It's truyly the end of an era for lovers of physical media. After 71 years in operation, the legendary mail order business Columbia House is going out of business on September 15, 2026.

A statement announcing the closure appeared and was then removed from their official site, but CNN has since confirmed with company reps that the business is indeed ceasing operations next month.

Columbia House began as a record club in 1955. “As technology changed, it pivoted from vinyl to reel-to-reel, 8-tracks to cassette tapes and, finally, CDs and DVDs. At its peak in the 1990s, it had millions of members. It was pulling in $1.4 billion in revenue,” NPR reports.

As advertised in print ads and TV commercials, consumers could join Columbia House at an initially absurd low price – in 1985, you could get any 11 records or tapes for a penny – to become a monthly club member where you could then buy additional music at the regular price. (As currently advertised on their site, consumers could start their membership by getting their first two DVDs for $9.95 each.)

Alas, the rise of digital music services like iTunes paved the way for the company’s long, slow decline.

Columbia House’s parent company filed for bankruptcy in 2015 before the brand was acquired by Edge Line Ventures.

In the end, though, Columbia House managed to outlast the penny and many of the print media outlets they advertised in.

Editor's Note: This article is sponsored by Snap.

Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat, has opened up preorders for its first ever augmented reality (AR) glasses - SPECS. It's expected to ship out in the United States, United Kingdom, and France sometime in the fall of 2026. The preorder price is set at $2,195, including a $200 refundable deposit to lock in your reservation.

Where to Preorder the SPECS AR Glasses From Snap

It seems like Valve may be gearing up to launch the Steam Frame, the third and final piece of hardware it showed us last year, alongside the Steam Machine and Steam Controller. Earlier today, a number of unboxing, setup and other how-to videos for Valve's upcoming next-generation VR headset leaked online via an update to the ARM Steam Client. Valve quickly pulled them down, but not before they were grabbed and re-uploaded by users.

Instead of pitching a fit – I'm sure the company was not psyched to have these videos leak before originally intended – Valve put the videos back up, and while it hasn't officially pushed them out yet, they're easily found in the Steam backend and can be found via the links collected here.

STEAM FRAME UPDATE:

The ARM Steam Client had an update this morning that contained these videos. It was quickly pulled after that, but of course people managed to grab them. These are videos that detail the unboxing, sign-in, and setup of the Steam Frame. pic.twitter.com/AAFk5D69eJ

— Steam Hardware Updates (@HardwareSteam) August 19, 2026

The videos detail how to set up and sign in to the device, which will require a Steam account to use. As a reminder, Steam Frame can be used as a standalone VR headset, or wirelessly connected to a PC running Steam. Other videos that leaked include things like how to install the head strap and light blockers, as well as one detailing the wireless adapter and a number of ergonomic accessories.

In his hands-on with the device last year, my colleague Michael Higham noted how Steam Frame gets you the same interface and quality-of-life features as the Steam Deck and Steam Machine, and noted how much he enjoyed using the device as a virtual theater to play non-VR games.

"This kind of experience isn't new," he said, "but the seamless integration through SteamOS also makes it very easy to use, and the super fast wireless tech means you can play PC games with the full strength of your system at low latency."

With these setup videos leaking, it seems likely that Valve is planning to launch the Steam Frame soon, which lines up with the plan to have it in customers' hands before the end of Summer 2026. That said, we still don't know how much the Steam Frame will cost, but if the price of the Steam Machine (and hardware prices in general) is any indication, it will likely end up being more expensive than Valve originally hoped.

For more on Steam Frame, check out our Q&A with Valve about why it's going back to VR, how the tech has evolved since the groundbreaking Index VR headset, and how it got wireless streaming to work so well.

Bo Moore is IGN's Senior Manager of Tech. You can find him online @usebomswisely.

LEGO has an entire line of sets dedicated to ideas generated by the community. Fans submit their custom builds onto the LEGO Ideas website, and if they can gather enough support, those sets go up for review to potentially become an actual product.

For years, this community has been submitting Studio Ghibli-themed builds. LEGO has never selected them for official release, but there's still hope one of them could become a reality.

The first round LEGO Ideas of 2026 that are officially getting reviewed were announced back in May. Among all of the sets up for review this year (and from last year), four Studio Ghibli sets are still in the running. Here are the latest MOCs that have the potential become the first LEGO build for the franchise:

• Studio Ghibli - 40th Anniversary - By UAKhan
• My Neighbor Totoro - Studio Ghibli 40th Anniversary - By On The Brickside
• My Neighbor Totoro - By TrumanBricks
• Chihiro & No-Face (Piggy Bank) - NasqBrick

Why Hasn't There Been a LEGO Studio Ghibli Set Yet?

