Sony and Honda have announced plans to get PlayStation 5 owners gaming on the go, with Remote Play support for Afeela 1 vehicles rolling out next year.
The two companies are working together as Sony Honda Mobility, a joint venture focused on the development of electric vehicles, which has now announced the PlayStation-infused Afeela In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) system.
This technology will let you sit in an Afeela 1 vehicle and play your PS4 or PS5 games as a passenger, though only via Remote Play — meaning you'll also need your console switched on back at home in order to stream gameplay.
As with any online technology, there are caveats. Of course, this is not cloud gaming in the traditional sense, so you will need to own a PS5 yourself to use it. Sony also recommends you have a "stable connection of at 15Mbps... for a smooth Remote Play experience." Why isn't Sony using the same cloud gaming technology available elsewhere? It is unclear.
"The introduction of PS Remote Play embodies Afeela's vision for mobility: transforming the traveling space into a captivating and emotional one," Sony Honda Mobility president Izumi Kawanishi said in a statement. "Through this integration, we are elevating the customer's entire travel experience to an unprecedented level of entertainment."
An image of the Afeela IVI system shows someone holding a DualSense controller while playing on a small screen in the rear seat of their snazzy Honda vehicle. In a press release, Sony and Honda suggests a driver can enjoy gaming while "waiting in your parked car," presumably by clambering into the back, or alternatively the IVI can be used to keep "passengers entertained on a road trip."
Great RPGs can live or die by their final chapters – what's been built up through a long journey could pay off with major revelations that leave a lasting mark or fall flat with cliches that undermine its best ideas. I spent over 100 hours with Octopath Traveler 0, and although I'd say about 80 of those are pretty good overall thanks to a fair share of ups and downs, it's those last 20-or-so hours where it ascends to true greatness. If that sounds far too daunting, I get it, it's a big time investment – but what you get in return is something that only games of this scale can pull off, making good on its various story branches and stunning you with one moment after another as you approach its wild conclusion. While Octopath already had a brilliant turn-based combat system, this iteration adds its own quirks to freshen things up as the HD-2D art style delivers its unique brand of modernized nostalgia yet again. And along with an outstanding soundtrack to beautifully frame both pivotal and quiet moments alike, Octopath Traveler 0 shows that this series can and has pushed the genre to new heights.
Octopath Traveler 0 is largely a repackaging of the mobile game Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, which is a prequel to the original entry. But by axing the microtransations and gacha elements used to recruit party members, as well as introducing some very important additions to story and gameplay, it has become a fully fledged RPG worthy of this wider release. I'm a bit shocked that this game in particular was once a mobile exclusive because it's built as a traditional RPG, and I'm thrilled it exists in this form since I would have otherwise missed out on some of my favorite moments from any recent game.
However, it's not always a smoothly paved road, and I'm not terribly surprised as any 100-hour game leaves plenty of room for valleys between its peaks. Story is where I had most of my reservations in the first half-or-so, and while I wasn't expecting the most beautifully written script or deepest character study, I found some of the dialogue and plot beats rather shallow. Comically evil villains made for bosses who were satisfying to take down, but when their unabashed cruelty and simple thirst for power is the primary hook without much nuance, I didn't feel quite as compelled by them as characters. But despite the inconsistent quality of its storytelling, Octopath Traveler 0 still runs at a decent pace and doesn't sit on any one thread for too long.
That's mainly due to how the main quest is structured. After a tragic prologue where your hometown is burned to the ground, you're given three story branches in order to pursue the trio of villains who were responsible. Themed around power, fame, and wealth, those three paths then converge into a conclusion for what is roughly the first half of the overall story (at about 40 hours). And don't be fooled by the fakeout credits roll, because you've barely seen what Octopath Traveler 0 has up its sleeve. It then splits into three new questlines that pick up those themes once again, and although they retread similar territory, the stakes get higher as more of Octopath's world gets involved and your understanding of it deepens. Warring kingdoms and corrupt religious institutions across the land of Orsterra, where betrayal is more common than loyalty, start to face greater consequences as the full picture comes into focus and the story gains real momentum.
