Nintendo has been getting amazing brick treatment over the last few years, and one of the biggest and most impressive sets has been the 2-in-1 The Legend of Zelda Great Deku Tree. It originally came out in September of 2024, but sadly it looks like it's already scheduled to be retired soon. This set joins a wide breadth of other LEGO kits about to be sunsetted on LEGO's Last Chance to Buy page, but there should still be plenty of time to pick one up from Amazon or directly through LEGO before it's too late. This is one of just two LEGO Legend of Zelda sets, with the Ocarina of Time - The Final Battle set dropping earlier this year.

All of the Sage Spirits you acquire on your journey in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are helpful. But none pack quite the punch of Mineru’s Construct. When Link hops on this hulking mech suit, it’s like driving a Mack truck through the world of Hyrule. And now, three years after the game came out, Nintendo is releasing this mechanical wonder in amiibo form. The Mineru’s Construct amiibo is available for preorder now for $34.99 (see it at Amazon) / (see it at Nintendo UK for £24.99) with a release date of September 17.

Preorder Mineru’s Construct amiibo

• Get it at Amazon
• Get it at Best Buy
• Get it at GameStop
• Get it at Target
• Get it at Nintendo Store UK

Unlike many amiibo, which are — with all due respect — just hunks of unmoving plastic, this Zonai mech amiibo features articulated arms. That means you can pose them however you like when you have it displayed on your shelf.

As with all amiibo, Mineru’s Construct gives you in-game features when you scan it on your Switch or Switch 2. To quote the item description, scanning this amiibo “lets you receive random items in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.”

Additionally, scanning it into Tears of the Kingdom gives you a chance of receiving a special fabric for Link’s paraglider, which is pretty neat. You can scan it in once a day.

The pace of amiibo releases has certainly slowed down in recent years, but they’re still releasing for some games. A trio of Splatoon Raiders amiibo are coming out in July, and a trio of Super Mario Bros. Wonder amiibo came out in March alongside the Switch 2 edition and Meetup in Bellabell Park expansion.

More Zelda Amiibo

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

As expectation mounts of an Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake later this year, Nintendo has announced the release date of a new Legend of Zelda amiibo, due to arrive on September 17, priced $34.99 / £24.99 (preorders live at Nintendo).

More than three years on from Tears of the Kingdom's arrival, Nintendo is finally set to release the Mineru's Construct amiibo, featuring the ancient robot which aids Link within the game.

Why now? It's a good question. Sure, Mineru's Construct has since featured more recently in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, and Tears of the Kingdom itself launched again for Switch 2 last year. But there's little else from Nintendo on why the figurine is set to launch later this year — a time fans expect to hear more from the company on the franchise's future.

Nintendo is yet to properly acknowledge The Legend of Zelda's 40th anniversary this year (the actual date passed back in February without fanfare) but there's an expectation this will all change towards the end of 2026, with updates on the live-action The Legend of Zelda movie and the leaked Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake expected to release before Christmas. A fresh Zelda amiibo in the run-up to that, or perhaps as part of the celebrations, makes sense.

For now, we know that the Mineru's Sage amiibo features a detailed design — reflected in its hefty pricetag — with articulated arms you can move and pose (this sounds similar to Breath of the Wild's Guardian amiibo).

Scanning the figurine with your Switch or Switch 2 console lets you receive random items in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. There's also a unique glider fabric in Tears of the Kingdom which this amiibo can unlock.

As part of its latest financial results, Nintendo countered concern around a lack of Switch 2 momentum (particularly after the confirmation of its price hike) with reassurance that it had multiple unannounced Switch 2 games set for launch later this year. The company had been under pressure from shareholders to up the cost of its console (which it has reportedly been selling at a loss, in a change from the Switch 1 era), even if it now expects to sell fewer Switch 2 consoles over the next 12 months than the machine's first year on sale. This is a situation Nintendo has explained by suggesting that Switch 2 sales are simply stabilizing following the console's explosive arrival. The launch of a pricey new amiibo can't hurt, either.

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

Takashi Tezuka, one of Nintendo's most high-profile and longest-serving developers, will retire from the company later this year.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, Tezuka has served as a designer, director or producer on some of Nintendo's best-known games, including key titles in the Mario and Zelda series. As part of Nintendo's latest investor briefing, the company noted he was set for retirement on June 26.

