From Red and Blue to Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon is known for often launching its games with two different versions — and now, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has discussed one of the reasons why: to try and rival the sales of his own creation, Super Mario.

Since its inception on the Game Boy, Pokémon has typically released its mainline games twice, ensuring diehard fans pay double to own both varieties. Over the years, the decision has proven lucrative — and, of course, that was the plan all along.

Speaking during an investor Q&A meeting this week, in response to a question about whether Mario Kart's enormous sales could ever be lapped, Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto said he'd once spoken to Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri and heard his plan to beat Mario.

"A long time ago, before creating the first Pokémon game, Satoshi Tajiri, the director of Pokémon, joked with me that to surpass Nintendo's Mario he'd have to sell two copies of the game to each consumer," Miyamoto revealed.

"That is one reason why Pokémon started with both Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue," he continued. "I believe that new ideas are born precisely because of people like him, who challenge themselves to surpass what came before."

In the past, official discussion of why Pokémon frequently arrives in two flavors has centered on the possibilities for player interaction this opens up. Each Pokémon version traditionally offers a different set of creatures to collect, encouraging players to meet and trade. More recent Pokémon games have also offered minor story differences between versions, tempting fans to play both games for the full experience. And, frequently, Nintendo has sold double packs of the two versions together, sometimes at a slight discount.

As for whether any game could ever actually beat Mario Kart — and specifically, the enormous sales of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch 1 — Miyamoto was coy.

"If some Nintendo IP or innovation is widely accepted by consumers as something new and never before seen, the numbers could potentially reach beyond the boundaries of entertainment," he suggested. "One thing that is interesting about Nintendo is that it’s okay to try anything.

"On the other hand, even if something like that happens, Mario Kart would probably continue to sell well in that undertaking as well, so it may never be surpassed!"

Last month saw the launch of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the series' latest spin-off that features a menagerie of new Mega Evolutions. Fans widely expect next year — the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon brand — to host the next mainline Pokémon games: the series' 10th generation of titles. And yes, recently-leaked information suggested these would also be sold in two different versions.

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

Nintendo has suggested it is comfortable with Switch 2's current price point, despite rising component costs and recent price hikes by both PlayStation and Xbox.

Speaking during a shareholder Q&A session, company president Shuntaru Furukawa said Nintendo believed Switch 2 would continue to retain its profitability despite the rising prices of some components, as it could offset these against unspecified savings made through "ongoing mass production efforts."

Fans have taken the statement as a signal that Nintendo does not have plans to raise the price of Switch 2 in the near future — though Furukawa does go on to caveat his response regarding the matter of tariffs.

"We believe that we'll be able to maintain the current level of profitability for hardware for the time being unless there are significant changes in external factors, such as a shift in tariff assumptions, or other unexpected events," Furukawa said.

"While we are aware that the costs of various materials are rising, we also anticipate some areas where cost reduction may be achieved for Nintendo Switch 2 through ongoing mass production efforts. Therefore, currently we do not expect the recent rise in material costs to greatly impact profitability. We will continue our efforts to maintain the same level of profitability as we currently have."

Nintendo has so far resisted the urge to increase Switch 2's price amid a turbulent year of tariffs, though the company has offset some of its losses with price rises for Switch 2 accessories, as well as a price increase for the aging Switch 1.

In August, Nintendo increased the cost of a standard Switch 1 console from $229.99 to $339.99, while the Switch OLED's price was hiked from $349.99 to $399.99. The Switch Lite went up from $199.99 to $229.99, and there was even a $5 price rise for Nintendo's Alarmo clock, to $100.

Both Sony and Microsoft has increased the cost of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, respectively, domestically and internationally. In August, Sony slapped an extra $50 on the price of its various PS5 models, and blamed the decision on a "challenging economic environment." In September, Microsoft raised the cost of all Xbox Series X and S models for the second time this year, after previously hiking prices back in May.

The price of video games themselves has also been a hot topic this year, after Mario Kart Tour launched at an unheard-of $80. Xbox initially announced it would also introduce $80 games this holiday though backtracked on that decision shortly after — though not before raising its prices for Game Pass.

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

GTA 6 is delayed again, this time from May to November 2026. Perhaps we should have seen it coming. After all, aren’t all Rockstar games delayed multiple times before they eventually come out and break sales records?

We’ve got plenty of coverage on the delay already, including comments from Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick, who told IGN in an interview he was “highly confident” in the new release date (I’m sure he’s said that before?). And, if you need a reminder, here's a whopping 89 details from GTA 6 Trailer 2.

But how has the internet reacted to the GTA 6 delay? Fans are, as you’d expect, in tatters. And spare a thought for PC gamers, who now face the prospect of having to wait to play GTA 6 in 2027 at the earliest. But video game publishers — some, publicly at least — are having fun with it, while some are expressing concern for any game that might have earmarked a fall 2026 release window. And then there are the memes. Lots of memes.

Let’s start with Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt, which took the opportunity to remind everyone that it once promised no more delays to Cyberpunk 2077, and look how that turned out when its sci-fi action RPG came out in December 2020. What CDPR is saying here is trust in Rockstar to deliver — it’s better to delay the game and ensure it’s great than launch it when it isn’t ready.

https://t.co/SqC2ZYRK6s https://t.co/l5o58PULml

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) November 6, 2025

Hotline Miami and Cult of the Lamb publisher Devolver Digital, meanwhile, continued the bit by continuing to promise (threat?) to release a game on the same day GTA 6 comes out. Now it’s moved whatever game it had in mind to GTA 6’s new release date: November 19, 2026. Devolver won’t — can’t at this point — stop. It even cheekily asked Rockstar if it needed help getting GTA 6 out the door, tweeting: "DO YOU NEED A PUBLISHER TO GET THIS THING BACK ON TRACK? DMs are open. Our work on @BALLxPIT speaks for itself." Those scamps!

You can’t escape us.

November 19, 2026 it is then. https://t.co/EMLwGWb1yY

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) November 6, 2025

Speaking more seriously, Christofer Sundberg, founder of Liquid Swords and former boss of Just Cause developer Avalanche, called the delay “a gravitational shift.” He continued: “When giants move, the ground shakes. That’s not competition. That’s opportunity.”

This is a comment about how publishers will be left scrambling to adjust their own release dates in the wake of GTA 6 moving from May to November. Some may be able to hit May or thereabouts now GTA 6 has moved out of that window. Others already locked into fall 2026 may now be set for crisis talks. Will next year’s Call of Duty be okay, for example? COD usually launches in November, so we're potentially set for a GTA 6 vs Call of Duty showdown in 2026. I know what my money's on.

But the delay may even impact games set to launch in 2027. John “Bucky” Buckley, Communications Director and Publishing Manager at Palworld developer Pocketpair, took to X / Twitter to say "expect to see many games (especially AAA ones) swerve to avoid the 2027 awards season," now GTA 6 is set for a November 19 launch, which puts Rockstar's game outside the nominaton window for most game awards in 2026. "Intentional or…?🤔" Bucky wondered.

Microsoft might be the publisher most heavily impacted by this GTA 6 delay.

Halo Remake, Gears E-Day, Fable, AND Call of Duty 2026 are all almost certainly scheduled for next Fall. Maaaaaybe Forza Horizon 6 too? Better ship 'em well before Nov. 19 now! https://t.co/UWp6h1aMO1

— Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan) November 6, 2025

every other publisher right now https://t.co/MZcSrpEVxM pic.twitter.com/uYSNVQiGzG

— Sean Murray (@NoMansSky) November 7, 2025

Looks like Batman needs to delay his trip to Miami. #LEGOBatmanGame pic.twitter.com/EAGQYXhgff

— LEGO® Batman™: Legacy of the Dark Knight (@LEGODCGame) November 6, 2025

And then there are the memes. So many memes! Too many, of course, to fit into a single article, but I would like to highlight a BBC Sport Live Report journalist who, while covering last night’s round of soccer matches, dropped in the news of the GTA 6 delay.

