Football Manager 2021 will be released on November 24 for PC and Mac via Steam and Epic Games Store. The game will also arrive on Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X before the end of the year – the first time the series has been on an Xbox console since 2007. Preorders for the Steam and Epic versions of the game are open now, and will offer a 10% discount, as well as approximately two weeks of early access ahead of the launch date – single player games started in early access will carry over to the final game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/24/football-manager-2021-official-teaser"] Football Manager 2021 Xbox Edition of the game will be a Play Anywhere title, meaning a single purchase will allow you to play the game through Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X and Windows 10 PC, with save transfers across all versions. It will be modified specifically for the console format, including for use with a controller. Full features and functionality will be announced later. The less fully-featured Football Manager Touch for PC, Mac, Switch, iOS and Android will also arrive soon. On Switch, it will arrive in December, and other platform release dates will be announced in October. We awarded Football Manager 2020 an 8.7 review, calling it "a brilliant update to a brilliant series." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

This week in GTA Online, claim bonuses in Mobile Operations Missions, Gunrunning Sell Missions, and Survival Series, get massive GTA$ bonuses, and more.

Critical Role, the company behind the hit D&D live show of the same name featuring voice actors from some of the biggest games like The Last of Us Part 2, Marvel's Spider-Man, and more, is expanding its fundraising efforts with the formation of a new organization, the Critical Role Foundation. The CRF, which you can learn about in a helpful animated new video, will partner with nonprofits, including its initial partnership with the First Nations Development Institute. Critical Role cast member and The Last of Us Part 2 star Ashley Johnson will be president of the foundation, with Matthew mercer, Eduardo Lopez, Rachel Romero, and Mark Koro serving as officers and board members for the foundation. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/03/04/critical-role-the-legend-of-vox-machina-animated-special-trailer"] Speaking to IGN via email, Johnson explained how the foundation was an idea the Critical Role team had been thinking about for a while and, like much of what Critical Role does, it was inspired by the group's fan community, affectionately known as Critters. "Starting a foundation is something that has been brewing for years and we couldn’t be more excited that it’s finally come together! With the Critical Role Foundation, we’re able to create a more streamlined approach to raise funds to much needed causes that are close to our hearts," Johnson said. "We wanted to have a centralized location where Critters can learn more about our ongoing fundraising efforts and have a voice in who we partner with next. This foundation was, and is, inspired by the Critters. It’s because of them that we’re able to do this and they’re helping us change the world for the better." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=critical-role-legend-of-vox-machina-teaser&captions=true"] Fundraising has been a part of Critical Role's DNA since the show began, with efforts to raise money for 826 LA, Red Nose Day, OSD, and more. CRF will initially be partnering with the First Nations Development Institute, an American Indian nonprofit endeavoring to support Native communities. CRF is aiming to raise $50,000, which would go toward the Native Youth & Culture Fund's initiatives serving the Zuni Pueblo and Cohciti Pueblo youth for an entire year. "Whenever a major crisis occurs like Covid-19, marginalized communities tend to feel the negative effects the most. 69% of Native nonprofits expect to see a revenue decrease as a result of Covid-19 and an estimated $50 billion loss in economic activity. We chose to work with First Nations because they are supporting Native communities who have been some of the most deeply impacted by the pandemic," Johnson explained. CRF will have more partnerships to come, but in addition to this first fundraising campaign, the foundation has also pledged to put 10% of every dollar raised into an emergency fund, which the foundation can use to "donate funds in the event of natural disasters and other unforeseen events that require immediate humanitarian assistance." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/05/critical-role-kickstarter-breaks-records"] "We wanted to be prepared for unforeseen events and natural disasters that inevitably happen. We’ve seen time and time again that when a major natural disaster occurs, such as the wildfires in California or the hurricanes in the Gulf, people need financial support right away," Johnson explained, noting that the foundation will continue to fundraise for new partnerships in the future. "Each partnership will be a little different, and specifics around each partnership will always be outlined in detail on our website. Transparency is a big deal for us and those who choose to make a donation will know exactly where it’s going and how it's being used. We are planning some pretty exciting things for the future of this foundation and I can’t wait to watch it grow. Critical Role's fundraising efforts are only one sign of the company's continued expansion, as CR recently announced Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series III, a follow-up to its two previous successful comic book series. Additionally, Critical Role broke Kickstarter fundraising records with its campaign for the upcoming animated series The Legend of Vox Machina. IGN previously spoke to some of the members of Critical Role about the campaign's success and what it means for the animated show's development. They also later found a home for the show at Amazon Prime Video, which ordered even more episodes of the upcoming Critical Role animated series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor and host of Podcast Beyond!, and his proud to call himself a Critter. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time features plenty for longtime fans of the bandicoot’s adventures, new playable characters, the N. Verted mode’s twist on mirror mode, and more. But Crash and Coco have another surprise in store for fans — local multiplayer modes. IGN can exclusively reveal a first look and details on Crash Bandicoot 4’s competitive and cooperative modes. Both modes support two to four local players — no online support is available at this time — with players able to play as Crash, Coco, Fake Crash, and, in her debut, Fake Coco. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=crash-bandicoot-4-multiplayer&captions=true"] Here’s everything you need to know about playing Crash with friends at home.