There are a lot of different reasons why a LEGO Idea, regardless of its popularity, might not get the approval to become a real set. For something so tied to an existing IP, it's most likely due to licensing rights. Some of the biggest LEGO themes on the market right now are tied to intellectual property owned by a major corporation. Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney sets are all officially licensed to LEGO via The Walt Disney Company for example. For something connected to the Studio Ghibli movies, however, LEGO would need to get approval from the the studio itself.

If LEGO were able to work out a licensing deal through existing partners like Disney, Nintendo, Warner Bros., or Netflix, it's more than likely that one of the many set ideas submitted over the years would already be a product you can buy. As it is, it isn't impossible that a deal could be struck, but there's more hoops to jump through than something like an X-Files set.

The fact that there are still four LEGO Ideas in the review process is a promising sign that an official set could be in our future. It's certainly not the first time a Ghibli build was sent through the review process (that honor belongs to this Spirited Away concept), but the fact that two separate MOCs are tied to the 40th Anniversary seems promising.

Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and 10 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics -- from TV series to books and the latest LEGO sets..

The director of Marvel’s Wolverine, Mike Daly, opened up about the recent backlash toward the game after its extended gameplay showcase drew criticism online.

Fans got a better look at Insomniac’s upcoming PS5 exclusive earlier this week, which showed off some story beats, character interactions, traversal, combat, and even a boss fight against a Sentinel.

Since the internet is the way it is, this gameplay footage was instantly subject to intense scrutiny, sparking no end of criticism from players online. There’s a bevy of viral posts poking fun at this most recent footage, some of which I’ve included down below.

Logan, remember to use your adamantium vision to sniff out his trail of wolverine™️ particles https://t.co/vTQssKxGA3

— Space ☆ Bruce (@spacebruce) August 13, 2026

Why does Sabertooth sound exactly like this https://t.co/g8l4uFYUfT pic.twitter.com/a5o46PpcZa

— Deacon (@crowdeacon) August 16, 2026

Logan following a red scent trail to catch The Hand was one major talking point among critics (instantly sparking comparisons to the divisive yellow paint that often guides players in modern games), as was a heated argument between Wolverine and Sabertooth (people weren’t happy with the voice acting here) and the aforementioned Sentinel boss fight.

One particularly damning tweet compared footage from this brawl to a boss fight in the 2007 PS2 game Ben 10: Protector of Earth (why is Ben 10 catching strays?), while another bemoaned that it was too similar to the 2009 X-Men Origins game from nearly 20 years ago.

Marvel Wolverine game's Giant Sentinel fight draws Ben 10 comparisons

Many spot clear similarities to Ben 10: Protector of Earth, prompting complaints about overused boss designs in action gamespic.twitter.com/bR21DsxAd7

— Beebom Gaming (@beebomgaming) August 14, 2026

X-Men Origins: Wolverine's Sentinel boss fight was way crazier and more interesting, while Insomniac Games designed a common, dull boss fight in Marvel's Wolverine.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 17-year-old game. 💀 pic.twitter.com/fTafQPMTi2

— Raion Sensi (@RaionSensi) August 15, 2026

These criticisms did not go unnoticed. Speaking with TheGamer, director Mike Daly seemed to be at peace with the backlash, even welcoming it as a sign that the studio is doing something right.

In a somewhat concerning admission, Daly said that Insomniac is “pretty used to” these kinds of responses, calling it a “good problem to have” and remarking that such reactions “come with the territory” when making games based on people's favorite superheroes. And while he knows that Insomniac can make a “great game that a lot of people love,” it won’t stop critics from “finding stuff to complain about.”

“I rest easy about this, knowing that our goal for the game wasn't necessarily to accomplish these things that people complain about. Our goal really was to focus completely on making the best game for the character,” Daly said.

IGN also got the chance to sit down with Insomniac for a massive interview all about the game, with insights into combat, hardware performance, and much more. And while the general internet populace seems to feel negatively about what they’ve seen thus far, our hands-on with the game left us with a mostly positive impression.

IGN’s Mitchell Saltzman remarked that Wolverine’s combat “absolutely nails the spirit of Wolverine and is very fundamentally sound,” saying he was “impressed” with what he played, but noted that it’s still unclear if the gameplay will “hold up over the course of the entire campaign.”

Marvel’s Wolverine releases on September 15, 2026 exclusively on PlayStation 5.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

Editor's Note: This article is sponsored by IFA 2026. It has been updated with key points on August 18.

