Vue lecture
RIP, Prince of Darkness: Ozzy Osbourne has died at age 76
Abiotic Factor guide: Tips for exploring the Office Sector, making soup, and feeding your coworker
Splitgate 2 is going back into beta: 1047 will keep the floundering FPS online and lay off more staff as it goes back to the drawing board
The Best LEGO Ideas Sets Available Now

The idea behind LEGO Ideas is brilliant. Step 1: Put a call out to LEGO builders to pitch and design their dream sets. Step 2: Have LEGO fans vote on their favorites. Step 3: Make the winning builds into official sets. Step 4: Split the profits and the credit with the original creator. By giving fans the opportunity to invest in not only in the creation of something but also in its economic success, LEGO has created a business model that's as close to 'can't fail' as possible.
LEGO Ideas also pushes LEGO to adapt. If the proposed set is weird or idiocyncratic, then the build will be similarly unconventional. It gives birth to ideas that might otherwise never be pitched at all. If you know the audience for it exists, it's easier to take a risk on a Ship in a Bottle or a Steamboat Willie.
Since 2010, there have been 76 LEGO Ideas sets, 53 of which are currently retired. Here are the best LEGO Ideas sets that are currently available for purchase.
The Best LEGO Ideas Set Available Now
For the blurb-averse, the side-scrolling catalog above has all of our picks in it. If you want more info and details about each one, though, keep on reading.
Minifigure Vending Machine
It's one thing for LEGO to be decorative. It's quite another thing for LEGO to be functional, and the Minifigure Vending Machine manages to be both. You insert a coin, turn the crank (without the coin, the crank doesn't turn), and a capsule containing one of 16 collectible minifigures dispenses out of the bottom.
The vending machine has a retro 1980's physical appearance, so If you want it as a decorative shelf display, it can serve that function. But if you're like me, you can fill the capsules with chocolate and candy and keep the machine on your desk for snacking. Check out our experience building the LEGO Minifigure Vending Machine for a detailed look at this set.
River Steamboat .
This is not only one of the best LEGO Ideas sets; it's one of our picks for the best LEGO sets overall. The LEGO River Steamboat is a mechanical marvel, tailored for the experienced builder who wants an involved, engaging experience. Its interior includes a jazz lounge, crew quarters, and a museum. Push the boat along a flat surface, and the paddle wheel turns. We built and photographed this set at launch, and having done so, we cannot recommend it enough.
Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale
This Dungeons & Dragons set stands out due to its color diversity. The blue and purple roofing juxtaposes with the green meadow, which contrasts with the massive, four-legged Red Dragon that dominates the scenery.
This set is intended as both a build and a roleplay game. A LEGO-humored adventure, Red Dragon's Tale, turns the set into a dungeon experience that includes hidden items, secret lore, and enemies and allies including a Displacer Beast, an Owlbear, and a Beholder. We built and photographed this set at launch, if you'd like to read our full review.
The Insect Collection
The LEGO Insect Collection comes with three individual builds divided across three instruction booklets, so you can build the full set either by yourself or with a partner or two. The three insects are the blue morpho butterfly, the Hercules beetle and the Chinese mantis, and their vibrant colors make all three of them visible from a distance. All three insects also have articulable wings or limbs, and they are mounted onto fascimiles of their natural habitats.
The Starry Night
Created in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art, LEGO The Starry Night is a recreation of artist Vincent van Gogh's best known work. Rather than rendering it flat, the designers made LEGO The Starry Night three-dimensional, which replicates the original painting's thick brushstrokes and physicality. The set also comes with a tiny Vincent van Gogh, which makes this one of the rare occasions that LEGO recreated a historical figure in minifigure form. This one also made it on our list of the best LEGO Art sets currently available.
Jaws
LEGO has a particular affinity for designing boats. The LEGO Jaws set, based on the 1975 Spielberg film, is a near perfect recreation of the Orca, the weathered fishing boat that the killer shark attacks and eventually destroys. The set comes with three minifigures representing Sheriff Brody, Matt Hooper, and Quint, and it also comes with a massive great white shark mounted on a stand. The shark's head is detachable from the rest of its body, so you can incorporate it into the Orca build and make it seem as though it's breaking through the water's surface. For more photos, see our review and gallery of the set's launch.