I can almost guarantee you'll find that few games blossom quite like Octopath Traveler 0.
Rather than trying to build eight separate stories for characters that have to run in parallel, this game is able to tell a tighter tale by weaving its themes together, putting your custom character at the center of it, and elevating the important figures when needed. While your silent protagonist may seem like a typical "chosen one," having the story revolve around the world's eight rings that grant godly power turns a cliche setup into a strong foundation for its deeper messages. Octopath Traveler 2 was very successful with its cast of eight and made for one of my favorite games of the last decade, but this change of pace is a smart direction. Unfortunately it does mean most of the 30-plus party members you can recruit through sidequests feel rather disposable, but the dissonance that creates is worth the trade-off.
And like many of the seemingly frivolous features of Octopath Traveler 0, that roster eventually means something important in the grand scheme. There's a reason why you want to recruit as many of these characters as possible, and this pays off in unpredictable ways that even had me – someone who's played nearly every major JRPG under the sun – absolutely stun-locked. That's a powerful example of how this game makes you care about the seemingly mundane things in retrospect and earns its big moments. Perhaps it could've benefitted from trimming its lesser parts (especially where it runs into problematic tropes or naive politics), but the time you spend along the main questlines builds an intimate understanding of the people who embody Orsterra and the leaders you collaborate with in earnest.
Avoiding any specific spoilers, once you hit the "final" questline, Octopath Traveler 0 mashes the gas and does not stop; it almost felt like I was playing a whole new game. Dungeons get more intricate, boss fights get a lot tougher, character arcs come full circle, and motives begin to make much more sense. Plenty of stories go for the complex and sympathetic villain or antihero, but the true antagonist of this tale represents an incredibly thoughtful, fully realized, heartwrenching, and intense exploration of this archetype. I was floored by the revelations therein because of how they're grounded in things that feel real, with both gameplay mechanics and music wielded as storytelling devices to paint a complete picture without having to explain itself out loud. The more I peel back the layers that make its final chapters so moving, the more it's stuck with me well after I rolled credits on the 0-exclusive true ending after 106 hours on the dot.
I've been on record saying Octopath Traveler 2 has one of my favorite turn-based combat systems ever; it shines here as well and for slightly different reasons. The Boost and Break systems give the typical dynamic of hitting elemental affinities some extra depth to devising how turns should play out. Playing the guessing game of discovering what enemies are weak against gets a little tiresome, but once that part is solved, scheming for your plan of attack based on turn order to Break enemies and tee up the big hits is oh so satisfying. Building each party members' Boost points to add extra hits or increase spell potency gives you something to plan around for turns well in advance. And lining up all these variables while juggling the threat of hard-hitting bosses, who can impose some impactful status ailments or wipe party members in one turn, had me feeling like a genius tactician. Octopath might be playing on our nostalgia with its HD-2D retro-style visuals, yet this series has continually set a high bar for turn-based combat systems in modern gaming.
This series has continually set a high bar for turn-based combat systems.
Party composition is quite different this time around since you have eight active party members at all times – four in the front row and four in the back. With well over 30 characters in my roster, it's an overwhelming amount to process and manage. While the fundamentals of Octopath's combat system are familiar, matching character duos for the row they occupy is a unique strategic layer that allows for a lot of flexibility. And because they all build Boost points individually, you can dole out the big hits more frequently and keep up a brisker pace in battle compared to previous entries. You sacrifice individual character depth, however, as each party member has just one Job to progress through (aside from your protagonist), but you can at least master specific Job skills to then equip on other characters to diversify their moveset.
