Tripwire Interactive revealed the official PC requirements for Killing Floor 3. The game will come out on PC on July 24th, and you can apply for its latest Playtest. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run it. Killing Floor 3 takes place 70 years after the events of Killing Floor 2. It’s … Continue reading Killing Floor 3 Gets Official PC System Requirements→
At Anime Expo 2025, Konami showed a new trailer for Silent Hill f. And although the team hasn’t officially released it yet, that trailer has been leaked online. So, if you are a fan of SH, you may want to check it out. From what I can see, this is a cinematic trailer. It’s not … Continue reading Off-screen Anime Expo 2025 trailer for Silent Hill f leaks online→
Yesterday, the Stop Killing Games movement reached 1 million supporters. And in just a few hours, the European Gaming Industry Lobby responded to it. So, let’s take a look at what they had to say. Video Games Europe is a group that speaks for the video game industry in Europe. It works on things like … Continue reading European Gaming Industry Lobby Responds to Stop Killing Games→
Australian-born actor Julian McMahon – best known for his roles in Nip/Tuck and the 2000s Fantastic Four movies – died in Clearwater, Florida, on July 2nd at age 56 from cancer.
“With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer,” McMahon’s wife, Kelly McMahon, informed Deadline.
“Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible. We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.”
A Sydney native, McMahon was born on July 27, 1968 and was the son of former Australian Prime Minister Billy McMahon. (Ironically, McMahon’s final role was as the Australian Prime Minister on the Netflix series The Residence.)
Julian McMahon started his acting career in Aussie soap operas such as Home Away before moving to Hollywood where his early TV roles included Another World, Profiler, and a three-season stint on Charmed as the half-human/half-demon Cole Turner.
McMahon earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Television Drama Series for his role as Dr. Christian Troy on Ryan Murphy’s series Nip/Tuck, which ran for six seasons on FX. He later starred in the CBS procedural FBI: Most Wanted.
Last year, McMahon starred opposite Nicolas Cage in the thriller The Surfer, which our reviewer Lex Briscuso praised for being “an exciting yet crushing look at how brutality, pride, and confidence can threaten to poison everything we work for.”
If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further. For 4th of July (and as part of its greater Black Friday in July Sale), Dell has just dropped the price of its flagship Alienware Area-51 prebuilt gaming PC, equipped with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card starting at $4,449.99 with free shipping. This is an outstanding price for a prebuilt RTX 5090 gaming PC compared to the similar off-the-shelf prebuilts on Amazon, especially since the Alienware brand normally has a high markup. The RTX 5090 is undisputedly the most powerful graphics card on the market and is pretty much impossible to find for under $3,000 by itself.
Alienware Area-51 RTX 5090 Gaming PC From $4,449.99
This least expensive Alienware Area-51 RTX 5090 gaming PC configuration is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K processor with 240mm liquid cooling, 32GB of DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and 2TB SSD storage. For an extra $250, you can upgrade to the Core Ultra 9 285K with 360mm liquid cooling. The Core Ultra 7 is already an excellent gaming CPU and you won't see any uplift in performance going with the Core Ultra 9. However, if you're a professional in need of the extra cores that the Core Ultra 9 offers (for example with AI generation), then the upgrade is worth it.
The RTX 5090 Is the Most Powerful Graphics Card Ever
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 has emerged as the most powerful consumer GPU on the market. Although Nvidia has prioritized software updates, AI features, and DLSS 4 technology to improve gameplay performance, the 5090 still boasts an impressive 25%-30% uplift over the RTX 4090 in terms of pure hardware-based raster performance. The 5090 also has more (32GB vs. 24GB) and faster (GDDR7 vs. GDDR6) VRAM compared to the 4090. This GPU is extremely difficult to find at retail price and is currently selling for $3,500-$4,000 on eBay.