Red London Telephone Box
Launched in 2024 to commemorate 100 years of public service, the LEGO Red London Telephone Box depicts a signature British landmark; approximately 200 of them still exist. This set includes a lampost, fence, and cobblestone street, which give the entire model some local color and authenticity. You can install two different versions of the telephone depending on your preference: either the classic rotary, or the more modern '90s model.
Motorized Lighthouse
This is a build of notable ambition. In addition to the lighthouse itself, the LEGO Motorized Lighthouse has a cottage at its base for its lighthouse keeper and a pirate treasure cave even further down near the water's edge. The lighthouse sits on a rock edifice, and it comes with a rowboat to take its passengers to the mainland and back. Unlike many sets with movable, mechanical components, the LEGO Motorized Lighthouse includes a motor and battery box to light the fireplace and rotate the beacon.
The Orient Express Train
Founded in 1883, the Orient Express from Paris to Instanbul was the biggest name in luxurious, decadent travel, and it remained in service until 2009. At its peak in the 1930's, the train line served aristocrats and royalty. The LEGO model includes the steam engine, the coal tender, and two carriages: a restaurant/dining car and a sleeping car. The roofs of both cars detach to reveal ornate interiors. The set also includes eight minifigures, including a railway station manager, a conductor, a train driver, a waiter, and four passengers.
Home Alone
Unlike most LEGO buildings, the three-storied McCallister mansion is a closed dollhouse, with walls on all sides and no open interiors. The walls turn outwards on hinges to reveal a treasure trove of Easter eggs and booby trap references to the first Home Alone film. It includes: Kevin's treehouse with a zipline that leads from the house; the basement with the scary furnace; swinging paint cans; the Michael Jordan cutout on the toy train set; and the OH-KAY truck that the Wet Bandits use to make their getaway. It's a perfect build and display for the holiday season. We built and photographed this set at launch if you'd like to see some images and read our review.
What LEGO Ideas Sets Are Coming Next?
The latest LEGO Ideas sets to get approval are Godzilla and a model of the moon rocket ship from the comic book Tintin - Destination Moon. Check out the official LEGO Ideas page for more details, and register to take part in the voting and selection of the next LEGO Ideas sets.
Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.
Borderlands 4 Will Launch on Nintendo Switch 2 on October 3

Borderlands 4 now has a Nintendo Switch 2 release date of October 3, 2025.
In a video posted to Twitter/X, Gearbox Entertainment head Randy Pitchford announced the Nintendo Switch 2 date, after a bit of a teasing build-up:
An important message regarding the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Borderlands 4: pic.twitter.com/Wc5MwAU2bm
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) July 22, 2025
Borderlands 4 has already had a launch date on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox: September 12, 2025, having been brought 11 days earlier from its previously-expected September 23 release. At the time, there was speculation that this was done to avoid the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, but then GTA was delayed until next year. Gearbox has also already confirmed that Borderlands 4 will cost $70 at launch.
Previously, Pitchford has stated that the Switch 2 "has been a joy to work with," but did not explain why the Nintendo version was coming later than the other versions.
We got to play a few hours of Borderlands 4 just last month, with our previewer saying, "the handful of hours I played left me fairly confident that I will find myself pulled back into this wonderfully weird world of psychopaths and extremely irritating robots."
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath Legend and Metal Icon, Dies at 76

Black Sabbath frontman and music legend Ozzy Osbourne has died at 76.
The iconic vocalist behind hits like Crazy Train, War Pigs, Iron Man, and Mr. Crowley passed away today, surrounded by his family (via BBC). His death follows the Back to the Beginning farewell concert, which he, alongside a team of other famous musicians, performed at just weeks ago.
