With sales this good, your pile of shame's about to become a colossal pillar of discounts. This last-gasp-of-April haul packs a punch across all platforms, whether you’re craving tactical drama, nostalgic chaos, or sprawling open worlds. Let’s cut straight to the gems lighting up the digital shelves this week. It's the usual case of grab 'em before they're goneski.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, today's a day of sombre remembrance for two consoles. 28 years ago, we witnessed the discontinuance of Sega's Game Gear, a battery-guzzling beast that sold 10.62M units and I fondly remember for its Sonic games and extravagant TV Tuner attachment. It's also been 23 years since we bade farewell to the Nintendo 64, which delivered phenomenal four-player action, groundbreaking 3D AAAs, and a highscore of 32.93M units sold. I am not shedding a sentimental tear over it. That's just...Control Stick dust in my eye.

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Andor season 2’s second batch of episodes picks up another year later, swapping out action for some proper tragedy as the rebellion gets too big for either side to control. But as we get closer to reconnecting with the larger Star Wars universe as a whole, Andor keeps proving itself to be a truly unique addition to the galaxy far, far away.

You know, it occurred to me that in the two reviews I've done for Andor so far, I haven’t yet mentioned one of my favorite characters: ISB’s spymaster, Major Partagaz. Partially, it’s because his first name is Lio and I’ve got a thing for regular ass sounding names in sci fi and fantasy (see also: the main character of Dune named Paul), but mostly old Lio is such a calm and incredibly smart presence at the center of the Empire’s counterintelligence operation. He’s also responsible for one of my favorite lines – one of the most representative bits of dialogue in this second chapter.

The line comes in episode 6, when Partagaz assigns the task of keeping watch over the expanding interrogation program, the torturous tactic used on Bix in season 1. When his subordinate says it’s an honor, Partagaz is almost disgusted and reminds the guy to “calibrate his enthusiasm.”

It’s another one of this season's sneakily funny moments, but it’s also important for me in understanding what this second chapter is about. In this scene, it’s ISB Supervisor Hiet treating an assignment with an overabundance of importance. This rebellion is getting too big to track. There are so many threads being pulled together the signal-to-noise ratio is unbearable. But, my guy Lio is smart enough to see it, and happily dresses down an underling whose excitement needs some adjustment.

This second chapter is dedicated to the idea of losing control. There’s a leveling of the playing field that happens here in what amounts to the dog days of this rebellion. Everybody is getting worn down by the scope of the fight as it’s starting to transition into something bigger. The ISB is complaining about arresting so many people they can’t properly ingest all the intel they’re gathering. Meanwhile, Luthen can’t keep track of how many bugs he and Kleya have planted around Coruscant and it’s starting to freak him out. The climactic moments of these three episodes are built around them retrieving a listening device from Sculden’s art collection in full view of several Imperial officers – including the father of the Death Star, Orson Krennic.

That’s also why a story about spycraft and espionage is the perfect vehicle for what Tony Gilroy and company are trying to do with this show. This season is inherently a little less mysterious than the first, simply because we know all these people a little better. The question is shifting from “What are they planning?” to “How are they getting away with it?” and the complications that arise are all to do with not being fully in control.

This does a couple things: Number 1 is that this idea trickles down to every character and every storyline which, like in the first batch of episodes, really pulls together otherwise disparate storylines. We get to watch unconnected groups deal with very similar things. Number 2 is that it slows the proceedings down a little bit, which has a good and a bad side.

First, the good: I think Bix has a wonderfully tough arc in these episodes. Her version of losing control is managing the drug use she turns to in order to get through her nightmares of Dr. Gorst and that awful sonic torture. She’s also getting left behind while Cassian is out on assignments, which is obviously difficult but also a far cry from the place we first met her in season 1. She’s paid a steep price for this rebellion after having been swept up into it in ways that I’m sure she wasn’t planning on a few years ago.

But the real highlight of this batch of episodes I think is getting to meet Ghorman, the planet that’s home to all those spiders and all those sweet underground Death Star minerals. It’s no small thing that its inhabitants speak their own language and are subtitled, either. I love the decision to do that. Their culture is portrayed so thoroughly that it makes what the Empire is doing to them about more than just a show of fascism or the brutal lengths they’re willing to go to. It’s about the tragedy of a rich and distinct society being fed to the machine of the Empire. They’ve even got their own middle finger-style gesture that apparently is beyond the pale for town hall meetings. It’s a great detail on par with good set design or the right costume. It fleshes out this world we’ve never seen before and immediately communicates that these are a people worth acknowledging.

And of course the key to the Ghor’s story in these 3 episodes is that they are not in control of their own destiny. Ghorman is just another battlefield the Rebellion and the Empire are fighting over. That’s what’s so brilliant about how the planet is used as a story point. We now have an emotional tie to this place that’s a symbol for what this whole arc is about: trying to get a handle on this conflict.

It’s a lens through which we see Cassian realize the would-be rebels there aren’t ready – but what can he do about it? We get to see Luthen say he’s willing to sacrifice them if it makes the Empire look bad and inspires rebels elsewhere in the galaxy. We get to see Vel and Cinta trying to manage their own destinies, though ultimately they can’t because of the role the rebellion asks them to take in situations like Ghorman. We get to see the Empire with a plan to just nudge the planet into chaos, which is actually a back-up plan for them in case they can’t find an alternative to the mineral.

Ghorman is stuck in the middle, with little to no agency in how things are playing out, but its people want to try. It’s a perfect story to illustrate the push and pull of the rebellion while also getting us emotionally invested in their survival. And ultimately that’s what Star Wars has always been. Rooting for the rebellion used to be painted with a much broader brush, but it’s never quite been so nuanced and intriguing as what the team behind Andor is doing here.

Syril and Dedra’s relationship also continues to be maybe the most fascinating thing to watch in season 2. Particularly with how clever the writers are about lining Syril up right next to Ghorman. There’s a great scene between Syril, Dedra, and Major Lio where you can see him being set up in exactly the same way Ghorman is. It’s such an insidious thing, taking advantage of Syril’s ambitions. He’s being manipulated by Dedra and the ISB in a way that starts to make me feel properly bad for the guy. And I don’t think Dedra feels great about what she’s having to do either. Regardless, the situation is out of their hands.

Meanwhile in the senate, Mon is losing control as well. There’s a great montage of her failing at the politics of it all while her fellow senators won’t budge because they’re afraid of an Imperial reaction. Mon’s effectiveness is waning even in how she presents as a troublesome but ultimately harmless senator. Her line about “are we finding criminals or making them?” is very good. It’s her trying to more directly and openly stand up to the Empire and it’s proving to work less than the more casual obstructionist thing that she had been doing.

The only guy in this arc who’s really not stressing about being in control is Saw Guerra. Where the dramatic irony of his character is concerned – the fact that we see him get blown up along with the rest of Jedha in Rogue One – he’s a guy that’s absolutely thriving in this environment. It’s a great touch to have one character be very aware and very okay with the fact that this will not end well for him. You need that contrast in telling this story. The point of Andor is to largely avoid being as cut-and-dried, good-versus-evil as the original Star Wars, to dig into the gray areas and the infighting that emerge when organizing a revolution.