Competitive Bandicoot Battle Mode

Bandicoot Battle, the name for Crash 4’s competitive mode, includes two games for you to test your skills on: Checkpoint Race and Crate Combo. Time trials have long been a staple of the Crash Bandicoot series, and Checkpoint Race turns them into a competitive back-and-forth race. Up to four players will compete for the fastest time across a level, but it’s not just about reaching the end-of-level finish line first. As its name suggests, Checkpoint Race is a series of races to each checkpoint crate in a level. Whoever wins the most checkpoints in a level is the ultimate victor, so if you’re really, really bad at one section of a level, you might still have a shot to come out on top. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/crash-bandicoot-4-akano-gameplay"] As you race, you’ll see a ghost of your past competitors working their way through the level to give you a better idea of how you’re faring in the moment. And in staying true to time trials of Crash’s past, crates that freeze the clock for a number of seconds, which are labeled on the box, can be smashed to help give you an edge. If smashing crates with reckless abandon is more your style, Crate Combo is the mode for you. Again, the mode measures success from one checkpoint to the next, but speed isn’t the only goal. You’ll want to score the most points by smashing as many crates as possible, because with each success crate you smash the point value of each crate increases, up to 32 points per crate. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-crash-bandicoot-game-review&captions=true"] And while it’s a bit surreal to see so high a number on a Crash crate, you’ll have to keep your combo up by smashing them as quickly as you can. In the first gameplay, you can see a meter in the lower-right hand corner. If you don’t hit any crates before the meter runs out, the point value resets to one and you have to begin working back up to a higher point value. Your run ends when either you hit a checkpoint, or you meet an early death, so even if you don’t make it to the checkpoint, keeping up your combo could be the key to victory. There are no online leaderboards included at this time, and while Crash 4 will keep track of all players’ progress during a multiplayer session, those stats are wiped clean so you can start fresh the next time you play. Especially if you have to find new friends to play with after you win against all of them the first time.

Cooperative Pass N. Play Mode

If working together is your preference, players can pass the controller from one to the next in Pass N. Play mode, which allows up to four players to help progress through Crash’s campaign courses. You can play along with friends either in the standard versions of the levels, or in the N. Verted mode variations, which offer unique spins on every level. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/crash-bandicoot-4-its-about-time-demo-17-minutes-of-gameplay"] Crash Bandicoot 4 will also feature flashback levels to truly test players’ skills, a host of costumes for Crash and Coco to wear that can be unlocked via the campaign, and new playable characters like Dingodile and Tawna. The sequel, developed by Toys for Bob, will be available on October 2 for PS4 and Xbox One. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor and host of Podcast Beyond! Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

I Am Dead, the new puzzle adventure game being developed by Hollow Ponds and Richard Hogg, and published by Annapurna Interactive, is set for an October release date. I Am Dead will hit the Nintendo Switch and PC on October 8, with preorders for both platforms available know. Players will take on the role of Morris Lupton who, as the title suggests, is in fact dead. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/24/i-am-dead-launch-trailer"] After being reunited with the ghost of his pup, Sparky, Morris discovers his island home Shelmerston is about to be destroyed by a terrible volcanic eruption, and he must work to prevent its destruction. Annapurna first announced I Am Dead earlier this year. Since then, the publisher behind What Remains of Edith Finch, Outer Wilds, and more announced a physical collection of its PS4 releases. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=i-am-dead-screenshots&captions=true"] For more on other Annapurna published games, be sure to check out our reviews for some of the included games, including IGN’s Donut County review, Gorogoa review, Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition review, Outer Wilds review, Sayonara Wild Hearts review, Telling Lies review, Wattam review, and our What Remains of Edith Finch review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Sega is developing a live-action movie adapted from its bestselling Yakuza video game franchise. Variety reports that Sega has teamed up with 1212 Entertainment and Wild Sheep Content for its latest video game movie adaptation, which will be produced by Erik Barmack, Roberto Grande and Joshua Long. As of right now, no writers have been attached to the project. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/05/which-yakuza-should-you-play-first"] "Yakuza offers us a new playground in which to set compelling stories with complex characters in a unique environment that audiences have rarely seen before," 1212 Entertainment said in a statement released alongside the announcement. "The saga of Kazuma Kiryu has a built-in cinematic appeal – a mix of kinetic action with bursts of comedy, multiple converging storylines, and a gripping journey towards redemption." The Yakuza video game franchise is a street-fighting saga centered around the ever-scowling Kazuma Kiryu, a badass ex-Yakuza who finds himself continually drawn into Japan's tangled web of underground criminal activities. The first game in the blockbuster series was released on PlayStation 2 back in 2005 and has since spawned seven main title sequels as well as eight spin-off titles, with Kiryu's journey coming to an end in 2016's Yakuza 6. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-video-game-movie-in-development-almost&captions=true"] The newly-announced Yakuza movie joins a growing list of video game adaptations that have been announced, planned, or are currently in production right now, including Amazon's Fallout TV series and Netflix's Cyberpunk 2077 anime. For more on the Yakuza video game franchise, find out which of the games you should play first and catch up with the latest of the mainline series entries by reading our review of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