Osbourne’s family released a statement: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Osbourne, also known as music’s Prince of Darkness, is known for shaping the metal world with his unique vocal and songwriting skills. He truly broke into the music scene as the lead vocalist in Black Sabbath, a pioneering ‘70s group known for projects like 1970’s Paranoid and 1971’s Masters of Reality. Even as the band remained through to the 2000s, Osbourne would go on to release his own solo projects, including 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz and 1991’s No More Tears.
It’s hard to understate Osbourne’s impact on rock, metal, and music in general, but he’s known for more than his legendary Crazy Train laugh. TV watchers were thrown for a loop in 2002 with The Osbournes, a reality show that featured Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, and Jack Osbourne. It ran for four seasons and 52 episodes before coming to an end in 2005.
It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.
— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) July 22, 2025
We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.
Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and… pic.twitter.com/WLJhOrMsDF
Aside from being known as the man who bit the head off of a real-life bat during a concert in the ‘80s, Osbourne made his stamp on more TV series and even the movie world, too. He’s lent his voice to South Park and, more recently, Trolls World Tour in the past, and he even made cameo appearances in films like Ghostbusters (2016), Austin Powers in Goldmember, and Little Nicky. Even gaming fans might have caught an appearance from Osbourne, as the rocker found his way to star alongside Jack Black in Double Fine’s Brutal Legend while also showing up for Neversoft’s Guitar Hero World Tour.
The Back to the Beginning concert took place at Villa Park venue in Birmingham, England, July 5, and featured Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Jonathan Davis of Korn, Metallica, Slayer, and the rest of Black Sabbath. It was meant to serve as a farewell show dedicated to the mark Osbourne left on music as he continued to struggle with Parkinson’s disease and other health complications. All proceeds generated from the concert were donated equally between Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Developing…
Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images.
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).
Assassin's Creed: Shadows Might Be Coming to Nintendo Switch 2

Assassin's Creed: Shadows might be coming to Nintendo Switch 2, and Ubisoft executives might have just confirmed it.
During today's quarterly earnings call, CEO Yves Guillemot and CFO Frederick Duguet combined their powers to provide a number of subtle and not-so-subtle hints and statements about Assassin's Creed: Shadows that, when combined, are hard to read any other way than confirmation we're getting a Switch 2 release of the game at some point this fiscal year.
First, Duguet mentioned that Ubisoft's line-up for the current fiscal year (ending at the end of March 2026) includes, among other things, "a couple of other titles" that will be "announced at a later stage."
Later in the same call, in response to an investor question, he also said "And we also have a game that will be launched on the Switch 2." While we already know that Star Wars: Outlaws is coming to Switch 2, Duguet was talking about games "beyond the announced releases", so it's clear there's at least one other.
Later in the call, Guillemot added another piece to the puzzle. In a conversation with another investor specifically regarding Assassin's Creed: Shadows, he said, "And we have also some new versions that will come on other machines."
Currently, Assassin's Creed: Shadows is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, PC and Mac, as well as GeForce Now and Amazon Luna. Now, it's possible Guillemot was referring to other platforms, such as PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, or maybe even mobile. But the most likely possibility is that he meant Nintendo Switch 2, especially when combined with Duguet's comments.
Of course, some investor thought the same as us. The last question on the call, to Duguet, directly asked if Assassin's Creed: Shadows was being announced for Nintendo Switch 2.
But here, Duguet finally danced around it. "We haven't said which other games will come on the console for that coming year."
Rumors to this effect have already been in motion for a few months now, after an Assassin's Creed: Shadows for Nintendo Switch 2 got a PEGI rating. While this could have just been an error, it's just another brick in the mounting tower of evidence that Shadows is headed to Nintendo's system in the next eight months or so.
We really enjoyed Assassin's Creed: Shadows when we reviewed it at launch. Our reviewer, who gave it an 8/10, said, "By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade."
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
The Biggest Magic: The Gathering Crashers and Climbers This Week - July 22

The Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy era is coming to a close, but prices are still up and down for the current Universes Beyond offering.
Edge of Eternities kicks off next week (in prerelease), and while it’s going to add a whole host of cards to the standard rotation, it’s also going to make some big tweaks to Commander rules by allowing Legendary Vehicles to be your Commander.
