If you are trying to play an online match of Apex Legends or Rocket League right now but having issues connecting, you're not the only one. It appears a massive outage has taken down several services and popular websites.

As noted on the Google Cloud service status page, it displays that Google Cloud Networking has some issues which are causing some apps, such as Discord to not work properly. IGN's sister site DownDector also shows widespread outages across various websites and online services.

The service disruption has been resolved, and both Rocket League and Rocket League Sideswipe are operational. Thanks, everyone! pic.twitter.com/8f65Qr2qrv

— Rocket League Status (@RL_Status) November 16, 2021

The Google Cloud Outage showcases the issues of what happens when a common provide experiences technical issues. While services like Google Cloud Platform or Amazon Web Services which houses many clients — if the service experiences any issues, then any services using these providers will also be negatively impacted until the provider resolves the issue.

Fortunately, it looks like things are starting to slowly get back to normal. Google noted at 1:17 pm ET today that it believed "the issue with Cloud Networking is partially resolved." Some companies impacted by the outages, including Psyonix have taken to Twitter, noting that its service outage has been resolved and are back up.

We will update this article in the event that the outages continue.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster

Black Friday is approaching next week and retailers are gearing up. Some stores have begun sharing previews of their Black Friday ads and flyers with shoppers allowing us all to prepare for the upcoming madness. Take a look through some of the Black Friday ads we already have and start your gift or wish-lists while you're at it.

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Star Trek: Discovery’s fourth season is set to boldly go where no one has gone before on Paramount Plus on November 18, 2021, and it looks to put Captain Burnham and her crew face-to-face with “a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered.” To help you prepare for this upcoming adventure, we thought it would be the perfect time to look back at the best moments from Star Trek: Discovery’s first 42 episodes, including reuniting with Captain Pike and the U.S.S. Enterprise, finding Spock, discovering who the Red Angel was, and travelled through not just space and time, but also parallel universes.

There is a lot to keep track of in Star Trek: Discovery, so join us as we go through each season and break down everything you need to know before the crew takes off on their newest journey.

Season 1

Commander Michael Burnham Commits Mutiny and Is Sentenced to Life in Prison

Commander Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, was the first officer on the U.S.S. Shenzhou before she committed mutiny by overriding the orders of her captain, Philippa Georgiou. She attempted to fire on a Klingon vessel before it could launch its own attack and this caused a major conflict when a Klingon armada arrived. It is made very obvious that the Klingon Empire was looking for a war against the Federation and a battle then ensued. While attempting to capture the Klingon leader T’Kuvma, Georgiou is killed before Burnham was able to kill him. Following the battle, Burnham is tried by Starfleet and is sentenced to life in prison, all while the Klingon Empire officially declares war on the Federation.

Burnham Is Rescued By the U.S.S. Discovery and Joins Its Crew

Six months after being convicted of mutiny, Burnham is rescued by the U.S.S. Discovery, an experimental starship that features some of the most advanced and top-secret technology ever created, including the spore drive propulsion system. This new drive, developed by Lieutenant Paul Stamets, allows for near-instantaneous “jumps” through a “mycelial network” in subspace to any point in the universe. Discovery’s captain, Gabriel Lorca, assigns Burnham to help Stamets with the spore drive and other experiments in hopes they can help the Federation win the war against the Klingons.

Lorca Is Captured by the Klingons and Meets Ash Tyler and Harry Mudd

Captain Lorca was captured by the Klingons and meets Lieutenant Ash Tyler and Harry Mudd, the latter of whom is a returning character from Star Trek: The Original Series. These three prisoners devise a plan to escape, but they learn that Mudd was working with the Klingons and leave him behind. Upon their return to the U.S.S. Discovery, Lorca makes Tyler the ship’s chief of security.

The U.S.S. Discovery Finds Itself in a Parallel Reality

While attempting to work on tech that would detect cloaked Klingon warships, the U.S.S. Discovery accidentally makes a jump that sends the ship to a parallel reality. There, the crew chooses to impersonate their “Mirror Universe” counterparts, with Burnham being the former captain of the U.S.S. Shenzhou and Lorca being a fugitive who attempted to assassinate Philippa Georgiou, the leader of the Terran Empire.

