user MTC_Chickpea found a total of three trailers hidden in various spots on the website, which looks pretty much exactly like the vaguely west coast-ish media/tech firm you’d see in any sinister sci-fi future tale.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/21/how-leaving-westworld-changes-westworld-in-season-3-comic-con-2019"]

Despite being posted to YouTube on February 19, the three videos were unlisted, hence why it took a bit of internet sleuthing from fans to discover them.

None of the trailers are terribly long, but they do provide a ton of new peeks at characters old and new, plus what tensions there might be between certain characters.

The first trailer, titled “Free Will Is Not Free,” shows off characters like Aaron Paul’s character Caleb, plus Dolores, Ed Harris’ Man in Black, and Jeffrey Wright’s Bernard in various states of turmoil. It’s all intermittently broken up by various bits of text reading things like “escape is not freedom,” and “disruption is not change.”

 

Trailer two, which clocks in at a heftier two minutes and forty seconds, follows Dolores far more closely as she describes to Aaron Paul how the two are alike, and alludes to what they’re going to do about each other’s seemingly connected plots in life. We also see Maeve get introduced to a new, very corporate-looking gentlemen who tasks her with finding and killing Dolores. Spread out throughout the trailer are a couple more shots from what appears to be a car chase through the streets of a city.

The third trailer, “When Caleb Meets Dolores,” is definitely the weirdest of them all, and is clearly a sort of dark parody of meet-cute romantic comedy movies like When Harry Met Sally. Set to some jaunty music, Aaron Paul and Dolores meet up, Dolores teases him with a few key hints about her plans to start a revolution, and Paul remarks on how Dolores is the first real thing to happen to him in a long time. If it weren’t for the shadowy lighting, creepy parties with masked violinists, and, you know, the murder, it would definitely pass for a trailer at your local showing of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

It's unclear if this mysterious Incite Inc ARG has any other clues left to give, but rest assured that the internet will most likely find out.

While you’re waiting for more Westworld season 3 teases to drop, check out the actual trailer that HBO debuted just two days ago, or check out the official poster.

For more on Westworld, be sure to check out Westworld Awakening - a VR game where you play as a self-aware host, a behind the scenes look at season 2, and why the Man in Black's story is Westworld's greatest tragedy.

Westworld season 3 debuts on HBO on March 15, 2020 at 9 P.M. Eastern Time.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

SPOILERS for Westworld seasons 1, 2, and promo material for season 3 below. Read with caution if you want to go into season 3 absolutely blind.

While we’ve all been waiting patiently for Westworld season 3, a group of diehard fans has managed to dig through a fake website tied to an ARG (augmented reality game) for the show. In the process, three new trailers for Westworld season 3 have been discovered.

According to a report from Westworld Watchers (via io9), Westworld fans dug through the real website for the very much fake Incite Inc, a shadowy company that appears to play a role in Westworld season 3. Specifically, Reddit user MTC_Chickpea found a total of three trailers hidden in various spots on the website, which looks pretty much exactly like the vaguely west coast-ish media/tech firm you’d see in any sinister sci-fi future tale.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/21/how-leaving-westworld-changes-westworld-in-season-3-comic-con-2019"]

Despite being posted to YouTube on February 19, the three videos were unlisted, hence why it took a bit of internet sleuthing from fans to discover them.

None of the trailers are terribly long, but they do provide a ton of new peeks at characters old and new, plus what tensions there might be between certain characters.

The first trailer, titled “Free Will Is Not Free,” shows off characters like Aaron Paul’s character Caleb, plus Dolores, Ed Harris’ Man in Black, and Jeffrey Wright’s Bernard in various states of turmoil. It’s all intermittently broken up by various bits of text reading things like “escape is not freedom,” and “disruption is not change.”

 

Trailer two, which clocks in at a heftier two minutes and forty seconds, follows Dolores far more closely as she describes to Aaron Paul how the two are alike, and alludes to what they’re going to do about each other’s seemingly connected plots in life. We also see Maeve get introduced to a new, very corporate-looking gentlemen who tasks her with finding and killing Dolores. Spread out throughout the trailer are a couple more shots from what appears to be a car chase through the streets of a city.

The third trailer, “When Caleb Meets Dolores,” is definitely the weirdest of them all, and is clearly a sort of dark parody of meet-cute romantic comedy movies like When Harry Met Sally. Set to some jaunty music, Aaron Paul and Dolores meet up, Dolores teases him with a few key hints about her plans to start a revolution, and Paul remarks on how Dolores is the first real thing to happen to him in a long time. If it weren’t for the shadowy lighting, creepy parties with masked violinists, and, you know, the murder, it would definitely pass for a trailer at your local showing of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

It's unclear if this mysterious Incite Inc ARG has any other clues left to give, but rest assured that the internet will most likely find out.

While you’re waiting for more Westworld season 3 teases to drop, check out the actual trailer that HBO debuted just two days ago, or check out the official poster.

For more on Westworld, be sure to check out Westworld Awakening - a VR game where you play as a self-aware host, a behind the scenes look at season 2, and why the Man in Black's story is Westworld's greatest tragedy.

