<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title>IGN Articles</title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles</link><description>This feed contains the latest 20 articles from IGN about ps4</description><copyright>Copyright (c) IGN Entertainment Inc., a Ziff Davis company</copyright><atom:link href="https://www.ign.com/rss/articles/feed?tags=ps4" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><atom:link href="https://www.ign.com/rss/articles/feed?tags=ps4&amp;start=20&amp;count=20" rel="next" type="application/rss+xml"/><image><url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/o.assets.images.ign.com/kraken/IGN-Logo-RSS.png</url><title>IGN Logo</title><link>https://www.ign.com</link><width>142</width><height>44</height></image><item><title><![CDATA[The LEGO Harry Potter: Hogwarts Castle and Grounds Is Discounted for the First Time This Year]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/lego-harry-potter-hogwarts-castle-and-grounds-set-deal</link><description><![CDATA[Outstanding deal at only 5 cents per brick.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:15:00 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">7f79b5c5-2dc6-48b9-9030-3e22b33e783e</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/hogwartscastleandgrounds-1777316331728.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>Harry Potter fans, don&#39;t miss out on an opportunity to pick up a LEGO set that hasn&#39;t been discounted since last year. The <a href="https://zdcs.link/9wBp2D">LEGO Harry Potter: Hogwarts Castle and Grounds 76419</a> has dropped in price to $136.99 with free shipping after a 20% off instant discount. With a total brick count of 2,660 pieces, you&#39;re paying 5 cents per brick, making it far and away the best value amongst the numerous Harry Potter castle builds, by far.</p><h2>Save 20% Off the LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle and Grounds</h2><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="6c14e055-a844-44b0-bcec-5e688c1e2812" data-id="187184"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="6c14e055-a844-44b0-bcec-5e688c1e2812" data-id="187184" data-show-pricing="true" data-highlighted="false"></section><p>This particular set was released back in September of 2023 and it&#39;s still the biggest Hogwarts Castle set outside of the <a href="https://zdcs.link/z64kyq">garganutan 2018 6,020-piece predecessor</a>. As its name implies, this set encompasses more than just the castle&#39;s central structures (main tower, astronomy tower, and great hall). Instead, you also get a &quot;zoomed-out&quot; perspective that showcases the numerous courtyards, bridges, and greenhouses that dot the grounds, as well as a glimpse of the Black Lake and the rocky embankment (including the underground Chamber of Secrets) on which the castle is situated.</p><p>Key set pieces are also included, such as Durmstrang Ship, Beauxbatons Carriage, and the Ford Anglia caught in the Whomping Willow. As far as minfigs go, there&#39;s only one: a Golden Architect of Hogwarts, but it is exclusive to this set.</p><p>The scale is modestly sized, measuring in at 8.5&quot; high, 13.5&quot; wide, and 10&quot; deep, similar to a <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/best-lego-architecture-sets">LEGO Architecture set</a>. Given the high brick count, you can correctly assume that the pieces are generally on the smaller side. On the positive side, that makes this set look extremely detailed. On the other hand, this also makes the build a bit more challenging.</p><p>Kevin Wong of IGN built this set and points out that the finished product is meant to be more for display than interactivity. That makes sense, since this is a set catered towards builders 18+. We adults are less prone to playing with our LEGOs than collecting and admiring them. Kevin is also currently engaging in a custom years-long build that involves <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/every-lego-harry-potter-hogwarts-castle-we-build-so-far">combining all of the Harry Potter castle sets into one &quot;mega-set&quot;</a>, with Hogwarts Castle and Grounds as the base.</p><aside><p><strong></strong><a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/lego-hogwarts-castle-grounds-showcase-ancient-wizarding-architecture"><strong>We Build The LEGO Hogwarts Castle and Grounds</strong></a><strong> by Kevin Wong</strong></p><p>The new LEGO Hogwarts Castle and Grounds is less than half the piece count of its older, bigger brother, but despite being simpler, it also looks more elegant by comparison. And that&#39;s because the new castle is built for display instead of play. The towers are slender and proportional to the surrounding structures, because there&#39;s no diorama on the inside of them. The castle is situated for three-dimensional aesthetic balance, rather than linear accessibility for someone to stage scenes.</p></aside><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><p><p><em>Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn&#39;t hunting for deals for other people at work, he&#39;s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.</em></p></p></p></section></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="720" width="1280" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/hogwartscastleandgrounds-1777316331728.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/hogwartscastleandgrounds-1777316331728.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Eric Song</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games: Release Dates for 2026 and Beyond]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/all-upcoming-nintendo-switch-2-games</link><description><![CDATA[Building up the Switch 2 library. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:43:00 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">f6bc0dbf-a963-4188-91ff-a713c89541b8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/01/23/switch2games-1769208267817.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>We now have our hands on the <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-switch-2-review">Nintendo Switch 2</a>, a new console from one of the biggest names in gaming. Alas, a new console is only as valuable as the library of games you can build on it.</p><p>Thankfully, Nintendo hasn&#39;t been shy about planned releases over the next year, which include a mix of Switch 2 exclusives, third-party releases, and the benefit of backward compatibility with any games still launching on the original Switch. Without further ado, here are all of the new Switch 2 games we can look forward to in 2026. </p><h2>All Upcoming Switch 2 Games With Release Dates</h2><aside><p><em><strong>* indicates a Switch 2 exclusive</strong></em></p></aside><h3><strong>MotoGP 26 (April 29, 2026) </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="motogp-26-official-gameplay-video" data-loop=""></section><p>For folks who want a little more realism in their racing sim than say <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/mario-kart-world-review">Mario Kart World</a> or <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/sonic-racing-crossworlds-review">Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds</a>, MotoGP’s got you covered. This year’s release will support full cross-play for playing with friends and introduces new ‘Rider Based Handling’ physics. </p><h3><strong>Amnesia: Rebirth (April 30, 2026) </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="amnesia-rebirth-launch-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>The 2020 release from the iconic survival horror franchise is making its way to Switch 2 at the end of the month. We had a lot of praise for the game in <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/amnesia-rebirth-review">our original review</a>, describing it as “an excellent balance of problem solving and pure adrenaline.”</p><h3><strong>Mixtape (May 7, 2026) </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="mixtape-official-release-date-trailer-nintendo-indie-world-2026" data-loop=""></section><p>The developers at Beethoven &amp; Dinosaur are releasing a new music-inspired game about three friends enjoying their last night together in the 90’s. We got the chance to <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/mixtape-hands-on-preview-that-old-familiar-song">preview the narrative game</a> about a year ago, saying it’s “a vibes game through-and-through, and Mixtape&#39;s vibes are impeccable.”<strong> </strong></p><h3><strong>Call of the Elder Gods (May 12, 2026) </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="call-of-the-elder-gods-official-release-date-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>A sequel to 2020’s Call of the Sea, which we called “an excellent, poignant adventure” in <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/call-of-the-sea-review">our 9/10 review.</a> Developer Out of the Blue has been marketing the new game as “a Lovecraftian narrative puzzle adventure,” and I think that sounds pretty darn enticing. </p><h3><strong>Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (May 12, 2026)</strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-official-one-year-of-adventure-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>Set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, this MachineGames adventure game places Indy on a quest for the secret of the Great Circle. Travel the world, from the Great Pyramids to sunken temples, infiltrate historic areas, and beat up baddies during your daring escapes. We had a lot of love for this one when it originally launched on consoles and PC, calling it “far and away the best Indy story this century” in <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-review"><u>our 9/10 review</u></a>. </p><p></p><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238096"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238096" data-show-pricing="false" data-highlighted="false"></section><p></p><h3><strong>Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (May 21, 2026)* </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="yoshi-and-the-mysterious-book-official-trailer-nintendo-direct" data-loop=""></section><p>The most recent first-party Nintendo game to get a firm release date, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will be releasing exclusively on the Switch 2 this May. It’s the first Yoshi game since Yoshi’s Crafted World in 2019, and gameplay shown <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/yoshi-and-the-mysterious-book-revealed-as-new-nintendo-switch-2-game-coming-in-spring-2026">during its initial reveal</a> hinted at some familiar mechanics. Before we get our hands on that, however, we’ll be seeing <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/hours-after-announcing-donald-glover-as-yoshi-in-the-super-mario-galaxy-movie-nintendo-has-now-revealed-its-new-yoshi-game-release-date">Yoshi voiced by Donald Glover</a> in the <a href="https://www.ign.com/movies/the-super-mario-galaxy-movie">Super Mario Galaxy movie</a>. </p><p></p></section><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238097"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238097" data-show-pricing="false" data-highlighted="false"></section><p></p><h3><strong>Bubsy 4D (May 22, 2026) </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="bubsy-4d-official-release-date-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>We’re getting our first 3D Bubsy game in almost 30 years. Well, 4D. The platformer introduces some new moves to the usual roster, and will feature a spread of levels across three planets, which you can learn more about in <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/so-does-bubsy-4d-scatch-an-itch-or-choke-on-a-hairball-we-played-it-to-find-out">our preview</a>. The game will also immediately support online leaderboards for speedrunning. </p><h3><strong>Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen (May 28, 2026) </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="blueys-quest-for-the-gold-pen-official-announcement-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>The latest game based on the children’s hit Bluey is making its way to Switch 2 this May. The game originally released on iOS this past December, and is pitched as an adventure game where you help the Heeler family retrieve Bluey’s Gold Pen from inside her drawings. </p><h3><strong>Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (June 3, 2026)</strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="final-fantasy-7-rebirth-official-xbox-and-nintendo-switch-2-release-date-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>The second part of the Final Fantasy VII revamp is <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch-2-and-xbox-this-year">coming to Switch 2 consoles this summer</a>. After escaping the city of Midgar, Cloud and co. must traverse across a massive beautiful world in pursuit of Sephiroth. IGN’s <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-review"><u>9/10 review</u></a> describes the game as “both a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenge and depth, and as an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long.”</p><p>Besides the graphics update, Rebirth introduces a new affinity system with allies and, yes, a ridiculous amount of side quests and <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/every-final-fantasy-7-rebirth-mini-game-ranked"><u>mini-games</u></a>. </p><h3><strong>Denshattack! (June 17, 2026) </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="denshattack-official-release-date-trailer-nintendo-indie-world-2026" data-loop=""></section><p>Instead of trying to explain this one myself, I’m simply going to borrow from my colleague Rebekah Valentine’s interview with the developer: “<a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/denshattack-is-tony-hawk-with-japanese-trains-for-train-lovers-by-train-lovers"><u>Denshattack! Is Tony Hawk With Japanese Trains, for Train-Lovers, by Train-Lovers</u></a>.” Yes, it’s awesome. </p><h3><strong>The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales (June 18, 2026)</strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="the-adventures-of-elliot-the-millennium-tales-official-release-date-trailer-nintendo-direct" data-loop=""></section><p>The Adventures of Elliot is a new HD-2D RPG from <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/the-adventures-of-elliot-the-millennium-tales-is-square-enixs-latest-new-action-rpg-coming-to-switch-2"><u>the creators of Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default</u></a>. While exploring ruins near his hometown, Elliot discovers an artifact that lets him traverse space and time. From there, you must travel across four ages, each with unique citizens and scenery, to try and save your home. </p><h3>Rhythm Heaven Groove (July 2, 2026)</h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="rhythm-heaven-groove-official-trailer-nintendo-direct-2025" data-loop=""></section><p>Rhythm Heaven is getting its first new entry in <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/rhythm-heaven-is-bopping-onto-nintendo-switch-at-long-long-last">over a decade</a>, and of course composer Tsunku has returned for the ride. Like previous iterations, the game will feature a collection of mini-games that ultimately task you with following the rhythm. </p><p></p></section><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238099"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238099" data-show-pricing="false" data-highlighted="false"></section><p></p><h3><strong>Digimon Story: Time Stranger (July 10, 2026) </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="digimon-story-time-stranger-official-nintendo-switch-2-trailer-nintendo-direct-partner-2026" data-loop=""></section><p>The latest Digimon Story game was a highlight for RPG releases in 2025, and it&#39;s getting its own Switch 2 edition this summer. In his <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/digimon-story-time-stranger-review">review of the full game on PC</a>, writer George Yang highlights the storytelling as well as “nuances in type matchups and the tinkering you can do with your party’s evolutions and movesets.” </p><h3>Splatoon Raiders (July 23, 2026)*</h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="splatoon-raiders-official-announcement-and-splatoon-3-update-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>The next Splatoon game officially <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/splatoon-raiders-release-date-confirmed">has a release date</a>. The Switch 2-exclusive release will be single-player focused, letting you customize and control your own Mechanic, while supporting up to four players in co-op. It also looks to have a particularly big map that you progressively unlock throughout the game.