Activision has announced yet another free trial of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Multiplayer and Zombies, which just so happens to launch as EA releases its Battlefield battle royale, REDSEC.

Yesterday, October 27, was a big day for first-person shooter fans. EA finally confirmed a shadowdrop for the Battlefield battle royale, dubbed REDSEC, which is set to go live today, October 28, at 8am PT / 11am ET.

Then, later yesterday, Activision announced Black Ops 6 Multiplayer and Zombies will go free starting today and run until November 3.

Grab your squad. We’ve got Black Ops 6 💥

Get access to Black Ops 6 Multiplayer and Zombies for free starting tomorrow 🎮 pic.twitter.com/xTZv7VQlnP

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) October 27, 2025

Is Activision trying to spoil EA’s fun here? Fans are certainly debating the timing of the free trial and its clash with Battlefield’s big moment. Some are suggesting it’s nothing more than a pre-planned trial to coincide with Halloween (Black Ops 6 does have a Halloween update). But it’s hard to get away from the sense that there’s more going on here. After all, Activision only last month released a significant Black Ops 6 free trial the day before the Battlefield 6 release date. And it's not just the Battlefield battle royale that launches today — Battlefield 6 Season 1 kicks off, too.

This is the latest salvo in what has become a popcorn-worthy back-and-forth between Activision and EA, with each mega publisher’s big budget FPS vying for the hearts and minds of the gaming community this holiday season.

In August, Activision shocked the Call of Duty community when it confirmed that Operators, Operator Skins, and Weapons from Black Ops 6 would no longer carry forward into Black Ops 7. This came as a big surprise to players who had expected content they’d bought for Black Ops 6 to carry forward, as it has done with previous entries. Explaining the decision, Activision said Black Ops 7 “needs to feel authentic to Call of Duty and its setting.”

The feeling was that Activision felt the heat from Battlefield 6, which is going for a more grounded aesthetic. Developer DICE has indicated it has no plans to release crossover skins that would break the aesthetic Battlefield 6 is going for, and promised the developers were listening to fan feedback.

In a recent interview with DBLTAP, Battlefield 6 design director Shashank Uchil doubled down on EA's commitment to grounded realism, and even pointed to Call of Duty's infamous Nicki Minaj skin as something Battlefield 6 doesn't need.

“It has to be grounded," he said. "That is what BF3 and BF4 was — it was all soldiers, on the ground. It’s going to be like this,” Uchil said, pointing at the key art featuring soldiers in soldier gear looking out over a wartorn New York City.

He added: “I don’t think it needs Nicki Minaj. Let’s keep it real, keep it grounded.”

Then, last month, EA ramped up its Battlefield 6 marketing, taking a direct jab at Call of Duty with a new live-action trailer. More recently, Activision extended the Black Ops 7 open beta to run an additional 24 hours to October 9, taking it right up to Battlefield 6's release date.

Both games are crucial releases for their publishers. Battlefield 6 has the jump on Call of Duty this year, launching a month ahead of its rival. And the battle royale comes out to add competition to Call of Duty’s own free-to-download battle royale, Warzone. Black Ops 7 counter-attacks on November 14. It will be interesting to see which of the two mega publishers is happiest when the dust settles.

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 2000s are memorable for plenty of peaks. The last truly great salvo of R-rated Hollywood comedies. Finnish mobile phones built sturdy enough to kill a man. Also? NASCAR games. If you know, you know. It’s not a controversial statement to say that, over the last 20 years, no licensed NASCAR game has been able to unseat NASCAR Dirt to Daytona, NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, and NASCAR Thunder 2004 from the podium. Enter NASCAR 25. While several elements of it are roughly hewn and underfeatured – and the multiplayer misses the mark – the moment-to-moment single-player racing it serves up is fast, fierce, and fabulously nuanced. Does it slingshot itself past the very best to ever do it? Not quite. However, it has gotten closer to doing so than any other in the last two decades, and that makes it quite notable.

NASCAR 25 isn’t just the first NASCAR-licensed console game in almost five years, it’s the first ever produced by iRacing – the subscription-based racing simulation of choice for professional race drivers and sim-seat warriors alike. Considering the very foundation of iRacing was built using the source code for the legendary NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, there’s an undeniable element of pedigree at play here. There’s obviously a level of expectation that comes with this sort of heritage but, while it still has plenty of scope for growth and refinement, it’s been nice to see NASCAR 25 succeed in key areas where it counts.

Matched Perfect and Staggered Special

NASCAR 25 is at its very best on the track, rubbing panels at nearly 200 miles per hour. While oval racing isn’t a personal speciality of mine, I do find it massively fascinating just how ruthless it can be – and how different it is to typical circuit racing. As such, NASCAR 25 has me hooked right now.

There isn’t always a consistent racing line in oval racing; depending on the conditions and the track itself, the most efficient way through a bend might be low, somewhere in the middle, or even way up by the wall. You may need to start taking a corner differently to be faster, and I’m finding this necessity to adapt extremely interesting. I’m also particularly attracted to the sort of patience oval racing requires, with events that can unfold over hundreds of laps. Doggedly hanging onto the coattails of a breakaway pack of opponents, dicing with them doorhandle-to-doorhandle, is tense and engaging – but there’s also a part of it that I find almost meditative as I stalk slipstreams lap after lap, waiting for the perfect moment to attempt to lunge and strike.

The reason this all comes together in a meaningfully believable way is really thanks to NASCAR 25’s very impressive and tunable AI, and it’s very much what I crave in a racing game of this type. The core thing I look for constantly is racing that I can play by myself, in my own time, that feels authentic against my skill level. That’s it. I don’t want to be at the mercy of online randos, many of whom are ill disciplined and weave unrealistically across the track. Just sell me the fantasy of being a racing driver. Let’s not kid ourselves: I’m driving pretend race cars that I can pause when I need to pee. I’m not here to take on the world; I just want to enjoy my time. I want to believe I’m in the mix amongst a bunch of bona fide professionals who drive accordingly. NASCAR 25’s AI gets this right.

