The Fall Guys developers created servers that only pitted cheaters against cheaters on what was known as Cheater Island. With virtually any PC game, the opportunity for people to cheat is there. Developers like that of Fall Guys, Mediatonic, hope that cheaters grow to see how cheating ruins the fun but when that didn't happen, they took matters into their own hands. Today, the official Twitter account recounted the story of how Cheater Island came to be.

I've got lots of spicy content for you this week - The Dev team have been super busy on the new update

For now... BUCKLE UP Let me tell you a wild story It's called The RISE and FALL of Cheater Island Tagging @Netflix incase they want to make a film or series out of it — Fall Guys (@FallGuysGame) September 14, 2020

  "For now...BUCKLE UP," the first tweet in a 21-tweet thread reads. "Let me tell you a wild story. It's called The RISE and FALL of Cheater Island." The tweet also tagged the official Netflix Twitter "in case they want to make a film or series out of it" and after reading the story, we hope Netflix jumps on the opportunity. Mediatonic had its own cheat detection built into Fall Guys at the game's launch but they weren't banning anyone that cheated — just gathering data on the cheating as the studio wanted to be 100% sure that the cheat detection was only catching people who were legitimately cheating. After confirming that this detection worked, the studio launched "Fall Guys Cheater Island ™," which was a "magical place where cheaters could happily compete against themselves for the Cheater's Crown." This crown was just a normal crown stained with a hollow feeling of guilt and regret, one of the tweets reads. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-fall-guys-minigame-ranked&captions=true"] Because Mediatonic was only collecting data on cheaters at this point, the island's population was zero. That's when the studio lowered the threshold for cheating, after realizing their original threshold was too tolerant. "Cheaters would get caught...but not be insta-banished," a tweet reads. "We hoped that they might realize cheating kills the fun." As you'd expect, the cheating continued and so Mediatonic lowered the threshold once more. After that, if you cheated, you would be allowed to finish your game before you were dumped into matchmaking servers that only other cheaters were in. In these servers, you'd only be able to matchmake with other cheaters. Together, these servers were known as Cheater Island. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/06/fall-guys-ultimate-knockout-review"] "Now, if you can imagine: You need 40+ players to actually populate a game," one of the thread's tweets reads. "Cheater Island isn't a location in the real world...Cheater Island had its own set of global servers. You'd need enough cheaters in your region in order to start a Cheater Island game." It became a race against time at this point because every day that Mediatonic waited for cheaters to populate the island was another day that cheaters had to find workarounds to the studio's cheat detection, so the threshold was lowered again. Then, it happened. "There were finally enough cheaters to actually matchmake and create Cheater Island matches," a tweet reads. People began to upload videos of what appeared to be Cheater Island but Mediatonic said that while it knew Cheater Island matches were happening, it couldn't say whether or not the videos were that of matches on Cheater Island. You can check out one of those videos below.

Here's another video that we think is Cheater Island

The person recording isn't cheating... Either they didn't cheat, just for the video... Or it's a genuine server and a legit player... Either way, it makes the game look bad pic.twitter.com/wxTyIA9Urr — Fall Guys (@FallGuysGame) September 14, 2020

  Mediatonic said that while it knew for certain Cheater Island matches were taking place, it couldn't say for sure if those videos were Cheater Island so it closed the island for good. Instead of being sent to Cheater Island, cheaters just won't be able to login to the game. "Our cheat detection system was good...but we hadn't expected so may players...and we had no idea the lengths that some players would go to cheat," a tweet reads. "We tried to create a system around 'Honesty'...but as soon as we realized we were in an ARMS RACE, we called up the experts at Epic." The next Fall Guys update will be called Big Yeetus and the Anti-Cheatus. Mediatonic says we'll learn later what the Big Yeetus part means but the Anti-Cheatus part represents the addition of Epic's Anti-Cheat to the game. Cheaters beware. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/fall-guys-season-2-sneak-peek-trailer"] If you're trying to play Fall Guys honestly, read out essential tips to survive every round and then check out 18 crucial tips and tricks to help you win. For more Fall Guys, check out these details about Fall Guys' medieval-themed Season 2 and then check out our ranking of the Fall Guys minigames. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

The Fall Guys developers created servers that only pitted cheaters against cheaters on what was known as Cheater Island. With virtually any PC game, the opportunity for people to cheat is there. Developers like that of Fall Guys, Mediatonic, hope that cheaters grow to see how cheating ruins the fun but when that didn't happen, they took matters into their own hands. Today, the official Twitter account recounted the story of how Cheater Island came to be.

