The first quarter of 2021 will see the release of a new and improved model of Nintendo Switch, according to Taipei newspaper Economic Daily News (via VGC). Whether that’s true remains to be seen, but it’s the latest in a series of indications that Nintendo plans to eventually release a new Switch model.
The paper cites a variety of manufacturing sources, which would need to know about such a system well in advance of its launch in order to get it produced and onto store shelves. In terms of specific improvements, only a few details are shared, including enhancements to “interactivity”–which is exceedingly vague and could mean any number of things–and a better display.
To date, Nintendo has released one significant revision to the Switch in the form of the Switch Lite, which stripped out the ability to dock the system with a TV and was sold for a lower price. That arrived in 2019, as did a much more subtle improvement to the standard Switch, which received an improved battery. But the latter was a small refinement to the existing Switch that simply replaced the existing model at the same price; if you didn’t know about the change, you likely would have never even been aware that one was made.
There have been multiple indications in recent years that Nintendo intends to release a higher-end Switch model, which some have taken to calling the Switch Pro. The Wall Street Journal reported in early 2019 that two new models would come out that year, one of which was a cheaper model (what turned out to be the Switch Lite) and an “enhanced” system meant for “avid” gamers.
Nikkei subsequently reported that work on a “next-generation” Switch would begin following the release of what became the Switch Lite. It was unclear if that meant a full-on successor to Switch or something more akin to the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X. Thanks to the Switch’s tremendous success, Nintendo suggested in 2018 that its lifespan could extend beyond the usual 5-6 years.
“When you think about what can be done with the Nintendo Switch as a device that can be taken on the go and that every person has in their hands to play, you realize it has many features not available on any other hardware to date,” Shigeru Miyamoto said during an investors call. “Nintendo also has a system in place whereby the software developers focus on these hardware features in their development efforts for the continuation of the Nintendo Switch business.”
“Up until now, the hardware lifecycle has trended at around five or six years, but it would be very interesting if we could prolong that life cycle, and I think you should be looking forward to that,” he added.
Earlier this year, Nintendo said it would not release a new Switch model in 2020. That doesn’t preclude something being planned for next year, as this latest report suggests. And as VGC points out, earlier this year, researcher Mike Heskin pointed out that Switch 10.0.0 firmware contained a reference to what might be a new Switch model.
Releasing new hardware is a standard part of Nintendo’s business–you need only look at the 3DS, 3DS XL, New 3DS, New 3DS XL, 2DS, New 2DS, and New 2DS XL for evidence of that. So it would be more surprising if Nintendo didn’t plan on further revisions of the Switch’s hardware–although the current iterations continue to sell well enough that Nintendo may not feel a tremendous amount of pressure to push something new out the door.
We’ve reached out to Nintendo for comment regarding the new report and will update with anything it shares.
Nintendo will allegedly launch a new version of the Nintendo Switch in early 2021.
According to a report from Economic Daily News (via VGC), the new version of the Switch will enter production later this year and is set to launch at retail in the first quarter of 2021.
The report, which claims to be informed by sources in the console’s supply chain, says that the new version of the Nintendo Switch will feature improved “interactivity” and a better quality display.
There are no suggestions as to the power of the hardware, so it’s unclear if this is a ‘Pro’-like update with more powerful internals.
Rumours of an “enhanced” Nintendo Switch began in 2019, and were sparked up again earlier this year. Nintendo extinguished the flames by announcing that it had no plan to release a new Nintendo Switch in 2020, but said nothing about a new console in the following year. That initial Wall Street Journal report also correctly predicted the launch of the Switch Lite, so perhaps the predicted more powerful Switch may finally be set to make a real appearance next year?
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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer.