As a very casual consumer of NASCAR racing from the other side of the planet, my interest has ebbed and flowed depending on the involvement of drivers I have existing familiarity with, like Marcus Ambrose and SVG, so I’m not going to claim I can assure you that the AI always make the right tactical decisions. That said, they really do seem to drive with a lot of credibility. They hold their lines extremely smoothly around corners, and they shrewdly carve through packs of other cars competing for spots, effectively bump drafting and changing lanes. The only thing that undoes them is NASCAR 25’s frankly absurd way of penalising corner cutting, which will literally bring your car to a halt wherever you currently are if it detects a track limit violation. This will result in the AI piling up behind you as they all slam on the anchors to stop. It’s a massive immersion killer when it happens.

AI speed operates on a difficulty slider, meaning I was able to get it dialled in to perfectly match my skill level. The values are arbitrary, but they range between 85 and 105. About 100 was the sweet spot for super speedways for me, and slightly lower on short tracks and road courses.

There are a number of settings available to customise the AI, including their predisposition to losing control, their skill in regaining control after incidents, and their resistance to car-on-car collisions in the first place. I’m currently experimenting with making the AI more susceptible to losing it after a decent whack – and dialling incident frequency way up to make things a little more exciting. It probably hasn’t quite resulted in the turmoil I was anticipating, but I appreciate settings like this. There isn’t one, single way to play NASCAR 25. Keep it stern and serious or let it lean a little more Hollywood? It’s a decision the developers are happy to let us handle.

I Don’t Want You Spoiled, Buck

On the topic of handling, the news is also largely positive. It feels strong and challenging with a wheel, and the laser-scanned track surfaces (which have migrated from iRacing) means the characteristics of circuits with bumpier surfaces come through to have interesting effects on the driving feel from race to race. Cars feel balanced and obedient at high speed, and I was particularly impressed with how approachable NASCAR 25 is on a controller – which is important as a console-oriented game. It’s hard for me to accurately put myself into the mind of an inexperienced or younger racer, but there are also a range of assists available – and the simple tuning slider should be sufficient for anyone not looking to get too lost in the weeds when it comes to minor vehicle adjustments. The handy slider is essentially a bunch of quick tunes you can apply to either tighten everything up (which should make your car quite planted and stable, at the cost of some front end responsiveness) or create something looser (and if I’ve learned anything from Days of Thunder beyond what happens when a load of unwanted lettuce reaches Japan, loose is fast and on the edge of out of control).

One key controller problem so far, however, is a peculiar lack of meaningful rumble – and this creates a disappointing disconnect between what’s happening with my car’s grip on-screen and what I’m feeling through my hands. It just injects an unwanted floaty sensation at times, particularly when you don’t realise your rear tyres are spinning up because there’s no tactile information coming in that that’s happening. It makes playing on the expert level handling settings – where ham-fisted throttle mashing will rotate your car around quick smart – a bit more frustrating than I like. I think it’s also contributing to a skatey feeling on road courses, because I can’t really always feel the edge of the grip.

Information is definitely one of NASCAR 25’s weaknesses, overall. It’s not just the fact that it doesn’t really do a great deal to teach a player the ins-and-outs of, say, oval tactics or road course track limits. It’s also missing useful, basic info, like your opposition’s current qualifying times – which can’t be seen while you’re also out trying to set down a scorching lap. You need to return to pit lane to view where you currently stand in the group. The spotter also has a habit of giving us the wrong info, like noting you have clear space inside or outside when you don’t. I’m very lukewarm on how robotic the spotter sounds, too; being direct and matter-of-fact is all well and good during racing, but being unable to muster any convincing human enthusiasm about winning a race makes him feel like a chatbot – and NASCAR 25 misses out on any meaningful personality as a result.

The presentation of career mode is a bit sterile, too. Your driver is never more than a blank silhouette, and the inability to even select a home state or country of origin is odd. It’s small potatoes, sure, but missing the little things does make it all feel a little more impersonal than I’d want from a custom driver. Cars can be customised using a combination of preset designs and some basic shapes, but the livery system is underdone. A one-button system for syncing your design up with your driver and team gear is handy, but simple stuff like flipping the design from one side of a car to the other hasn’t been implemented. You also can’t apply custom shapes to liveries you want to use online, which is an annoying restriction we don’t typically face in other racing games.

I did enjoy the evolution of the custom racing operation and garage backdrop, which is quite cool as you progress up through the four series (and you can compete in up to two series at once), but this first effort is a bit vanilla compared to other career modes in the official motorsport sim space, like F1 or WRC. There’s a basic economy here, where you need to monitor an overall budget and manage repairs between races with a secondary resource called ‘work points’, but I did find myself ploughing through it between races without too much thought.

While I’ve established multiplayer is not my natural environment, it’s not a particularly strong component of NASCAR 25 either way, which is a tad surprising given the sheer volume of online racing experience the iRacing team has. NASCAR 25’s multiplayer is simply a basic lobby system of random races, and there are no scheduled races or special events. It plays just as smooth and reliably as the single-player – even in races against over two dozen online opponents – which is commendable. It just feels listless.

Crash Bandicoot looks set for a return in animation form with a new series on Netflix.

What’s on Netflix reported that the animation studio behind Sonic Prime, WildBrain Studios, is making the Crash Bandicoot adaptation for the streamer. WildBrain Studios has worked on plenty of animations for Netflix, including Carmen Sandiego, Malory Towers, and the aforementioned Sonic Prime. As What’s on Netflix points out, this is the first time Crash Bandicoot will front his own series. There is no release window nor plot details for the Crash Bandicoot animated series yet.

As for the Crash Bandicoot video game series, it’s been quiet for some years now. After 2018’s Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy came out, Activision released Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled in 2019, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time in 2020, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! in 2021, and, most recently, Crash Team Rumble in 2023. Support for the latter ended less than a year after launch.

Is there a new Crash Bandicoot video game in the works? Last year, it was reported that Microsoft, which brought Crash Bandicoot under its umbrella after shelling out $69 billion for Activision Blizzard, had reached an agreement with former Crash Bandicoot developer Toys for Bob for the studio’s next game.

In February 2024, Toys for Bob announced plans to spin off from Microsoft-owned Activision to become an indie developer. Toys for Bob is the developer behind Skylanders, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Crash Bandicoot games, but in more recent years had become a Call of Duty support studio.