Westworld season 3 debuts on HBO on March 15, 2020 at 9 P.M. Eastern Time.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

As production on The Batman kicks off (and set photos circulate of a fully batsuit-ed Robert Pattison riding a batcycle), actor Jeffrey Wright has shared some of the reading he's doing to prep for his role as Jim Gordon. In his Instagram post, Wright, who's set to appear in Season 3 of HBO's Westworld in March, revealed an image of the trade paperback Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1. Here's a look... "Background reads for the culture," Wright writes. "In the beginning..." Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1 contains Detective Comics #27-45, Batman #1-3, and New York World’s Fair Comics #2 - so it really hones in on the Caped Crusader's first published outings as Gotham's go-to vigilante. Director Matt Reeves has said that The Batman will focus on Batman's detective abilities, emphasizing a rogues gallery and offering a more mystery, Noir-influenced take on Gotham City. Though no one knows yet if Wright's Jim Gordon will hold the title of "commissioner" in The Batman, or if the story will have him start out as a detective or lieutenant, Gordon was police commissioner in his first appearance in Detective Comics #27. Check out Robert Pattinson in the batsuit, as part of test footage released by Reeves, as well as all the various comic book influences for the suit. You can also see IGN's official ranking of all the movie batsuits here. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/13/the-batman-camera-test"] Plus, Ben Affleck recently explained why he gave up playing Batman in the DCEU. The Batman -- which releases June 25, 2021 -- stars Pattison as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman, Colin Farrel as Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton / The Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and John Turturro as Gotham City mobster Carmine Falcone. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

As production on The Batman kicks off (and set photos circulate of a fully batsuit-ed Robert Pattison riding a batcycle), actor Jeffrey Wright has shared some of the reading he's doing to prep for his role as Jim Gordon. In his Instagram post, Wright, who's set to appear in Season 3 of HBO's Westworld in March, revealed an image of the trade paperback Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1. Here's a look... "Background reads for the culture," Wright writes. "In the beginning..." Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1 contains Detective Comics #27-45, Batman #1-3, and New York World’s Fair Comics #2 - so it really hones in on the Caped Crusader's first published outings as Gotham's go-to vigilante. Director Matt Reeves has said that The Batman will focus on Batman's detective abilities, emphasizing a rogues gallery and offering a more mystery, Noir-influenced take on Gotham City. Though no one knows yet if Wright's Jim Gordon will hold the title of "commissioner" in The Batman, or if the story will have him start out as a detective or lieutenant, Gordon was police commissioner in his first appearance in Detective Comics #27. Check out Robert Pattinson in the batsuit, as part of test footage released by Reeves, as well as all the various comic book influences for the suit. You can also see IGN's official ranking of all the movie batsuits here. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/13/the-batman-camera-test"] Plus, Ben Affleck recently explained why he gave up playing Batman in the DCEU. The Batman -- which releases June 25, 2021 -- stars Pattison as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman, Colin Farrel as Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton / The Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and John Turturro as Gotham City mobster Carmine Falcone. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Court documents reveal that Activision is attempting to subpoena Reddit in order to uncover the identity of the user who recently leaked key art for Modern Warfare's battle royale game mode, Warzone. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Activision is filing a Digital Millennium Copyright Act subpoena against Reddit in an effort to reveal the identity of the user who leaked "infringing Activision content." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-call-of-duty-review&captions=true"] The now-deleted Reddit post seemingly revealed some key art from the upcoming Modern Warfare: Warzone game mode. This is not the first Warzone leak, as there have been a handful of leaks over the past couple of months, which have all but confirmed the unannounced battle royale game mode. A December leak seemingly revealed an official look at the new Warzone map, while a leak earlier this month seems to reveal the full battle royale map. Since Modern Warfare leaks are not uncommon, it's unclear why Activision is just now deciding to take legal action. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/14/new-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-battle-royale-details-reportedly-leaked-ign-news"] IGN has reached out to Activision for a comment, but did not immediately receive a reply. A DMCA subpoena allows a company to notify another company that copyright-protected materials have been posted in some form on their own service, ostensibly compelling that company to respond and take down the infringing material. The DMCA protects companies like Reddit, YouTube, or other internet-based companies from legal damages if a user posts another company's content on their site, so long as they agree to comply to the subpoena. Activision is not the only company that has taken legal action against a leaker in the past few months. In November, Epic sued a UX tester for leaking details about Fortnite Chapter 2, and one month later sued another leaker for the same thing. At the time of writing, it is unclear if Activision will be successful in subpoenaing Reddit to court, and if Reddit will comply with releasing the user's identity. We will update this story in the coming days as more news unfolds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.

Court documents reveal that Activision is attempting to subpoena Reddit in order to uncover the identity of the user who recently leaked key art for Modern Warfare's battle royale game mode, Warzone. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Activision is filing a Digital Millennium Copyright Act subpoena against Reddit in an effort to reveal the identity of the user who leaked "infringing Activision content." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-call-of-duty-review&captions=true"] The now-deleted Reddit post seemingly revealed some key art from the upcoming Modern Warfare: Warzone game mode. This is not the first Warzone leak, as there have been a handful of leaks over the past couple of months, which have all but confirmed the unannounced battle royale game mode. A December leak seemingly revealed an official look at the new Warzone map, while a leak earlier this month seems to reveal the full battle royale map. Since Modern Warfare leaks are not uncommon, it's unclear why Activision is just now deciding to take legal action. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/14/new-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-battle-royale-details-reportedly-leaked-ign-news"] IGN has reached out to Activision for a comment, but did not immediately receive a reply. A DMCA subpoena allows a company to notify another company that copyright-protected materials have been posted in some form on their own service, ostensibly compelling that company to respond and take down the infringing material. The DMCA protects companies like Reddit, YouTube, or other internet-based companies from legal damages if a user posts another company's content on their site, so long as they agree to comply to the subpoena. Activision is not the only company that has taken legal action against a leaker in the past few months. In November, Epic sued a UX tester for leaking details about Fortnite Chapter 2, and one month later sued another leaker for the same thing. At the time of writing, it is unclear if Activision will be successful in subpoenaing Reddit to court, and if Reddit will comply with releasing the user's identity. We will update this story in the coming days as more news unfolds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.