Check out more of the best Alienware deals
Check out our Best Alienware Deals article with all of Dell's currently ongoing deals on gaming laptops and desktop PCs. Not everyone is the DIY type. If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of the best brands we'd recommend. Alienware desktops and laptops feature solid build quality, top-of-the-line gaming performance, excellent cooling (further improved on the newer models), aggressive styling, and pricing that is very competitive with other pre-built options. Best of all, there are plenty of sales that happen throughout the year, so it's not difficult to grab one of these computers at considerably less than their retail price.
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.
NetEase Games has shared a new cinematic trailer and the PC requirements for its upcoming game, Where Winds Meet. This game is a Wuxia-style open-world action RPG. The trailer doesn’t show any gameplay, but it does give a look at the story. In Where Winds Meet, you play as a young sword master trying to … Continue reading Where Winds Meet Gets New Trailer & PC Requirements→
Baseus recently released a new line of Enercore wall chargers that is designed to be the ultimate travel friendly accessory while delivering enough power output to quickly charge your portable electronics. Even better, you can take advantage of some early Amazon Prime Day discounts. Currently the 67W model is on sale for Amazon Prime members for just $36.99 after you apply an additional 5% off coupon code "GOHTHZJQ". The most unique feature of this charger is the built-in retractable USB-C cable, which saves you from bringing along yet another travel accessory.
Baseus Enercore Wall Chargers with Built-In Cable
The Baseus Enercore wall charger features a handy 32-inch USB Type-C cable that retracts neatly inside the unit when it isn't being used. The plug sits in a recessed nook so that it won't get snagged. The prong is also foldable to prevent premature breakage. There are two additional USB Type-C ports for charging multiple devices simultaneously.
The 65W output model is more than enough to fast charge a Nintendo Switch (or Switch 2), Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and Apple iPhone 16 at their maximum rate. Although the Legion Go and Rog Ally X can support up to 100W of charging, the wall adapter that comes with these gaming handhelds has a 65W max output, so this charger is just as competent.
It's a more complicated question then you might think. For now, I'd say this power bank deal is a good deal and similar to what we'll see for 2025 Prime Day sales at Amazon, and worth snapping up while it's still on sale.
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.
With the upcoming release of Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution in September, following Japan’s Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia on August 1, the return of Mega Evolution is now in sight.
This new era not only closes the book on the Scarlet and Violet era, but also sets the stage for a full-blown revival of X-Y-era Mega cards, many of which are already seeing price surges.
With Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the horizon and new Mega cards like Mega Lucario ex and Mega Gardevoir ex already revealed, it’s clear the TCG is about to re-enter one of its most collectible formats ever.
TL;DR: Top 10 Mega Evolution Cards To Buy Right Now
Collectors who were around during the XY era already know the visual firepower and competitive edge Mega cards brought to the game. But for new players or investors entering the space, now is the time to act.
Pre-release allocations for the new sets are expected to be limited, premium boxes are already creating hype in Japan, and classic Mega cards from Flashfire, Ancient Origins, and Phantom Forces are being swept off the market. Here's the top 10 I have my eye on right now:
10. Primal Groudon EX (Omega Full Art) 151/160
This non-shiny full art from Primal Clash features Groudon’s Omega form with red fractal energy around its body. At $30.82, it’s one of the cheapest Primal cards left from this era.
9. M Gengar EX - XY Promos
Part of the XY Black Star Promo series, this version has a bold, horizontal layout and is less frequently listed in near-mint condition. It’s currently priced at $129.35, often underlooked compared to its Phantom Forces siblings.
8. Primal Kyogre EX (Shiny Full Art) 96/98
The matching pair to Groudon, with a deep blue palette and shiny finish. Despite similar rarity, it's lagging slightly in value at $73.54, which makes it a likely candidate for a spike.
7. M Charizard EX (Secret) 107/106
The alternate Secret Rare Mega Charizard, featuring the Y form. It's less expensive than 108/106, now valued at $164.73, but has been climbing steadily over the past six months.