</p><p></p></section><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238100"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238100" data-show-pricing="false" data-highlighted="false"></section><p></p><h3><strong>Another Eden Begins (September 17, 2026) </strong></h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="another-eden-begins-official-release-date-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>From Masato Kato, the writer behind Chrono Trigger, comes Another Eden Begins, a completely fresh RPG that takes you on a journey across the past, present, and future. Recruit companions from a roster of 18 characters to help you take down the Beast King and find your sister. This one’s got a whopping 10 endings on the menu, though I’m sure some of those are reserved for New Game+. </p><h3>007 First Light (September 30, 2026) </h3><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="007-first-light-official-announcement-trailer-state-of-play-2025" data-loop=""></section><p>Yet another massive multi-platform release, IO Interactive&#39;s take on James Bond is launching on Switch 2 <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/james-bond-game-007-first-light-delayed-on-nintendo-switch-until-later-this-summer">several months after</a> its <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/007-first-light-heres-what-comes-in-each-edition">initial release on PC, PS5, and Xbox</a> in late May. The game lets you play out Bond&#39;s initial recruitment and rise in the MI6 ranks, featuring <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/007-first-light-officially-casts-its-james-bond-and-its-exactly-who-you-thought-it-was">Patrick Gibson as the titular spy</a> and <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/007-first-light-costar-lenny-kravitz-discusses-his-love-of-james-bond-movies-ahead-of-his-video-game-debut">Lenny Kravitz as the villain Bawma</a>. </p><p></p></section><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238098"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="e96acae7-e4bd-485d-8cfa-c16723e08708" data-id="238098" data-show-pricing="false" data-highlighted="false"></section><p></p><h2>Upcoming Switch 2 Games With Unknown Release Dates</h2><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="the-duskbloods-fromsoftware-exclusive-official-reveal-trailer-nintendo-switch-2-direct" data-loop=""></section><p>There are plenty more Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 games in development that don’t have a solid release date yet. Here are some more games we know are on the way, including the <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/pokmon-gen-10-revealed">highly-anticipated 10th generation of Pokémon</a>:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/orbitals">Orbitals</a> - Summer 2026 </li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/turok-origins">Turok Origins</a> - Fall 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/the-eternal-life-of-goldman">The Eternal Life of Goldman</a> - 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/witchbrook">Witchbrook</a> - 2026</li><li><strong></strong><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/professor-layton-and-the-new-world-of-steam">Professor Layton and the New World of Steam</a> – 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/danganronpa-2x2">Danganronpa 2x2</a> - 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/elden-ring-tarnished-edition">Elden Ring Tarnished Edition</a> - 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/the-duskbloods">The Duskbloods</a>- 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/fire-emblem-fortunes-weave">Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave</a> - 2026 </li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-remastered">The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered</a> - 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/valheim">Valheim</a> - 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/captain-tsubasa-2-world-fighters">Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters</a> - 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/lego-batman-legacy-of-the-dark-knight">LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight</a> - 2026</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/pokemon-winds">Pokémon Winds</a> - 2027</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/pokemon-waves">Pokémon Waves</a> - 2027</li><li><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/haunted-chocolatier">Haunted Chocolatier</a> - TBA</li></ul><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles. </em></p></section></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="1080" width="1980" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/01/23/switch2games-1769208267817.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/01/23/switch2games-1769208267817.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Cristina Alexander</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Amazon's 2026 Gaming Week Sale Is Live: Here Are the Best Deals We've Found So Far]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/amazon-2026-gaming-week-sale</link><description><![CDATA[Amazon's 2026 Gaming Week sale is officially live with massive price cuts on Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox games.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">7139b713-dbc2-45eb-94cb-ec0d9334fd45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/amazon-gaming-week-sale-2026-1777303390193.png"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>Amazon’s annual <a href="https://zdcs.link/aN3elB">Gaming Week sale</a> is live, running from April 27 to May 4, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag this year. There’s no obvious headline-grabber doing the heavy lifting, but dig around enough and you can find a handful of deals that are genuinely worth your time.</p><section data-transform="catalog-carousel" data-catalogid="c897e914-eb93-4d66-a565-b7ac4b616974" data-items="[238039,238029,238035,238026,238027,238028,238036,238037]" data-show-pricing="true" data-highlighted-item="null"></section><p><a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/amazon-gaming-week-square-enix-sale-2026">Square Enix is doing a lot of legwork in the sale</a>, with plenty of big highlights that can be rattled off fairly easily. <a href="https://zdcs.link/9YRg7m">Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined has dropped to just $49.99</a>, alongside <a href="https://zdcs.link/QxeKOp">FF7 Rebirth for $29.99 on PS5</a>, and even Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake for just $29.99. JRPG fans are sure eating well right now.</p><p>Capcom’s <a href="https://zdcs.link/9gX0xq">Resident Evil lineup is the other clear highlight</a>, with several now just $15.99 in the sale. That includes my personal favorite, <a href="https://zdcs.link/9gX0xq">Resident Evil 4</a>, which is probably one of the best remakes the industry has ever produced. I even prefer it over the original, and that&#39;s saying something! </p><p>Resident Evil 2 and 3 are matching that price, and the Gold Edition of Resident Evil 7 is also in the mix.</p><section data-transform="catalog-carousel" data-catalogid="c897e914-eb93-4d66-a565-b7ac4b616974" data-items="[238033,238030,238031,238032,238034,238038]" data-show-pricing="true" data-highlighted-item="null"></section><p>Elsewhere, <a href="https://zdcs.link/922dgy?object_uuid=7139b713-dbc2-45eb-94cb-ec0d9334fd45&t=article">Hitman: World of Assassination at $19.99</a> is arguably the smartest purchase in the entire sale. There’s a huge amount of content, but it’s tightly designed, replayable, and consistently high quality. </p><p>It also doubles as a useful primer for IO Interactive’s approach ahead of <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/007-first-light">007: First Light</a>, which is right around the corner (<a href="https://www.ign.com/upcoming/games">releasing May 27</a>).</p><p>There are a few smaller wins too. <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-switch-eshop-gift-card-amazon-deal">Nintendo eShop gift cards are discounted by 10%</a>, which isn’t exciting, but it’s effectively free money if you’re already planning to buy digitally. </p><section data-transform="poll" data-id="da58e303-6f51-46cf-9763-70ef9623645a"></section><p>And on the hardware side, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-switch-2-super-mario-galaxy-bundle-new-price-hike-avoid">Nintendo is knocking $20 off when you bundle a Switch 2 with Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2</a>, though that sits under a separate promotion ending May 9. I&#39;d still recommend picking this up if you&#39;re yet to bag a Switch 2, as I&#39;m fairly sure it&#39;ll be following the <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-announces-price-rises-for-ps5-ps5-pro-and-playstation-portal-blames-continued-pressures-in-the-global-economic-landscape">PS5 with price hikes</a> at some stage in the near future.</p><p>Overall, if you&#39;re looking to play some incredible RPGs or survival horror games, there’s enough here to make Amazon&#39;s Gaming Week worth a look. If not, maybe you&#39;d be better off waiting until <a href="https://www.ign.com/events/amazon-prime-day">Prime Day</a> this summer.</p><aside><h3>How to Follow IGN Deals Recommendations</h3><p>The IGN Deals team has over 30 years of combined experience finding the <a href="https://www.ign.com/deals">best discounts and preorders</a> available online. If you want the latest updates from our trusted team, here’s how to follow our coverage:</p><ul><li>Sign up for <a href="https://secure.campaigner.com/CSB/Public/Form.aspx?fid=1905567&ac=g71x"><u>our IGN Deals Newsletter</u></a></li><li>Set IGN as a <a href="https://zdcs.link/aoGB0A?object_uuid=7e9a6a78-df5a-457e-886e-2ff1a20ad176&t=article"><u>preferred source in Google</u></a></li><li>Follow us on social media<ul><li><a href="https://x.com/IGNDeals"><u>IGN Finds on X</u></a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/igndeals/?hl=en"><u>IGN Finds on Instagram</u></a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/IGNDeals/"><u>IGN Finds on Facebook</u></a></li><li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ign_deals"><u>IGN Finds on TikTok</u></a></li></ul></li></ul></aside><section data-transform="divider"></section><p>Robert Anderson is IGN&#39;s Senior Commerce Editor and resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/robertliam21.bsky.social">@robertliam21 on Bluesky</a>.</p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="720" width="1280" type="image/png" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/amazon-gaming-week-sale-2026-1777303390193.png"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/amazon-gaming-week-sale-2026-1777303390193.png</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Robert Anderson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mass Effect Andromeda 'Done Dirty' by Publisher EA, Actor Says]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/mass-effect-andromeda-done-dirty-by-publisher-ea-actor-says</link><description><![CDATA[One of the lead actors behind BioWare's Mass Effect Andromeda has spoken out about the game's disappointing critical and commercial response, and placed much of the blame on publisher EA.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:37:13 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">4c120c80-7420-4670-9e35-487c627b86ad</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2016/11/08/screen-shot-2016-11-08-at-93900-amjpg-f9b485.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>One of the lead actors behind BioWare&#39;s <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/mass-effect-andromeda">Mass Effect Andromeda</a> has spoken out about the game&#39;s disappointing critical and commercial response, and placed much of the blame on publisher EA.</p><p>Andromeda launched back in 2017, and had the unenviable job of continuing the Mass Effect franchise following the climactic Mass Effect 3. Gone was Commander Shepard and the beloved Normandy crew, replaced by new customizable hero Ryder and a fresh cast of shipmates. And gone was the saga&#39;s sense of trilogy-closing urgency — reset to a more smaller-scale adventure, designed to place building blocks for later sequels. </p><p>Response to Andromeda was mixed, with sky-high expectations from fans clearly not met. Reviews were also middling — not terrible, but not great — and a far cry from the original Mass Effect trilogy. </p><section data-transform="slideshow" data-slug="every-ign-bioware-game-review" data-value="every-ign-bioware-game-review" data-type="slug" data-caption=""></section><p>Work on the game was led by satellite studio BioWare Montreal, while the company&#39;s Edmonton headquarters focused on its big online shooter hope Anthem, and much has been written about <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/06/08/mass-effect-andromeda-meant-to-do-what-mass-effect-1-promised-but-failed-to-deliver">how this working setup presented challenges</a>. Reports have also detailed how <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/06/08/mass-effect-andromeda-development-included-no-mans-sky-like-procedurally-generated-worlds">BioWare Montreal spent a lengthy period exploring the use of procedurally generated planets</a>, until this idea was scrapped and much of Andromeda&#39;s final content was made during the last two years of its development cycle.</p><p>Ultimately, Mass Effect fans — clamouring for more from the franchise and unaware of much that had gone on behind the scenes — judged the game on how it released: in an unpolished state with numerous bugs that only exacerbated deeper criticism of its core content and story.</p><p>&quot;I think, like many, the game got a bum rap,&quot; Tom Taylorson, the male voice of leading character Ryder, told fansite <a href="https://www.wearemasseffect.com/looking-back-at-mass-effect-andromeda-a-conversation-with-tom-taylorson/">We Are Mass Effect</a>. &quot;It was done dirty by a publisher expecting too much from it, not being fully cooked, forced out the door too early, forced to use corporate&#39;s shiny new engine when many of the team didn&#39;t know how to work with it and it was NOT suited to the storytelling part of the game.