Games Workshop is once again expecting big profits despite an expected slowdown in licensing revenue from blockbuster video game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
In a trading update, the Nottingham, UK-based tabletop wargame company said it now expects revenues of at least £310 million for the six months to the end of November 2025, which would amount to a 15% rise from the same period last year. Pre-tax profit is expected to be about £135 million for the half year, up from £126.8 million last year. Shares in Games Workshop were up 12.8% on the news this morning.
That’s despite expected licensing revenue of at least £16 million, which would be down from the £30.1 million reported during the same period last year.
Space Marine 2 may well be the most successful Warhammer 40,000 video game ever made. It sold over 7 million copies less than a year after going on sale, and, according to Saber Interactive exec Tim Willits, changed everything for the studio. Even Games Workshop itself has talked about the money it’s made from Space Marine 2, and protagonist Titus is now leading the charge on the next narrative expansion of the Warhammer 40,000 setting.
In January, Games Workshop said it was on the hunt for the next blockbuster Warhammer video game, but CEO Kevin Rountree also expressed a degree of caution on potential future video game success, admitting hits like Space Marine 2 are few and far between. “We recognise that successes like these for Warhammer are not a given in the world of video games,” Rountree said at the time. “Clearly we are looking for the next one. We remain cautious when forecasting royalty income.”
Meanwhile, Games Workshop had warned that Donald Trump’s tariff plans could damage its profits by up to £12 million, but it seems the impact has yet to significantly dull financial performance.
Games Workshop’s primary business is of course the sale of tabletop wargames and their miniatures, with an expansive bricks and mortar retail business providing a foundation for the hobby. In July, Games Workshop said that a “cute looking pipistrelle bat” was “delaying our work on our new temporary car park.” Yes, really.
Photo by Uli Deck/picture alliance via Getty Images.
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.
Xbox's Black Friday sale is now live, apparently? Zero fanfare to this one, unlike PlayStation and Nintendo's announcements. In all honesty, I'm not surprised, as the sale on Microsoft's online store is actuallya littledisappointing.
Whilst Xbox controllers are discounted at Microsoft, they are listed for around $52-$60, but the same Xbox Controllers are also included in Best Buy's sale from just $40 instead. It's night and day in terms of pricing.
However, I'm going to do you one better, as you can currently pick up the Pulse Cipher Xbox Controller for just $32.99 at Amazon right now. That 59% off its list price of $79.99, and $47 savings.
I've been working Black Friday sales for over six years, and that's the best price I've ever seen on an official controller, let alone a special edition version.
The lowest we tend to see Xbox Controllers drop to during sale events is $35, and even then, that's just on the core color options, not the fancy see-through variants.
This is absolutely one of the standout offerings in Amazon's Black Friday sale, which is also now live. This is such a good deal, I actually doubt it's going to last until the end of the day, let alone Black Friday proper on November 28.
At least one of the megacorps is providing some decent discounts on Xbox gear, because apparently Microsoft can't even be bothered to.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
PokéPark Kanto is a new, permanent Pokémon theme park opening in Japan next February. Visitors to PokéPark will take on the role of Pokémon Trainers, and explore a town and forest areas designed to bring the anime and games to life. However, those eager to channel their inner Ash Ketchum and “catch ‘em all” may be surprised to discover that strict rules could make a huge portion of the park out-of-bounds for many visitors.
PokéPark Kanto will be located inside the existing Yomiuriland, Tokyo’s largest theme park. The PokéPark is divided into a large, nature-filled area called the Pokémon Forest, and Sedge Town, which features stores, rides and Sedge Gym, where you will be able to watch Pokémon stage shows. More details about the attractions can be found in IGN’s previous coverage.
According to the Area Rules on PokéPark Kanto’s official site, the Pokémon Forest is a 500m long nature trail, featuring steep hills, tunnels and stairs. While walking through the forest, visitors will be able to spot statues of many Pokémon playing, resting or battling in their natural habitats.
However, for safety reasons, the Pokémon Forest has many restrictions on who can enjoy this huge part of the park. PokéPark Kanto’s official English website says that visitors who cannot walk up 110 steps without assistance will not be allowed to enter the Forest, which will impact a wide range of people with mobility issues. The official Japanese language site specifies that people who need to use wheelchairs cannot access the Forest. Children under five will also not be allowed, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. Those who are pregnant, have heart conditions, have either high or low blood pressure, have consumed alcohol, or simply feel unwell on the day are also prohibited from entering the Pokémon Forest.