So, for one last time for Final Fantasy, let's check out the movers and shakers, courtesy of data from the lovely folks at TCGPlayer.
Climbers: Count ‘em
Ever since Final Fantasy’s Universes Beyond set launched, there’s been a spike in pricing for any cards that involve the use of counters, thanks to the focus of the FFX deck helmed by Tidus, Yuna’s Guardian.
This week, one of the beneficiaries is Filigree Vector, from the March of the Machine set. It’s a four-cost White Artifact Creature that essentially arrives with +1/+1 counters and can proliferate, making it an ideal fit for the Blitzball star’s deck.
It’s gone from being a couple of dollars not long ago to climbing to around $15.
Next up, Magistrate’s Scepter is a 3-cost artifact that can be powered up with charge counters then used to take an entire extra turn. Given how quickly Tidus can get those counters, this Core Set 2019 card is now up to $5 from just a few cents a few weeks ago.
Away from counters, I’m pleased to see Stoneforge Mystic climbing. This two-cost card (of which I have a lovely full-art version) is an ideal inclusion in the Limit Break deck with its equipment focus, and lets you find your equipment more quickly.
It’s gone from being less than $20 to up to around $50 in recent listings, often more. And, on a similar note, Codsworth, Handy Helper from the Universes Beyond: Fallout set is still maintaining a price of around $20.
TCGPlayer has also pointed out that one Edge of Eternities card is likely to be very popular for anyone playing a Slivers deck.
Thrumming Hivepool costs less the more of the Sliver type you have, gives them double strike and haste, and creates more Sliver tokens at your upkeep phase. Put it all together, and you’re generating a veritable army within a couple of turns in the mid to late game.
Crashers: No Harmonic Done
Last week, we pointed out that Vivi Ornitier had begun dropping again, and then its value climbed a bit, but the same can’t be said of Harmonic Prodigy which remains great to pair with him.
It’s down to around $10, and could be ideal for any Wizard-based spellcaster decks you’re puting together.
As we close out the Final Fantasy era, we’re seeing other drops, too. One to keep an eye on for your White decks is Summon: Knights of Round. This fan-favorite spiked in June but has levelled out at around $30 and could drop further.
Another Summon, Bahamut, is also on the way down having now hit around $26. It’s still dropping, too, and given it can be an ideal ‘big finish’ to a game (and has 9/9 for its stats), it’s worth a look.
Finally, Tifa Lockhart has also seen a drop. She’s down to around $5, having been double that just a few weeks ago.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.
Splitgate 2 Will ‘Go Back to Beta’ to Undergo a Massive Rework Amid More Layoffs and Splitgate 1 Shutdown

On June 6, 2025, 1047 Games launched Splitgate 2. Now, less than two months later, the developer is about to “unlaunch” it. It's also taking Splitgate 1 offline, and laying off 45 employees.
Today, 1047 revealed its plans to temporarily wind down support on the game it just released so the studio can go heads-down on what it says will be a complete overhaul of Splitgate 2. The game will remain playable during this time, and will still receive its promised Chapter 3 update and some bug fixes, but other than that, Splitgate 2 as we know it is done.
…That is, until early 2026, when the studio promises it will return with “big, sweeping changes.”
While all this sounds pretty dire, it might not come as a surprise to Splitgate 2 players. The game launched to middling reviews, was mired in controversy from the jump, and has since seen a steep drop-off in players and plenty of criticism and frustration from those who stuck around. At the time this piece was first drafted, a quick look at the main page of the Splitgate subreddit shows almost nothing but complaints about the game, memes about the game’s general state, and various threads and links to articles about the sinking player counts. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture.
When I spoke to CEO Ian Proulx last week, he referenced one particular Reddit thread entitled “If you’ve stopped playing tell me why” that is effectively a laundry list of player complaints. He says he and the 1047 team read each reply and catalogued them, scrutinizing what the most-cited issues were. He admits that Splitgate 2, as it launched, is “not a finished product yet.”