&quot;</p><p>Here, Taylorson is referencing Andromeda&#39;s use of EA&#39;s Frostbite game development engine, which the publisher was encouraging all of its studios to utilize at the time. This marked a change from the original trilogy, which was built using the more standard Unreal Engine toolkit, though it&#39;s worth noting that BioWare&#39;s widely-praised Dragon Age: Inquisition was built using Frostbite first. (Frostbite was also used for Anthem and the more recent Dragon Age: The Veilguard, though has been dropped for BioWare&#39;s upcoming <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/mass-effect-next-chapter">Mass Effect 5</a>). </p><p>As for criticism that Mass Effect released too early, it&#39;s a point fans could argue either way. Yes, much of the game&#39;s final content was built late on, and felt rough upon release (something that post-launch patches heavily focused on improving). But the game had been given a five-year development cycle by EA overall, with work beginning back in 2012. Compare that to how long EA afforded other games, and Andromeda&#39;s development was hardly a sprint.</p><p>&quot;On top of that, it was released to a VERY toxic atmosphere online and elsewhere in the gaming space,&quot; Taylorson continued. &quot;It quickly became punching bag of the week for online chuds for views and clicks. Their love of hate sealed the deal. What saddens me is that this would not be the last time I was in a project doomed by online haters picking a game for Punching Bag of The Week: I also worked on Highguard.</p><p>&quot;Over time though, I&#39;ve seen a lot of love for the game and its characters, for what it did well, and appreciation from fans for whom it was their game of the moment. A game that helped them, a game that got them through a tough time. There is something to be said for a 7/10 that comes to you in a time of need.&quot;</p><p>Taylorson said he was &quot;disappointed, obviously&quot; in Andromeda&#39;s reception, and &quot;felt terrible&quot; for the BioWare Montreal staff whose work was panned. Ultimately, however, despite months of post-launch patches to improve the game&#39;s base content, EA decided to put the franchise on ice — <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/08/20/mass-effect-andromeda-no-more-single-player-updates-or-content-planned">ending any hope of single-player DLC or direct sequels to Andromeda</a> that could build on its foundations, just as Mass Effect 2 and 3 had with Mass Effect 1.</p><p>&quot;It hurt most because I knew that was it — Ryder wouldn&#39;t be coming back,&quot; Taylorson said. &quot;I, and others, thought we&#39;d have a good decade of playing with these characters in these spaces. And just like that — gone.&quot;</p><p>While Andromeda never gained a direct sequel, BioWare is now back focusing on its sci-fi franchise with a team of trilogy veterans now building Mass Effect 5. And while the Milky Way is once again its focus, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/mass-effect-n7-day-tease-trailer-andromeda">fans have already spotted teases that elements of Andromeda&#39;s story may return</a>. A decade later, for better and for worse, the game&#39;s legacy has clearly not been forgotten.</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#39;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky </em><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/tomphillipseg.bsky.social">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social</a></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="1079" width="1917" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2016/11/08/screen-shot-2016-11-08-at-93900-amjpg-f9b485.jpg"><media:description type="html">A scene from the Mass Effect: Andromeda cinematic trailer, released on N7 Day 2016.</media:description></media:content><media:thumbnail>https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2016/11/08/screen-shot-2016-11-08-at-93900-amjpg-f9b485.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Tom Phillips</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Global Release Times and Details Confirmed]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-global-release-times-and-details-confirmed</link><description><![CDATA[]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:47:12 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">9fddd8f5-5edc-449a-8093-ffcda2546189</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/warlock-cinematic-05-1777283193763.png"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/diablo-iv-lord-of-hatred"><u>Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred</u></a> — Diablo 4&#39;s second major expansion — is almost here, and it really feels that Blizzard has received the memo on creating an endgame structure that, at the very least, has a much better chance of <a href="https://www.ign.com/videos/diablo-4-lord-of-hatreds-new-endgame-is-all-about-more-freedom-and-less-friction-ign-first">keeping our attention</a>. </p><p>Lord of Hatred was announced back at the 2025&#39;s The Game Awards. It adds the new region of Skovos and ushers in two new classes: the Paladin, which unlocked when the expansion was announced, and the Warlock, which will go live tomorrow (April 28) as we fight to put down Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred himself. </p><p><a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-review"><u>Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred returned an 8/10 in IGN&#39;s review</u></a>. We wrote: &quot;Lord of Hatred gives Diablo 4 an extremely satisfying conclusion, excellent changes to build crafting, and an endgame that could potentially go the distance.&quot;</p><section data-transform="slideshow" data-slug="diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-and-paladin-class-screenshots" data-value="diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-and-paladin-class-screenshots" data-type="slug" data-caption=""></section><p>Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is coming to PC, as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles, on April 27. You can pre-load the expansion right now by grabbing the 3.0.0. Patch (it&#39;s a hefty 90GB, though, so make sure you&#39;ve freed up your harddrive!).</p><p>How do you embody a character as dark as Mephisto, Lord of Hatred? <a href="https://www.ign.com/videos/how-steve-blum-found-the-voice-of-mephisto-diablo-iv-lord-of-hatred"><u>IGN spoke with voice actor Steve Blum about his process</u></a>, what makes the voice of the character unique, and what it&#39;s actually like recording in the voiceover booth.</p><section data-transform="image-with-caption" data-image-url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/image-8-1777283211069.png" data-image-title="null" data-image-class="article-image-full-size" data-image-link="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/image-8-1777283211069.png" data-caption="Diablo%204%3A%20Lord%20of%20Hatred%20launch%20times.%20Image%20credit%3A%20Blizzard%20Entertainment." /></section><h2>Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred global release times:</h2><p>Depending on where you are in the world, Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is set to go live at the following times:</p><h3>Monday, April 27, 2026:</h3><p><strong>PDT (San Francisco):</strong></p><ul><li>4pm</li></ul><p><strong>CST (Mexico City):</strong></p><ul><li>5pm</li></ul><p><strong>CDT (Chicago):</strong></p><ul><li>6pm</li></ul><p><strong>EDT (New York):</strong></p><ul><li>7pm</li></ul><h3>Tuesday, April 28, 2026:</h3><p><strong>BST (London):</strong></p><ul><li>12am midnight </li></ul><p><strong>CEST (Paris):</strong></p><ul><li>1am </li></ul><p><strong>CST (Beijing):</strong></p><ul><li>7am</li></ul><p><strong>JST (Tokyo):</strong></p><ul><li>8am </li></ul><p><strong>AEST (Sydney):</strong></p><ul><li>9am </li></ul><p><strong>NZST (Wellington):</strong></p><ul><li>11am </li></ul><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world&#39;s biggest gaming sites and publications. She&#39;s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at </em><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/vixx.bsky.social"><em>BlueSky</em></a><em>.</em></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="900" width="1607" type="image/png" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/warlock-cinematic-05-1777283193763.png"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/27/warlock-cinematic-05-1777283193763.png</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Vikki Blake</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Epic Games Confirms Fortnite Refunds for D4vd Cosmetics, Plans Further Changes]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/epic-games-confirms-fortnite-refunds-for-d4vd-cosmetics-plans-further-changes</link><description><![CDATA[Epic Games has confirmed it will refund D4vd cosmetics to any Fortnite player who makes a request via player support, with further changes to come.]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 21:14:04 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">de31c843-9790-4eb3-9ed9-5c19b68f4167</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/26/gettyimages-2271757386-1777237682658.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>Epic Games has confirmed it will refund D4vd cosmetics to any <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/fortnite">Fortnite</a> player who makes a request via player support, with further changes to come.</p><p>21-year-old U.S. singer D4vd, real name David Anthony Burke, was charged with the murder of a 14-year-old girl, Celeste Rivas Hernandez. It is alleged that he killed her on or around April 23, 2025, after she threatened to report their relationship. Burke pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14, and mutilating a dead body.</p><p>Fortnite players had for some time called on Epic Games to remove D4vd emotes and jamtracks from the game, with some saying they would rather not own the items. The D4vd items include the Feel It and Trophy Drop emotes, and the What Are You Waiting For and Locked and Loaded Jam Tracks.</p><p>Today, after players reported success in getting a refund from Epic via player support, <a href="https://x.com/FortniteStatus/status/2048408545557668149">a tweet from the Fortnite Status account</a> confirmed the news, and noted that further changes were coming. The statement is published below:</p><blockquote>We hear the concerns. We have a bunch of changes we’re rolling out over time. The first one will be available on Tuesday April 28th, when anyone who purchased one of these items will be able to get an immediate self-service refund. And, right now, players who request refunds for D4vd cosmetics via player support can be refunded.</blockquote><p>Some players are now asking Epic Games to remove the D4vd emotes from their accounts if they obtained one of them without buying it, for example through tournament placements. Epic has yet to say if it will remove D4vd cosmetics entirely from the game, but based on its statement, this could fall under &quot;a bunch of changes we’re rolling out over time.&quot;</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Photo by Ted Soqui - Pool/Getty Images.</em></p><p><em>Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.</em></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="2520" width="4480" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/26/gettyimages-2271757386-1777237682658.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/26/gettyimages-2271757386-1777237682658.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Wesley Yin-Poole</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Alien: Isolation 2 Seemingly Teased in New Video Posted by Sega and Creative Assembly]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/alien-isolation-2-seemingly-teased-in-new-video-posted-by-sega-and-creative-assembly</link><description><![CDATA[Sega and Creative Assembly have revealed what appears to be a teaser trailer for Alien: Isolation 2.]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 14:05:18 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">d49f74d8-4273-4452-b3f8-3a80a2bf61d0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2023/04/25/alien-blog-1682416864943.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>Publisher Sega and developer Creative Assembly have revealed what appears to be a teaser trailer for <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/alien-isolation-sequel">Alien: Isolation 2</a>.</p><p>A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8wJ5nHyKEc">mysterious video</a> titled &quot;A False Sense of Security&quot; was posted by the franchise’s official YouTube account today, April 26, which also happens to be Alien Day. It’s little more than an atmospheric teaser that features a rainy, outdoor location and a familiar emergency phone save station.</p><p>The teaser trailer doesn’t outright confirm that it is for the long-awaited Alien: Isolation 2, but given that Creative Assembly <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/alien-isolation-2-confirmed"><u>announced</u></a> it was working on a follow-up back in late 2024, fans are already expecting an impending announcement. The only text included in the video’s description says, &quot;A feeling of being safer than one really is.&quot;</p><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="alien-isolation-official-sequel-teaser-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>Despite earning a strong fan base in the decade following its release, Creative Assembly and Sega refrained from making an official announcement about a sequel until the 10th anniversary of its launch in 2024. Little information about Alien: Isolation 2 was shared at the time, with the team, which includes original creative director Al Hope, mostly telling players to expect more information &quot;when it’s ready.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Today, I&#39;m delighted to confirm, on behalf of the team, that a sequel to Alien: Isolation is in early development,&quot; Creative Assembly said at the time. &quot;We look forward to sharing more details with you when we&#39;re ready.&quot;</p><section data-transform="slideshow" data-slug="alien-isolation-2-teaser-video-screenshots" data-value="alien-isolation-2-teaser-video-screenshots" data-type="slug" data-caption=""></section><p>Sega has not confirmed platforms or a release date for Alien: Isolation 2 yet. While we wait for Sega and Creative Assembly to shine more light on their Alien Day teaser video, you can see where the original game landed on <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/best-horror-games">our list of the top 25 best horror games of all time</a>. You can also see where it fell on <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/the-top-10-best-licensed-games-based-on-movies">our list of the top 10 licensed games based on movies</a>.</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He&#39;s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).</em></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="1080" width="1920" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2023/04/25/alien-blog-1682416864943.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2023/04/25/alien-blog-1682416864943.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Michael Cripe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Final Fantasy XIV Is Coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in August With a Separate Subscription]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-xiv-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch-2-in-august-with-a-separate-subscription</link><description><![CDATA[Square Enix has announced plans to bring Final Fantasy XIV to Nintendo Switch 2 this August – but there is a catch.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 21:19:28 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">58f81bbb-be83-499c-99a4-c8e7226eb758</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/final-fantasy-14-switch-2-1777063987050.