6. M Rayquaza EX (Full Art) 105/108
This is Rayquaza’s most accessible Mega full art. It's dipped in price over the last year, now landing at just $41.21, making it an easy hold for collectors expecting a surge post-Symphonia.
Bonus: Honorable Mention to My Personal Favorites
We're half way through the round up, so here's a few other picks are worth grabbing before they trend up. M Mewtwo EX (Full Art) 160/162 – BREAKthrough is another to watch at $61.70 for a full-art legendary Mega in a mainline expansion.
These have strong set representation and solid collector appeal. The same goes for M Rayquaza EX 61/108 – Roaring Skies at $72.85, which offers a great backup to its full-art counterpart at a lower entry cost.
5. Primal Groudon EX (Shiny Full Art) 97/98
A Shiny Full Art Groudon EX with red lava-tone texture and black background. Ancient Origins’ last Groudon card, and now valued at $290.97 with upward movement expected.
4. M Charizard EX 69/106
Not a Secret Rare, but still iconic. This standard EX version shows Mega Charizard in attack stance. Its current value is $78.37, offering solid entry-level access to Flashfire's chase cards.
3. M Gengar EX (Secret Rare) 121/119
This Secret Rare captures Mega Gengar with a dark purple swirl design, unique to Phantom Forces. It's among the most traded Mega cards lately, climbing to $227.92.
2. M Rayquaza EX (Shiny Full Art) 98/98
The final card in Ancient Origins and one of the few shiny Mega full arts in the XY era. The black and gold design alongside the hectic artwork makes this an amazing card for anyones collection, and prices reflect that, currently sitting at $254.85.
1. M Charizard EX (Secret) 108/106
The highest-value Mega card on the market right now. A Secret Rare from Flashfire, this card features the X form of Mega Charizard in gold-bordered art. It’s currently priced at $493.69, making it an epic collector’s item and one of the most consistently appreciating Mega cards in the TCG.
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.
Free-to-play open-world RPG NTE recently launched its Containment Test, a closed beta that showcases the upgrades developer Hotta Studio has made since the game’s last technical test. There are improvements across the board, including better visuals, new mechanics, racing content, reworked combat, and more.
NTE takes place in Hethereau, a sprawling metropolis that’s really more like two cities in one. On the surface, it’s a pristine urban center filled with people going about their daily lives. But the underworld is constantly warped by reality-defying anomalies, and you’re an unlicensed Anomaly Hunter tasked with investigating these strange occurrences and putting a stop to them.
Hethereau itself has always been one of the game’s focal points, a city built in Unreal Engine 5 to allow seamless travel across its massive size. But the latest updates have taken things to another level, giving the city a comprehensive visual overhaul. There’s richer detail, updated aesthetics, and improvements to lighting and environmental effects.
Light and shadows now show more contrast, which is especially apparent as you progress through the natural day/night cycle. You also can experience dynamic weather conditions — from fog to rain to snow — as you travel across the city, and snow effects in particular have been enhanced. Thanks to physically based rendering, snowflakes now look translucent and lifelike.
Characters have also gotten a graphical makeover. The materials of their clothes and strands of their hair are now much more detailed, making each character pop even more in the anime-inspired art style.
You’ll form a party of four characters during your anomaly-hunting missions, and each character has their own skills called Esper Abilities. You control one character at a time, but can switch between the four in your party on the fly to chain their Esper Abilities together and form combos that synergize well together.
That experience has also been refined in the latest update, with actions, skills, and the overall feel of combat reworked for smoother gameplay. There are also new mechanics, like parry attacks and critical dodge counterattacks, that have been introduced to add more variety to combat.
No matter which characters are in your party, you can make use of their Esper Abilities inside and outside of combat. Some help with traversal of the city, like allowing you to run up the sides of buildings and parkour to get around quickly. But that’s not the only way to travel through Hethereau. There are also ziplines that can help you find hidden corners of the city, and with the help of the character Mint from the Bureau of Anomaly Control, you can “requisition” cars.
