Independent studio Maverick Games, founded by former Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown, will finally be revealing its new AAA open-world action-driving game on June 2, at 11am London BST (6am EDT / 3am PDT / 8pm AEST).

The Maverick Games team has been hosting a countdown livestream over the past week from within a modified Fiat Multipla that has been placed inside the Leamington Spa-based studio. The team has revealed a small series of screenshots to date, along with several clues relating to possible features and a potential location.

Earlier this year, Amazon backed out of the publishing deal it had with Maverick Games for its untitled racer. Fortunately, this didn’t prove to be the end of the road for the project, with Brown quickly confirming on social media that development was continuing to progress strongly and that the game’s announcement was still coming.

Maverick Games was founded in 2022 following the departure of a number of staff from Forza Horizon developer Playground Games. At that time, former Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown was joined by producer Tom Butcher, technical director Matt Craven, technical art director Gareth Harwood, audio director Fraser Stachan, and art director Ben Penrose. It was revealed in January 2023 that the team was working on a “premium open-world game for consoles and PC.”

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

Subnautica 2 design lead Anthony Gallegos has opened up about the reaction to Unknown Worlds’ decision to prevent players from killing predators in the underwater survival game, explaining the developers’ true intent.

Not being able to kill fish in Subnautica 2 is the game’s hottest topic, and while Unknown Worlds has promised to add “mitigation” to the game so you can better deal with predators, it will never allow you to kill them.

Ahead of Subnautica 2’s early access launch, Unknown World spoke about not wanting players to conquer or dominate the underwater environment, insisting it wouldn’t feature tools that would let them slay anything that gets in their way. "We aren't a killing game," level designer Artyom "Artie" O'Rielly said in the Subnautica Discord. "Go play Sons of the Forest or something if you want to kill."

That comment, among others, rubbed some Subnautica 2 players up the wrong way, and came to dominate the no killing fish discourse that emerged in the last few weeks. All the while, a narrative has emerged that Unknown Worlds actually set out to create a “pacifism game.” That, Gallegos told MinnMax in a fascinating new interview about the design of Subnautica 2, just isn’t true.

Gallegos, who joined Unknown Worlds in 2021 just a year before development on Subnautica 2 started, said “people have a little bit of a misunderstanding of why we made some of those decisions.”

“A source of a lot of the negative feedback we've gotten is that we've changed the game in the sense that we're not letting you kill predators,” Gallegos continued. “And that was not some decision made because we're like, ‘We're a game about pacifism or we're a non-violent studio.’ The studio was founded by modders who made Half-Life mods and their first mods were all about shooting aliens. They loved the movie Aliens and they wanted to make an Aliens video game that was legally distinct. That is what Natural Selection 1 and 2 are basically.”

Gallegos said that Unknown Worlds co-founder Charlie Cleveland was inspired by the movie Aliens in the making of the first Subnautica, where “he was trying to make it a game without guns because he just thought maybe there was a place for a game that didn't add more to the landscape of violent games, which wasn't an indictment on violent games.”

Still, Gallegos admitted, there is now “this idea that we really are leaning into Subnautica being a pacifism game, which wasn't our intent.” So what was the intent? It was twofold, Gallegos explained. One, Unknown Worlds didn’t want to give players the attitude that they were a “dominator over the world, because the message of the game very much is people learning to live in parallel with the world that they're in.”

And two, the intent had to do with the game design, which was inspired by the likes of Soma and Alien Isolation. Gallegos cited a blog by Soma developer Frictional Games in which the studio said it had found that when it gave players the means to fight things, no matter how miserable the developers made the combat experience, players would always deem it better to master the “crappy” combat than deal with constant threat and tension.

Gallegos cited Konami horror masterpiece Silent Hill 2, where players will master the pipe combat despite it being poor “because it's way better to kill every creature in every hallway and then freely run through it than it is to dodge them when they're scary.”

“And so by removing the option to deal with combat, it means that the omnipresent tension and stuff like that gets to be there,” Gallegos went on. “And so that's really where we're trying to lean into it from.”

Unknown Worlds has been open about its plans to add ways for players to mitigate the threat of predators in Subnautica 2 via future updates. But Gallegos said the developers also plan to add creature flinches so players actually realise when they’re bonking fish on the face with the hammer.

“For us it's mostly about seeking cool ways for the players to feel smart about it,” Gallegos said. “Some of the stuff we've talked about is like, what if you could build feeders and you could keep creatures so well fed that they don't have any interest in you, which is like something you see in real life when you see people that keep alligators as pets, right? They're like, ‘Oh, alligators are perfectly safe as long as they're not hungry, you know?’”

While the killing fish debate rages on, Subnautica 2 is a clear success. It has sold a huge 4 million copies since its early access launch on May 14, achieving more than 467,000 peak concurrent players on Steam — success Gallegos said took the team by surprise. Subnautica 2 has sold so well that publisher Krafton has reportedly agreed to pay a $250 million earnout to the developers — a bonus that was at the heart of its high-profile legal dispute with the fired Unknown Worlds leadership.

If you’re getting to grips with Subnautica 2, we’ve got a Things to Do First in Subnautica 2 guide to check out before you dive in, plus resource location guides to help you find Titanium, Silver, and more. Discover blackbox and supply crate locations on our interactive Subnautica 2 map, and make sure you don’t miss any Angel Comb Adaptations or Blueprints.

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.

For as massive and ever-present a franchise as The Simpsons is, it doesn’t have the foothold in the video game arena you might expect. The wildly popular mobile game The Simpsons: Tapped Out was delisted in 2025, and fans are still clamoring for a remaster of or sequel to The Simpsons Hit & Run. The recent success of Fortnite’s Simpsons crossover shows just how much pent-up demand there is for The Simpsons gaming content.

Enter Scopely and its popular Monopoly Go! mobile game. Monopoly Go! Will be hosting a Simpsons-themed crossover event that lasts from June 3 through July 29. The entire game will be transformed and reimagined through the lens of Springfield, USA, as players take control of characters like Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa and buy up iconic locales from the show. The game will be completely packed with Simpsons references and Easter eggs, including a new gameplay mechanic where players can attempt to bribe Chief Wiggum to get out of jail.

There will even be a story component to this The Simpsons event, with new chapters unfolding every two weeks. That story kicks off in the form of an animated short that explores the long-standing rivalry between Mr. Burns and Mr. Monopoly (voiced by none other than Will Ferrell). You can watch that animated short here.

To learn more about what to expect from this Monopoly Go!/The Simpsons crossover, IGN spoke with The Simpsons executive producer and showrunner Matt Selman, GM of 20th Century Games and VP, Business Development John Drake, and Scopely’s VP Operations Joe Zanetti. Read on to learn more about this massive crossover and how it draws on decades of The Simpsons lore.

From Fortnite to Monopoly Go!

As mentioned, this new crossover is coming on the heels of a massive collaboration between Fortnite and The Simpsons in late 2025. Epic Games set a high bar for Scopely to meet, but all three men feel this crossover lives up to that standard. It even has one big advantage over the Fortnite crossover. Fortnite is a skill-based game, whereas Monopoly Go! is a much more casual experience with a potentially wider audience.

“Fortnite is hard and requires skill, so we thought we’d give people the opposite experience with this collaboration, a really chillax game,” Selman tells IGN. “You can just leisurely play without worrying about getting shot. No snipe anxiety in this, my friends. Just a laid back, maxin’ and relaxin’, kind of fun chill-out game.

Drake adds, “I think, to Matt's point, this game is far less sweaty than being in a life-or-death struggle in battle royale.”

It would be easy to slap a Simpsons-flavored coat of paint on Monopoly Go! and call it a day, but Selman is adamant that this isn’t what happened. Scopely put a lot of time and effort into figuring out how to truly take advantage of this pop culture mash-up.

“Scopely nailed it,” Selman says. “They really ran with the Simpsons football so beautifully because we were just like, be subversive, be Simpson-y. Don't just be a butt-kissy, pointless brand collaboration. And they, in all the Scopely creative, they took that note to heart and said, ‘We are going to make this. Like, what's the version of this Bart would love to play? What's the version of this that has that Bart attitude of being playful and subversive and not just straight ahead?’ I mean, we all love the Three Little Pigs chapter of Monopoly Go, but subversiveness is not the word that came to mind when you played it. I mean, they were definitely cute pigs. They gave you little dices and stuff when you whacked those little pigs.”

Drake argues that these two properties are a more natural fit than fans might realize at first glance, because they both deal so heavily in good-natured mischief.

“I think we're fortunate that Monopoly Go, and especially in how you interact with other people, already has elements of mischief and destruction, and it is itself the culture at scale,” Drake says. “It's such a giant title of so many people playing it that are like, how do you find fun ways to work on things that are familiar? And then again, to Matt's point, subvert those things, mess with your friends, have fun moments that are not expected, and use The Simpsons as a storytelling vehicle to do that, or even, set dressing to do that. I think that they wildly over-delivered.”