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>Square Enix has announced plans to bring <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/final-fantasy-xiv-online-a-realm-reborn"><u>Final Fantasy XIV</u></a> to Nintendo Switch 2 this August – but there is a catch.</p><p>FFXIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida (a.k.a. Yoshi-P) and Square Enix president and CEO Takashi Kiryu revealed plans to bring the massively popular MMORPG to the Nintendo platform as part of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aCGzxWczCM"><u>Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026</u></a> today. It’s news that marked an end to a long wait, but it also came with the reveal that players on the hybrid gaming platform will need to rethink their subscription plans.</p><p>The presentation continued following the announcement with a graphic confirming that subscriptions for FFXIV on Switch 2 will operate differently than other platforms. While players previously only needed to purchase the game itself and the monthly subscription fee to play on any platform, the Switch 2 version will require players to purchase an additional, separate subscription.</p><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="final-fantasy-14-official-patch-75-trail-to-the-heavens-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>&quot;After discussions with Nintendo, it was decided that the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy XIV would require a separate subscription,&quot; Yoshi-P said via translator. &quot;Again, this was decided after many months of discussions with Nintendo, and I understand that this is different to how we’ve done things before.&quot;</p><p>Thankfully, Yoshi-P said that there were able to make some concessions. A Nintendo Switch Online membership, for example, will not be required to play FFXIV on Switch 2. Additionally, those with active subscriptions on other platforms will receive a 50% discount for a subscription on Switch 2.</p><p>Final Fantasy XIV currently has no specific release date for the Switch 2 version outside of the promise to see its launch arrive in August. It will be playable via early access to try for free for one month before its release. The Nintendo portion of the presentation then came to an end with a live demo of the game running on Switch 2.</p><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="final-fantasy-14-official-evercold-teaser-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>&quot;A week ago, I had this great idea to play the Switch 2 on stage here, and Nintendo kind of freaked out a little,” Yoshi-P added. &quot;They were like, &#39;What?!&#39; But they cooperated and helped us so much to make this happen, so thank you, Nintendo, very much to help us make this happen on-stage today.&quot;</p><p>The base game Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn originally launched in 2013 and, after <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-14s-yoshi-p-says-there-may-be-good-news-in-the-future-about-ff14-on-nintendo-switch-2"><u>only a few teases</u></a> in the years since, it is finally coming to a Nintendo platform. Also revealed at the 2026 Fan Fest keynote, the <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/next-final-fantasy-xiv-expansion-revealed-ffxiv-evercold-coming-january-2027">upcoming expansion, Evercold, is coming in January 2027</a>. and got an announcement trailer which you can see above. A crossover with <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/neon-genesis-evangelion-is-coming-to-final-fantasy-xiv-with-a-crossover-raid-series-called-ghosts-of-desire"><u>Neon Genesis Evangelion is also in the works</u></a>, which will be a 24-player raid series coming after Evercold.</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He&#39;s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).</em></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="1080" width="1920" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/final-fantasy-14-switch-2-1777063987050.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/final-fantasy-14-switch-2-1777063987050.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Michael Cripe</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Neon Genesis Evangelion Is Coming to Final Fantasy XIV With a Crossover Raid Series Called Ghosts of Desire]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/neon-genesis-evangelion-is-coming-to-final-fantasy-xiv-with-a-crossover-raid-series-called-ghosts-of-desire</link><description><![CDATA[Endgame content for the upcoming FFXIV Evercold expansion includes Evangelion-themed raid dungeons in Patch 8.1 and on.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:28:19 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">ee1aa686-17c0-41bd-865a-64e9b4f588f1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/bafkreie2fjy7edrkohreotjusju557uappztluoss2rdaifv6q7x7lxwua-1777056935325.webp"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>As part of the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest keynote presentation, director and producer Naoki Yoshida revealed that the upcoming 24-player raid series will be a crossover with the iconic anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. It&#39;s called Ghosts of Desire and is part of the post-game content for <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/next-final-fantasy-xiv-expansion-revealed-ffxiv-evercold-coming-january-2027">the next expansion FFXIV Evercold</a>, which launches in January 2027. You can see the FFXIV x Evangelion teaser below.</p><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="final-fantasy-14-x-evangelion-official-ghosts-of-desire-collaboration-teaser-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>This crossover isn&#39;t as unlikely as you may think. The creative mind behind NieR Automata, Yoko Taro, worked with the FFXIV team for the Shadowbringers raid series that brought NieR-themed content to the MMORPG. But he&#39;s also doing the composition and screenplay for the <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/neon-genesis-evangelion-gets-brand-new-anime-penned-by-nier-automatas-yoko-taro">new Evangelion anime series</a> alongside Studio Khara (which is headed by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno).</p><p>If you&#39;re not familiar, 24-player raids (called Alliance Raids) are endgame content for FFXIV and roll out through updates between expansions. If this collab follows the same cadence as previous patches, Ghosts of Desire would come in three parts with its own story arc through Patch 8.1, 8.3, and 8.5. It&#39;ll contain boss fights and dungeons themed around Evangelion, and will somehow exist in lore with FFXIV.</p><p>Fore more on what&#39;s coming to the critically acclaimed MMORPG, check out my roundup of announcements from Fan Fest including <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/next-final-fantasy-xiv-expansion-revealed-ffxiv-evercold-coming-january-2027">the reveal of FFXIV Evercold</a>.</p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="1080" width="1920" type="text/plain" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/bafkreie2fjy7edrkohreotjusju557uappztluoss2rdaifv6q7x7lxwua-1777056935325.webp"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/bafkreie2fjy7edrkohreotjusju557uappztluoss2rdaifv6q7x7lxwua-1777056935325.webp</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Michael Higham</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[10 Video Game Cookbooks That Bring Your Favorite In-Game Recipes to Life]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/best-gaming-cookbooks</link><description><![CDATA[These are IGN's top picks for the best gaming cookbooks in 2026. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:23:00 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">8650e0ef-6538-4083-ba45-fa84c2eecf63</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2025/04/30/videogamecookbooks-1746049932310.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>Video games and cooking go together more than you might think. Tons of <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/best-rpgs">RPGs</a> and simulation games have some form of cooking mechanic or, at the very least, delicious-looking food. From the cozy familiarity of meals from Stardew Valley to fantastical feasts in The Witcher, I can personally say I&#39;ve encountered tons of animated food I wish was real. Well, turns out it can be. </p><p>Gaming cookbooks offer an opportunity to learn unique recipes while immersing yourself in the lore of a world you love. Getting the materials you need might not be as fun as in-game adventuring or farming, but the end result is more than worth it. Whether you&#39;re passionate about a specific game, are looking for <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/best-gifts-for-gamers-2025">gift ideas for the gamer</a> in your life, or just love some themed recipes, here&#39;s our list of the best gaming cookbooks in 2026.</p><h2>Our Favorite Gaming Cookbooks </h2><section data-transform="catalog-carousel" data-catalogid="a88aae3d-ede0-4fa4-bdfc-1cf973d04f49" data-items="[219886,219887,219888,219889,219890,219891,219892,219893,219894,219895]" data-show-pricing="false" data-highlighted-item="null"></section><p></p><p>One of our top picks for gaming cookbooks is the <a href="https://ign.com/articles/the-official-stardew-valley-cookbook-sale-amazon-may-2025">Official Stardew Valley cookbook</a>, which features 50 recipes written in the voice of various characters as well as some adorable art. The recipes are naturally based on the <a href="https://www.ign.com/wikis/stardew-valley/Cooking_Recipes">meals you can make in-game</a>, including Pink Cake, Strange Buns, and even a full Autumn&#39;s Bounty to help you power through the mines.</p><section data-transform="slideshow" data-slug="stardew-valley-cookbook-preview" data-value="stardew-valley-cookbook-preview" data-type="slug" data-caption=""></section><p>A great gift to inspire young chefs (especially those who particularly enjoyed <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/how-to-watch-a-minecraft-movie">A Minecraft Movie</a>), the Minecraft cookbook includes 40+ recipes inspired by the game&#39;s various mobs and biomes. The same goes for The Pokémon Cookbook, which focuses more on cute snacks and quick meals. </p><p>Outside of crafting-based games, themed cookbooks are also a great way to immerse yourself in fantasy worlds. The official Witcher cookbook takes inspiration from the games as well as <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/the-witcher-books-reading-order">The Witcher books</a>, with 80 recipes covering everything from a refreshing drink to an exquisite banquet. The Elder Scrolls cookbook hones in on the world of Skyrim (as opposed to the rest of the <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-games-in-order">Elder Scrolls games</a>) while the Fallout cookbook is great for anyone who&#39;s particularly curious about the taste of Nuka-Cola ahead of <a href="https://www.ign.com/wikis/fallout-tv-series/Season_2_Episodes">Fallout season 2 episodes</a>.</p><section data-transform="slideshow" data-slug="the-elder-scrolls-the-official-cookbook" data-value="the-elder-scrolls-the-official-cookbook" data-type="slug" data-caption=""></section><p>On the tabletop side of gaming, the Heroes&#39; Feast Dungeons &amp; Dragons cookbook is the crème de la crème for anyone trying to impress their party. Across the board, these cookbooks feature great recipes as well as interesting new bits of lore and art for dedicated fans. </p><h2>New Video Game Cookbooks for 2026</h2><p>The trend of gaming cookbooks isn&#39;t going anywhere anytime soon. More recent releases have been inspired by MMOs like <a href="https://zdcs.link/9lXKmr">Genshin Impact</a> as well as the <a href="https://zdcs.link/QrXRB8">Persona games</a>. One particularly exciting upcoming cookbook is <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/a-feast-for-a-tenday-official-baldurs-gate-3-cookbook-where-to-buy">A Feast for a Tenday: The Official Baldur’s Gate 3 Cookbook</a>, which is seemingly themed as a &#39;walkthrough&#39; of the award-winning RPG&#39;s story. </p><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="0d524ad0-2e83-4c1e-a4ea-09ab05405291" data-id="238002"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="0d524ad0-2e83-4c1e-a4ea-09ab05405291" data-id="238002" data-show-pricing="true" data-highlighted="false"></section><p></p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles. </em></p></section></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="1080" width="1980" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2025/04/30/videogamecookbooks-1746049932310.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2025/04/30/videogamecookbooks-1746049932310.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Hannah Hoolihan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Next Final Fantasy XIV Expansion Revealed, FFXIV Evercold Coming January 2027]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/next-final-fantasy-xiv-expansion-revealed-ffxiv-evercold-coming-january-2027</link><description><![CDATA[FFXIV Evercold marks the arrival of Patch 8.0 and the start of The Godless Realms Saga.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:12:44 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">b690377d-853d-424f-a4c8-8d19141a9089</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/hgr6ccnxcaa23bz-1777050730001.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>The next expansion for the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV has been revealed; it&#39;s called FFXIV Evercold and it&#39;s coming January 2027.</p><p>The teaser trailer dropped during the FFIXV Fan Fest keynote and showed the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn crossing into a new realm that appears to be freezing over. If you&#39;ve been keeping up with the FFXIV Dawntrail 7.x patch series, you&#39;ll recognize the new character Halmarut and her role in bringing the characters of FFXIV between worlds. This marks the beginning of a new story arc for the MMORPG that&#39;s being called &quot;The Godless Realms Saga.&quot;</p><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="final-fantasy-14-official-evercold-teaser-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>For FFXIV players, what you need to know is that we&#39;re going to the Fourth, a new reflection separate from anywhere we&#39;ve been so far. It&#39;s a realm that&#39;s on the verge of freezing over, reminiscent of how The First was taken over by light in Shadowbringers.</p><p>With FFXIV Patch 7.5 going live on April 28, its story content will act as the bridge that leads into what&#39;s happening in Evercold (catch up on <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-xiv-patch-75-live-letter-summary-trailer-breakdown-new-dungeon-next-alliance-raid-kefka-ultimate-and-more">everything coming to FFXIV 7.5</a>).</p><p>The keynote continued with showcasing the concept art and environmental design for the new zones in FFXIV Evercold. This includes imposing architecture and a wide range of biomes, which you can see below.</p><section data-transform="slideshow" data-slug="final-fantasy-xiv-evercold-screenshots" data-value="final-fantasy-xiv-evercold-screenshots" data-type="slug" data-caption=""></section><p>Along with Evercold and FFXIV 8.0, Square Enix is making fundamental changes to how the core game works and how it&#39;s focusing on &quot;fighting off fatigue.&quot; It&#39;s also looking to modernize itself and teased a new UI; they showed an early mock-up that is subject to change (and it&#39;s very reminiscent of Final Fantasy XVI, which the FFXIV team worked on).