Sony has been granted a patent that would allow spectators on platforms like Twitch to vote or pay to "bench" players in a video game.

As reported by Eurogamer, this patent – which is titled "Spectators Vote to Bench Players in a Video Game" – would allow for viewers to vote or pay to have certain players removed from a game or to send custom messages that tell them they need to improve.

These viewers would gain access to a menu that would include such options as "Remove Player from Game," "Warn Player to Improve," "Provide Custom Message," or "Keep in Game." A player, according to this patent, would only be removed if voting reaches a certain amount, like 60%, and there would be a weighting system that would put more impact on the vote of "a more skilled spectator." This skill level would be determined by such factors as their game level, statistics, or accomplishments in the game they are watching.

The patent was filed due to the fact that as "more and more people have become interested in watching video games and esports events, game developers have sought to enhance the viewing experience by providing increased functionality and interactivity for spectators."

Many aspects of this patent appear to be solely focused on negative actions and don't appear to have a focus on positive actions like rewarding players that are doing well. However, it's important to note that patents often take many shapes and forms before/if they ever make it to the public.

Sony's filing of this patent could be part of its more focused approach to esports that was recently shown when it announced it was purchasing the Evolution Championship Series – the world's largest fighting game tournament.

Unless there are a ton of safeguards, the potential harm this could cause could be problematic, especially when considering Twitch is still dealing with the fallout of the many hate raids that have been impacting countless streamers.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Goichi Suda, the No More Heroes creator better known by his online alias Suda 51, says that he was once asked to make a Deadpool game by Activision. The Grasshopper Manufacture CEO has also spoken further about his studio's ten-year plan, which should include three brand new games.

Speaking with VGC, Suda51 explained that he'd previously been approached by Activision over plans to make a Deadpool game. "Here’s something a lot of people probably don’t know,” Suda stated in the interview. “Over a decade ago, I was actually approached by Activision at one point to make a Deadpool game. It was sometime after the first No More Heroes came out. Obviously, that plan never came to fruition, and it fizzled out in the initial planning stages but I had some really cool ideas for it at the time.”

While plans for a Deadpool game with Suda at the helm were eventually shelved, Activision worked with developer High Moon Studios to release a game featuring the foul-mouthed hero in 2013. Although the game launched to mixed reviews, the character's popularity among mainstream audiences has since been notably elevated through Ryan Reynold's screen adaptation – perhaps opening the door wider to future Deadpool video games down the road.

In a separate interview with IGN Japan in August – featuring as part of the launch celebrations for the final installment of his No More Heroes series – Suda spoke about Grasshopper's plans for the future. During the interview, the studio boss confirmed that the company is currently working on three new original game IPs, but also said that he'd be interested in working alongside Marvel on a superhero title should the opportunity arise. "I’d love to work with Marvel on a Shatterstar or Deadpool game," said Suda during the interview. "Something sort of Grasshopper-y like that. Maybe a Quicksilver title of some sort."

While it seems that Grasshopper would jump at the chance to make a Marvel-based game in the future, Suda's interview with VGC delved further into the company's current ten-year plan and what fans should expect to see during that time.

“We’ve got a general plan in place for the next ten years," he said. At this point, we’re planning on doing three titles over the next decade: three new IPs. We’ve actually already begun the pre-production stuff on the first title, but I can’t say anything about it just yet.”

In terms of the scope of those games, Suda told VGC that they wouldn't necessarily be developing full-scale AAA games but that fans shouldn't expect to see anything too small either. "I’d say they’re probably going to be around ‘AA’-scale games," he states in the interview. "As in, the games themselves will be around AA-level scale, and the core team making them will be a relatively compact team.”

Despite the fact that Grasshopper has a long-term plan in place for the next decade, the studio boss was also keen to state that things could be subject to change, with the studio perhaps opting to take a different route with its upcoming IPs.