Having said that, you also need the contrast of this storyline. Saw’s part in this batch of episodes is the one that feels most like a bit of business leading into Rogue One. We don’t learn anything new about Saw, and the way he radicalizes Wilmon doesn’t push the character too much farther from where he already was. Seeing them at D’Qar, a location we know from The Force Awakens, was an Easter egg that threw me a little. I feel like Andor is so devoid of that sort of thing that those grass covered hangers pulled me out of the episode. I mean, it’s not like Yoda showed up out of nowhere, thank the maker, so they’re keeping those larger franchise connections to a minimum.

So as I mentioned up front, there’s some positive to pumping the breaks a little with these three episodes, but there is also something I think I might be missing: Some good old-fashioned Star Wars action sequences. We got a little bit in chapter 1, with Cassian stealing the TIE Fighter and the fleeing the farming planet. But six episodes in and we don’t have anything quite as thrilling as Luthen evading the Empire like he did in the first season, or the heist and escape through the Eye of Aldhani.

But regular thrills and chills are not what Andor is about, very much by design. This is the forgotten side of the rebellion. The side that won’t get a medal on stage in front of the whole squad and that we as an audience aren’t as familiar with. So in that respect it shouldn’t look like the Star Wars that we’ve known since the ’70s. This is a show about smaller wins that have bigger implications.

Yet there’s a side of me that needed a little more action out of these episodes. Admittedly, I could very well be wrong, but it feels a little strange to end the week with Kleya struggling to remove a microphone from an ancient stone book. As tragic as Cinta’s death was, the very deserved thrashing that Vel gives to the Ghorman rebel who killed her is undercut a bit by Luthen and Kleya laughing on their way out of the party. And I was very excited for Bix to get her revenge on Dr. Gorst, because I’m both invested in her as a character and it’s a wonderful little bookend to the idea of taking a certain amount of control back at the end of this arc. Still, episode 6 wraps up in a fairly uneven way.

Cassian and Bix get to walk away from an explosion, which is nearly always cool, though, so that’s at least something. But if I need more action out of this series in particular, it’s probably time to calibrate my enthusiasm.

With May the Fourth fast approaching, otherwise known as Star Wars Day, there's no better time than now to pick up some new goodies to transport you to a galaxy far, far away. If you're a fan of puzzles there are plenty of different Star Wars-themed options to choose from, whether you're an experienced puzzler or looking for a smaller, simpler option to complete with the whole family.

In this list we've gathered up just a few of our favorite Star Wars puzzles that are worth dropping some money on in 2025. These include a couple of exciting 3D builds for those who love a challenge as well as more standard jigsaw puzzles that create a lovely final image that's worth putting up on a wall. Some of these puzzles are even on sale right now, so there's no better time to add them to your shopping cart. Many of them even come from some of our favorite puzzle brands, so you know they're worth the investment.

The Best Star Wars Puzzles to Buy in 2025

Buffalo Games Star Wars 'You Were The Chosen One' Jigsaw Puzzle (2000 Pieces)

Best Puzzle for Adults

For a limited time, Amazon is offering the 7th generation Apple iPad Air M3 tablets at the lowest prices I've seen so far. The 11" model is down to $499 and the 13" model is down to $699, both after a $100 off instant discount. That's the best price we've seen for this 2025 model with the M3 chip and a wonderful gift idea for Mother's Day, which lands on May 11.

New 2025 Apple iPad Air M3 Tablet From $499

Fans hoping to catch the first few episodes of Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld will have to drop into Fortnite if they want to watch the series before it comes to Disney+.

Epic Games unveiled how it will expand upon its existing Star Wars offerings today, revealing that the upcoming animated spinoff’s first two episodes will premiere exclusively through Fortnite. It’s part of the studio’s efforts to double down on Star Wars content for its upcoming Galactic Battle season, which focuses on delivering Star Wars-themed goodies.

You’ll be able to see Tales of the Underworld kick off with two episodes starring Asajj Ventress via the Star Wars Watch Party island starting at 10 a.m. ET on May 2 – two days before the show comes to Disney+ subscribers. Epic encourages fans to link their Epic Games and MyDisney accounts, too, with eligible players being gifted a First Order Stormtrooper outfit in return. It’s unclear how else connecting the accounts will benefit those who participate, though Epic teases that there are “more benefits to come.”

“Disney and Epic are pioneering the future of social entertainment together, and this expansive Star Wars collaboration offers a glimpse into the type of interactive experiences we envision,” Epic Games President Adam Sussman said in a statement. “We are reimagining what’s possible with immersive storytelling in Fortnite with one of the world’s most beloved franchises - stay tuned for a lot more to come.”

You’ll have until May 11 to watch both Tales of the Underworld episodes, at which point Star Wars Watch Party island will no longer be live. It will also feature a Battle Arena for players to duke it out as they use lightsabers to cut down waves of enemies. Those who watch both episodes will earn an Asajj Ventress loading screen.

Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld is a six-episode series animated in the style of The Clone Wars that follows Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane. An official description for the show teases that the former will find herself face to face with a new chance at life and a new ally, while the latter is forced to confront his past.

Disney’s ties with Fortnite extend far past its upcoming Galactic Battle season. The House of Mouse acquired a $1.5 billion stake in Epic in March 2024, positioning itself to collaborate with the game developer for many years to come. It was a move that will see the two powerhouses working together in more ways than one while also resulting in the addition of more Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar outfits in the hit battle royale video game. Some highlights from its next season including Darth Jar Jar and Emperor Palpatine.

Fortnite has continued to dominate the space since its launch in 2017. Other recent collaborations have helped it maintain its status, including a Sabrina Carpenter crossover that had players putting down the pickaxes and putting on their dancing shoes.

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).

Fans of the Alien and Predator franchises have a lot to look forward to in 2025. Not only are we getting two new Predator films from Prey director Dan Trachtenberg with the live-action Predator: Badlands and the animated Hulu offering Predator: Killer of Killers, but we’re also set to receive another major entry in the Alien universe from Fargo and Legion showrunner Noah Hawley with the FX show Alien: Earth. Although these projects are not officially connected yet, fans know that Alien and Predator have a long history as part of a shared universe, with the two iconic monsters crossing paths in numerous films, comic books, and video games.

Examining the latest promotional materials for Predator: Badlands and Alien: Earth may provide clues that Disney is laying the groundwork for a new crossover between Alien and Predator. Let’s take a closer look at the developments in these franchises and why we might see AVP return to the big screen sooner rather than later.

Evil Easter Eggs

The first teaser trailer for Predator: Badlands already made some fans wonder if a new Alien vs. Predator was on its way. The trailer revealed that Elle Fanning will be playing a Weyland-Yutani synthetic who has a connection to a new Predator named Dek, who Trachtenberg confirmed will be the film’s protagonist. Although a Weyland-Yutani android being an important figure in a Predator film doesn’t necessarily mean the film is setting up a major Alien crossover–the two franchises have long since cross-pollinated enough where this reveal isn’t a huge shift in the status quo–it does take on greater significance now that we’ve received new promotional videos for Alien: Earth.

In the Gestation Complete teaser, there are multiple Easter eggs relating to Alien lore. We see the black liquid mutagen from the opening of Prometheus that is used to seed life on Earth by the Engineers. This eventually leads to an egg sac that looks remarkably similar to one attached to a wall in Alien: Romulus. Although the creature that spills out of it resembles a facehugger in shape, it appears to be mutated in new ways. This specimen is revealed to be contained on a ship resembling the Nostromo from the original film, although this vessel is called the Maginot. The creature is designated “Species 37” (a Mass Effect reference?!) and marked as having unknown DNA by the ship’s computer, MU-TH-UR. Since we know the show takes place two years prior to Alien in the series’ timeline, this indicates that Species 37 was what clued Weyland-Yutani into the Xenomorphs in the first place, since the Nostromo’s MU-TH-UR and Ash knew what it was before they landed on LV-426.