</p><a href="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/bafkreigadwkhezi4zvnodmu66tz52nyxkpomofl6ch4a6j5girkwykpd5m-1777052850923.webp"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/bafkreigadwkhezi4zvnodmu66tz52nyxkpomofl6ch4a6j5girkwykpd5m-1777052850923.webp" class="article-image-full-size" title="undefined"/></a><p>Of course, there will be MSQ dungeons (teased in the artwork above), a new eight-player raid, a new Ultimate, and two new Jobs. While the FFXIV team wasn&#39;t ready to show off the new Jobs, Yoshida confirmed that one will be a Tank and the other a Ranged DPS. FFXIV is getting some fundamental changes to how gear, endgame content, and cosmetics work as well and they&#39;ll coincide with Evercold&#39;s launch.</p><p>Perhaps the most surprising reveal, which got a major pop-off from the crowd here at Fan Fest, was the <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/neon-genesis-evangelion-is-coming-to-final-fantasy-xiv-with-a-crossover-raid-series-called-ghosts-of-desire">FFXIV x Neon Genesis Evangelion collaboration</a>. It&#39;s the next 24-player Alliance Raid series, called Ghosts of Desire, and will roll out through Evercold&#39;s post-launch patches.</p><p>Square Enix also announced that <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/final-fantasy-xiv-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch-2-in-august-with-a-separate-subscription">FFXIV is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in August</a> this year, and Yoshida gave a live demo of it running on the system. While you won&#39;t need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, it does require a separate FFXIV subscription to play. Those who already sub to FFXIV on other players will get a 50% discount on their exisiting sub.</p><p>I&#39;ll be breaking down the details on how the core of FFXIV is changing with Patch 8.0 in January, and how the new alternate &quot;Evolved Mode&quot; combat system for exisitng Jobs will work. Stay tuned!</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Michael Higham is an editor at IGN who regularly contributes with reviews, previews, features, and news in written and video form. He&#39;s usually entrusted with covering long RPGs and tech products, but he&#39;s got range when it comes to games. You&#39;ll also catch him at events and hosting video content, including </em><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL99PCYdTX-vcBZW5aQAHlTHZr08eO4Vnj&si=pKiQPXYM7V9j1CXJ"><em>IGN&#39;s weekly podcast Unlocked</em></a><em>.</em></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="1080" width="1920" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/hgr6ccnxcaa23bz-1777050730001.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/hgr6ccnxcaa23bz-1777050730001.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Michael Higham</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sega Universe Initiative Highlights OutRun, Streets of Rage, and More]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/sega-universe-initiative-highlights-outrun-streets-of-rage-and-more</link><description><![CDATA[Sega is dragging its older games and franchises back into the spotlight again with its new initiative, Sega Universe.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:42:24 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">2027b77b-325f-466f-a35a-ad1f14fb628b</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/sega-1777023681576.png"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/producer/sega"><u>Sega</u></a> is dragging its older games and franchises back into the spotlight again with its new initiative, <a href="https://segauniverse.sega.jp/en/"><u>Sega Universe</u></a>.</p><p>Tagged &quot;No Old, Stay Gold,&quot; the program revolves around games and characters &quot;born in the past, transcending generations and borders&quot; that continue to live on, even beyond games, Sega said.</p><p>&quot;Everything created here remains in someone&#39;s memory and is passed on to the next generation,&quot; the company said, before presenting us with a nostalgic YouTube video then takes us through misspent youths spent with <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/outrun"><u>OutRun</u></a>, <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/sonic-the-hedgehog-1991"><u>Sonic the Hedgehog</u></a>, <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/rent-a-hero"><u>Rent a Hero</u></a>, and more, before cutting to the familiar &quot;Say–GAH!&quot; sound sting.</p><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="game-scoop-375-what-are-the-best-sega-games" data-loop=""></section><p>The site lists nine of its most iconic back catalog franchises: <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/fantasy-zone"><u>Fantasy Zone</u></a>, OutRun, <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/streets-of-rage"><u>Streets of Rage</u></a>, Rent a Hero, <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/guardian-heroes"><u>Guardian Heroes</u></a>, <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/nights-into-dreams-saturn"><u>Nights Into Dreams</u></a>, <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/dynamite-deka"><u>Dynamite Deka</u></a>, <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/shin-sakura-wars"><u>Sakura Wars</u></a>, and SGGG. Follow the on-screen prompts, and you&#39;ll unlock cut-scenes from them, complete with an in-game track of your choosing. You&#39;ll also find a series of neat summaries introducing the history of these game titles and characters as they celebrate anniversaries. Sega has even prepared playlists of tunes to get you in the mood.</p><p>It&#39;s a truly joyful trip through games gone by. <a href="https://segauniverse.sega.jp/en/"><u>Head on over to the official website</u></a> to experience it for yourself. There&#39;s no suggestion yet on what Sega plans to do for each of the games it&#39;s listed, if anything. Could we see re-releases?</p><p>Sonic’s official 35th anniversary doesn’t land until June, but Sega is already treating <a href="https://www.ign.com/videos/sonic-the-hedgehog-official-35th-anniversary-trailer"><u>2026 like one long victory lap for the blue blur</u></a>. That means early deals, and plenty of them, with Amazon kicking things off with a genuinely massive sale across <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/sonic-the-hedgehog-1991"><u>Sonic the Hedgehog</u></a> games, 4K Blu-rays, and comics <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/sonic-the-hedgehog-new-amazon-sale-april-2026"><u>earlier this month</u></a>.</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world&#39;s biggest gaming sites and publications. She&#39;s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at </em><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/vixx.bsky.social"><em>BlueSky</em></a><em>.</em></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="645" width="1150" type="image/png" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/sega-1777023681576.png"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/24/sega-1777023681576.png</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Vikki Blake</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[IGN Live 2026 Lineup to Include Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, The Legend of Vox Machina, and More]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/ign-live-2026-lineup-updates</link><description><![CDATA[More partners revealed for the epic fan event, June 6-7 in LA and streaming globally. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">a1188074-2f91-453c-8cb7-e838a7f3da92</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/22/xyt9ser8md74gu-zzcy3suor9r0kekny7yxpwiam6mu-1776891151819.jpeg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>IGN&#39;s multi-day in-person fan event is set to showcase the biggest names in games and entertainment. The all ages event will take place June 6th and 7th at the Magic Box in downtown LA and streams globally across IGN platforms. <a href="https://ign.com/live"><u>Tickets are on sale now. </u></a></p><p></p><p>In the lead-up to the show, we’ll be revealing all of the cool guests, games, shows, movies, and merch that will be on hand to celebrate.</p><p></p><p>Bookmark this page and keep checking back between now and June for a complete list of everything that’s at store for IGN Live. </p><p></p><h2>Games, Movies, Shows, and Celebrities Coming to IGN Live (Updating)</h2><p></p><ul><li><strong>Newly-Announced Partners</strong><ul><li>Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced from Ubisoft</li><li>The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 from Critical Role, Titmouse, and Prime Video</li><li>PowerWash Simulator 2 from from FuturLab</li><li>Cape Fear from Apple TV</li><li>Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity from Fathom and Viz Media </li><li>The Terror: Devil in Silver from AMC+ and Shudder</li><li>Sung Kang will be on hand to talk about his new movie Drifter</li><li>Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh from Hulu’s Deli Boys will stop by to talk about the show. </li><li>ID@Xbox will be on hand with multiple playable games.</li><li>2K</li></ul></li></ul><p></p><ul><li><strong>Previously Announced Partners</strong><ul><li>Roger Craig Smith (Sonic the Hedgehog, Batman, and more) and Patricia Summersett (Princess Zelda, Zyssyk from Star Wars Outlaws, and others)</li><li>Gothic Remake from THQ Nordic</li></ul></li></ul><section data-transform="slideshow" data-slug="ign-live-2026-lineup" data-value="ign-live-2026-lineup" data-type="slug" data-caption=""></section><p>IGN Live is a celebration of everything fans love in games, movies, TV, comics, collectibles, and more. The show will feature thousands of giveaways, exclusive trailers, live celebrity interviews, playable games, and more.</p><p></p><p>IGN Live <a href="https://www.ign.com/live/"><u>2025</u></a> featured tons of cool reveals, including the cast of <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/clair-obscur-expedition-33-cast-premieres-the-first-10-minutes-of-the-games-documentary-at-ign-live-2025"><u>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 </u></a> premiering the first 10 minutes of their documentary, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/the-last-of-us-creative-team-on-how-they-crafted-season-2s-most-crucial-episodes-ign-live-2025"><u>The Last of Us creative team</u></a> discussing how they crafted Season 2’s most crucial episodes, Ewan McGregor talking about <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/ewan-mcgregor-the-long-way-home-interview"><u>how the Long Way Docuseries</u></a> literally changed his life, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/invincible-vs-creators-on-killer-instinct-influences-authenticity-why-its-a-3v3-tag-fighter-and-more-ign-live-2025"><u>Invincible VS creators</u></a> on the inspirations behind the game and <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/the-biggest-reveals-from-ign-live-2025"><u>so much more</u></a>.</p><p></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="720" width="1280" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/22/xyt9ser8md74gu-zzcy3suor9r0kekny7yxpwiam6mu-1776891151819.jpeg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/22/xyt9ser8md74gu-zzcy3suor9r0kekny7yxpwiam6mu-1776891151819.jpeg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Michael Peyton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced Has Major Changes]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-has-major-changes</link><description><![CDATA[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced will feature major changes, including the addition of new story quests and characters, but the removal of several key features. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:15:00 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">6fecfe57-0be9-401a-88a6-44b7f1bee9bf</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/20/acbfr-showcase-edwardreveal-static-9x16-200426-6pm-uk-1776701674608.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p><a href="https://www.ign.com/games/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced">Assassin&#39;s Creed: Black Flag Resynced</a>, Ubisoft&#39;s long-awaited pirate game remake, will feature major changes when it launches on July 9 — with the addition of new story quests and characters, but the removal of several key features. </p><p>In a detailed presentation on the game attended by IGN, Ubisoft explained that it had decided to focus solely on the single-player story of Black Flag&#39;s pirate-turned-Assassin Edward Kenway, meaning that the game&#39;s Freedom Cry DLC has not been integrated, its original multiplayer mode has been ditched, and its previous playable modern day sections have been excised. </p><p>Some small modern day story offering will still be included, it sounded like, though the exact details of this are unclear. One things for sure, though, you won&#39;t be wandering around the offices of Abstergo Entertainment as you once did — something that leaves unanswered implications for the game&#39;s bloodline-related story.</p><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-official-world-premiere-trailer" data-loop=""></section><p>&quot;With Resynced, we made a clear choice,&quot; Resynced creative director Paul Fu said. &quot;It is a pure, story-driven adventure, and we are fully focused on Edward&#39;s adventures in the Caribbean. As a result of this focus, we have elected to not have the multiplayer, or the DLC. Resynced is a 2026 take on the original legend, and for those of us who are curious, the original will still be available.&quot;</p><section data-transform="quoteBox">&quot;For those of us who are curious, the original will still be available.&quot;</section><p>Black Flag&#39;s previous modern day let you wander around the offices of Abstergo Entertainment, which looked suspiciously like the offices of the game&#39;s real-world developer Ubisoft Montreal. Gameplay here was limited, but players were able to access computers and gather lore, as a parallel story unfolded that focused on franchise baddie Juno and her husband. To be fair, it would be more difficult now, more than a decade later, to put all of this into context — but it remains to be seen how Black Flag&#39;s full story is told without its inclusion, and <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/stop-removing-the-modern-day-assassins-creed-fans-react-as-black-flag-remake-reportedly-cuts-everything-outside-the-animus">fans have previously expressed disappointment after word leaked regarding the change</a>. </p><p>&quot;Back then in 2013, the present day reflected where the franchise was at,&quot; said Assassin&#39;s Creed franchise veteran Jean Guesdon, creative director of the original Black Flag and now Head of Content for the overall series. &quot;It was a transition moment especially with Desmond&#39;s story and what it meant at the time. But now with Resynced, I think there were some changes needed.&quot; </p><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="6b8c36df-d736-4396-96a3-f0858b48c6cd" data-id="237948"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="6b8c36df-d736-4396-96a3-f0858b48c6cd" data-id="237948" data-show-pricing="true" data-highlighted="false"></section><p>&quot;Today, the modern day has evolved,&quot; Fu agreed. &quot;For Resynced, we have approached it in a way that focuses on Edward&#39;s journey, while still connecting his memories to the Animus. The modern day rifts in Resynced will feature new moments that focus on Edward&#39;s internal struggles.