Zelda fans, get ready for a treat. Flat2VR has just released an amazing VR Mod for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that is exclusive to PC. By using it, you can experience and play the entire game in VR. Going into more details, this VR Mod packs fully stereo-rendered with 6DOF. There … Continue reading The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild VR Mod Released→
And the time has come. Believe it or not, there were a lot of well-optimized PC games in 2025. Some of these games flew under everyone’s radar, but they still deserve the spotlight because their developers did an incredible job. But what do we consider an optimized PC game? Well, it’s quite simple. A well-optimized … Continue reading Best Optimized PC Games of 2025→
Maybe you made a New Year’s resolution to take your game streaming more seriously, want to upgrade your current setup, or even start a podcast? A top-notch microphone is the best place to start, since you won’t grow an audience with poor-quality audio. The SteelSeries Alias Pro, which features an XLR mic and Stream Mixer, is a high-end microphone up for the task. And it happens to be available for a mid-range price, thanks to an epic nearly 60% mark down.
Regularly $369.99, you can get the SteelSeries Alias Pro for only $159.99 on Amazon. That’s the lowest price ever, beating Black Friday and Cyber Monday savings. It’s a killer deal for an XLR microphone kit, which includes a special interface, providing near plug-and-play ease of use while delivering almost studio-level quality at home.
Save $210 on the SteelSeries Alias Pro — XLR Mic + Stream Mixer
Unlike typical XLR microphones that require a separate audio interface, the SteelSeries Alias Pro streamlines the setup process by including the Stream Mixer. This Stream Mixer may look simple, but it’s capable of a whole lot. In addition to providing a powerful preamp and phantom power, it delivers programmable inputs, allows for easy on-the-fly adjustments, acts as a meter, and can even match volume levels. The Stream Mixer also features two USB ports, making it easy to connect to multiple PCs or other devices.
SteelSeries’ impressive Sonar software provides ample customization opportunities. However, in our hands-on testing of the SteelSeries Alias Pro, reviewer Chris Coke found the out-of-the-box sound to be already great. The larger capsule on the microphone captured lower frequencies better than other mics and delivered excellent clarity. He even went on to say, “The SteelSeries Alias Pro is an excellent microphone that’s capable of elevating the quality of your content. Paired with Sonar, it can completely replace more complicated setups and potentially increase quality in the process.”
While the original price of the SteelSeries Alias Pro might’ve been a bit eye-watering, with $210 knocked off, it’s a steal for such an impressive microphone kit. Whether you’re a newbie or even an experienced creator, anyone looking to take Twitch streams, Discord chats, or your latest podcast episodes to another level can benefit from this setup.
Danielle is a Tech freelance writer based in Los Angeles who spends her free time creating videos and geeking out over music history.
2025 proved to be a fairly quiet year for the Star Wars franchise, although it’s hard to sniff at something as great as Andor Season 2. Still, it’s safe to say fans are jonesing for new Star Wars content like death stick addicts. Fortunately, Lucasfilm seems poised to deliver in 2026.
2026 promises to be a much more active year on the Star Wars front. For one thing, we’re finally getting a new live-action Star Wars movie, seven years after The Rise of Skywalker landed in theaters. And with a healthy lineup of new shows (both live-action and animated), comics, and even a game, there’s a lot to look forward to in the next 12 months. Let’s break it all down.
Star Wars Returns to Theaters
Again, it’s been a surprisingly long time since there’s been a new Star Wars movie in theaters. The fairly frosty reception to The Rise of Skywalker definitely has a lot to do with that. But if anyone can reverse Disney’s fortunes on the big screen, it’s Mando and his cute little son.
Disney will release director Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters on May 26. This new film is a continuation of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. In fact, all signs point to it effectively being The Mandalorian Season 4 in a more condensed form. Once again, we’re going to see Pedro Pascal’s Mando and little Grogu accept a mission on behalf of the New Republic. They’ll again do battle with the remnants of the Empire and clash with all manner of scum and villainy.
While we’ll see some familiar faces from the series return (including co-creator Dave Filoni’s character Trapper Wolf and Steve Blum’s Zeb Orelios), the film will introduce several new players in the Mando-verse. That includes Sigourney Weaver as New Republic operative Col. Ward, Jonny Coyne as an Imperial warlord, and Jeremy Allen White as the oddly buff Rotta the Hutt (whom you might remember from the original Clone Wars movie).
The Mandalorian has definitely been one of the big successes of the Disney Star Wars era, but does it have the power to pull in moviegoers in this increasingly fickle theatrical market? We’ll see, especially after the somewhat mixed reaction to Season 3. At least Disney no longer has to worry about releasing in the same period as Grand Theft Auto VI.
Beyond The Mandalorian and Grogu, we’re expecting that Star Wars fans will get a taste of Disney’s 2027 theatrical slate as well. Production recently wrapped on Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, so we’re almost guaranteed to get a trailer for that movie at some point in 2026 (perhaps in time for Star Wars Day?).
We also know that the long-running rumors are true about Disney releasing the classic, non-Special Edition versions of the Original Trilogy in theaters. Those three restorations will hit theaters in 2027, but hopefully we’ll see trailers for them well ahead of time and get an idea of just what this remastered footage looks like.
Star Wars on Disney+
The Star Wars lineup on Disney+ this year isn’t quite as stacked as it was in 2023 and 2024. Lucasfilm is definitely pulling back a bit with new streaming releases. Still, there are several key projects to look forward to in 2026.
While not definitively confirmed for a 2026 release, we’re hoping to see Season 2 of Star Wars: Ahsoka at some point in the latter half of the year. Season 2 will pick up right where the original left off in 2023. Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano and Natasha Liu Bordizzo’s Sabine Wren are marooned in another galaxy, while Lars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn has returned to aid the dying Empire in its fight against the New Republic.