Zanetti agrees, saying, “One thing I'll add just quickly here is just, Monopoly has always been mischief. And I know, even in the room, Matt, you were always talking about, ‘How can we subvert different mechanics?’ And we had a lot of different ones that came out of those talks, where we could, basically, look at our jail Monopoly mechanic. How can we mess with that in really interesting ways that will surprise players, how we could look at doing little takeover moments that would really emphasize character interaction. And we've got some really fun flash events that do those kinds of moments, and we're very excited about it.”

The real fun of this crossover event is that there is actually a storyline fueling the event, and Selman promises that it’ll keep players engaged, even to the point that they’ll want to tune out any other distractions.

“There's a lot of conflict at the core of The Simpsons. Inter-family conflict, inter-friend conflict, Homer-Bart conflict, Homer versus Marge conflict, and from conflict, comes drama,” Selman says. “And I really just think, between Scopely and the Simpsons writers that worked on it, it just really succeeded in explaining that mission. So maybe it's so good you could even turn off the TV, or you're still watching while playing. That's how good this is. You are going to single-screen this thing.”

And if that’s not enough, the crossover will offer players plenty of Simpsons-flavored collectibles to acquire.

“There's a lot of fun collection in this, but I will say, there was really a great back and forth between the Simpsons writing team and our crew as we were going back and forth on these,” Zanetti says. “So I would just say, that was a legitimately, really fun collaboration that our team really enjoyed.”

Drake adds, “It's a nice combination of throwback iconic things from the show. The sticker sets in particular and original narratives of how they cross over… ‘How do we combine these two worlds in a fun way that's through a Simpsons lens?’ And I think that's where the collaboration is more… It's like this is the opposite of a brand partnership. It's a true how does a game creative team and a show creative team make something that speaks to the fans of both? It's really exciting.”

Ultimately, the crossover works because employees on both sides of the equation were invested in making it happen and taking full advantage of it.

“The fun thing here was, sometimes we have relationships where the teams do not play, and with Simpsons, everybody's playing all the time,” Zanetti says. “So it's one of those things where they're giving us very real-time feedback on all our various game mechanics as we're doing them. And so it's refreshing. I mean, it's kind of awesome.”

One suggestion from the 20th Television side didn’t make the cut, unfortunately. Selman reveals that his team pitched the idea of renaming the game “Monopoly D’oh!” But because of SEO and branding concerns, that didn’t happen.

Mr. Burns vs. Mr. Monopoly

To illustrate just how much work went into this crossover, Gracie Films was tasked with creating an entire mini-episode of The Simpsons that sets the stage for the event. In it, fans can see Harry Shearer’s Mr. Burns going to war with Will Ferrell’s Mr. Monopoly, as their decades-old rivalry comes to a head. Naturally, plenty of other Springfield residents pop up in this video.

“Mr. Pennybags has been on in previous [episodes] as a crony of Mr. Burns,” Selman says. “So it's something that's even laid in the show with these rivalries, with these other rich cartoon characters like, Scrooge McDuck, Richie Rich, and people like that. So then you just really believe that there's a deep, long rivalry between Mr. Monopoly and Mr. Burns. Again, it comes from character, which is so good.”

Zanetti adds, “It's such a great billionaire versus billionaire thing for us to engage in.”

Selman says that one of the joys of working on the mini-episode was the opportunity to see Shearer and Ferrell play off of each other, noting that this marks the first time the two comedy legends have worked together.

“You got Mr. Burns versus Mr. Monopoly original animation,” Selman says. “So it's like a five-minute new clip, something like that, with Will Ferrell and Harry Shearer. This is legit, the real deal. And they had so much fun doing it. They were both super into it, and that was great. Both he and Harry Shearer are comedic icons. And this is cool, this is their first small-screen collaboration, right?”

But that mini-episode is just the start of the storyline in this crossover. The game will regularly progress and evolve as this feud plays out in the streets of Springfield.

“There's this wonderful little setup for the arc with our Mr. Monopoly versus Mr. Burns,” Zanetti says. “But also the other thing that's really fun is, we've got episode drops within our actual season where we're also doing like, hey, we're going to introduce you to the world of Springfield. Hey, we're in Krustyland, now we're going to look at a nuclear power plant. And we're doing almost an episodic structure to the season... Because honestly, the way our gameplay rolls and the way our mini games happen, it almost is episodic in nature. So it feeds to the, exactly, that cadence, but that's something where we're telling little stories within it that are really fun, too.”

Drake adds, “And I think it was important for us to show all the great ways that these worlds can play together and that sort of chaotic, ruthless capitalism, like fantasy capitalism is what Monopoly is known for, as I think [writer Loni Steele Sosthand] put it in the short. It's not used as the conceit or justification for why they're combined in-game. And nor are, just to be really clear, there follow-up linear animation pieces for those episodic drops in-game, but we're able to tell stories inside the boards that week. The sticker collections, like any episode of the show, are not part of some master continuity. They are, in fact, exploring corners and parts of the world of Springfield and its many citizens in ways that are fun and ideally, have some surprise and delight moments for fans where they wouldn't think Monopoly Go! would go in a certain direction based on past partnerships. And I think we go there.”

The Simpsons Easter Eggs in Monopoly Go!

Again, it would have been easy for Scopely to simply throw the main cast of The Simpsons into Monopoly Go! and call it a day. But Zanetti says that they were intent on mining the series for all its worth and really digging into the decades of Simpsons lore.

“We always have a lot of different tokens, emojis, and things that you can earn,” Zanetti says. “We do more in this collaboration than ever because, of course, Simpsons has this deep backlog of awesome characters. And so our thing was, we didn't want to just do… Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart. We wanted to do Easter egg deep cuts. And so we were really able to get a lot into it. So I think fans will really be like, oh, can I collect all of these? Can I figure out ways to really get the entire town?”

Drake teases, “If you're looking for some love for Mr. Sparkle. We got you.”

Selman adds, “That's the beauty of this, that Scopely’s programmers and artistic creative producers are all, whether they know it or not, Simpsons fans, and they brought so much of their fandom to this. It's just always fun to see what they're excited about and what they were like, oh, this is what we want to see in the game as Simpsons' fans. So that's also very heartening and exciting for us to watch you guys be excited. We see it every day.”

Zanetti says, “We have done more in this collab than we have in the past, for sure. I think the biggest change is, we certainly have done more unique features that are really based on, how we can do fun mechanics with Simpsons, and how we can really double down on the subversion thing? And that, hands down, it's more than we've ever done.”

Drake adds, “And I had the good fortune of being around the Star Wars and the Marvel partnerships that were done before this in our work across groups here, and Scopely has always treated the IP with great care and made sure it really feels authentic and, on point, for the fans of that. But I think some of the more high-traffic areas and how far they were willing to push it for The Simpsons, definitely shows that this is boundary pushing in a lot of ways that I think, previous executions, maybe, played it a little safer. And we are anything but safe in how we partner with companies.”

“Least safe,” Selman agrees. “But one of the great parts about the game is every day there's a new mechanic, or every two days. There's always a new crazy thing happening for you to engage with, and they just always brought it when it came to finding a clever, earned, super Simpson-y way to bring that new little mini game or competitive thing or team-up thing, or whatever. They're just very cool. I can't wait till you guys see them.”

One unique challenge posed by this crossover involves how to combine the two properties visually. How do you take the deeply iconic 2D animation style of the show and merge it with Monopoly Go! and the game’s signature 3D chibi characters? That was one of the more difficult aspects of this project.

“I will say, it was a challenge,” Zanetti admits. “We had to look at a lot of different shaders because basically, what we wanted to do was get the Simpsons style as close as we could. So, looking at the board, how can we make the board really feel like it? How can we make Springfield feel like it has jumped into the middle of the Monopoly board? And then the other one, which was a really fun collaboration, was figuring out our 3D character style, of how we can bring all the Simpsons characters into what we'd call a sort of chibi kind of style. They're all cute and adorable in the best way.”

Drake adds, “Previous collaborations have adapted, sort of like, the vibe and dressing of those characters, hairstyles, outfits on top of the Monopoly form factor, which is itself, not a one-to-one human shape and rig. And I think with The Simpsons, well, we could have gone that direction, sort of like, what is the cosplay version of Monopoly doing The Simpsons? But even those early explorations, no, I mean, these characters stand out as so iconic. I think the question is best, how can we adapt that really well- known and beloved look and feel character style to something that is on model and on form factor for Monopoly Go? And I think that it's a huge testament to the Scopely artists that they found that really quickly.”

The Monopoly Go! Simpsons crossover event runs from Wednesday, June 3 through Wednesday, July 29.

For more The Simpsons fun, check out IGN’s picks for the top 36 Simpsons episodes.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

As Fortnite's latest season wraps up, its community isn't focused on whether The Ice King or the Foundation will win its current conflict. Instead, its players are warring online over a collaboration with a controversial streamer in the battle royale game's next season — as revealed in a new piece of artwork.