I've got lots of spicy content for you this week - The Dev team have been super busy on the new update

For now... BUCKLE UP Let me tell you a wild story It's called The RISE and FALL of Cheater Island Tagging @Netflix incase they want to make a film or series out of it — Fall Guys (@FallGuysGame) September 14, 2020

  "For now...BUCKLE UP," the first tweet in a 21-tweet thread reads. "Let me tell you a wild story. It's called The RISE and FALL of Cheater Island." The tweet also tagged the official Netflix Twitter "in case they want to make a film or series out of it" and after reading the story, we hope Netflix jumps on the opportunity. Mediatonic had its own cheat detection built into Fall Guys at the game's launch but they weren't banning anyone that cheated — just gathering data on the cheating as the studio wanted to be 100% sure that the cheat detection was only catching people who were legitimately cheating. After confirming that this detection worked, the studio launched "Fall Guys Cheater Island ™," which was a "magical place where cheaters could happily compete against themselves for the Cheater's Crown." This crown was just a normal crown stained with a hollow feeling of guilt and regret, one of the tweets reads. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-fall-guys-minigame-ranked&captions=true"] Because Mediatonic was only collecting data on cheaters at this point, the island's population was zero. That's when the studio lowered the threshold for cheating, after realizing their original threshold was too tolerant. "Cheaters would get caught...but not be insta-banished," a tweet reads. "We hoped that they might realize cheating kills the fun." As you'd expect, the cheating continued and so Mediatonic lowered the threshold once more. After that, if you cheated, you would be allowed to finish your game before you were dumped into matchmaking servers that only other cheaters were in. In these servers, you'd only be able to matchmake with other cheaters. Together, these servers were known as Cheater Island. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/06/fall-guys-ultimate-knockout-review"] "Now, if you can imagine: You need 40+ players to actually populate a game," one of the thread's tweets reads. "Cheater Island isn't a location in the real world...Cheater Island had its own set of global servers. You'd need enough cheaters in your region in order to start a Cheater Island game." It became a race against time at this point because every day that Mediatonic waited for cheaters to populate the island was another day that cheaters had to find workarounds to the studio's cheat detection, so the threshold was lowered again. Then, it happened. "There were finally enough cheaters to actually matchmake and create Cheater Island matches," a tweet reads. People began to upload videos of what appeared to be Cheater Island but Mediatonic said that while it knew Cheater Island matches were happening, it couldn't say whether or not the videos were that of matches on Cheater Island. You can check out one of those videos below.

Here's another video that we think is Cheater Island

The person recording isn't cheating... Either they didn't cheat, just for the video... Or it's a genuine server and a legit player... Either way, it makes the game look bad pic.twitter.com/wxTyIA9Urr — Fall Guys (@FallGuysGame) September 14, 2020

  Mediatonic said that while it knew for certain Cheater Island matches were taking place, it couldn't say for sure if those videos were Cheater Island so it closed the island for good. Instead of being sent to Cheater Island, cheaters just won't be able to login to the game. "Our cheat detection system was good...but we hadn't expected so may players...and we had no idea the lengths that some players would go to cheat," a tweet reads. "We tried to create a system around 'Honesty'...but as soon as we realized we were in an ARMS RACE, we called up the experts at Epic." The next Fall Guys update will be called Big Yeetus and the Anti-Cheatus. Mediatonic says we'll learn later what the Big Yeetus part means but the Anti-Cheatus part represents the addition of Epic's Anti-Cheat to the game. Cheaters beware. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/fall-guys-season-2-sneak-peek-trailer"] If you're trying to play Fall Guys honestly, read out essential tips to survive every round and then check out 18 crucial tips and tricks to help you win. For more Fall Guys, check out these details about Fall Guys' medieval-themed Season 2 and then check out our ranking of the Fall Guys minigames. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Scientists may have discovered signs of life on Venus, and if confirmed, the scorching planet could be a new focus for the search for life on other planets. According to an in-depth report from NYTimes on two recent published papers, researchers have discovered phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus, which suggests some form of life on the planet. Considering phosphine is often a creation of bacteria and microbes – also known as living organisms – the researchers involved in the study believe any life on Venus would have to exist, "inside cloud liquid droplets for the majority of its life cycle," according to the paper in Nature Astronomy. “This is an astonishing and ‘out of the blue’ finding,” Sara Seager, a planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an author of the papers told the NYTimes. “It will definitely fuel more research into the possibilities for life in Venus’s atmosphere.” Astrophysicist at San Francisco State University and University of San Francisco, Aaron White, talked with IGN about why this discovery is such a huge deal and what it means for the future of space exploration. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] "One of astronomy's biggest unanswered questions is whether life on Earth is rare and unique, or if we're just one of many places all throughout the universe filled with living things," White said. "This discovery is the most solid evidence we've had so far to suggest life could be common. There are several different places in our solar system where we've guessed life could be discovered, and Venus was definitely the most hostile place we could have found it." White said there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to confirm this hypothesis, "but if it holds up, it could mean life is hardy enough to show up wherever it's even vaguely possible."