Like the first, Ahsoka Season 2 will consist of eight episodes, all written by creator Dave Filoni. Fans can expect most of the Season 1 cast to return, which also includes Ivanna Sakhno’s Shin Hati, Eman Esfandi’s Ezra Bridger, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Hera Syndulla, and Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker. The one major exception is that Rory McCann will replace the late Ray Stevenson as fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll.
Again, Lucasfilm has yet to confirm a 2026 release, though filming on Season 2 did wrap up back in September 2025. We’re expecting this show to be a key part of the studio’s Star Wars strategy going forward, as it’s probably going to directly set the stage for Filoni’s live-action Star Wars movie.
One show that is a lock for 2026, though, is the animated series Maul: Shadow Lord. Like Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Shadow Lord is a Clone Wars spinoff set in the early days of the Empire’s reign. Having recently escaped Republic custody, Maul is determined to rebuild his criminal empire. The series will show us how Maul came to be where he is in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, though we’ll have to see how much of the timeline it ultimately covers.
Sam Witwer will reprise his role as Maul, while the series is executive produced by Filoni, Brad Rau, Athena Yvette Portillo, and Matt Michnovetz.
Also on the animated Star Wars front, Star Wars: Visions is getting a miniseries spinoff called Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi. As the title suggests, this series will be a continuation of Production I.G.’s “The Ninth Jedi” shorts from Visions Season 1 and 3. It’s a natural choice, as there’s clearly far more story left to tell in this bleak yet adventurous take on the Star Wars mythos.
Star Wars Games: Now This Is Podracing
2025 was pretty quiet on the Star Wars gaming front, with the only notable release being some DLC and a Nintendo Switch 2 port for Ubisoft’s Star Wars: Outlaws. The good news is that we can expect at least one major new release in 2026. We hope you like podracing.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is the spiritual successor to 1999’s Star Wars Episode I: Racer and 2002’s Star Wars Racer Revenge. It’s an arcade racer where players take control of those deadly machines in high-stakes contests across the galaxy. And as the trailer reveals, the game even features Sebulba trying to reclaim his crown, so there may be more of a plot this time around.
Galactic Racer is developed by Fuse Games and published by Secret Mode. That’s a good thing, as Fuse Games is made up of several ex-Criterion Games developers. The game will release on PC, PS5, and Xbox at some point in 2026.
Beyond that, it remains to be seen if we get any new Star Wars gaming content in 2026 outside of the mobile world. We’re crossing our fingers that we’ll at least learn more about the future of the Knights of the Old Republic franchise. Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic was recently revealed at the Game Awards. That game may be too far out for another trailer next year, but you never know. And reports suggest that remakes of the first two games are still in development, so it’s always possible we’ll get a trailer for one of those.
What’s Up With the Star Wars Comics?
Normally, Marvel’s Star Wars line is one of the more dependable sources of new content each year. But there’s a big question mark hanging over that corner of the franchise heading into 2026. Despite launching several new ongoing series in 2025, it looks like Marvel is abruptly ending them in the early months of the year. Star Wars writer Alex Segura recently confirmed that his series is ending with issue #10, cutting short this saga of a post-Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. The Kylo Ren-focused Star Wars: Legacy of Vader is also ending with issue #12 in January.
That leaves only a handful of smaller projects on the books for 2026. We know that Marvel will publish Star Wars: Shadow of Maul, a miniseries that serves as a prequel to the upcoming Shadow Lord cartoon. There’s also a Jar Jar Binks one-shot co-written by none other than actor Ahmed Best.
But beyond that, we’re not really sure what to expect from Marvel on the Star Wars front. We assume the publisher has something in mind to fill the void left by books like Star Wars and Legacy of Vader. The franchise might not be quite the chart-topper it was 10 years ago, but they’re not going to simply phase out publishing Star Wars comics. Will they continue to flesh out the Sequel Trilogy era or move elsewhere in the timeline? Hopefully, we’ll learn more sooner rather than later.
But if you prefer novels to comics, the future is looking a little rosier. Random House has several new Star Wars novels hitting next year. That includes author Mike Chen’s Outlaws: Low Red Moon, a prequel to the game starring Jaylen Vrax and ND-5, Madeleine Roux’s Legacy, focused on Rey’s Jedi training, and Rebecca Roanhorse’s Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss, the second book in the trilogy that traces the early origins of the Rebel Alliance.
And that’s what to expect from the Star Wars franchise in 2026 across film, streaming, games, and books. Which Star Wars project are you most looking forward to this year? Vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments below.
God of War’s Norse-set masterpieces has cemented it as one of PlayStation’s most iconic franchises. Born during the PS2 era, the God of War franchise made a name for itself with excellent action gameplay, an intriguing tale of divine revenge, and a memorable lead in the Spartan demigod Kratos. 20 years later, God of War has grown into gaming’s seminal action-adventure series, blending that increasingly fine-tuned action with deeper lore and a stronger narrative hook, anchored by an older, more empathic Kratos.
With God of War Ragnarok having earned its place in the pantheon of all-time greats, we’ve created this chronology of the series for those interested in playing (or replaying) it from the start.
Sony has released 10 God of War games in the series — six on home consoles, two on portable consoles, one on mobile, and one text-adventure on Facebook Messenger.
We’re excluding its second mobile release, God of War: Mimir’s Vision, as this AR game doesn’t add to the ongoing narrative but instead provides players with background lore from the world of God of War. We’re also excluding PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale in this chronology, despite its comical inclusion in the God of War canon.
There are several God of War stories told through novels and comics as well, though this list only includes games.
