Cyberpunk 2077 will be delayed again by 21 days, with a new release date set for December 10, 2020.
CD Projekt Red announced the news in a statement on Twitter citing the immense task of shipping Cyberpunk 2077 across nine consoles and two generations of hardware.
CD Projekt Red has announced that Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed by 21 days and will now launch on December 10. It was originally set for release on November 19 but, according to a statement from studio execs Adam Badowski and Marcin Iwinski, shipping the game on PS4/Pro, Xbox One/X, and PC, alongside next-gen versions for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Stadia has been a challenge, especially under work from home conditions.
“Since Cyberpunk 2077 evolved towards almost being a next-gen title somewhere along the way, we need to make sure everything works well and every version runs smoothly,” the statement continues. “We’re aware it might seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make any difference in such a massive and complex game, but they really do.”
The pair also clarified that recent news that the game had gone gold doesn’t mean work on the game was complete, as the team is able to continue refining the experience. The time the studio had allotted to doing this post-certification work is what was miscalculated, thus resulting in the delay. You can read the full statement from Badowski and Iwinski below.
It’s like Sacha Baron Cohen and Borat never went away. Despite his Kazakh journalist character’s 14-year absence, Borat is now seemingly everywhere–or at least being discussed almost everywhere–since the runway to the recently released Amazon Prime sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Without a doubt, one of the biggest sources of controversies surrounding the movie is presidential lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s appearance in the film. If you still haven’t seen it, all you really need to know is that the former New York City mayor is pretty skeezy in it and unaware he’s being pranked.
In an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Cohen (as himself) shares behind-the-scenes details into what really went down with Giuliani. In response to fans who were skeptical about Borat’s ability to leave, then suddenly reappear at opportune (read: misopportune) moments to push Giuliani over the edge, Cohen told Colbert that throughout the scene he was waiting in a “hideaway” in a closet in the hotel room where the infamous scene took place. It seemed like the scene might not work out when, Cohen explains, Giuliani brought an ex-policeman in to do a sweep before sitting outside “ensuring that no one could come in and out.”
Super Mario 3D All-Stars might feature two beloved classics featuring everyone’s favorite Italian plumber–as well as Super Mario Sunshine–but the collection has attracted controversy since its announcement. Now, Nintendo has announced that players will have the option of inverting camera controls in all three of the collection’s games, Super Mario 64, Galaxy, and Sunshine starting on November 16.
Inverted camera controls weren’t included in any of the original versions of the games, but have become a standard option in many 3D games since their release. Since Super Mario 3D All-Stars was ostensibly intended as an updated collection of these games, the lack of customizable camera controls was noticeable. Many players have complained about grappling with the primitive camera controls of Super Mario 64 in particular, which were designed prior to the advent of stick-based camera control. Poor Lakitu.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars also garnered criticism for Nintendo’s decision to make the game only available for digital purchase through March 31, 2021, as well as the lack of extra features compared to simply playing the games in a high-end PC emulator. The lack of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was also noted. While most agree that these are great games that stand the test of time, compared to flashier remakes like the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, it becomes apparent that Nintendo isn’t necessarily interested in updating the look of these games to take advantage of newer hardware.
Batman: Three Jokers has been busy exploring one of the more significant twists to hit the Batman franchise in years – Batman’s discovery that there are three Jokers active in the DC Universe. That strange case finally comes to a close in Three Jokers #3. But what is the true secret of the Three Jokers, and how will this mystery impact the Batman line going forward?
Read on for a full breakdown of the Three Jokers finale, but beware of full spoilers ahead!
As issue #3 opens, only two of the original three Jokers are left standing, after Jason Todd executed “The Clown,” the Joker who left him for dead back in 1988’s Batman: A Death in the Family. The remaining two Jokers, The Golden Age-inspired “The Criminal” and “The Comedian” of Batman: The Killing Joke fame, are ready to carry out their final plan. They’ve kidnapped Joe Chill and brought him to the abandoned movie theater where the Waynes were killed, all with the intent of submerging him in toxic chemicals and creating the ultimate Joker.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
As The Criminal explains, he wants Joker to mean something more to Batman. Rather than be an agent of chaos with no defined past or motivations, The Criminal wants to create a Joker who’s fundamentally linked to Batman. The ultimate Joker is the Joker who took Bruce Wayne’s family away and started him on the path to being Batman.
That’s the plan, anyway. Batman is able to rescue Chill from falling into the chemicals and apprehend The Criminal. But just as it seems the three Jokers’ plan has been foiled, The Criminal is betrayed by his own partner-in-crime. The Comedian shoots him through the head, leaving only one Joker left standing.
Joker vs. Joker
Even though The Criminal seemed to be the ringleader of the three Jokers, it turns out The Comedian has been manipulating his “brothers” all along. He doesn’t want Joker to be someone whom Batman knows and despises on a personal level. However, he does want Joker to matter more to Batman than anyone else.