Tezuka initially joined Nintendo as a part-time employee in 1984, aged 23, when he worked on Punch-Out!! while still at university. He quickly rose through Nintendo's ranks, frequently collaborating with Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto.

Within a year, Tezuka was serving as assistant director and designer on the original 1985 Super Mario Bros. A year later, Tezuka directed the first The Legend of Zelda game, before helming Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World — the latter of which saw him help create the character of Yoshi.

The list of games Tezuka has worked on subsequently is exhaustive, from Super Mario 64 to numerous titles in the Pikmin and Animal Crossing franchises. More recently, Tezuka has stewarded some of Nintendo's biggest games as a producer or production supervisor, including Super Mario Maker, Super Mario 3D World, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Tezuka's upcoming retirement, aged 65, will follow the recent departures of several other long-term staff members who have been employed since Nintendo's earliest days in game development. These include Mario Kart veteran Hideki Konno, and Metroid Prime boss Kensuke Tanabe, who left the company following the launch of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Nintendo's development talisman Miyamoto, now 73, is something of an exception to the company's typical retirement age — though even he has taken a far less hand-on approach over recent years, with a creative role now focused on Nintendo's push into movies and theme parks.

As part of the same financial results briefing, Nintendo has confirmed a price rise for Switch 2 — find out what that means right here.

Image credit: Nintendo.

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 impressive-looking new Star Fox remake has just been announced for Switch 2, via a shadow-dropped, dedicated Nintendo Direct broadcast.

The game is simply titled Star Fox, and is a ground-up remake of Star Fox 64 (known in some regions as Lylat Wars). Today's reveal follows the character's recent reappearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and a recent, major leak that pointed to a new game in the franchise — the first for nearly a decade.

Ubisoft has announced Heredis, a "spectacular new stage experience" set within the world of Assassin's Creed, that's set to debut later this year.

The two-hour show will feature circus artists, acrobats and dancers from Les 7 Doights (The 7 Fingers) company in a "high-energy" performance that features "urban parkour, choreographed combat and physical feats within large-scale immersive environments drawn from Assassin's Creed games," Ubisoft stated in a press release today.

Details on the show's plot and how it will actually link to the Assassin's Creed games is thin on the ground, though artwork for the show features a character who looks a lot like Desmond, leaping through the air against an Ancient Greek backdrop from Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

"The show follows a young man searching for his father, who disappeared years ago," a blurb for the show teases. "On his 25th birthday, a mysterious letter leads him to the HEREDIS program. This quest becomes the starting point of a journey across centuries..."

It may be that the show features a wholly original story, but that artwork — and the description of a young man searching for his missing father — raises one intriguing possibility.

Assassin's Creed lore fans will know that Desmond Miles, the series' original modern day protagonist, fathered a child prior to his death at the end of Assassin's Creed 3. (And the extent to which Desmond is dead, technically, is also up for debate — something the character's voice actor Nolan North has recently discussed.)

While the Assassin's Creed games have left Desmond's story long behind (save for a teasing moment at the end of Assassin's Creed Valhalla), this stage show could be a cool opportunity to showcase a search for the fallen hero through his now-adult son, Elijah.

The Assassin's Creed games did not specifically reveal the existence of Elijah, but he is the focus of the canon Assassin's Creed: Uprising comic series. And while he won't be 25 years old until 2030, the franchise is now telling a new "present day" storyline set many decades from now — so moving the narrative forward to feature a young adult Elijah would not be a problem.

It's easy to imagine a "greatest hits" style stage show taking in various locations seen in the franchise so far (which, Desmond has either travelled to, or his bloodline has been a part of). This would allow the performance to feature fan-favorite locations and characters from throughout the franchise, while also telling a fresh story.

Heredis will debut on stage in Montreal on December 3, at Théâtre Maisonneuve. The show will then begin a world tour in 2027, beginning in France at the Casino de Paris, from January 21.

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

Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has said that the company never discounts its games are they are "the best" and akin to fine "Kyoto craftmanship" — something that results in a "fair price."

Speaking at the NYU Game Center, Fils-Aimé said that Nintendo games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were never discounted by the company as they deserve to be sold at their initial launch pricing.