Lack of Confirmation, But More Exploration

"Even though Venus is our closest neighbor, there's still a lot of things we don't know about the planet," White explained. "Over the last few decades there's only been a small handful of space missions that have gone to explore it (compared to a few dozen that have gone to Mars), so this discovery is really going to motivate more spacecraft that will look closely at Venus's clouds and what lies below them, and help fill in some of the gaps in our understanding. It's also going to motivate us even more to investigate the other places in the solar system where we expect life could be hiding out. "There was a study released last year suggesting that this particular chemical was a prime candidate in the search for life on planets outside our solar system, so this is likely to really kickstart lots of work into looking for it on distant planets as well," White said. White was very clear that this is not a confirmation of life on Venus. "This is a detection of a weird chemical in Venus's atmosphere that we can't explain yet. The team stressed that they *aren't* claiming to have found life," he said. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] Those hoping to see aliens, or Destiny guardians thinking this is their chance, shouldn't get too excited, as even if it did turn out that some form of alien life exists on Venus, the average temperature on the planet is over 800 degrees Fahrenheit, and the atmosphere's pressure is over 1,300 pounds per square inch, which the NYTimes explains is the equivalent to being 3,000 feet underwater.

Where Do Scientists Go From Here?

"Now that this work has been released, other scientists in the field are going to be spending the coming weeks and months trying to work out any possible non-biological ways to generate the chemistry that was observed," White explained. "That said... outside of something like a snarling Xenomorph showing up on our doorstep, this is exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to see as the first step towards finding life, and the biggest step forward we've taken in finding signs that we're not alone in the Universe." If the thought of alien life on Venus has you wanting some more off-world science, be sure to check out our list of the 25 best sci-fi movies and then read about how some scientists claim there's evidence of a parallel universe where time runs backward. For more planetary science, read about a recent report that claims the moon is rusting and then check out this story about 139 minor planets at the edge of our solar system. For further questions on this new discovery or anything to do with space, connect with Astrophysicist Aaron White on Twitter @Astrowut. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jessie Wade is Home Editor at IGN and the science gal. Chat with her on Twitter @jessieannwade.  Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Scientists may have discovered signs of life on Venus, and if confirmed, the scorching planet could be a new focus for the search for life on other planets. According to an in-depth report from NYTimes on two recent published papers, researchers have discovered phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus, which suggests some form of life on the planet. Considering phosphine is often a creation of bacteria and microbes – also known as living organisms – the researchers involved in the study believe any life on Venus would have to exist, "inside cloud liquid droplets for the majority of its life cycle," according to the paper in Nature Astronomy. “This is an astonishing and ‘out of the blue’ finding,” Sara Seager, a planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an author of the papers told the NYTimes. “It will definitely fuel more research into the possibilities for life in Venus’s atmosphere.” Astrophysicist at San Francisco State University and University of San Francisco, Aaron White, talked with IGN about why this discovery is such a huge deal and what it means for the future of space exploration. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] "One of astronomy's biggest unanswered questions is whether life on Earth is rare and unique, or if we're just one of many places all throughout the universe filled with living things," White said. "This discovery is the most solid evidence we've had so far to suggest life could be common. There are several different places in our solar system where we've guessed life could be discovered, and Venus was definitely the most hostile place we could have found it." White said there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to confirm this hypothesis, "but if it holds up, it could mean life is hardy enough to show up wherever it's even vaguely possible."