Although PokéPark Kanto is clearly taking visitors’ safety very seriously, the problem is that purchasers of tickets to the park could lose out on a huge chunk of the experience if they don’t meet the entry requirements for the Pokémon Forest. When it opens next February, PokéPark Kanto will only offer two types of ticket: the Ace Trainer’s Pass (14,000 yen) and the Trainer’s Pass (7,900 yen), both of which give access to the Pokémon Forest. The Ace Trainer’s Pass lets you freely enter the Pokémon Forest and Sedge Town areas, and comes with added perks like priority lane access for attractions, reserved seats for the Sedge Gym show, meet and greets, and original merch. The Trainer’s Pass gives unlimited access to Sedge Town but gives you a timeslot for the Pokémon Forest.
To counteract this, PokéPark Kanto has special tiered pricing for each ticket: children aged 3-12, seniors, and people with disabilities can access the park at reduced rates. Despite this pricing, the strict restrictions on the Pokémon Forest sparked much criticism on Japanese social media when they were announced. Users questioned why children aged 3-4 will be charged the same price as older kids for Ace Trainer’s and Trainer’s Passes, even though they cannot enter the Forest. Others expressed sadness that the Pokémon Forest doesn’t have a wheelchair-accessible path. Said one commenter: “I’d been looking forward to it, so I wish there had been more consideration.”
Although Pokémon Forest has many restrictions on who can enter, the Sedge Town area will be more accessible. The park is planning on introducing a Town-only pass by summer 2026 to “ensure everyone can safely and comfortably enjoy the park.” This will be the cheapest ticket, priced at 4,700 yen for adults, 4,200 yen for seniors, and 2,800 yen for children and those with disabilities, according to the park’s Japanese language site.
PokéPark Kanto also has rules against recording the inside of the park. This includes any kind of unpermitted filming or photography for commercial purposes, or any kind of recording deemed to disrupt the experience for other visitors or affect the park’s operation. Visitors will have their bags checked at the entrance, and suitcases, drones, selfie sticks and pets (with the exception of service dogs) are among the things that are prohibited in the park. There is also a ‘No Outside food’ rule, which prohibits visitors from bringing food and drink into PokéPark Kanto (including those purchased in other parts of Yomiuriland), although they make exceptions for small children and those with dietary restrictions.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Major gameplay leaks have offered a glimpse at the next era of Fortnite, in which its ever-popular battle royale mode will transition to a fresh map based on the USA.
Previously, official hints from Epic Games have pointed to coordinates based in Hollywood, while another leak suggested the game would feature a Las Vegas-esque location (and a Quentin Tarantino crossover). And now, thanks to footage that has leaked from a preview event attended by media and influencers, Chapter 7's USA-style setting has been confirmed.
Footage now widely circulating on social media shows an arid area with palm trees. In the distance, the game's map references an area named Sandy Strip. Signage names Chapter 7's first season as being titled "Pacific Break."
LEAKED CHAPTER 7 INFO FROM CREATOR EVENT 💀
- Hot air balloons - Driveable Reboot Vans - Solo VS Bots mode - Rift A Palooza events that spawn rifts - Gameplay UI update - Battle Pass has Marty McFly and The Bride pic.twitter.com/l9lBrLZMIz
Other changes visible in the footage look to include driveable reboot vans, and the option for a new Solo vs Bots mode (although it's unclear if this was provided just for the preview event).
Fortnite has followed up the leaks with its own, official look at Chapter 7, via a top-down view of the game's new battle royale map that shows a more urban area, complete with wide city streets and homes with backyard pools. (The top-down view here is a bit GTA 1, isn't it?)
Last night, Fortnite also publicly shared footage of Quentin Tarantino appearing at the aforementioned event, standing next to a Fortnite version of Kill Bill's infamous Pussy Wagon car. Here, the word "pussy" has been replaced by a picture of Meowscles, the game's fan-favorite swole cat. Leaked footage from the event, meanwhile, shows a new in-game skin for Uma Thurman's Kill Bill character The Bride. Oh, and also Marty McFly from Back to the Future.
Fortnite typically works on its big annual map change around a year in advance, and it's fun to consider the idea that, 12 months ago, Chapter 7's USA-inspired setting was being planned with the expectation that a certain other big game with a USA-inspired setting would launch at the same time.
Of course, GTA 6 has now been delayed — twice. But up until May this year, Rockstar was still saying the game would arrive this week, around the time Epic Games has launched a fresh Chapter of Fortnite for the past few years.
This year, Fortnite will hold its big Chapter 6 finale event on Saturday, November 29. Chapter Seven will then launch imminently after, though some period of downtime is expected. A teaser trailer for that in-game event released officially last night and featured Fortnite going full Ready Player One and Avengers: Endgame with its plans, while tying up story threads from the past few years.
In recent weeks, the secret bunkers in Fortnite's OG mode have been flashing messages in morse code, such as "Zero Hour", which we now know is the name of the upcoming event, and "Titans". After seeing that teaser trailer, fans think "Titans" refers to the game's current main antagonist, The Dark Presence, a towering demonic entity that rules Chapter 6's Spirit Realm, but also to the forces now squaring up against him.