In 2017, Wizards of the Coast released the Dungeons & Dragons book Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, which included tons of supplemental material and featured the perspective of the titular and infamous beholder/crime lord Xanathar. Now, D&D has announced another book akin to Xanathar which will dive into the storied history of Tasha, also known as Iggwilv, in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
Launching on November 17, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is a game changer for those looking to add a little bit of flavor to their D&D game. During a press event, lead rules developer Jeremy Crawford and Wizards of the Coast’s Greg Tito discussed some of the cool things we’ll be getting with this latest book. “Tasha is one of the most storied characters in the D&D universe,” Crawford explained during the call. The character was raised by Baba Yaga in the hut that stood on top of chicken legs, and eventually, she became one of the most powerful archmages in the universe. She’s also one of the few characters who’s had a spell named after them: Tasha’s Hideous Laughter.
Main cover by Magali Villeneuve
Like Xanathar, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is from the perspective of the person the book is named after. November’s release will be from Tasha’s POV and feature quotes from the archmage. And while diving head-first into D&D mythos is exceptionally cool, what’s even better is all the additions to gameplay.
The Artificer class–which first appeared in Ebberon: Rising From The Last War–gets a new sub-class in Tasha’s Cauldron. There are also new spells, as well as new tools for Dungeon Masters. One of the coolest things mentioned by Crawford was new rules for magical environments, includes things like Eldritch Storm, which we got to see some art for.
Art by Titus Lunter
“A heavy, ominous storm brews at sea as clouds gather,” reads the official description for the image. “But these are not normal storm clouds. These have formed into a churning mass of enormous skulls in the sky.” Other magical environments mentioned during the press event were a mirror realm, enchanted springs, unearthly roads where you can fold space, and a world where magic itself is unraveling. Tasha’s Cauldron will not only enhance gameplay when it comes to magic, it will also allow players to create deeper stories for their characters.
You will be able to customize your character origins deeper than ever. Traits from your character’s race can be modified to reflect your character. This will allow you to create a more in-depth history, which in turn will make it easier to play your character and better understand their motivations. You can also have a lineage that is completely disconnected from your character’s race within the books. If you want to play as a high elf who grew up in the mountains with goliaths, you can customize your origin to do so.
Alternate book cover by Wylie Beckert
Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything will come in at 192 pages–the same length of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. And while there is a lot to take in already, here’s a quick list of what you can expect from the book when it launches in November.
New features for Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything:
Character origin customization
New Artificer sub-class
Sub-classes from other supplemental books
New spells–including new Tasha spells
More artifacts–including ones revolving around Tasha/Iggwilv and Baba Yaga
New sidekicks for smaller parties–including the ability to play as them for stricter focus on roleplaying rather than character development and character building
IGN is happy to reveal that a new game in the Wonder Boy series, Wonder Boy – Asha in Monster World, has been announced with members of the original development team behind the wheel.
A full reveal with gameplay is set to arrive later this week during the gamescom Awesome Indies showcase, which kicks off at 10am Pacific Time on Saturday, August 29 right here on IGN. In the meantime, you can see a sneak peek at some key art below, with more details about Wonder Boy – Asha in Monster World under that.
This next entry in the Wonder Boy series stars the titular Asha, the protagonist of 1994’s Wonder Boy IV. She is assisted by her flying, blue Pepelogoo (a creature also originally from Wonder Boy IV), and together the two of them must set off to save the world – what exactly is threatening it, however, we don’t know quite yet. Excitingly, this will be the first game in the history of the series to be fully voiced, with the announcement describing Asha and other characters as “lively and talkative.”
Wonder Boy – Asha in Monster World is being developed by STUDIOARTDINK alongside ININ Games, with members of the original Wonder Boy creative team at the helm. That includes series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa (who has returned to lead and direct this new game), original composer Shinichi Sakamoto (who will be producing the game’s sounds, this time around), character designer Maki Ōzora, and creative manager Takanori Kurihara.
The long-awaited sequel arrives after the success of 2017’s Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap (a remake of 1989’s Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap), as well as the 2018 follow-up to the series, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. Wonder Boy – Asha in Monster World is set to release on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch at the beginning of 2021.