The BBC Sport Live commentator can’t believe they’ve delayed GTA 6😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/vMfwlglUcl

— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) November 6, 2025

Even Guinness World Records took a shot.

Current record for the longest development period for a videogame? 14 years and 43 days.

Officially announced on 28 April 1997 by developer 3D Realms, the FPS 'Duke Nukem Forever' was finally released on 10 June 2011. https://t.co/8XBZGM3i98

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) November 6, 2025

There are now 376 days until GTA 6 comes out, with fans having to wait another half a year for what is expected to be the biggest entertainment launch of all time. What to do in the meantime? Play other games! And there are many to choose from. Hell, even GTA 5 is returning to PS Plus.

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.

It looks like Grand Theft Auto V will soon return to PlayStation Plus.

While the news hasn't yet been confirmed by Rockstar Games or Sony, Dealabs' billbil-kun once again has the scoop on what games are coming to the PlayStation Plus library, and reported that GTA 5 will pop up on November 18 for all PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. (Unfortunately, no, those on the Essential tier will not be able to access it.)

This isn't the first time Rockstar's smash shooter has been given away as part of the PS Plus library, of course, but it does mark the first time in a year that GTA 5 will be playable for no extra cost as part of the PS Plus library.

Given GTA 5 has sold an eye-watering 220 million copies, so it's hard to imagine there are many gamers left who haven't tried it at some point, but if you've somehow avoided it until now, this could be a good time to find out what all the fuss is about. In news unlikely to surprise you, we thought GTA 5 was "preposterously enjoyable, breathtaking in scope, and bitingly funny." It returned a 10/10.

Don't forget, you have until December 1 to grab November's free monthly games: Stray, EA Sports WRC 24, and Totally Accurate Battle Simulator.

ICYMI, yes, Grand Theft Auto VI has been delayed until November 19, 2026. This news was announced yesterday, November 6, by Rockstar as a part of parent company Take-Two's second-quarter earnings. In a release shared with IGN, Take-Two said the delay was about "giving the team some additional time to finish the game with the high level of polish players expect and deserve. Rockstar has our full support of course, and we are confident they will deliver an unrivalled blockbuster entertainment experience."

GTA 6 was originally announced for a fall 2025 release, which CEO Strauss Zelnick said he felt confident in, even amid speculation of a delay. The game was then delayed to May of 2026, with Rockstar citing a need for extra time "to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve." And now, of course, it's been delayed again. Find out why some people think the delay could be a good thing.

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.

If you've ever wanted to run your own zoo, then Raise Animals is the Roblox experience for you. Though you'll start with just a single animal, you can race along an obstacle course, taming new animals with your lasso to bring them back to your farm. Feed your animals, level them up, and unlock new mutations that will increase the value of your zoo, so visitors will pay more to see your collection. Want a head start? Here are all the codes that are currently active for Raise Animals.

Working Raise Animals Codes

These codes are currently active and can be redeemed in Raise Animals:

• Primordial - 2,500 Rubies (NEW)
• Jurassic - 5x Daily Spin Wheel (NEW)
• Ancient - 1x Dinosaur Egg (NEW)
• TRADING!!! - 2,500 Rubies, 5,000 Candy, 5 Daily Spin Wheel spins
• Sorry4Bugs - 1,000 Rubies, 1,000 Candy, 1,000 Coral
• 150MVisitsTysm - 1,000 Rubies
• HALLOWEEN2025! - 500 Rubies, 500 Candy
• FreeCorals - 1,000 Coral and 150 Rubies

How to Use Raise Animals Codes

When you're ready to redeem your Raise Animals codes, launch the Roblox experience. You'll then need to join the Raise Animals Studio group before you can redeem codes. Once you've done that, follow these steps to get your freebies:

1. Click the gear icon in the top right corner to open settings
2. Scroll down to "Redeem Code"
3. Copy the code from this article and paste it into the box
4. Click redeem!

Expired Raise Animals Codes

The following codes have now expired:

• HappyHalloween!
• 1MGroupMembers
• SorryForAllTheBugs
• Update1
• 50MVisitsTysm
• Ocean
• SryForTheGamepassIssue
• 10MVisitsTysms
• 10KActiveTysm
• Release!
• FREE RANDOM ANIMALS
• 5MVisitsTysm
• 1MVisitsTysm
• 5KActiveTysm
• 3KActiveTysm
• SorryForBugs

Why Isn't My Raise Animals Code Working?

Codes for Roblox experiences are usually case-sensitive, so the best way to ensure you've got a working code is to directly copy it from this article. We check all codes before we upload them, so you can guarantee they're working. Just double-check that you haven't copied over an extra space!

Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.

Netflix has released the first five minutes of Stranger Things Season 5, showing a crucial moment in the story that teases answers to one of the biggest questions fans had from Season 1.

The creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, had already teased that Season 5 would finally answer questions surrounding the kidnapping of Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp. Stranger Things began with the mysterious disappearance of Will, and Season 5 will finally answer why he was taken to the Upside Down in the first place. In the latest Season 5 trailer, we see evil monster Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) in full control over Will’s body. “You are going to help me… one… last… time,” it says.

For years fans have theorized about why Will was kidnapped, rather than simply killed like so many others. What happened to him when he was in the Upside Down, and to what end?

Warning! Spoilers for the first five minutes of Stranger Things Season 5 follow:

The first five minutes of Stranger Things Season 5 starts to answer those questions. We see a de-aged Will terrified in the Upside Down and running for his life from the Demogorgon. While Will puts up a valiant fight, he is eventually dragged to the lair of Vecna himself. It’s here that things get strange, as Vecna summons vines to prop Will up. Vecna then pumps some sort of substance through a tendril and into Will via his mouth. Will does not look like he’s enjoying the experience.

Clearly, whatever is inserted into Will is designed to take him over in some capacity and potentially become a part of the Upside Down itself. It’s all part of Vecna’s master plan, of course. “At long last,” Vecna says, menacingly. “We can begin. You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together, William. Such beautiful things.”

November 12, 1983. Watch the first 5 minutes of Stranger Things 5 now. pic.twitter.com/F8S9y6Y2dV

— Netflix (@netflix) November 7, 2025

If you’ve watched Stranger Things you’ll know that Will's mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Chief of Police Jim Hopper (David Harbour) eventually find Will and bring him back to our world, although he is much changed. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ross Duffer said that fans should go back to Season 2, Episode 6, called ‘The Spy,’ to help them understand what’s going on. This is, Ross said, “the most important episode,” and shows Will “working, in a way, for the Mind Flayer.”

In The Spy, Will is brought to Hawkins National Laboratory. At one point, a severed tendril from the tunnels is burnt, causing Will to experience pain. Will later points soldiers in the direction of a place the monster doesn’t want him to see, which turns out to be a trap. Will says "he made me do it" because "they upset him." Will, it seems, is the spy.

Season 5 begins in the fall of 1987, near the anniversary of Will’s disappearance in the Upside Down. “So much of the season was built around the idea of coming full circle, answering many of the questions that were posed all the way back in Season 1,” Matt Duffer told EW. “I think the two biggest questions that we didn’t really answer in Season 1 that we do answer this season is ‘what is the Upside Down, truly?’ and ‘why was Will taken?’”

“We reveal really everything about the Upside Down, all of which was planned out in season 1,” Matt added. “It was fun to finally pull back the curtain on all of that.”

Here’s the official blurb on Stranger Things Season 5:

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.