A related teaser called Crate features specimen containers, with a narrator stating that the ship “collected five different life forms from the darkest corners of the universe,” and that each one is a unique species. Although a classic Xenomorph crawls over the central crate, the fact that we’re getting five different species means the show appears to be expanding the roster of alien creatures in this universe by a wide margin. Could one of them be related to the Predators? That would certainly track with Badlands being set on an alien world where the lead Predator Dek seems to be hunting extraterrestrial monstrosities. Perhaps Elle Fanning’s android was searching for some of the specimens featured in the show? Or maybe one of these monsters will mutate into something we’ll see in Badlands or Killer of Killers. We won’t know for sure until it premieres, but we wouldn’t be surprised if there’s Predator DNA somewhere in Alien: Earth.

Alien and Predator’s Long, Intertwined History

Alien and Predator have been part of the same world for longer than you might remember. Although the first AVP film was released in 2004, the two space monsters first clashed in a 1989 Dark Horse comic series called Aliens vs. Predator. Predator 2, released the next year in 1990, famously featured an Easter egg referencing Alien by including a Xenomorph skull on the trophy wall of the Predator’s ship. Many other AVP comics and video games were released throughout the ‘90s, cementing the idea of these two creatures having a shared universe long before that idea was popularized in the mainstream by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

However, they may have gotten to the trend too early. Although there were two AVP films released in the 2000s, Paul W. S. Anderson’s Alien vs. Predator in 2004 and The Brothers Strause’s Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007, the series failed to catch on because of poor critical and audience reception (even though they made money at the box office). Although serialized superhero and science-fiction blockbusters were starting to take over the world at the time in large part because of a series of trends set in place by the Star Wars prequel trilogy, not every franchise in the genre space was given the love and care it needed to last long term. AVP was treated as a B-tier property by 20th Century Fox even though both Alien and Predator had excellent films to their names in the past.

Ridley Scott’s original Alien is one of the greatest horror films ever made, James Cameron’s Aliens is among the most iconic movie sequels, and John McTiernan’s original Predator is one of the best action films of the 1980s. Now, we’re not saying AVP needed to aim for an Oscar (or are we?), but few would argue that the two films we received stood up with the best the individual franchises had to offer. The 2010s only made the situation worse with Ridley Scott’s Prometheus series never getting a third entry after the commercial disappointment of Alien: Covenant, and Shane Black’s attempt to rejuvenate the Predator franchise with The Predator falling flat on its face. But after the success of Prey in 2022 and Alien: Romulus in 2024, Alien and Predator have seen their fortunes turn around.

And now that we’ve seen teases of their upcoming projects, the idea of a new AVP seems closer than ever.

Converging for Carnage

We also have to keep in mind that a sequel to Alien: Romulus is currently in development, and that director Fede Álvarez is not just attached to return for that film, but has also outright stated he would be interested in directing an Alien vs. Predator film. Romulus was a big critical and commercial success for Disney, relaunching the franchise after the Prometheus series fell apart while still keeping that part of the brand alive with the Engineer-alike monster in the third act. Cailee Spaeny’s Rain Carradine and David Jonsson’s Andy are currently in stasis heading to Yvaga III, with a direct sequel presumably picking up with those two and their continued voyage in the dark reaches of space. But with Badlands also set in the stars, could we see some cameos or Easter eggs in that film hinting at a Romulus connection?

In fact, Álvarez recently said that the best way to do an Alien vs. Predator movie would be to have it be a surprise to audiences:

“The best AVP will be the one that you don’t know is AVP until the other guy shows up,” the filmmaker recently told Collider. “You think you’re watching a Predator movie, and then they land in some place and there are creatures, and fucking hell, it’s a Xenomorph. That would get me. … Or vice versa, you’re in an Alien movie, and then suddenly a mysterious creature is there, and you can hear that sound, and you see the cloak, and you go, ‘Is that a fucking Predator?’”

Álvarez coming across excited by the idea of AVP gives us hope that a new take on the mash-up will succeed where the previous ones fell short. Setting both of those films on a contemporary Earth limited their scope considerably, and they struggled to get the audience invested in any of their two-dimensional characters. The films were so rejected by the fanbase that an AVP relaunch could throw those movies out of continuity without any hassles and start over with a clean slate. With Badlands switching up the Predator formula by casting a Predator as the lead character, perhaps Dek (provided he survives Badlands) could be the main hero of a new AVP. As well, another entry in the crossover series could finally expand on the Predalien concept introduced in those films. Maybe some Engineer mutagen could create a being that’s part Alien, part Predator, and part Engineer? Now that would be terrifying.

Whatever happens with all of these upcoming projects, both Alien and Predator are in a much healthier state now than they have been in years. Yet that also means that the idea of making a proper crossover film between the two almost certainly has to be on Disney’s radar, especially since an Alien vs. Predator match-up is just about the biggest “event” you can get within this franchise. With cinematic universes and cross-medium integration more popular than ever, a new AVP feels more like a question of when instead of if. Especially with talented filmmakers like Álvarez and Trachtenberg now associated with the property, perhaps these two iconic monsters will finally get the big screen battle they so rightly deserve.

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

Note: This review specifically covers the multiplayer mode of Tempest Rising. For thoughts on the story mode, check out the Tempest Rising single-player campaign review.

The problem with Tempest Rising's multiplayer is that while it's perfectly competent at recreating a slice of the old Command & Conquer multiplayer with a pair of new and interesting factions, it's just that: a slice, rather than the whole pie. With only two factions, nine maps, and the most basic of options for customizing its two or four-player matches, just about everything here screams "minimum viable product." Combine that with the fact that Tempest Rising doesn’t aspire to be anything more than a revival of C&C’s gameplay, and there's not a tremendous amount to get excited about. It may well expand over time – such as whenever the Veti faction arrives – but like a vehicle factory that's only half built, it won't be super useful until you're certain you'll have enough harvested Tempest in the bank to complete it.

I could try to comment on unit balance, but like with any fresh-out-of-the-gate multiplayer game, anything I say will almost certainly soon be obsolete. My anecdotal experiences with the community's apparent preference for GDF over Dynasty, probably thanks to their self-replenishing drone swarms, is likely to either be nerfed in a patch within a week or proven completely wrong. Soon, I'm sure someone way smarter than I am will figure out a devastating counter that reduces the seemingly unbeatable (and admittedly pretty cool) strategy of loading Skycrane transport helios with drone operating infantry to automatically barrage anything in range to a garbage-tier strategy for fools.

So I'll leave that to the folks who are busily hashing out the best build orders and counter strategies for the unique characteristics of each faction, which are mostly remixes of C&C ideas with a few twists to get a hang of. I’m a big fan of the Dynasty’s Scrap Trucks, which let you quickly unfold a vehicle-repairing turret anywhere on the map and start plopping down structures that you can pre-construct at your con yard. Naturally, there's no end to the opportunities for showing off your micromanagement skills by deftly controlling the transforming Trebuchet tanks, picking targets for your long-range artillery and airborne units to clear the way for flamethrowers and armor, activating special abilities to disable groups of enemies and leaving them vulnerable, laying mines, scouting, calling in support abilities, etc. – all while building and protecting your own resource economy and climbing the tech tree.