Lack of Confirmation, But More Exploration

"Even though Venus is our closest neighbor, there's still a lot of things we don't know about the planet," White explained. "Over the last few decades there's only been a small handful of space missions that have gone to explore it (compared to a few dozen that have gone to Mars), so this discovery is really going to motivate more spacecraft that will look closely at Venus's clouds and what lies below them, and help fill in some of the gaps in our understanding. It's also going to motivate us even more to investigate the other places in the solar system where we expect life could be hiding out. "There was a study released last year suggesting that this particular chemical was a prime candidate in the search for life on planets outside our solar system, so this is likely to really kickstart lots of work into looking for it on distant planets as well," White said. White was very clear that this is not a confirmation of life on Venus. "This is a detection of a weird chemical in Venus's atmosphere that we can't explain yet. The team stressed that they *aren't* claiming to have found life," he said. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] Those hoping to see aliens, or Destiny guardians thinking this is their chance, shouldn't get too excited, as even if it did turn out that some form of alien life exists on Venus, the average temperature on the planet is over 800 degrees Fahrenheit, and the atmosphere's pressure is over 1,300 pounds per square inch, which the NYTimes explains is the equivalent to being 3,000 feet underwater.

Where Do Scientists Go From Here?

"Now that this work has been released, other scientists in the field are going to be spending the coming weeks and months trying to work out any possible non-biological ways to generate the chemistry that was observed," White explained. "That said... outside of something like a snarling Xenomorph showing up on our doorstep, this is exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to see as the first step towards finding life, and the biggest step forward we've taken in finding signs that we're not alone in the Universe." If the thought of alien life on Venus has you wanting some more off-world science, be sure to check out our list of the 25 best sci-fi movies and then read about how some scientists claim there's evidence of a parallel universe where time runs backward. For more planetary science, read about a recent report that claims the moon is rusting and then check out this story about 139 minor planets at the edge of our solar system. For further questions on this new discovery or anything to do with space, connect with Astrophysicist Aaron White on Twitter @Astrowut. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jessie Wade is Home Editor at IGN and the science gal. Chat with her on Twitter @jessieannwade.  Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors is reportedly heading to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he may be playing one of the most iconic Marvel villains of all time. Deadline reports Majors has signed on to play a major villain character in the third Ant-Man movie. According to Deadline's source, that villain may be none other than Kang the Conqueror. Little else is known about the untitled sequel at this point, though director Peyton Reed is expected to return along with Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym. We did recently learn Rick and Morty writer Jeff Loveness has started writing the script, and production is expected to begin in 2021 (barring any coronavirus-induced delays). [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Assuming Deadline's source is correct, this casting could give us a better idea of the sequel's plot and the larger direction of the MCU in Phase 4. Kang the Conqueror is widely regarded as one of the Avengers' greatest foes. A master time traveler who goes by many other names (including Immortus, Rama-Tut and the Scarlet Centurion), Kang uses his advanced technology to make himself the ruler of a far-future Marvel Universe. We've previously speculated Avengers: Endgame may have been setting the stage for Kang's debut in Phase 4. That movie deals heavily with time travel and the Avengers' struggle to undo Thanos' act of cosmic genocide, opening the door for more time-related conflicts in the MCU. And while Kang isn't a character normally associated with Ant-Man, the fact that the Quantum Realm and Ant-Man's Pym Particle technology were used as the basis for time travel makes the villain a natural addition to the mix in the next movie. However Kang factors into Ant-Man 3, we doubt this will be a one-off role for Majors. Kang is a character who's fought against and alongside the Avengers and other superhero teams many, many times, and he's a prime candidate to become the next Thanos-level villain of the MCU. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/25/hbos-lovecraft-country-official-panel-comic-con-2020"] Marvel has yet to respond to Deadline's report. While we wait for more Ant-Man 3 news, check out IGN's review of Lovecraft Country's series premiere to learn why the HBO series should be on your watch-list this year, and why Majors is a great fit for the MCU. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors is reportedly heading to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he may be playing one of the most iconic Marvel villains of all time. Deadline reports Majors has signed on to play a major villain character in the third Ant-Man movie. According to Deadline's source, that villain may be none other than Kang the Conqueror. Little else is known about the untitled sequel at this point, though director Peyton Reed is expected to return along with Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym. We did recently learn Rick and Morty writer Jeff Loveness has started writing the script, and production is expected to begin in 2021 (barring any coronavirus-induced delays). [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Assuming Deadline's source is to be believed, however, this casting could give us a better idea of the sequel's plot and the larger direction of the MCU in Phase 4. Kang the Conqueror is widely regarded as one of the Avengers' greatest foes. A master time traveler who goes by many other names (including Immortus, Rama-Tut and the Scarlet Centurion), Kang uses his advanced technology to make himself the ruler of a far-future Marvel Universe. We've previously speculated Avengers: Endgame may have been setting the stage for Kang's debut in Phase 4. That movie deals heavily with time travel and the Avengers' struggle to undo Thanos act of cosmic genocide, opening the door for more time-related conflicts in the MCU. And while Kang isn't a character normally associated with Ant-Man, the fact that the Quantum Realm and Ant-Man's Pym Particle technology were used as the basis for time travel makes the villain a natural addition to the mix in the next movie. However Kang factors into Ant-Man 3, we doubt this will be a one-off role for Majors. Kang is a character who's fought against and alongside the Avengers and other superhero teams countless times, and he's a prime candidate to become the next Thanos-level villain of the MCU. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/25/hbos-lovecraft-country-official-panel-comic-con-2020"] Marvel has yet to respond to Deadline's report. While we wait for more Ant-Man 3 news, check out IGN's review of Lovecraft Country's series premiere to learn why the HBO series should be on your watch-list this year, and why Majors is a great fit for the MCU. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Co-op dinosaur shooter Second Extinction will launch into Steam Early Access this October with plenty of content for day-one players. Systemic Reaction, a studio within Avalanche's family of developers, announced today that its upcoming online cooperative dino-shooter will launch into Steam Early Access on PC on Oct. 13 for $24.99. This is a small shift from its original September release window but this version of the game will feature plenty of content for those jumping in on day one nonetheless. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/14/second-extinction-early-access-release-date-reveal-trailer"] On Oct. 13, players can expect four heroes, 10 weapons with five tiers of upgrades for each weapon, six main missions, and "many side missions across 7 regions." While no release window or date has been announced for the following, Systemic Reaction said players can expect load out modifiers, like party buffs for each mission, in a future update, as well as armor augments and additional mutation and related effects. The studio also said that new experimental game modes will be added at a later time as well, including a horde mode that pits you and your team against waves of dinosaurs. For those unfamiliar with the game, it was revealed earlier this year during Xbox's May event as a 3-player cooperative shooter that pits you and your teammates against mutated dinosaurs that have overrun a frozen Earth. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=second-extinction-september-screenshots&captions=true"] "Fight side by side with your friends against beastly predators long thought extinct — now mutated and deadlier than ever," a press release from Systemic Reaction reads. "The War Effort is Second Extinction's global metagame: by slaying dinos, completing missions, and more, players will determine the kinds of enemies, activities, challenges, and rewards they'll face in different regions around the world." For more Second Extinction, be sure to check out the game's announcement trailer and then check out this IGN world premiere of gameplay. You can also read about our thoughts on the game after going hands-on with Second Extinction earlier this month. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Co-op dinosaur shooter Second Extinction will launch into Steam Early Access this October with plenty of content for day-one players. Systemic Reaction, a studio within Avalanche's family of developers, announced today that its upcoming online cooperative dino-shooter will launch into Steam Early Access on PC on Oct. 13 for $24.99. This is a small shift from its original September release window but this version of the game will feature plenty of content for those jumping in on day one nonetheless. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/14/second-extinction-early-access-release-date-reveal-trailer"] On Oct. 13, players can expect four heroes, 10 weapons with five tiers of upgrades for each weapon, six main missions, and "many side missions across 7 regions." While no release window or date has been announced for the following, Systemic Reaction said players can expect load out modifiers, like party buffs for each mission, in a future update, as well as armor augments and additional mutation and related effects. The studio also said that new experimental game modes will be added at a later time as well, including a horde mode that pits you and your team against waves of dinosaurs. For those unfamiliar with the game, it was revealed earlier this year during Xbox's May event as a 3-player cooperative shooter that pits you and your teammates against mutated dinosaurs that have overrun a frozen Earth. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=second-extinction-september-screenshots&captions=true"] "Fight side by side with your friends against beastly predators long thought extinct — now mutated and deadlier than ever," a press release from Systemic Reaction reads. "The War Effort is Second Extinction's global metagame: by slaying dinos, completing missions, and more, players will determine the kinds of enemies, activities, challenges, and rewards they'll face in different regions around the world." For more Second Extinction, be sure to check out the game's announcement trailer and then check out this IGN world premiere of gameplay. You can also read about our thoughts on the game after going hands-on with Second Extinction earlier this month. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