At the time, Toys for Bob said it was exploring "a possible partnership between our new studio and Microsoft,” adding both Microsoft and Activision were "extremely supportive" of its new direction. While Toys for Bob's first project as an indie studio is apparently "in the early days," fans speculated it could be a revival of Crash, Spyro, or another IP Toys for Bob has become known and beloved for.

As for Netflix, continuing to invest in video game adaptations comes as no surprise given the success it’s seen doing so already. It has animations for everything from Splinter Cell to Tomb Raider, Castlevania to Cyberpunk. And of course it enjoyed critical acclaim from the League of Legends animated adaptation, Arcane. It’s now working on adapting board games, with Catan, Clue!, and Monopoly shows in the works.

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.

Alienware's new mainstream gaming laptop for 2025 is dubbed the "Alienware Aurora" and it replaces the previous generation's x16 and m16 series of laptops. It comes in two models: the 16 and 16X. Of the two, the 16X Aurora is the model I would recommend. It has a higher price tag, but the upgrades - like a fully aluminum body, higher quality display, and more powerful CPU and GPU - are worth it. It also costs hundreds less than the Alienware 16 Area-51 laptop.

Alienware 16X Aurora Gaming Laptops

Harman direct just dropped the price on one of its highest end portable speakers. Add the Harman Kardon Go + Play 3 to your shopping cart and the price ends up being just $159.99 shipped after a massive 60% off instant discount.

Harman Kardon Go + Play 3 Portable Speaker for $159.99

You must add it to your cart to see the price

For one week only, Best Buy has brought back one of the best high-end gaming headset deals of the year. Right now you can pick up the SteelSeries Arctis Pro for PlayStation and PC for just $149.99, which is nearly 50% off its retail price of $280. Best Buy is the only retailer selling it at this price. The Arctis Pro was SteelSeries' highest-end gaming headset before the Nova Pro was released and is one of the only wireless gaming headsets on the market with hot-swappable batteries. Note that although the packaging doesn't explicitly mention it, Steelseries confirms that it's PS5 compatible.

SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless Gaming Headset for $149.99

Dell is kicking off this week with some huge savings on one of its highest-end Alienware laptops. Right now you can save $800 off the Alienware 18 Area-51 18" RTX 5080 gaming laptop, now down to $2,749.99 with free delivery. The RTX 5080 is the second most powerful mobile GPU and even surpasses the previous generation's top performer, the RTX 4090.

Alienware 18 Area-51 RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop for $2,750

You’ve probably had this moment: you’re deep into a match, perfectly lined up for the headshot, when suddenly your character rubber-bands across the map and you’re ready to push your mouse through your monitor. We tend to blame “the internet” when these things happen. Here’s the reality: sometimes the real culprit isn’t your plan, it’s your in-home setup.

With internet providers starting to offer nbn’s accelerated speeds, delivering up to five times faster wholesale download speeds on eligible HFC and FTTP plans, now’s the perfect time to ask a simple question: is your Wi-Fi holding you back? Here are five signs it might be time to optimise your setup and save your gear from lag-induced rage.

Your Wi-Fi Router Lives in Witness Protection

Why are you so ashamed of your router? If your Wi-Fi router is shoved in a cupboard, hidden behind the TV, or gathering dust under your desk, you’re sabotaging your own connection. Wi-Fi works best with a clear line of sight, and every obstacle between your device and the router is another wall your signal has to punch through.

The fix is simple: Wi-Fi routers belong out in the open in an uncluttered area, ideally in a central spot where the signal can spread evenly. Elevating it onto a shelf or table at waist height makes a noticeable difference, while tucking it near interference-heavy electronics like microwaves, cordless phones, or even a giant fish tank is a recipe for signal chaos.

That Wi-Fi Router Is Older Than Your Steam Account

Routers aren’t immortal. If yours has been around longer than, say, you’ve been waiting for Half-Life 3, it may not be keeping up with your current internet demands. A good rule of thumb: if it’s more than five years old, you may want to consider whether it’s still suitable for your needs.

Older routers typically don’t support newer Wi-Fi standards, which can handle higher speeds. They might suffer under the pressure of multiple devices, deliver slower speeds and offer patchy coverage. Modern Wi-Fi routers offer the latest Wi-Fi standards and are better suited to supporting more demanding internet use across dozens of devices.

Pair that with the accelerated speeds nbn made available on its FTTP and HFC networks in September 2025, and a very old router - is like plugging a 4K-capable console into a CRT TV. It still works, but you might not be getting the full experience.

Your Dead Zones Are Actually Black Holes

We all have that one room where Wi-Fi mysteriously disappears. Maybe it’s the back bedroom where your streams constantly buffer, or the upstairs study where your games love to disconnect mid-match. These dead zones aren’t just annoying, they’re proof that your coverage isn’t cutting it.

Larger or multi-storey homes, or homes built with thick brick, concrete and even certain types of glass, make it harder for a single Wi-Fi router to cover every corner. If you’re constantly moving around to find “the good room” to play in, that’s a sign your setup might need some help.

That’s where mesh Wi-Fi systems come in. By creating multiple access points around your house, mesh setups help eliminate weak spots and give you stable speeds everywhere.

Every Device in the House Is Competing for Bandwidth

You’re gaming online while someone else is streaming 4K Netflix, another person is on a work video call, and your console is quietly downloading a 50GB update in the background. Sound familiar? That can be a classic case of too many devices competing for the same slice of bandwidth.

Older Wi-Fi routers in particular may struggle with this kind of load, which is why your ping spikes the second someone hits “play” on a movie. Upgrading to a modern router designed for multiple connections and making sure it’s placed correctly gives every device a fair chance.

You’ve Never Actually Checked Your Setup

Look, honestly most of us don’t think about our Wi-Fi router until something goes pear-shaped. We upgrade our consoles, swap out our GPUs and chase higher frame rates, but rarely ask if our Wi-Fi setup is keeping pace.

If you’ve never stopped to check where your Wi-Fi router is, how old it is, or whether your home needs a mesh system, you might already be limiting what your connection can do.

In other words, don’t wait until the next time you’re rage-quitting over lag. A few quick checks now can save you endless frustration later.

Do you struggle to maintain a stable connection when playing online games? Here are some simple ways you can improve your Wi-Fi today.

Time to Level Up

nbn’s accelerated speeds upgrade isn’t just a technical milestone for eligible premises, it’s an opportunity for gamers to finally leave lag and sluggish downloads behind. However, the upgrade doesn’t solve problems caused by poor placement, ageing hardware, or patchy coverage inside your home.