Which God of War Game Should You Play First?
Although technically the first game in the series chronologically was God of War: Ascension, realistically you'll probably want to start with God of War (2018). Not only is it available on both PS4 and PS5, you can also play it on PC. It's a great starting point for anyone just getting into the series.
God of War Games in Chronological Order
These blurbs contain mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and story beats.
1. God of War: Ascension (2013)
Ascension, the seventh God of War game by release date but the first chronologically, is a revenge tale that explores the early days of Kratos’s transformation from a Spartan demigod into the God of War.
Ascension takes place months after Kratos was manipulated into killing his wife and daughter by the Greek God of War Ares (more on this under the original God of War section below). Kratos, traumatized by the killings, refuses to honor the oath he swore to Ares, setting into motion the story of Ascension. Ares seeks revenge through the game’s antagonistic Furies, three beings tasked with punishing betrayal, whom Kratos must kill in order to free himself from his oath. The story ends with Kratos leaving his Spartan home behind, still tormented by his grief.
2. God of War: Chains of Olympus (2008)
Kratos’s next adventure is told in the PSP game aptly named God of War: Chains of Olympus. Olympus takes place halfway through Kratos’s ten-year servitude to the gods (five years before God of War) — a servitude that, once completed, will free him from the torturous visions of his past.
The main plot tasks Kratos with rescuing Helios, the Titan God of the Sun, from the underworld at the behest of Athena. There, he encounters the game’s primary antagonist Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. Persephone presents Kratos with an opportunity to reunite with his daughter, and Kratos wrestles with the apocalyptic repercussions of that reunion and his promise to return Helios to the gods.
3. God of War (2005)
Set roughly 10 years after Ascension, the first God of War game begins with Kratos succumbing to his grief and jumping off a cliff into the Aegean Sea. Before he hits the water, we flash back three weeks to discover what led the Spartan off the brink.
Kratos, nearing the end of his servitude to the gods, is given one final task by Athena: defeat Ares and save the city of Athens from his siege. With the promise of forgiveness for his past atrocites as his reward, Kratos sets out to obtain Pandora’s Box and kill Ares. The task takes him to hell and back, with Kratos ultimately facing off against the God of War. Victorious yet no less troubled by his past, Kratos jump off the bluff as we saw in the game’s opening. Athena pulls him from the water and offers him a throne on Olympus, completing his 10-year ascension to becoming the God of War.
Throughout the game, a narrator provides crucial backstory about Kratos’s life through cut scenes. Kratos once served as a revered captain in the Spartan army. On the verge of death and defeat against a massive force of barbarians, he offered himself to Ares in exchange for victory. Ares answered the call, defeated the barbarians, and claimed Kratos as his servant, fusing his arms with the Blades of Chaos.
4. God of War: Ghost of Sparta (2010)
Ghost of Sparta, the series’ second PSP game, takes place between God of War and God of War 2. The subtitle references the nickname given to Kratos due to his pale-white appearance, the result of an oracle’s curse that fastened the ashes of his wife and child to his skin.
Ghost of Sparta provides closure to two familial narrative threads: Kratos travels to Atlantis where he encounters both his mortal mother and his long-lost brother Deimos, who was kidnapped by the gods during childhood to prevent the fulfillment of Olympus’s prophesized demise.
The climax sees Kratos and his brother reunited, doing battle with the Greek God of Death, Thanatos. Despite victory, it’s another unhappy ending for Kratos. By the time the credits roll, Kratos has grown even wearier and more furious with the other Olympians.
5. God of War: Betrayal (2007)
This mobile 2D sidescroller is officially part of the God of War canon, according to Sony Santa Monica animation director Bruno Velazquez. The gods, displeased with Kratos’s bloodlust, attempt to stop his latest conquest with Argos, a many-eyed giant that serves Hera, Queen of the Gods. Kratos is framed for the killing of Argos by an unidentified assassin in an attempt to further fracture his relationship with Olympus. Later, Zeus sends a messenger to put an end to Kratos’s continued destruction. Kratos responds with violence, once again defying the other gods. Betrayal leaves players with this message, setting up the events to come in God of War 2: “Soon, the fury of Zeus would rain down upon [Kratos].”
God of War: Betrayal was released in 2007, before the rise of smartphones, and isn’t available on modern mobile storefronts. It can be skipped without consequence, but those who want to play it will have to access it via a Java emulator.
6. God of War 2 (2007)
God of War 2 pits Kratos against Zeus, the King of Olympus. Kratos, already ostracized due to his yearslong rampage, rejects Athena’s plea for peace and continues wreaking havoc throughout Greece. It’s the final straw for Olympus; Zeus descends to the battlefield and kills Kratos.
Kratos finds a new ally in Gaia, the mother of Titans and Earth. She provides Kratos with a way to rewrite the past and save his own life. After a trip to the Underworld, Kratos follows Gaia’s instructions, leading him to the Sisters of Fate. After more bloodshed, Kratos takes control of the Loom of Fate and returns to the scene of his death. Kratos’s plan to kill Zeus is thwarted when another Olympian steps in front of his blade. It’s here that we (and Kratos) learn about his true parentage. Kratos uses the power of the Loom to recruit the Titans of the past to his future war. Back in the present, Kratos leads the Titans in an assault on Mount Olympus, setting up God of War 3.
7. God of War 3 (2010)
Taking place directly after the previous game, God of War 3 concludes Kratos’ Greecian saga and resolves his war with Zeus and the Olympians.
Kratos and the Titans battle with the Olympians to catastrophic effect. Kratos (once again) has his trust betrayed and (once again) descends into the Underworld. There, Kratos teams up with an old ally to take down Zeus once and for all. Back on Earth, Kratos faces the wrath of Titans and Gods alike, leading him on an epic killing spree toward a final showdown with Zeus.