“With regard to the three new IPs I mentioned, we may actually go a slightly different route,” he explained. “What I mean is, we may actually decide to do like one new, original IP – the one we’re working on now – and then make a game version of an existing IP for our second game, and then go back and do another new one for the third one."

“There are a few games from back in the day that I’d like to get my hands on and try to do a reboot or a remake of some kind, or we may get approached by the right company with the right IP and decide to go with that… We’ll see how things work out.” Suda's previous games include Killer 7, Shadows of the Damned, Killer Is Dead, Lollipop Chainsaw, and much more.

Grasshopper Manufacture's last game, No More Heroes 3, marked the end of a franchise spanning over the last thirteen years. With Travis Touchdown and the series now behind them, fans will be eager to see what's next from Suda51 and the team.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations for Tomb Raider, Square Enix has published three new videos featuring an array of details from the cancelled survival horror game Tomb Raider: Ascension.

As shown on YouTube, the three videos focus on different elements of what could have been for Ascension, had the game not been replaced by the franchise's preferred 2013 reboot. In the first clip, the publisher shows off a range of concept art for the game where fans can see its island setting as well as a number of characters designs.

"After narrowing in on the concept of a survival story on a remote island," says Square Enix in the video's description on YouTube. "Crystal began developing what was internally called Tomb Raider: Ascension. At one point, Ascension felt closer to a horror game than a Tomb Raider title. Eventually, the concept evolved into the origin story told in the 2013 reboot, keeping the key survival components with a dash of supernatural terror."

The second of the three videos shown by Square seems to highlight this well. Showing off early footage, Ascension looks as if it would have leaned further into the horror genre, as Lara can be seen making her way through a number of darker poorly lit areas and battling against a range of twisted monsters.

Across the seven-minute video, fans are treated to a reasonably substantial amount of content – with scenes also showing Lara traversing the island's environment on horseback and what looks to be a pretty intense moonlit boss battle. According to the publisher, it was during its work on Ascension that the team then "homed in on telling an origin story through the lens of survival," and some of those horror elements were seemingly pushed aside.

The final video published to YouTube features some early logo concepts for Ascension and a number of designs for its box art. While these are interesting to look through, the main highlight of the clip is the inclusion of some early voiceover work that the publisher says was recorded to " capture the tone" for Lara's difficult journey ahead. The narration in the clip does well to set up the reboot's take on Croft, distinguishing her from iterations of the character seen previously in the series.

"You think you know me," says Lara in the video. "Think you've seen me before. The Brit princess, rich girl with a pretty face, shiny guns, and a flair for gymnastics. I think you've got me mixed up with someone else."

"I'm not perfect. I'm not bulletproof. I struggle. I bleed. I get cold. I get lost. I have doubts. I know pain. I know fear. One day, I will become a legend. A warrior. A hero. A raider. But first, I will be a survivor. Still think you know me? Think again."

Across the range of footage shown off, it's not hard to see how Ascension eventually transitioned into becoming the publisher's 2013 reboot. While many of the original ideas shown never quite made it to see the light of day, the clips seem to have gone down well with the Tomb Raider community. Across the videos' comment sections, a number of fans have praised the idea of a horror-led Tomb Raider title with some even asking that Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics consider making the game now.

For more on Lara and the series, make sure to check out this article detailing the latest from Tomb Raider: Reloaded, an upcoming mobile game based on the franchise and set to launch next year. The latest trailer for that game can also be seen below, so be sure to give that a watch too.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN who remembers playing early entries in the Tomb Raider series alongside his parents as a child. You can follow him on Twitter.

Battlefield 2042 had an interesting open beta to say the least. While fans were excited to finally get their hands on the newest iteration of the popular series, the beta also sparked debate about many of EA's design choices, particularly the introduction of Specialists.

In a lengthy new blog post meant to share takeaways from the recent open beta, EA pushed back against the feedback that Specialists — characters with unique traits that upend the traditional class system — hampered teamwork. Battlefield 2042's developers also explained that the decision to use an older build for the beta was mostly down to stability, and also discussed some of the more granular changes that are being implemented as a result of the feedback.