Because of Tempest Rising's retro style and adherence to time-tested tech trees I've found it instantly familiar and easy to slip back into old habits; I've been enjoying going back to the classic engineer-rush where I steal the enemy's construction yard out from under their noses while a handful of infantry distracts them from the opposite flank. (That'll only work for a short while after launch, so I'm getting that trollish thrill while I can.) If it worked in C&C, it'll probably work here.

There are a few features that feel like they're built almost exclusively for the hyper-competitive set, such as the Doctrine tech tree that invites you to dump thousands of precious Tempest credits into upgrades that, for the most part, don't get all that good until you're several tiers deep. Boosting my infantry health by 15%, for instance, doesn't seem all that worth it until I have a lot of infantry in play (as opposed to building more infantry). At my skill level – and probably that of most people who aren't hardcore players – the vast majority of my games thus far haven't lasted long enough to build up the kind of excess cash I'd need to invest in that sort of thing, with most of them wrapping up before the 15-minute mark. But I'm sure that plenty of people will find uses for these to get the upper hand with specific builds, so it's good to know there's more depth to be mined if you put in the time to train up.

However, if you are a competitive player looking for your next RTS fix, know that Tempest Rising doesn't have a ton for you to play with at the moment. For one thing, if you play ranked, there are only 1v1 matches available. Even if there were 2v2 ranked matches (it's actively being worked on, the developers promise), there would only be three maps available that support four players in teams or free-for-all. 1v1 isn't much better in that regard, with just six options. Combine that with there only being two factions until whenever the Veti expansion comes along – which could be a while given the lack of a published timeline – and it feels pretty slim compared to a lot of the games that inspired it.

There's nothing wrong with the maps that are here – each is a symmetrical layout with areas of high and low elevation, plenty of bottlenecks and alternate routes, all dotted with capturable neutral structures that can give you a "free" (for the cost of an engineer) foothold to build defenses and forward production off of, as well as a few that generate resources. It's simply that there's nothing unexpected – good or bad – at all, and that gives it a very bog-standard feeling. It’s hard to make the argument that Tempest Rising has gone for quality over quantity when there are no big standouts.

Infinity Nikki and its multiplayer-focused 1.5 update are out on Steam and a parade of drama is walking hand in hand with them.

Infold Games’ stylish dress-up adventure made its way to Valve’s digital storefront yesterday following months of Epic Game Store exclusivity. What could have been a moment for fans to celebrate has instead been marred by a wardrobe of technical issues, perplexing design changes, and demanding outfit requirements. The developers have since apologized while promising compensation for those who feel wronged – but the battle for Infinity Nikki is far from over.

Infinity Nikki PC players were excited to hop into its Steam release yesterday but were met with technical issues that range from an inability to launch the game due to crashes and general instability. Infold’s darling dress-up game is far from the first project to suffer from technical issues at launch, but as players began to flood in, they took issue with more than its performance.

Two new five-star Infinity Nikki outfits, Snowbound Ballad and Undying Ember, contain 11 pieces, meaning you’ll be spending quite a bit of time (up to 220 pulls) – and money – to collect full sets. It’s more than the usual size players are used to, and it arrived without warning. The fear is that these outfit piece requirements will only increase past the already big ask associated with collecting 11 pieces.

Meanwhile, Infold moved to swiftly extend its Crown of Miraland: Peak Arena event to last three weeks instead of two, a shakeup that sent a wave of confusion through the community. With technical issues abound and Infold slowly implementing monetization practices that demand more from its fans, members of the Infinity Nikki Chinese player base took to social media platform RedNote to speak up as the issue quickly ballooned into a full-on movement. Now, large portions of its community across the globe are calling on others to not only boycott Infinity Nikki on Steam but also leave negative reviews and uninstall it on all available platforms.

“What I am reminding people of is a decent amount of Chinese IN stylists pledging to not spend/pull on the banners to send a message to the digital income trackers for the game,” Reddit user kiaxxl said in a call-to-action post they published earlier today. “For gacha games, tracking how successful a new batch of content is usually measured on the first few days. Holding back your pulls for a couple of days can help show we want IN to remain fun and fair for all players.”

Infinity Nikki users across social media have taken note of Infold’s strategic changes, and there have been results. It currently sits with a “Mixed” rating on Steam as players leave negative reviews warning newcomers to stay away until demands are met and grievances are addressed.

The Infinity Nikki boycott snowballed to the point that Infold eventually moved to issue an apology letter across its official channels. It comes with the reassurance that many of the more prominent technical hiccups have already been addressed as the company promises to improve communication about adjustments in the future.

“Thank you again for your support,” Infold’s message says. “We know we still have shortcomings, but it’s because of your companionship that Nikki can keep pushing the boundaries of imagination. Please give us another chance to let Nikki’s starlight continue shining for all of us, ensuring our sincerity never fades.”

Apology Letter Regarding Version 1.5 Gaming Experience

Dear Stylists,
Hope this message finds you well.
First and foremost, we would like to extend our sincerest apologies. We are truly sorry that we were unable to provide you with a stable experience upon the release of the new… pic.twitter.com/YEjpGQpKho

— Infinity Nikki (@InfinityNikkiEN) April 29, 2025

Included in the message were promises to revert Mira Crown to end May 16 and kick off the next season the same day, while also ensuring players will receive compensation in the form of 10 Revelation Crystals, 10 Resonance Crystals, and 1200 Diamonds. It’s all an important step in the right direction but far from the complete overhaul many were hoping to see.

While some took Infold’s concession as an undisputed victory, others remain concerned about the team’s decision to keep its new outfits at 11 pieces. What’s more, while the studio has promised to maintain communication in the future, it appears as though some five-star outfits will still reach that dreaded 11-part requirement.

I wish you would finally chance the drop rate.. it cant be that i need 200 pulls to get a 5star and then you drop like 5 banners within weeks?! Make the rate lower or give us more diamonds to be able to get crystals.. this is not fun!

— Denise92 (@nikkie92denise) April 29, 2025

Infinity Nikki stylists have already started celebrating the quick turnaround they undeniably had a hand in bringing to life, even if it isn’t exactly the win they were hoping for. Boycotters want one thing from the rest of the community now that some changes are being made: keep up the pressure.

“Think about it: CN players are pointing out that if we accept the 11-piece outfits and pity as it is, most new 5 stars will be 11 pieces,” Reddit user EdensAsmr said. “Imagine if every new major update has two 11-piece 5-star banners? That means you have to save even more to be able to handle it, and 70-80 pulls per patch will not cut it.”

Infinity Nikki Update 1.5 is live now, and we’ve got all the details you need to know in our Infinity Nikki 1.5 Bubble Season hub. Players can get 100 pulls for free, and there are also new codes that can be redeemed for rewards, including Resonance Crystals and Diamonds. If you’re exploring the new Sea of Stars area, head to our Infinity Nikki interactive map, where you can track your exact progress with checklists.

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).

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 3 is continuing its line of weed-themed additions with a full-on Seth Rogen Operator.