Stranger Things Season 5 debuts on Netflix in three parts, with the first four episodes arriving for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 26. The next three episodes premiere on Christmas, and the series finale will debut on the streamer and in over 350 theaters nationwide on New Year’s Eve.

Stranger Things Season 5 release dates:

• VOL 1 - November 26, 5pm PT
• VOL 2 - Christmas, 5pm PT
• THE FINALE - New Year’s Eve, 5pm PT

Season 5 arrives over three years after the finale of Season 4. For more, check out the burning questions we still have from Stranger Things Season 4. Meanwhile, Millie Bobbie Brown and David Harbour have reunited for the Stranger Things Season 5 premiere, with Stranger Things and Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy addressing alleged bullying concerns.

Image credit: Netflix.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game shows no signs of slowing down in 2025. Whether you're a competitive player, a casual collector, or someone who's just dropped way too much money on framed booster art, this year's TCG lineup is going all in with new mechanics, nostalgic reprints, and plenty of chances to chase that cardboard high.

Pokémon TCG: 2025 Release Calendar - At a Glance

• Prismatic Evolutions: Jan. 17, 2025 (Out Now)
• Journey Together: Mar. 28, 2025 (Out Now)
• Destined Rivals: May 30, 2025 (Out Now)
• Black Bolt / White Flare: Jul. 18, 2025 (Out Now)
• Mega Evolution: Sep. 26, 2025 (Out Now)
• Phantasmal Flames: Nov. 14, 2025 (Preorders Live)

Mega Evolution: Phantasmal Flames - Nov. 14, 2025

Amazon recently shadow-dropped preorders for the Booster Bundle for under market value at $59.99 (compared to resale prices at trusted sites such as TCGPlayer).

Featuring six booster bundles, there's every chance that you'll pull a Mega Charizard X ex double rare, alt rare, or even Secret Art Rare or Gold Rare. I've pulled three normal Zard ex's so far, so no need to worry about deck building with Phantasmal Flames.

They also had the Phantasmal Flames Elite Trainer Box live for a moment (at $79.99), but it looks sold out for now. It's been going in and out of stock all day, so I'd suggest keeping an eye on that too.

What makes this set even more exciting is its size , about 90 cards before secret rares, which makes it the smallest English set in nearly a decade. For collectors like me, that usually means a much more manageable chase, while still packing in plenty of heavy hitters for players.

The product lineup looks pretty stacked too. We’ll be getting the usual booster packs and booster box (36 packs), a 9-pack Elite Trainer Box featuring a shiny new Charcadet promo, and an Ultra-Premium Collection built around Mega Charizard X ex.

On top of that, two theme decks for Mega Gengar ex and Mega Diancie ex are arriving a few weeks early on October 24, which is a fun way to get a taste of the set before launch. If you’re like me and love cracking packs, the booster box is the way to go, but the UPC is already looking like the big collector piece this time around.

What ties it all together is the Japanese set Inferno X, which hit shelves there in late September. That set had only 80 cards, and once you add in the Mega Gengar and Mega Diancie decks, you basically get the full Phantasmal Flames lineup.

We’ve already seen some killer reveals, including the Mega Charizard X ex secret rare previewed at Worlds, so I’m fully expecting that to be the chase card when this launches. Between the smaller set size, Charizard hype, and some solid gameplay cards, I think this one’s going to fly off shelves and I’m definitely locking in my preorder.

The Pokémon Company started releasing annual holiday calendars back in 2022, inspired by the Pokémon Countdown Calendar from 2008.

These products are surprisingly good value in the current TCG market, as well as for casual fans of the series in other forms. You can see the listing here at Amazon or scroll on for more details.

The 2025 Pokémon Holiday Calendar released on August 22 and initially retailed for $49.99 at Target before quicklly selling out. It's now available at Walmart for a pricier $64.99 or at Amazon for $69.

UPDATE: Barnes and Noble Phantasmal Flames preorders now open. Mega Charizard X Ultra Premium Collection is $129.99, Elite Trainer Box for $54.99 and Booster Bundle for $29.99. They're receiving high traffic volumes right now, so keep trying if you get an error page.

It's been a real pain trying to secure Phantasmal Flames preorders at a decent price in the run-up to launch day (November 14). But, Amazon just kindly shadow-dropped preorders for the Booster Bundle for under market value at $59.99 (compared to resale prices at trusted sites such as TCGPlayer).

They also had the Phantasmal Flames Elite Trainer Box live for a moment (at $79.99), but it looks sold out for now. It's been going in and out of stock all day, so I'd suggest keeping an eye on that too.

Stranger Things stars Millie Bobbie Brown and David Harbour reunited at last night's Stranger Things Season 5 premiere, just days after a report claimed the young star had filed "pages and pages of accusations" concerning the Marvel actor's behavior ahead of production on the Netflix hit's final season.

Last week, The Daily Mail reported that Brown had lodged "harassment and bullying" complaints against Harbour. There was no suggestion of sexual impropriety. It was claimed that Netflix investigated the matter "for months," and Brown was ultimately accompanied by a personal assistant whenever on set.

Last night, the two actors put on a noted show of unity while walking the Stranger Things red carpet — chatting together, posing for photos, and standing alongside Netflix top brass such as co-CEO Ted Sarandos and CCO Bela Bajaria.

Speaking at the event, Stranger Things and Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy was asked directly about the alleged complaint and how he had ensured actors felt safe and respected on set during production of the show's final season.

"At the end of the day, that's the job," Levy told The Hollywood Reporter. "You have to create a respectful workplace where everyone feels comfortable and safe, and so we did everything to build that environment. And we're proud of the fact that we did so.

"I've read a bunch of stories and they range from wildly inaccurate to... there's so much noise around it. But the truth is that we view this crew and this cast as family, and so we treat each other with respect, and that's always been bedrock."

Sony is suing an eBay seller for allegedly selling counterfeit PS5 accessories, requesting up to $2 million for "each and every use of the PlayStation Trademarks."

In court papers filed on October 24 and seen by The Game Post, Sony is suing the eBay account known as "zaocuand-002" for alleged trademark infringement and counterfeiting. The papers have been filed in the state of Illinois.

Sony claims the seller "directly targets business activities towards consumers in the United States" via a "fully interactive" online store that uses Sony's trademarks to sell "unauthorized products." One such product cited in the papers is a $90 carrying case for PS5, although right now, zaocuand-002's eBay store is "sold out," and none of its current auctions include any gaming accessories. However, the profile states the account has sold around 9,000 items and is followed by 555 people.

A screenshot of a prior auction selling the carrying case is included in the court papers.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick is teasing a bright future for the Mafia franchise after this year’s prequel, Mafia: The Old Country, “performed well ahead of expectations.”

Zelnick spoke about the future of 2K Games’ long-running open-world crime series during an interview with IGN ahead of Take-Two's Q2 financial report (the one with the latest GTA 6 delay). As developer Hangar 13 prepares to release new content and updates following The Old Country’s launch in August, the Take-Two boss teased that fans may eventually have more Mafia to look forward to.

“Definitely,” Zelnick said when asked if The Old Country performed well enough to instill confidence to continue the franchise. “We’re really excited about Mafia, and I think that’s a great question because it is sort of a reset for the franchise. We don’t have anything to announce — that comes from the label — but it definitely performed well ahead of expectations."

It sounds like the decision to sell Mafia: The Old Country at a cheaper than expected $49.99 price point paid off, then. Fans praised The Old Country's $50 price tag when it was confirmed, and publisher 2K and developer Hangar 13 managed expectations by stressing pre-launch that it was absolutely not a Grand Theft Auto-style open-world game, but a linear, narrative-driven game.