Ash Tyler – Klingon Sleeper Agent

Dr. Hugh Culber discovers that Ash Tyler is actually a Klingon sleeper agent that has been surgically altered by L’Rell, the new Klingon leader, to look human and infiltrate Starfleet. Once Culber confronts Tyler, he is killed by Tyler.

Lorca’s Betrayal and the Return to the Right Universe

Burnham discovers that the Lorca she has always known is actually from this “Mirror Universe” and has been working to return so he could overthrow Emperor Georgiou. After Lorca claims the throne with the help of those like the mirror version of Stamets, Georgiou goes into hiding and ends up working with Burnham to attack Lorca. Georgiou kills Lorca and Burnham transports her back to the Discovery before her ship is destroyed.

This is all after Burnham learns that Georgiou’s ship is powered by a source that originated in the mycelial network and realizes they could destroy it and use that energy to go back to their own universe.

The End of the Klingon War and a Distress Call from the USS Enterprise

The Discovery crew successfully finds their way home, but quickly notice nine months have passed since they left and the Klingons are well on their way to winning the war. Georgiou offers a plan that was similar to one she used in her universe to combat the Klingon Empire, but it is a brutal and dangerous one. It involves planting a bomb on the Klingon’s home world or Qo’noS and annihilating all life. Burnham wants to avoid committing genocide, so she convinces Georgiou to abort the action and give L’Rell the means to detonate the bomb. This gives her the power and leverage to unite the Klingon houses and end the war alongside making the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery heroes.

After being issued a full pardon from Starfleet, Burnham heads on a new mission to pick up a new captain, but receives a distress call from Captain Pike and the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Season 2

Captain Pike and the USS Enterprise

The U.S.S. Discovery finds the crippled U.S.S. Enterprise and Captain Christopher Pike ends up taking emergency command of the Discovery after explaining that his ship was damaged while investigating seven mysterious signals that are scattered throughout the galaxy. When they follow one of the signals, they discover the wrecked U.S.S. Hiawatha and one of its last survivors in its chief engineer Jett Reno. During the mission, Burnham sees a strange Red Angel.

The Red Angel and the Mystery of Spock

Burnham searches for clues of her adoptive brother, Spock, who was serving aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. Pike informs her that he was actually on leave from Starfleet and committed himself to a psychiatric unit after being plagued by the visions of this same Red Angel. Furthermore, he appears to have killed three doctors when he decided to escape the facility.

As the crew continues to follow another signal, they discover a planet that is populated by humans who were descended from people taken from Earth after World War III. Pike discovers that this so-called Red Angel was the one responsible for bringing them here from Earth.

The Sphere of Knowledge

The U.S.S Discovery happens upon a living, planetoid-sized Sphere that has gathered an incredible amount of knowledge from travelling the galaxy. It is also nearing the end of its life and wants to transfer all it knows to Discovery so it won’t be lost. It does so, but not before its hold on the ship triggers the Vahar’al – a fatal disease – in Commander Saru. Fortunately, Saru survives the encounter and does so with the added benefit of no longer feeling the overwhelming fear that his species, the Kelpiens, are known for.

Tilly, Culber, and the Mycelial Network’s Troubles

Tilly was pulled into the mycelial network by a parasite that reveals Discovery’s spore drive has been harming its ecosystem. While attempting to find her, Burnham and Stamets find a “monster” that ends up being Dr. Hugh Culber. Since Stamets was connected to the mycelial network when Culber was killed by Tyler, his energy was recreated by the spores. He is brought back to our world, and the Discovery crew finds the shuttle Spock used to escape the psychiatric facility, which just so happens to also have former Emperor and now Section 31 operative Philippa Georgiou on it.

The Search for Spock

Burnham finds Spock on Vulcan and discovers he was in hiding and being helped by his mother Amanda Grayson. Spock is in distress, and is constantly repeating phrases and a series of numbers over and over again. Burnham discovers these may be coordinates, and they end up taking them to Talos IV. The Talosians help Spock become himself again, and he then reveals he mind-melded with the Red Angel, who is said to be a time traveler trying to stop some disaster from occurring in the future. Since Section 31 was also searching for Spock, Burnham and the Discovery crew are now all fugitives from Starfleet.