By recognising the signs – a hidden Wi-Fi router, an outdated router model, weak spots or dead zones around the house, overloaded connections, or a setup you’ve never even thought about – you can take simple steps to optimise your Wi-Fi and unlock the performance you’ve been missing. No gamer should lose a round to their own internet connection.

When was the last time you looked into the speeds you could be getting? Check your address to see what’s available to you.

OLED TVs are considered the best TVs for gaming, but they can also be very expensive. Fortunately, LG has a B-series OLED lineup that's hundreds of dollars cheaper than its other OLED TVs while still offering incredible image quality and gaming performance. Even better, LG has already discounted one particular TV to "Black Friday pricing". Right now you can pick up the 65" LG B5 4K OLED Smart TV for just $999.99 with free delivery. LG is even offering a free TV wall mount when you add it to the same order. The B5 is a current generation 2025 TV that can play PS5 games to their fullest potential.

Note that Amazon has price matched the TV, however you do not get the wall mount.

65" LG B5 4K OLED Smart TV for $999.99

Free wall mount (must add to the same order)

It’s nearly time, friends. Time to set out the Christmas decorations. If you’re tired of dusty old wreathes and stockings, it’s time to refresh your holiday decor. Grab some of these (mostly) new 2025 Christmas-themed LEGO sets and go to town with them. For one, they’re fun to build. For another, they look great on your shelf, desk, dresser, or anywhere else you want to spread the holiday cheer. Here are all the best LEGO Christmas decorations for 2025.

Featured in this article

If you're not into perusing blurbs, you can see all the sets below in one handy catalog above. Otherwise, keep on reading.

LEGO Star Wars: Gingerbread AT-AT Walker

LEGO Botanicals Poinsettia

LEGO Holiday Express Train

LEGO Advent Calendars 2025

Every year, LEGO releases advent calendars that give you or the kids a miniature set to build each day in December during the lead-up to Christmas. Pick your favorite theme, and you or your loved ones can open a fun little buildable surprise 24 days in a row. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving.

LEGO Up-Scaled Santa Minifigure

LEGO Gremlins: Gizmo

LEGO Family Christmas Tree

LEGO Ideas Home Alone House

LEGO Festive Gingerbread House

LEGO Snowman Ornaments

Lenovo's most powerful Legion gaming PC just dropped to a new price low. The Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10 gaming PC equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor and RTX 5090 graphics card is marked down to $3,799.99 after coupon code "EXTRAFIVE". That's $1,400 off in combined savings and Lenovo guarantees that "the price on this item won't go lower through Nov 29th, 2025." That might not be entirely true because there may be hidden coupon codes that could bring the price a bit lower, although probably not by a significant amount. In any case, this is currently one of the only RTX 5090 prebuilts I can find for under $4,000, especially from a reputable brand.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7 RTX 5090 Gaming PC for $3,799.99

Maintaining a tidy desk area doesn't have to be labor intensive or expensive. Compressed air canisters used to be the standard but nowadays there is a more versatile and cost effective solution. Amazon is offering the JVSCAM Cordless Rechargeable Electric Air Duster (Air Blower) for just $19.99 after you apply coupon code "U6C8Z5P7". This has become the best selling air duster on IGN because it's so cheap. Most electric air dusters under $50 on Amazon are pretty much identical, so I'd recommend just getting whichever one is least expensive.

JVSCAM Cordless Electric Air Duster for PC for $19.99

Ahead of the holiday season, the official LG Store just dropped the price on a current generation LG OLED TV. Right now you can order a massive 77" LG Evo C5 4K OLED Smart TV for $1,999.99 with free delivery, which also includes your choice of free stand setup or free wall mounting. LG is also offering a free LG S40T 2.1ch soundbar and TV wall mount when you add them to the same order. If you can't wait until Black Friday, this is a great deal on a 2025 OLED TV.

Note that Amazon has price matched the TV, however you do not get the soundbar or wall mount.

77" LG Evo C5 4K OLED Smart TV for $1,999.99

Free LG S40T 2.1ch soundbar and wall mount (must add to the same order)

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Walmart officially announced its Black Friday schedule in a press release on Sunday. The retailer will be splitting up its deals into three different events with early discounts starting on November 14 this year. Unlike previous years, the Walmart Cyber Monday sale looks like it will be a one-day only event this year rather than an entire week of deals. Of the three events, Walmart has only offered a sneak peek of its early deals event, but here's the full rundown of sale dates for the entire Walmart Black Friday schedule this year.

Due to Walmart having separate online and in-store discounts in some cases, these sales are a little bit more complicated than the above image would suggest. Walmart+ members will also get early access to each of these sales.

Walmart Early Black Friday Deals Preview

It's the apocalypse, but the unead need to drink away their sorrows too! Ghoul's Saloon is an over-the-top PvE co-op-enabled first-person shooter where you run the titular Ghoul Saloon in the Old West – collecting resources, serving ghoul customers, cleaning your bar, crafting items, fortifying your saloon, and defending it from waves of aggressive enemies. It's in development for PC.

According to developer Demolish Games and publisher Quest Craft, Ghoul's Saloon will feature management elements ("Serve, craft, price, clean, and expand a ghoul-friendly saloon with a fully connected economy), base defense, factions that react to you ("What you do during the day, shapes who prowls at night and what tactics they bring"), and solo or co-op play as you try to protect the bar from contamination (see: the ghoul vomit in the trailer above), fire, and enemy invasion.

Wishlist Ghoul's Saloon on Steam if you're interested.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Hallmark's 2025 Christmas ornament line-up has truly been one for the ages, especially for us gamers.

Both the new Halo 3 and Zelda Master Sword sets have been immensely popular since I covered them, but another couple of notable gaming-themed ornaments are also now available, and it'll be music to the ears of any Pokémon fans over the holidays.