Take-Two stopped short of providing exact sales figures but said the early 1900s Sicily-set Mafia “quickly surpassed our internal expectations and affirmed our belief that consumer demand remains strong for premium, narrative-driven experiences that over-index on value.” Although it’s unclear when or how another Mafia game could materialize in the future, more new content and updates for The Old Country are confirmed to be in the works.

Mafia: The Old Country launched in August as a prequel for the crime drama video game franchise that first got its start with the original Mafia in 2002. The series saw semi-regular releases up until the launch of the divisive Mafia 3 in 2016, with only a group of well-received definitive edition remasters arriving to break up the wait for more in 2020. After nearly a decade of waiting for a new entry, it sounds like fans won't have to wait quite as long for more.

Hangar 13 and 2K propped The Old Country up as a fresh start for Mafia when it released earlier this year, and it appears to be a plan that’s panning out. We called it “Great” in our 8/10 review. At the time of its release, we said, “Mafia: The Old Country is a conventional but effective return to the linear and tightly story-driven format of the original Mafia and Mafia II, and it boasts a wonderful eye and ear for detail.”

For more on The Old Country, you can read up on the Free Ride mode it received as part of a free update a few months back. You can also check out everything you need to know about its PC and console specs, features, and more.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Take-Two Interactive says it is confident Borderlands 4 will rebound after technical issues led to “a little bit of softness” for U.S. sales at launch.

In an interview with IGN ahead of Take-Two's second quarter financial results (which confirmed the latest GTA 6 delay), we asked CEO Strauss Zelnick how Gearbox Software’s September looter shooter performed. He admitted the launch was met with “a little bit of softness” due to technical issues that have since become infamous in the Borderlands community, but he remains confident “it’ll all be made up,” given enough time.

Those technical issues resulted in "a little bit of softness out of the gate on the U.S. sales side, but in the fullness of time we’re convinced it’ll all be made up, and we’ll be in a great place," Zelnick said.

Take-Two expanded on that in its financial report annoncement, saying: "The game received high critical praise, with many reviewers calling it 'the best Borderlands yet.' The series’ highly active community eagerly welcomed the title, and during its opening weekend, it reached the largest concurrent player count on Steam in franchise history. Borderlands 4 also dominated YouTube with 30 million views and earned the #1 spot on Twitch during its launch, underscoring the franchise’s enduring mass appeal. While we experienced some challenges with optimization and performance on PC, Gearbox has been addressing these issues and releasing updates to improve gameplay. We are confident that Borderlands 4 will achieve strong unit sales over its lifetime."

Borderlands 4 received praise from critics (we gave it an 8/10 in our review) upon its September 12, 2025, release date for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, but it was also almost immediately faced with a wave of criticism from fans. As Steam player counts reached record numbers at launch, many were met with technical hiccups that dampened months of hype.

PC users reported performance issues, even on high-end hardware, as players were forced to lower settings across the board while still struggling to hit desired framerates. It was a speed bump that Gearbox eventually attempted to address by asking players to push through the technical difficulties for about 15 minutes following any tweaks to graphics settings.

PS5 and Xbox fans faced a separate issue, as Borderlands 4 players gradually discovered worsening performance during longer play sessions. A lack of FOV sliders at launch only heightened tensions, as Gearbox continued to promise fixes for the issues plaguing all platforms.

Updates for FOV sliders, PC performance issues, and more eventually helped address most complaints related to the game itself, but it was clear these issues, as well as Take-Two’s controversial terms of service agreement, affected the fourth mainline Borderlands game’s reception online at launch. Borderlands 4 currently sits at a 4.5/10 user score on Metacritic, with its Steam reviews also sitting at “Mixed” across the board.

Despite dissatisfaction from players and Zelnick's comments, U.S. video game data company Circana reported that Borderlands 4 was the top-selling premium game of September 2025 and the third best-selling game of 2025 so far. It’s a report based on revenue generated instead of actual sales numbers, but it still means the game managed to generate the highest launch month dollar sales of any other entry in franchise history.

The last Borderlands 4 patch delivered balance changes for players across all platforms. DLC content, including seasonal mini-events and additional vault hunters, will be released as post-launch development continues.

As Take-Two, publisher 2K, and Gearbox aim to make up for lost ground, you can read about how Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford responded to those unhappy with the state of Borderlands 4 at launch. You can also see why he urged some players to request a refund if they remained unsatisfied with the experience.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Petit Planet is not the first to mimic Animal Crossing to some eyebrow-raising degrees, nor will it be the last. Developer HoYoverse doesn't shy away from acknowledging the similarities – a character even balks at the idea of its new planet-owning lead falling into debt for merely having a home – though they don't deny that upgrades will come at a price. In my short time of about five hours with a preview of the closed beta, Petit Planet offered a charming, "The Little Prince"-themed take on Animal Crossing: New Horizons with an emphasis on clear progression and multiplayer. While these are two things some seemed to crave and were left empty in ACNH, the Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail studio may offer an answer – with potential caveats.

For all I enjoyed about Petit Planet, I started disappointed with its opening on a lackluster character creator. The skin tone range is limited and the hairstyle options are a bummer, though more hair and eye styles and colors for each are available for in-game currency later on. I acknowledge this isn't the final version of Petit Planet, so I'm hoping that'll be the case for a game touting customization that limits its global players to four skintones, with only one looking darker than a light brush with the sun.

The overall setup of Petit Planet is that you're joining three anthropomorphic animal members of a company called Loomi Co in developing a fledgling planet and exploring the surrounding galaxy. You get to choose between two with different environments and different starting planets to begin with. I chose the one described as "hot and dry" with golden prairies. As you complete tasks assigned by Mobai, the fill-in for Isabelle and Tom Nook, you're given special water for an equally special tree that serves as the heart and, in a way, control center of your planet. With new levels and upgrades, the playable area takes shape with a multi-level field, larger river, and a beach and ocean. I liked that, after a point, I could take a look at the sorts of upgrades ahead, like a mountain area and new kinds of trees.

The first hour held a death grip on my playtime with confined tutorials and limited space for any sort of exploration or creativity, but it loosened up considerably after that, while still introducing new mechanics. The next three or four hours is where upgrades start getting locked behind daily progression. Not the mobile-game clock countdown kind, but real days similar to ACNH. Since Petit Planet access is tied to logging into a HoYoverse server, you can't force your way forward by changing your device’s clock. That being said, I didn't run out of interesting things to do while needing to wait.

I spent my time with familiar activities; smacking trees for fruit, catching bugs, picking flowers, smashing rocks for ore, fishing, and, a nice and quite different touch – using shellfish tongs to collect tidepool creatures. Then of course there's crafting and cooking, all the things you'd expect, but with a dash of charm in the starry, round designs and constant, clear direction. Activities that involve tools require strength, or basically energy replenished by consuming fruit or food. Fruit and sources to make food were ample in my playtime, so this wasn't much of a hassle.

I also enjoyed meeting the three Neighbors I encountered, or Petit Planet's NPC residents who you invite to live on your planet and build relationships with. I especially love that, familiar to HoYoverse's other games, each character has a distinct identity that goes deeper than their aesthetics and catchphrase. Each has background stories, and more information about them and their individual tastes that can be discovered over time. The first two are used as introductions to core mechanics, but I'm excited to see who else I'll run into in space travels.

During my playtime, I unlocked access to a car of my own that let me explore the stars – with limitations. The car runs on earnable and purchasable (with in-game currency) batteries. One lasted me about two or three trips to random Planettes, or tiny planets in a sea of stars that have limited and sometimes unique resources or potential new Neighbors. I found one on these Planettes, and convinced her to move to my larger Planet.