The Comedian’s true goal in all of this was to arrange a reconciliation between Batman and Joe Chill. During his investigation, Batman discovers a series of unfinished letters Chill attempted to write to Bruce Wayne, apologizing for his crimes and admitting he only killed the Waynes because he was jealous of their wealth and privilege. Only later did Chill come to realize how much Thomas and Martha had done to help Gotham’s downtrodden citizens. Batman also saves Chill’s life more than once during the course of issue #3, even accepting Chill’s gratitude and finally putting aside years of hatred and trauma. With no childhood villain left to demonize, Batman can now focus all of his attention on his real enemy – The Joker.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
For now, The Comedian is content to return to Arkham Asylum and plot his next escape. Bruce later pays a visit to a terminally ill Chill, accepting his apology and allowing Chill to die in peace.
This is a stark change from how Chill’s story arc is usually depicted in the various Batman comics. Traditionally, his story ends when a young Batman confronts Chill and reveals his identity. A distraught Chill flees, raving to his compatriots that he was the one who created Batman. In response, they murder Chill as punishment for creating this new scourge of the underworld. In one version, Batman himself stalks Chill until the psychologically battered criminal finally takes his own life. Three Jokers seeks to give Joe Chill a much happier ending, one in keeping with the series’ larger theme of overcoming trauma.
By the end, it seems the usual Batman/Joker status quo is restored. There’s only one Joker again, and the Bat-family is seemingly no closer to uncovering his true identity. But that’s not actually true. In a heartfelt conversation with Alfred, Batman reveals his deepest and most carefully guarded secret – he knows The Comedian’s identity. In fact, it only took him one week to solve that seemingly impossible riddle.
Here the series references the flashback storyline from Batman: The Killing Joke, which suggested Joker was originally a chemist and failed comedian who turned to crime after his pregnant wife was killed in a freak accident. While The Killing Joke is intentionally ambiguous about whether that backstory is real or just a figment of Joker’s deranged imagination, Three Jokers suggests it did actually happen.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
But as it turns out, Joker’s wife never died in that accident. Fearful of raising a child in an abusive home, she turned to her friends in the GCPD for help. They helped her flee Gotham and fed her husband a fake story about a baby bottle warmer accident to mask her trail. Joker’s wife and son have been living in Alaska all this time, happy and free from his long shadow.
Unfortunately, we never actually learn Joker’s real name (though the initials “JW” can be seen monogrammed on his wife’s suitcase). As Batman reminds Alfred, Joker’s identity was never important. Sharing his name or the existence of his family only puts an innocent mother and son in danger, which is why Batman has never told even his closest allies.
It’s important to remember that while Three Jokers seemingly cements the possible origin story introduced in The Killing Joke, the origins of the other two Jokers remain shrouded in mystery. Nor is it clear which of these three villains was the original Joker. In many ways, Joker remains as mysterious as ever despite having a more tangible origin.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
In another secret identity-related surprise, we also learn Commissioner Gordon knows his daughter is Batgirl. This is another plot point that’s always been fairly vague in past stories, but Batgirl specifically refers to Gordon as “Dad” when driving away and shrugging off his pleas to stay away from Red Hood.
At this point you may be wondering how Three Jokers will impact the larger Batman franchise. Will the reveal that Batman knows the Joker’s true identity play into their next confrontation, one that’s already being teased in the aftermath of Joker War? Is Three Jokers even taking place in the traditional DC Universe?
There’s no denying the series has a fairly nebulous place in DC continuity. Even writer Geoff Johns and DC’s editorial staff have downplayed the book’s connection to the larger Batman line. Though the original Three Jokers reveal happened in 2016’s Justice League #50 and DC Universe Rebirth #1, the twist hasn’t really been referenced anywhere else since, even as Batman and Joker have had several major battles in stories like Dark Nights: Metal and Joker War. Three Jokers doesn’t necessarily align with current Batman continuity, either in terms of the costumes being worn or the fact that Alfred is still alive. It’s also published under the DC Black Label imprint, which tends to focus on standalone, continuity-free stories.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
That all being said, the ending to Three Jokers is very true to the Joker himself. It’s malleable and ambiguous enough that the series could either be part of official Batman lore or simply a standalone, alternate universe tale. It’s really up to future creators to decide if they want to reference the events of Three Jokers, like Red Hood’s act of murder and the fact that Batman knows his worst enemy’s true name. The fact that he’s been hiding that secret all along is a joke greater than anything the Joker himself could ever manage.
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Critical Role, the company behind the beloved livestreamed D&D show, has branched out in numerous ways over the last year, and is doing so yet again with a brand new board and card game publishing brand, Darrington Press.
Darrington Press, of course sharing a name with Sam Riegel’s Taryon Darrington from the Vox Machina campaign, is set to launch four new games in 2021, one a quarter, with a host of game types and themes planned. Some games will be set within the world of Exandria, the home to Critical Role’s campaigns, while others will stretch outside that established world. Darrington Press will be run by Ivan Van Norman, and creative advisor (and Critical Role CCO and Game Master) Matthew Mercer.
Here’s a breakdown of all four newly announced games:
Uk’otoa
(Q1 2021) is the first game from Darrington Press, and will cost $29.99 and be recommended for 3 – 5 players, ages 12+.