“This doesn't feel like a launched game as much as we want to pretend it was, and obviously we said it was. It feels like a beta. There's bugs still. There's features that are missing that — obviously not every game has to have every feature — but there's certain things that should be in a finished product. There's too many bugs, and we're hitting the reset button.”
To be clear, he doesn’t think Splitgate 2 is all bad. He’s most proud of the gameplay, the gunplay and movement. But Proulx admits that there are too many other issues, technical and structural, hindering players from enjoying the good that’s there.
“I think we've heard from the fans and from the gamers, they want something closer to Splitgate 1,” he says. “And so I think for us, this feels like a beta. It feels like a beta to me, it doesn't feel like a launch. And I think we have to do a bit of a reset to actually listen to the fans, to the gamers, and address the feedback, fix the bugs, implement the features that should have been there on day one, but also make some big changes that the Splitgate community wants.”
What a Community Wants
What does the community want, then? A lot, Proulx says, but he boils it down to three major components. The first, he says, is demonstrated by that Reddit thread and summed up as “basic features.” Splitgate 2 needs a leaderboard. It needs better progression. There are a lot of seemingly little elements missing that add up to the game feeling unfinished.
Second, he says Splitgate 2 needs more portal walls and more opportunities for portals generally. 1047 already started adding more portal walls in the game’s alpha, but didn’t go far enough.
And third, Proulx thinks they need to make adjustments to game modes, though he isn’t quite sure what just yet.
“A big focus of ours is getting closer to just that classic arena game mode experience. I don't know exactly what that's going to look like, but I think we've done a lot of round-based modes, and we'll still have some round-based modes, but players, they want to play the game and shoot stuff and have a good time and maybe play the objective.”
I ask Proulx if he intends to do anything to change the game’s current monetization model. Splitgate 2 is free-to-play, but its in-game storefront has been heavily criticized on a number of fronts. Players have said its season pass is confusing and gates too much content behind purchases, they’ve pointed out that the “discount” listings at launch were deceptive as to what items actually cost, and highlighted that awkward real-money-to-currency exchanges make it difficult to understand or accurately pay for just what you want, and nothing extra.
Splitgate 2 will remain free-to-play, Proulx says, and players will keep all the items they’ve already purchased. He’s not doing refunds, he says. But when the game comes back in 2026, he does want to “simplify” the monetization situation. When I ask for specifics, Proulx says he’s still thinking about it and will likely shift based on player feedback. But he’s currently considering a more basic battle pass, one you simply purchase once for a three-month period or so, and receive linear rewards from as you play more of the game.
Proulx isn’t fully certain right now of exactly what Splitgate 2 needs to be, and wants to let the community shape that decision. He tells me that, this time, 1047 will do regular playtests with the community on a separate branch of this game to collect feedback, similar to what the team did with Splitgate 1. “If they hate it, we can say…great, we’re not going to do that. Scrap it.”
I ask him if he has now, or ever has had, a strong vision for Splitgate 2 and the kind of game he wants to make. Does he think it possible the community could be wrong about what’s best for the game? Could his vision become compromised by player requests?
“If the community wants X, and that's what they want, it doesn't really matter what I want,” Proulx says. “But even what I want, I mean, I think a lot of what the community is asking for are things that I agree with. I think certain decisions we made early on, I think we almost got a little bit too scientific about it. Splitgate 1, there was no theory, there was no strategy. It was just, let's go make a fun game because it's cool…And I think with Splitgate 2…we kind of started with all these design goals, which is good, but I think we got a little bit too obsessive about, oh, let's do this because it checks that box, as opposed to just like, well, is it fun? I don't know. It doesn't really matter what you theorize about if it's not as fun.”
Try, Try Again
But how did Splitgate 2 end up here in the first place?
According to Proulx, the team was “too ambitious.” He says they tried to do too much with Splitgate 2, between the game’s arena mode, battle royale, and map creator, and ended up only getting each of those things done “80% instead of one or two things 100% of the way there.”
He also thinks another issue was that 1047 kept Splitgate 2 far too secretive for too long, out of a fear of leaks. Proulx mentions Apex Legends, which “shadow-dropped” seemingly out of nowhere to incredible success with no build-up at all, as an indicator that such a strategy can work well. But that’s also the opposite of what worked for Splitgate 1 – something Proulx suggests he should have learned from for the sequel.