An image that looks to show the Fortnite startup screen for Chapter 7: Season 3 has revealed an in-game creature seemingly inspired by TheBurntPeanut, a streamer accused of using homophobic language online.

Initial reaction to TheBurntPeanut apparently being a part of Fortnite's next season was strongly negative among fans, with links to clips of him allegedly using the F-slur, and laughing at a fellow player who appears to begin saying the N-word.

"I just don't understand man, it's really not that hard to do background checks, Epic Games is literally allergic to them for no reason," wrote Blortzen, a prominent Fortnite fan on X/Twitter. Other players pointed to the unfortunate timing of the reveal, at the beginning of a month associated with Pride.

Amid some initial confusion over who the character was meant to be inspired by, Fortnite's senior director "EpicTofu" Chris confirmed it was indeed designed to be a TheBurntPeanut collaboration — something that then prompted hundreds of negative responses to his post.

Fortnite has long struggled to fully engage with its enormous online fandom, though Chris and other developers have in recent months attempted to be more communicative with players via social media — even if this typically prompts a never-ending list of demands from the game's particularly vocal fanbase whenever they post.

Hours after confirming TheBurntPeanut's collaboration, an alleged screenshot then surfaced from a private group chat where an account that appears to be Chris stated that they were now planning to take a break from communication, as the online toxicity had begun impacting his personal life.

This then led to a backlash towards the initial backlash, with fans calling out some of the language directed at Chris, who had appeared to be unaware of the streamer's past.

"You guys bullied one of the people who brought STRONG communication to this game all because you have no brain power to realize he is not responsible for every single little thing added to this game," Blortzen wrote in a later post. "Genuinely pathetic behaviour from all of you who harassed him."

"So many devs were active on here ever since this chapter dropped, showing genuine excitement for upcoming seasons, the Ice King & Foundation rivalry, the Community Day, and they even played Fortnite with the community," agreed high profile Fortnite leaker Shiina. "But it only takes 1(!) collab that the usual negativity spreaders do not like for them to harass the devs to the point where they no longer feel comfortable spending their time on this platform... disappointed but honestly not even surprised. I don't need this collab either, but it would never cross my mind to harass the developers because of this."

Chapter 7: Season 3 is scheduled to kick off this Saturday, June 6 following a climactic live event the day before. This event will see the conflict between Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Foundation and the Ice King reach its conclusion, with players' experiences in the showdown set to differ depending which side they picked this season. Fortnite will then return online following downtime with its next season, named Runners, which will see the return of creatures that look to be new versions of the game's previous Sprites. These critters could be found across the battle royale Island and offered power-ups or special abilities, and could be carried around — the suggestion is that the game's new TheBurntPeanut variant, one of many additional varities, will act in the same way.

IGN has contacted Epic Games for comment, and will update if we hear back.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

IGN Live is coming up on June 6–7, and it’s going to be full of announcements, interviews, in-person events, and more from across the gaming industry. And one of the featured games will be Bellwright, a medieval survival game and base builder from developer Donkey Crew and publisher Snail Games.

It’s sold more than 1 million copies in Steam Early Access and is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Donkey Crew studio lead Florian Hofreither and lead gameplay developer Sergii Greben will be on stage with us on June 6 to discuss Bellwright’s gameplay, central narrative, multiplayer, and their plans for the future.

You’ll be able to watch that interview online or in person, but attendees at IGN Live can test their mettle with a Bellwright-themed axe throwing booth. That's right, you'll be able to step back into medieval times and see how well you can hurl the hero's weapon of choice, the trusty axe. And fear not for the safety of the serfs! It's completely safe.

Don’t miss out on this content and a lot more during IGN Live on June 6–7 and all summer long during our Summer of Gaming.

Developer IO Interactive's 007 First Light reportedly had a budget of more than $200 million and took seven years to make.

Behind-the-scenes details on the Denmark-based studio's latest were shared in a report by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. According to the outlet, the James Bond video game was especially expensive to bring to life at 1.3 billion Danish krone (a little more than USD $202 million) to develop.

According to reporting from Denmark's TV 2, that makes 007 First Light the most expensive entertainment product in the country's history. IO had no comment to share regarding its reported budget when contacted by IGN.

It's worth putting that $200 million figure into context. Most of the triple-A video game budgets that make headlines do so for being in the hundreds of millions of dollars range. Bungie's recently released extraction shooter Marathon reportedly had a budget of over $250 million, for example. Concord's initial development deal was around $200 million, according to a report by Kotaku. In 2023, documents submitted as part of the Xbox Federal Trade Commission case accidentally revealed The Last of Us: Part II and Horizon Forbidden West each cost more than $200 million to develop. So, in that context, 007's $200 million seems par for the course.

Some games have astronomical budgets much bigger than 007's. For example, last year the development budgets of the Call of Duty games were revealed for the first time after a court document confirmed Activision pumped $700 million into Black Ops Cold War alone, although that was over the shooter's life cycle. At the top of the tree is GTA 6, which may well be the most expensive video game ever made; parent company Take-Two is estimated to have spent $1 billion to $1.5 billion so far on its development.

As for IO's development timeline for the new James Bond game, we already know the project was officially unveiled back in late 2020. If the Danish Broadcasting Corporation's reporting is accurate, it would mean the Hitman studio had entered some form of development on the project around one year before its reveal.

IO launched 007 First Light for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S last week, May 27. It's unclear exactly what numbers the studio would need to hit to recoup its costs or how that reported $200 million budget breaks down, but we do know that it's already off to a strong start.

On May 29, just two days after its launch, IO announced the game had already managed to become its fastest-selling game ever at 1.5 million copies sold in just 24 hours. According to Alinea Analytics head of market analysis Rhys Elliot, Valve's Steam platform accounted for 500,000 copies from that number, generating about $25 million in revenue alone.

The success of 007 First Light all arrives without the help of a Nintendo Switch 2 version, which is expected to arrive later this summer. Should IO's third-person adventure game prove successful enough, it could potentially spawn a sequel, though details on that front have not been officially mentioned quite yet.

IGN called 007 First Light "amazing" in our 9/10 review. We said, "Demonstrably obsessed with bringing the Bond fantasy to life in a way no one has ever managed before, 007 First Light is the best Bond game I’ve ever played."

Our 007 First Light Guide has all the Essential Tips and Tricks you need to survive your first assignments, plus 6 Tips for Mastering Stealth so you can stay out of sight. There are plenty of achievements to unlock and collectibles to get your hands on, so check our guide to All Collectible Locations to make sure you don’t miss out. For a helping hand with your missions, head to our in-progress Walkthrough, and our guide to all the Safe Combinations and Keypad Codes.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He'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).

Pokémon has announced an eye-catching all-holo set of trading cards to celebrate the TCG's 30th anniversary, featuring the return of classics such as Base Set Charizard, plus Mew and Mewtwo ex cards, and 30 new illustrations featuring Pikachu.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game: 30th Celebration expansion will launch simultaneously worldwide on September 16, so start saving up your Pokécoins now, and pray to Arceus your local supplier manages to get enough stock.

In an unprecedented move, all of the set's cards will be foil cards. Each booster pack will contain five foil cards and one foil basic energy. It's currently unknown how many cards the full set will contain.

A trailer today — embedded above — shows off the 30 new Pikachu illustrations set to be available within the set, which look to be spread across at least three individual Pikachu cards. The set will also include a wave of Legendary creatures, including Dialga, Ho-Oh, Xerneas, Miraidon, Lunala, Kyogre, Zacian and Zekrom.

Other fan-favorites such as Sylveon, Greninja, Slowpoke and Meowth are also represented, with a mix of all-new and some classic cards: such as the ever-popular Base Set Charizard.

"Fans can discover 30 classic Pokémon cards from across the game’s decades-long history that are making a return in 30th Celebration. Each of these classic cards will feature a stunning foil treatment," The Pokémon Company said in a statement, noting that the set also introduced a new card rarity.

"In 30th Celebration, fans can look forward to discovering an all-new card rarity, Futuristic rare, which will feature vibrant new visuals illustrated by the renowned Japanese artist YOSHIROTTEN. Each Futuristic rare card will depict Pokémon in striking artwork evocative of hope toward an unknown future."

Last week, The Pokémon Company revealed it had manufactured more than 10 billion Pokémon trading cards last year alone, and has now produced a staggering total of 85 billion cards to date. That's despite new card releases being constantly scuppered by scalping, in-store squabbles and constant sell-outs.

The huge popularity of Pokémon cards has led to a never-ending spate of thefts, with dozens of instances where trading card stores were broken into reported across the U.S. alone. The 30th Celebration set looks like another sure-fire hit — if you can find stock of it.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

An official Baldur’s Gate 2 remake is reportedly in the works at Wizards of the Coast.