The other place I was able to travel to was called the Galactic Bazaar, or an online multiplayer hub with two simple mini-games and plenty of spots to sit and chat with other players. More than any other game HoYoverse has made, Petit Planet looks intended to grab the attention of young audiences. The player characters even look like children. Yet when you get to the Galactic Bazaar, you're immediately encouraged to sit and talk with strangers. The in-game text chat didn't seem to have limits on mild expletives I tested. You do have to sit in certain spots in the Galactic Bazaar to chat with others, but as it is, I didn't see any other ways to limit other player interactions in this space I had to visit as part of the main quests.

Safe online spaces for children are another conversation entirely, but I do hope HoYoverse has plans to make sure I'm not invading spaces of younger folks when I just want to play a game like Animal Crossing with my friends. That all being said, the official closed beta test FAQ calmed my worries a tad seeing that this beta test is limited to "users aged 18 and above," so I'd like to imagine that more serious safety features beyond blocking others are on the way.

The other thing I'm worried about is pricing: what's going to be the cost to play this free-to-play game? As with any of HoYoverse's games, it seemed there were ample ways to earn the few currencies I saw in-game, but it's hard to see exactly how that'll work in the future. I doubt we'll see HoYoverse relinquish its gacha method of random rewards mixed with a slight chance to get what you want, but it's hard to say if characters, cosmetics, or both will be what they target for this. It's also worth noting I found two different AI chatbots in Petit Planet. One as an on-demand source of in-game help, and another was a barista you can chat with in the Galactic Bazaar. These are easy to dodge if you don't care to use them.

All that being said, Petit Planet being an online HoYoverse game is a potential massive strength. Progression has been clear and fun so far, and knowing how HoYoverse has supported its other big games, it's highly probable that we'll see this get plenty of updates, events, and regular quality-of-life support. Mobai mentioned that we don't have a "restaurant yet," and I'm already eyeing cute cosmetics I want to save for and whole furniture sets I want to craft. The data from my playtime will all be wiped, but I still couldn't help but be excited about what the upgrades I've earned will bring to my planet tomorrow.

Full spoilers follow for Pluribus Episodes 1 & 2, “We Is Us” and “Pirate Lady,” which are available now on Apple TV.

Vince Gilligan is best known for creating Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul, but the writer-producer-director actually got his start in TV back in the ’90s in the pulpier sci-fi/horror trenches of The X-Files. In addition to co-creating that show’s short-lived spin-off, The Lone Gunmen, and working on other genre projects, Gilligan has also made it clear over the years that he’s a sci-fi fan himself, with Star Trek in particular being near and dear to his heart.

So it’s really no surprise that Pluribus, his new series for Apple TV, would have a science fiction bent. And while Gilligan is back in the world of weird and other-worldly concepts, he’s not surprisingly bringing his distinctly dark yet humorous tone with him for what is, based on the first two episodes, a unique spin on an age-old sci-fi notion.

Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn teams up with her old showrunner again, starring in Pluribus as Carol Sturka, a popular Diana Gabaldon-type romance novelist who’s great at interacting with her fans at book signings and the such, but who, once she’s safely ensconced in her black car on the way home from such events, unleashes her real feelings about her work. “Should I know who you are?” her driver innocently asks. Carol responds, “That depends. Are you a big fan of mindless crap?”

And while her life partner and manager Helen (Miriam Shor) encourages Carol to finally finish the passion project she’s been working on for years – her “serious book” – the problem is the entire world is about to change in a big way…

The first episode of Pluribus takes its time in establishing the premise of the show, which involves – reminder, this is a full spoiler review of the first two episodes – a mysterious transmission from deep space which provides humankind with an RNA formula. Long story short, the formula leads to a virus of sorts and eventually causes the minds of every person on the planet to merge into a single consciousness via a sort of “psychic glue.” So yeah, it’s a lot, and some viewers might find the road to get there circuitous, as we follow random astronomers and scientists as this discovery goes from strange anomaly to, essentially, an invasion of the planet.

And oh, when I say every person on the planet, I have to amend that because it’s actually everyone on the planet who is now part of a hive mind except for Carol and, we’re told, 12 other people from around the globe who for some unknown reason are immune to the effects of the virus.

So it’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but the pod people have already won by the time our hero character even figures out what’s going on. (Resistance is futile, don’t you know?) This all sets up a very interesting dynamic for the show; not only is Carol confronted with the question of how she can move forward in this strange new world, but there’s also the matter of how the “joined” rest of humanity will deal with her.

It’s here that Gilligan really freshens up this take on the pod people/Borg/what have you. For while the Joined did cause horrific damage to the world and mass casualties (886 million dead, give or take) when they hurried up the joining process by seeding the atmosphere with the alien RNA (the military was on to them), they seemingly are a happy, go-lucky people (person?) who want nothing but the best for Carol and the other folks who are immune to its effects. As Episode 1 nears its conclusion, there’s a great scene involving the Under-Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation, who is live on C-Span just standing at a podium, quietly waiting for her to call him so they can talk. Why the Under-Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation? Well, because he was “nearby, and intact, and he was wearing a suit.”

Seehorn is great in these moments, somehow depicting Carol as she digests not just the insanity that has erupted around her, but also the tragedy – which includes Helen dying after falling and hitting her head during the Joining. And yet there’s a slightly comedic vibe at times as well, as if the preposterous nature of the situation can’t wait to come out and play in future episodes.

By Episode 2, Gilligan (who wrote and directed both segments) is fully embracing both the (literally) out-of-this-world concept while also having fun with it all. In an extended opening sequence, Karolina Wydra makes her debut as Zosia, a woman from the Middle East who is chosen to be a spokesperson for the Joined because she kinda looks like the hunky (male) character from Carol’s romance novels (the Pirate Lady of the episode’s title). Not a bad idea!

In this sequence, we start to get a sense of how the Joined work, with every individual act serving a greater need. As Zosia moves from being yet another faceless participant in the clean-up effort the entire world is currently conducting, to modifying her look to be more Pirate Lady-ish, to piloting a cargo plane herself to the United States in order to meet Carol, it becomes clear that the Joined have literally every resource, human, mechanical, and otherwise, at their disposal. And yet they just seem to want to help Carol and the 12 like her.

Or do they? Carol feels an obligation to restore the world, somehow, to its former self. But when she requests, and is granted, a meeting with the English-speaking members of the 12 who are immune, she is surprised to find that most of them are either in denial about the true nature of the situation, or they just don’t care enough to resist the Joined. They’re complacent, and as a result, complicit.

Certainly, the Joined’s constant fawning over Carol is meant to evoke how her fans once treated her, and while she was very patient with that lot, she’s way less forgiving of her new fan club. Seehorn’s anger and sadness as Carol really add weight to the crazy idea at the center of this show, even while Carol’s biting wit and constant booze-guzzling keep us from going too far down the well of despair.

Meanwhile, Wydra has a very difficult task as well as Zosia, a character who – as a member of the Joined – is basically a cypher, but one who we are already starting to care about all the same. As Episode 2 comes to a close and we see Zosia going off with one of the immune Others after Carol rejects her, her simple look back – in extreme wide shot, through an airplane window! – is kind of heartbreaking.

I can’t wait to see where Gilligan goes next with this show.

Questions and Notes From Kepler-22b

• Pause at 51 minutes and 47 seconds and you’ll see that the radio signal seemed to come from the vicinity of Kepler-22b, an exoplanet which orbits the star Kepler-22 and is some 640 light-years away.
• I was surprised that we already met some of the other 12 immune Others in Episode 2. The question now is what’s up with the ones who Carol didn’t meet yet?
• Will we get some flashbacks here or there to the before times? Certainly Gilligan has done that with past projects. I’d like to see more of Miriam Shor as Helen for one thing.
• Speaking of which, what a cruel twist that not only did Helen die because of the Joining, but she also joined herself right before passing.
• I may continue to review Pluribus on a weekly basis if you guys seem to want it (and the show remains interesting). So let me know in the comments!