Airiam’s Ultimate Sacrifice

Saru learns that Section 31 was behind framing Spock and created the video evidence that showed him murdering the doctors. Specifically, it was Section 31’s AI oversight apparatus, Control. Airiam is asked to restore Control to its normal function, but she is infected by Control and a virus that is from the future. Control attempts to take the Sphere data from Discovery, but Airiam sacrifices herself to prevent it.

The True Identity of Red Angel Revealed

While preparing Airiam for her funeral, Tilly finds a bio-neural scan of the Red Angel in her code that matches Burnham. It is then found out that Section 31 created this Red Angel suit 20 years ago in an attempt to get ahead of Klingon’s possible goal of weaponizing time travel. Burnham’s parents were actually part of this program, and her mom Dr. Gabrielle Burnham is discovered to be the Red Angel after a trap is set.

Stopping Control and Paving a Way Toward the Future

Section 31 operative Leland was attacked by Control and intercepted the Sphere data that was being sent to the Red Angel suit so it could be sent safely to another time. The crew of the Discovery must abort the transfer and Dr. Burnham is sent back to the future. The Red Angel Suit was damaged in the process, and the team travels to the Klingon world of Boreth to obtain another “time crystal.” When acquiring the crystal, Pike sees a vision of the future he can’t avoid, but accepts the responsibility to complete the mission.

With Section 31 in pursuit, Pike orders that Discovery be destroyed to prevent Control from getting the Sphere data. The destruct sequence is aborted, but a plan is put in place to build a new Red Angel suit that Burnham will use to guide Discovery through a temporal wormhole to the future that will keep the Sphere data safe. Georgiou kills Leland to help the plan succeed, and Burnham uses the suit to travel to give different points in space and time to send these Red Angel signals. The sixth signal is meant for Discovery to travel 900 years in the future. The seventh and final signal is seen months later, when Pike and the crew of the Enterprise see that Burnham and Discovery’s mission was a success.

Season 3

The Burn

Burnham arrives in the year 3188 and disables a spaceship owned by Cleveland Booker, a “courier” who traffics in dilithium. In the 23rd century, the element is even rarer than it was before thanks to a catastrophic event known as The Burn. This rendered all processed dilithium inert and destroyed both starships and planets and changed the course of interstellar travel. Following these events, the Federation also became a hollow shell of what it once was.

Adira and Tal and the Return to Earth

Burnham and the crew of the Discovery return to Earth to learn more about the Federation’s fate and find Admiral Senna Tal, or rather the new Tal that has been joined with the Trill known as Adira. Adira can’t recall the memories of Tal, so they travel with the U.S.S. Discovery to the Trill homeworld to help unlock her host’s past. It turns out that when Tal died, he was transferred to Adira’s boyfriend Gray. When Gray was killed shortly thereafter, Adira offered to become the new host. These memories were now preserved and unlocked in Adira, and they used this knowledge to help find the Federation Headquarters, where the Discovery is upgraded with 32nd century tech.

The Origin of The Burn and the Reunification of a Vulcan and Romulan Society

After finding a black box from a Starfleet ship that was destroyed in The Burn, Burnham believes she can find the origin of the catastrophe. She needs help from scientists on Ni’Var, the planet formerly known as Vulcan that is now the home to a reunified Vulcan and Romulan society. While lobbying for their support, Burnham learns that Spock was integral in bringing these two people back together.

Hot on the trails of The Burn’s origin, Burnham believes the source is located in the Verubian Nebula on a planet made of dilithium. Once there, they meet a Kelpien named Su’Kal who was born and possesses a biological and psychic link to the planet itself. When he was a child, he witnessed his mother’s death and the trauma sent a psychic shockwave in the planet’s dilithium which caused The Burn and spread across the galaxy.

Georgiou’s Sickness

Georgiou began experiencing blackouts and flashbacks thanks to a condition that is being caused from her being from both a different universe and time. Dr. Culber used the data from the Sphere to find out she may be able to be saved if they visit Dannus V. Once they arrive, they find the Guardian of Forever, a time portal that can send Georgiou back to a place she can survive. She walks through, in hopes this gamble will work.