Kratos declares an end to his vengeance, and with the world in ruin, makes a sacrifice to release hope to mankind.
8. God of War: A Call from the Wilds (2018)
God of War: A Call from the Wids is a Facebook Messenger text-adventure released ahead of 2018’s God of War. The ~30-minute story introduces Kratos's son Atreus and provides background on the character's extrasensory abilities, while adding a bit of flavor to his relationships with Kratos and his mother, Faye. The story is set sometime before God of War 2018 when Faye is still alive.
A Call from the Wilds seems to no longer be playable, though like God of War: Betrayal, this is a story that can ultimately be skipped. Those who want to experience it can find complete playthroughs on YouTube.
9. God of War (2018)
Set many years after God of War 3, 2018’s God of War transports Kratos from Greece to the Norse realm of Midgard, where Kratos now resides with his son, Atreus. Kratos and Atreus plan to fulfill Faye’s dying wish: to have her ashes spread from the top of the highest peak in the Nine Realms.
Their journey is no straightforward hike; the duo travel through multiple realms, encountering friends and foes from Norse mythology, including Baldur, Freya, Thor’s sons Magni and Modi, the last living giant Jörmungandr, and Mimir. Along the way, Kratos struggles with fatherhood and the truths he keeps hidden from Atreus — about his past and Atreus’s identity.
Following their adventure, the Nine Realms enter Fimbulwinter, a three-year-long precursor to Ragnarök, the end of the world.
10. God of War Ragnarok (2022)
God of War: Ragnarok, the most recent and story-rich God of War game, is set three years after 2018’s God of War, as the Nine Realms near the end of Fimbulwinter and the beginning of Ragnarök.
Many characters return from 2018, alongside newcomers such as the All-Father Odin and his son Thor, but it remains focused on the adventures of Kratos and Atreus with a greater emphasis on the latter, who explores his newly discovered identities and powers. As Kratos and Atreus, you’ll traverse all nine realms and the Realm Between Realms on personal quests of identity and a greater quest to defeat the Asgards and survive Ragnarok.
We won’t spoil the journey, but Ragnarok leaves the door open for future God of War stories to be told. Though you can play the God of War Ragnorok New Game Plus mode if you've already finished the game.
What’s Next for God of War?
Sony has yet to announce another God of War game, though given the critical and commercial success of God of War (2018) and Ragnarok, we expect future entries in the series.
A God of War TV series is also in the works, joining a host of upcoming video game adaptations. The live-action show, in development for Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, will adapt the story of 2018’s God of War. Production hit a snag in 2024 following the departure of showrunner Rafe Judkins and executive producers Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus. The series is now being led by Ronald D. Moore, whose credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, For All Mankind, and Battlestar Galactica's 2000s reboot. We got the chance to speak with Moore at Comic Con earlier this year, learning more about what drew him to the God of War franchise and how he's approaching the show adaptation.
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
The debut trailer for Sword and Fairy 4 Remake is out in the wild — and it looks a lot like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Developed by Chinese studio Up Software and published by Cube Game, Sword and Fairy 4 Remake is a single-player turn-based role-playing game made in Unreal Engine 5 due out on PC and consoles at some point.
The official trailer, dubbed “Unpredictable Divine Will,” has already drawn comparisons to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s eye-catching battle system, from the dynamic user interface to the action heavy parry system. Even the camera perspective and the way the camera moves during battle rekindles memories of Sandfall Interactive’s hugely popular RPG.
Sword and Fairy 4 Remake - Official Trailer “Unpredictable Divine Will” is here! Developed by Up Software and published by Cube Game, this single-player turn-based RPG is reborn in Unreal Engine 5 with the latest technology. Set off on a journey to find the immortals with Tianhe… pic.twitter.com/dKlfnDJsta
“Set off on a journey to find the immortals with Tianhe Yun’s team,” reads the official blurb. “In the meantime, a hidden truth that has been sealed for a long time is revealing itself.”
The Legend of Sword and Fairy is a Chinese video game franchise that encompasses nine mainline Chinese mythology/xianxia-themed role-playing computer games. The first game launched in 1995 for PC and enjoyed critical and commercial success across China. Many sequels and spinoffs have followed in the years since.
The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4 is in fact the fifth installment in the mainline video game franchise, and acts as a prequel to the third game. The latest game, The Legend of Sword and Fairy 7, came out in 2021 as the ninth mainline entry on PC, with an English version released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S in 2022 under the name Sword and Fairy: Together Forever. It was seen as an alternative to the recent mainline Final Fantasy games, which of course inspired Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s development.
Fans are drawing a line from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to Sword and Fairy 4 Remake, and some are accusing its developer of copying Sandfall’s game. “Totally not copy and paste combat, style, parry, from Clair Obscur Expedition 33,” said one commenter. "Is this DLC of Expedition 33?" said another. "We got Expedition-like genre now," added another fan. Others, however, are saying Sword and Fairy 4 Remake just looks like a modern turn-based RPG in the Persona style, and are pointing to previous entries in the series as evidence of its credentials.
The first E33-like is already on its way from China and it's through the announcement of the remake of "Legend of Sword and Fairy 4". pic.twitter.com/jfiVnNn42X
Cube Game has said an English version of the trailer will be revealed in the coming days by a “regional publisher.” We’ll hopefully learn more about Sword and Fairy 4 Remake then.
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.
Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair has a debut trailer and an April 10, 2026 release date on Hulu.
The trailer for the revival shows how Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is dragged back into his family’s orbit after shielding himself from them for over a decade. We see Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party, but poor Malcolm, it seems, would rather be left well alone.