With the recent Apple Watch Series 11 release, it's not surprising that the previous generation Apple Watch Series 10 is seeing its biggest price drop ever ahead of Black Friday. Walmart is currently offering a 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 with LTE cellular connectivity for just $299. Alternatively Amazon has the same watch in the larger 46mm case size for $359 shipped. Both models are considerably less expensive than the base model Apple Watch Series 11.

Apple Watch Series 10 with LTE Starting at $299

Sony's newest flagship wireless noise cancelling headphone has dropped in price ahead of Black Friday. Secondipity via eBay (an authorized Sony reseller) is selling a certified refurbished Sony WH-1000XM6 wireless noise canceling headphone in Black, Midnight Blue, or Platinum Silver for just $299.99 with free shipping after a $150 (33%) off instant discount. Better yet, it comes with an extended 2 year AllState warranty plus Secondipity's own 30-day return policy.

Sony WH-1000XM6 Headphones for $299.99

Certified refurbished with 2 year warranty

To gear up for Black Friday 2025, IGN Deals is giving away a LEGO Game Boy set to one lucky winner. It’s a near 1:1 scale replica of Nintendo’s classic handheld, along with two classic Game Paks, but you get to build it yourself and choose what's displayed on its screen.

What do you need to do to enter this giveaway? All you have to do is sign up for our IGN Deals newsletter, which gives you direct line to the latest and greatest deals each day, delivered right to your inbox. So you can enter the giveaway for a chance to win a free LEGO Game Boy, and stay for a daily dose of killer, curated deals. And believe me, there will be plenty of deals popping up as Black Friday inches closer.

This sweepstakes is open to United States Residents only.

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The giveaway ends on 12/12/2025 at 3 p.m. PST.

What we said in our We Build LEGO Game Boy article:

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Every car absolutely needs a tire inflator as part of an emergency kit to be readily available at any time. If the only reason stopping you is the cost, then this deal should give you no more excuse. Ahead of Black Friday, Amazon is offering Prime members the Aneson cordless tire inflator and air compressor for just $14.99 after you apply $15 off coupon code "QVWFJ6XS" during checkout. Any brand of tire inflator you find on Amazon at around this price point was probably made from the one of few overseas factories. They might not have as many fancy features as other more expensive models, but they get the job done and that's what matters.

Aneson Cordless Tire Inflator and Air Compressor for $15

Let's make this simple. You want to know if there are any mid- or post-credits scenes in Predator: Badlands; the answer is ‘not really.’ A title card flashes on-screen at the end of the movie, and then one last scene plays out right after that before the credits roll.

Full spoilers follow for Predator: Badlands. If you haven’t seen the film yet, check out our review first!

It’s time to grab your cloaking devices and wristblades, sci-fi fans, because Predator: Badlands is now in theaters. The seventh mainline entry in the Predator franchise (or ninth if you count the Alien vs. Predator films), and the third to be directed by 10 Cloverfield Lane alum Dan Trachtenberg, Badlands looks to be another winner for this new era of the franchise that started with Prey and continued with the animated installment, Predator: Killer of Killers. Badlands brings the series back to the big screen (as opposed to the last two entries, which were released straight to streaming), with Elle Fanning playing the Weyland-Yutani synthetic, Thia, alongside relative newcomer Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as the lead Predator, Dek.

The movie is heading into its opening weekend with great reviews, including an 8/10 from IGN’s Clint Gage, who said the film’s use of a Yautja main character “highlights what’s been great about this franchise in its better moments.” So how does Dek and Thia’s journey pan out? Let’s get into it.

Predator: Badlands Ending Explained

As the first film starring a Predator as the protagonist, Badlands finally fills us in on more about the Predator homeworld and their culture. We meet our hero Dek on the planet of Yautja Prime, where he is engaged in a trial by combat with his brother Kwei. We quickly learn that Dek is spry and crafty, but is still considered a weakling in the eyes of his father, Njohrr. To prove himself and avenge Kwei (Njohrr kills Kwei when he tries to protect Dek from execution), Dek travels to Genna, also known as the “Death Planet.” Genna is full of otherworldly monstrosities, the greatest and most unkillable one being the Kalisk – a beast even Njohrr is said to fear. A crash landing and a couple of mishaps later, Dek winds up traveling alongside Weyland-Yutani synthetic Thia, who is strapped to his back like C-3PO because she lost her legs in a confrontation with the Kalisk.

The unlikely pair journey across the planet’s surface, tracking the Kalisk and getting into various scrapes with local wildlife along the way. Thia becomes friendly with a small creature she names Bud, and we also learn about Thia’s companion synth, Tessa (also played by Fanning), whom Thia was separated from after their encounter with the Kalisk. Tessa is recovered and repaired by the company, who want the Kalisk captured for their bioweapons division; she subsequently becomes the film’s main antagonist, leading a small army of synthetic soldiers (the film doesn’t feature any humans) in their hunt for the creature. The rift that forms between Thia and Tessa mirrors the growing disillusionment Dek experiences with Yautja culture. He slowly learns the value of caring for others because of a story Thia tells him about the wolves of Earth, where the “Alpha” wolf is the one who best protects the pack instead of the one who gets the most kills.

With this new philosophy in mind, Dek abandons his mission to kill the Kalisk in order to rescue Thia, who’s been recaptured by Tessa. Using a variety of new weapons and tools he’s obtained during his quest, Dek infiltrates the Weyland-Yutani compound and wipes out Tessa’s soldiers. He also helps free the Kalisk after learning that Bud is in fact a baby Kalisk, reuniting mother and child. Thia’s torso is reattached to her legs, and Dek and Tessa have a final battle where Tessa drives a construction mech that feels like a jumbo version of the exosuit Ripley used to fight the Alien Queen in Aliens. The freed adult Kalisk eats Tessa, but the villainous android detonates a freeze grenade inside its stomach, killing the creature. Tessa is ultimately destroyed, and Dek returns to Yautja Prime to confront his father. He duels and kills Njohrr in front of the clan, but refuses to rejoin, instead standing alongside Thia and a much bigger Bud (I guess they grow fast?), proclaiming them as his clan.

In the final moments, the three turn to see another Predator ship approaching over the horizon. When Thia asks who’s coming, Dek responds with…“my mother.” The end!

What Does Predator: Badlands Mean for the Future of the Franchise?

With three Predator features now under his belt, Dan Trachtenberg has cemented his status as the franchise’s custodian. Badlands exemplifies what Trachtenberg does best: a strong setup and pay-off; creative action sequences; and demonstrating a love for the conventions of classic science fiction while finding new ways to express them. Yet he also ensures the film has an emotional core, namely Dek coming to reject the toxic aspects of Yautja culture and instead forming new bonds with Thia and Bud. Making a science fiction film with no human characters, and with a lead that looks as menacing and, well, alien as the Predator, that works dramatically and not just as action spectacle is a hell of a task, but it’s one Trachtenberg pulls off to good effect. If you were worried about the film’s lack of an R-rating, don’t worry; there’s plenty of carnage, and the blood isn’t just red this time. Honestly, Badlands being as violent as it is on a PG-13 rating goes to show just how arbitrary the MPAA rating system really is.