IFA 2026 is coming back soon and is set to take the world by storm. The event will highlight how “the future is now” in the realms of AI, smart homes, digital health, robotics, and much more. At IFA 2024, IGN was excited to see Acer announce the Nitro Blaze 7, its own contender to Steam Deck OLED and the Asus ROG Ally X. And in 2025, we saw a ton of home tech reveals from the likes of Eufy and Anker, with Eufy's new MarsWalker robot vacs and UV printers, and Anker's new Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro not-so-portable high-end projector. (It comes on wheels and boasts 3,500 ANSI lumens versus its portable Nebula Capsule that hits a max of 300 lumens, with Dolby surround sound to boot.)

That said, there is a lot of excitement in store for IFA this year, and this guide will share exactly what you can expect from the event so far.

What Is IFA About?

IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) is the world’s biggest home and consumer tech event. Happening in Berlin, it hosts some of the world's leading innovative tech brands like Samsung, Acer, Anker, Eufy, Hisense and more, all gathering in one place to show off tons of cool, new, and interesting consumer gadgets and products. There's everything from gaming tech to home tech, and something exciting at every corner, no matter what you're into.

What to Expect at IFA 2026

“Artificial intelligence is no longer just a promise,” says Leif Lindner, CEO of IFA Management. “Smart homes are no longer a vision. Digital health is becoming part of everyday life… The future is not waiting somewhere five or 10 years away. It is already in our homes, in our pockets, in our cars, in our health routines.”

AI and digital health is the theme of this year’s IFA, and the show promises to show more of how AI has “stopped being its own category and started becoming the connective tissue underneath everything else.” And yes, this also includes beauty, preventative health tools, connected fitness, wellness tech, and beauty devices, which signal consumers are looking for tech that “supports a more personalized, healthier daily routine.”

Why IFA is so exciting for consumers

Speaking of personalization, last year's event brought in new robots that were very popular amongst attendees, including the KATA Friend AI pet shown below. There are new, impressive robots that people have never seen before at every show, and in nearly every category you can think of. Some are cute like this advanced digital pet, and others are more practical for every day routines and activities, including a stair-climbing robot vacuum or the Acemate Tennis Robot, the world's first AI-powered robot capable of true, real-time play.

Those in attendance or following along will be able to see these shifts and changes from the lens of a global CEO, a retailer, a startup founder, a content creator, a journalist, and a consumer, and it’s one of the few places that allows for these interactions to happen under one roof.

Furthermore, IFA will be more than just a showfloor, as it plans to utilize Sommergarter, the show’s open-air venue, to host BUNT’s electronic set on September 3, Luciano’s rap/hip-hop mix on September 4, Ikkimel & Friends bringing trap, techno, and Berlin club energy on September 5, and live podcast recordings from Mord auf Ex and Wine Wednesday on September 6.

The ICC Berlin, a protected 1979 landmark that has been closed for over a decade, will also reopen for IFA 2026, providing even more ways for attendees to engage and make the most of the opportunities the event offers.

Who Can Attend?

You! But seriously, tech enthusiasts and general shoppers are welcome to attend. The event will have everybody from global owners to creators to startups to retailers in attendance. For more information, check out IFA 2026’s website, as well as the ticket information for BUNT, Luciano, and Ikkimel & Friends.

IGN's tech team will be in attendance at IFA 2026 and we look forward to seeing what’s in store.

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

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's beta will utilize a divisive new matchmaking system in addition to the open matchmaking introduced last year.

Matchmaking is an extremely hot topic within the Call of Duty community, as it can dictate how much fun you might have playing online. Are you going to get steamrolled? Are you going to absolutely massacre the other team? A lot of that is in the hands of an algorithim pitting you against certain players. With Modern Warfare 4, the Call of Duty team has revealed its plans for what fans can expect in the beta this coming weekend.

In a new thread, the Call of Duty team confirmed that the beta will feature the new matchmaking system introduced in Black Ops 7 Season 5, as well as the open matchmaking system that launched with Black Ops 7 last year. The open matchmaking is seen as being a bit more random, and as a result, more varied and dynamic. This was Call of Duty's answer to complaints about aggressive skill-based matchmaking, which some felt punished fans for performing well in games.

The newer system, which is inspired by the matchmaking in the original two Black Ops games, has raised a lot of questions. Call of Duty noted in July that the new matchmaking system builds on what the studio has "learned, with smarter team balancing, wide match variety, improvements that help keep matches full, and a better experience for mixed-level parties." Many fans were initially confused on what exactly that meant, but many have ultimately found it to be less enjoyable than the open matchmaking.

However, the Call of Duty team has revealed that players are actually quitting less matches since the implementation of the new strategy. In the open matchmaking from last fall, players were quitting more, getting less kills, and noting in surveys that they were having less fun. They went on to note that in the new matchmaking from this summer, some of their top players were facing tougher competition, but quitting less.