“My life is fantastic now,” Malcolm says in the trailer. “All I had to do is stay away from my family.” Hilarity ensues.
Indeed, the entire original cast returns with the exception of little brother Dewey. Erik Per Sullivan, who originally played the character, won’t return to the show, with Caleb Ellsworth-Clark taking over the role for the revival. Cranston recently revealed the news in a conversation on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast. “I talked to Erik and I said, ‘Hey, we got the show! It’s going to come back,’” he explained. “He goes, ‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’ And I go, ‘Yeah, so we’re looking forward to having you back.’ He goes, ‘Oh, no, no, I don’t want to do it. But it’s fantastic.'”
The former actor, who is now 33-years-old, has a pretty good reason for sitting this one out. “He’s actually going to Harvard,” Cranston said during the podcast. “He’s really, really smart, and he’s getting his master’s at Harvard right now. He said, ‘Oh God, no, I haven’t acted since I was nine or something. So I’m not into it.'” Following the show’s original run from 2002-2006, Sullivan stepped back from acting just four years later at age 19 to pursue other interests.
Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair is a special four-part mini-series set for Hulu and via Disney+.
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.
Video game console sales cap out each generation at around 250 million, so how will the console manufacturers break through that barrier? By learning a crucial lesson from the videotape format war, one former PlayStation executive has suggested.
Speaking on the Pause for Thought and Naomi Kyle YouTube channel, Shawn Layden, former boss of Sony Interactive Entertainment America (SIEA), said the console video game market has hit a limit, and significant change is needed to expand beyond it.
“We talk about gaming as being this $250 billion industry, which it is, and have hundreds of millions of users, which it does,” he began. “But of course that includes if you're playing Wordle, you're a gamer. If you're playing Candy Crush, you're a gamer in that number. But the number of discrete consoles sold over any particular generation caps out about 250 million. If you line up all the PS1s, Sega Saturns, and N64s, and you go by generations, it's all about 250. The one time it popped to almost 300 was the generation that had the Wii, and people thought you could buy Wii Fit and lose weight. So, we got some non-traditional gaming audience to buy into the gaming industry at that time. But that was an anomaly and we've still kind of flattened out. So we need to crack that cap, that barrier.”
But how? Layden said the video game industry should study the past as it looks to the future, in particular Betamax’s loss to VHS in the videotape format war.
The videotape format war was a late 1970s/1980s battle between Sony's Betamax and JVC's VHS for dominance in home video recording, with VHS ultimately winning due to longer recording times, broader licensing (more manufacturers), and key partnerships with movie studios, making movies available for rental/purchase on VHS more readily, despite Betamax often having slightly better initial quality.
“Betamax lost to VHS for one reason only: that VHS licensed its format across many different manufacturers,” Layden explained. “Sony held the unique Betamax patent trademark and everything. There was a license we did with Toshiba towards the end of the lifecycle, but it never went wide like VHS.
“People didn't understand that need of having the same machine as your neighbor. You can have an RCA TV and you can have a Sony TV and you know that's all fine. But once your neighbor has picked VHS and you want to watch that tape of that movie, but you have Betamax, all of a sudden… So the industry coalesced around VHS.
“Then later on, Sony and Phillips created the compact disc consortium. They created the patent and then they licensed it out to all the other manufacturers. Same thing happened with DVD. Same thing happened with Blu-ray. They said that we'll compete on the device. So if you get a Bang & Olufsen Blu-ray player, it's going to cost you more than the Sanyo version, even though they'll both support the platform, but they'll have different bells and whistles.”
This, Layden said, is exactly what the video game industry should do: create a gaming format consortium of sorts.
“I think we need to get in a world where we have a gaming format,” he said. “Maybe it just comes from PC. Maybe we find a way just to do it all in a Linux kernel or something. And then we have a consortium around that. We have licensing programs which allow other manufacturers to build into that space, and then you can talk about real numbers moving. You know, that's how you get to the ubiquity of the toaster. But right now, I think we're trapped in this containment field.”
Following Layden’s thought here though, it would require Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to come together to agree upon a singular gaming format that means all video games play on all consoles. Not only that, but any company would then be able to try its hand at making a PlayStation or an Xbox, and compete with the first-party console manufacturers in the market.
How likely is that to happen, though? Maybe there’s a world in which Microsoft does something like this with Xbox, given its current multiplatform policy for its video games. Sony releases some of its games on PC (and, with Helldivers 2, finally on Xbox), but it seems a long way from a blanket multiplatform policy. Nintendo is perhaps the least likely of the three to join forces with its console rivals. You’ve always needed a Nintendo console to play The Legend of Zelda (officially), and I can’t see the next mainline Zelda game coming out on anything other than the Switch 2 when the time is right.
Essentially, it would mean the true death of the console exclusive. For now, though, console exclusives remain a thing, Layden insisted. “I don't think every game has to be console exclusive. I don't think every game should be console exclusive, but I do accept the fact that if you're going to have platform companies like Sony and like Nintendo largely — Microsoft is more of the Xbox everywhere anywhere — there is a huge value to the brand of having strong exclusives.
“If Mario starts showing up on PlayStation, that's the apocalypse, right? Cats and dogs living together. And the same goes for Nathan Drake and Uncharted. They make the platform sing.”
Currently, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are still very much in the business of making video game consoles that play only games released for those consoles. Sony is plotting the inevitable PlayStation 6, Microsoft has committed to releasing a next-gen Xbox, although it sounds like a PC/console hybrid, and Nintendo just launched the Switch 2 (perhaps the Switch 3 will follow).
Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/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.
Avatar creator James Cameron has said he’ll hold a press conference and tell the world what he would have done with Avatar 4 and 5 if he doesn’t get the chance to make the movies.