Speaking of Splitgate 1, it’s not long for this world. As a part of this new doubling down on improving Splitgate 2, the first game’s servers will be shut down in about a month. 1047 says it’s “exploring the possibility of supporting offline or peer-to-peer matches,” and that it intends to include a “dedicated experience” in Splitgate 2 that “delivers on the promise of the original.” But in the short-term, Splitgate 1 will be no more.
Per 1047, this decision was made because it has cost the studio “hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past couple of years” to keep Splitgate 1 online. It’s cutting costs in other ways, too. Last month, the company laid off an unknown number of individuals. With today’s announcement, 45 more staff will be let go, 28% of the current total. “We definitely have to get our burn rate down,” Proulx says when I ask him about the company’s financial situation. “There's no doubt about it. I'd say financially, thankfully, we are in a position where we can afford to do something like [the unlaunch] and take our time, but it's going to take time. So we're figuring that out.”
The cost-cutting measures do beg the question of both the veracity and, if the allegation is true, the wisdom of the company allegedly spending over $400,000 in influencer marketing ahead of Splitgate 2’s launch. This was according to an analysis posted on LinkedIn from Streamforge’s Nick Lombardi, using “estimates based on publicly available data and market rates from Streamforge’s algorithm.” The alleged influencer spend was reported on by a number of outlets, but Proulx responds when I ask him about it by saying that the article has “a lot of things that are factually incorrect.”
“There are definitely things in that article that are accurate,” he says. “But yeah, I'd say it's, I don't know, 60% accurate. Do I think that that strategy worked? I don't know. I mean, I think that you have to do a little bit of everything. I think you have to have some influencers, you have to have some PR, you have to have some paid advertising. I can tell you certain ads ran more efficiently than others, but I think it's all part of the same equation.”
Proulx goes on to say that influencer marketing is tricky – it’s hard to say just how many users a game actually acquires from a given influencer promoting a game, making it difficult to track success.
“But I also think you can't buy yourself a successful launch,” he adds. “Splitgate 1's budget was next to nothing, and it still had a really massively successful launch, and that was because we had built a lot of goodwill with the community… I think influencers and ads will add fuel to the fire, and if you have a really hype game with a passionate community that feels like they're being listened to, then that will amplify. And if you don't, then it'll help a little bit.”
Proulx is essentially hoping to, in 2026, take a second crack at launching Splitgate 2. Aside from the issues with the game itself, its first launch last month was marred by other controversies. It started when Proulx wore a hat that read, “Make FPS Great Again” onstage at the game’s Summer Game Fest reveal, a reference to U.S. President Donald Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” hats. In a speech onstage at the same event, Proulx remarked that he’s “tired of playing the same Call of Duty every year,” which resulted in wide criticism from both developers and Call of Duty fans. And then, upon launch, a $145 microtransaction bundle was soundly rebuked by gamers for its predatory similarities to the very games Proulx and 1047 claimed to be pushing back against with Splitgate 2.
Proulx has since apologized for all of the above controversies, and actively revoked the high-priced microtransactions. But now, with a second crack at releasing Splitgate 2 on the horizon, I ask Proulx if there’s anything he intends to do differently, and if he thinks these issues meaningfully impacted the initial Splitgate 2 launch.
“Yes, I definitely would've done things differently,” he says. “I will say I think we would be in the position we're in regardless of any of that stuff. Obviously, I don't think that stuff helped us, and I don't plan on doing any more stunts like that, but I think the reality is if this was a 10 out of 10 game, people would still be playing it and happily spending money and grinding and telling their friends, and that's my feeling. And so I think the past is the past, and we've made a lot of mistakes. Not just that we've made many mistakes over the last 10 or however many years it's been, and we keep learning and we iterate and we improve, and that's what we're going to keep doing.”