PC Gamer reported that it is likely that BioWare’s Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 will both get remakes ahead of the release of Baldur’s Gate 4. The publication said former BioWare developer and Baldur's Gate 2 co-lead designer Kevin Martens is working on the remake. There’s the suggestion both remakes will launch together.

Wizards of the Coast parent company Hasbro told IGN: "We do not comment on speculation or rumor."

The big question here, assuming the report is true, revolves around the scope of the remakes. It seems unlikely we’ll be getting Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 remade in the Baldur’s Gate 3 style, given how long it would take to convert the thousands of hours of content both games offer combined into something in-keeping with Larian’s role-playing masterpiece.

Perhaps Hasbro views remakes as a stop-gap between the phenomenally successful Baldur’s Gate 3 and the inevitable sequel, which has astronomical fan expectation to navigate. With Larian leaving Baldur’s Gate and indeed Dungeons & Dragons behind to make the next Divinity game, there are big shoes to fill — perhaps the biggest in video games.

Baldur’s Gate was BioWare’s second game, releasing on PC in 1998 and published by Interplay. It did well enough to spawn a sequel, 2000’s Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, which like its predecessor took place in the Forgotten Realms. Both original games use an isometric perspective and pausable real-time gameplay, with the player controlling up to six characters. Could the remakes follow Baldur’s Gate 3’s lead and go for fully turn-based combat? Or maybe a hybrid system is in order.

There’s plenty going on in the world of Baldur’s Gate, despite the long wait for a sequel. There’s a Baldur’s Gate 3 HBO TV show in the works, one that will continue the story from the game — much to the surprise of fans. There’s even a prequel novel depicting Astarion’s time in servitude to the Vampire Lord Cazador Szarr, an official Baldur’s Gate 3 cookbook, and a coloring book.

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.

As big budget video game development gets more costly, including TV and movie-style product placement could help make up the shortfall, BioWare's former Dragon Age boss Mark Darrah has said.

In a lengthy video discussing the future of video game monetization, Darrah noted the rise of AAA games including live-service elements to ensure owners kept playing — and paying — long after release.

Many video games rely on post-launch content or live-service elements to ensure projects earn back the huge sums of money spent developing them in the first place, with big budget games now regularly costing hundreds of millions to make. But not every game can succeed with these models, Darrah said, meaning that there needed to be other ways for developers to pay the bills.

"My understanding is the live-action Smurfs movie paid for itself entirely through product placement," Darrah said, "so the movie was effectively made for zero dollars simply through the sale of product placement. Contrast that with the way that games make money."

The existence of subscription programs such as Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus was not a cure-all either, he continued, noting that "a lot of games make very little [money]" from being included, and suggesting that these offerings risked encouraging "degenerative design in order to try to juice the numbers."

"The over-reliance on microtransactions is overemphasizing certain genres and stopping others from flourishing," Darrah noted. "Everything can't be a live-service, which is something I hope we've proven pretty definitively over the past year and a half, and if monetization is coming predominantly from live-services, we run the risk of living in a world where there are no AAA games that aren't live-services. And I don't think that's a world that any of us want to live in."

Sony has pulled back significantly on its previous live-action service game plans, partly due to the failure of last year's Concord, but even prior to that when it scrapped online The Last of Us and Twisted Metal games. Meanwhile, Xbox cancelled an unannounced MMO from ZeniMax Online Studios, the maker of The Elder Scrolls Online.

"So, is there an opportunity for games to take a step back and think about different ways that we could make money? I think there is," Darrah concluded. "Product placement is a very small part of video games right now compared to movies and television. Maybe it could be a larger part of development. Maybe there are relationships there to be formed."

Darrah served as executive producer on every major Dragon Age game at BioWare over a career lasting nearly two decades. Previously, he's discussed how the poorly-received Dragon Age: The Veilguard began life as a live-service game before being rebooted — even if some elements from this version of the project remained. Ironically, The Veilguard's commercial failure prompted publisher EA to suggest it might have fared better if it had featured online, shared-world features after all — something that fans of the franchise vehemently disagreed with.

Still, it's hard to imagine The Veilguard being saved with product placement — or suggest what could have been included as possible options. Maybe Rook could have called in the guy on the horse from the Old Spice adverts for the final battle? Or chugged down on a refreshing Mountain Dew-flavoured Fereldan ale as a power up? Or dressed in beskar battle armor to help promote The Mandalorian and Grogu? Maybe a live-service Dragon Age wouldn't have been so bad after all.

Darrah has now left BioWare, but the studio continues on — solely focused on making a fresh Mass Effect game, which still lacks a release date.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Games Workshop just threw a grenade at the Warhammer 40,000 community with a stunning cinematic that shows the Emperor of the Imperium sitting on the Golden Throne — the first official look at the Master of Mankind in the current setting for years.

The Warhammer 40,000 setting is built upon a galaxy-shaking civil war that took place 10,000 years earlier, called the Horus Heresy. It ended with the Emperor finally defeating his Chaos-fueled Primarch son, Horus Lupercal, and save the Imperium of Man from destruction, but at a terrible cost: the near-death Master of Mankind was interred upon the Golden Throne as a carrion Emperor sustained by the daily sacrifice of thousands of psykers.

The iconic art of the God-Emperor by John Blanche, below, is seared into every Warhammer 40,000 lore fan’s mind. This is how the Emperor looks in the 41st millennium: grim, dark, and barely there at all.

But is this actually how the Emperor looks? We rarely see official art of the Emperor in the current setting from Games Workshop, and he’s never been depicted in an official cinematic before. Well, over the weekend, in a new trailer confirming a June 20, 2026 release date for the 11th Edition of Warhammer 40,000, that all changed.

The stunning new Warhammer 40,000 cinematic sets up the grim darkness of the far future, depicting a pilgrim’s journey from Golden Throne on Terra (called Earth in the trailer) to inevitable death on some war-torn battlefield. Throughout, we see the Emperor actually sat on the Golden Throne in various forms, or, perhaps more accurately, three faces of the Emperor: the Emperor in all his glory, the Emperor being sucked dry as he sustains Humanity even now, and the Emperor as little more than a skeleton.

These brief looks at the Emperor flash on screen, so it’s hard to make them out initially. I went through the trailer frame by frame and picked out the best shots of the Big E so you can see him for yourself in the slideshow, below.

We see the Emperor riddled with wires that resemble intestines, as a husk of a man with mere shreds of humanity left. One image shows the Emperor with flesh on his face, teeth in his skill, and an eyeball that appears to be looking directly at us, the viewer. He almost… almost… looks alive.

It’s important to note that, with pretty much everything Warhammer 40,000, there is an unreliable narrator element to this cinematic. While these are official images of the Emperor, are we simply seeing what the Emperor wants us to see? Are we seeing manifestations of the Emperor’s will? Are we even seeing the Emperor here at all? Is it all just propaganda?

In Era of Ruin, a Horus Heresy book released last year, it is suggested that the image of the God-Emperor we see in John Blanche’s art and, ergo, the images of the Carrion Emperor we see in this cinematic, are misleading. Some fans believe the book describes a very early piece of Warhammer 40,000 art found within the 1987 Rogue Trader rulebook (the 1st Edition of the Warhammer 40,000 core rulebook), which shows the Emperor in a different light, complete with blood bag, mist, wires that resemble intestines, and Custodes with black helms. That is to say, the actual Emperor is hidden behind the Emperor we see sat on what we think of as the Golden Throne, and he looks like this:

An accompanying post on the Warhammer Community website reaffirms the idea that the Emperor is everything and nothing all at once.

“The exact health and fate of the Emperor by the 41st Millennium is both vague and hotly debated,” Games Workshop said. “Is he alive? A god? Or just a rotting corpse on a throne acting as the bulb for a glorified psychic lighthouse? The trailer artfully skirts this problem by showing all of these possibilities. You’ll just have to decide for yourself.”

There have been rumblings about the Emperor being “alive,” at least in a metaphysical sense, in the current setting, based on various events that have happened either in novels or tabletop books. For example, Ultramaines boss Roboute Guilliman was saved from certain death at the hands of his Primarch brother Mortarion, the Daemon Primarch of the Death Guard Chaos Space Marines, by what most consider to be an intervention from the Emperor himself. Some fans believe Games Workshop might be setting up the Emperor’s dramatic return, however unlikely that feels.

Personally, I don’t think this cinematic is anything other than a spectacular teaser for 11th Edition, and a primer for the Warhammer 40,000 setting itself. I don’t think it suggests anything further, and certainly not the return of the Emperor. In many ways it muddies the waters further. The precise status of the Emperor is one of the biggest and most discussed ongoing mysteries in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and this cinematic is smart in that is doubles down on the idea that this mysery can never be unraveled, as if the Emperor's true status is unknowable. I quite like it like that.

And let’s remember that Games Workshop hasn’t even got round to Roboute Guilliman and his loyalist Primarch brother Lion El'Jonson finally meeting up after the latter returned to the current setting. One step at a time, eh?