I found Octopath Traveler 2's character progression more meaningful, especially as it tied to their individual stories, but Octopath 0 offers a welcome change of pace that hits the turn-based highs that've made the series special. The slow-motion cinematic camera cuts for Max Boost attacks and each party member's tide-turning limit break still get me hyped up, giving combat the visual flair that truly makes the HD-2D style stand out when the action picks up. The tactical considerations you need to make in order to inflict damage well past the 9,999 soft limit requires effort and foresight that isn't spelled out for you, but figuring out how to wield these systems and mechanics yourself is as satisfying as it is necessary to stand a chance in late game fights. Random encounters throughout dungeons and the overworld get overbearing, but that tedium pales in comparison to the gratification of landing a Break and busting out every full-powered ability to overcome a boss you had no business defeating.
While that turn-based combat supports much of the A-plot I’ve already praised, there's also a B-plot that revolves around reconstructing your hometown of Wishvale. In the process of bringing it back to life narratively, you actually rebuild it with a town-building system in a similar vein as Fallout 4 or Ni no Kuni 2. You collect crafting materials naturally throughout which then allow you to build housing, shops, and decor within certain parameters on a grid-based layout. It’s an enjoyable side activity, with tangible benefits that come from new buildings and recruiting new residents, such as discounted shop prices, a self-sufficient flow of materials, and a training ground for inactive party members to continue leveling up. Town building may seem optional at first and isn't particularly deep, but it becomes almost essential the further you get, especially when you consider the story's broader message about what home means to you and the people you care for. And seeing the town you put together yourself in the background of cutscenes is a heartwarming touch that is its own small emotional reward.
This questline's story can be a bit cheesy at times, but its heart is in the right place as it gets sentimental about what it takes to rebuild after losing everything. Like the previous game, the way poverty shapes a person and going from nothing to something remains a prominent motif, and even though it fumbles the messaging at times here, it's willing to talk about those topics with clarity. In the same way the branching questlines eventually converge sensibly, the town-building system and story attached to it enrich the main quest in tangible ways. By having you take the actions necessary to pick up the pieces and offer survivors some semblance of the past lives of your hometown, Octopath Traveler 0's overarching themes about holding onto your humanity comes across as more genuine.
[Series composer] Yasunori Nishiki deserves to be mentioned alongside the GOATs.
After 100-plus hours, I look back on this journey often teary eyed. Its prevailing messages and star characters really resonated with me, offering perspectives on how tragedy changes people. That hits hardest when I listen back to my favorite songs on the soundtrack that evoke those feelings. Series composer Yasunori Nishiki has a particular style that lends itself extremely well to the genre, but is an absolute madman when you break down the musicality of his work, especially here in Octopath Traveler 0. A rock orchestra with swelling strings, horns, and drums (sometimes backed by opera vocals and chanting choirs) boss battle themes make me feel like I can run through a wall; hell, even the initial normal battle theme slaps hard. It's also in the softer town themes that round things out, and specific motifs that punctuate important moments and work their way into the most impactful songs. Twice during late game bosses, I had to put my controller down absolutely stunned by what I was hearing before picking it back up and using the power of music to propel me to victory – so yeah, Yasunori Nishiki deserves to be mentioned alongside the GOATs.
Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? The Bruce Willis action movie classic is a regular watch around this time of year, since it’s set during Christmas (the movie starts on Christmas Eve, with Willis’ character John McClane landing in LA to spend Christmas with his estranged wife). But its status as an official Christmas movie has been hotly debated for decades. Well, there’s one high-profile actor who thinks Die Hard is very much NOT a Christmas movie — and he should know, as the star of Home Alone.
Macaulay Culkin played Kevin McCallister in two of the best Christmas movies ever made: Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, so you’d think he’d know a thing or two about what makes a Christmas movie a Christmas movie. And for him, Die Hard doesn’t fit the bill.
“No it’s not. It’s based around Christmas. Don’t fight — fight me on the moon!” Culkin insisted during an interview with Mythical Kitchen. “It’s based around Christmas, but if it was also St. Patrick’s Day, it would still be… it would work. But you couldn’t do like a Memorial Day Home Alone. Nah, it doesn’t work that way.”
