Briana White, the actress who portrays Aerith in Final Fantasy 7, has called on fans to stop tagging voice artists in spicy material featuring their characters.
The discussion began after White saw KPop: Demon Hunters actor Rei Ami discovering adult fanfiction featuring her character Zoey. In response, White suggested fans in general had "forgotten the meaning of the word inappropriate."
"Maybe let's normalize not tagging voice actors in smut of their characters," White wrote in a series of posts on X. But many fans responded by saying Ami had gone on to look for the content purposefully — to which White then suggested it was all a matter of "consent."
"It's really a shame when VAs want to interact with the people who love the characters on social media but just a few creeps ruin it for everyone," White wrote, acknowledging that she had seen all sorts of fan-made Final Fantasy 7 content even though she tried to "actively avoid it."
White portrayed Aerith in the 2020 Final Fantasy 7 Remake, a role she has then continued in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, 2024's Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.
"I'm so associated with FF7 that it gets shown to me every single day anyway," White explained. "As someone said earlier, it is a matter of consent. And it can be almost impossible to know what exactly is acceptable or not to an individual just from knowing their social media persona."
Ultimately, White conceded that while Ami had chosen to seek out the fan-made content that had prompted her initial post, fans should still be mindful of what they share. "Alright alright y'all have spoken and I hear you," White concluded. "Point stands, just not for [Rei Ami]. Carry on."
"It’s about making sure the pacing feels right," series director Naoki Hamaguchi said. "It’s not about cutting out content, it’s making sure that it feels right, the speed that the story progresses at feels right, and it is fairly quick and feels like you can get through it at a reasonable pace. But it has to feel right, so that’s what I mainly intended to say there."
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Fans seem to be getting very excited to watch the series finale of Stranger Things in theaters soon — but scalpers are clearly just as excited, because they are already selling tickets to the Season 5 ender with a whopping 275% markup.
Tickets went on sale on December 2, and already fans have noticed that passes have shown up on eBay, with one set of two tickets for the Cinemark Woodlands location in Texas going for $150. Cinemark venues sold $20 concessions vouchers to reserve tickets for entry, which means this is a 275% increase in ticket price on this listing.
Other fans, though, are reselling their tickets at a much more reasonable price, depending on where you’re located and how many tickets you’ll need. To that point, there’s another listing offering four tickets for $80, which is face value for the passes, at the 34th street AMC location in New York City. So don’t totally write off resale for this event if you missed out on tickets at your local theater.
It seems as though there will be more listings popping up in the next week as more theaters sell out, and we hope everyone who wants tickets is able to get them safely and affordably (ie, not for 275% more than the listed price).
As far as getting their hands on tickets goes, fans seem to be a bit angry with theater chains Cinemark and Regal, who claimed tickets would be available for purchase at 8am PT/11am ET. However, hours before, concession vouchers were made available — and it was those that were needed in order to reserve, not purchase, seats for this special event.
Because of the confusion in wording and general instructions, fans went on to vent their frustrations on reddit. “Cinemark and Regal completely lied about when finale tickets go on sale,” one user vented in a post on the Stranger Things subreddit.
“I had an alarm set and everything for 7:50am to get tickets for the finale but I just had a hunch not to go to sleep until I got the tickets,” they added. “But, basically Cinemark and Regal started selling finale tickets early last night and now nearly every showing is sold out and people are pissed.”
The decade-long sci-fi series finally comes to an end at the end of the year, with the Season 5 finale set to rubber stamp the much-loved characters’ fates. Netflix has taken the unusual step of releasing the final episode in theaters at 5pm PT on December 31, the exact same time it hits the streamer. The screenings will take place in over 500 theaters in the U.S. and Canada (check the list here) starting on December 31, 2025 at 5pm PT, timed to the finale’s global premiere on Netflix, and run through January 1, 2026. Netflix has also confirmed the run time of the Stranger Things Season 5 finale: 2 hours 5 minutes.
"The finale. Theaters. New Year’s Eve," Duffer wrote in an Instagram post alongside a photo of the drawing Lucas and Max used to ask each other on a date in Season 4. "This is something my brother and I have dreamed about for years. If you don’t mind crying in front of strangers, GO. And if you’re in LA… maybe we’ll see you there."
Geoff Keighley’s mysterious The Game Awards teaser statue has sparked rampant speculation about which video game announcement it relates to, but so far the internet is stumped.
Keighley kicked off The Game Awards hype train last week by tweeting a picture of a demonic monolith located in the Mojave Desert alongside the confusing caption "regal.inspiring.thickness."
Windows Central reporter Jez Corden took to social media to say the tease related to an expansion for Blizzard’s action role-playing game, Diablo 4. Blizzard had said Diablo 4 was set to get an expansion in 2026 (alongside a new ranking system and leaderboards), so an appearance at The Game Awards later this month would make sense.