In response to criticism of the Specialists, EA argued that Battlefield's teamwork was actually being hampered by features that hadn't yet been implement, such as the ping system. "First, we recognize that numerous improvements to the user interface, identifying between friend and foe, the ping system, and in-game team communication that were missing during the Open Beta (and are all explained in detail below) are vital to team play. You didn’t get to experience all of those, and so today we want to help talk you through the many different changes that you'll experience in the full game."

EA continued, "Second, you weren’t able to go hands on with all Ten of our Specialists, and see them all in action on the Battlefield. Now that all the cards are on the table, let us know what you think!"

Much of the criticism around Specialists has centered around the duplicate characters. One Reddit poster noted how jarring it was to walk around a corner and see "McKay stabbing McKay while McKay is looking to the other side." Others felt that Specialists were simply better suited for a smaller-scale shooter like Rainbow Six Siege as opposed to a larger-scale experience Battlefield.

While EA doesn't plan to remove the ability to pick Specialists or loadouts at will in All-Out Warfare, it did say that squad composition would be much tighter and more limited in the new Hazard Zone mode, and that players would have more customization options at launch to help differentiate themselves. For those who are adamant about returning to the older style of Battlefield, there's Battlefield Portal, where they can customize their rules at will.

The five final specialists revealed

In addition to touching on the community's reaction to Specialists, EA revealed Battlefield 2042's final five characters in a brand new trailer. They include the following characters:

• Navin Rao, an Indian recon specialist and hacker.
• Santiago Espinoza, a Mexican assault specialist with a very large shield.
• Ji-Soo Paik, a South Korean scout and spotter.
• Constantin Anghel, a Romanian medic.
• Emma Rosier, a French explosives expert.

The rest of the blog post goes into detail about how EA is dealing with the open beta's bot-heavy servers, the user interface, and the overall performance. The whole thing is certainly worth a read if you're a Battlefield fan who's feeling anxious after the open beta.

Battlefield 2042 is scheduled to enter early access release on November 12, with the full release date on November 19. Check out our first look at Hazard Zone, where we talk about how it's an indicator that Battlefield 2042 is shaping up to be one of the boldest entries in years.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts director Steven Caple Jr. has announced that production on his Bumblebee sequel has now officially wrapped.

Caple celebrated the end of production on the seventh live-action Transformers film by posting a new photo on Instagram that shows him sitting in the driver's seat of the movie's G1-inspired Optimus Prime truck. "That's a wrap," he captioned the photo, which has arrived just a few weeks after he revealed the first look at the film's Autobots and Terrorcons.

The Autobots were showcased in the first image of Caple's previous Instagram post (below), with Optimus Prime pictured front and center alongside Bumblebee, dressed in the signature yellow and black, as well as the vehicular forms of Mirage, Arcee, and Wheeljack. Whereas, the second photo spotlighted the Terrorcons led by Scourge.

Scourge will roll out as the main villain of Rise of the Beasts when the film hits theaters on June 24, 2022. The foreboding Kenworth JF Logging Truck will take symbols from his victims and fuse them onto his militiristic body as trophies. Also pictured is Nightbird, Scourge's dangerous ninja "right hand," and an unidentified GM C4500 Topkick tow-truck.

Up until now, the live-action Transformers series has focused exclusively on Autobots and Decepticons, but the new movie will add Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons to the mix for a story that promises to send audiences on a globetrotting adventure across Brooklyn, New York, and Peru in the year 1994, seven years after 2018's Bumblebee.

Rise of the Beasts will introduce the Beast Wars to the Transformers film franchise, with Ron Perlman playing Optimus Primal. Noah, an ex-military electronics whiz played by Anthony Ramos, and Elena, an artifacts researcher played by Dominique Fishback, will become embroiled in a battle when the Maximals and Predacons decide to take their fight to Earth.

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