He added: “Listen, I’m kind of the godfather of Christmas nowadays. Yes, my opinion has some sway in this argument.”
This isn’t the first time Culkin has expressed his views on Die Hard’s status. Last month, Culkin was actually booed by an audience for saying it wasn’t. Speaking at A Nostalgic Night with Macaulay Culkin to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Home Alone, the 45-year-old actor said: "I know. Some of you guys want to fight me, I’ll meet you at the loading dock, but it’s just a movie that’s set at Christmas. If you set it at St. Patrick's Day, the exact same movie. But you set Home Alone at St. Patrick's Day..."
Culkin, who stars in Fallout Season 2 on Prime Video, has certainly raised a few eyebrows with his comments, but it’s worth remembering that in 2017, Steven E. de Souza, who wrote Die Hard, took to social media to joke that Die Hard is in fact a Christmas movie “because the studio rejected the Purim draft.”
And when one social media user asked how Die Hard could be considered a Christmas movie when it came out in the summer of 1988, de Souza replied to point out that Miracle on 34th Street, perhaps the definitive Christmas movie, came out in the summer of 1947.
de Souza added. “Plus a woman about to give birth features prominently.”
Speaking to People in 2024, A Christmas Story star Peter Billingsley said Die Hard cinematographer, Jan de Bont, offered one reason why Die Hard is a Christmas movie:
“I think what sold [de Bont] is I said, ‘That relationship between John McClane and his estranged wife, they're fractured, but by the end, they learn to forgive each other. There’s hope, there’s joy, and they’re going to go and have a great Christmas morning with their kids.
“Not to mention there’s Christmas songs, and they have the snow falling. In my opinion it is a Christmas movie.”
Director John McTiernan has also weighed in, telling the American Film Institute in 2020: “We hadn’t intended it to be a Christmas movie, but the joy that came from it is what turned it into a Christmas movie."
Perhaps the final word should go to Bruce Willis himself. In Comedy Central’s 2018 Roast of Bruce Willis, the star joked: “I did this roast for one reason and for one reason only, to settle something once and for all. Now, please listen very carefully: Die Hard is not a Christmas movie! It’s a goddamn Bruce Willis movie.”
But what do you think? Give our poll, below, asking this most important of Christmas questions a go, then take to the comments to offer your expanded thoughts!
Photo by 20th Century-Fox/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.
The MSRP (or List Price, as Amazon calls it) for a Play Booster Box for a Universes Beyond set is $209.70, and this discount brings the same product down to $159.99.
The catch is that Play Booster Boxes tend to retail for that amount anyway if they’re set in Magic’s own realms. That’s right: Universes Beyond Booster Boxes are pricier than Universes Within just because.
Still, this deal nets you 30 packs of 14 cards each at a price of $5.33 per pack, a drop from the $6.99 you’d pay at full price.
A similar thing happened with Magic’s Spider-Man set this year, which seemingly underperformed by just about every metric, but Avatar Play Booster boxes were also discounted and that set was much more promising - so a discount at this point isn’t necessarily a reflection of how good or bad the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set is.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.
Disney is moving forward with its plans for a live-action remake of Tangled, though the movie will no longer feature former Avengers star Scarlett Johansson.
The ex-Marvel actress was recently reported as joining The Batman Part 2 in a mystery role, and is also set to appear in a reboot of The Exorcist. Johansson's time on these projects next year now means her previously-expected position as Tangled villain Mother Gothel is now vacant, The Hollywood Reporter has stated.
In the meantime, casting has now begun for the movie's main duo: the long-haired Rapunzel and her dashing beau Flynn Rider. Filming is reportedly set to take place in the UK next summer.