Still, the cinematic has certainly got Warhammer 40,000 lore fans talking, and there is much debate about what the images may signify, not just of the Emperor but across the cinematic. From that perspective, it’s mission accomplished.

Image credit: Games Workshop.

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.

Factorio is set for its last major update soon, developer Wube Software has announced in a blog post.

The influential strategy game about building and creating automated factories launched on Steam in early access form in February 2016, before launching proper in August 2020. It is a huge hit for Wube, one of those eternal Steam games with addictive gameplay mechanics, complex systems, and near infinite replayability. Factorio, which has seen superb support over the years, is credited with popularising the factory-building and automation genre on PC, and retains an ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ user review rating on Valve’s platform.

"I can’t imagine how different Steam gaming landscape would have been if there was no Factorio," John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Palworld developer Pocketpair, said in a post on social media. "Thank you for making an incredible game!"

Managing expectations on the scope of the 2.1 update, Wube said: “Generally, we are happy with the game design of Factorio and Space age. The progression is good, things are mostly well balanced (one or two exceptions), and there isn't anything we feel is majorly missing. That is to say, we didn't go into 2.1 development with grand designs of large new pieces of content or huge features.”

To that end, the 2.1 update will focus on quality-of-life improvements, add some “small” features, polish the game in some areas, and makes improvements to modding. It will not add new planets, enemies, or research trees or resource chains.

Wube will spend the next few weeks in closed beta testing, with an experimental 2.1 release set for the end of June. “Once released, we will have the usual bugfixing, before our summer vacations start in July,” the developer added. “Importantly, we plan to keep 2.1 as experimental over the whole summer (I.E, not mark it stable), so that mod authors will have plenty of time to update.”

Long-term, though, 2.1 signals the end of major updates for Factorio.

“We envision 2.1 as our last major update of Factorio, and we will shift the focus onto long term support,” Wube explained. “So things like bug fixes, platform support/compatibility, modding features, etc. Other than that we feel we've reached a good place to conclude the active gameplay development.”

So, an end of an era for Factorio, but Wube is already working on other projects. Just don’t expect to hear about them for a while (“honestly there will not be anything to share for a long time”).

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.

Kohei 'Nakatsu' Ikeda, game director on Tekken 7 and 8, has left Bandai Namco after 20 years at the company.

His exit comes hot on the heels of Tekken legend Katsuhiro Harada’s exit to form a new video game company.

“There were joyful moments, and many difficult ones as well,” Ikeda said in a farewell message posted on social media. “There were times when we celebrated together, and times when I received passionate criticism and encouragement. Yet every one of those moments helped push both myself and the Tekken Project forward.”

Ikeda didn’t say what he plans to do next, but most fans are speculating that he is set to rejoin Harada at his new venture, VS Studio, which has partnered with SNK Corporation.

The Tekken community is now left wondering what’s in store for the fighting game franchise. Just last week Bandai Namco delighted fans by announcing Yujiro Hanma from the Baki manga and anime franchise as the guest character of the Tekken 8 Season 3 Pass, which ends early 2027 with his arrival. But with both Harada and now Ikeda out of Bandai Namco, will fans get a Tekken 9? If so, what might it look like?

Certainly, Tekken fans have had a rough relationship with Bandai Namco in recent years, criticising various aspects of the game and balance changes. Harada has spoken publicly about his difficult relationship with both the Tekken franchise and Bandai Namco, stepping in multiple times on social media to respond to fan concern, including the time he addressed a row over the sale of premium stage DLC.

“Makes me worried about the fate of Tekken 9,” said one concerned fan, responding to Ikeda’s departure. “The franchise might have to take a bit of a break after this game,” another suggested. “This game has definitely been a nightmare for developers AND players.”

Bandai Namco itself has yet to say what’s in store for Tekken beyond Tekken 8 Season 3.

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.

Want some codes for extra cash to spend on animations, styles, emotes, and more in Azure Latch? We've got you covered. In this article, you'll find all the currently working codes for the game, so be quick to redeem them and bag that cash.

Working Azure Latch Codes (June 2026)

• DOUBLEASSASSINS - 15,000 Currency (NEW!)
• SORRYFORDELAYAGAIN - 15,000 Currency (NEW)!
• HAPPYMOTHERSDAY - Rewards
• SOCCERISTHISSERIOUSBTW - Rewards
• CLUBTOGETHER - Rewards
• BLACKWIND - Rewards
• SAFETYFIRST - Rewards
• CHEMSOON - Rewards
• QUIET - Rewards
• BROTHERNOAH - Rewards
• MYANIMEFANSMAN - Rewards
• SORRYFORDELAY - Rewards
• KIYORAUPDATE - Rewards

All Expired Azure Latch Codes

These codes have now expired:

• sorryfortheshutdown
• almostkuronatime
• waiterwaitermorenelisagichanges
• happylatehalloween2025
• merrychristmas2025nov
• MoreOnionRings
• 11v11Comeback
• RankedRelease
• Oops
• SleepingGenius
• GimmeOnionRings
• 11v11Preparation
• RightOnTheMoney
• ChemicalReaction
• Sorry4RandomShutdownAgain
• JumpAllMyCells
• PartTwoOfTwo
• StillHalfBaked
• NoMorePest
• MASTERYQUEST
• MetaGenius!
• TheGeniusOfAdaptability
• KunigamiRework!
• ThankYouForBeingPatient
• RevivalPatch
• sorry4rollback
• CompensationForTheShutdown
• ThankYouForStayingWithUs
• WeAppreciateYouAll
• SorryForTheBugs
• YukimiyaUpdate
• SorryForInconvenience
• WeeklyUpdate
• ThanksForBeingPatient
• FollowDastOnRoblox
• 100kInterested
• SorryForLongWait
• ChigiriUpdate
• FollowDCJToo
• FollowVoaj77
• TheMonster
• GAGAMARUPUNCH
• QOLbroQOL
• TheKing
• AMMISTHEOWNERNOTLEFTRIGHTTH
• DelayLatch
• Jakethesnake
• THXFORFOLLOWERS
• ACEEATER
• THXFOR2M
• RINRELEASE
• sorryfordelay
• RINSOONTRUSTME
• sorryforlatency
• SAEREWORK3TIME
• SorryForRollback

How to Redeem Azure Latch Codes

1. Before you can use Azure Latch codes, you'll need to be a part of the community, so load up Roblox and join the twi game group
2. Then jump into Azure Latch and find the Menu button at the bottom of the screen
3. In the Menu options, go to the far right tab to find Rewards
4. Enter the code and press Redeem to get that cash!

Why Isn't My Azure Latch Code Working?

Codes are often case-sensitive, so to avoid any errors, we'd recommend copying the codes directly from this article into the redemption bar in Azure Latch. We test them all before we upload them here to make sure they're valid for you.

If you have copied them from here, and they're still not working, it could be one of two things. You may have accidentally copied over an extra space, so be sure to check for that first. The other option is the code may have just expired.

How to Get More Azure Latch Codes

We check for codes daily, so you can visit this article to see when new Azure Latch codes are released. There's also a dedicated Discord Server, that you can visit to look for code announcements yourself.

What is Azure Latch in Roblox?

Whether you're a fan of anime or sports games, Azure Latch is likely to be a game you'll want to check out. The 5v5 football game is another Roblox experience that takes inspiration from the popular manga and anime series Blue Lock. For this one, however, you'll get super abilities that you can use to make those tackles, passes, and goal attempts a bit more exciting.

Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.

Ubisoft seems to have another leak problem, as what appears to be a remastered version of Rayman Origins has appeared on the Xbox Store – and it's only $2,000.

Nintendo Everything caught and shared a Microsoft listing for an unannounced game called Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition before it was pulled offline yesterday. Along with a few screenshots, the page revealed the promise of 4K resolution, 60fps, and modern enhancements.

Although there may be some fans willing to pay the $1,999 for Ubisoft's classic platformer, the price tag is almost certainly an error or placeholder number. Considering the page has been taken down, we'll probably see a corrected price when an official announcement eventually arrives.

Rayman Origins brought the floating mascot back to the world 2D gameplay when it launched in 2011 for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Although PC, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo 3DS versions rolled out in the years that followed, the title has remained a bit stuck when it comes to its presence on consoles.

Elsewhere in the leaked description for Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition is the mention of "60 hidden Relics," which were previously only available on the Vita version of the game. Potential platforms remain a mystery, but should Ubisoft announce Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition, there's a good chance players with modern hardware will get to relive the classic 15 years after its original release.

The Rayman Origins leak follows another slip-up for the character from that saw first details about the unannounced Rayman Legends Retold tumble onto the internet earlier this week. This title is said to be a remake of Ubisoft's 2013 video game and is expected to launch this October.

For now, we do not know how the publisher plans to address Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition or when it may release. With events like Summer Game Fest just around the corner and more leaks popping up every day, we can only hope to hear an update soon. In the meantime, you can read IGN's original 9.5/10 Rayman Origins review. You can also read about the Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition that may have leaked in January.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He'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).

