EA has, outside of the US, began raising prices for many of its older games, including the Mass Effect Collection, SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition, and Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition. As reported by PC Gamer, Steam users started reporting earlier this week that a "significant number" of EA's games had their prices raised on Steam but not on EA's own platform, Origin. Dragon Age: Origins, which originally released in 2009, saw its price raised £5 to £24.99 out of nowhere. These changes can be seen on each game's SteamDB page. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/20/the-biggest-games-coming-in-2020"] SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition, from 2003, nearly doubled as its price went from £9.99 to £17.99. Reddit user MJuniorDC9 compared the prices of SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition, Crysis 2: Maximum Edition, and Mass Effect Collection, showing the old and new prices in such countries as Canada, Russia, and Brazil. An interesting note is that these price changes are not consistent across all regions or game titles. For example, Sim City 4 and Dragon Age are currently more expensive in New Zealand, but Dead Space 2 is not. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-games-of-2019&captions=true"] This news arrives just a few months after EA announced it would be releasing its new games on Steam for the first time since it launched its Origin store in 2011. [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 and is so excited he just can't hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Blizzard's president has acknowledged that it's been a tough week for the developer following the launch of Warcraft 3: Reforged due to the criticism from the community the game received.

During the Activision Blizzard earnings call held on February 6, 2020, Blizzard president J. Allen Brack answered a question about the criticism that Warcraft 3: Reforged drew from players since its launch on January 28, 2020.

"Honestly, it's been a bit of a hard week," Brack said. "Our community has come to expect really amazing things from us, and we've heard from them that we did not achieve that bar."

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Warcraft 3: Reforged was criticised by players for a number of reasons. Cutscenes don't feature cinematic camera angles that were promised, some have reported connectivity issues, while others are disappointed at the lack of a competitive ladder.

Another issue is a change to Blizzard's End User License Agreement that gives Blizzard complete copyright of custom games made in Reforged. If anyone comes up with a great game idea in Reforged then they aren't able to take it out of there and turn it into a standalone game without Blizzard's permission.

"But we stand behind our games, and have consistently shown that not only do we support them, but we continue to build on them even after launch, and we're committed to doing that here as well," Brack continued. "And so we're going to continue to update the game, and we'll continue to update the community with our plans going forward."

Warcraft 3: Reforged received its first post-launch update today, which comes in at 2GB in total. However, it doesn't make any huge changes to the game, mostly fixing bugs and addressing some issues with the game's Classic mode.

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Blizzard has also changed its refund policy for Warcraft 3: Reforged, at least for now. Rather than having to wait for Blizzard to review each refund application, players can now ask for a refund through the support system and get it automatically, or near enough.

We gave the game a 7 in our Warcraft 3: Reforged review, saying that it's "an uninspiring remaster, but Warcraft 3 itself is still a great game nearly two decades later."

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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players are spending more money in-game than Black Ops 4 players either due to or despite the removal of the season pass and loot boxes.

During Activision's Q4 earnings call on February 6, 2020, company president Rob Kostich answered a question about how removing the season pass for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has affected player behaviour and in-game revenue.

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Kostich begins by saying it's important to acknowledge that removing the season pass for Modern Warfare was part of a number of changes Activision made "to create a better overall experience for our player community." The other changes he mentioned were bringing in cross-play and cross-progression.

He adds that with the launch of Call of Duty: Mobile last year, Activision is treating all Call of Duty players across all platforms as a singular community. "Instead of certain portions of the audience having certain content, we're focused now on free content for the entire community, to drive engagement with the overall community," Kostich said.

He then talked about how removing the season pass and loot boxes and replacing those systems with the battle pass in Modern Warfare enabled more transparency to players so they can see what their money goes towards. That, he says, has worked out really well, as evidenced in a "double-digit percentage" growth for in-game spending in Modern Warfare over Black Ops 4.

"We're looking at engagement and we're looking at daily average uniques, our engagement is up significantly year over year. That's really great for us to see so many people playing and enjoying this fantastic game," Kostich said.

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"And then on the player investment side, I'd say fans certainly seem to be appreciating the new system quite a bit. We mentioned the growth year on year, but one other thing I might add is that we're also seeing an increase in attach rates in-game to the new system. Which I think is a very, very positive sign for it."

Activision also confirmed during the earnings call that there will be a new Call of Duty game in 2020 but didn't announce who the developer is yet. Our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review gave the game an 8.2 and said it has "the best CoD campaign in nearly a decade, thanks to fast pacing and great variety."

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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

If you love survival horror games, especially ones that are either directly from or inspired by those made in the '90s, then April 2020 is the month for you.