As for future installments, while the film does end on a cliffhanger with Dek’s mother about to arrive, we don’t know when or where this thread will be picked up. Dek and Thia both survive the film, and will presumably appear in a prospective Badlands 2 should Disney pursue a direct sequel. There aren’t any other threads introduced in this movie that aren’t tied up, with Badlands working as a fairly self-contained adventure. Don’t expect any cameos of the characters frozen in ice that we saw in Killer of Killers, or any crossover with the Alien franchise besides the existence of Weyland-Yutani as a plot element. Although Trachtenberg has addressed the possibility of an AVP crossover down the line, admitting that his approach to the franchise was inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Badlands doesn’t directly set up a new AVP. But with an incoming sequel to Alien: Romulus that will continue the story of Cailee Spaeny’s Rain and David Jonsson’s Andy, the tease of Amber Midthunder’s Naru in Killer of Killers, and now Dek and Thia, we wouldn’t be surprised if some or all of these characters wind up running into each other in a future AVP film. It really does just feel like a matter of time.

Is There a Predator: Badlands Post-Credits Scene?

There is not, but as noted above, a title screen does pop up at the end before the final scene where Dek and his friends see a starship that belongs to Dek’s mother heading towards them.

What did you think of Predator: Badlands? Let us know in the comments!

Carlos Morales writes novels, articles, and Mass Effect essays. You can follow his fixations on Twitter.

GTA 6 isn’t the only high-profile video game delayed today — Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has suffered a delay of its own.

Coming just an hour after Rockstar announced GTA 6 had moved from May to November 2026, Skydance Games announced Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra was delayed “beyond early 2026.” In a statement, Skydance Games said the delay was necessary "to fully realize our vision." Tellingly, no new release window was offered. This is yet another delay to Rise of Hydra, which in May was pushed out of 2025 to early 2026.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is a narrative-driven adventure featuring Captain America, Azzuri, the Black Panther of the 1940s, Gabriel Jones of the Howling Commandos, and Nanali, a Wakandan spy embedded in Occupied Paris.

It hit the headlines early 2024 after an eye-catching trailer revealed as part of Epic Games’ State of Unreal event at GDC. It’s in development at the Skydance Games team, which is led by Hennig (Uncharted) and co-president Julian Beak.

Hennig’s Skydance team is also working on an untitled Star Wars game, which has yet to be fully revealed.

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.

Nuremberg will be released in theaters on Nov. 7.

We’re apparently going to be making films about World War II for a very long time. Not just because it’s one of the most pivotal events of the 20th century, one which affected the trajectory of virtually every nation on the planet, and not just because creatives are still finding new angles from which to dramatize the conflict to this day. No, we’re going to keep making films about World War II in part because the fear remains not that we may slip back into another recreation of its horror, but that we never truly reckoned with it. That is the main thrust of Nuremberg, a competent if not quite exemplary historical drama that posits the reason we can’t let go of our fascination with the war is because we never let go of the kinds of prejudices and attitudes that brought it about in the first place.

Directed and written by James Vanderbilt, Nuremberg opens a few days after Hitler’s death in 1945. Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), President of the Reichstag for the Nazi regime and Hitler’s second-in-command, surrenders to the U.S. Army in the opening scene. From there, he and 21 other Nazi officials are taken to Nuremberg, Germany, where American Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon) intends to try them for war crimes. We are then introduced to Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), a psychiatrist assigned to maintaining the mental health of the prisoners before the trial, but who is mostly there to write a hopefully lucrative book about the experience and maybe charm a beautiful woman or two with some slick talk and card tricks.

So begins Nuremberg, less a movie about the trial itself (although the trial is featured in the back half) so much as it is about the push and pull between Kelley and Göring, who develop a strange bond as Kelley tries to understand what makes Göring tick. The film places the burden of its moral dilemmas on Kelley, who has to weigh his own ambitions and growing fascination with Göring against the altruism espoused by Leo Woodall’s Sergeant Howie Triest, the translator assigned to help Kelley, and also pressure from Jackson to break doctor-patient confidentiality by providing information on Göring’s legal defense strategy to the Allied prosecutors. At the same time, Kelley’s attempts to get deeper in with Göring lead him to becoming the man’s main connection with the outside world, including his wife and daughter, whose treatment by U.S. forces later in the film reminds Kelley that his country is not above the tactics used by their enemies.

When approaching these story threads with the gravity they deserve, Nuremberg is mostly successful as a drama. But the movie doesn’t make the best first impression, with the opening act littered with ill-conceived jokes and dialogue that veers a bit too close to contemporary irony. Not that movies about heavy subject matter can’t have the occasional dose of humor in them (there is one particular location switch in Nuremberg that is both an excellent bit of editing and the best gag in the film), but the film’s early reliance on levity comes off like the filmmakers are worried modern audiences won’t pay attention to a historical epic if they aren’t coaxed into it with treats. It’s a creative choice that betrays the film’s dramatic intentions and hurts its narrative credibility, but it’s a tendency the film thankfully moves away from as it heads into its later acts.

What helps keep the movie above water is a deep bench of solid actors. Crowe strikes exactly the right tone for Göring, played as something between Hannibal Lecter and Crowe’s own take on Dr. Jekyll from the 2017 Mummy movie. That sounds cartoonish, and it sometimes is, but Crowe keeps Göring compelling even when teetering on the edge of caricature, never letting us forget that beneath the smiles and occasional antics lies a sharp analytical mind who oversaw numerous crimes against humanity. Vanderbilt fills his supporting roles with a strong collection of names, including Shannon, John Slattery, and Richard E. Grant, all of whom prove to be as dependable as ever. Special mention has to go to Woodall, who gets one of the film’s best scenes at a train station late in the film that serves to cement Nuremberg’s emotional core.

The question mark is Malek, who is not bad in the film so much as slightly outclassed by the group surrounding him. His facial expressions and line deliveries don’t always match the tone of a given scene, with many of the aforementioned moments of “contemporary irony” falling on his shoulders. He sometimes can’t help but feel like a man from a 21st century movie airdropped into the 1940s. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but his performance and the writing of his character (the fact that he’s also a magician is seemingly only there to provide a Chekhov’s skill for Göring to learn in time for the finale) doesn’t always work in tandem with the film’s dramatic aims. But he does serve as Vanderbilt’s mouthpiece at the end, where the filmmaker plainly states that the Nazis were not a unique type of evil, but instead proponents of the exact kind of ideologies that can and have suited imperial interests in nations all over the world.

It’s not a new concept, and I would argue that Stanley Kramer’s excellent 1961 film Judgment at Nuremberg was a better take on both that idea and the trials at large, but Vanderbilt’s film is a worthwhile watch all the same.

Well, it was bound to happen: CRKD has teased a new drum kit controller. The four-pad, triple-cymbal CRKD Drum Kit Controller will be out next year.

And that's it. That's the news. Unlike the Gibson Les Paul Guitar Controller praised in an IGN review earlier this year, the Drum Kit Controller has no hint of a licensed partnership with any other companies. If there is one, CRKD didn't say so in its email to IGN, nor did I spy so much as a Zildjian logo on any of the cymbols in the teaser video that the company posted to YouTube today. Just mostly jet black hardware that almost feels more matchy-matchy with the PDP Riffmaster than CRKD's own guitar controllers.

In fact, CRKD is staying tight-lipped on this controller in general, letting loose no details about console compatibility or connectivity. Still, we can glean some information from the video. One, that the controller looks like it breaks down into several smaller parts for transportation, which would mirror the removable neck and headstock of its guitar predecessor. And two, based on the row of lights just under the drum pad section, it's probably wireless, which, yeah you'd hope so!

It looks like a quality gaming kit with a nice, beefy bass drum pedal. Like the old Rock Band drum controller, the layout's not that close to what you'd get with a real drum kit, electronic or otherwise – drum heads aren't usually that close together and the cymbals are kind of awkwardly placed. But also, it's a pretend drum kit that's mainly going to be used for rhythm games like Clone Hero and YARG. There's also Fortnite Festival, but that game mode doesn't allow for drum controllers quite yet, instead relying on good ol' fashioned controllers and keyboards – maybe this means an update will be coming soon?

Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn't be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.