Activision unveiled how the marijuana enthusiast and Hollywood star will join the iconic FPS’s string of cameo characters in a blog post on its website today. He’ll bring his memorable laughs and colorful attire to Call of Duty players as part of the High Art event pass, which is set to roll into Black Ops 6 Season 3 Reloaded come May 1.

High Art is available from May 1 – 15 and has two tiers: one free and one premium. You’ll miss out on the Rogen Operator if you stick with the free pass, which comes with seven goodies that pay homage to pot in different ways, including a Casual Ops Operator skin. The premium pass, meanwhile, is packed with references to The Studio and Superbad star, with both the Fired Up and Host Rogen Operator skins being its biggest highlights. There’s also the “Ha!” emote, which suggests players will be able to bring the moviemaker’s iconic giggle to both Multiplayer and Warzone.

Walmart is currently offering the lowest price I've seen this year for a 75" Samsung 4K smart TV. Right now you can pick up a 75" Samsung DU7200B Crystal 4K smart TV for only $399 shipped (you'll see the price when you add the TV to your cart). It's sold and shipped by Walmart direct, not a marketplace vendor, so it comes with a 1-year Samsung warranty.

75" Samsung DU7200B Crystal 4K Smart TV for $399

In addition to the roughly 100 job cuts IGN reported earlier today at Respawn Entertainment, EA has made wider cuts across its organization today, impacting around 300 individuals total including those already reported at Respawn.

IGN understands that these wider cuts largely impacted EA's Experiences team, which includes groups such as EA's Fan Care team and various others working on customer support and marketing, though other EA departments saw reductions as well. As with other cuts at EA, those impacted will be given the opportunity to apply for other roles internally prior to being let go.

"As part of our continued focus on our long-term strategic priorities, we’ve made select changes within our organization that more effectively aligns teams and allocates resources in service of driving future growth," an EA spokesperson said in an official statement.

"We are treating our people with care and respect throughout this process, working to minimize impacts by helping affected employees explore new opportunities within the company when possible and providing support during the transition."

The roughly 100 jobs impacted at Respawn included individuals in development, publishing, and QA workers on Apex Legends, as well as smaller groups of individuals working on the Jedi team and two canceled incubation projects, one of which we reported on back in March, and the other of which was, per Bloomberg's reporting, a new Titanfall game.

These cuts follow a number of other layoffs over the last few years at EA, including the elimination of 50 jobs at BioWare in 2023 and an unknown number more at Codemasters, and in 2024 a larger restructuring that resulted in 670 workers laid off company-wide, including around two dozen workers at Respawn.. And earlier this year, EA restructured BioWare, moving developers to other projects and laying off others.

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.

Here's your best opportunity to sign up for an Audible membership at a stellar price. Starting now and running through April 30, you can sign up for three months of Audible Premium Plus for just $0.99 per month. Premium Plus is Audible's highest tier plan and normally costs $14.95/mo. As a additional subscription perk, you get a free audiobook of your choice for each of those three months and you get to keep them indefinitely.

Both new and currently expired Audible customers are eligible

Anyone who doesn't currently have an active Audible membership should be eligible. That includes new subscribers as well as existing members whose subscriptions have since expired. There's always a small your-mileage-may-vary disclaimer with these types of promotions, but fortunately it's easy to check if you qualify: log into your account, and if you see the $0.99/mo banner right on Amazon's Audible page then you're eligible for this promotion.

3 Months of Audible Premium Plus for $0.99 per Month

Diablo 4 Season 8 gives us our first true look at one of the franchise’s Great Evils, as Belial, Lord of Lies, descends on Sanctuary and takes his place at the top rung of the revamped Boss Ladder. Lay claim to his and other seasonal Boss Powers by traversing the world and defeating Hell’s greatest threats. Blizzard has thrown down the gauntlet with this new season, increasing difficulty across the board while tamping down top-end outliers. To combat this, IGN and Maxroll have teamed up to bring you a fresh set of guides to help you claim the immeasurable power of Diablo IV’s toughest enemies and fight back against the demonic hordes.

Diablo 4 Seasonal Theme: Boss Powers

Season 8 allows you to harness the powers of Diablo IV’s toughest foes. There are 24 Boss Powers available, and the first time you defeat each of these Bosses, you claim their power for yourself.

Boss Powers each have a Main and Modifier effect to boost your build. You can equip 1 Main Power and 3 Modifiers, and all powers can be upgraded to increase the potency of both effects. Use ‍Spectral Ash to upgrade them, dropped from Apparition Incursions and by defeating any Boss.

Apparition Incursions

The new seasonal mechanic, Apparition Incursions, is available at any difficulty level, and gives you the opportunity to unlock a subset of the available Boss Powers very early on. Various Apparition Monsters appear in these timed boss rush events throughout Sanctuary. Defeating these monsters spawns 1 of 10 possible Apparition Bosses and defeating them grants you their Boss Power.

After defeating the first Boss, continue the event for a chance to fight a second Apparition Boss, after which Belial himself joins the fray.

Reworked Diablo 4 Boss Ladder

Beginning in Torment difficulty, you can now challenge Diablo IV’s Boss Ladder without collecting any prerequisite materials. This means you can claim the remaining Boss Powers as soon as you’re strong enough. The items previously used as summoning materials have been rebranded as Lair Boss Keys, and instead unlock a chest after defeating each boss to grant the associated Uniques and Mythic Uniques. Stygian Stones make their return in Season 8 with a new functionality. Namely, they can be converted into Lair Boss Keys for Greater Lair Boss (Duriel, Andariel, and Harbinger of Hatred).

When any Initiate or Greater Boss Hoard is unlocked, there is a chance for an apparition of Belial to ambush the player. Defeating this “mini-Belial” rewards the player with a second instance of that Lair Boss’s loot, as well as Betrayer’s Husks, the Lair Boss Key for Belial. Belial’s Loot table is special in its own right: though you won’t be afforded a chance to double it, you can select rewards from any other Lair Boss’s Hoard upon his defeat.

New Diablo 4 Lair Bosses

You may have noticed some new but familiar faces in the infographic above. While Belial sits atop the Boss ladder as the sole Exalted Lair Boss, two more Bosses from Diablo IV’s Vessel of Hatred expansion slot as a new Initiate and Greater Lair Boss.

Urivar

Urivar can be found in the Fields of Judgement in Nahantu. Wielding ethereal swords and calling on his formidable Knights Penitent, this formidable commander is not to be trifled with! For more info on Urivar’s location, loot table, and abilities, check out Maxroll’s Urivar Boss Guide.

Harbinger of Hatred

This demonic doggo makes his den in the Lingering Hatred region of Nahantu, and channels Mephisto’s dark energy to lunge, bite, and spew fire in an attempt to thwart any would-be adversary. Be wary of his many ground effects and next of kin. For tips to overcome the ladder’s newest Greater Boss, see Maxroll’s Harbinger of Hatred Boss Guide.

The Best Diablo 4 Season 8 Leveling Builds

Barbarian - Upheaval

The newest skill added to the Barbarian’s arsenal, Upheaval provides screen-clearing AoE on a short delay, as do its Cooldown-based counterparts in Ground Stomp and Mighty Throw. As early game Fury generation is the Upheaval Barbarian’s nemesis, it employs Leap and Aspect of the Relentless Master along with the Walking Arsenal Key Passive to stay in the fight.