But Corden’s claim was debunked by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, who took to ResetEra to insist the statue had nothing to do with a Diablo 4 expansion, although that is not to say Diablo won’t show up at The Game Awards in some form.
“No idea where Jez is getting that, but this statue is not teasing the Diablo 4 expansion,” Schreier said. “I don't currently plan on reporting what it is, sorry, but it's a good one.”
That clarification sparked a new round of speculation, with some fans pointing to the long-awaited reveal of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls 6. Alas, according to Schreier, it’s not that, either.
“I'll do this one more time because people are getting out of control: no the statue isn't teasing Elder Scrolls 6,” Schreier said, again in a post on ResetEra. “Now I'm gonna stop responding about this. Unless someone finds me at the JW bar next week and asks really nicely, then maybe I'll answer, depending on how many drinks I've had.”
Some suggested it might have something to do with Sony’s God of War series, but gaming YouTuber Luke Stephens claimed God of War development chief Cory Barlog popped up during one of his streams to rule that out.
So, what is it then? Given the demonic aspect of the statue, some are suggesting a Doom-related announcement of some kind, perhaps DLC. Some fans are going off the deep end, suggesting everything from Bloodborne 2 to Half-Life 3, the latter of which has seen rumblings of late. In truth, Geoff Keighley’s statue could relate to pretty much any video game with a demonic or hellish theme. That’s a lot of video games. But based on Schreier’s comments (“it’s a good one”) and all the effort that’s gone into making this tease happen, I have high hopes.
The Game Awards kicks off Thursday, December 11, so we don't have long to find out what the statue is about. Let us know your best guess in the comments.
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.
Pink Lemonade creator Nick Cagnetti is back with a new horror comic called Spirit of the Shadows, and it's easily one of the most visually stunning horror comics we've seen in a long time. This is definitely a series to watch for in 2026.
IGN can exclusively debut a new extended preview of Spirit of the Shadows #1. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:
Spirit of the Shadows is written by Cagnetti and Daniel Ziegler (Elodie), with art by Cagnetti. The first issue features covers by Cagnetti, David Lafuente, Karl Kerschl, and Matt Lesniewski. This limited series is published by Oni Press. Here's the official logline for Spirit of the Shadows:
Once, Erik Leroux was a mortal musician, selflessly devoted to his music and his true love, Katrina . . . until his sudden death plunged his soul into the carnival-like torments of the Spirit World beyond our own. Now, reborn as a phantom with fleeting memories of his life among the living, and forever cursed to bear the arcane costume his corpse wore to the grave, Erik will claw his way back from the infernal planes to uncover the mysteries of his own life . . . and avenge the dark sins that transformed him into the SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS!
“I guarantee you're not going to find another comic on the stands right now quite like this one—from the story to the art, my friend Daniel and I really tried to create something cohesive and evocative in the way that only this medium can provide,” said Cagnetti in a statement. “To achieve that, I put a lot of care into differentiating styles and techniques for each of the settings the story goes to make them each feel distinct. You're swept up in this dreamlike haze alongside the main character, and you go through all the emotions and revelations alongside him. The end result should really make for a rewarding experience you can reread and look at completely differently the next time, but I'm envious for readers to experience that ride for the first time here soon!”
“Introducing an entirely new world can be one of the most daunting tasks as a writer, so what better way to immerse the reader than to immediately place them in the shoes of the protagonist?” added Ziegler. “As Erik pieces together the forgotten fragments of his life, readers will also embark on that same journey of discovery and revelation, and may find themselves facing more than one moral quandary in the process. This extended preview gives you a taste of the various worlds and varying styles that Nick and I use throughout the series to tell this wholly unique parallel narrative of love, loss, and revenge that we couldn’t be more proud of.”
Spirit of the Shadows #1 will be released on January 28, 2026, with a final order cutoff of January 5. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
The bundle is $449, the normal price of the hardware on its own, so Walmart is effectively throwing in Mario Kart World for free. You need to be signed in to a Walmart account to access the deal, and the discount applies automatically once the bundle is in the cart.
Walmart is running it like a flash deal, so if you were sitting on the fence or waiting for a pre-Christmas price drop, this might be the only window you get before the hardware inevitably goes back to full price.
This isn’t the kind of promotion anyone expected from Nintendo this year, given that the Switch 2 recently cleared the 10 million unit mark, prompting Nintendo to lift its sales forecasts for the year. The Switch 2 also continues to record the strongest console launch in the industry to date.
Amazon, Best Buy, and Target have all price-matched the offer over the past few days, yet all are now out of stock, and Walmart is back as the last retailer standing.
What Else to Buy for Switch 2?
Are you finally going to be the proud owner of a Switch 2 after picking up the doorbuster-like deal? Well, fair play to you! While you're at it, it could be worth putting those extra savings into accessories, games, or anything else that might come in handy with your new hybrid console.