In the coming battle, players look set to fight alongside a series of other looming figures: the returning Godzilla and King Kong, plus the newly giant-sized Homer Simpson. Is there a clue to a much longer story arc here too? Think back to Fortnite's Chapter 5, which introduced the current era of storytelling focused on blue-haired hero Hope, and you could also link in the mysterious giant hand that erupted from the ground holding Pandora's Box.
Are all of these Titans? And how will Fortnite wrap all of these things together (plus Star Wars' X-Wings, Uma Thurman, and Marty McFly) as it moves to its new USA-based home? We've just over a week to go until we find out.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's co-op Endgame mode will unlock for all players tomorrow, Friday November 21.
Up until now, Endgame was only accessible to those who'd completed the campaign, but from tomorrow, all players will be able to jump into the action regardless of whether or not they've completed the single-player mode.
Endgame is a brand-new, replayable co-op mode that expands on the events of the main story. Here, JSOC continues their fight across Avalon, taking on the remnants of The Guild in a toxic, ever-changing battlefield. It isn’t just an epilogue, but a progression-driven mode built around teamwork, power growth, and survival — here’s everything you need to know before dropping in.
According to CharlieIntel, those who managed to complete the campaign ahead of the launch of Black Ops 7's multiplayer mode will secure some additional goodies, including:
1 Hour 2XP Token x 3
Weapon XP Token x 2
Battlle Pass XP Token x 2
Perkaholic Gobblegums x 3
IGN's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 campaign review returned a 6/10. We said: "Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s campaign is a wild one thanks to the scope of its ambition, but the big swings it takes don't always land, leaving it an uneven step down from last year."
Last week, Activision acknowledged it used of "a variety of digital tools, including AI tools," in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, "to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players. Our creative process continues to be led by the talented individuals in our studios." The statement generated quite a response, including one from a member of U.S. Congress who called out Activision Blizzard's use of generative AI in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and demanded tighter regulation to "prevent companies from using AI to eliminate jobs."
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Valve’s announcement of the Steam Machine has sparked much debate online about the company’s return to the PC in the living room space, but one key piece of information remains unknown: price.
The Steam Machine is a gaming-focused PC designed to be more accessible than a standard desktop PC, with a sleek, cube-like design and SteamOS on-board. We here at IGN have offered our thoughts on how much the Steam Machine will cost, suggesting it’ll probably be higher than people think. But chatter about pricing has ramped up again after Linus Sebastian of Linus Tech Tips recalled a conversation he had about the subject with Valve itself ahead of the Steam Machine reveal.
On a recent episode of the WAN Show, Linus recalled that he had expressed his disappointment to Valve that Steam Machine wouldn’t follow a console pricing model where it is subsidized by the manufacturer because it takes a 30% cut of sales made on the platform, as the likes of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo do with their consoles.
Linus said he was then asked by Valve what he meant by a “console price,” to which he responded $500. “Nobody said anything, but the energy of the room wasn't great,” Linus continued.
Here are the comments in full:
“So basically, it's a 7600 CPU and a 7600 GPU. This is not a super powerful machine. Valve is upfront saying that they are going to be relying on FSR in order to achieve 4K. And even then man, like 8 gigs of VRAM, anyone else would be taking a ton of flak for shipping a game console today with 8 gigs of VRAM.
“I can’t tell you what the price will be because I literally don't know but, when I said, ‘I'm disappointed that it isn't going to follow a console pricing model where it's subsidized by the fact that the manufacturer is going to be taking 30% of every game sold on it over the lifespan of this thing, because I feel that would be a more meaningful product,’ they kind of asked what I meant by, well, ‘what do you mean by console price?’ And I said, ‘Well, $500.’
“Nobody said anything, but the energy of the room wasn't great.”
It is highly unlikely that Steam Machine will cost $500, then. But is that surprising? When we asked Valve hardware engineer Yazan Aldehayyat about what the company was shooting for, he told us that “[affordability] is just something we thought about every time we made a hardware decision, a feature decision, is to make sure we keep it as approachable, as affordable as possible.”
And while Linus has suggested Valve won’t benefit from a subsidized business model in the way, say, Sony does with PlayStation, because Steam Machine comes with SteamOS and the vast majority of users will use Steam itself as the storefront from which to buy their games, Valve can effectively do the same thing.
We’ve suggested Steam Machine will cost $700-$800. To put that into perspective, the base PS5 with a disc drive currently costs $549.99, while the PS5 Digital Edition costs $499.99. The PS5 Pro, meanwhile, costs $749.99. But what do you think?
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.
Hangar13 will release a major title update for Mafia: The Old Country later today. This update will add a Free Ride Mode, something that will please a lot of Mafia fans. So, let’s take a closer look at what you can expect from it. The Free Ride Mode will let you explore the environment at your … Continue reading Mafia: The Old Country Free Ride Update Releases Today→
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