As a result, MW4's upcoming beta will make use of both matchmaking systems so Infinity Ward can continue to mull over the data and make decisions on the full game. There has been no firm commitment on what kind of matchmaking the final game will use in October, though.

We know some players like Open, but the issues were clear.

For 80% of players in BO7 from launch to Season 04, Open vs. Standard saw:
• 32.7% higher quit rates
• 14.4% fewer kills per minute
• 5.3% lower win rates
• 59.2% more “Not Fun” ratings

On Nuketown 24/7, quit rates…

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 19, 2026

It's possible the data could change a bit, as MW4's beta could feature more players than Black Ops 7 in recent months. Modern Warfare is seen as the more popular Call of Duty subfranchise and a fresh new entry in the series is sure to attract new players during a time where there aren't a lot of games out. Only time will tell what happens, but if you have strong feelings one way or another, be sure to make your voice heard.

In addition to matchmaking changes, MW4's beta will offer up some much-requested quality of life improvements as well, which will fix issues that have plagued the series for the better part of a decade.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

As part of its 60th Anniversary Sale, Best Buy is offering a major discount on a premium docking station for your handheld gaming PC. For a limited time, you can pick up the Razer Chroma Docking Station for a low price of $36 with free shipping. That's 60% off the normal list price of $90. This dock is compatible with a wide range of handhelds, including the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X, and Lenovo Legion Go 2, among others.

Save 60% Off the Razer Chroma Docking Station for Handhelds

Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Online was more than just a "side project," and it's a big reason why the studio hasn't had a brand new game since 2020.

According to Jason Schreier, The Last of Us Online was reportedly not a game that was buying the team time until Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. It was seen as a major release for the studio, as opposed to a mere side project. Schreier claimed that the majority of the team on Intergalactic actually came over after The Last of Us Online was scrapped.

As has been reported before, toward the end of its development, the team began to realize that once the multiplayer project came out, they couldn't just release it and be done. It would require a lot of resources and time to be supported long term, slowing down or taking away attention from the studio's beloved single-player projects. As a result, once the game was scrapped, it left Naughty Dog with a major gap in its release cycle. There hasn't been a brand new title from the studio since The Last of Us Part 2, but Naughty Dog has multiple projects in the works now, which may prevent such a significant gap in the future.

As of right now, we know next to nothing about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. It's a project that Neil Druckmann has been leading for some time following the release of The Last of Us Part 2. It's rumored to possibly release next year, potentially tying in with the release of the PS6, but nothing has been confirmed yet. As for the studio's other games, some speculate they may be working on Uncharted 5 or The Last of Us Part 3. It will likely be years before we get definite answers for these, but the studio is currently hard at work on future projects.

Many fans were disappointed that The Last of Us Online was killed so close to the finish line. The Last of Us Part 1's Factions multiplayer mode is cherished by fans of the series for its brutal, scrappy combat and unique approach to PvP gameplay. There's nothing else quite like it, so there was hope that building an entire game around that concept and fleshing it out could be really special. Unfortunately, we'll never know for sure, but people who played it behind closed doors had nothing but incredible things to say about the project.

The game was put into development after Naughty Dog chose to scrap multiplayer from The Last of Us Part 2. The team thought it would be better to focus on the single player aspect of the main game and give the multiplayer project more resources. As a result, the team spent seven years working on the title and the plug was reportedly pulled about 80% through development. Maybe one day we will get another Last of Us multiplayer game, but it seems unlikely.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

Jim Cummings, the voice of Winnie the Pooh and several other iconic animated Disney characters, wasn’t happy about getting passed over for a spot in Disney’s Hall of Legends at D23 this year.

Disney’s Hall of Legends recognizes the best and brightest of the studio’s actors, animators, executives, and other talent that have made significant contributions to its many projects over the years.

Every two years, a number of notable names are inducted into the Hall of Legends in an elaborate ceremony that takes place at D23, Disney’s massive fan convention in Anaheim, California.

Eleven people made the cut this year. The list includes stars like Anne Hathaway, The Rock, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the Jonas Brothers, as well as former Disney CEO Bob Iger and veteran animator Eric Goldberg.

One name not on this list is Jim Cummings, a prominent voice actor and singer with over 1,545 recorded roles across movies, television series, and even environmental content. You probably know him best as the official voice of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Pete, roles he has played since the late 80s and early 90s.

Over on Instagram, Cummings reposted remarks from fans to his stories, which specifically called out Disney for not adding him to their Hall of Legends in favor of newer faces who haven’t been with the brand for nearly as long as he has.

“The fact that The Rock, Bob Iger, Jonas Brothers, and Lin-Manuel Miranda get this before Jim Cummings is still baffling to me… Come on, Disney,” one fan wrote.