A Wonder Boy teaser site is currently live with a link for a mailing list, but more information and first gameplay will be revealed during the gamescom Awesome Indies showcase on August 29. You can watch gamescom Awesome Indies live starting at 10am Pacific Time right here on IGN, and follow all of our gamescom 2020 coverage here.
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Tom Marks is IGN’s Deputy Reviews Editor and resident pie maker. You can follow him on Twitter.
IGN Premiere is our weeklong preview series, designed to highlight the upcoming titles that we think should be on your radar. This week, we’re showcasing HBO Max’s upcoming sci-fi epic Raised By Wolves, executive produced by Ridley Scott (who directs the first two episodes) and created by Aaron Guzikowski (who serves as showrunner). Below, we’ve got an exclusive first look at the atmospheric second trailer, which tantalizingly evokes the aesthetics of countless other Ridley Scott projects.
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Watch our exclusive first look at the new Raised By Wolves trailer below:
The new trailer for Raised by Wolves is a natural, amped up escalation from the first trailer we saw. In addition to Ridley Scott’s name, the all-time great director’s stamp is squarely on the imagery as well. While he didn’t create the series, he did direct the first two episodes and reportedly created detailed storyboards to help determine the look and tone of the show. And that’s what’s most striking to this jaded film commenter: This trailer makes Raised by Wolves seem like a pretty rad cocktail of old Ridley Scott and new Ridley Scott. (Or young Ridley Scott and old Ridley Scott, which is the same thing but opposite.) Either way, Raised by Wolves might be the most Ridley Scott thing that ever Ridley Scotted.
Let me explain…
The opening shots of a spaceship arriving on a rugged, unpopulated planet are visually striking in the same way as Scott’s more recent work. The Martian portrayed a tiny and lonely Matt Damon in the midst of a vast Martian landscape. Prometheus and Alien: Covenant dealt with human expeditions into this sort of terrain as well; the undiscovered edges of humanity’s reach, where our ships are dwarfed by the planets, mountains, and landscapes we encounter, a visual metaphor for our tiny place in the universe. There’s some pretty serious sperm-and-egg imagery in this shot composition as well, tied to the VO about creating a new world. It’s the long odds of the miracle of life, and our attempts to create civilization out in the stars.
This is a far cry from Scott’s earlier work. Take Alien for example: the title sequence opens on a dark planet that gives way to an image of the Nostromo that’s similar in size.
But while visually the trailer feels like Scott’s more recent projects, thematically, Raised by Wolves seems to be posing similar questions to Scott’s earlier Blade Runner. What happens when AI – an android in the show’s case – longs to be human? It’s likely that showrunner Aaron Guzikowski’s writing aims to interrogate that friction through Mother and the more affable Father.
The tears Mother sheds at the sight of her children indicate that having offspring changes something in Mother, shown again when Father tells her she’s been more prone to erratic behavior.
She is an android, built, programmed, and given instructions by humans, who is now obeying those instructions to such a fanatical extent that she’ll use violence if necessary. It’s posing a version of the old AI paperclip thought experiment by Nick Bostrom: If you program an AI to create paper clips as efficiently as possible, it may end up destroying humanity to do so. Here, Mother has been charged with securing a future for humanity by protecting these children and is murdering lots of humans to accomplish her task.
Where it treads into Blade Runner territory is the taste of humanity given to AI. Given a glimpse of life, the Replicants only wanted to live a little longer. And given the purpose of children, Mother is determined to protect them at all costs.
There’s a throughline of AI in Ridley Scott’s work – from Ash in the original Alien, to Roy Batty, to Fassbender’s David, and now Mother – that sees a progressively darker and more hostile intent at the center of the programming, but always with the question: where did that programming come from? What does it say about the programming’s creators? Guzikowski clearly wants us to ask those questions, given that Mother’s creator provides the first voiceover in the trailer.