It’s been almost six years since Crimson Desert was first revealed to the world. Across that period, developer Pearl Abyss has shown off a huge array of ideas, mechanics, and boss battles. It’s frequently been cited as something of an “everything game” – an open world adventure with sky islands, mechanical dragons, wrestling moves, interdimensional gateways, interacting elemental effects, and even a Spider-Man web swing. But the more that’s been revealed, the more there’s been the sense that Crimson Desert may be a lot of pieces in need of a whole. Finding that whole was my main objective when I visited Pearl Abyss’ studio in Seoul for this month’s IGN First. And while I can’t say I’ve found it yet, multiple hours of hands-on playtime has revealed a game that’s maybe not as strange as you’d expect. In fact, Crimson Desert feels pretty straightforward.

Pearl Abyss has crafted a reasonably traditional open world adventure, made up of multiple regions peppered with towns, outposts, and castles. There’s the usual collection of main and optional quests, plus classic distractions like fishing. You’d be forgiven for not realising this, though – Pearl Abyss has put almost all its promotional efforts into showcasing boss fights. Not only that, but Crimson Desert’s blend of traditional medieval fantasy with sci-fi and steampunk elements does make it seem like it’s being pulled in several directions at once.

When you’re on the ground and seeing how all these elements interact, though, it doesn’t feel quite so alien. The continent of Pywel is perhaps less like a typical Tolkien-esque fantasy world and more akin to Dungeons & Dragons – a setting that, in recent years, was host to a Mad Max-like vehicular chase through Hell. Pearl Abyss’ design team explained that they wanted Pywel to reflect the variety of our reality, in which some countries feel much more futuristic than others, and note that some of the Pywel’s leaders may be more resistant to the advancement of technology than others – a conflict that’ll be explored through various faction quests. All this means the variety doesn’t feel artificial or there simply for the sake of being wild, even when you’re at the controls of a flying battle robot (which was, of course, designed by dwarven engineers.)

The inclusion of these mechanised and steampunk elements grant Pearl Abyss the creative license to build quests that are a significant departure from anything we’d see in something like Skyrim. A major part of my hands-on time involved completing a quest for Marni, a scientific genius who cloned his own consciousness to create the AI-like entity, H.A.L.L. Naturally the results of such an experiment have gone very wrong, and Marni’s evil digital-magic twin has taken command of a flying fortress that’s terrorizing Pywel’s skies. Defeating H.A.L.L requires the use of a power core, which Marni reveals is hidden inside a “weapon” called Golden Star. And by “weapon”, he means a giant mechanical dragon. While they presumably have ballistic missiles in Pywel, what with the advanced engineering and all, of course the fantasy version of a nuke is flying Mechagodzilla. All that stands between me and this winged menace is… a fortress filled with angry battle robots.

It appears that fortress assaults will be a significant recurring objective in Crimson Desert, considering that my hands-on time involved no fewer than three of them. I can see why Pearl Abyss was keen to show them off, as they are a showcase for some of the project’s strongest achievements. There’s a great sense of atmosphere, with a legion of men from either side battering the living hell out of each other, and you’re caught in the middle of it all. Fun mechanical wrinkles add texture; during one attack I was able to fire signalling arrows that were quickly followed by a bombardment of artillery, decimating enemy soldiers and reducing buildings to splinters. In another, I was able to circumnavigate the brutal melee entirely, sneaking into the castle through a crumbling wall and using the prison as a shortcut to the boss. And in my fight through the robot fortress, a backpack-mounted EMP device allowed me to fry the circuits of both the lumbering ground threats and the airborne bug-bots in one giant blast. There’s always something new to try, something to experiment with.

But as much as these fortress assaults are a demonstration of Crimson Desert’s highs, they simultaneously reveal what could turn out to be some of its biggest blemishes. Battling masses of enemies is surprisingly tedious, feeling messy and repetitive rather than an engaging chain of frontline fights. An awkward lock-on feature pushed me away from one-on-one duels and into a more freeform playstyle, but that came with the baggage of imprecise strikes and occasionally kicking the air instead of faces. Absolutely none of these issues hamper the boss battles, which was my only experience of Crimson Desert prior to this demonstration, and I was quite surprised at how different combat can feel in alternative scenarios, even when using the same moveset.

It’s in these smaller, less refined details where Crimson Desert threatens to lose itself. There are occasions where you need to pick up and manipulate objects, such as planting a banner to inspire your allies. Doing so requires standing still, turning to face the object, activating a focus mode, rapidly tapping a button to lift your target, and then finally manually carry it. All of this is a slightly baffling annoyance when erecting flags, but it turns into a genuine frustration in the middle of a boss battle, when you’re desperately trying to swing a fallen masonry column during the precious few seconds in which the boss is stunned.

Thankfully, no such awkward Ultrahand juggling is required to extract the power core from Golden Star. As we explored earlier this month in our making-of feature, this is a boss battle with a unique mechanic that must be discovered in the (quite literal) heat of battle. The dragon’s flaming breath activates an array of pylons dotted around the fortress’ battle arena, which then dispense EMP bombs that you can fire from an arm-mounted cannon. The system creates a repeating phase loop; Golden Star circles above, belching the flames that produce the EMP bombs that will eventually bring him crashing to the ground, where you can unleash a barrage of strikes until he reboots and begins the cycle anew. Pearl Abyss are keen to point out you don’t have to do this – you could, for instance, use lightning-wreathed arrows to apply a stun, or simply chip away at his health bar with ranged attacks – but I feel that the real enjoyment in all of Crimson Desert’s boss fights has been finding the unique mechanic built into the arena or even the enemy itself.

With the power core obtained, I take to the skies on the back of my own (completely organic) dragon to attack H.A.L.L’s flying fortress. The initial assault is pretty simple – I have my mount spit fireballs at a number of weak spots in the structure’s shields to break down the defences and allow me to land. But getting inside the fortress itself is more complicated; a navigation puzzle that’s just the right side of obtuse. My journey takes me up elevator shafts and along a precarious route perched on the fortress’ exterior. At one point I have to activate a machine by rotating a wooden pillar that has no crank, achieved by using the thrust attack to bury my blade in the timber to create my own handle. There’s no prompt for this, and I appreciate that the solution is to think about your ability set in a non-conventional manner.

Such an approach continues inside, where defeating H.A.L.L is more of a puzzle than a traditional challenge of brawn. I like that Crimson Desert’s AI spirit character doesn’t just become another boss brawl – another indicator that the world’s weird steampunk and sci-fi elements actually make some kind of in-universe sense. This time, though, the solution really is obtuse, and someone from Pearl Abyss had to spell it out to me. Hopefully the hours prior to this quest will have equipped you with the knowledge of how to approach this particular foe.