Breath of the Wild was the first Nintendo game priced at $70 — a trend the company continued for the game's sequel Tears of the Kingdom, and last year's Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2. With its newer console, however, Nintendo has said it is using variable pricing — meaning that while some games launch for less, Mario Kart World arrived at a new high of $80.

"The Nintendo mentality is, we're shipping a game complete," Fils-Aimé said. "It's ready to play. There's no day one update that's going to take three hours. And so part of it is, it's a different mentality. That is [Nintendo's] thinking.

"I liken this to this idea of Kyoto craftsmanship," he continued. "The company is headquartered in Kyoto. For those of you who are knowledgeable about Japanese history... [it's] a city known for its fine craftsmanship: linens, china, pottery, that is Kyoto. I'm convinced Nintendo, as a company, has that same type of mentality. We are going to build the best games, we are going to send them out feature complete, and as a result — this is where sometimes customers push back — we don't discount our games."

Is Mario Kart World worth $80? Many early Switch 2 fans got it for less in a bundle with their new console, but discussion since has centered on whether the game is actually worth the record pricetag, and what form of post-launch support Nintendo will provide to keep players engaged. (So far, there's been no sign of meaningful DLC.)

"Breath of the Wild never received a price discount from the day it was launched," Fils-Aimé continued. "It's part of this process. We're gonna make it the best we can, we're gonna send it feature complete, and we're gonna charge a fair price and that price is never gonna change."

Of course, Nintendo's position is far from the norm. With very few exceptions, nearly all games are reduced in price over time, or periodically get a decent discount during a sale. Does Fils-Aimé think Nintendo's strategy will hold? While not addressing this directly, the former president gave an intriguing response when discussing the need to be more reactive with pricing in future.

"I say this with a lot of passion. I do think, [in] modern times, you've got to start thinking about things differently. Not that I'm saying that Nintendo or any company should be discounting their games. But I do think there's a thoughtfulness that has to happen in the marketplace, where you need to think about what you're offering. Think about what that fair price is. And move on from there. Versus being beholden to a particular price point or some other type of... element of your business model."

While there's no sign of any price drop for Mario Kart World yet (or that there will ever be one), Nintendo has recently welcomed an era of even more complicated pricing — with discounts for digital versions of games versus their boxed, retail versions. The company has also not (yet) repeated its $80 asking price for any other Switch 2 game, with other recent blockbusters such as Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokémon Pokopia arriving at $70.

Image credit: Samantha Burkardt/Getty Images for SXSW.

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

Nintendo has dropped a surprise update for Super Mario Galaxy 2 that adds a new storybook chapter.

The update, available to download now on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, adds a fresh epilogue to the narrative that slowly unfolded in the original game — which first launched on Wii back in 2010. You can find it now after unlocking all previous chapters, and collecting another Power Star.

But while fans might expect this new chapter to tie into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — and its major new lore related to Rosalina, in particular — the fresh story instead makes no direct reference to any of this.

Instead, the pages provide a heartwarming conclusion for Galaxy 2's rather mysterious story of two Lumas, and show Rosalina meeting a mysterious girl — who fans seem certain is a younger version of herself, rather than any other princess.

"The strongest force in the galaxy is a heart that never gives up," Rosalina tells the girl, before she disappears. Fans have taken this to represent Rosalina reassuring herself, and showing how far she has come since she travelled the cosmos alone.

pic.twitter.com/ygduGhKKKI

— Ghostly (@NotGhostlys) April 30, 2026

None of this contradicts the story told in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, but it isn't our first in-game confirmation of Peach and Rosalina's origins as shown on the big screen. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has suggested that future games will reflect the new film's story revelations — but that isn't being retconned in here.

Regardless, fans have reacted positively to the unexpected arrival of more story — accompanied by a fresh music track, which has also today been added to the Nintendo Music app.

"If the Galaxy 2 storybook is anything to go by, mainline Mario can still have a good and heartwarming story," wrote Mario fan ToadlyToad. "It's not necessary but it's more than possible."

"This... honestly makes me finally come to terms with Rosalina's personality shift since 3D World," wrote Nerdofthewind. "With how both versions of Rosalina appear in this epilogue, it's like she's finally coming to terms with her past to move on to a better, brighter future."