&quot;</p><p>While some content has been removed, Ubisoft is keen to emphasize the new additions it has been working on, including three new crewmates for Edward to befriend and install on his beloved Jackdaw. These fresh additions are original characters (introduced as Lucy Baldwin, &quot;The Padre&quot;, and &quot;Dead Man Smith&quot;) and each come with their own individual story quests to follow. </p><section data-transform="slideshow" data-slug="assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-screenshots" data-value="assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-screenshots" data-type="slug" data-caption=""></section><p>Additional scenes have been recorded with Edward himself (once again played by returning actor Matt Ryan), with other new story moments for two of the original game&#39;s best characters, Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet. (No mention was made of more for Mary Read, though, alas.) In particular, Ubisoft called out a fresh scene featuring Edward and his wife Caroline, and stated that this had been penned by Darby McDevitt, the prolific Assassin&#39;s Creed scribe who wrote the original Black Flag (and also Revelations, Valhalla and the upcoming Hexe, among others).</p><p>Alongside additions to the game&#39;s story, Ubisoft has of course been tinkering with its gameplay mechanics. Combat has been rebuilt to resemble the parry-focused system seen in more recent entries, though without the addition of fancy special attacks that would have seemed out of place. Rather than a desire to make the game&#39;s systems play exactly like the series&#39; recent RPGs, the developer is keen to impress that the original Black Flag still lies underneath.</p><p>&quot;Assassin&#39;s Creed: Black Flag Resynced matters deeply to us, and to you,&quot; said game director Richard Knight. &quot;That&#39;s why we took the time to rebuild it with the care it deserves. This remains a solo adventure and character-driven experience. It is not an RPG. The focus stays on how you play, and how you explore the world.&quot;</p><p>Familiar parkour options are also now available, including free jumps, side ejects and back ejects. You can toggle crouch, too, all of which should feel familiar to Shadows players. The original game&#39;s fiddly eavesdrop missions will no longer auto-fail if you get detected, and there&#39;s fresh alternate fire upgrades for the Jackdaw&#39;s cannons.</p><p>Speaking of the Jackdaw, Resynced&#39;s three additional crew members will add their own all-new upgrades. You can also now add a pet (either a cat or monkey) who&#39;ll hang out with you next to the ship&#39;s wheel. And — perhaps most importantly — sea shanties are also back, with more added.</p><p>While the game doesn&#39;t look quite as detailed as current-gen console entry Shadows, it&#39;s not far off. Particularly impressive are the towering waves seen while at sea, and the addition of the franchise&#39;s recent dynamic weather system, allowing for clear blue skies to suddenly turn into stormy waters. </p><p>Much remains to be seen of how well these new additions will be integrated into Black Flag&#39;s original content, and how the game&#39;s existing missions may have been tweaked, too. <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/ah-s-here-we-go-again-ubisoft-finally-acknowledges-assassins-creed-black-flag-remake-leak-responds-with-gta-meme">After years of leaks</a>, though, we now at least have a better idea what to expect — and that July 9 release date on the horizon, which is now just three months&#39; away. Earlier today, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-has-a-200-collectors-edition">details of the game&#39;s $200 Collector&#39;s Edition</a> also arrived — including <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/looks-like-an-assassins-creed-black-flag-remake-statue-just-leaked-via-vinted">the same Edward Kenway statue that popped up on Vinted</a> earlier this year.</p><p></p></section><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="6b8c36df-d736-4396-96a3-f0858b48c6cd" data-id="237949"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="6b8c36df-d736-4396-96a3-f0858b48c6cd" data-id="237949" data-show-pricing="true" data-highlighted="false"></section><p></p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#39;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky </em><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/tomphillipseg.bsky.social">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social</a></p></section></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="608" width="1080" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/20/acbfr-showcase-edwardreveal-static-9x16-200426-6pm-uk-1776701674608.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/20/acbfr-showcase-edwardreveal-static-9x16-200426-6pm-uk-1776701674608.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Tom Phillips</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Has a $200 Collector's Edition]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-has-a-200-collectors-edition</link><description><![CDATA[Ubisoft's pricing for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has leaked ahead of the game's official unveiling — and the game will also arrive with a $200 special edition.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:53:08 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">ae79c985-fcbc-4027-80a9-91fce5192a3b</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/02/12/ac-black-flag-art-book-preorder-ign-1770892625282.png"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>Ubisoft&#39;s pricing for <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced">Assassin&#39;s Creed Black Flag Resynced</a> has leaked ahead of the game&#39;s official unveiling — and the game will also arrive with a $200 special edition.</p><p>According to the ever-reliable <a href="https://x.com/billbil_kun/status/2047220344046363036">billbil-kun</a> from Dealabs, Black Flag Resynced will launch on July 9 <a href="https://zdcs.link/zJ84ye">priced at $59.99</a> (that&#39;s £49.99 or €59.99) for a standard physical copy, or via a <a href="https://zdcs.link/zE8wq2">$199.99 Collector&#39;s Edition</a> (that&#39;s £174.99 or €199.99).</p><p>The <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-where-to-buy">Collector&#39;s Edition contents</a> are headlined by a large statue of Edward sitting on top of a treasure chest, appropriately holding a big black flag. Eagle-eyed readers will remember that <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/looks-like-an-assassins-creed-black-flag-remake-statue-just-leaked-via-vinted">this is the same Black Flag statue that inexplicably popped up on clothing retail app Vinted earlier this year</a>. Truly, every single thing about this project seems to have leaked.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 PRICING REVEAL 🚨<br><br>Everyone saw the content of Assassin&#39;s Creed Black Flag Resynced Collector&#39;s Edition, but here is the full pricing for physical copies:<br><br>Launch Edition: $59.99 / 59,99€ / 49.99£<br>Collector&#39;s Edition: $199.99 / 199,99€ / 174.99£<br><br>Release Date : 9 July 2026 <a href="https://t.co/l0xO09lRBx">pic.twitter.com/l0xO09lRBx</a></p>&mdash; billbil-kun (@billbil_kun) <a href="https://twitter.com/billbil_kun/status/2047220344046363036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2026</a></blockquote> <p>Other bits in the Collector&#39;s Edition appear to include a map, notebook, and Steelbook case. In-game itsems are also included, such as a couple of costumes for Edward, customization options for the Jackdaw, and a ship&#39;s cat pet. </p><p>Ubisoft is set to make Assassin&#39;s Creed Black Flag Resynced official later today, something which will finally put an end to a year of non-stop leaks. <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-reveal-time-and-date-confirmed">The Assassin&#39;s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Worldwide Reveal Showcase</a> will be available to watch this Thursday, April 23 at 9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern / 5pm UK time, and you&#39;ll be able to <a href="https://www.ign.com/videos/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-showcase-2026">tune in right here on IGN</a> to find out exactly what Ubisoft has in store.</p><p>Previous reports have suggested that Black Flag Resynced will be a substantial remake of the series&#39; beloved piratical entry, with visual and gameplay upgrades that see the game closer in quality to last year&#39;s Assassin&#39;s Creed Shadows. New story content will reportedly be added to flesh out more of hero Edward Kenway&#39;s life, though the game&#39;s modern day gameplay sections have apparently been excised — <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/stop-removing-the-modern-day-assassins-creed-fans-react-as-black-flag-remake-reportedly-cuts-everything-outside-the-animus">something that many fans aren&#39;t happy about</a>.</p><p></p><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="6b8c36df-d736-4396-96a3-f0858b48c6cd" data-id="237948"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="6b8c36df-d736-4396-96a3-f0858b48c6cd" data-id="237948" data-show-pricing="true" data-highlighted="false"></section><p></p></section><section data-transform="catalog-item-wrapper" data-catalogid="6b8c36df-d736-4396-96a3-f0858b48c6cd" data-id="237949"><section data-transform="catalog-item" data-catalogid="6b8c36df-d736-4396-96a3-f0858b48c6cd" data-id="237949" data-show-pricing="true" data-highlighted="false"></section><p></p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#39;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky </em><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/tomphillipseg.bsky.social">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social</a></p></section></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="720" width="1280" type="image/png" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/02/12/ac-black-flag-art-book-preorder-ign-1770892625282.png"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/02/12/ac-black-flag-art-book-preorder-ign-1770892625282.png</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Tom Phillips</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Australian Government Demands to Know What Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and Steam are Doing to Prevent Grooming, Radicalisation]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/australian-government-demands-to-know-what-roblox-minecraft-fortnite-and-steam-are-doing-to-prevent-grooming-radicalisation</link><description><![CDATA[Mandatory responses required.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 06:12:59 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">48743403-90c4-456e-ab6b-4554a9793881</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/23/roblox-minecraft-fortnite-1776923242383.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>The Australian Government’s eSafety office has formally asked Roblox, Microsoft, Epic, and Valve to specifically outline how their systems are preventing child grooming and the spread of extremism. The eSafety office is an independent agency that was initially established in 2015 to combat youth cyberbullying and the online distribution of child sexual abuse material, but its role has since expanded to cover protections for all Australians from a spectrum of online risks.</p><p><a href="https://www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/esafety-asks-gaming-giants-what-they-are-doing-to-prevent-grooming-and-radicalisation">As per eSafety’s announcement</a>, legally enforceable transparency notices have been issued to the aforementioned companies in the wake of its continuing concerns about platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and Steam itself “being used by sexual predators to groom children and by extremist groups to spread violent propaganda and radicalise young people.”</p><p>“What we often see after these offenders make contact with children in online game environments, they then move children to private messaging services,” said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant in a published statement. “Gaming platforms are amongst the online spaces most heavily used by Australian children, functioning not only as places to play, but also as places to socialise and communicate. Our own research into children and gaming showed around 9 in 10 children aged 8 to 17 in Australia had played online games.”</p><p>Inman Grant went on to point out that predatory adults are well aware of this, and “target children through grooming or embedding terrorist and violent extremist narratives in gameplay.”</p><p>Inman Grant subsequently made reference to “numerous media reports about grooming taking place on all four of these platforms as well as terrorist and violent extremist-themed gameplay.”</p><p>Examples included “Islamic State-inspired games and recreations of mass shootings on Roblox, as well as far right groups recreating fascist imagery in Minecraft,” plus Fortnite games based upon World War II concentration camps and events like the US Capitol Building riot of January 6, 2021. Inman Grant added that “Steam is reportedly a hub for a number of extreme-right communities.” No specific examples were noted, though Valve has been <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/us-senator-writes-to-valve-boss-gabe-newell-demanding-crackdown-on-hateful-accounts-and-rhetoric-on-steam"><u>previously scrutinized over being home to “tens of thousands of groups”</u></a> that amplify Nazi and other hate-based content.</p><p>“These online game and gaming-adjacent platforms are used by millions of children and so it is imperative that they take every possible step to protect them and continue to improve safeguards,” said Inman Grant.</p><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="we-live-in-a-brave-new-world-what-teens-want-astrid-entertainment-roblox-dice-2025-summit" data-loop=""></section><p>The eSafety office notes that compliance with a transparency reporting notice is mandatory, and penalties of up to AUD$825,000 a day can be issued to companies for failure to respond.</p><p>In a response provided to IGN, Roblox has outlined a selection of measures it currently employs.</p><p>“We welcome engagement with eSafety on this important topic,” said a company spokesperson in the statement. &quot;Roblox has policies that strictly prohibit content or behaviour that incites, condones, supports, glorifies, or promotes any terrorist or extremist organisation or individual, which we work tirelessly to enforce. We swiftly remove such content and take immediate account level action when we find it. We also use advanced AI technology to review all images, text, and avatar items prior to publishing, in order to prevent known extremist iconography from being published. We encourage anyone who sees anything concerning on Roblox to report it to us. Our team works regularly with law enforcement, civil society groups, and other organisations with specific subject matter expertise in countering those who would seek to promote violent extremism. </p><p>“Last week, we announced that Roblox will soon introduce new age-based accounts for children under the age of 16. These accounts will more closely align content access, communication settings, and parental controls with a user’s age. While no system is perfect, our commitment to safety never ends, and we will continue to collaborate closely with eSafety on our shared goal of keeping Australian children safe.” </p><p>Fortnite developer Epic Games also provided its own statement on the matter to IGN:</p><p>&quot;The islands mentioned in the story violated our rules and we took action against them in 2024,&quot; said Cat McCormack, Senior Communications Manager, Epic Games. &quot;Epic’s text chat filters remove mature language including hate speech, and our systems automatically report potentially high-harm interactions in text chat with players under 18 so we can take action. Fortnite has built-in protections for younger players including high-privacy default settings for players under 18 and voice and text chat are off for players under 16 until a parent consents. Using Epic’s Parental Controls, parents can customise their family’s experience including choosing who their child can communicate with.&quot;