Daymare: 1998 is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 28, 2020 across North America and Europe. You might know that is not long after the Resident Evil 3 remake release date, on April 3, 2020. Yep, you're being spoiled this April.

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The PS4 version of Daymare: 1998 will be available both in physical and digital form, while the Xbox One version will only be available digitally.

Daymare: 1998 started out life as Resident Evil 2 Reborn when it was announced in July 2015. That was just a month before Capcom revealed its own Resident Evil 2 remake and forced Italian indie studio Invader Games to shut down its fan-made homage.

But Invader wasn't deterred and instead started making its own third-person survival horror game that builds upon the work done already, but swapping out everything Resident Evil 2 for original ideas and names.

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Fast-forward to September 2019 and Daymare: 1998 was released for PC. As is intended, it's pretty similar to Resident Evil 2, featuring a story told through multi-character perspective, environmental puzzles, over-the-shoulder shooting, and inventory management.

You play as an elite soldier, a helicopter pilot, and a forest ranger as they set out to investigate a deadly virus outbreak. Naturally, there will be plenty of horrible creatures to shoot or avoid along the way.

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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The director of the 2016 Doctor Strange film, Scott Derrickson, has praised the idea of putting Sam Raimi in charge of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With reports stating Raimi is in talks to direct Doctor Strange 2, Derrickson posted his thoughts on Twitter, saying "What a great choice to take over Doctor Strange."

I’ve worked with Sam Raimi. One of the nicest people I’ve known in the film business, and as a director, a true living legend. What a great choice to take over Doctor Strange.

— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) February 6, 2020

Derrickson was originally in the director's chair for the sequel but leftover creative differences between himself and Marvel in January. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/10/doctor-strange-2-loses-director-scott-derrickson"] Raimi was behind the Spider-Man films from the 2000s and hasn't touched a super-hero movie since. He is also known for working on movies like The Evil Dead series and has been announced as a producer on The Last of Us movie. His talent for horror and super-hero movies should put him in good stead to tackle the upcoming Doctor Strange film as it has been described as the first MCU horror film. If you want to know why the Multiverse of Madness could be so scary, check out this explainer. If the reports of Raimi taking the reins don't work out, we have 10 other directors in mind we think could take over. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=doctor-strange-10-directors-who-could-take-over-multiverse-of-madness&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN who is stoked for Joxer the Mighty to be in charge. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.  

The director of the 2016 Doctor Strange film, Scott Derrickson, has praised the idea of putting Sam Raimi in charge of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With reports stating Raimi is in talks to direct Doctor Strange 2, Derrickson posted his thoughts on Twitter, saying "What a great choice to take over Doctor Strange."

I’ve worked with Sam Raimi. One of the nicest people I’ve known in the film business, and as a director, a true living legend. What a great choice to take over Doctor Strange.

— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) February 6, 2020

Derrickson was originally in the director's chair for the sequel but leftover creative differences between himself and Marvel in January. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/10/doctor-strange-2-loses-director-scott-derrickson"] Raimi was behind the Spider-Man films from the 2000s and hasn't touched a super-hero movie since. He is also known for working on movies like The Evil Dead series and has been announced as a producer on The Last of Us movie. His talent for horror and super-hero movies should put him in good stead to tackle the upcoming Doctor Strange film as it has been described as the first MCU horror film. If you want to know why the Multiverse of Madness could be so scary, check out this explainer. If the reports of Raimi taking the reins don't work out, we have 10 other directors in mind we think could take over. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=doctor-strange-10-directors-who-could-take-over-multiverse-of-madness&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN who is stoked for Joxer the Mighty to be in charge. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.  