After being pushed back nearly a year, DC's Batman/Catwoman series finally has a release date. Fans can look forward to the first chapter of Tom King and Clay Mann's latest collaboration on December 1, 2020. Alongside this news, DC has revealed a trio of covers for Batwoman/Catwoman #1, including a new version of Mann's previous teaser art recolored by Tomeu Morey and variant covers by Travis Charest and Jim Lee. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see all the art revealed so far: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batmancatwoman-preview-art-teases-a-steamy-superhero-romance&captions=true"] Batman/Catwoman is meant to be the final act in King's long Batman saga, building on the fallout of 2019's Batman #85 and the renewed romance between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. The series will explore several major twists in Batman's life, including Catwoman's pregnancy and the return of his former lover, Andrea Beaumont. That's right, the Phantasm is finally making her DC Comics debut. DC has shed more light on the plot of the series, revealing that it takes place across three time periods. A flashback storyline will shed more light on the early days of the Bat/Cat relationship and that eternal question - was it the street or the boat? The present-day storyline will explore the challenges facing the couple as they try to balance their costumed and personal lives and deal with the rise of the Phantasm. And finally, a flash-forward storyline will focus on an aging Selina as she mourns her late husband and hatches a revenge plot. DC also teases Joker has a big part to play in the series. Bat-fans may remember that both Joker and Catwoman debuted in the pages of 1940's Batman #1, making the Clown Prince of Crime the one villain whose relationship with Batman is as old as Catwoman's. And just as Joker played a key role in convincing Selina to leave Bruce at the altar in Batman #50, he's returning to sabotage his foe's latest attempt at happiness. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/12/the-flash-movie-features-lots-of-superheroes-and-will-restart-the-dceu-dc-fandome"] Batman/Catwoman is written by Tom King, drawn by Clay Mann, colored by Tomeu Morey, lettered by Clayton Cowles and edited by Jamie S. Rich and Brittany Holzherr. Both Mann and Charest will provide covers for each issues. This 12-issue limited series will be published under DC's mature readers Black Label imprint. The series is expected to ship monthly beginning in December (a benefit of the long delay), though it'll skip June 2021 in favor of a standalone issue dubbed Batman/Catwoman Special #1. Batman/Catwoman was one of IGN's picks for our most anticipated comics of 2020, and it's good to know the series will just barely make it in that window. Unfortunately, things aren't looking good on the Saga front... Are you still excited for the final chapter of King's epic Batman saga? Let us know in the comments below. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

After being pushed back nearly a year, DC's Batman/Catwoman series finally has a release date. Fans can look forward to the first chapter of Tom King and Clay Mann's latest collaboration on December 1, 2020. Alongside this news, DC has revealed a trio of covers for Batwoman/Catwoman #1, including a new version of Mann's previous teaser art recolored by Tomeu Morey and variant covers by Travis Charest and Jim Lee. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see all the art revealed so far: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batmancatwoman-preview-art-teases-a-steamy-superhero-romance&captions=true"] Batman/Catwoman is meant to be the final act in King's long Batman saga, building on the fallout of 2019's Batman #85 and the renewed romance between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. The series will explore several major twists in Batman's life, including Catwoman's pregnancy and the return of his former lover, Andrea Beaumont. That's right, the Phantasm is finally making her DC Comics debut. DC has shed more light on the plot of the series, revealing that it takes place across three time periods. A flashback storyline will shed more light on the early days of the Bat/Cat relationship and that eternal question - was it the street or the boat? The present-day storyline will explore the challenges facing the couple as they try to balance their costumed and personal lives and deal with the rise of the Phantasm. And finally, a flash-forward storyline will focus on an aging Selina as she mourns her late husband and hatches a revenge plot. DC also teases Joker has a big part to play in the series. Bat-fans may remember that both Joker and Catwoman debuted in the pages of 1940's Batman #1, making the Clown Prince of Crime the one villain whose relationship with Batman is as old as Catwoman's. And just as Joker played a key role in convincing Selina to leave Bruce at the altar in Batman #50, he's returning to sabotage his foe's latest attempt at happiness. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/12/the-flash-movie-features-lots-of-superheroes-and-will-restart-the-dceu-dc-fandome"] Batman/Catwoman is written by Tom King, drawn by Clay Mann, colored by Tomeu Morey, lettered by Clayton Cowles and edited by Jamie S. Rich and Brittany Holzherr. Both Mann and Charest will provide covers for each issues. This 12-issue limited series will be published under DC's mature readers Black Label imprint. The series is expected to ship monthly beginning in December (a benefit of the long delay), though it'll skip June 2021 in favor of a standalone issue dubbed Batman/Catwoman Special #1. Batman/Catwoman was one of IGN's picks for our most anticipated comics of 2020, and it's good to know the series will just barely make it in that window. Unfortunately, things aren't looking good on the Saga front... Are you still excited for the final chapter of King's epic Batman saga? Let us know in the comments below. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.