Today's full Super Mario Galaxy 2 patch notes lie below:

Super Mario Galaxy 2: Ver. 1.4.0 (Released April 29, 2026)

General

• Several issues have been fixed and adjustments made to ensure a smoother gaming experience on both Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.
• A new story has been added to the storybook. Once Final Chapter is available in the storybook, you can read the new story by clearing any galaxy and earning a Power Star.

Note: The software must be updated to Ver. 1.2.0 or later to play on Nintendo Switch 2.

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

Video games and cooking go together more than you might think. Tons of RPGs 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've encountered tons of animated food I wish was real. Well, turns out it can be.

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're passionate about a specific game, are looking for gift ideas for the gamer in your life, or just love some themed recipes, here's our list of the best gaming cookbooks in 2026.

Our Favorite Gaming Cookbooks

One of our top picks for gaming cookbooks is the Official Stardew Valley cookbook, which features 50 recipes written in the voice of various characters as well as some adorable art. The recipes are naturally based on the meals you can make in-game, including Pink Cake, Strange Buns, and even a full Autumn's Bounty to help you power through the mines.

A great gift to inspire young chefs (especially those who particularly enjoyed A Minecraft Movie), the Minecraft cookbook includes 40+ recipes inspired by the game's various mobs and biomes. The same goes for The Pokémon Cookbook, which focuses more on cute snacks and quick meals.

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 The Witcher books, 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 Elder Scrolls games) while the Fallout cookbook is great for anyone who's particularly curious about the taste of Nuka-Cola ahead of Fallout season 2 episodes.

On the tabletop side of gaming, the Heroes' Feast Dungeons & 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.

New Video Game Cookbooks for 2026

The trend of gaming cookbooks isn't going anywhere anytime soon. More recent releases have been inspired by MMOs like Genshin Impact as well as the Persona games. One particularly exciting upcoming cookbook is A Feast for a Tenday: The Official Baldur’s Gate 3 Cookbook, which is seemingly themed as a 'walkthrough' of the award-winning RPG's story.

Xbox, Poppy Playtime, Webtoon, and more will be joining the IGN Live lineup June 6-7, 2026. Other new titles featured in the show include Gate Guard Simulator, The Death of Robin Hood from A24, Shark Dentist, multiple Warhammer 40K titles, and more. Check below for all of the cool games, movies, TV shows and more that will be at the event.

IGN'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 6 and 7 at the Magic Box in downtown LA and streams globally across IGN platforms. Tickets are on sale now.

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.

Bookmark this page and keep checking back between now and June for a complete list of everything that’s at store for IGN Live.

Games, Movies, Shows, and Celebrities Coming to IGN Live (Updating)

• Newly Announced Partners
  • Xbox will be on hand with multiple dev interviews and a showcase watch party
  • Webtoon will present a special panel where they design new characters LIVE
  • Poppy Playtime
  • A Sea of Ashen Tulips
  • Alkahest
  • Astro Burn
  • Bellwright
  • Breathedge 2
  • Bus Simulator 27
  • Carnival Hunt
  • Cast Outs
  • Dogpile
  • Don't Kill Them All
  • Flock Off!
  • Frog Sqwad
  • Gate Guard Simulator
  • GNAW
  • Honeycomb: The World Beyond
  • Into the Dead: Crimson Heights
  • Leaf Blower Co.
  • Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
  • Poke a Nose
  • Rewilders: The Lost Spring
  • Shark Dentist
  • Smallands 2
  • Soul Walker
  • Tanuki
  • The Death of Robin Hood
  • The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
  • Trench Tales
  • Truck World: Australia
  • Under Canopies
  • Warframe - Jade Shadows: Constellations
  • Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy
  • Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

• Previously Announced Partners
  • Roger Craig Smith (Sonic the Hedgehog, Batman, and more) and Patricia Summersett (Princess Zelda, Zyssyk from Star Wars Outlaws, and others) Gothic Remake from THQ Nordic
  • Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced from Ubisoft
  • The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 from Critical Role, Titmouse, and Prime Video
  • PowerWash Simulator 2 from from FuturLab
  • Cape Fear from Apple TV
  • Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity from Fathom and Viz Media
  • The Terror: Devil in Silver from AMC+ and Shudder
  • Sung Kang will be on hand to talk about his new movie Drifter
  • Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh from Hulu’s Deli Boys will stop by to talk about the show.
  • ID@Xbox will be on hand with multiple playable games.
  • 2K

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.