Disney's beloved animated take on Rapunzel originally released in 2010, with singer and This is Us actress Mandy Moore providing the voice for its long-haired lead character, alongside Chuck frontman Zachary Levi. Many fans had suggested this year's Regretting You stars Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames would be a perfect fit for the two roles now, though The Hollywood Reporter has noted that a separate list of names is being considered for each part.
Up for Rapunzel are a selection of lesser known young stars, including Disney's Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires actress Freya Skye, White Lotus' Sarah Catherine Hook, Titans' Teagan Croft, and Invasion's Olivia-Mai Barrett.
Disney's Zombies lead actor Milo Manheim, Splitsville's Charlie Gillespie and Scottish musical theatre student Gilli Jones have all reportedly tested for Flynn Rider, meanwhile.
Disney reportedly paused its plans to remake Tangled earlier this year following the disastrous launch of its live-action Snow White, which failed to recoup its $240 million production budget amid a string of poor reviews and online controversies.
Terminator 2D: No Fate is packed with Terminator references and Easter eggs, but this one is perhaps for hardcore fans only.
Bitmap Bureau’s retro action game has an Easter egg that can only be accessed once you’ve unlocked its hardest mode, Judgment Day. Once you’ve done that, play through the game on Judgment Day difficulty and reach the Biker Bar level, which is only the second level in Arcade Mode if you want to get there quickly. The instant the level loads, you’ll immediately notice that the previously naked Arnie is now wearing some very bright, ultra ‘90s neon Zubaz shorts.
Why is he doing that? It’s a reference to how The Governator actually dressed on-set during the filming of the biker bar scene in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. That’s right: naked Arnie in Terminator 2 is a lie, and you can get a glimpse of those incredibly colourful shorts in this footage from behind the scenes.
We thought we’d check in with the Terminator 2D development team to find out more about this cheeky Easter egg, and they explained how it came together:
"When planning the game we did a lot of research on the movie; watching it scene-by-scene, going through materials such as the illustrated screenplay and also looking at making of content which is where the shorts idea came from.
"After looking at how some of the older T2 games handled the naked Terminator for the bar scene (for example in the SNES game where it was behind a strategically placed wooden fence) — Mike [Tucker, designer] jokingly had the idea of making a pixelated crotch effect for Easy Money mode.
“But we decided the shorts from behind-the-scenes pics would be a hilarious Easter egg and you can only unlock it on the Judgment Day difficulty!
“We also had an internal thread where we gathered ideas for Easter eggs to include, and we managed to fit plenty of them into the game. For example, retro game lovers may enjoy the custom ending of Arcade Mode which we hope is a nice reward for sticking with that challenge and completing it.
“For the biker bar level itself, we made a lot of adjustments throughout the development as we continued to polish. Like adding the two licensed music tracks, adding the boss fight, the guy getting griddled, giving the Terminator a line asking for clothes, boots and motorcycle, the waitress idle animations etc and then we added a few more moves such as the backfist, headbutt, and shoulder barge for depth.”
So there you have it! That’s why the Terminator is wearing retro shorts in Terminator 2D: No Fate, and if you didn’t already know about its origins, now you have some fun movie trivia to impress your film buff friends with!
IGN’s Terminator 2D: No Fate review returned an 8/10. We said: “Terminator 2D: No Fate is a wonderfully realised tribute to one of the single greatest movies ever made, punctuated with pitch-perfect music, exquisite pixel art, and brilliant Easter eggs.”
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.
A cluster of Starfield fans say they've gained an early glimpse at improvements coming to Bethesda's sci-fi role-player, though have suggested the changes are relatively modest in scope.
The fans claimed Bethesda invited them to take a look at the upcoming content, with one saying they were "stoked" by what they saw, while another suggested they were "excited for the future of Starfield." For now, the details of what was shown remain under embargo, to be properly revealed at a later date.
But there's also a note of caution here, regarding the scope and scale of what Bethesda is actually working on. Another content creator, who said they had been contacted by several Starfield fans either at the event or who helped put it on, suggested this "probably isn't a Cyberpunk 2.0-scale update," referencing the major additions that helped improved CD Projekt's RPG.