“Are you kidding? They still have not put one of the greatest Disney legends of all time, that is the Jim Cummings, who is the iconic [sic] Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Pete, Darkwing Duck, Ray the Firefly, and so many more. This is unbelievable,” another said in a second post shared by Cummings.

Jim Cummings, the voice of Winnie the Pooh and many other Disney characters, shared multiple posts earlier today criticizing Disney for not inducting him as a Disney Legend this year. pic.twitter.com/BVqc1h4bz5

— Matt (@DisneyScoopGuy) August 18, 2026

He also posted a video of himself walking around the Anaheim Convention Center grounds to The Beatles’ The Sound of Silence, which notably features lyrics like, “Hello darkness, my old friend / I’ve come to talk to you again.”

“Jim Cummings at D23. 40+ years. 1500+ characters. The voice of generations. No comment,” he wrote in the post’s caption.

It’s clear that Cummings isn’t exactly thrilled about getting passed up for a spot in this year’s Hall of Legends, and his fans seem to feel the same.

“Disney messed up big here. We all know you are a Disney legend. Please know we love you and you’re the best,” one wrote on Instagram.

“The fact that Jim Cummings isn't an official Disney Legend makes the whole thing feel a bit like a farce, to be honest,” another remarked.

Despite this unfortunate turn of events for Cummings, this year’s D23 did have a lot for fans to get hyped about, with first looks at Kingdom Hearts IV, Frozen 3, and the cast of Marvel’s X-Men getting shown at its Friday night showcase, among many other exciting reveals.

Image Credits: The Walt Disney Company via Getty Images

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

Disney hosted its 2026 D23 event over the weekend and all of the official merchandise shown off at the show is now available to buy online. Among the 84 new items added to the official Disney Store, one particular inclusion caught my eye: The Pixar Ball.

This isn't the first time Disney has sold an accurate reproduction of the Pixar Ball at its store, but it is quite a bit more substantial than previous models. The 4-inch version of the ball has been available for years now and the new 10-inch model practically dwarfs that one.

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, Bose's biggest and most immersive soundbar speaker with Dolby Atmos and Bose TrueSpace Technology, is on sale today. It normally retails for $1,000, but Amazon has it brand new for just $679 with free shipping after a 32% off instant discount. Both white and black models are available with the same discount. This is the first time I've seen the price drop this low on a brand new set in well over a year.

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar for $679 (was $999)

Thanks to Inde Navarrette’s breakout performance in Obsession, the star has carte blanche to choose whatever projects she wants — and Marvel’s X-Men movie was at the top of her list.

Inde Navarrette previously admitted to speaking with Jake Schreier, director for the upcoming film, earlier this summer, sparking rumors that she’d be involved with the future MCU in some way. Those rumors were confirmed at D23, where it was revealed that she’ll be playing everyone’s favorite power-absorbing mutant, Rogue.

Speaking with PageSix, sources claimed Inde was so keen on the role that she turned down two other major projects, one of which was Heat 2. Navarrette was reportedly being eyed to play Sharlene, originally portrayed by Ashley Judd, alongside massive Hollywood stars like Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Adam Driver. (Not to worry; she’ll be working with Driver on X-Men, as he’s set to play the film’s villain, Mister Sinister.)

Additionally, PageSix reported that Navarrette declined a role in an unnamed horror film directed by Mattias Hoehne (Cockneys vs Zombies, Little Bone Lodge) that would have paid out $2.5 million.

It’s safe to say that Marvel’s X-Men could be a far more profitable venture for the star, who reportedly made a modest $20,000 from Obsession. That film went on to become the highest-grossing independent movie with a budget under $1 million, skyrocketing Navarrette to international fame and putting her on the shortlist for Hollywood executives looking for their next big star.

Navarrette previously spoke about the possibility of playing a member of the X-Men in response to fancasts of her as Marvel’s Black Cat during a chat with Variety back in July.

"Every time that I see something like this I'll giggle because, like, obviously I know the truth, but I would love to be a part of Marvel," Navarrette said. "I think it's fun, especially since I grew up watching X-Men – the 2000s X-Men. That would be fun."

“Mystique has always been super cool," she continued when asked who she’d like to play. "Growing up, I remember watching the behind-the-scenes process of all the prosthetics. That was super cool for me. I would always watch behind-the-scenes of a lot of stuff. Pirates of the Caribbean, I remember, was a big thing that I would watch the BTS of. X-Men, you know, the prosthetics. I just find it so fascinating."

Reactions to Navarrette’s casting have been overwhelmingly positive. The news even reached Rogue’s voice actress, who sent a heartwarming welcome message to the star on social media in her signature Southern drawl.