IGN Live 2025 featured tons of cool reveals, including the cast of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 premiering the first 10 minutes of their documentary, The Last of Us creative team discussing how they crafted Season 2’s most crucial episodes, Ewan McGregor talking about how the Long Way Docuseries literally changed his life, Invincible VS creators on the inspirations behind the game and so much more.

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced, Ubisoft'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.

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's pirate-turned-Assassin Edward Kenway, meaning that the game'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.

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't be wandering around the offices of Abstergo Entertainment as you once did — something that leaves unanswered implications for the game's bloodline-related story.

"With Resynced, we made a clear choice," Resynced creative director Paul Fu said. "It is a pure, story-driven adventure, and we are fully focused on Edward'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."

Black Flag's previous modern day let you wander around the offices of Abstergo Entertainment, which looked suspiciously like the offices of the game'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's full story is told without its inclusion, and fans have previously expressed disappointment after word leaked regarding the change.

"Back then in 2013, the present day reflected where the franchise was at," said Assassin's Creed franchise veteran Jean Guesdon, creative director of the original Black Flag and now Head of Content for the overall series. "It was a transition moment especially with Desmond's story and what it meant at the time. But now with Resynced, I think there were some changes needed."

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.

According to the ever-reliable billbil-kun from Dealabs, Black Flag Resynced will launch on July 9 priced at $59.99 (that's £49.99 or €59.99) for a standard physical copy, or via a $199.99 Collector's Edition (that's £174.99 or €199.99).

The Collector's Edition contents 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 this is the same Black Flag statue that inexplicably popped up on clothing retail app Vinted earlier this year. Truly, every single thing about this project seems to have leaked.

🚨 PRICING REVEAL 🚨

Everyone saw the content of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Collector's Edition, but here is the full pricing for physical copies:

Launch Edition: $59.99 / 59,99€ / 49.99£
Collector's Edition: $199.99 / 199,99€ / 174.99£

Release Date : 9 July 2026 pic.twitter.com/l0xO09lRBx

— billbil-kun (@billbil_kun) April 23, 2026

Other bits in the Collector'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's cat pet.

Ubisoft is set to make Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced official later today, something which will finally put an end to a year of non-stop leaks. The Assassin'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, and you'll be able to tune in right here on IGN to find out exactly what Ubisoft has in store.

Previous reports have suggested that Black Flag Resynced will be a substantial remake of the series' beloved piratical entry, with visual and gameplay upgrades that see the game closer in quality to last year's Assassin's Creed Shadows. New story content will reportedly be added to flesh out more of hero Edward Kenway's life, though the game's modern day gameplay sections have apparently been excised — something that many fans aren't happy about.

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.

As per eSafety’s announcement, 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.”

“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.”

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.”

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.”

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 previously scrutinized over being home to “tens of thousands of groups” that amplify Nazi and other hate-based content.

“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.

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.

In a response provided to IGN, Roblox has outlined a selection of measures it currently employs.

“We welcome engagement with eSafety on this important topic,” said a company spokesperson in the statement. "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.

“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.”

Fortnite developer Epic Games also provided its own statement on the matter to IGN:

"The islands mentioned in the story violated our rules and we took action against them in 2024," said Cat McCormack, Senior Communications Manager, Epic Games. "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."

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

Princess Peach's surprising backstory revealed in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will kept in future games, Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto has suggested.

Speaking in advance of the film's belated launch in Japan, Miyamoto was asked whether the movie's revelations about Princess Peach would be carried forward to future video games featuring the character. In response, Miyamoto suggested that, yes, he wanted to "adhere as much as possible" to Peach's newly-revealed backstory, now it had been finally been decided upon for inclusion in the movie.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reveals Peach is the sister of galactic traveller Rosalina, and that both siblings were born from stardust. At a young age, the two sisters were separated when Peach was sent to live in the Mushroom Kingdom for her own safety. Here, the Toads took her in, and eventually made her their queen.