Buying and modding cars has always been part of NTE. There are lots of customization options — including colors, tires, bumpers, and engines — and you can mix and match until you have your ride just how you want it. There are dozens of different custom cars, and you can drive in first-person or third-person.
Requisitioning cars is new in the latest update and can bring some consequences with it if you’re reckless. With Mint's help, you can commandeer vehicles at any time across the city, which can help quickly get you from mission to mission if you don’t have an owned car easily at hand. However, be aware that if you damage the vehicle or disturb public safety, things can get out of hand fast. There’s a new multi-level wanted system with escalating consequences — police officers and bots will you pursue you and get increasingly aggressive the higher your wanted level rises. You can see this system in action in the video below.
However you end up with your car, you can take it online and team up with friends to take on street racing crews across different districts in multiplayer races, another new addition in the latest update. Racing also includes drifting, but be careful when it’s raining or snowing — the roads will be slippery and handling will be worse.
The Containment Test is running from now until July 16, after which Hotta Studio will take player feedback and address it in future updates. The full release of NTE will be available on PC, console, iOS, and Android, and it will be free-to-play with cross-progression across all platforms. Pre-registration is open now, and for the latest news and info, you can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Discord.
An "unexpected life form" that has the look of a pitch black, tar-like substance was found on a boat docking in Cleveland, Ohio — and needless to say, fans of both the Alien and X-Files franchises are having a field day online wondering if this is the start of a new black goo-themed film or episode.
So, you’re definitely wondering three things right now: where, when, and how? So here we go! A research vessel called the Blue Heron started having mechanical difficulties while observing harmful algae in Lake Erie last autumn, which led the ship to dock in Cleveland. When it did, it was removed from the water to be examined for issues — and that’s when Captain Rual Lee noticed the unknown substance oozing from the ship’s rudder, which is something he would not have seen had he not taken the ship for dry maintenance.
He asked scientists at University of Minnesota Duluth to investigate after he found the substance left no sheen in water, nor did it burn when set aflame. When the staff ran tests on the substance, they found “about 20 DNA sequences, or genomes, and ran them through a worldwide computer database” and “most of the sequences matched known genomes found elsewhere in the world... but a few were less identifiable, including one that was completely novel,” according to Cleveland.com.
The substance, which is thought to be a single-celled organism, is now being temporarily called ShipGoo1. "The biggest surprise was that the ship goo had life in it at all," lead researcher Cody Sheik, a biologist at UMD and LLO, explained. "We thought we'd find nothing. But surprisingly, we found DNA and it wasn’t too destroyed, nor was the biomass too low."
Naturally, fans of both beloved science fiction franchises had their curiosity piqued. After all, with the Alien series, there’s a clear connection; the black goo is the key ingredient in the birth of the Xenomorph — the series’ central creature — as a species many years prior to the start of the franchise. Ridley Scott's 2012 prequel Prometheus set the ball rolling on the Alien black goo, and fans have debated exactly how it works ever since. Additionally, we come to find out down the line that Weyland-Yutani, the antagonistic corporation at the heart of the franchise, extracts black goo from the Xenomorphs to use for their own ends.
In the X-Files world, fans were probably reminded of the show’s alien virus called Purity, or Black Oil, which lived in petroleum deposits underground and was sentient. It infected humans via their eyes, mouth, nose, and ears, and could take full control of the body with the intent to further their species. The substance is first referenced in the franchise in the very first season of the show in the episode titled “The Erlenmeyer Flask,” but makes its first real appearance in Season 3, in the episode titled “Piper Maru.”
On Reddit, diehards for both franchises flooded the comments with funny quips on posts made about the mystery, proposing it might be the start of something worthy of either or both series. “Is it LV-426 goo, or like X-Files black alien goo?” one Redditor asked in a post on r/LV426 about the discovery, while another wrote, “Scully and Mulder we need you.”