Image Credits: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Disney

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

Before the release of 2001's Wolverine: Origin, it was unthinkable that Marvel would ever reveal the full background and origin story of the enigmatic man known as Logan. That book revealed Wolverine's true name (James Howlett) and explored the tragic series of events that led to him becoming an orphaned loner. It also directly inspired the 2009 movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Now Marvel is continuing that controversial saga with a third chapter called Wolverine: Origin III - The Dark Age.

Wolverine: Origin III - The Dark Age brings back original Origin writer Paul Jenkins. The series is illustrated by CAFU (Venom). Issue #1 features a main cover by Wes Burt and a variant cover by Josemaria Casanovas.

Origin III jumps further ahead in the Marvel timeline. Whereas the original was set in late 19th century Canada and 2013's Origin II was set in the early 20th century, Origin III takes place after World War II. After years spent waging war, Logan has finally found some semblance of peace, but will his past come back to haunt him?

Marvel's official description teases:

Enter the Dark Age! After years of trauma and back-to-back tours of duty fighting in the first two World Wars, Logan has found his new mission…peace! With his berserker rage and violent tendencies somehow behind him, Logan enjoys a new life of tranquility and service. Logan will meet new friends and allies, and with the help of an impassioned young doctor, discover what makes him tick. But what is the cause of this newfound happiness…and how long can it last?

“Wolverine: Origin was foundational. It did not simply tell us how, why, and where a young, frail Canadian named James Howlett became the super hero we know as Wolverine, it also showed his loss of innocence and his understanding of a cruel and difficult world,” said Jenkins in a statement. “Now, after 25 years, I’m privileged to present this story I have waited over a quarter of a century to tell. Where did Logan go? Which parts of his story were lost to history? What led to the events of Weapon X? The answers are not going to be what you expect.”

Look for Wolverine: Origin III - The Dark Age to hit stores on December 16. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.

For more, learn all about the very first Star Wars/Marvel crossover and read up on Marvel's newest symbiote hero, the Amazing Venom.

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

Key Preview Takeaways:

• The unique visual style is instantly appealing.
• The '90s-style adventure-meets-survival-horror gameplay makes it feel unique in 2026.
• Monster variety is lacking in the short, early-game demo we played.

I’m continually impressed with how many interesting and unique ideas for video games still manage to pop out, even as we’ve got literally thousands coming out every year now. If you haven’t heard of Silver Pines yet, it’s a pixelated 2D survival horror that answers the question, “What might Alan Wake be like if it were made for the PS1 in the ‘90s?”, and it’s something I didn’t realize I needed in my life until now. After playing the first hour of this creepy, stressful demon lovechild of Silent Hill and The Secret of Monkey Island, I was completely pulled in by the strange and unsettling story, the deceptively beautiful pixel art, and the eerie sounds and music that made each new darkened hallway that much harder to explore. Though, with only a very small sampling, it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to continue the momentum after a very strong opening stretch. Either way, this is already quite easily one of the most stylish and unique games of 2026.

Silver Pines feels like an episode of The X-Files or Twin Peaks stuffed into the retro shirt of a point-and-click puzzle game from the ‘90s, and developer Wych Elm Games isn’t shy about where it draws its inspiration. If you’re a fan of the now decidedly old-school era of the original Resident Evil or Silent Hill, you’ll probably feel right at home in this survival horror that’s equal parts fleeing from creepy monsters, gathering and rationing supplies to keep yourself alive, and fighting unspeakable horrors when all else fails. In one section I investigated a derelict motel filled with massive bugs and shadowy humanoids while trying to track down a missing musician, while in another I spiraled into temporary madness, as the lines blurred between reality and I found myself phasing into times and places I couldn’t possibly have been present for. This is one of those slow, creeping mysteries you’ll solve through the eyes of an unreliable narrator, whose survival seems increasingly unlikely even if the immediate horrors before you don’t get their way.

When you aren’t slowly being driven to madness, you’ll pick your way through light puzzles that have you searching for circuit breakers to turn on the power, use various keys and cards to access new areas, and even play a carnival game to win the prize of…a key you need to pass through a motel gate? That’s a pretty weird security system, but okay! These simple point-and-click hurdles mostly serve as something for you to work through while looking over your shoulder for whatever’s making that sickening groaning noise, but they do a good job at making even simple tasks very panic-inducing, as I learned on multiple occasions when I fumbled the wrong button and opened my inventory instead of sprinting away because some ghastly figure snuck up on me when I had my guard down. Trying to work through little puzzles while knowing in the back of your mind that something very spooky is bound to happen any moment now reminds me a whole lot of the early Resident Evil games that Silver Pines is clearly going for, which is, of course, a very good sign.