“Ridley has been working with these sorts of themes for a good long time now, starting with Alien and then Blade Runner. So I think there’s a thematic connection,” Guzikowski recently told reporters at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, discussing the role of AI in the series. “He directed the first two episodes; he was intimately involved in the entire production. So there was a lot of exchange of DNA between a lot of the mythologies that Ridley has established in the past and this new story. But I think a lot of the rules that apply to these androids and a lot of the questions that they bring up, are similar to going as far back to Ash from Alien.”
Meanwhile, we haven’t even talked about middle-period Ridley Scott (or Mid Rids, as I call him).
There’s probably a reason why the three titles referenced on screen in this trailer are The Martian, Gladiator, and Alien. While The Martian represents a newer aesthetic and the theme of survival in a hostile new world, and Alien (in spite of the fact the first movie was about space truckers and the importance of quarantine) has come to represent the dangers of man’s own innovations – along with Scott’s more recent visits to the franchise, Gladiator’s influences are seen in the people that crash Mother’s party.
They’re scarred and barbaric, apparently not the humans “enlightened” enough to create and program Mother, a throwback to the ancient and superstitious religious beliefs which Mother’s creator cites as being the downfall of mankind. This focus on religious differences and the cost of blind faith also evokes Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven – indeed, the armor worn by the human warriors led by Vikings star Travis Fimmel seems designed to call to mind the armor of the Knights Templar during the Crusades.
“I think in some ways it continues on some aesthetics that Ridley’s established in some of his previous films. In this series, he’s evolved into just transmogrifying these ideas into things people haven’t necessarily seen yet,” Guzikowski explained. “But there is sort of a continuity, in terms of just the visuals in Alien and Blade Runner, Alien Covenant, in terms of the way they’ve imagined what an alien planet could look like, to the androids and even some of the H.R. Giger type of design stuff – all of that is in there. But in addition to that, it’s kind of evolved into a new stage of trying to look into the future. Now that we’re kind of already in a science fiction future, coming up with this stuff just takes on a different sort of process. I think it has the DNA of Ridley’s previous work, but he’s evolving into some new stuff that we haven’t seen yet.”
On the surface, Raised By Wolves looks like a cool, dystopian piece of science fiction with a dash or two of Ridley Scott’s hallmarks mixed in. But when you look at the specific dashes being added, and the origin of some of the themes and visuals at play in this trailer, it’s no surprise that Scott gravitated towards Guzikowski’s story and the complex moral questions the showrunner seems to be exploring here. Raised By Wolves could end up being the purest distillation of Ridley Scott’s themes we’ve ever seen.
Raised By Wolves releases its first three episodes on Thursday, September 3 on HBO Max. Keep it locked to IGN this week for much more from Raised By Wolves.
Lorescape tells the stories behind video games that you never may have noticed had a deeper meaning or a real-world influence. Whether we’re exploring mythology or political figures that inspired games like BioShock, The Last of Us’s mysterious Ish, or the family conspiracies in The Sims, Lorescape will always bring new surprising, interesting, or unsettling meaning to your favorite games.
The second episode of Lorescape dives deep into some of the the lore of The Sims franchise with the mysterious story behind Bella Goth.
Just as the real-world NHL post-season heats up, EA Sports has officially announced NHL 21, which promises to deliver major career mode changes, a new Ultimate Team mode, and introduce elite skill moves that have become popular in the game such as the Michigan.
NHL 21’s cover star is Alexander Ovechkin, who repeats as a cover star after first getting the honor with NHL 07. Ovechkin, also known as Ovi, is one of the NHL’s best players and has made a gigantic impact on the sport and the culture surrounding it.
The EA Sports developers say that Ovi is their “muse” for this year’s game, using his talents and personality as a a driving factor for the rest of the game.
“It’s a huge honor to be on the cover of NHL 21 for the second time in my career,” Ovechkin said in a statement. “More importantly, I’m glad I’m looking just as good on the cover this year as I did in 2007!!!”