Peach's cosmic origins — and her relationship to Rosalina, in particular — had been debated by fans for years, long before a tease in the first Super Mario Movie suggested we'd likely find out more about the character's movie version than Nintendo had ever revealed in 40 years of video games.

Indeed, Miyamoto has now discussed his previous reluctance to define strict backstories for Nintendo's characters, something he told Japanese website Nintendo Dream Web he had been concerned would become a "constraint."

"Because we don't know what kind of game we'll make next, having too many character settings can become a constraint," Miyamoto explained (via machine translation). "I'm fine with being bound by gameplay mechanics, but I don't want to be bound by having created a story, which has been the reason for not making movies for many years.

"That's why, until we made this movie, we hadn't decided on the characters' origins, but now that we've made the movie, it's become fun to expand on the characters in various ways. Therefore, we want to adhere as much as possible to the settings created in the movie in future games."

All of which sounds like Peach and Rosalina are now canonically sisters both on the big screen and in video games — even if few Nintendo games spend time on story anyway.

Earlier this month, Miyamoto said he had long held a "vague idea" for Peach and Rosalina's true relationship, something still kept vague in the original Super Mario Galaxy game. Famously, Galaxy's story was developed by veteran Mario director Yoshiaki Koizumi — who wrote the game's plot in secret after hours, while Miyamoto and other developers weren't around.

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

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.

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.

The short snippet shows Edward in his iconic pose, cutlasses drawn, then a scene on deck with Blackbeard and his telescope. There's a quick shot of Adéwalé mustering the crew to load the Jackdaw's cannons, before Edward takes the wheel and ship-to-ship combat begins. Kenway's original voice actor Matt Ryan can be heard too, following hints from the actor himself that he had returned to the role.

First look at Assassins Creed Black Flag Resynced gameplay.

Reveal showcase coming this Thursday.pic.twitter.com/J7RNOA81JC

— KAMI (@Okami13_) April 21, 2026

A shot featuring Edward and Blackbeard is now being pored over by fans, who have noted Resynced's vastly improved character models and lighting. Which, to be honest, you would expect considering that the original Black Flag launched back in 2013.

Assassin's Creed Blackflag - Original vs Remake !! pic.twitter.com/rFthV58eBv

— AMIT ROY (@GamerInVoid) April 21, 2026

"At least graphically Black Flag Resynced looks really faithful," wrote one fan on social media. "I fear I'm getting excited." Said another: "It doesn't seem like a simple remaster either. It looks like we're getting a pretty decent, fun remake."

Yesterday, Ubisoft announced that it would fully reveal Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced this week, following years of leaks. The publisher even poked fun at itself by naming the project as the "worst kept secret" in video games — something that only continues to be true.

The Assassin'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.

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

Ubisoft has confirmed when it will officially unveil Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, via a dedicated showcase later this week.

The Assassin'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 "gaming's worst kept secret."

Assassin's Creed fans will be able to tune in right here on IGN 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's announcement offers up one clue: Ubisoft is calling Black Flag Resynced "the iconic solo pirate adventure" — suggesting that the game's multiplayer mode is no longer included.

The project's official name, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced, was first spotted last December, when it popped up via a European ratings board listing. But fans have been following the project's development for years, following internal leaks that pointed to the project's existence and hints from the original game's lead actor, who is expected to return.

Previous reports have suggested that Black Flag Resynced will be a substantial remake of the series' beloved piratical entry, with visual and gameplay upgrades that see the game closer in quality to last year's Assassin's Creed Shadows. New story content will reportedly be added to flesh out more of hero Edward Kenway's life, though the game's modern day gameplay sections have apparently been excised — something that many fans aren't happy about.

Tune in later this week for the full reveal — and all the details here on IGN.

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

In March, Ubisoft released the first piece of concept art for Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced, confirming the existence of the remake of the beloved pirate installment of the series, and today we have a release date, July 9. The date was reported by Insider Gaming but hasn't been confirmed by Ubisoft as yet.