Scare-City of Resources

Another familiar way Silver Pines adds to the stress of surviving its levels is with its intentionally slow and imprecise combat. You’ll swing at things with a box cutter and shoot firearms with the extremely limited ammo you’re able to scrounge up, but enemies are oftentimes faster than you, you’ve got some pretty beefy cooldowns between things like swinging your melee weapon, reloading takes way longer than you’d like, and your character is a total wimp who gets bowled over by almost any attack. Sometimes this can be a bit frustrating, like during the first boss fight where you sometimes feel like you’ve got no shot of outrunning some of the creepy caterpillar-corpse-thing’s attacks, or when you just can’t seem to find time to repair your melee weapon with duct tape before the bug chasing you gets another hit in. But it’s the kind of good frustration that builds tension in a horror game that something like Silver Pines just wouldn’t be the same without.

That said, I do have more legitimate concern about the lack of enemy variety, as aside from the intro boss fight, I only encountered two types of enemies in my time with this demo. In fairness, I only played a short area, and I fully expect there will be many more baddies to fend off, but it’s worth shouting out that this wasn’t showcased very well in the opening area. And between the two enemies I saw, humanoids and bugs, they both had extremely predictable movement patterns and a single attack that made them fairly easy to deal with once I encountered them a few times. I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve had a chance to play a section a bit farther along in the game, but definitely something to keep an eye on.

It just wouldn’t be a proper survival horror game if you weren’t spending most of your time obsessing over a distinct lack of resources to get you through levels, and Silver Pines is no exception. A lot of the tension comes from the fact that you’ve got precious few resources at your disposal. Ammo for your guns is hard to come by, melee weapons have to be repaired with a roll of duct tape after just a few hits, and you’ll only find so many healing items to repair injuries that make your character even slower. Every once in a while you’ll find a vending machine stocked with valuable items that can be bought with the spare change you find lying around, but horrifyingly this money is also used to save the game. That’s right, in true Resident Evil form, you’ll have to use your precious few coins just to save your progress, which adds even more suspense to a game that’s already pretty chock full of dread.

This means that most of the time the best solution is to run away, if at all possible, conserving what resources you have by avoiding combat like the plague. To that end, you’ve got a dodge move that lets you pass through enemies and obstacles to keep you moving along, plus you can usually sprint away from enemies if you time it right, but you’ve also got to worry about an extremely short stamina meter to contend with, which leaves you pretty defenseless once depleted. Yet another resource you’ll find yourself in short supply of as the waking nightmares close in on you. I mean, that’s just some classic survival horror stuff right there.

Lots to Love

But the main attraction with Silver Pines, so far as I’m concerned, is that the whole thing is just so dang stylish. The pixelated art is surprisingly fluid and expressive, the voice acting is offputting and eerie, and every part of the small town you find yourself in is just so ominous and filled with little hair-raising details all over. It’s utterly Lynchian stuff if I ever saw it, and despite so much of my time in this ghastly backwater being incredibly stressful, it’s a place I really look forward to spending more time in.

I’ve only gotten a taste of this harrowing and unique indie game, but what I played made me really eager to return and dive deeper into the muck of madness. Here’s hoping it delivers beyond this small sampling when it comes out later this year.

While you're here, check out these previews of other big upcoming games we've played recently!

• Star Wars: Zero Company
• Marvel's Wolverine
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2

Travis Northup is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @TieGuyTravis and read his games coverage here.

The Witcher 3 developers were so focused on making a realistic environment for players that they accidentally created a morbidly hilarious side effect for the game’s female NPCs.

In an interview with Edge Magazine, CD Projekt Red quest designer Philipp Weber opened up about the unintended consequences of this strategy, saying the team was so honed in on creating a believable world that they ended up causing chaos, instead.

Weber explained that they wanted to give NPCs authentic behaviors to increase immersion and reward players for exploring the nooks and crannies of The Continent, particularly where small villages in the countryside were concerned.

"Because we were focused on the countryside, it was easier for players to become curious," he began. "If a village only has eight houses, people will want to see if the people truly exist in the world, or if it's just fakery. Lots of people nowadays are interested in those kinds of details, and it really came to haunt us."

At the time, Weber said the dev team was "more focused on simulating their proper day and night cycle" for these NPCs rather than giving them believable reactions to Geralt as he wandered around their world. “When it came to actually reacting to the player, there wasn't that much detail,” he admitted.

This meant that, although the NPCs had their own highly-specific schedules that made them seem like living, breathing people going about their daily lives, they weren’t exactly logical when it came to Geralt barging into their homes and swinging his weapons around.