Featuring estimated 30-45 minute gameplay sessions, Uk’otoa is “A battle for life and death on the high Lucidian seas! This flagship title from Darrington Press is a tactical game of semi-cooperative card play as factions of sailors vie to be the last claimed by the raging sea leviathan Uk’otoa. As the ship slowly falls into the ocean, you’ll have to run, push, and sacrifice others to win! Fans of Critical Role know Uk’otoa as the ex-patron of warlock Fjord (played by Travis Willingham). Who could say whether these tales hold any truth? Fjord isn’t telling.” The game was created by Jeb Haven (Burrows, Mother Sheep, You Don’t Know My Life!), with additional game design by Gabriel Hicks (Roll20, Paizo, Mythic Grove), art by Critter Hannah Friederichs, as well as Uk’otoa Sculpt by Niklas Norman (Runewars, Imperial Assault, Fallout: The Board Game) and layout by Vee Hendro (Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG, Visigoths vs Mall Goths, and Lost Roads).
Speaking to IGN via email, Ivan Van Norman, the head of Darrington Press, explained that Jeb Havens’ idea for the game concept actually came about long ago, and the two finally found an ideal home for it in Critical Role.
“I was holding onto the game design that would become Uk’otoa for years, as I first found the game when I was going to Google Game Nights and met Jeb Havens there (fun fact: originally the sea monster was a giant squid). Jeb had been playing this game with his co-workers for a while, and I loved it so much we made a deal shortly afterwards to let me pursue the opportunity of making it a game,” Van Norman said. ‘Years later, when we started talking about the games in our first lineup, I brought up this concept to both Matt and our development team – and before the pitch was even out of my mouth we all collectively said ‘Uk’otoa!’ After everyone had a chance to play it, it was a done deal from there.”
As for why it’s the first game in the linup, Van Norman said “It’s a quick-to-play, tactical card game that spotlights an amazing character in the world of Critical Role, but still serves a very relatable theme (giant sea serpent smashing boats and eating sailors) for gamers. It really does help us give people a taste of the world, while at the same time providing a fun game that Critters (and non-Critters) can play with their friends and family.
“Also, who doesn’t want to paint a 52mm sea serpent miniature for their games?”
Critical Role Adventures
Critical Role Adventures (Q2 2021) is the second game from Darrington Press and will put players in the shoes of Vox Machina themselves. The official description reads: “Embark on your own journey through Exandria with Critical Role Adventures! Play as the upstart adventurers Vox Machina and overcome treacherous challenges. This cooperative legacy-lite campaign game uses a unique narrative social, and combat mechanic, luring you back session after session. Within this enormous box, you’ll find a host of hidden treasures and a rich storybook to guide you through thrilling combat, dynamic character growth, and tales worthy of the name Vox Machina.”
Van Norman explained that CRA is still “heavily in development” and so not too much can be said about what players can expect beyond the announcement info. But he did confirm that “the focus will be on exploring new stories, instead of just ‘playing through Campaign I.'” And as for replayability, Van Norman said “As a legacy lite game, we want folks to both have a narrative rewarding playthrough, but also feel comfortable playing with a new group of friends should they want to.”
Syndicult
Syndicult (Q3 2021) is “an original modern magic roleplaying game designed by Matthew Mercer in which mob families jealously guard secrets and battle it out for power on the city streets. Featuring a simple storytelling dice mechanic, Syndicult is a low magic world where all bets are off.”
Van Norman said Syndicult will mark the first game outside of Exandria for Darrington Press, but it is “still within the comfortable, familiar mind of Matthew Mercer.”
Guardians of Matrimonia
Guardians of Matrimonia (Q4 2021) “is a cooperative card game where players have pre-built decks that are pitted against a deck of monsters (party crashers). If your deck runs out, everyone loses. But if you battle your way through the entire party crasher deck, everyone wins!”
Welcome to IGN Unfiltered, our monthly interview series where we sit down with the best, brightest, and most fascinating minds in the video game industry. (Catch up on the other 50-plus episodes here.) My guest this month is Brian Raffel, cofounder of Raven Software, makers of this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign plus a legion of other beloved games such as Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Heretic, Hexen, and more. Brian discusses starting Raven with his brother in Wisconsin, partnering with Doom creators id Software early on, and subsequently working with giant pop culture brands like Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, and Call of Duty. Raven is the lead developer on the single-player campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which will be released on November 13.
Check out the full episode in the video above, but if you’d prefer to listen to the hour-long interview, here’s an audio-only podcast download link. One way or the other I hope you’ll check out the interview!
Here’s a preview clip, in which Raffel discusses the studio being back in the driver’s seat on Black Ops Cold War after serving as a Call of Duty support studio for the previous decade:
And if you missed it, here’s the previous episode of Unfiltered, in which The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley discusses his life covering the video game industry:
Catch up on every episode of IGN Unfiltered here, including conversations with Bethesda game director Todd Howard, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, former PlayStation boss Jack Tretton, Journey creator Jenova Chen, Halo boss Bonnie Ross, and many more!
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