Or, the legendary writer and director has said, he’ll write Avatar novels himself, although he doesn’t think there’s a business case for books anymore.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is now up to $760.4 million at the global box office as the Disney sci-fi sequel heads towards one billion dollars from theaters. While that’s a huge amount for any movie after just two weekends in theaters, questions remain over whether Avatar 3 will end up making enough money theatrically to convince Disney to greenlight Avatar 4 and 5.
The special effects-heavy Avatar films cost a huge amount of money to produce, but they have historically made billions of dollars at the box office. Avatar 1 remains the highest-grossing movie of all time (not adjusted for inflation), and has earned a staggering $2.9 billion across several theatrical runs. Avatar: The Way of Water earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing it as the third-highest grossing film of all time — just ahead of Cameron's own Titanic.
Avatar 4 currently has a December 21, 2029 release date, with Avatar 5 due out December 19, 2031. Cameron, now 71, would be close to 80 years old by the time it all wraps up.
Now, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Cameron sounded further words of caution about continuing the franchise, despite the fact Disney has set release dates for Avatar 4 and 5. And he revealed his plan if Fire and Ash flops — in Disney’s eyes, of course.
"If we don't get to make 4 and 5, for whatever reason, I'll hold a press conference and I'll tell you what we were gonna do. How's that?" he said.
An alternative is to write Avatar novels, going into significant detail on the world and telling the stories of the sequels. "There's so much culture and backstory and lateral detail in these characters that's been worked out,” he said. “I'd love to do something that's at that level of granular detail."
However, “there's no business model for it anymore. People aren't reading. But anyway, it might be good to have the canonical record of what it was all supposed to be.”
According to EW, that’s a reference to recent research from the University of Florida and University College London that states the proportion of people reading for pleasure daily in the United States has declined by more than 40% over the last 20 years.
These comments from Cameron echo those he made in the run up to Fire and Ash’s release, when he admitted he was feeling nervous about the film’s box office performance and expressed concern about the “forces” working against theatrical releases in 2025.
Speaking on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron said there’s potential for “sequelitis.” He added: "people tend to dismiss sequels unless it’s the third Lord of the Rings film and you want to see what happens to everybody, which in my mind this is — this is the culmination of a story arc, but that may not be how the public sees it.” And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means fewer people are going to the movies — 75% of the number in 2019, Cameron suggested.
When pressed on how much Avatar: Fire and Ash cost to make, Cameron wouldn’t be drawn into divulging a figure, only suggesting it was a lot of money, and so the movie will have to make a lot of money to turn a profit.
“It is one metric f**k ton of money, which means we have to make two metric f**k tons of money to make a profit,” he said. “I have no doubt in my mind that this movie will make money. The question is, does it make enough money to justify doing it again?”
And on that point, Cameron admitted he was “absolutely” ready to walk away from Avatar if Fire and Ash flops.
“I’ve been in Avatar land for 20 years,” he said. “Actually 30 years because I wrote it in ‘95, but I wasn’t working continuously on it for those first 10 years. Yeah, absolutely, sure. If this is where it ends, cool.”
But what about open story threads?
“There’s one open thread. I’ll write a book!” Cameron responded.
Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios.
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.
Stranger Things is nearly over, with the Season 5 finale set to bring an end to the long-running Netflix show and finally confirm the fate of its much-loved characters.
Who will die by the time the show is done and dusted has been the big Stranger Things question for years now. There are many theories, which we’ll briefly run through below.
Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 follow:
Steve, played by Joe Keery, often comes up in conversations about potential Stranger Things character deaths. But there are also concerns for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who some believe will end up sacrificing herself to destroy Vecna, thus allowing the rest of the Stranger Things crew to survive, and Jim Hopper (David Harbour), who has already revealed himself to be on something of a suicide mission this season.
Meanwhile, some believe Will (Noah Schnapp) will bite the dust, using his new power to finally bring Vecna’s tyranny to an end but killing himself in the process. But according to IGN's poll on the matter, below, Jonathan Byers, played by Charlie Heaton, is the most popular pick for Season 5 death, with 22.4% of the vote.
We won’t know until the series finale airs at 5pm PT on New Year’s Eve, of course, but recent comments from the Duffer Brothers have hinted that fans shouldn’t expect a bloodbath when it comes to character deaths. That is to say, Stranger Things is not like Game of Thrones, and there’s no Red Wedding equivalent scene.
For the uninitiated, the Red Wedding is perhaps the most famous moment in the entire Game of Thrones saga. It sees much-loved characters, many of whom had been central to the story up to that point, murdered in graphic detail, shocking readers and viewers alike.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Duffer insisted the series finale shouldn’t be compared to Game of Thrones, and jokingly singled out Steve as the most discussed character when it comes to being killed off.
“It’s not Game of Thrones. We’re not in Westeros,” he said. “I love Game of Thrones, but it’s just a very different type of show than that. There’s not going to be a Red Wedding situation. I think some things happen in the finale that are very surprising, but we’re not trying to shock or upset anyone. I hope by the time people get to the end of the finale that it just feels like there’s something inevitable about what happens, and that it doesn’t feel painful but feels satisfying. We’ll see. But as for Steve’s fate. I don’t know. I can’t say. It would be the next logical step. He keeps getting beaten up more and more. The only way we could take it further is death. (Laughs.)”
"The finale. Theaters. New Year’s Eve," Duffer wrote in a social media post alongside a photo of the drawing Lucas and Max used to ask each other on a date in Season 4. "This is something my brother and I have dreamed about for years. If you don’t mind crying in front of strangers, GO. And if you’re in LA… maybe we’ll see you there."
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.