Word that Bethesda is working on more content for Starfield is unsurprising — indeed, Bethesda boss Todd Howard said back in August that the company had "free updates and features the players have been asking for, as well as a new DLC story" in the works.
"I can't go into all the details just yet, but I will say part of the team has been focused on space gameplay to make the travels there more rewarding," Howard noted. "We're also adding some new game systems, and a few other smaller delights. There's also some really interesting stuff coming down the pipe from our verified creators. There's some fun stuff."
Bethesda's vagueness around future plans for Starfield has long been a point of discussion among fans, with a sense that the company has pulled back on its previous ambitions for the game following its mixed response and amid a clamoring for the company's two bigger franchises, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.
In August it was reported that Bethesda had delayed Starfield's second expansion due to "weak sales" of its first, Shattered Space, which launched in September 2024 to a 'Mostly Negative' Steam user rating. Todd Howard had previously talked of Starfield expansions releasing annually. Another reported reason for the delay was Bethesda's plans to launch Starfield on PlayStation 5, with both the second expansion and the game's multiplatform rollout potentially happening simultaneously. Here's hoping 2026 provides a clearer sense of the game's future.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
YouTube has killed two of the biggest YouTube channels responsible for fake movie trailers.
Deadline reported that both Screen Culture and KH Studio, whose fake movie trailer videos had collectively generated billions of views, are now unavailable. A search for either channel now returns the same message:
This page isn't available. Sorry about that. Try searching for something else.
Screen Culture and KH Studio had won millions of subscribers and billions of views for generating fake trailers that in many cases misled fans into thinking they were official. With the emergence of generative AI, the quality of these trailers improved, as did their ability to mislead.
Both Screen Culture and KH Studio were infamous on the internet after pumping out fake trailers for years, particularly for movies that fans either hoped Hollywood would end up making, or had announced but had yet to see an official debut trailer. As you’d expect, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a popular choice, and some of the fake trailers ended up outranking official ones on YouTube.
After Google demonetized both channels, they added disclaimers to their videos, such as “fan trailer,” “concept trailer,” and “parody,” but as Deadline points out, this desperate attempt to revive revenue was short lived, sparking Google's latest action.
It’s important to note that the clampdown comes hot on the heels of Disney’s cease-and-desist letter to Google. The megacorp has accused Google of infringing its copyright "on a massive scale" by using its works to train its own generative AI models. Disney itself has licensed many of its iconic characters to OpenAI, alongside a $1 billion investment in the company behind app Sora 2 and ChatGPT.
For now, the online reaction to the news has been positive. “Finally,” said one redditor. “I've been trying so hard to block these two from appearing on any of my timelines. Very good news!” “Great, now can they shut down channels that peddle AI slop to children?” added another. "Definitely glad. It's gotten so it can be challenging to find the actual trailers," said one person.
While fake movie trailers are a big issue on YouTube, video games are suffering from the same problem. Last month, an AI-generated GTA 6 gameplay “leak" went viral while misleading an army of fans across social media. Amid a backlash, its creator later pulled the video, admitted it was AI-generated, and claimed it was all part of a social experiment.
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.
Doomed Xbox blockbuster Perfect Dark had "entire chapters" of performance capture work in the can before its shock cancelation this summer, according to Joanna Dark actress Alix Wilton Regan.
In an interview with TheGamer, the voice behind Dragon Age's Inquisitor and Cyberpunk 2077's Alt Cunningham says she recorded scenes for The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot over the course of several years, beginning in 2023. "Lots" was done in 2024, with work continuing in early 2025.
"To my knowledge, we were pretty far along, I'd done entire chapters of this universe," Regan said, adding that she was shocked to learn that Microsoft was pulling the plug, with The Initiative itself also set to be closed down as part of a wave of funding cuts and layoffs.