</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.</em></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="720" width="1280" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/23/roblox-minecraft-fortnite-1776923242383.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/23/roblox-minecraft-fortnite-1776923242383.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Luke Reilly</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA['We've Not Seen The Last of Joel,' Says The Last of Us Actor]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/weve-not-seen-the-last-of-joel-says-the-last-of-us-actor</link><description><![CDATA[The Last of Us video game actor Troy Baker has said there's more to come for his character Joel, potentially including "more games."]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:39:30 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">e82a02d5-b939-4768-b480-070dd3eb92ee</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2023/03/13/last-of-us-comparison-ep9-blog-1678708264448.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>The Last of Us video game actor Troy Baker has said there&#39;s more to come for his character Joel, potentially including &quot;more games.&quot;</p><p>Baker, who played Joel in Naughty Dog&#39;s <a href="https://www.ign.com/tv/the-last-of-us-the-series">The Last of Us</a> and its <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/the-last-of-us-part-ii">sequel</a>, made the remark while discussing the character&#39;s impact with fans — something an audience wider than video games has enjoyed with Pedro Pascal&#39;s portrayal of the character in HBO&#39;s <a href="https://www.ign.com/tv/the-last-of-us-the-series">The Last of Us</a> TV series.</p><p><em><strong>Warning!</strong></em><em> Spoilers for The Last of Us video games and TV show follow:</em></p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p>Alas, with Joel now dead in the games and the TV show, you&#39;d think that would likely be it for the flannel-wearing hunk — but not so, said Baker, who likened the character to one potentially portrayed by many actors over time. </p><p>&quot;I hope that Pedro is not the last person to play Joel,&quot; Baker said, speaking to <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/the-last-of-us-troy-baker-weve-not-seen-the-last-of-joel">Eurogamer</a>. &quot;I want to see this character be proliferated and iterated on in multiple mediums, whether it be TV, film, more games, comic books. I see people that cosplay as [Joel] all the time... he made an impact.&quot;</p><p>Baker&#39;s comment comes hot on the heels of remarks by franchise creator Neil Druckmann that <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/fans-think-neil-druckmann-just-teased-the-last-of-us-part-3-while-mentioning-the-series-upcoming-road-ahead">suggested a third The Last of Us game will eventually get made</a> — even if it is still some time off. Indeed, a former colleague of Druckmann&#39;s recently shared an <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/former-the-last-of-us-dev-hints-at-potential-future-story">eye-opening plot idea that the creator had once planned</a>, which could seemingly play a large part.</p><p>Surely, any future game featuring Ellie would also include at least one flashback to her time with Joel, as a send-off to the series and Baker&#39;s original take on the character. Some kind of cameo for Pascal in HBO&#39;s final season of The Last of Us also feels inevitable.</p><p>&quot;I definitely know we&#39;ve not seen the last of Joel, whether that be Naughty Dog or somebody else,&quot; Baker concluded. Exactly when Joel may next appear, however, remains to be seen. </p><p>For his part, Druckmann has never ruled out making a third chapter of the saga, and Naughty Dog&#39;s official Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2 documentary even ends with Druckmann stating that he feels &quot;there&#39;s one more chapter to this story&quot; for Naughty Dog to tell. In the meantime, the studio is busy building <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/intergalactic-the-heretic-prophet">Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet</a>, which Druckmann is directing. The developer also has a second game in production that&#39;s being directed by Shaun Escayg, who previously helmed Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which is not believed to be The Last of Us related. All of that likely means The Last of Us 3 won&#39;t launch until sometime in the 2030s.</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#39;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky </em><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/tomphillipseg.bsky.social">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social</a></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="1080" width="1920" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2023/03/13/last-of-us-comparison-ep9-blog-1678708264448.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2023/03/13/last-of-us-comparison-ep9-blog-1678708264448.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Tom Phillips</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Review]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-review</link><description><![CDATA[An extremely satisfying conclusion to Diablo's latest demonic saga.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">94d27f72-6b3e-4455-bceb-5d2d6a605720</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/20/diablo4-lordofhatred-review-blogroll-1776726548394.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>After 2024’s Vessel of Hatred expansion left me dangling off a narrative cliff like a hapless Sanctuary peasant, Lord of Hatred had quite a lot riding on its ability to deliver on that momentum and give me a reason to become hopelessly lost in its loot-filled grind once again. The good news is that it’s done exactly that thanks to a tight, satisfying campaign, two new classes that I’ve already spent dozens of hours experimenting with and min-maxing builds for, and an endgame that’s so loaded with things to do that I occasionally forgot some of the systems even existed. If you’ve been waiting for a reason to dive back into Diablo 4’s particular brand of misery, Lord of Hatred has plenty of compelling reasons to do so.</p><p>As a proper end to the demonic battle that’s been building since 2023, Lord of Hatred’s cutscenes are unsurprisingly jaw dropping, but it’s the writing and pacing of this short and sweet 8ish hour campaign that stands as some of Blizzard’s best work yet. It had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end with all sorts of twists, turns, and tragedies, references to deep Diablo lore, and motivations for even its most irredeemable characters that had me debating demon philosophy with my friends in party chat as we smashed our way through gobs of imps. Sure, the campaign is only a tiny part of the inevitable hundreds of hours that will be spent mindlessly exploding loot goblins into sparkly treasures, but part of the reason I’m so attached to this depressing and violent world is precisely because of the mysteries, drama, and unforgettable characters that occupy it. Lord of Hatred takes full advantage of all of those things, making it easily one of my favorite Diablo campaigns to date.</p><aside><h2><u>What we said about Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred</u></h2><section data-transform="ignvideo" data-slug="diablo-4-vessel-of-hatred-video-review" data-loop=""></section><p>Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is an awesome expansion that adds an excellent new area to explore, a gloriously modular character class that I can’t stop playing, an impressive debut raid activity, and lots more. But while just about everything it adds is awesome, it definitely doesn’t do enough where the somewhat flaccid campaign and story is concerned, and numerous bugs can occasionally drag it down. Thankfully, the changes to the meta, a greatly improved progression system, the resurrection of rune words, and NPC companions are all major wins for Diablo 4, even when it seems we’ll be waiting a bit to see where this interlude expansion leads. - <em>Travis Northup, October 4, 2024</em></p><h2>Score: 8</h2><p>Read the full <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/diablo-4-vessel-of-hatred-review">Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred review</a>.</p></aside><p>That campaign primarily takes place in Sanctuary’s latest locale, Skovos, a mediterranean-style island that plays an especially interesting role in Diablo’s lore as the birthplace of humanity. This new region has many of the things we’ve come to expect from the series, like an incredibly alarming human-to-horrifying-monster ratio and destroyed places that are covered in disgusting fleshy blisters (and whatever the heck a “corpse clot” is). But plenty of things here are a breath of fresh air, too – namely, beautiful and not-yet-destroyed areas that reflect the fact that this ancient place has been spared the worst of the horrors the mainland has faced all these years. The region has also got lots of diversity to it, from Lovecraftian-coded foggy shorelines to volcanic hellscapes, each adding new reasons to keep on trekking around in search of loot. Skovos isn’t nearly as densely filled with new dungeons, but the stuff that is there, especially the new Strongholds to conquer, are all well worth doing.</p><p>Aside from the finale to the story and some new places to explore, Lord of Hatred also introduces two very cool character classes to shake things up. The returning Paladin is about what you’d expect if you journeyed across Sanctuary as one in Diablo 2, with loads of protection abilities and ridiculously powerful build options like the aura build my co-op mate designed so he could just walk around destroying everything in his path without even having to lift a finger. The Warlock, on the other hand, is completely new to the series (not counting <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/blizzard-launches-warlock-dlc-for-diablo-2-resurrected-25-years-after-the-original-games-release-and-its-also-now-on-steam"><u>Diablo 2 having recently retroactively added it in for the 30th anniversary</u></a>, of course), which has you claiming Hell’s power as your own in a wide variety of diverse builds. That ranges from the Necromancer-like Legion options that are all about summoning demons to do your fighting for you, to the Vanguard build that turns you into a demon yourself, for those who prefer a more personal touch to their wanton destruction. The Paladin is pure nostalgic comfort food that I’m glad to have added to the roster, but I prefer the new hotness of the Warlock, especially just how diverse you can get with it by going down each of the four disciplines or by mixing and matching them together to create something unexpected. </p><section data-transform="quoteBox">Skill trees are now built around making more meaningful choices.</section><p>What’s even bigger than these two new skill trees, though, is that the six already available have been completely reworked. The changes are mostly centered around the fact that, instead of having a bunch of highly attractive passive perks that did simple yet incredibly efficient things like increasing the damage you deal or the attacks you can withstand, they’re now built around making more meaningful choices. For example, in the Warlock tree you can pick between making your defensive wall of demons encircle your enemy, trapping them within, or breaking apart into a pack of vicious sluggers after a period. As the Sorceress, you can now decide to take your fire hydro snakes and turn them into ice snakes instead if that elemental effect is more your speed, or if it works better with whatever mad scientist build you’re concocting. </p><p>These changes are really awesome, as they push you away from picking the boring, passive upgrades and instead help your character feel much more unique, even when playing alongside those using your same character class. Still, there’s also plenty of fat to cut, like how skills now allow you to sink up to 15 points into them versus the previous five. After you’ve picked your base skills and modified them to your liking, the rest of the leveling experience is pretty much just deciding which ones to focus your points into, recreating a lot of the same uninteresting decisions we were making with the previous trees. I still like the changes they’ve made here, especially the added freedom to augment how these powers work in more meaningful ways, but I do wish they’d have gone a bit further in that direction.</p><section data-transform="slideshow" data-slug="diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-and-paladin-class-screenshots" data-value="diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-and-paladin-class-screenshots" data-type="slug" data-caption=""></section><p>Once you’ve bested the campaign and maxed out your character level, you’ll quickly find yourself in the all-important endgame loop, which involves navigating an absolutely staggering number of upgrade mechanics, the gathering materials you’ll need to farm for them, as well as scooping up the best gear you can find and obsessing over every little stat they rolled. This is the crux of the Diablo experience, and Lord of Hatred is its most dense, meticulously customizable version yet. That means you’ll have to contend with truly some of the most obscenely complicated menus around, which have only grown more cumbersome over the years, but you’re in for a relentlessly rewarding ride if you go through the trouble of learning it all.</p><p>Having been along for the ride from the start, I love obsessing over every little detail and finding tons of ways to maximize my lethality. Finally finding a piece of gear that perfectly fits your build or saving up enough materials to re-roll a stat that gives you that extra DPS you need to break through to the next world tier is exactly what chunky ARPGs like this one are all about. Rolling into an endgame activity to watch all your careful preparation and planning turn into you absolutely stomping all over enemies and melting the boss in half a second is downright awesome, and knowing that there’s plenty of runway with 12 tiers of endgame difficulty (up from just four previously) is just insane.</p><section data-transform="quoteBox">You’re in for a relentlessly rewarding ride if you go through the trouble of learning it all.</section><p>The latest addition to that min-maxing meta is the Talisman system, which allows you to collect magical runes that slot into yet another loadout menu. Practically speaking, this is a clever way of offering set bonuses that are usually found on specific armor sets, except here you can use whatever armor you want while Talismans stand on their own. It took me a while to wrap my head around it honestly, just because I’m so used to the entire idea of a set bonus being a reward for collecting and sporting armor pieces that belong together, but decoupling the need to use specific pieces of equipment ends up being a pretty smart move – though it does add another thing to optimize and obsess over, and frankly Diablo 4 already has so many of those that I sometimes forgot about Talismans altogether. Still, they’re a neat addition and I’m glad they exist, especially since it gave me another thing to squeeze a few extra stats out. That’s always welcome!