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer has revealed that a Knives Out sequel is on the way with a possible 2022 release date. The sequel announcement came at a third-quarter earnings call, where Feltheimer told investors the company's "2022 slate will be one of our most exciting ever." Director Rian Johnson has been a big proponent of a Knives Out sequel, telling Deadline that "the idea of continuing it on seems like it would just be a blast." Johnson continued, "But there's a lot that has to happen before that can happen, first and foremost being writing a script." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=nominees-best-movie-of-2019&captions=true"] Knives Out released in November 2019 with an all-star cast including Chris Evans, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, and more. The film reportedly cost around $40 million to produce and earned an estimated 27 million dollars in its opening weekend. With Knives Out nearing $300 million at the worldwide box office, it's reasonable to say that Johnson's film was a success. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/10/knives-out-review"] It's currently unclear if any of the old cast will be returning for the sequel, but Daniel Craig, who played Detective Benoit Blac, has publicly expressed interest in reprising his role. Additionally, earlier this year, Johnson shared that he would like to get the sequel in production within the next year, which backs up Feltheimer's vague hint that Knives Out 2 could receive a 2022 release date. At the 2020 Golden Globes, Knives Out was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. While it didn't end up winning a Golden Globe, it certainly got enough attention to warrant a sequel. Are you looking forward to Knives Out 2? Let us know in the comments below. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer has revealed that a Knives Out sequel is on the way with a possible 2022 release date. The sequel announcement came at a third-quarter earnings call, where Feltheimer told investors the company's "2022 slate will be one of our most exciting ever." Director Rian Johnson has been a big proponent of a Knives Out sequel, telling Deadline that "the idea of continuing it on seems like it would just be a blast." Johnson continued, "But there's a lot that has to happen before that can happen, first and foremost being writing a script." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=nominees-best-movie-of-2019&captions=true"] Knives Out released in November 2019 with an all-star cast including Chris Evans, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, and more. The film reportedly cost around $40 million to produce and earned an estimated 27 million dollars in its opening weekend. With Knives Out nearing $300 million at the worldwide box office, it's reasonable to say that Johnson's film was a success. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/10/knives-out-review"] It's currently unclear if any of the old cast will be returning for the sequel, but Daniel Craig, who played Detective Benoit Blac, has publicly expressed interest in reprising his role. Additionally, earlier this year, Johnson shared that he would like to get the sequel in production within the next year, which backs up Feltheimer's vague hint that Knives Out 2 could receive a 2022 release date. At the 2020 Golden Globes, Knives Out was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. While it didn't end up winning a Golden Globe, it certainly got enough attention to warrant a sequel. Are you looking forward to Knives Out 2? Let us know in the comments below. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.

There’s going to be, wait for it, a new Call of Duty game this year sometime in Q4 2020. Activision Blizzard announced the news on their most recent call with investors, but in a break from tradition, the publisher did not announce a developer for this year’s Call of Duty. “The franchise has never been better positioned for growth and there’s more to come, including entirely new experiences within the Modern Warfare universe and then of course, in Q4 this year, a new premium Call of Duty release which is already generating excitement in our playtests,” said Activision COO Coddy Johnson. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-call-of-duty-review&captions=true"] Activision Blizzard didn’t reveal which of its three Call of Duty studios will be developing this year’s new Call of Duty game. The publisher typically rotates between Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games to develop each new year’s Call of Duty game. With Treyarch having developed 2018’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Infinity Ward having finished last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the cycle would presumably have gone to Sledgehammer. However, a report by Kotaku in 2019 claimed that studio Raven, a Wisconsin-based studio that does support on the Call of Duty series, was offered to lead the 2020 entry. However, plans were changed and Treyarch was given the 2020 Call of Duty game with both Raven and Sledgehammer working as support developers. Activision also gave its annual prediction that the next Call of Duty may not sell as good as the last, but this has always been more of a precaution than the reality. And even if Call of Duty 2020 doesn’t outsell Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the series is often the best-selling games of the year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-review"] This year’s Call of Duty doesn’t have a subtitle or setting announced yet, but the same report suggests that it will be Black Ops 5 set sometime in the Cold War. There will reportedly be a single-player campaign mode after the feature was missing in Black Ops 4.

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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

There’s going to be, wait for it, a new Call of Duty game this year sometime in Q4 2020. Activision Blizzard announced the news on their most recent call with investors, but in a break from tradition, the publisher did not announce a developer for this year’s Call of Duty. “The franchise has never been better positioned for growth and there’s more to come, including entirely new experiences within the Modern Warfare universe and then of course, in Q4 this year, a new premium Call of Duty release which is already generating excitement in our playtests,” said Activision COO Coddy Johnson. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-call-of-duty-review&captions=true"] Activision Blizzard didn’t reveal which of its three Call of Duty studios will be developing this year’s new Call of Duty game. The publisher typically rotates between Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games to develop each new year’s Call of Duty game. With Treyarch having developed 2018’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Infinity Ward having finished last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the cycle would presumably have gone to Sledgehammer. However, a report by Kotaku in 2019 claimed that studio Raven, a Wisconsin-based studio that does support on the Call of Duty series, was offered to lead the 2020 entry. However, plans were changed and Treyarch was given the 2020 Call of Duty game with both Raven and Sledgehammer working as support developers. Activision also gave its annual prediction that the next Call of Duty may not sell as good as the last, but this has always been more of a precaution than the reality. And even if Call of Duty 2020 doesn’t outsell Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the series is often the best-selling games of the year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-review"] This year’s Call of Duty doesn’t have a subtitle or setting announced yet, but the same report suggests that it will be Black Ops 5 set sometime in the Cold War. There will reportedly be a single-player campaign mode after the feature was missing in Black Ops 4.

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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.