GTA 6 is delayed again, this time to November 19, 2026, marking the game's second delay since it first got a release window. But publisher Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick is "highly confident" that this is the last time.

Speaking to IGN on a call ahead of the announcement, Zelnick reiterated the company's statement that the delay was simply for Rockstar to have time to polish the game. “We wanted to give Rockstar the appropriate amount of time to polish the title and make sure it can be the very best it can be," he said.

Previously, Grand Theft Auto VI was announced for a fall 2025 release, which CEO Strauss Zelnick told me he felt confident in even as rumors swirled of a delay. The game was later delayed to May of 2026, with Take-Two and Rockstar similarly citing a need for polish.

So I asked Zelnick again: How confident do you feel in this new date? Do you think there’s any chance we’re looking at GTA 6 in 2027?

"I’m highly confident," he replied "And at the same time, there have been limited circumstances where more time was required to polish a title and make sure that it was spectacular and that time has been well-spent, when our competitors go to market before something was ready, bad things happen. That said, that said, I’m highly confident on the new date."

Take-Two reported net bookings of $1.96 billion in the best second quarter in company history thanks to the releases of NBA 2K26, Mafia: The Old Country, and Borderlands 4. GTA V continues to sell millions each quarter, having now reached over 220 million units sold lifetime.

Meanwhile, Take-Two fired dozens of employees last week, alleging they leaked "confidential information in a public forum." Those employees claim they were actually fired for discussing unions and organization at the company, and protested their firing in front of Rockstar North and Take-Two's UK offices today.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Take a deep breath and remember: Delays are good.

OK, that statement isn’t always true, but it usually is. Delayed projects sometimes result in bad games (looking at you, Duke Nukem 3D), but much more often taking more time produces good stuff. Spending meticulous weeks to get something just right matters in art, as does finding the bravery to throw out ideas that seemed wise in concept but never panned out. Think about how many half-finished games you’ve ever bought and played and then wished the publisher had just delayed until it was right and ready. Got that thought in your head? OK, hold onto it.

GTA 6 is delayed again, and that’s good, because it will probably be better for the delay.

Rockstar has a long history of delaying games to make sure they’re ready for market, a strikingly consistent bit of discipline that places them alongside Nintendo in an elite fraternity of studios that wait until the casserole is fully cooked before serving. And boy, is it always delicious.

I’ve been playing GTA games as long as they’ve been around, starting with four-player PC GTA LAN parties. I’ve played the most obscure (London 1969), the best (GTA V), and the true best (Chinatown Wars for DS). I’ve ransacked and crashed and shot my way through these goofy, wonderful worlds for decades. And thankfully, these games are practically always late... and not coincidentally, always great. Here’s every delay in GTA history (and some Red Dead too).

Grand Theft Auto III

Rockstar’s New York offices were located only a few blocks from the World Trade Center, and Take Two didn’t waste any time briefly delaying GTA III following the September 11 attacks. . Marketing VP Terry Donovan announced the delay only days after the tragedy:

"Our decision is based on two factors, firstly it has been a little difficult to get work done in downtown Manhattan in the last week since basic communications infrastructure has been intermittent at best, and secondly we felt that a full content review of all our titles and the marketing materials we use to represent them was absolutely necessary for us in light of the horrifying event we all witnessed in the United States last week.”

He continued: "As for Grand Theft Auto, since the game is so huge the review is no short process. So far we have come across certain small contextual references that we were no longer comfortable with, as well as a couple of very rare gameplay instances that no longer felt appropriate to us. We apologize to you and all the people waiting for this game to ship for the delays that have now ensued, but I'm sure you can understand our reasoning. Rest assured the game will be phenomenal...and you can expect it to hit shelves in late October.”

Even with only minimal content changes, the delay was a wise decision for Rockstar and players alike. Blasting cops and ambulances in Liberty City so soon after the violent deaths of thousands wouldn’t have been appealing to anybody.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The co-prize for shortest delay is shared between Vice City and San Andreas. Back in the olden days before downloadable game stores and day-one patches, manufacturers guessed ahead of time just how much of a physical product they’d need to produce for a given shelf date, and sometimes they guessed wrong. Rockstar delayed Vice City by seven days to give them time to manufacture more discs (and thus meet the tremendous day-one demand for a GTA III follow-up).

San Andreas for PS2 also hit streets a week later than planned, a strategic decision designed to give the dev team a few extra days to polish their two-year project.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Okay, so real talk: The GTA handheld games go hard... hard enough that it’s worth dusting off your ancient PlayStation Portable or DS to try them. GTA’s excellent forays onto portables usually arrive on time, but Vice City Stories for PSP was delayed for two weeks in North America, and longer in parts of Europe.

The best GTA of them all (fight me!) didn’t arrive precisely on time. The incredibly creative and intricate DS gamechit shelves two months later than expected. When it did finally arrive, it blew the socks off of critics, and it’s one of gaming’s great tragedies that nobody bought it... we might be playing Chinatown Wars 3 on our new Switch 2s right now if they had.

Grand Theft Auto IV

After GTA III changed the landscape of video games, anticipation for GTA IV was palpable. With clunky RenderWare left behind and a brand new console generation to work with, Rockstar Leeds was aiming for the stratosphere. Bringing their vision to reality ultimately demanded several months of delay.

As Rockstar’s Sam Hause explained, “The new consoles [PS3 and 360] are allowing us to create the Grand Theft Auto game we always dreamed about. Every aspect of the game and its design has been completely transformed. The game is huge and is pushing the hardware platforms to their absolute limits. The top engineers from Sony and Microsoft are working closely with the team in Edinburgh right now, helping us to fully leverage the power of both platforms. As always, our goal is to surpass even the wildest expectations of the game's fans, and to create the ultimate high definition video game experience."

Grand Theft Auto V

The biggest console game of all time was a long time coming. GTA V finally landed in September 2013, but was originally anticipated to arrive in the spring of that same year. But in late January 2013, Rockstar released the following message:

“We know this is about four months later than originally planned and we know that this short delay will come as a disappointment to many of you, but, trust us, it will be worth the extra time. GTAV is a massively ambitious and complex game and it simply needs a little more polish to be of the standard we and, more importantly, you require. ‘To all Grand Theft Auto fans, please accept our apologies for the delay, and our promise that the entire team here is working very hard to make the game all it can be. We are doing all we can to help ensure it will meet if not exceed your expectations come September – we thank you for your support and patience.’"

They weren't wrong. GTA V went on to become the most successful console game of all time, and alongside RDR2, it’s a true jewel in Rockstar’s crown.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Speaking of RDR2... it’s not a part of the GTA series, but it is Rockstar’s best game and I love talking about it. In keeping with the tradition of Rockstar quality-based delays, we’re adding a bit of an appendix by mentioning Red Dead Redemption 2, which was delayed twice, first in spring 2017 for quality assurance purposes. The second delay came in February 2018, pushing RDR2 to late October. The statement from Rockstar explained that, again, this was a quality issue.

"We are excited to announce that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released on October 26th 2018. We apologize to everyone disappointed by this delay. While we had hoped to have the game out sooner, we require a little extra time for polish.

“We sincerely thank you for your patience and hope that when you get to play the game, you will agree the wait will have been worth it. In the meantime, please check out these screenshots from the game. We look forward to sharing a lot more information with you in the coming weeks."

That delay, like all the others here, worked out swimmingly, delivering a true work of art still unparalleled in adventure gaming.

So friends, don’t despair. GTA 6 will come, and when it comes, it will almost certainly be very, very good. See you in Vice City.

Note: This story originally ran in May, 2025, when GTA 6 was first delayed. Everything in it is still true!

Jared Petty is a former IGN editor who likes writing about how wonderful and silly video games are. You can find him at Bluesky as pettycommajared.