A third user made a hilarious observation that touches on the latest expansion of the Alien franchise, due to hit Hulu in August. “Hell yeah they are marketing the f—k out of Alien: Earth!” they wrote.
But ultimately, one fan really summed the whole thing up: “Do you want Xenomorphs? Because this is how you get Xenomorphs.”
Of course, we don't have much to worry about. Speaking to GreatLakesNow, University of Michigan professor Gregory Dick said scientists are nowhere near discovering all forms of life on earth. “We don’t study those environments very well, so I think that’s fascinating that they’re finding novel microbes in there but I’m not too surprised.” he said.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
We all love a freebie. Amazon knows this, which is why every year the retail giant trots out a stack of perks for Prime members to sink their teeth into.
If we’re being honest, the corporate line would go something like this: “It gives our loyal customers a chance to experience the best-in-class services from Amazon, free of charge, and continue their membership if they’re satisfied.”
What they won’t mention is that they’re kinda just hoping you forget to cancel on a bunch of these (yikes).
It's a lil' frustrating, as some of these are genuinely excellent freebies and worth checking out. It's just a shame it feels a little predatory at times. Still, if you're smart about it, you can snag some real good perks while playing the system right.
So, let's discuss and look into how you can save up to $450 on freebies this year.
Prime Membership - 6 Months Free for Gen Z
The best deal for zero cost access to Prime Member savings is entirely for the young crowd through the "Amazon Prime for Young Adults" promotion. This is Amazon’s refreshed membership tier for anyone aged 18 to 24, or a student.
At just $7.49/month or $69/year, 50% off the standard $14.99 Prime price, it delivers everything you'd expect from a full Prime membership with no concessions. It's also $0 for the first six months.
That includes Prime Video with all its movies, shows, and Amazon Originals (Reacher, Fallout, The Boys, etc), its superfast free delivery (same-day, one-day, two-day), and Prime Gaming featuring monthly games, and even a complimentary Twitch Channel subscription.
Just on the membership alone, this is $89.94 saved immediately if you're under 24. Don't miss out on this one, it's one of the best deals of the year, and I'm incredibly sad I'm too old to use it! At half price for a full Prime Membership after the free trial as well, this is one you might even want to carry on with and not cancel altogether.
Audible - 3 Months Free
Audible’s one of the best Prime freebies going this year, offering $45 of value, and if you count the three audiobooks you get to keep, the deal gets even better. Prime members get three months for free, each giving a monthly credit to exchange, while non-Prime members can pay 99p per month for those three instead of $14.95 (this offer also applies in the UK).
Fancy a standout pick to listen to? Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the author of The Martian. It's a high-stakes solo mission to save humanity that somehow also delivers one of the best alien friendships in fiction. Narrated by Ray Porter, it’s funny, moving, and loaded with just the right amount of science to make you feel smart without needing a physics degree.
The pacing is razor sharp, with constant twists that keep you hooked. No surprise it won the 2022 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year and dominated both Audible’s and the New York Times’ bestseller lists.
And with Ryan Gosling starring in the upcoming film adaptation, now’s the perfect time to jump in, this is the kind of story you’ll want to relive just for the emotional payoff alone. We've also recently covered a bunch of great non-fiction books to consider while you're on your three month trial as well.
Amazon Photos: $15 Credit Just for Uploading a Photo
First time using Amazon Photos? Just download the app, upload a single photo, and Amazon will give you a $15 store credit. You can use it on anything sold and shipped by Amazon, including Prime Day deals, as long as your next order is $30 or more.
It’s one of the easiest freebies in the whole bunch, and yes, a single cat pic still counts.
Kindle Unlimited - 3 Months Free
Kindle Unlimited is a great service if you burn through books and comics, but only if the stuff you actually want to read is included. There’s always a solid mix of titles on offer, but it definitely doesn’t cover everything.