</p><p>There’s also the Horadric Cube, a nifty magical device that does everything from turning common items into uniques(!) to adding yet another stat boost to your best masterworked gear, at the cost of locking it out of any and all future augmentation. After spending hours tinkering around with this thing, I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface with all it can do – but it’s already quite the game changer, offering numerous new ways to squeeze even more power out of all that grinding you did. Combined with the loot filter, which allows you to target specific items with specific affixes as you continue your climb toward ever-greater power, the endgame journey has fewer annoyances than ever before. Now you can create rules to automatically filter through the loot you earn down to the most minute details, removing the need to sift through all the junk you don’t need (so long as you have the strength of will to figure out how to configure those rules to your exact specifications).</p><section data-transform="poll" data-id="9d9c0c1d-797c-4e5a-91c0-a866b29c361c"></section><p>Speaking of the endgame grind, Lord of Hatred takes yet another stab at providing a more compelling laundry list of activities to engage with while you carry out that search for loot. To be fair, I also praised Diablo 4’s vanilla endgame based on my pre-release review time with it, but the benefit of hindsight and a couple more weeks of playtime on the live servers ultimately saw it wear pretty thin shortly thereafter, so it’s hard to say for sure whether or not this attempt will fare any better after a few months. What I can say is that the system Blizzard built in this version has the least friction and the greatest variety of things to do so far, and the dozens of hours I’ve spent with it have been really enjoyable. </p><p>The main tool Lord of Hatred uses to get you into that long road of grinding is called War Plans, which works like a curated playlist of activities that you’re directed to one after another, all of which offer compelling rewards. The best part of this is just how easy it is to jump from activity to activity, since you no longer need to hunt for Nightmare Dungeon keys or manually walk over to Helltide events – you can now teleport to the next activity on your playlist in a matter of seconds and keep the good times rolling. One moment you’ll be blasting your way through the Pit, the next you’ll jump over to go stomp out a lair boss, before returning to the war table to collect a batch of rewards. As you progress, these trees will offer more branching paths for you to pick from and will start offering modified versions of these events that target specific rewards. Even cooler are the new perk trees associated with each of the endgame activities included in War Plans, which allow you to modify how these events work and lets you customize your loot for doing so. Again, it’s still hard to say whether or not this will have legs after we’ve been running War Plans for a few seasons, but I like their chances of keeping my attention – or at least not annoying me with weird barriers to entry just to run these activities.</p><section data-transform="quoteBox">This endgame has the least friction and the greatest variety of things to do so far.</section><p>That said, though the premise of the entire War Plans system seems to be reducing the headache of accessing endgame content, it has a pretty fatal flaw in how it works when you’re playing with friends. Since your War Plans playlist is randomized each time you run it, and your friends each have their own specific things to tackle in their own orders that are unlikely to align with yours, if you’re tagging along with a buddy to run through them, you’ll almost instantly feel like a second-class citizen when you see a fragment of the rewards they get. You still get “credit” for tackling these activities, including loot at the end of each bested challenge and some XP to go towards your various War Plans skill trees, but your actual progress toward your own War Plan will only advance if your next activity just so happens to align with theirs. When I wasn’t the party leader picking the next activity, I felt like I was wasting my time and playing inefficiently by not making progress on my own playlist, and when I was the party leader making the picks, I felt guilty that my co-op buddies weren’t seeing the same level of progress as me. It’s one of those small details that completely undermines an otherwise good thing, and weirdly disincentivizes even doing War Plans in co-op altogether, since it’s more efficient to just work on your own playlists in parallel. Truly, a massive oversight that will hopefully get corrected in short order.</p><section data-transform="user-list" data-id="73948" data-slug="tieguytravis-hell-a-good-games-list" data-nickname="Tieguytravis"></section><p>The other major endgame activity is Echoing Hatred, effectively a horde mode that throws every enemy it can find at you and asks you to withstand the onslaught for as long as you’re able. It starts out at the lowest world tier difficulty, then climbs as you push through waves of enemies until it inevitably reaches absurd levels of challenge that lead to your inevitable loss and rewards you relative to how well you performed. Interestingly, access to this activity is locked behind a fairly rare (at least in my experience) consumable drop you’ll need to get every time you want to test your mettle, but this mindless, brutally challenging marathon is exactly the type of activity I love in ARPGs, and I also found it pretty useful as a way of gauging which world tier your current build is ready to withstand. It is a bit weird that so much of the endgame (specifically the War Plans system) is about removing barriers to getting back into the endgame action, while Echoing Hatred appears to be a super fun mode you’ll only get to play every once in a blue moon for whatever reason.</p><p>Finally, Lord of Hatred adds the feature we’ve all been asking for: Fishing. Don’t be fooled by the tidal wave of apocalyptic monstrosities that surround you – Diablo 4 is a cozy game now. In between killing demon lords and being driven to the brink of madness by the horrors you’ve been forced to witness, you can pull out a fishing rod and just chill out, my friend. Frankly, there really isn’t much to this bizarre minigame, as you kinda just fish for a bit in each region to complete your collection and then have no reason to ever fish again. But it’s kinda hilarious that they bothered to add this in at all, and as someone who loves dense ARPGs and relaxing cozy games in equal measure, it speaks to me personally. Here’s hoping they add dating mechanics next (Blizzard, feel free to call me about this – I have suggestions).</p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="720" width="1280" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/20/diablo4-lordofhatred-review-blogroll-1776726548394.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/20/diablo4-lordofhatred-review-blogroll-1776726548394.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Tom Marks</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Trailer Footage Leaks]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-trailer-footage-leaks</link><description><![CDATA[It seems there's time for one more Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced leak before the game's big reveal — with part of its trailer now circulating online.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:46:09 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">e5b7e7fe-b161-40fa-809c-f27355312803</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/21/acbfr-showcase-edwardreveal-static-16x9-200426-6pm-uk-1776760486704.jpg"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>It seems there&#39;s time for one more <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced">Assassin&#39;s Creed: Black Flag Resynced</a> leak before the game&#39;s big reveal — with part of its trailer now circulating online.</p><p>The trailer clip shows our first look at in-game footage, featuring pirate hero Edward Kenway, the legendary Blackbeard, ship combat, and lots of explosions. And already, fans have begun lining up the comparisons with the original Black Flag to see how the two versions of the game may compare. </p><p>The short snippet shows Edward in his iconic pose, cutlasses drawn, then a scene on deck with Blackbeard and his telescope. There&#39;s a quick shot of Adéwalé mustering the crew to load the Jackdaw&#39;s cannons, before Edward takes the wheel and ship-to-ship combat begins. Kenway&#39;s original voice actor Matt Ryan can be heard too, following <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-edward-kenway-actor-alleges-ubisoft-threatened-to-sue-him-for-hinting-at-black-flag-remake">hints from the actor himself</a> that he had returned to the role.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">First look at Assassins Creed Black Flag Resynced gameplay.<br><br>Reveal showcase coming this Thursday.<a href="https://t.co/J7RNOA81JC">pic.twitter.com/J7RNOA81JC</a></p>&mdash; KAMI (@Okami13_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Okami13_/status/2046480105845703146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2026</a></blockquote> <p>A shot featuring Edward and Blackbeard is now being pored over by fans, who have noted Resynced&#39;s vastly improved character models and lighting. Which, to be honest, you would expect considering that the original Black Flag launched back in 2013.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Assassin&#39;s Creed Blackflag - Original vs Remake !! <a href="https://t.co/rFthV58eBv">pic.twitter.com/rFthV58eBv</a></p>&mdash; AMIT ROY (@GamerInVoid) <a href="https://twitter.com/GamerInVoid/status/2046443264279294400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2026</a></blockquote> <p>&quot;At least graphically Black Flag Resynced looks really faithful,&quot; <a href="https://x.com/s1nicki/status/2046378705069699559">wrote</a> one fan on social media. &quot;I fear I&#39;m getting excited.&quot; Said <a href="https://x.com/GeeklikOtesine/status/2046491481049812993">another</a>: &quot;It doesn&#39;t seem like a simple remaster either. It looks like we&#39;re getting a pretty decent, fun remake.&quot;</p><p>Yesterday, Ubisoft announced that it would fully reveal Assassin&#39;s Creed Black Flag Resynced this week, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/ubisoft-ceo-confirms-multiple-assassins-creed-remakes-are-on-the-way">following years of leaks</a>. The publisher even poked fun at itself by naming the project as the &quot;worst kept secret&quot; in video games — something that only continues to be true.</p><p>The Assassin&#39;s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Worldwide Reveal Showcase will be available to watch this Thursday, April 23 at 9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern / 5pm UK time. Tune in then for the full reveal — and all the details here on IGN.</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#39;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky </em><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/tomphillipseg.bsky.social">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social</a></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="628" width="1116" type="image/jpeg" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/21/acbfr-showcase-edwardreveal-static-16x9-200426-6pm-uk-1776760486704.jpg"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/04/21/acbfr-showcase-edwardreveal-static-16x9-200426-6pm-uk-1776760486704.jpg</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Tom Phillips</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Reveal Timing Announced]]></title><link>https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-reveal-time-and-date-confirmed</link><description><![CDATA[Ubisoft has confirmed when it will officially unveil Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, via a dedicated showcase later this week. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:05:32 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">e803d57f-733e-4b42-8a5a-6b3e5fa576bd</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<section class="article-page"><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/02/12/ac-black-flag-art-book-preorder-ign-1770892625282.png"/><section data-transform="mobile-ad-break"></section><p>Ubisoft has confirmed when it will officially unveil <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag">Assassin&#39;s Creed Black Flag Resynced</a>, via a dedicated showcase later this week. </p><p>The Assassin&#39;s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Worldwide Reveal Showcase will be available to watch this Thursday, April 23 at 9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern / 5pm UK time. Ubisoft is even having a bit of fun here, and branding the event as the full reveal for &quot;gaming&#39;s worst kept secret.&quot;</p><p>Assassin&#39;s Creed fans will be able to <a href="https://www.ign.com/videos/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-showcase-2026">tune in right here on IGN</a> at that time and find out exactly what Ubisoft has in store for this freshened up version of its beloved pirate game. Already, however, today&#39;s announcement offers up one clue: Ubisoft is calling Black Flag Resynced &quot;the iconic solo pirate adventure&quot; — suggesting that the game&#39;s multiplayer mode is no longer included.</p><p>The project&#39;s official name, Assassin&#39;s Creed: Black Flag Resynced, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-is-the-name-of-ubisofts-long-awaited-pirate-remake">was first spotted last December</a>, when it popped up via a European ratings board listing. But fans have been following the project&#39;s development for years, following <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/ubisoft-ceo-confirms-multiple-assassins-creed-remakes-are-on-the-way">internal leaks that pointed to the project&#39;s existence</a> and <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-edward-kenway-actor-alleges-ubisoft-threatened-to-sue-him-for-hinting-at-black-flag-remake">hints from the original game&#39;s lead actor</a>, who is expected to return.</p><p>Previous reports have suggested that Black Flag Resynced will be a substantial remake of the series&#39; beloved piratical entry, with visual and gameplay upgrades that see the game closer in quality to last year&#39;s Assassin&#39;s Creed Shadows. New story content will reportedly be added to flesh out more of hero Edward Kenway&#39;s life, though the game&#39;s modern day gameplay sections have apparently been excised — <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/stop-removing-the-modern-day-assassins-creed-fans-react-as-black-flag-remake-reportedly-cuts-everything-outside-the-animus">something that many fans aren&#39;t happy about</a>. </p><p>Tune in later this week for the full reveal — and all the details here on IGN.</p><section data-transform="divider"></section><p><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#39;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky </em><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/tomphillipseg.bsky.social">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social</a></p></section>]]></content:encoded><media:content height="720" width="1280" type="image/png" url="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/02/12/ac-black-flag-art-book-preorder-ign-1770892625282.png"/><media:thumbnail>https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2026/02/12/ac-black-flag-art-book-preorder-ign-1770892625282.png</media:thumbnail><dc:creator>Tom Phillips</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>