H.A.L.L’s flying fortress isn’t the only airborne destination I visited. Suspended high above Pywel are a scattering of Abyss Islands, accessed through portals that are unlocked with mysterious Abyss Artefacts. These islands appear to come in multiple guises; last year we saw that one of them is home to an alchemist called Alustin and his Library of Providence, and my hands-on session included one that was more akin to Zelda’s puzzle shrines. Its checkerboard floor was essentially a room-size circuit board in need of a total rewiring, and finding the correct path through the grid of rotating flagstones unlocks the island’s treasure trove. This is, of course, the sort of puzzle you’ve solved in everything from Watch Dogs to BioShock, but I enjoyed how your equipment is integral to completing it – your lantern illuminates the correct pathway, and your grapple hook is used to spin each tile. So while this challenge is not particularly taxing, I hope its solid foundations are the basis for more interesting puzzles that await among the clouds.

When you’ve uncovered an Abyss Island’s secrets, you can leap off the side and float down to earth, where plenty more traditional open-world fare awaits. There are towns to visit, in which you’ll find shop keepers to trade with and bounties to take on. Out in the wilderness there are camps to clear out and roaming barbarians to slaughter. And then there’s the factions. From what I glimpsed in the menus, there are dozens and dozens of them, although some will be more important than others, I’m told. A few have their own questline, such as House Wells, a family of nobles led by a Duke who’s lost his castle to rebel forces – a situation that’s the catalyst for one of those aforementioned fortress assaults.

Pearl Abyss was quick to clarify that these groups are not like Fallout’s factions, and allegiances with them won’t change the course of the story or impact Crimson Desert’s ending (which is set in stone.) And so I’m left wondering what are the faction quests in aid of? When asked, Pearl Abyss’ design team explained that they were there to ensure the factions felt like significant actors in the plot, and that they offered more content for players to complete. That considered, I am a little apprehensive that at least some of Crimson Desert’s offerings will be “stuff to do” rather than meaningful, interlinked opportunities.

That brings us back to my very first question. What is Crimson Desert as a whole? I know it’s a vast open world with deep, fighting-game inspired combat that works better against bosses than it does against fodder. It’s got spectacle-laden quests that take you from in-the-mud castle assaults all the way up to aerial strikes on a steampunk Death Star. And it’s littered with good time distractions, from fishing to taming bears and buckling up in a battle mech. But I’m still waiting to discover the glue between all this that elevates an open world to new heights.

Shadow of Mordor has the Nemesis system, which chains its enemies together into a foe-conquering big picture. Red Dead Redemption 2’s systems are united by a pursuit of realism and authenticity that makes its campaign feel like a life lived rather than a game played. And this year’s Ghost of Yotei links every activity on its map to a new unlock on your skill tree, ensuring even little diversions are a growth opportunity. That’s the stuff that’s so far been missing from Crimson Desert’s demonstrations, and the thing I hope will eventually be revealed when I get to play multiple consecutive hours, rather than a collection of isolated quests and bosses. Without it, I still think Crimson Desert stands a solid chance of being an overall good time. But with it, it could become something much more special.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.

The discovery of the unrealized The Hunt For Ben Solo film has really shaken up Star Wars fans over the last week — and recently, Steven Soderbergh, the brains behind the project, revealed that the decision not to greenlight the completed Lucasfilm script for the film was a first for Disney.

“In the aftermath of the HFBS situation, I asked Kathy Kennedy if [Lucasfilm Ltd] had ever turned in a finished movie script for greenlight to Disney and had it rejected,” Soderbergh recently wrote on his BlueSky account. “She said no, this was a first.”

Days prior, the filmmaker posted on the platform to note that he was not happy about having to keep the project under wraps for so long, even though it didn’t come to pass anyway. “For the record, I did not enjoy lying about the existence of ‘THE HUNT FOR BEN SOLO,’ but it really did need to remain a secret…until now!” he wrote.

This isn’t the first time Soderbergh has opened up on his feelings about the film and its dissolution. “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head,” he told Associated Press in a statement just one week ago. “I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”

Fans are dying to see the project, even though it is considered dead by Lucasfilm Ltd, the company who develops and produces Star Wars media. In fact, a group of fans chartered a plane on Friday, October 24 and had it fly over Disney Studios in Burbank with a tail banner that read, “Save ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo.’” The anger from fans over this move has sparked an outcry in the form of a Change.org petition as well, which has over 3,700 signatures at the time of writing.

The project would have taken place following The Rise of Skywalker and centered on Adam Driver’s character Kylo Ren, who is actually Ben Solo, and his quest for redemption. Driver recently told AP that The Hunt For Ben Solo was “one of the coolest f—king scripts I had ever been a part of.”

Driver played Ben Solo / Kylo Ren in each of the three films in Lucasfilm’s Sequel Trilogy, with his final appearance in 2019’s divisive The Rise of Skywalker. “I always was interested in doing another Star Wars,” Driver said. He revealed he had been in talks about another Star Wars movie since 2021, and that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had “reached out.”

“I always said: with a great director and a great story, I’d be there in a second,” Driver commented. “I loved that character and loved playing him."

Driver said Lucasfilm “loved the idea” and “totally understood our angle and why we were doing it.” However, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney co-chairman Alan Bergman said no. "They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that,” he said. Soderbergh told AP: “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.” Disney and Lucasfilm declined to comment to the AP.

Driver was described as feeling mystified by the decision, insisting the plan was to “be judicial about how to spend money and be economical with it, and do it for less than most but in the same spirit of what those movies are, which is handmade and character-driven.” He pointed to the much-loved Empire Strikes Back as being “the standard of what those movies were.”

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

The long-leaked Battlefield 6 battle royale experience will seemingly shadow-drop across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S soon, with a full gameplay reveal for Battlefield REDSEC now set to premiere tomorrow morning.

EA and Battlefield Studios (finally) confirmed plans to pull back the curtain on its new free-to-play Battlefield mode via social media today. A Battlefield REDSEC official gameplay trailer is now scheduled for premiere at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET tomorrow, October 28, with its description teasing a surprise launch. The news follows months of rumors and leaks, suggesting that Battlefield 6 battle royale was nearly here.