Once Chapter 3 is out, Splitgate 2 will officially go quiet until early next year while the team rebuilds. That team will be smaller than before, with a number of friends and colleagues having lost their jobs through no fault of their own. 1047 won’t be spending money on Splitgate 1 servers, but it also likely won’t be making much off microtransactions, making funding a more serious question. Some fans, inevitably, will not stick around to see if Splitgate 2 is a comeback story. Others remain permanently put off by the game’s launch controversies. It’s not exactly a cheery period for 1047 Games, but in Proulx’s eyes, the studio has been through worse. “We had much darker days” during Splitgate 1 development, he says. “A lot of almost quitting, a lot of tears… So it's a tough road ahead. Of course it is, right? This is not an easy industry.”
But he’s adamant that, regardless, he isn’t giving up on Splitgate.
“It's brutal, but we're not going away. We're not quitting. We absolutely love this. We love every single part about it, the good and the bad. And we've been here before and we've come out the other end, and we're going to just keep doing what we can to stay alive.”
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Fourth Wing’s Sprayed-Edge Wing and Claw Edition Preorders Drop to Lowest Price Yet at Amazon

Fans of The Empyrean series rejoice, right now you can save 30% off the preorders for the gorgeous "Wing and Claw" editions of both the first and second novels in Rebecca Yarros' fantasy series, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, getting them for just over $23, before they release this September.
These new versions add artwork to the outside edges of the pages, depicting the dragons the series is known for, a feature that was first introduced with the third book, Onyx Storm.
These special versions of the book don't contain any new content or elements that aren't found in the original release of the books, and outside of the artwork pages, will be identical to what is already available.
That said, for passionate fans of the series or those who have been curious about the spicy world of dragons and dragon riders, then this deal makes it a great time to do so.
For those who haven't checked out Fourth Wing yet, this series follows Violet Sorrengail, a girl forced to enter the Basgiath War College to become one of her kingdom's elite dragon riders, requiring her to bond with a dragon. But, things won't be easy for Violet as she will soon discover not everything is as it seems at the college.
Currently, the author has stated that she is planning for this series to consist of five books, with three currently available.
As the third book only came out earlier this year, there is no current release date or window for when the fourth book will be released or what its title will be.
While there was a short time between the release of the first two books, consisting of only about six months, between the second and third there was nearly a year and a half of gap. That said, Rebecca has said she is going to take a bit of a break before starting work on book four.
Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.
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The Best Disney Plus Deals and Bundles for July 2025

Considering what it offers, Disney Plus is one of the best streaming services on the block. From classic Disney animated films to the latest Marvel shows and Star Wars movies, excellent kids' programming like Bluey, and so much more, Disney Plus puts an incredible range of high-quality viewing options at your fingertips. And with so much to check out - including Marvel's latest series Ironheart - you'll want to find a plan that best suits you. We're here to help.
At the moment, one of the best Disney Plus bundle deals available is the massive Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max streaming bundle. This starts at $16.99/month to get you all three streaming services with ads. It's one of the best bundles available at the moment, but we've included more Disney Plus bundle deals worth exploring below. If you're looking for more streaming deals from other services, check out the best Hulu deals and bundles and the best HBO Max deals.
How to Get the Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max Streaming Bundle
The Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max streaming bundle can be purchased through any of the three streaming services and starts at $16.99/month for the ad-supported tier or $29.99/month for ad-free access across the three platforms.
If you currently own all three and want to cut down on costs, this is a great way to bundle them together and save big on what you'd pay for them separately per month – 43% on the ad-supported plan and 42% on the ad-free plan.
What Is the Paid Sharing Plan on Disney Plus?
In an effort to crack down on password sharing, Disney has added a paid sharing plan for individuals outside of your household. Basically, anyone using your account that's not within your household will have to be added as an "Extra Member" to your account. This costs an additional $6.99/month for the ad-supported Basic subscription and $9.99/month for the Premium ad-free plan, and only one Extra Member slot is available per account. You can learn more from Disney's paid sharing explainer here.
What Are the Different Disney+ Subscription Tiers?