Wicked: For Good launches on VOD platforms on December 30 having crossed the $500 million mark at the global box office.
The musical sequel will be available to buy or rent from digital platforms with an exclusive sing-along version and never-before-seen deleted scenes.
Wicked: For Good currently has a global box office haul of $504 million, having hit theaters on November 21. Its digital release comes just over five weeks later.
The VOD film comes with two versions of the movie: an exclusive sing-along for fans; and over one hour of bonus features, including deleted scenes, a 50+ minute exclusive look into the making of the movie with Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and the cast and filmmakers, and more behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Wicked: For Good exclusive bonus features when you buy or rent:
SING-ALONG - ALTERNATE FEATURE-LENGTH VERSION – Rejoicify! The time has come to raise your voice and unleash the magic of Oz. Sing with all your heart as Elphaba and Glinda’s destiny unfolds in the spellbinding Sing-Along Edition of WICKED: FOR GOOD.
DELETED SCENES
Brick Making - A musical montage shows Munchkins busily shaping and painting brilliant golden bricks, bringing the Yellow Brick Road to life.
Glinda Train Tour - As Glinda leaves Emerald City, the citizens erupt into musical fanfare, sending her off with radiant cheers and lavish celebration - Featuring Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh and Bowen Yang
Even You, Fiyero - Elphaba retreats to her lair, wrestling with the sting of Fiyero’s betrayal and the weight of her heartbreak - Featuring Cynthia Erivo
Return to the Governor’s Mansion - Lost and abandoned, Elphaba returns to the one place she swore she’d left behind - her childhood home - Featuring Cynthia Erivo
Friendship Montage - A lively montage unfolds as Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Boq, and Nessarose spend a carefree afternoon together—playing games, laughing, and relaxing over a cheerful picnic - Featuring Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Jonathan Bailey, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo
The Wizard is Sentimental - Glinda steps into her ethereal bubble to float above Emerald City, contrasted with the Wizard’s nostalgic hot air balloon ascension as he reprises “A Sentimental Man” - Featuring Ariana Grande and Jeff Goldblum
MAKING WICKED: FOR GOOD – Step behind the curtain for an exclusive look at the magic of Oz. Through never-before-seen footage and candid interviews, discover how the cast and crew brought this epic story to life — from the artistry of building Oz brick-by-brick to the challenge of filming two sweeping productions at once. A talent-led journey you won’t want to miss.
THE TRUE WIZARD - An exploration of why Jon M. Chu was the ideal director to bring WICKED: FOR GOOD from stage to screen. See how his inventiveness as a filmmaker and passion for WICKED are key ingredients for the humanity and joy we feel in every shot.
MORE THAN JUST A PLACE - A closer look at Elphaba's new song in WICKED: FOR GOOD.
Cynthia Erivo, Jon M. Chu, Stephen Schwartz, and others reflect on its emotional resonance, Elphaba's vulnerability, and the expressive movement artists portraying the animal characters she sings to.
THE GIRL IN THE BUBBLE - A closer look at Glinda's brand new song for the WICKED: FOR GOOD film. Ariana Grande, Jon M. Chu, Stephen Schwartz, and more discuss how the song comes at such a pivotal moment for Glinda why filming the sequence was such a feat of technical mastery.
KIAMO KO - Return to Kiamo Ko, where the film's climax unfolds. Cast and filmmakers reflect on Elphaba's embrace of her identity as the Wicked Witch, the poignant reunion with Glinda, and the bittersweet consequences that follow in this emotionally charged sequence.
"Because of Wicked's success but also the fanship, we have almost a responsibility to figure out how we can continue in this universe," Universal chief marketing officer Michael Moses told Vulture.
Across the two Wicked movies, the 2 hour 30 minute musical's story is expanded to almost five hours. But the musical itself is based on just the first of a series of Wicked novels. Later stories largely follow a fresh generation of characters, including Elphaba's son Liir.
"I think the Glinda and Elphaba story feels complete — but there are other aspects that could be explored," Wicked's original composer Stephen Schwartz recently told The Ankler. "Gregory Maguire, the original Wicked novelist, has several books, for example.
"There's another idea that Winnie [Holzman, Wicked and Wicked: For Good co-writer] and I are discussing: not a sequel, but an adjunct. Let me put it that way," Schwartz teased.
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 third Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer appears to have leaked online, and it revolves around the X-Men in a devastating battle.
As we know, Avengers: Doomsday is confirmed to feature a number of X-Men characters played by their original actors, including Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), and James Marsden (Cyclops).
Warning! Potential spoilers for Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer three follow:
We see Ian McKellen reprise his role as Magneto, although not in battle costume. Patrick Stewart’s Professor X wears a costume that bears a resemblance to the militaristic suit he wore in the comics, although his much-loved yellow chair is nowhere to be seen. Overall, it looks like Avengers: Doomsday is looking to the 90s for inspiration for the X-Men's design, which will no-doubt delight veteran fans of the mutant superhero team and align with the popular animated X-Men series.
It looks like the footage we see in the leaked trailer is set in the X-Mansion, also known as Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. In one shot, we see Cyclops let rip with an optic blast, and near him is a giant boot, which we presume belongs to a mutant-hunting Sentinel. Like with the Thor trailer, the tone here is dead serious. Magneto talks about death coming for everyone eventually, which is a lovely thought.
This ties into set photos that appeared to tease a huge battle at the X-Mansion. At the time, fans speculated that this battle would feature Robert Downey Jr. controlling Sentinels that attack the X-Men as part of an incursion, and that it would go very badly for the X-Men, potentially even wiping the mutants out. The theory is that this would establish the universe-ending potential of Doctor Doom, in a similar way Avengers: Infinity War kicked off with Thanos beating Hulk so badly Hulk basically went into hiding for the rest of the MCU phase.