Be A Pro Updates
In terms of the game itself, NHL 21 aims to offer a “fresh feel” for the series with its Be A Pro mode, which the team spent a lot of time and resources on this year. Starting off, you will notice that the menu screen is simplified and streamlined–all the important bits are on one screen, which should help you see and find what you need at a glance instead of needing to enter numerous different menus.
There are also more conversations and narrative choices you can make this year, bringing it more in line with EA’s Madden series. You can speak to your coach or to the media, and what you say can have an impact on your character’s attributes. You can, for example, speak to the media and make a bold claim about how you will perform in a given game, and you will then need to back it up during the game to keep your standing.
EA’s developers said that there are “hundreds” of different story beats that can play out. When you are actually on the ice, there are in-game coach challenges that you can take on for a chance to increase your “likability” meter for your team, and also brands that may want to sponsor you. Additionally, if you perform especially well on your line, the commentary team will call your line by a special nickname, which is a nice touch.
Skill Moves
In terms of the on-ice gameplay, EA Sports has introduced a series of new skill moves that have awed NHL fans in real life. The famous “Michigan” move, a high-skill move made famous by Mike Legg when he was at the University of Michigan, is now in the game. For this move, the player picks up the puck with their stick and surprises the goalie by stuffing it into the top of the net. It’s also known as a lacrosse goal, and it’s one of the most challenging and impressive skill moves the sport has ever seen, and now it’s in the game.
The Michigan, in NHL 21
Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes performed the move in an October 2019 game. The EA Sports developers say it will be a high risk high reward move in NHL 21. In an effort to make sure it doesn’t become too overpowered, the developers will look at feedback from the closed beta and make adjustements as necessary. But the team stressed that a skill move of this level will be very difficult to pull off in the game.
NHL 21 also introduces the “no move move” that was made famous by Nikita Kucherov. For this deke, Kucherov pretends as if he is going to perform a real deke, which causes the goalie to bite, and then he just lets the puck slide between his legs into the goal. Additionally, Sidney Crosby’s famous move where he banks the puck off the back of the net and passes to himself is now in the game. NHL 21 also introduces “slip dekes” and more “chip” moves to help create space in the neutral and offensive zones. There are also standstill dekes this year, and these let you begin a deke like a toe-drag, tap deke, or windmill, from a standstill.
These moves, which can be performed by any player, can all be chained together as well so players can really put the moves on defenders.
Also on the gameplay side, AI intelligence is improved to make the game feel more authentic, while goalies now have new animations and can make desperation saves more regularly. Overall, EA says players can expect a higher level of polish across the board.
HUT Rush
There are new modes in NHL 21 as well, one of which is HUT Rush. Described as a fast-paced mode, HUT Rush aims to get players into matches faster and getting quicker esults. The core idea is to be able to rack up points faster, and you’ll now get points for things like shots, goals, and dekes across the game’s various modes. The more skilled a move is, the more points you’ll get, and these can be chained together to create multipliers. You will unlock new items with the points, and there is a new battle pass-style system that has 25 tiers to work through.
World Of Chel
NHL 21’s World of Chel mode includes ranked seasons that span all four modes–Ones, Threes, Drop-In, and Clubs. Players can compete for a chance to earn rewards and then take part in the EASHL Club Finals, which themselves pay out unique rewards too.
World of Chel also introduces a number of fan-requested options like free skate, which you can jump directly into this to test and fine-tune your player build. There is also a practice mode that you and your team can enter to practice plays with an AI goalie. Additionally, NHL 21 has a scrimmage option where you and your team can play against an AI team at a difficulty level of your choice. What’s more, World of Chel now lets you choose servers for private games to help get the best network experience possible.