The Fall of the Emerald Chain and Captain Michael Burnham

Minister Osyraa, leader of the Emerald Chain, seized control of Discovery in an attempt to replicate its spore drive and force Admiral Vance to accept a peace treaty. Burnham ends up killing Osyraa, which leads to the apparent end of the Emerald Chain. Following the events, Saru choses to help Su’Kal being a new life on Kaminar, resulting in Vance promoting Burnham to captain of the U.S.S. Discovery. Captain Burnham and her crew begin delivering dilithium to planets that were impacted by The Burn while others request to rejoin the Federation.

For more on Star Trek: Discovery, check out the cast’s favorite moments from the show and our review of Season 3’s finale – ‘That Hope Is You, Part 2.’

Geoff Keighley has announced the nominees for The Game Awards 2021, with Deathloop leading the pack with a total of nine nominations.

Deathloop featured in various categories this year, including Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score/Music, Best Audio Design, Best Action Game, and Game of the Year. Deathloop also received two nominations in the Best Performance category, with Jason E. Kelley and Ozioama Akagha both being recognized.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and It Takes Two also scored big this year, having received six and five nominations apiece across several different categories, including the highly prestigious Game of the Year category, where they appeared as contenders alongside Deathloop, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, and Resident Evil Village.

The full list of categories and nominations for The Games Awards 2021 follows:

Game of the Year

Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

• Deathloop
• It Takes Two
• Metroid Dread
• Psychonauts 2
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village

Best Game Direction

Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

• Deathloop
• It Takes Two
• Returnal
• Psychonauts 2
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Best Narrative

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

• Deathloop
• It Takes Two
• Life is Strange: True Colors
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
• Psychonauts 2

Best Art Direction

For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

• Deathloop
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Psychonauts 2
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• The Artful Escape

Best Score/Music

For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Deathloop
• Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
• The Artful Escape

Best Audio Design

Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.

• Deathloop
• Forza Horizon 5
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village
• Returnal

Best Performance

Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

• Erika Mori, Life is Strange
• Giancarlo Esposito, Far Cry 6
• Jason E. Kelley, Deathloop
• Maggie Robertson, Resident Evil Village
• Ozioama Akagha, Deathloop

Games for Impact

For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.

• Before Your Eyes
• Boyfriend Dungeon
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Life is Strange: True Colors
• No Longer Home

Best Ongoing Game

Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.

• Apex Legends
• Call of Duty: War Zone
• Final Fantasy XIV Online
• Fortnite
• Genshin Impact

Best Indie Game

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

• 12 Minutes
• Death's Door
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Inscryption
• Loop Hero

Best Debut Indie Game

For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.

• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Sable
• The Artful Escape
• The Forgotten City
• Valheim

Best Mobile Game

For the best game playable on a mobile device.

• Fantasian
• Genshin Impact
• League of Legends
• MARVEL Future Revolution
• Pokemon Unite

Best Community Support

Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.

• Apex Legends: Escape
• Destiny 2: Beyond Light
• Final Fantasy XIV Online
• Fortnite
• No Man's Sky

Best VR/AR Game

For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.

• Hitman III
• I Expect You to Die 2
• Lone Echo II
• Resident Evil 4
• Sniper Elite VR

Innovation in Accessibility

Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.

• Far Cry 6
• Forza Horizon 5
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• The Vale: Shadow of the Crown

Best Action Game

For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.

• Back 4 Blood
• Chivalry II
• Deathloop
• Far Cry 6
• Returnal

Best Action/Adventure Game

For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
• Metroid Dread
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village
• Psychonauts 2

Best RPG

For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Monster Hunter Rise
• Scarlet Nexus
• Shin Megami Tensei V
• Tales of Arise

Best Fighting Game

For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles
• Guilty Gear -Strive-
• Melty Blood: Type Lumina
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
• Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown

Best Family Game

For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.

• It Takes Two
• Mario Party Superstars
• New Pokémon Snap
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
• WarioWare: Get It Together!

Best Sports/Racing Game

For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.

• F1 2021
• Fifa 22
• Hot Wheels Unleashed
• Forza Horizon 5
• Riders Republic

Best SIM/Strategy Game

Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.

• Age of Empires IV
• Evil Genius 2: World Domination
• Humankind
• Inscryption
• Microsoft Flight Simulator

Best Multiplayer Game

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.