Eyes up.
Plates on.#REDSEC arrives tomorrow at 8:00 PT / 15:00 UTC 🔴

🔔 set reminder: https://t.co/xuRd1LETVr pic.twitter.com/Lpi7sufuay

— Battlefield (@Battlefield) October 27, 2025

Those who have enjoyed Battlefield 6 since it first landed for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S October 10 expected to hear news of a proper, complimentary battle royale experience when Season 1 was properly unveiled last week. As first details of EA and BF Studios’ latest came and went, however, there was no sign of what many had expected to be a substantial new game mode to drop into.

It was strange, especially as hints of a Battlefield 6 battle royale game mode began to leak as early as July 2025. The popular, last-squad-standing experience is nothing new for the franchise and remains popular among shooter fans, so with Battlefield promising a return to its roots with destructible environments and gritty gameplay, another stab at battle royale felt like a no-brainer at the time. Community manager Kevin Johnson then confirmed BF Studios had indeed begun work on such a mode in August, adding that only those involved in the Battlefield 6 closed test program, Battlefield Labs, would get to play at first.

Official updates have been quiet since, but that didn’t stop Labs testers from drumming up hype. Battlefield battle royale gameplay snuck its way online in September, confirming that things like swimming, combat, and destruction had been translated over to this new experience. Just as quickly as EA stamped out leaks, more soon popped up on social media.

A battle royale game mode for Battlefield 6 Season 1 was all but confirmed, even as news of the first major content drop passed without confirmation from BF Studios. Things then really heated up last Friday, when ModernWarzone reported that battle royale would shadow-drop alongside the first Battlefield 6 season with the title Battlefield REDSEC.

Even with so little in terms of official word from the developers, a Battlefield 6 battle royale shadow-drop seems all but confirmed for tomorrow morning. Labs leaks date back months ago, so there’s no telling what content made it into the Battlefield REDSEC launch build.

We’ll know more about the new Battlefield 6 game mode when the trailer premieres in less than 24 hours. Until then, you can read about how EA and BF Studios did their best to combat leakers – even if they knew it was an uphill battle. You can also check out all of the changes set to be introduced in Battlefield 6 Season 1 and one skin that still has the community up in arms.

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).

Disney Lorcana closes out the year with another set, Whispers in the Well, which has an early release on November 7 at your local games stores followed by a wide release on November 14. This new set will be the tenth for the popular Disney card game in a little over two years since it initially premiered. Alongside the full set release, Lorcana will again have accompanying starter decks: a Sapphire/Steel deck featuring characters from Robin Hood and Zootopia, and an Amber/Emerald deck featuring characters from the Lion King and Hercules. With every set, a new mechanic gets revealed, but we also get some pleasant surprises from the deep Disney library, like A Goofy Movie from the previous expansion. This time around I was ecstatic to see Gargoyles from the ‘90s animated TV series make an appearance. With new characters introduced into the card game and alongside a new mechanic, these new starter decks give a good sneak peek into what the new meta could be.

Right out of the box, both starter decks have a good mix of cards that dictate each deck’s playstyle, but one deck seems to have better synergy than its counterpart after playing some matches with both. The Sapphire/Steel deck is by far the most consistent of the two, which may also just be a product of the colors of the deck. With that said, the Detective classification of cards in that deck really puts in the work as well. Outside of Sapphire’s tendency to ramp ink or mana quickly, or the ability to filter through a deck, there are a handful of similar bonuses from just having Detective cards in your deck. For instance, there’s a Judy Hopps card that allows the player to look at the top three cards of their deck and reveal a Detective character to then put in their hand. That’s amazing for a card game that normally lets you draw only one card at the beginning of a turn. If Judy Hopps can stay on the field, that’s great value. Another Detective card is Basil, who gives himself Resist when another Detective is played. Resist is an attribute often seen in the Steel color, so it’s interesting seeing the Detective synergy work in that regard too. Overall, the toughness of the cards in this Detective deck alongside the ramping and filtering makes this deck the standout of the two. If players want a budget deck for the next set, this Sapphire/Steel deck might be a good foundation that could use just a bit of tweaking.

On the other side, we have the Amber/Emerald deck, which appears to be focused on the new boost mechanic the most. Boost is the new set mechanic that allows a player to put a card from the top of their deck under a character to give them powerful passive abilities. Whether it’s giving a character permanent buffs to health and attack or an ability that triggers when you do certain actions, the effects seem to be very strong. For instance, when the new Simba card boosts, the player reveals the top card of the deck. If it’s a character, the player can play the card for free no matter the cost, so it’s a big gamble. Cards like Blessed Bagpipes can assist these cards with Boost abilities by triggering their abilities again. So much of the deck features cards that can boost or benefit from cards being facedown under them. As a base starter deck, it’s a bit lacking in comparison to the Sapphire/Steel deck, but I can see a version of this deck being character heavy so that new Simba never misses his Boost ability trigger. It has some interesting ideas, but it felt slower to play.

New mechanics aside, the introduction of Gargoyles into Lorcana is an exciting sight to behold. I haven’t personally thought about them, well…since the ‘90s, it feels like. There is one Gargoyle related card in Sapphire/Steel deck in the form of David Xanatos, an antagonist from the animated series. When he’s played, the player may discard a card to deal 2 damage to a chosen character. Looking at other cards from the Gargoyle series, like Demona and Goliath, they appear to focus on hand manipulation. Goliath, for instance, forces both players to discard their hand until they have two cards left. If they have fewer than two, players draw up to two. He also has a secondary ability that doesn’t let him ready if the owner has three cards or more, but that shouldn’t be a problem because of his initial passive. Hand manipulation is an interesting layer for any card game meta because it forces players to make tough decisions. It also serves as another form of removal that may circumvent any protections like Ward. Both the Gargoyles characters and added hand manipulation effects are refreshing to see in this new set.

Both starter decks did what they set out to do in my first experience with them: introduce an easy entry point into the game while emphasizing the set’s new Boost mechanic. A nice touch was having the new Zootopia cards synergize with the Detective characteristic. It wasn’t relevant before, but now a Detective deck seems more viable going into the upcoming set and the new meta. And of course, it’ll be interesting to see how the new Gargoyles cards fare. For more on Disney Lorcana, check out our interview with one of the game designers on how the card game came to be.