The Stop Killing Games movement has reached yet another major milestone after a bill protecting games from being pulled offline passed a California State Assembly vote.

As announced in a video posted by California State Assembly Member Chris Ward on the Stop Killing Games YouTube channel, bill AB-1921, also known as the Protect Our Games Act, has officially passed with a vote of 43-16. A campaign volunteer shared the news in a Reddit post, confirming that it passed with "strong Democratic support and two Republican yes votes," with opposing votes breaking down with one Democrat and 15 Republican votes.

It marks an important moment for Stop Killing Games, which has backed the bill as part of its ongoing fight for video game preservation.

"It's over in the state senate now, and we're going to be able to debate that in committee in the month of June," Ward said. "The idea came to be from a constituent in San Diego who is tired of seeing their game shut down after recent purchases. So, if you live in California, be sure to contact your state senator and tell them as a gamer or developer why you care and this matters to you. We're fighting for your consumer protection and making sure that you have a full right and enjoyment to these games."

As detailed by Stop Killing Games, the bill AB-1921 would require game companies to provide 60 days' notice before shutting down support for server-dependent games and then either offer a method for owners to play affected games afterwards or provide refunds. The former could be achieved through community servers or offline access of some kind.

These ideas are nothing new for Stop Killing Games. YouTuber Ross Scott began the consumer movement in April 2024 in the wake of the news that Ubisoft would delist and pull its open-world racing game, The Crew, offline, leaving owners without access. The goal of the movement is to keep games, good and bad, alive in an industry that has signaled a trend toward keeping players from accessing experiences. Recent examples include Concord, Anthem, and Highguard.

Stop Killing Games' European Citizens' initiative reached 1 million unverified signatures back in July 2025 and went on to secure 1.3 million signatures in January of this year. European politicians debated its goals for game preservation earlier this month and expected to deliver a reply in the coming weeks.

As explained by Ward, there is much work to be done before Stop Killing Games achieves its goal to keep games running after a publisher tries to pull the plug. Meanwhile, Sony recently announced it would delist and shut down PlayStation 5 title Destruction AllStars. Publisher 2K announced it would delist and shut down online functionality for Lego 2K Drive a few weeks ago.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He'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).

Mojang Studios showed up for its Minecraft Live May 2026 presentation with reveals for A Minecraft Movie 2, Minecraft Dungeons 2, and more, and we were there to gather all of the highlights.

Despite the game developer originally selling today’s showcase as a “bonus” event following its March showcase, today’s TwitchCon came with more than a few surprises for attendees and those at home. While sneak peeks for upcoming base game drops and a new look at Minecraft Dungeons 2 were expected, the biggest reveal arrived in the form of a behind-the-scenes look at A Minecraft Movie 2, which is now officially called A Minecraft Movie Squared.

There was more to go over for Mojang than it originally teased. If you missed it, you can check out everything announced at the Minecraft Live May 2026 show below.

Chaos Cubed is Coming June 16

Mojang kicked off its Minecraft Live May 2026 show to talk about its next base game drop, Chaos Cubed, which now has a June 16 release date. This is the update that focuses on Sulfur and all that it changes for players who love to craft, fight off mobs, and everything in between. Today, we got a sneak peek at how physics will change forever when Chaos Cubed launches for Minecraft in a few weeks.

Speedrun Worlds Launch for Minecraft Bedrock Edition

Tubbo and MCSR Ranked have brought speedrunning to the world of Minecraft Bedrock Edition with the launch of two new worlds. The free Speedrun Practice World offers tutorials, time trials, and medals for players looking to flesh out their parkour skills. Those who have already sharpened their skills are encouraged to check out the standard Speedrun World. Both worlds can be accessed via the Minecraft Marketplace.

Mojang Reveals First Look at New Minecraft Dungeons 2 Mob

Mojang isn’t ready to reveal too much about Minecraft Dungeons 2, yet, with today’s show mostly serving to give players just a glimpse at its new story with concept art. With this new tale comes the Twisted Warden, a new mob for the Minecraft world that looks to present a scarier threat for fans of the dungeon crawler.

Lego Continues Its Minecraft Partnership

Lego and Minecraft have been working together for some time now, but it sounds like the two creativity-based entities still have more plans up their sleeves. A new add-on, called Lego Minecraft Chicken Mounts, turns chickens into ridable mounts that can be customized with special abilities and looks.

First Look at A Minecraft Movie 2 With Official Title Reveal

Minecraft Live 2026 took a trip over to the set of A Minecraft Movie 2 to talk to the cast - and reveal its official title. Mojang’s sequel will officially be called A Minecraft Movie Squared.

Returning actors Jack Black (Steve), Jason Momoa (Garrett), and Danielle Brooks (Dawn), as well as new star Kirsten Dunst (Alex), all showed up to reveal the title of the new movie. Matt Berry was also confirmed to return, though his part in the video suggested he may play a new role. Although shots of the set offered little for fans to pick apart, the title confirmation should help with the wait for its July 23, 2027, release date.

More Minecraft Drops in 2026

With Chaos Cubed now set with its June release date, Mojang is ready to tease what’s next. Today’s Minecraft Live showcase came with a tease for the next drop set to launch in fall 2026. Players were told to expect an update that focuses on exploration, adventure, and social interactions with friends, with the developers teasing the new rust-toned dappled forest biome, too.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He'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).

Developers at Activision and Infinity Ward have told fans to "keep the receipts" after promising to remain grounded regarding cosmetics in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.

Confirmation to stay "grounded and transparent" when it comes to the 2026 Call of Duty installment originally arrived in the form of an X/Twitter post that arrived in the aftermath of the game's grand reveal earlier this week. It followed years of pleas from players hoping to see the long-running shooter stray from goofy skins and collaborations that don't fall in line with its usual gritty aesthetic.

"Every aspect of Modern Warfare 4 is anchored in the game's narrative," Infinity Ward's first post said. "Every feature, every decision needs to feel authentic to what Modern Warfare is, and that includes cosmetics and collabs. We're committed to keeping it grounded and transparent, and we want to hear from you on what you'd like to see in our game."

As Fortnite has thrived with out-there collaborations through the years, games like Call of Duty have followed suit. The Activision first-person shooter has been known to dip its toes into the realm of collaborations with celebrities in the past, but it wasn't until its infamous Nicki Minaj crossover with Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone that fans started to turn against the strategy.

The years since have seen the publisher double down on similar cosmetic packs, with some of the more notable releases including a shark skin bundle, a Seth Rogen skin, and a Dave Chappelle pack, for better or worse. Even as Black Ops 6 went on to launch with Nuketown mannequin skins in late 2025, the developers behind Black Ops 7 said they would be monitoring feedback on goofy skins going forward. While there has been some debate around whether all skins – including the goofy ones – should carry forward to future Call of Duty releases, Infinity Ward is telling players they have nothing to worry about when it comes to Modern Warfare 4.

After one fan replied to the studio's post promising to "throw it at their faces" in anticipation of plans to walk back its stance, the official Call of Duty Studio Community Teams account made a promise.

"No Lady Gaga. No Omni-Man. No Teletubbies. No SpongeBob. Keep the receipts," it said.

After years of cries from fans, this seems to be the most definitive stance the Call of Duty team has ever taken. Not all players are convinced we won't see collaborations start to creep their way into Modern Warfare 4 by the time it launches later this year, but for now, they can at least rest easy with receipts to pull out if they do.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has an October 23, 2026, release date for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S. For more, you can check out our multiplayer first impressions, and you can see what the team had to say about its approach to skill-based matchmaking.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He'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).

If there was ever a consensus on Assassin’s Creed it’s this: Black Flag is the best one. It just is. Who doesn’t love swashing their buckle as a Caribbean pirate? This specific setting is key to the game’s mass appeal, one that allowed it to break containment from franchise fans and win over legions of filthy casuals determined to enjoy it as a straight up piracy simulator while begrudgingly sitting through all that dreary Templars and Assassins stuff. The ingrates.

Checkers pieces on the table: I love Assassin’s Creed religiously. Even the crap ones. And so while I’m excited about getting a new and updated version of a game so close to my heart, I’m almost nervous to even acknowledge it’s happening. It’s a daunting task to remake something so beloved, and by Ubisoft’s admission Black Flag hasn’t survived its 2026 modernisation without some pretty glaring alterations. So, based on everything we know from the recent showcase, the Reddit AMA and IGN’s own hands-on preview, here’s a bunch of stuff I’m excited about… and a few things I’m dreading like Queen Anne’s Revenge on the horizon.

Good: New Quests

You can never have too much of a good thing, right? The prospect of more Black Flag is a big draw here, with a slew of brand-spanking new quest content integrated into the original story that looks to be substantial and transformative. This isn’t an afterthought: these new sequences necessitated the return of Edward Kenway’s original actor Matt Ryan for voice and mocap duties. And frankly, any excuse to spend more time with the lovable Welsh rogue is a blessing.