But the highlight is a comic book accurate live-action version of Marsden’s Cyclops. This is something fans have been waiting 20 years for, after Fox’s X-Men movies made a point of distancing themselves from the comics by going with black suits. Cyclops tears off his visor and lets rip as the X-Mansion erupts in flame around him. It feels like a hail mary, and now I’m worried Cyclops is going to sacrifice himself to save the rest of the team.
The question is, who makes it out of this battle alive? Will whoever’s left of the X-Men team up with the Avengers and other superheroes confirmed to appear in Doomsday to take on Doctor Doom, or do they spend most of their time fighting each other throughout Doomsday, only putting their differences aside for 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars? Either way, the X-Mansion looks like it’s toast — again.
If Marvel Studios follows the pattern it established earlier this month, this X-Men trailer will replace the Thor trailer in theaters alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash later this week, and we’ll get the official release of the Thor trailer online. Following that, we’ll no doubt get this X-Men trailer online once its week-long run in theaters ends and is replaced by a supposed fourth teaser trailer, which fans are hoping finally reveals Doctor Doom himself.
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.
I have told myself I am absolutely not buying more games at least five times this week, and yet here we are. This batch is dangerous in that very specific way where titles you already love suddenly feel like sensible purchases. I have played most of these, I can vouch for them, and yes, my backlog is a crime scene.
In retro news, it's time to hold onto yer butts and celebrate the 32nd birthday of (arguably) the best Jurassic Park game of the '90s. My "friend of SNES-owning convenience" who lived over the road from me had this. We spent hours marvelling at a movie tie-in title that was way better than it had any right to be (the Wolfenstein 3D sections were particularly ambitious for the hardware).
Red Dead Redemption (-59%) A$29 Still hits like a sad country song. Ride horses, make bad choices, watch sunsets, accidentally start fistfights you cannot win.
Cyberpunk 2077 Ult. Ed. (-34%) A$79 The redemption arc worked. Great writing, brilliant side quests, and finally runs how it always should have.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (-52%) A$24 Tight combat, clever puzzles, zero filler. Ubisoft remembered how good this series can be.
Donkey Kong Bananza (-19%) A$89 Loud, colourful platforming nonsense that feels built to make you smile despite yourself.
Immortals Fenyx Rising Gold Ed. (-85%) A$13.40 Breath of the Wild energy with dad jokes, Greek gods, and surprisingly solid combat.
Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that's worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is now up to $760.4 million at the global box office as the Disney sci-fi sequel heads towards one billion dollars from theaters.
$217.7 million has now been made domestically, but Avatar: Fire and Ash is doing particularly well internationally, where it has an impressive $542.7 million haul after an impressive 25% overall drop. Avatar 1 and 2 were the world’s number one film for a number of weeks following launch, and each ended up earning over $2 billion. The hope for Disney is that Avatar 3 shows similar staying power in theaters, and it's drip-feeding Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers alongside the movie to encourage repeat viewings from super fans. James Cameron’s three Avatar films have now earned over $6 billion to date globally, including Fire and Ash.
The special effects-heavy Avatar films cost a huge amount of money to produce, but they have historically made billions of dollars at the box office. Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of all time (not adjusted for inflation), and has earned a staggering $2.9 billion across several theatrical runs. Avatar: The Way of Water earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing it as the third-highest grossing film of all time — just ahead of Cameron's own Titanic.
Avatar 4 currently has a December 21, 2029 release date, with Avatar 5 due out December 19, 2031. Cameron, now 71, would be close to 80 years old by the time it all wraps up.
But Cameron has sounded words of caution recently. Speaking on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron admitted he was feeling nervous about Avatar: Fire and Ash’s box office performance, and was mindful of the “forces” working against theatrical releases in 2025. There’s the potential for “sequelitis,” Cameron noted. "People tend to dismiss sequels unless it’s the third Lord of the Rings film and you want to see what happens to everybody, which in my mind this is — this is the culmination of a story arc, but that may not be how the public sees it.” And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means fewer people are going to the movies — 75% of the number in 2019, Cameron suggested.
When pressed on how much Avatar: Fire and Ash cost to make, Cameron wouldn’t be drawn into divulging a figure, only suggesting it was a lot of money, and so the movie will have to make a lot of money to turn a profit.
“It is one metric f**k ton of money, which means we have to make two metric f**k tons of money to make a profit,” he said. “I have no doubt in my mind that this movie will make money. The question is, does it make enough money to justify doing it again?”
And on that point, Cameron admitted he was “absolutely” ready to walk away from Avatar if Fire and Ash flops.
“I’ve been in Avatar land for 20 years,” he said. “Actually 30 years because I wrote it in ‘95, but I wasn’t working continuously on it for those first 10 years. Yeah, absolutely, sure. If this is where it ends, cool.”
But what about open story threads?
“There’s one open thread. I’ll write a book!” Cameron responded.
Meanwhile, Jack Black and Paul Rudd’s comedy Anaconda opened to $43.7 million globally. Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet, has a global tally of $30 million after a limited release.
After five weekends, Disney’s Zootopia 2 is now on $1.42 billion worldwide, with over $1 billion of that coming internationally. Zootopia 2 is the highest-grossing Hollywood release of the year. Could Avatar: Fire and Ash eventually beat it? Zootopia 2 and Lilo & Stitch are the only two Hollywood movies of 2025 to cross $1 billion so far.
And finally, Wicked: For Good opened in China this weekend and has now crossed $500 million globally. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (which this week became available to buy from VOD platforms) has now crossed $100 million internationally, with a global haul to date of $221 million.
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/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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