A carrying case should be the first accessory on the list for new owners. The PowerA Slim Case for Nintendo Switch 2 is still discounted at Amazon for $15, and it's a genuinely solid pick.
I'd also suggest picking up a new memory card. Switch 2 ships with 256GB internal, which is fine until you start downloading modern games. The Samsung P9 512GB microSD Express card is sitting at $75 (see here), which is the best price yet and a straightforward upgrade.
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.
The CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has responded to fan concern about the choice of Justin Lin as the director of the Helldivers movie, after it emerged he leaned into not being a gamer for his pitch.
Helldivers 2 is an explosive co-op focused action shooter that’s a lot like a video game version of cult sci-fi classic Starship Troopers. You play as a disposable soldier in an ongoing galactic war, defending a fascist Super Earth regime against alien robots called Automatons and bugs called Terminids, all the while preaching "Managed Democracy." (Incidentally, Sony is also working on a new Starship Troopers movie, which should make for a somewhat bizarre one-two punch of sci-fi satire.)
This week, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Justin Lin is set to direct the upcoming Helldivers live-action film adaptation. Lin is best known for his work on the Fast & Furious films, and was the director of the series from 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift to 2013’s Fast & Furious 6. He also directed 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, the final film in the modern Star Trek trilogy, and 2021’s F9.
But it was one paragraph in THR’s story that raised eyebrows within the Helldivers community:
Lin is not a gamer and leaned into that as a strength when pitching his take on the material, said insiders. He aims to find the humanity in the characters and weave timely themes into the story, while building out a world and mythology. There are plenty of details waiting to be drawn in, something that is compelling to the filmmaker.
Some fans are now worried that Lin simply won’t get what Helldivers is about because he’s not a gamer and, presumably, hasn’t played Arrowhead’s shooter. And because of that, some players believe, the Helldivers movie is at risk of missing the video game’s vibe.
Over on the official Helldivers Discord, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani briefly addressed this concern. He first responded to one fan who asked if they could direct the Helldivers movie instead of Lin, saying: “let Justin Lin work his magic.”
Jorjani then responded to the following question from a fan:
“If you guys have any sway with Sony over the movie can you make sure the director plays the game at least once or at least sees some gameplay?”
Jorjani replied: “I trust Justin. He did a great job on the Star Trek movie.”
Arrowhead will likely face this sort of concern until fans see the Helldivers movie in trailer form, or hear from Lin himself on his vision for the film. And Helldivers is not alone in this approach. Amazon’s adaptation of God of War is helmed by Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore, who isn’t a gamer either.
But it is in contrast to the situation with the Elden Ring movie, which is being directed by Ex Machina and Civil War director and self-confessed Elden Ring superfan Alex Garland. In June, Garland told IGN he was on his seventh playthrough of FromSoftware's epic fantasy RPG, and revealed the boss he found the toughest to take down.
"We are not Hollywood people, and we don't know what it takes to make a movie," Pilestedt said. "And therefore we don't, and shouldn't, have final say.”
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.
Bethesda and Xbox have teamed up with Amazon and Samsung to mark the long-anticipated arrival of Season 2 of the Fallout show by streaming Season 1 for free on Samsung TV Plus.
That means the critically acclaimed first season will be available subscription-free on Samsung TV Plus from December 3 through December 25, "giving both new audiences and longtime fans a chance to revisit — or discover — the world of Fallout before season two arrives on Prime Video." Samsung TV Plus is a free, ad-supported streaming service available on Samsung TV, Galaxy, Smart Monitor, and Family Hubs devices.
The Fallout TV show is "based on one of the greatest video game series of all time," set two hundred years after the apocalypse when the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind. The new season picks up in the aftermath of season one’s epic finale and takes audiences "along for a journey through the wasteland of the Mojave to the post-apocalyptic city of New Vegas."
"When Jonah and I first talked about bringing Fallout to the screen, it was always about doing the world of the games right, but also bringing to life new stories in that world," said Todd Howard, game director at Bethesda.
"Now with The Ghoul coming to Fallout 76, it shows how connected all these stories are. To have Walton bring his unique blend of swagger to the game is awesome. He’s a brilliant actor."
Howard is, of course, talking about Walton Goggins reprising his fan-favorite role as The Ghoul from the Fallout TV show in Fallout 76.
The Ghoul appears in Fallout 76, complete with Goggins' likeness and voice, as part of the free Burning Springs expansion. Burning Springs expands the Fallout 76 map into Ohio, west of the Appalachian region (a fictionalized version of West Virginia and the surrounding areas) already in the game.
We had a great time with Fallout Season 1, writing in IGN's Fallout The Series review that the show is "a bright and funny apocalypse filled with dark punchlines and bursts of ultra-violence [and is] among the best video game adaptations ever made," slapping it with a well-earned 9/10.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
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