Take popular new releases like Sunrise on the Reaping or Onyx Storm, they’re not included with the subscription and need to be bought separately, just like with Audible. To be fair, though, you can still use one of your free credits to pick them up, but the point still stands that there's some restrictions with KU.
That said, if you’re into genres like LitRPG, Kindle Unlimited can be incredible value, especially with the current Prime Day deal that gets you three months completely free.
Worth checking if you’re eligible, but also one that, IMO, might be worth turning off auto-renewel just in case you don't find yourself using it a whole lot. Unlimited is $11.99 a month, so this freebie is saving members $35.97 in total.
Amazon Music Unlimited - 4 Months Free
I've used Amazon Music Unlimited myself, and I found it a remarkably enjoyable service. It's clean, easy to use, and quite surprisingly had better audio quality most of the time compared to competitors like Spotify.
Still, it can be a hard sell, so it might just be worth checking it out for four months, copying over your music library, and giving it a go even just to relieve yourself of the Apple Music or Spotify subscription costs for 1/3 of the year. You're saving $43.96 overall for this one, Prime members.
The Tomb Raider I-III Remastered collection comes as no surprise, since Amazon owns the publishing rights for the next Tomb Raider game. Still, it’s a collection of three games in one that only came out last year, so it’s a pretty good free game.
However, so are others in the collection, like Saints Row 2 and Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, two of the best-received games in the franchise.
Star Wars: Rebellion is a nice little bonus too, as it’s a fun little 1998 RTS game set in the franchise’s expanded universe.
It wasn’t received amazingly upon release, but it seems to have found new life in the modern community, getting a “mostly positive” rating on its Steam page. I've found this to be around $30-50 savings in total.
Grubhub+: 12 Months Free
If you’re a Prime member, you automatically get a free Grubhub+ membership, which is a $120 saving straight away.
According to Amazon’s marketing spiel, most people save around $300 a year with it thanks to free delivery and exclusive promos. Whether that number holds up depends on how often you're ordering takeout, but it’s still a solid perk.
Plus, until July 7, you can use code PRIME10 at checkout to get $10 off any Grubhub order over $20. Free delivery and a tenner off dinner? Not bad at all.
Amazon Prime Visa: $200 Gift Card on Approval
This one’s a bit more niche, but it’s a big win if you’re eligible. New customers who get approved for the Amazon Prime Visa card will receive a $200 Amazon gift card just for signing up.
If you’re already a Prime member and don’t mind the credit check, it’s worth a look. You’ll also get up to 7% cashback on Amazon purchases, plus decent rates on travel, restaurants, and even gas. That's pretty good value overall, and well worth considering going into Prime Day.
More Early Prime Day Deals To Check Out Today
Prime Day 2025 is fast approaching, officially kicking off on July 8 and lasting a whole four days through to 11:59 PM PT on July 11. That's the biggest Prime Day event since its inception around a decade ago.
To celebrate the big event, Amazon already has a healthy selection of early deals that are worth checking out before the big day(s).
The latest early deals are the definition of variety. We’ve got 4K steelbooks, Pokemon TCG restocks, discounts on Assassin's Creed Shadows, heat-busting neck fans, noise machines, and some wild savings on everything else. There’s plenty here to pad your cart without draining your wallet (too much).
Sony Pictures and animation studio MAPPA published the minute-and-a-half trailer yesterday, revving up a series of spliced-together clips from what looks to be an explosive continuation for the Chainsaw Man universe. It looks like our half-man, half-dog devil protagonist still has his heart set on Makima, but he’ll have some hard decisions to make when he meets the film’s titular new face, Reze.