The freshest of these new quests are tied to Resynced’s three original companion characters: Lucy Baldwin, “The Padre”, and Dead Man Smith, all of whom will provide certain buffs and bonuses during naval combat.

Which brings us to:

Good: More Jackdaw Upgrades

Kenway’s ride, The Jackdaw, is arguably the most important part of Black Flag. It is, after all, where you spend most of your time.

And so it’s good to see this iconic ship getting a lot of love in the remake. Not only does it look absolutely stunning with its new retina-searing textures and rigging, but its various upgrade paths have been expanded so you can spend more hours on one of Black Flag’s most compelling pastimes: putting in the work to make your ship the unsinkable, dirty-fighting beast that she’s supposed to be, ready to take on the Caribbean’s legendary boss-level ships which are confirmed to be present in the remake.

Also, you can have a cat now. Life is better with a cat.

Bad: An Incomplete Package

All this talk of a bigger ensemble with more and expanded stories to tell makes the omission of Black Flag’s original DLC expansion seem all the more glaring. Freedom Cry is a substantial six-hour spin-off that documents the further adventures of Kenway’s first mate Adéwalé, now a pirate captain in his own right, and his determination to end the slave trade in and around Haiti. It came with a new city to explore, Port-au-Prince, and though it released to mixed reviews it is an important part of the Colonial Brotherhood’s story and coda to the events of Black Flag.

The rationale given by Ubisoft is that they wanted to focus the remake entirely on Edward Kenway’s story, but the cynic in me (and probably you) fully expects Freedom Cry Resynced to pop up as paid DLC down the road. Even if it doesn’t, it means the only way to get the complete Black Flag experience is to own the original with DLC or buy Freedom Cry in its standalone form, adding another twelve quid to the cost of the total package.

Personally, I think this is bad form: there is an expectation with huge precedent in our industry that remasters, remakes, repackaged releases, GOTY editions, etcetera, tend to include single-player DLCs and expansions as an integrated part of the deal. Breaking from this convention for whatever reason rightfully invites criticism.

Good: Seamless Caribbean

Everyone hates loading screens, so it’s welcome news that Black Flag Resynced has been engineered to get rid of them, promising a seamless experience when transitioning from the vast open world into the intricately detailed cities and settlements where Black Flag becomes a traditional Assassin’s Creed of urban parkour and streetwise sneaking.

This also implies that all the land masses here might be fully explorable, as with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s expansive Aegean map where, for the most part, no piece of land is off limits for exploration. This stands in contrast with the original Black Flag, which was full of carefully cordoned-off areas that you could see but not touch.

Good: Faithful Art Direction

Hopefully we will be able to see more of the Caribbean because, from what we’ve seen so far, it is heartbreakingly gorgeous: a crisp and vibrant presentation that expertly updates Black Flag’s appearance without compromising the original’s look and feel. This is hugely important, because remakes and remasters in general have a reputation for tossing artistic intent out of the porthole in the pursuit of lighting and texture work that merely looks a bit more modern at a glance, or in some egregious cases, just plain looks worse than the original. Ubisoft themselves are repeat offenders in this regard.

All the best video game makeovers achieve one crucial thing: they match your memories of the original. Going back and playing an old game, even one that still holds up as well as Black Flag, can be jarring in how lo-fi it looks compared to how you remember it, because we are imperfect beings whose memories are more akin to re-enactments than recordings. Black Flag Resynced is, to my mind, an excellent example of a makeover done well, one that I believe will set a new high bar for this sort of thing going forward.

Bad: An Incomplete Story

Look, I get it: people complain bitterly about the modern day segments of all the Assassin’s Creed games, and Black Flag’s infamous Abstergo sections are often cited as among the worst ones. They’re incongruous first-person segments that mercilessly take you out of Edward Kenway’s story and force you to play a low-level office grunt in some sort of meta self-parody of Ubisoft Montreal itself.

But real ones know that the Abstergo segments are, firstly, a vanishingly small percentage of the total experience, and secondly, vitally important to the plot, and its wider connection to the rest of the Assassin’s Creed saga which is, let’s not forget, about an ideological battle that bestrides the entirely of human history like a four-dimensional Stretch Armstrong.

I won’t spoil the particulars here but quite how the developers plan to plug the big hole this blows in the story is a source of genuine bewilderment, and their vague explanation so far has been the opposite of illuminating.

Don’t get me wrong, of course it’s possible to replace these bits with some other means of narrative delivery, or perhaps relegate them to short cutscenes. The prevailing theory right now is that there’ll be a Final Fantasy 7 Remake style meta-layer to the story that makes it a quasi-sequel as well as a do-over, that we’ll be entering the animus as a yet another observer from even further in the future.

There’s lots of ways to cut out the modern-day element, and some of them might even be clever. But that’s not Black Flag. It’s a fundamental change that glosses over the significance of where Assassin’s Creed 4 sits in the timeline, both in-universe and out. This was the first Assassin’s Creed to take us beyond Desmond’s character arc and into the ongoing ramifications of his sacrifice, as well as exploring the world beyond his narrow perspective.

It’s good that there are no plans to make the original game unavailable, so it’s not like these segments will be lost to time, but I do think that their removal from the remake is a shame and frankly, pandering to a lot of voices that don’t really have much investment in this story in the first place.

Good: Kenway’s Fleet

One of the first questions I had when we first heard about Black Flag Resynced was whether it would still include the Kenway’s Fleet minigame. This moreish autobattler was originally a piece of the game you could take with you in the form of a smartphone app: this sort of interconnected experience was all the rage at the time, so much so that the South Park guys saw fit to mock the trend at E3 once upon a time.

Kenway’s Fleet stands out as a compelling example of smartphone integration that not only farmed out a fun piece of the game you could check in with on the go, but one whose ties to the base game didn’t feel like an afterthought or a silly decree from the c-suite. Building on the Assassin’s Recruits system from the Ezio trilogy, it allowed you to capture ships in the open world and send them on missions outside the Caribbean, as far away as Europe and Africa, to secure in-game resources, upgrade blueprints, and tonnes of cold hard doubloons. It was neat, it made the world beyond the game feel real, and I’m pleased to have it confirmed that it’s in there.

Good: Modernised Gameplay

The old-school AssCreed’s are often criticised for their simplistic combat. For a series ostensibly about sneaking around, it’s remarkably easy to just go around battering everyone. With a generous parry window and enough leeway in the system to let even the most artless button-mashers get through any fight, it’s safe to say that the fighting in Black Flag is one thing that doesn’t really hold up in a FromSoft ascendant world where even the most mainstream gamers crave a legitimate challenge.

So it’s good that Resynced’s combat is based on that of the recent Assassin’s Creed Shadows rather than sticking to the old system, providing for an expanded moveset you can adapt to your own individual style. It’s still going to be a piece of piss, this is Assassin’s Creed after all, but Kenway’s butt-kicking has never looked more fluid or fancy, and given that the combat in the original Black Flag has never been singled out as one of its standout features, this is one area I’m happy to see getting a total gutting.

The stealth mechanics are enjoying a similar overhaul: gone is the weird, unintuitive auto-sneaking that many found jarring in the original. Just like in the recent AssCreed’s, you now have total control over Kenway’s crouching, meaning he can sneak around anywhere, not just in thick vegetation, which opens up a lot more options for dealing with unsuspecting cleanshirts.

Another toggle Resynced gives you total control over is the HUD: yes, all that screen furniture can be flicked on and off at will without having to go into the pause menu, which is hugely welcome in a game as gorgeous as this where you want be able to take in its sheer sun-soaked beauty without having it spoiled by an annoying, mostly pointless quest tracker.

Bad: An Incomplete Challenge

In a crowd-pleasing move, Black Flag Resynced more or less makes it impossible to fail the game’s notorious eavesdropping missions. And while I’m going to be vastly in the minority on this one, it’s a hill I’ll happily die on: this is unnecessary.

Yes, those missions could be annoying. But that’s part of the challenge! Having to keep your wits about you, and use the geometry of the map in order to stay within hearing distance of a target without spooking them, is the entire point.

In a game so lacking in genuine skill challenges it’s sad to see one of its few examples of player friction nerfed so pathetically. Perhaps the margins could have been adjusted to ease the sense of frustration if, for example, you fail because Edward gets unintentionally stuck on a bit of scenery which admittedly does happen. But to remove the challenge altogether and make it possible to just kill your way through, apparently without any wider consequences, is a huge over-correction.

Good: The Possibilities

No amount of quibbling over artistic details and gameplay compromises can change the fact that Black Flag Resynced is a hugely exciting project for fans and newcomers alike. The original game is a great onramp for people unfamiliar with the series and this new version looks to smooth out any bumps in the road for modern audiences, all of this is a good thing for players and the longevity of the Assassin’s Creed Franchise.