Druid - Lightning Storm

The Lightning Storm Druid is by far the easiest Druid build to get off the ground. With relatively low Spirit costs and no real dependency on Codex aspects, its screen-wide AoE is excellent at most farming activities. It employs the full suite of Companions for their strong early game damage and to leverage the Clarity passive. Given time to set up, this passive allows the build to channel at near-max Critical Strike Chance from a very low level.

Necromancer - Minion

Minion Necromancer is one of the most simple and efficient leveling builds to gear and play. With your Minions carrying the majority of the weight, you can comfortably level up with ease. During the early levels you use Sever to aid your undead forces, but later you lead an army of Skeletal Warrior Reapers and Cold Skeletal Mages to victory across Sanctuary.

Rogue - Dance of Knives

Do you want to easily Spin2Win to Torment 1 and beyond? Then this is the build for you. This ‍Dance of Knives build does not need to manage Energy, nor does it rely on any aspects. You utilize the power of snapshotting ‍Concealment and ‍Shadow Imbuement to scale your ‍Dance of Knives. Dark Shroud handles your defenses while leveling, and provides a nice Movement Speed bonus.

Sorcerer - Firewall

Lure enemies into your Firewalls to burn them to death. Combine this with powerful Conjuration skills like Familiar and Hydra for supporting fire, and Spark to restore mana and you have a well-rounded offensive package. Defensively, you use Ice Armor while Teleporting across the battlefield to avoid damage. Keep moving and watch enemies burn to death in your wake.

Spiritborn - Quill Volley

Quill Volley Spiritborn is a ranged powerhouse. You fire several feathers that fan out while being able to shotgun enemies at close range, creating a superb mix of AoE and single target damage. Add in the Rebounding Aspect to hit enemies up to 16 times in a single attack! Between Soar, Rushing Claw and the Seeker this build has mobility for days, ensuring you’ll be in endgame in no time.

The Best Diablo 4 Season 8 Endgame Builds

Barbarian - Earthquake

Play HotA Quake with Mantle of the Mountain’s Fury to smash your enemies so hard the world itself shatters around you! Leap onto foes, unleash devastating ground stomps and even use Call of the Ancients to summon your ancestors to aid you in battle. If you are looking for a build that prefers to be in a target-rich environment, then Earthquake Barbarian is the build for you in Season 8.

Druid - Cataclysm

Even after a myriad of nerfs, the Cataclysm Druid returns as the top option for Druids in Season 8. As it can no longer maintain snapshotted buffs through successive casts, the build instead relies on the Provocation passive to guarantee overpowers on a per-cast basis. It recovers the Critical Strike Chance lost from the Xan rune through gear tempers, runes, and Boss Powers. Despite the setbacks, it’s still capable of clearing most endgame content before you even notice the mobs are there.

Necromancer - Blood Wave / Bone Spear

With two of the top builds across all classes, Necromancer is an incredibly strong choice for Season 8. Blood Wave or “Shadow Surfer” fills the screen with Blood and Darkness using AoE moves that cover the entire screen in devastation. Alternatively, as a Bone Spear Necromancer you impale your foes with massive spears of blood thanks to Indra’s Memory. Place your enemies in a Bone Prison to guarantee an Overpower from the Bone Duster’s Aspect for even more damage. So, whether you prefer Shadow Surfer or Bone Spear, you can’t go wrong with Necromancer in the Season of Belial’s Return!

Rogue - Death Trap

Stack Cooldown Reduction to spam the Rogue’s powerful Death Trap Ultimate Skill and deal huge damage to anything caught in the blast. Then watch as your Death Trap re-arms itself to fire again thanks to the Eyes in the Dark Unique Pants. This build has been a rogue staple since the release of Diablo 4 and it’s still going strong.

Sorcerer - Lightning Spear

Summon Spears of living Lightning, use the Aspect of Splintering energy to ride the lightning and deal massive damage. Then activate Unstable Currents to spawn even more Lightning Spears. This build scales well into the late game, benefiting from Mythic Uniques like Heir of Perdition and Ring of Starless Skies.

Spiritborn - Quill Volley

The endgame Quill Volley Spiritborn build rapidly fires shotgunning feathers to deal with both groups of foes and dangerous bosses. Harmony of Ebewaka enables a massive damage bonus by combining the Gorilla and Jaguar Spirit Halls. With Rod of Kepeleke and Ring of the Midnight Sun you create an infinite resource loop, immediately spending and restoring all of your Vigor with each attack.

Season 8 Tier Lists

Bossing

As the theme of Season 8 centers around Bossing, we’ll bet you’re wondering about which archetypes are the best to take down these worthy adversaries and claim their Powers. Well, the folks at Maxroll have highlighted the most effective Bossers in their Bossing Builds Tier List.

Leveling

Perhaps you have a particular class fantasy in mind but don’t love the top picks for leveling above. No worries, for a complete list of all of Maxroll’s leveling builds and how they’re ranked, see their Leveling Builds Tier List here.

Endgame

By endgame, most issues a build will typically run into can be solved by advanced gear, runes, and paragon. This opens up a wide array of build possibilities across all classes, but their ability to push Diablo IV’s endgame system, the Pit, to its limit varies. To see how the builds stack up, check out Maxroll’s Endgame Builds Tier List.

Speedfarming

Any ARPG enthusiast knows that speed is the great differentiator in terms of character progression and gearing. When you’re not pushing your build to its limits in the Pit, activities such as Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, and Tree of Whispers bounties play a key role in boosting your character. To see which builds tackle this task the best, click on Maxroll’s Speedfarming Builds Tier List.

Written By IGN Staff, with help from the Maxroll Diablo 4 Team.

The Champions League continues to heat up as the semi-finals get underway from Tuesday, the 29th of April, starting with Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain to kick off the first leg.

The Arsenal vs PSG Champions League semi-final will start at 8:00pm BST / 3:00pm ET. Depending on where you planning on watching from across the world, though, exactly where you need to go to watch the match will differ. In the UK, the match will be ready to stream on Amazon Prime — which has a 30-day trial available for new subscribers.

While Arsenal has once again laid out the various viewing options available in each country, the best among the handful of choices in the United States is watching it on Paramount+ US, which still has a seven-day trial available.

How to Watch the Champions League Semi-Final Online

How to Watch for Free

However, if you've already used the free trial for each streaming service in your country, respectively, you can use a VPN so you can get around the geo-blockers and make use of the other country's service where the match will also be available.

For example, sporting events like Champions League Matches aren't available on the US' version of Amazon Prime. However, if you use a VPN to change your location to London—like SurfShark, which is running an 87% off sale until the end of the month—you can sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial, watch the match, cancel your membership, and enjoy the rest of the semi-final matches still due for the Champions League.

Just the day after Arsenal vs Paris, Barcelona will be facing Inter Milan on Wednesday, the 30th of April—with the second leg match taking place on Tuesday, the 6th of May. Then, to finish the second leg, Paris will be facing Arsenal once again.

In-between games, you can make the use of either your UK Amazon Prime or US Paramount+ subscriptions for expert pre- and post-match coverage. You can even check out replays of past games you missed, giving you one of the best-value deals you can get out of a free trial and modestly priced VPN subscription.

How to Watch Arsenal vs. PSG in the UK

There’s a good argument to be made for Doom’s inclusion among the most influential game franchises of all time. It’s widely considered the progenitor of the first-person shooter genre that’s dominated the market for decades, paving the way for franchises like Call of Duty and Halo while retaining its relevance with excellent modern shooters.