"They would drop what they're currently working on, that thing would fall to the ground, and they'd run away, afraid,” Weber said.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, since it’s objectively funny) those ‘things’ included babies, which female characters would throw to the floor as they fled from danger. "For a few weeks, women were just dropping their babies, left and right,” he said.

While this problem ended up getting solved, it would have been absolutely wild to see in the final product. Weber shed a bit more light on their strategy when making NPCs in general, saying that rather than giving them specfic instructions, they're able to choose from certain "spots of interest."

"Most NPCs in villages, we don't give them specific paths," he explained. "We give them spots of interest that are available and then they're the ones doing the pathfinding: 'Once I'm done with woodcutting, I'll choose another point, and maybe do carpentry in front of my house'. For the 50 sailors at Novigrad harbour, for example, we made 200 possible spots, so even if all 50 were active at the same time, they would have options."

The next entry in the Witcher series is currently in development. Centering on Ciri, it does not yet have an official release date, but early gameplay footage was shown off for the State of Unreal 2025 showcase. We can’t imagine NPCs will be tossing their babies in this game, either, but you never know. (It certainly wouldn't be wilder than the 'put the baby in the oven' option.)

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

The Pokémon Center just dropped its Halloween Collection for 2026. The new releases, which are already available to purchase online, include a mix of spooky-themed decorations, apparel, and kitchenware featuring fan-favorite Pokémon. The company is also seemingly getting ahead of the winter holiday season with new ornaments and snow globes.

Pokémon Center Reveals 2026 Halloween Collection

The Pokémon Company has been celebrating the franchise’s 30th anniversary with a ridiculous amount of drops and announcements. This is one collection I always look forward to, however, because I’m a huge fan of the Ghost types that are typically featured.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that the Poké-star of this year’s drop is Gengar, who technically predates the Ghost type itself. That guy’s been getting a ridiculous amount of merch love recently. Other featured Pokémon include Mimikyu, Mewtwo, one of my all-time favorites, Misdreavus, and… Golett? That one honestly caught me off guard.

Best Buy just dropped one of Samsung's best gaming TVs to a Black Friday caliber price. As part of the Best Buy 60th Anniversary Sale, the 65" Samsung S90F 4K QD-OLED Smart TV deal is currently on sale for just $999.99 with free shipping. However, it's out of stock in most locations. I have confirmed, however, that some zip codes do have it available for both shipping and in-store delivery. We recently picked the S90F as the best gaming TV in 2026.

The Best 65" Gaming TV in 2026 Is on Sale at Best Buy

Jason Kelce, Garage Beer, and Liquid Death have teamed up to ask you to mail your pee to data centers.

A new ad for Garage Beer and Liquid Death has been released, in which Jason Kelce informs you that, once you pee out any of the aforementioned products, you can bottle it up and send it to AI data centers to keep them cool. To help make that more convenient, the two companies have released a Mason jar-esque cup for you to fill with pee (or drink out of, whatever you wish). The "Data Center Coolant" cup is $18, but it's currently sold out, so you may be out of luck unless it gets restocked.

It should be noted that there is fine print on both the ad and the store page for the cup saying you shouldn't actually mail any urine to data centers. It's a crime to mail urine as a prank or for fun; it can only be done as a medical sample with specific rules on how it must be packaged and presented. (Just thought we should warn you in case you were easily swayed by the ad.)

We want your pee. Please give us your pee. pic.twitter.com/9ddgh8I38Z

— Garage Beer (@drinkgaragebeer) August 18, 2026

The ad is targeting AI data centers, as they use millions of gallons of water a day to keep the machines cool. Many have criticized data centers for wasting clean water in favor of producing valueless AI slop and also polluting said water with chemical discharge. That's in addition to AI centers hogging computer components, leading to shortages and a massive spike in costs for consumers looking to upgrade their tech. It's a hot topic, and one that the two companies are taking advantage of with this tongue-in-cheek ad.

Liquid Death is no stranger to outrageous marketing stunts. The company launched a half-and-half beverage a couple of years ago named "Armless Palmer," in reference to Arnold Palmer. Once Palmer's estate caught wind of this and threatened legal action, Liquid Death changed the name to "Dead Billionaire." As you might imagine, it created headlines and publicity.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

If you're in need of a super high capacity power bank that's still pretty compact, check out this deal from AliExpress. Jackery's official storefront on AliExpress currently has the Jackery Explorer 240D power bank with an 80,000mAh 256Wh battery capacity for just $95.07 with free shipping (from a local US warehouse) after you apply coupon code: "IFPT04BD". This is the first time I've seen the price drop below $100. The same power station sells for $209 on Amazon.

Jackery Explorer 240D 80,000mAh Power Bank for $95