As a devoted lover of the original, it’s a bittersweet prospect, but I also believe that there’s no point in remaking these things if you aren’t going to change them by bringing them up to date, continuing their ongoing conversation with their audience and the wider culture they belong to.

But most importantly, I can’t wait to see how they crowbar Kassandra into it.

Rob Minkley, Crux magazine, here to interview Sir Nicholas Webb. Don't mind me as I rifle through your security office cupboards.

John Fisher, museum curator, checking a valuable artefact for damage. Fletcher, operations department, searching for a rogue employee. I'm a lab technician who lost his coat, a tourist who took a wrong turn, a concerned bystander who found this heavily armed man passed out on the floor, the poor sod – and no, that's not the outline of my fist imprinted on the side of his face. Honest.

In 007 First Light, James Bond's superpower is literally bullshit.

Unlike Hitman’s Agent 47, Bond doesn’t need a disguise: with a single button press he blurts a tale so brazen, so blatantly untrue that it bamboozles anyone in earshot, buying you 30 seconds of peace in any restricted area. Stroll to your objective uninterrupted or, as I often do, pick off your enemies under the cloud of confusion.

You can ignore this ability, called a bluff, and make it through the campaign just fine, but you really shouldn't. More than just a silly party trick, it exemplifies the tongue-in-cheek tone of the entire game. This is not Bond the veteran master manipulator, it's a younger, cockier Bond, one who knows he can get away with saying almost anything, no matter how outlandish, so long as he says it with confidence and a smile. You can really feel IO Interactive's writers enjoying themselves: "Wait a second, this isn't my apartment," he says with what is clearly mock confusion in his plum English accent, to a group of heavily armed thugs patrolling ramshackle plasterboard buildings in a makeshift desert city.

But the bluff’s joy is mechanical too. The way First Light handles the resource you need for them – instinct – builds tension, necessitates aggression, and gives every mission a bounding, see-saw pace as you bounce between takedowns and tall tales.

Each bluff consumes three instinct points and you can only hold six, so I often run low. Replenishment could've easily been boring. The chemical and electrical juice powering Bond's gadgets, for example, are simple pick-ups scattered around every level. Instead, the easiest way to recharge instinct is through aggression. Takedowns net one instinct point – using your gadgets does it too but that's louder and drains your other resources, whereas sneaking up to an enemy chopping them in the neck is silent and completely free.

I love the gameplay loop this creates.

Usually I enter stealth segments with a full instinct meter, and bluff my way through the first area. In the next room I go silent. I know that if I'm caught I have enough instinct to talk my way out of it, a get-out-of-jail-free card, but ideally I'm zipping between cover with a right bumper press, pulling enemies into the shadows one by one. If needed, I'll turn on a vacuum cleaner or sabotage an air-conditioning unit to lure an enemy, and smash their jaw as they investigate. It's these moments where First Light feels most like Hitman.

When my instinct meter is full again, I'll swagger up to the next group of enemies and spin another audacious story – "I need to fix a boat, just grabbing some bits on my way there!". Every quip feels like a concise, amusing reward after a stressful couple of minutes.

When you approach First Light's stealth sections in this mindset, enemies become Bond's playthings. They exist either to be tricked by your ridiculous stories or to be silently dispatched so you can fool their friends later.

The most satisfying segments let you do both: bluff, then eliminate. Bluffing enemies turns an area into a safe space you can walk around in full view. This opens up new lines of attack. If you dispatch those same enemies quickly you're earning back the instinct you just used – knock three out and you're effectively getting the bluff for free, moving to the next zone with a full meter. Bluffing those three thugs in the desert city, for example, let me climb a ladder and maneuver them with my gadgets from on high, finishing the last with a flying Superman punch.

Thinking about where you stand when you bluff pays off. You only fool enemies who can hear you, but if you walk around while yammering you can pull other enemies into your lie's orbit as you tell it. The more enemies you bluff, the freer you can move around. Trying to flummox as many enemies as I can in one go has become its own satisfying challenge (my record is five).

Watchers, denoted by a white circle above them, are special enemies who cannot be bluffed, and neither can any comrades nearby. They create a new type of puzzle, one where you need to properly plan your route and take them out first without alerting anyone.

In an early example, you enter the laundry room in the basement of a grand Slovakian hotel. A watcher and one regular enemy block your path – beyond, another group guards your objective. You can reach it in several ways including brawling, luring enemies to your location, or draining your gadgets to stun and blind them. Instead I kick a laundry cart towards the regular enemy, crushing him and panicking the watcher, who sets off to investigate. I creep around a pillar, choke him, and amble into the next room, where nobody is smart enough to stop my ruse. "Burton, hotel security. Any reports of pickpocketing in this area?"

Dispatching one watcher is usually simple: my tool of choice is the flash mine gadget, a one-hit knockout. I enjoy the absurdity of emerging behind cover the second it detonates and launching into a bluff. "I scared off the man that attacked him – a chap in a green beret!"

But multiple watchers loiter in some zones. These, not boss battles, feel like First Light's biggest test. You'll often need to skirt around the perimeter to find an approach that works and exhaust your full arsenal of gadgets to draw individual watchers away from their colleagues.

In the security office where I pretended to be a journalist, two pairs of watchers patrolled two areas. I failed a lot, triggering First Light's concussive fistfights. In a sense they're a reward in themselves – throwing a bottle at a watcher then slamming their head into a bookcase is just as powerful as a takedown – but I kept restarting instead, eager to hear what story Bond would've spun given the chance.

007 First Light presents plenty of bluffing opportunities, with multiple stealth sections in each chapter, but I wish it had more. Most missions contain firefights you can't sneak through. Guns feel fine but bullets rain on you from all sides, making the shooting galleries feel a bit shapeless. More than once, I've cleared an area only to find my path blocked because I haven't killed every single enemy, so I have to backtrack and find that one machine-gunner who's hiding behind a box in a far corner.

I would've liked less of marksman Bond and more sharp-talking, brash Bond. There are, after all, better third-person shooters than First Light – but I can't think of another game where you can waltz towards enemies dressed in a turtleneck and collared jacket and ask: "Oi, you lads got a faulty coffee machine?"

Monument of Triumph will be Bungie's last major content update for Destiny 2, but that isn't stopping the studio from launching what some fans think will be its "best singular update in years."

The studio outlined the biggest changes for weapons, artifacts, and more in the upcoming update ahead of its June 9 release date in a Dev Insights blog post today. It followed an additional, well-received Dev Insights article published yesterday, which also confirmed a smorgasbord of other changes set to come to the game just as players prepare for the beginning of the end.

Before digging into one of the biggest updates players have received in years, Bungie opened its post with a message to the fans who have shown up for the team since it announced plans to discontinue support for Destiny 2 last week. It's a bittersweet letter to those who have played Destiny since its original launch in 2014, and a thank you to the players ready to jump into Monument of Triumph.

"Every memory and every moment you've shared with us over the years has fueled our future," Bungie said. "Every ounce of our June update is for you, and we hope you feel it as you continue to read through our insight articles and upcoming [This Week in Destiny articles], let alone when you're playing the update with us on June 9.

"Yeah, it's a bit sappy and sentimental... but that's how we're feeling while reading all of your stories over the last week. We hope to keep building worlds to inspire friendship for years to come and truly couldn't do it without you and your voices."

Come June 9, players can expect a host of changes ranging from small to large as Bungie aims to tackle what have been some of the most-requested tweaks. These include an increase from 360 to 400 RPM for auto rifles, seven returning Artifacts, and, as confirmed by Bungie principal comms manager Dylan 'dmg04' Gafner, Catalysts for every Exotic weapon. These aren't just system reworks and buffs – these are changes players have begged to see put into action for months if not years.

All of these changes and more will drop with Monument of Triumph in June, but players have already made a judgement call. Weeks before the final major patch for Destiny 2, players are calling this one of the best updates the game has received since the sequel originally launched in 2017.

"They’re actually giving us everything we could want. Oh my god bruh," one Reddit user reacted.

"This is going to be the best singular update in years," another said. "The devs were finally able to put on their chef hat and really cook after all this time."

"Hard to shake the 'YOU COULD HAVE DONE THIS THE WHOLE TIME???' feeling of every piece of news with this update but I'm not going to complain, community sentiment being at recent highs with this update is the only chance in hell we have of getting a D3," another fan said.

For now, it looks like Monument of Triumph will help Destiny 2 go out with a bang instead of giving it a second wind, but that isn't stopping players from trying to breathe new life into Bungie's sci-fi shooter franchise. A number of fan initiatives have emerged in the wake of the announcement that support would soon end, including a popular petition (which has reached more than 300,000 signatures at the time of this article's publication), as well as a community-driven server slam.

Bungie warned that next month's long-in-development update would focus on quality-of-life improvements back in February, but how long the changes detailed today have been in the cards is unclear. For now, a Bloomberg report has stated that Destiny 3 is not in active development.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He'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).