In a (now deleted) March blog post from Ubisoft's Jean Guesdon, Head of Content did hint at the rumors of the remake. "Speculation around Assassin's Creed is not new, but it's worth repeating: "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." Well, except in this case, some whispers have a little more wind in their sails. Keep your spyglass on the horizon. 🦜"

The project's official name, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced, was seen in December, when it popped up via a European PEGI ratings board listing. That sighting followed a few hints from the original game's lead actor.

"Players can be excited about some remakes,” Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said in June 2024, “which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them; there are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich.”

Rachel Weber is the Head of Editorial Development at IGN and an elder millennial. She's been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, Red Dead Redemption 2, and her Love and Deepspace boyfriends.

UPDATE: Microsoft has confirmed plans to debut Metro 2039 as part of an Xbox First Look showcase with developer 4A Games and publisher Deep Silver.

"Xbox has always been a home for the franchise, and we’re honored to continue that relationship by bringing you a first look at this next exciting chapter," said Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor, in a post on Xbox Wire.

Xbox First Look: Metro 2039 is set for Thursday, April 16, at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK.

ORIGINAL STORY: A brand new Metro game is reportedly set to be revealed this week as part of a so-far unannounced Microsoft Xbox showcase.

NateTheHate, who has a number of accurate leaks, including the correct dates of Nintendo Directs, to their name, took to social media to say the new Metro game is called Metro 2039, and it will be announced as part of a Microsoft show set for April 16. It’s unclear at this stage what type of show Microsoft has up its sleeve, or whether it will also include first-party Xbox game news. There’s also a rumor that Sony plans a State of Play showcase for this week, although that’s unconfirmed for now.

News of a new Metro game shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given developer 4A Games has talked about working on it in the past. But the name of the game is new, as is significant gameplay footage from a previous version of the game, which leaked over the weekend.

The subterranean survival-horror Metro video game franchise, which is based on Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky's post-apocalyptic book series, so far includes Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and Metro Exodus. VR game Metro Awakening came out in 2024. Metro Exodus came out in 2019, which means it’s been seven years since the last mainline entry in the franchise.

IGN’s Metro Exodus review returned an 8.5/10. We said: “Metro Exodus brings its survival horror to the surface without sacrificing any of the series’ signature tension.”

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.

Nintendo’s latest promotional push for the Switch 2 has officially arrived, and on the surface, it’s a straightforward deal: from April 12 through May 9, you can save $20 when purchasing the console alongside Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 as part of a new bundle offering.

At $500 total, that $20 discount might seem fairly modest, but the broader context of the gaming landscape makes this brand-new offer far more significant than it initially seems.

Australian YouTube content creator Karl Jobst is suing Donkey Kong record holder Billy Mitchell for defamation following the conclusion of a previous dispute between the two last year.

Filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (via Dexerto), the lawsuit alleges Mitchell engaged in the “unauthorized appropriation of name or likeness and intentional infliction of emotional distress.” Jobst’s complaint notes his status as a creator with more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube, suggesting that damage to his “reputation for credibility and trustworthiness” has negatively affected his earnings.

The filing follows a previous defamation suit Mitchell filed against Jobst related to comments made in a video titled “The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!” which he posted in 2021. Following a years-long battle, the court sided with Mitchell in April 2025, ordering the content creator pay the arcade gamer a total of around $240,000 (AU$340,000).

Now, Jobst alleged public comments made by Mitchell related to the former’s bankruptcy process and crowdfunding campaigns are false, clarifying that he made these statements “with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth.” Jobst claimed these statements caused him to suffer presumed damages and actual injury related to insult, pain, embarrassment, emotional suffering, harm to his relationship with his audience, lost future earnings, and more.

One example included in the filing shows an X/Twitter post from Mitchell that claimed Jobst “engaged in serious illegal activity before and during” the bankruptcy process. Another involved claims Jobst created a GoFundMe “with the knowledge and intent to fund the existing lawsuit on false premises.” The filing also points to a separate statement from Mitchell shared during an August 2025 livestream that claimed Jobst “scammed his viewers out of 200,000,” adding, “He actually scammed his viewers out of more than $500,000.” Jobst denied these allegations.

Mitchell has published an X post since the complaint was filed April 8. Replies to the post mostly revolve around Jobst and Mitchell’s previous, infamous dispute. “I look forward to winning Best Supporting Actor again,” Mitchell said.

Photo by David Greedy/Getty Images.

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).