Pokémon TCG is becoming an expensive hobby thanks to scalping and big box retailers selling products for over MSRP. Unless you've secured a preorder, expect to be paying well over shelf price in 2025. It's a good job I'm all over the Pokémon TCG market, and I've found some great deals on sealed product to make sure you have more Pokédollars in your backpack.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

We're talking a Team Rocket Tin featuring Destined Rivals booster packs below market value, the cheapest prices on Mega Evolution and more sealed Pokémon TCG product like Prismatic Evolutions at market price or under. Let's not waste anymore time, these wild deals need to be caught fast:

Team Rocket Tin

Best Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Deals

There's some crazy hype behind Mega Evolution right now, and for good reason. Gold rare Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir exs are fetching around $400 at the time of writing, and the artwork on the Secret Illustration Rares and Illustration Rares is phenominal (Looking at you Mega Lucario ex SIR). All of these deals are at market value or below, and in some cases knocking big box retailers like Amazon out of the Poképark.

Best Deals on Sealed Pokémon TCG

I've found some banger Pokémon TCG sets in todays deals, kicking off with a Prismatic Evolutions Booster Bundle for $59.98. Still collecting Black Bolt and White Flare? How about a White Flare Booster Bundle for $48.99? All of these deals are well worth a good look, and you very well could pull something crazy like a Umbreon ex SIR from Prismatic Evolutions or Vicitini Black White Rare from White Flare.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

Black Friday discounts are yet to officially start for Amazon, but that hasn't stopped the retailer from already cutting prices on big new releases like Borderlands 4, which only launched a little over a month ago.

At 21% off, it's a fairly reasonable saving on Gearbox’s open-world loot shooter, bringing the PS5 and Xbox versions down to just $54.99 right on the cusp of the November sales.

While our reviewer and loot shooter aficionado, Travis Northup, felt the open world wasn’t quite as open as it could be, he still gave the game a recommendable 8 out of 10.

“Borderlands 4 gives the series the massive kick in the pants it has needed, with a fantastic open world and greatly improved combat, even if bugs and invisible walls can sometimes throw off that groove.”

The game also recently got a big balance patch, which had very positive ramifications for my chosen Vault Hunter, Amon, and the PS5 version in this deal now has an FOV slider and improved performance.

Expect Borderlands 4 to be around for a while, too. While the Switch 2 port has been delayed indefinitely, the game’s post-launch roadmap is stacked - and will include a new Vault Hunter, C4SH, who was revealed recently.

Should You Wait for Black Friday Proper?

Probably... yeah? I mean what are you expecting me to say? It's $15 off, which is pretty good! Do I think the game will drop further in the coming weeks? Kinda, yeah as well.

I think you've got to look at early Black Friday sales like this, less about min max savings, and more about securing a discount that suits you, for the stuff you actually want to buy.

If you want Borderlands 4, and you want to play it now, then you can pay yourself back with the gift of time, rather than sitting around waiting for another $5 off between now and December.

Still, if you're serious about saving as much as possible, I can for sure see Borderlands 4 dropping to sub $50 by November 28. If you've got the patience, stick it out. Otherwise, over 20% off a new game is still a pretty great offering.

Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.

This article includes contributions from Lloyd Coombes.

A new report has revealed details on Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox console, which is allegedly a console / PC hybrid that will play PlayStation games released on PC via Steam.

That means the likes of Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, Insomniac’s Spider-Man, and Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and pretty much all other PC games will all be playable on the next-gen Xbox in an industry first.

Windows Central said that while users of the next-gen Xbox can remain inside the Xbox ecosystem if they want, they can exit to Windows, where the console acts like a traditional Windows PC. That means having access to PlayStation games on Steam, and mouse and keyboard games from Blizzard's launcher, Battle.net (World of Warcraft), and Riot's launcher (League of Legends).

Essentially, it sounds like the next-gen Xbox will be as much a PC as it is a console. Perhaps it’s more of a PC than a console.

In truth, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Xbox president Sarah Bond has called out the recently released — and pricy — ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds as pointing in the direction Microsoft is taking with its upcoming console. In an interview with Mashable, Bond talked in vague terms about what Microsoft is going for, but did strongly suggest it will be an expensive device.

"The next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience," Bond said. "You're starting to see some of the thinking we have in this handheld [ROG Xbox Ally], but I don't want to give it all away."

The company has confirmed — as recently as earlier this month — that it still plans to follow the Xbox Series X and S with a next-gen console, and has announced an agreement with AMD to make it happen.

Microsoft has promised “next-level performance, cutting-edge graphics, breakthrough gameplay, and unmatched compatibility,” and said everything it’s working on will be “fully compatible” with users’ existing Xbox game library.

Prior comments from Bond have backed the console / PC hybrid suggestion up. "This is all about building you a gaming platform that's always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want, delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device," Bond said.

"That's why we're working closely with the Windows team, to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming."

Xbox is set to go up against PlayStation once again, with both Microsoft and Sony reportedly set to release their next-gen consoles in 2027. The next-gen Xbox is taking a different route this time, but the expectation is the PS6 will be a more traditional console, offering genuinely exclusive games — as the PS5 does now.

Speaking of exclusives, Microsoft has well and truly walked away from the entire concept after announcing Halo: Campaign Evolved for PS5 in 2026. Bond had said the idea of a video game exclusive locked to a single storefront has become “antiquated for most people,” so Halo’s jump to what was once considered its bitter rival didn't come as much of a surprise, either.

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.

Developer Lost Lighthouse has announced is first game, the first-person horror title The Day I Will Die, for PC. It takes place in Little Red Valley, a quaint mountain town where pop culture, urban legends, and horror stories of a certain age will come to life. No release date or window has been announced as of yet.

As Lost Lighthouse describes The Day I Will Die: "In this remote mountain valley, cut off from the world and swallowed by endless mist, time loops without end. In the hidden corners, you recognize places from your childhood — forest trails, stone bridges. They awaken memories: old dreams, past fears, unfulfilled ambitions. Yet with them stirs something darker — beings born from pop culture, urban legends, and horror stories of the late ’70s and early ’80s, now standing before you as real threats."

Be sure to wishlist The Day I Will Die on Steam to follow its progress.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.