• Back 4 Blood
• It Takes Two
• Knockout City
• Monster Hunter Rise
• New World
• Valheim

Content Creator of the Year

For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2021.

• Dream
• Fuslie
• Gaules
• Ibai
• TheGrefg

Best Esports Athlete

The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021, irrespective of game.

• Chris "Simp" Lehr
• Heo "ShowMaker" Su
• Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov
• Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev
• Tyson "TenZ" Ngo

Best Esports Coach

The esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

• Airat "Silent" Gaziev
• Andrey "ENGH" Sholokhov
• Andrii "B1ad3" Horodenskyi
• James "Crowder" Crowder
• Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun

Best Esports Event

Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.

• The International 2021
• 2021 League of Legends World Championship
• Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters
• PGL Major Stockholm 2021
• PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020

Best Esports Game

For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.

• Call of Duty
• CS:GO
• DOTA2
• League of Legends
• Valorant

Best Esports Team

Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

• Atlanta FaZe, Call of Duty
• DWG KIA, League of Legends
• NAVI, CS:GO
• Team Spirit, DOTA2
• Sentinels, Valorant

Most Anticipated Game

Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.

• Elden Ring
• God of War: Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Starfield

The nominees in each category are now available for public voting, and the winners will be awarded as part of The Game Awards 2021, which is returning to the stage with a live, in-person event at the Microsoft Theater on December 9, 2021, following last year's fully virtual presentation where The Last of Us Part II received the most wins in the show's history.

The awards ceremony will be packaged together with plenty of game-related announcements and premieres, with Keighley previously anticipating that 40 to 50 games will feature in the show this year, in "some way or another," including games that are expected to release in 2022 and 2023, as well as trailers for upcoming movies and TV shows inspired by games.

Stay tuned to IGN for all coverage of the awards.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

A new report claims that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick knew about alleged sexual assault and harassment allegations within company-owned studios, but did not disclose the information to the company's board. The same report states that Jen Oneal – who was recently made co-head of the company before announcing her departure just three months later – has previously experienced harassment at the company, was paid less than her male counterpart Mike Ybarra, and had said she was "tokenized" by the company.

A new Wall Street Journal report continues the long-running scandal within Activision Blizzard, which came to light when the state of California filed a lawsuit against the company. The report centres on Kotick, and says that internal documents and sources familiar with the company show that the CEO was aware of many of the reported abuses within the company – including accusations of rape that were emailed directly to Kotick – but did not inform the board of everything he knew.

An Activision spokesperson told the WSJ that "Mr. Kotick would not have been informed of every report of misconduct at every Activision Blizzard company, nor would he reasonably be expected to have been updated on all personnel issues.”

Kotick himself told the WSJ that 'he and the board now expect to be kept better informed than in the past about workplace issues,' and that examples raised in its reporting are exceptions to the company's normal behaviour.

The report also includes a number of new accusations against current and former employees. Dan Bunting, co-head of Treyarch, is alleged to have sexually harassed a female employee in 2017 but, despite HR recommendations that he be fired, was kept on after counseling because of his contribution to the Call of Duty series. Bunting has reportedly left Treyarch after the WSJ asked to discuss the alleged incident.

A Sledgehammer Games supervisor, Javier Panameno was reportedly accused of rape by a female employee, as well as harassment of a second woman. Panameno was ultimately fired. Another Sledgehammer employee, Eduard Roerich, was also accused of sexual harassment. Roerich was given two weeks of paid leave and moved position within Activision, before being let go from the company after a separate incident in which he argued with a manager.

The report also includes a section on the departure of Jen Oneal, who was appointed co-head of Activision Blizzard in August – the company's first female leader – but resigned after three just months. Oneal reportedly emailed Activision leadership after a month in the role, saying that “it was clear that the company would never prioritize our people the right way.” The report says she was paid less than her male co-leader, Mike Ybarra and had told leadership that she had been "tokenized, marginalized, and discriminated against." Oneal also alleges that she was sexually harassed at Activision prior to her time as co-head of the company.

After July's lawsuit, Activision Blizzard has seen multiple high profile departures, walkouts, scandal-related game changes, SEC subpoenas, and the cancellation of BlizzCon 2022. You can read our timeline of events to see the entire story in one place.

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 [email protected].