As we near the release of the series’ next chapter, we’ve compiled a chronological list of every Doom game in order.

How Many Doom Games Are There?

There are six Doom games, excluding add-ons and enhanced versions of previously released games, though those are noted within each blurb where applicable. Doom: The Dark Ages will be the seventh mainline Doom game. This list excludes mobile games like Doom RPG, Doom Resurrection, and Mighty Doom.

Which Doom Game Should You Play First?

There are two logical starting points for new players: Doom (1993) or Doom (2016). Most players are better off starting with the 2016 version given its modern design. However, if you’re hellbent on experiencing the full story, your starting point has to be the 1993 original.

Every Doom Game in Chronological Order

The blurbs below contain broad spoilers for the plot of each game.

1. Doom (1993)

Following the release of id Software’s first two games — Commander Keen and Wolfenstein — the developer introduced Doom to the world in late 1993. The shooter was released with three episodes: Knee-Deep in the Dead, The Shores of Hell, and Inferno; the fourth episode, Thy Flesh Consumed, was released in 1995 as part of The Ultimate Doom.

Doom begins the saga by introducing the series’ original protagonist, an unnamed marine known as Doomguy, and sending him on a demon-slaying mission up to Mars before descending to hell. It ends with Doomguy’s discovery of a demon invasion on Earth, setting up the following year’s sequel.

2. Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994)

A year later, id Software released Doom II: Hell on Earth, picking up with the demon invasion of Earth seen at the end of Doom. Doomguy helps the survivors escape into space, leaving him as the last man on Earth, before descending back into hell to close the portal between the two realms.

Two add-on episodes were later released for Doom II: No Rest for the Living in 2010 and Legacy of Rust in 2024. Final Doom was a separate, two-episode game created by a community of mappers in 1996, though its content has since been consolidated into modern versions of Doom II.

All of the post-launch episodes mentioned above are set between the events of Doom II and Doom 64.

3. Doom 64 (1997)

Doom 64, id Software’s third entry in the franchise (and the third chronologically), sends Doomguy back into space to deal with an escaped demon and its reincarnated army. To defeat the threat, our hero eventually returns to hell, where he chooses to live out his years protecting humanity from the potential of future invasions.

The 2020 remaster of Doom 64 added The Lost Levels, which is set after Doom 64 and serves as a bridge between the original games and the rebooted series that began in 2016.

4. Doom 3 (2004)

There’s no definitive answer as to where Doom 3 exists on this timeline. Arguments have been made that it takes place before Doom (1993), after Doom 64, or in an alternate timeline altogether. We’re placing it after 64 given its later release date and our best understanding of the timeline, though its placement is ultimately inessential to understanding the ongoing narrative.

In Doom 3, players step into the boots of Doom Marine, an unnamed soldier who is not Doomguy from the previous games. The marine is tasked with investigating strange incidents at a remote laboratory on Mars. What follows is a demonic invasion of the Red Planet and the uncovering of a conspiracy to destroy humanity.

An add-on/sequel called Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil was released the following year. It’s set two years after the events of Doom 3 and follows a different unnamed marine’s attempt to return an artifact to hell.

A remastered version called Doom 3: BFG Edition was released in 2012 and included a new expansion called The Lost Mission, which takes place within the events of Doom 3. This version is also playable in virtual reality as Doom 3: VR Edition.

5. Doom (2016)

The 2016 reboot of Doom introduced Doom Slayer and began a new set of stories within id Software’s Doom universe. The story begins with Doom Slayer being awakened from a sarcophagus to deal with a new demonic threat on a Martian research facility. Doom Slayer, traveling back and forth between hell and Mars, again thwarts the demons' attacks, before being betrayed and teleported to an unknown location.

A VR spinoff called Doom VFR was released in 2017. It’s set after the events of Doom and follows a Union Aerospace Corporation employee named Dr. Peters.

6. Doom Eternal (2020)

The latest game in the chronology is Doom Eternal. Set after the events of Doom (2016), Eternal sees Doom Slayer return to end another demonic invasion of Earth by killing the three Hell Priests. The story includes a key piece of series lore, revealing the connection between the original Doomguy and Doom Slayer.

Doom Eternal extended the timeline with two expansions: The Ancient Gods Part 1 and The Ancient Gods Part 2. The two-part story picks up after the events of Eternal, with the demons gathering strength in other dimensions and Doom Slayer enacting a new plan to destroy them. Part 1 culminates in the summoning of the Dark Lord; Part 2 is Doom Slayer’s pursuit and confrontation of the Dark Lord, revealing further details about the hero’s past.

Every Doom Game By Release Date

• Doom (1993)
• Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994)
• Doom 64 (1997)
• Doom 3 (2004)
• Doom (2016)
• Doom Eternal (2020)
• Doom: The Dark Ages (2025)

Upcoming Doom Games

The next game will be Doom: The Dark Ages, due out May 15. Doom: The Dark Ages stars Doom Slayer, a new and more powerful iteration of Doomguy that debuted in Doom (2016). The Dark Ages is a prequel to Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, according to Bethesda, in which players “step into the blood-stained boots of the Doom Slayer, in [a] never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.” You can check out more of IGN's coverage ahead of the game's release:

• Doom Is Having Its Halo Moment With The Dark Ages
• How Doom's Combat Evolves Alongside Modern Metal Music
• Doom: The Dark Ages Developers Discuss the Future of Doom

Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.

EA has canceled another incubation project at Respawn Entertainment today, and simultaneously laid off a number of individuals across its incubation, Apex Legends, and Star Wars: Jedi teams, IGN has learned.

In a post today from the studio, Respawn announced it has "made the decision to step away from two early-stage incubation projects and make some targeted team adjustments across Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi." One of these canceled incubation projects is the same one already reported on back in March. The other, Bloomberg reports, was an extraction shooter set in the Titanfall universe, code-named R7.

"These decisions aren’t easy, and we are deeply grateful to every teammate affected — their creativity and contributions have helped build Respawn into what it is today," the post continued. "We’re offering meaningful support to those impacted, including exploring new opportunities within EA."

IGN understands that roughly 100 individuals are affected by the changes, including a mix of developers, publishing, and QA workers on Apex Legends, as well as smaller groups of individuals on the Jedi team and on the incubation projects. IGN also understands that at least some, though not all, of the developers from the incubation project reported on in March have already been moved to work on Iron Man at EA Motive, Battlefield, and other projects. When asked, EA declined to comment on the exact number of individuals impacted, saying it is offering impacted individuals 30 days to find a new opportunity inside the organization and is endeavoring to find roles for as many individuals as it can internally.

Internally at Respawn, work will continue on Apex Legends as well as the game's next iteration, the next entry in the Star Wars: Jedi franchise, and support on the upcoming Bit Reactor Star Wars game, Star Wars: Zero Company. EA declined to say whether or not any other incubation projects are currently in the works.

In addition to these changes, Respawn SVP of operations Daniel Suarez is being elevated to general manager of Respawn, and will report directly to Vince Zampella. Previously, Zampella served as GM of Respawn, the studio he founded, in addition to his role as head of the Battlefield franchise. Zampella will continue as group GM and EVP overseeing both Battlefield and Respawn.