"I was as shocked, surprised, and devastated as everyone else was when the funding was pulled, and the studio was closed," Wilton-Regan continued, saying she learned the studio's fate at the same time as it was announced publicly. "I did not see it coming. I was absolutely blindsided when the project was defunded," she added. "It was devastating. So many people lost their jobs. An entire workforce was disbanded."
A further blow would come as last-ditch talks to salvage the project also fell through — a process Wilton-Regan admits she had insider knowledge of. Interestingly, the actress mentioned that Perfect Dark may have changed in scope had it been saved, with a "slimmed-down" version ultimately seeing the light of day instead.
"I couldn't say too much about it because I knew The Initiative was in talks to keep Perfect Dark up and running in some shape or form," Wilton-Regan revealed. "Possibly a slimmed-down version, possibly something slightly different. But certainly, everyone was working really hard behind the scenes to bring Perfect Dark back. And then one day, I heard from the creative director that the deal hadn't gone through, and that really everything had fallen apart, and production was fully stopping."
A report from Bloomberg, which IGN corroborated from its own sources, previously revealed that there had been a plan to keep Perfect Dark alive via the team working on the project at Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics, which had been serving as a co-developer. Leadership from both Crystal and The Initiative reportedly spent two months looking for a new publisher and funding source.
While multiple parties expressed interest, the most likely candidate turned out to be Take-Two Interactive. However, the two groups couldn't come to an agreement, at least in part due to disagreements over long-term ownership of the property. As a result, the deal fell through, resulting in layoffs at Crystal Dynamics as all hope of the project being reinstated vanished.
As for Wilton-Regan, while she may have lost the Joanna Dark gig, this month's big Tomb Raider reveal at The Game Awards revealed that the actress was now the official new video game Lara Croft. She'll star in next year's reimagining of the original Lara Croft adventure, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, as well as all-new blockbuster Tomb Raider: Catalyst, due in 2027.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Sony is buying a majority stake in the Peanuts franchise, which includes world famous cartoon characters Snoopy and Charlie Brown.
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) and Sony Pictures Entertainment have agreed to acquire Canadian media company WildBrain’s entire 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings LLC for 630 million Canadian dollars (approx. $460 million). After the deal closes, Sony will own an 80% equity interest in Peanuts (it already owns 39%), and Peanuts will become a consolidated subsidiary of Sony. The members of the family of Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, will continue to own the remaining 20%. SMEJ will take the lead in managing Peanuts Holdings LLC in partnership with SPE.
Announcing the deal, Sony described Peanuts as a “world-class IP.” Shunsuke Muramatsu, President and Group CEO, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), said: “Since 2018, SMEJ has been proud to be part of the partnership behind Peanuts, an iconic global entertainment brand with a 75-year legacy of delighting audiences worldwide. With this additional ownership stake, we are thrilled to be able to further elevate the value of the Peanuts brand by drawing on the Sony Groupʼs extensive global network and collective expertise.
“We are deeply committed to carrying forward the legacy of Charles Schulz and the Schulz family. Together with SPE, and backed by WildBrainʼs continued partnership, we will continue to embrace new opportunities to ensure that Peanuts remains a relevant and beloved presence across generations — reaching new audiences and sharing the timeless charm of the Peanuts gang for years ahead.”
Schulz’s comic strip began life in 1950, when Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts crew appeared across several U.S. newspapers. Currently, Peanuts animated shows are available on Apple TV, with ongoing comic strips and a mountain of merch fleshing out the franchise. The Snoopy YouTube channel has 750,000 subscribers.
Animated film The Peanuts Movie (known in some countries as Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie) launched in 2015, starring the voices of Noah Schnapp as Charlie Brown and, via archival recordings, Bill Melendez as Snoopy and Woodstock. It was the first Peanuts film in 35 years, and made $246.2 million at the global box office.
In November 2023, a new Peanuts film was announced to be in development, due to be released exclusively on Apple TV.
Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP 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.
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