NieR Re[in]carnation, the first mobile title in Yoko Taro’s ethereal series of games, will get a Western release. The game’s director Daichi Matsukawa revealed the news during the NieR “We Have a Decent Amount of New Info” show streamed today during Tokyo Game Show 2020. The title will be released in Europe and North America, with further details to come at a later date via the game’s official English Twitter and Facebook channels. In Re[in]carnation, players are led by a floating character named Mama throughout a world called The Cage on a mission to collect pieces of “weapon’s memories”. Players will go back and forth between The Cage, which is rendered in 3D, and the weapon’s memories, which are played in 2D. No new details about the story were revealed, and the mystery of Mama and The Cage will be revealed as you progress in the game. Matsukawa also presented a new trailer that gave a few distorted glimpses of exploration and battle. The livestream is available with English subtitles below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/24/xbox-showcase-nier-livestream-tgs-2020-in-japanese"] Preregistration for NieR Re[in]carnation, which will be released on iOS and Android devices, has already started. The game also has gacha elements and if 500,000 people preregister, everyone gets 3,000 gems to spend in-game, or about 10 gacha pulls according to Matsukawa. If one million register early, the team might even make a golden statue of the ghost-like Mama worth 1 million yen ($9,480) to give away, though as with many things involving Yoko Taro, that is something that will have to be seen to be believed. PlatinumGames’ Takahisa Taura also joined the show to reveal 2017 hit NieR: Automata was nearing 5 million total sales (4,850,000, to be precise). While there were no new updates about the game itself, there will be something for fans to get their hands on next year. Square Enix is launching a new line of premium collectables called the Square Enix Masterline and one of the first products is a large statue featuring the three main characters from NieR: Automata – the androids 2B, 9S and A2. Keiichi Okabe, the composer behind the series’ enchanting musical offerings, also showed the package for the Blu-ray of Nier: Theatrical Orchestra 12020, which will go on sale Oct. 28. The concert was filmed in March without an audience due to covid-19 countermeasures. Taro also said that a new stage production of YoRHa is also coming up sometime down the road. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

UPDATE: Basil Eidenbenz (Victoria) has replaced Thue Rasmussen in the role of Eskel for Season 2 of Netflix's The Witcher, according to Deadline. Rasmussen had to drop out of the role due to scheduling delays caused by the COVID-19 production shutdown. Our original report from September 24 follows. [caption id="attachment_2412886" align="alignnone" width="720"] Basil Eidenbenz (right) in X Company.[/caption] Thue Rasmussen has announced that he will no longer be portraying Eskel in Season 2 of Netflix's The Witcher due to scheduling conflicts caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The actor confirmed the news in an Instagram post on Wednesday, explaining to fans that he had to make the "heartbreaking" decision to exit the project after the production was rescheduled. Despite now not being involved in the next season, Rasmussen said that he was "grateful" for the days that he spent on-set prior to the shutdown. [caption id="attachment_2411698" align="alignnone" width="1100"] Image credit: Instagram/thuerasmussen[/caption] At the end of the post, he thanked fans for their support and praised everyone involved in the production, calling his time on the project "a truly inspiring experience." He also said that he was looking forward to watching Season 2 when it hits Netflix, as he's sure it will be an "absolutely amazing" season, which he will now be watching as "a fanboy instead of as a Witcher." Rasmussen was originally cast to play Eskel, another Witcher from the School of the Wolf who established an early friendship with Geralt of Rivia during their time together at Kaer Morhen. For those of you who have played the video games, you'll also know Eskel from CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. At the moment, it is unknown who will replace Rasmussen in the role. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/21/the-witcher-season-1-ending-explained"] Season 2 of The Witcher started filming in London earlier this year, with a planned release sometime in 2021. However, the shoot was suspended back in March as Netflix paused filming on all of its films and TV shows in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Netflix has since resumed production on the second season of the hit show after being given the "green light" to start filming again. If you want to explore the extraordinary world of The Witcher in the meantime, check out Netflix's behind-the-scenes specials Making The Witcher and A Look Inside the Episodes. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.