Disney+ is available in a couple of different tiers. You can get the least expensive option (called Disney+ Basic) for $9.99/month, which gives you access to everything except the ability to download select shows to watch on the go. This tier is ad supported. If you want to get rid of ads and be able to download certain shows, you can spring for the $15.99/month or $159.99/year Disney+ Premium package.
What Are the Different Disney+ Bundles?
Want a way to save on your Disney+ membership? Bundles are a great, affordable way to go. As far as bundles go, there are two ad-supported bundles and two ad-free bundles. Here's the breakdown:
- Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic is $10.99/month and comes with subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. This plan lets you stream on multiple devices at once and comes with ad-supported versions of both services.
- Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium is $19.99/month and comes with Hulu and Disney+ with no ads. It also includes Disney+ Premium features like the ability to download shows to watch on the go.
- Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Basic adds ESPN+ (With Ads) to the mix alongside Disney+ (With Ads) and Hulu (With Ads), bumping up the price to $16.99/month. You can also download and watch select content on ESPN+ at this level.
- Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Premium is $26.99/month and comes with ESPN+ (With Ads) and ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu. You can also download select content across all three streaming services.
Disney+ Gift Cards
If you want to help someone out and give them a gift that will keep on giving, gifting a one-year Disney+ card is a great way to go. It provides all the great things Disney+ offers and it costs a fraction of what it would take to buy even a small sampling of those movies physically.
What Can You Watch on Disney+?
There is a bonkers array of shows and movies you can watch on Disney+. Let's start at the top and simply talk about the verticals on offer here with the base subscription.
Here's what you get:
Disney on Disney+
On the Disney front, you have awesome classic movies like The Sword In The Stone, Robin Hood, 101 Dalmations, Hercules, and Sleeping Beauty, modern classics like The Princess & The Frog, Tangled, and Frozen, and a wide range of animated shows, including Phineas & Ferb.
You also gain access to a ton of vintage content like Escape to Witch Mountain, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Love Bug, and a whole lot more. The Disney Junior section is home to absolutely top tier animated shows like Bluey (which, for my money, is worth the price of admission on its own).
There's way more on offer, too, including a ton of Muppet movies, new live-action films and adaptions (including the new Snow White), nature programs, documentaries, Pirates of the Caribbean, and musical programs featuring Taylor Swift (like her wildly popular The Eras Tour), Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and more.
Pixar on Disney+
When it comes to computer generated films, Pixar stands alone. Kicking off the revolution with Toy Story, Pixar has consistently put out fantastic films, and they are all here. From the Toy Story series to Finding Nemo, Cars, and more recent hits like Inside Out 2, there is a ton to love.
Beyond even that, there are incredible shorts like Bao and Party Central, as well as a wide range of originals and series based on major films, such as Dory's Reef Cam, Forky Asks A Question, Cars On The Road, and more.
Marvel on Disney+
The MCU has become a true juggernaut, and there are many viewers who subscribe to Disney+ purely for access to nearly the entire MCU lineup of films and shows.
Whether you are a fan of the blockbuster action films, you are an appreciator of the classic 90s runs of "Saturday morning" cartoons like X-Men, or you are currently vibing to the funky theme of the 1981 Spider-Man series, there is a ton of Marvel to enjoy on Disney+. And with new movies and shows being added to the MCU all the time, including most recently Deadpool & Wolverine and Captain America: Brave New World, there is always more coming.
Star Wars on Disney+
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a film that changed everything. The original Star Wars is a seminal sci-fi fantasy work that inspired generations of creators, but there is still nothing quite like that far away galaxy. Disney+ grants access to all things Star Wars, including the remastered versions of the original trilogy (hopefully some day they'll add the theatrical cuts, too), as well as the prequels and sequels.
You can also stay up-to-date on all the latest shows, including The Mandalorian and the critically-lauded Andor, which just wrapped up its second and final season. There are also fantastic short series like Star Wars Visions, and longer-form series like The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Young Jedi Adventures, and a whole lot more.
Take a look at our list of Disney+ alernatives for additional streaming services. To play while you watch, see our roundup of the best LEGO Disney sets. For more deals, dive into our Daily Deals page.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
Original story from Brian Barnett.