Don’t Be A Jerk
Ice hockey as a sport is infamous for having a diversity problem, and NHL 21 is taking steps to make sure the game’s playerbase is non-toxic. The developer said it firmly believes that hockey should be for everyone, and the company is taking a hard stance against toxic behavior. To that end, NHL 21 will have in-game reporting tools so players can report players and teams. These reports will be flagged to EA’s developers, and the company may decide to take action that bans offending players not only in NHL 21, but also all of EA’s games.
Franchise Mode Updates
Franchise mode in NHL 21 is getting one major addition: trade deadlines. With the new trade deadline feature, EA is trying to replicate the “frenzy” of how teams are scrambling to sign players before it’s too late. NHL 21’s Franchise mode will have a mini-game, of sorts, that gives players the ability to monitor players on the block, make proposals, and see other transactions.
Release Details And Veteran Rewards
NHL 21 is scheduled for release on October 16 for PS4 and Xbox One. There is no bespoke version of the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X, but the game will be playable on those next-generation consoles through backwards compatibility.
People who bought the past three NHL games–NHL 20, NHL 19, and NHL 18–will receive a “veteran bonus” comprised of up to 10 HUT packs.
NHL 21 will be available to play from October 9, 2020 for those who subscribe to EA Play, which is the new name for EA Access.
Previously revealed for Xbox Series X and PS5 earlier this year, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has reemerged with a new teaser trailer and gameplay details for the stealth-based title.
Playing as Smeagol/Gollum, you’ll explore a new story that starts in parallel with Frodo’s, albeit on a different side of Middle-earth entirely. You’ll make decisions that align with one of the character’s personas as they fight for control, influencing some visual changes and the branching storyline as you progress.
“Also, the decisions you make affect the way the game feels,” explained lead narrative designer Tilman Schanen in an interview with IGN. “You always either play as Smeagol or as Gollum as the ‘dominant’ persona and that can influence animations, soundscapes, certain gameplay situations, and in-game dialogue.”
Gollum isn’t strong but instead crafty, which will give you some opportunities to take out enemies in an otherwise predominantly stealth-focused gameplay. Some enemies can be taken down with stealth attacks or lured into dangerous parts of the environment, some of which might feature familiar characters that can aid Gollum on his journey.
“It is mostly a non-combat game, but Gollum will be able to stealthily take out enemies,” explained lead game designer Martin Wilkes. “However, this will not be easy and always come with big risks. We want players to carefully weigh these encounters. After all, Gollum’s strengths lie in cunning not combat.”
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is set to launch sometime in 2021 exclusively for next-generation consoles and PC. Gameplay will only be shown in 2021, according to developer Daedalic Entertainment.
In a wide-ranging interview with IndieWire, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos openly expressed skepticism at what has recently been a growing quarantine concern: That we are going to run out of new content before 2020 ends.
“To be honest with you, we work pretty far our on our series and our films,” the co-chief executive officer and chief content officer said. “By the time the shutdown came, we missed some shooting days, but we got back to work in post-production relatively quickly. The demands on everybody’s time clearly got different. But you shouldn’t feel too much of an interruption in the flow of programming.”
Although Sarandos concedes that COVID-19 has impacted some productions (the Spanish series Elite “shut down… after a cast member tested positive”), the executive emphasized how the new normal we’ve all been navigating has created unusual circumstances that has led to even more unpredictable successes. In the interview, Sarandos pointed to Tiger King as how tastes have been quickly changing post-coronavirus: “The great thing about someone finding Tiger King is that sometimes it’s the first non-fiction thing they’ve ever watched… it opens up a whole world to them–maybe thousands of movies they’ve never seen before.”
Netflix, like many streaming platforms, plays it pretty close to the chest about actual numbers regarding its biggest releases. But Sarandos says documentaries around the world have “seen a big growth” and how viewers aren’t dissuaded from language barriers–that, for example, Tiger King has taken many viewers “all the way into foreign-language documentaries.”
IndieWire‘s interview with Sarandos is part of the site’s Screen Talk podcast, and also touches on additional topics including Netflix’s decision to not participate in film festivals this fall.