Although manga readers already know where the story is heading, the new Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc trailer really serves to show what looks to be an enormous leap in animation quality. You can see how Denji will do his best not to blow up in the footage below, but let’s be honest – the real reason to check out the trailer is to hear Kick Back musician Kenshi Yonezu’s catchy new track, Iris Out.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is the second chapter in Denji’s story and follows the first season of the anime adaptation, which premiered October 2022. We gave the show’s premiere a 9/10 in our review upon its release, saying MAPPA’s take on the bloody adventure “more than lives up to the manga's hype with some stunning and brutal action, gallows humor, an incredibly bleak story, and an endearing protagonist.”
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor 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).
Metal Gear and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima recently echoed Tom Cruise when talking about his future plans, declaring: "I want to keep creating things until I die."
Since starting out in the industry at Konami in 1986, Kojima has created a variety of games, including Snatcher, the innovative sunlight-based GBA title Boktai, and the infamous P.T. demo. In a recent interview centering around Kojima’s latest game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Game*Spark asked Kojima about his motivations and thoughts on why he continues to make games.
“I’m the same as Tom Cruise (laughs)," he said. "My life has been dedicated to creating things. That is my joy. I want to create for as long as my body and my brain keep working. I will think about (stopping) if it begins to inconvenience the people around me, but I want to keep creating things until I die.”
In likening himself to Cruise, Kojima is probably referring to the recent comments made by the actor at the premiere of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. On the red carpet, Cruise told The Hollywood Reporter that he will never stop making movies, even quipping that intends to keep making them into his 100s.
Talking of movies, in Kojima’s comment to Game*Spark, he didn't specify creating games, just creating. This suggests that Kojima is open to making something that is not a game in the future. In a recent video interview with French media outlet Brut, Kojima revealed that, depending on how Kojima Productions is doing after it has completed Microsoft game OD and Sony game Physint, he would like to make a movie.
With their long cutscenes and cinematic presentation, some have argued that many of Kojima’s games are already movie-like (we’ve even worked out exactly how much of each Kojima game is cutscenes). However, in the interview with Game*Spark, Kojima addresses this, explaining that even though his games are influenced by movies, he is always focused on making a game first and foremost.
"I grew up watching movies, so they influence the lighting, character modeling, direction and so on (when I make a game), but I am conscious of the fact that I am not making a movie, and my fundamental approach is to consider what can only be done in a game, including an odd sense of playfulness," he said.
Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Kojima Productions.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Fear not, friends of the Tiny Chef, for he has been saved from cancellation obscurity! That’s right, the now beloved Tiny Chef Show — which went viral for its creative yet tragic cancellation announcement on social media — has revealed it's raised enough money to continue the series independently in the wake of Nickelodeon’s choice to axe the show.
In a video post, below, Chef himself can be seen excitedly trying his hand at Irving Berlin’s iconic musical theatre number 'There's No Business Like Show Business' from the 1946 show Annie Get Your Gun. At the end of the clip, the video cuts to static and reveals Chef’s empty set with an open window blowing breeze into his kitchen. Text then materializes on screen that reads: "The show can't go on without Tiny Chef. #savetinychef"
The show’s creators — Rachel Larsen, Ozlem "Ozi" Akturk, and Adam Reid — opened up once again to fans about the its status in the video caption.
“We promise this is our last call to action asking you to sign up for Chefs fan cwub if you haven’t yet already (link in bio)!!! The team is getting ready to turn the tiny cameras back on in Chefs tree stump home because you all have SAVED TINY CHEF!!!!” they gushed.
“The outpouring of love messages fan art and donations have truly meant the world to the team. We are excited to get back to work and capture Chefs next journey!!! From the blottum of or heawts, fank yew. 💚💚💚💚”
This comes just over a week after the show announced its cancellation via a heartbreaking video of our beloved Chef getting a call from a Nickelodeon executive who broke the news to him that the series was being removed from the schedule. The video practically broke the internet and new and old fans alike rallied behind the Chef, both with words of support and, clearly, cash.
It still remains to be seen how we will reunite with our favorite little culinary expert, but it’s clear he’s about to go on with the show. You can support Chef and his return via the show’s website.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
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