Notably, just last February, EA told investors that Apex Legends was "not headed in the direction that we have wanted" and hadn't been for some time. CEO Andrew Wilson said that Respawn is currently working on a major update, dubbed "Apex 2.0".

“Our expectation is that Apex will also be one of those franchises and that sometime on a longer-term time horizon, there will be an even bigger, more meaningful update to that broader game experience, an Apex 2.0, if you will. This will not be the final incarnation of Apex," Wilson said.

These changes continue a trend at EA of canceled projects, layoffs, and restructuring that's been going on for several years now. It began in 2023 with the elimination of 50 jobs at BioWare and an unknown number more at Codemasters, and continued when EA laid off 670 workers company-wide, including around two dozen workers at Respawn, and canceled several projects. More recently, EA restructured BioWare, moving developers to other projects and laying off others.

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.

A previous version of this article erroneously stated that around 100 people are employed at Respawn. This has been amended above and in the headline. The piece has also been updated to add more detail about ongoing projects at Respawn and developer re-allocation.

Something is on the way for the intrepid Helldivers of Helldivers 2. Arrowhead Game Studios is announcing the new Warbond next week, and there will be some exciting news soon after.

In an update posted to the r/Helldivers2 subreddit, Arrowhead Game Studios relayed a short message:

Greetings, Helldivers!

A quick update from us.

We know it’s been a while since our last update, fear not — we are cooking!

You may have noticed that the gap between our major updates and Warbond releases is a little longer this time. But we’re happy to say we’ll be announcing our next Warbond on May 8, and there will be more exciting news to come not long after.

We won’t stand on ceremony too much in revealing what that Warbond might be, but you’ll hear more from us soon. Until then: stand up straight, polish those boots and keep that uniform in tip-top condition, Helldivers.

You’ll be needing them for the fight to come.

Arrowhead

While players were expecting an update today, it seems like all news is pushed out to next week and after. That said, the one teaser image has given players a little bit to go on.

As one poster noted, the Super Earth flag looks a little "pointy" and also a little "grabby," indicating the spike at the top and the grip on the pole. Could this be a weaponized Super Earth flag, ready to spread democracy with its pointy end through the galaxy?

The easy speculation is that this is a new Stratagem of some kind, possibly a support item meant to bolster Helldiver efforts. "AOE buff flag? Yes please!" one user said. "What? No, we would be happy with a normal run-of-the-mill flag," another responded. Good to know the Helldivers haven't lost their sense of humor after holding out against the hordes of machines, bugs, and aliens.

This has coincided with an interesting outcome in the latest Major Order. Despite efforts from the Helldivers failing, the gravity field was activated in its "mostly-completed state" and slowed the Meridian Wormhole — a long-standing, ever-present threat — to a halt. With it, the Illuminate have reportedly "disappeared," which is not at all worrisome.

Given Arrowhead's tease about "needing" our equipment for the fight to come, it seems like the Helldivers 2 studio is cooking up something dramatic for the next update and beyond. We'll learn what's in store on May 8, when the next Warbond is revealed.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

The popular Legend of Zelda Legendary Edition Box Set manga by Akira Himekawa is 42% off at Amazon right now. This is a great deal for anyone wanting to take a deep dive into the Legend of Zelda lore, try their hand at reading manga, or buy the perfect gift for that special Zelda fan in your life.

If you're interested in learning more about this set before you buy, make sure to check out our guide to all of the official Legend of Zelda books and manga.

The Legend of Zelda - Legendary Edition Box Set on Sale

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is set for Patch 8 and with it the hotly anticipated Horde Mode, which fans hope will breathe new life into the third-person action game.

In a post on publisher Focus Entertainment’s website, developer Saber Interactive revealed how the Horde mode will work. It’s for up to three players (you can play solo with two bots, like in the PvE Operations mode), and, as you’d expect, you fight increasingly difficult waves of Tyranids and Chaos. Your class and weapon levels are based on your PvE levels.

“Difficulty will increase for each wave defeated, so you’ll have to prepare yourself accordingly to vaporize as many waves as you can,” Focus and Saber said.

The companies also offered a first look, below, at the Horde mode map, which takes place in Kadaku. Kadaku is the Imperial Jungle World Space Marine 2 players will already be familiar with. The Horde Mode release date is yet to be announced, but it sounds like it’s not too far off.

Hulu has been around for a while and, for our money, it's one of the absolute best streaming services available. From great movies like Anatomy of a Fall and Prey to excellent television series like the Golden Globe-winning Shogun, Abbott Elementary, and The Handmaid's Tale there is always something awesome to watch. We've also got the highly-anticipated Alien: Earth series on our radar this year, even though a release date is still to be announced.

Below, we've detailed all of the best Hulu deals and bundles so you can get started on your streaming adventures with its library right away. This includes the Hulu, Disney+, and Max streaming bundle, which starts at just $16.99/month and is currently the best value available for the streaming services following the Disney Plus and Hulu price hikes. To see even more streaming deals, make sure to check out our roundups of the best Disney Plus deals and the best Max deals.

How to Get The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max Streaming Bundle

The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle can be purchased on 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 all three platforms. If you're looking to cut down on streaming costs and currently own all three of these, this is an excellent bundle to invest in. It'll save you quite a bit compared to what you'd pay for the three of them separately per month - 43% on the ad-supported plan and 42% on the ad-free plan.

Hulu deal for students — Get Hulu (With Ads) for just $1.99/month

If you're a student enrolled in a university (a US Title IV accredited college or university, per Hulu's website), you can sign up for Hulu (With Ads) for $1.99 a month. That's an excellent deal if you're a student, saving you $8 on the usual monthly price.

Hulu subscription tiers

Hulu: Bundle to Best

If you want a more affordable option when it comes to a Hulu subscription, you can't go wrong with a bundle, and Hulu has several to choose from:

• Hulu + Live TV (With Ads) — Hulu + Live TV (With Ads) is $82.99/month and includes Disney+ and ESPN+. It also gives you access to more than 75 channels with live TV and unlimited DVR functionality. The Hulu + Live TV plan also has a three-day free trial to test out the service.
• Hulu + Live TV (Ad-Free) — The ad-free version of Hulu+Live TV is $95.99/month and comes with ad-free versions of Hulu and Disney Plus, although ESPN still shows ads.
• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic — This is the most economic bundle. It will set you back $10.99/month and comes with subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. It lets you stream on multiple devices at once and comes with ad-supported versions of both Disney+ and Hulu.
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Basic — This bundle adds ESPN+ into the mix alongside Disney+ and Hulu, 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 — This bundle 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.

What can you watch on Hulu?

There is a bonkers amount of shows and movies you can watch on Hulu. Let's start at the top and simply talk about the verticals on offer with the base subscription, because if we also talk about what is available via Disney+, ESPN+, or live TV, we'll be here forever. (You can also sync up Hulu with Max to gain access to things like Succession and House of the Dragon.)

Here's what you get:

• Network and Hulu Original television shows (AMC, Adult Swim, ABC, A&E, FX, etc.)
• Movies (HBO, Hulu Originals, anime films, etc.)
• Sports (NHL, Soccer, MLB, Auto Racing, NFL, College Football, PGA, Tennis, etc.)
• News (ABC News Live, Good Morning America, World News Tonight, 20/20, The View, etc.)

Hulu television

Hulu has some amazing shows, both those that are finished and many which are ongoing. For comedy, there are plenty of options to choose from, including New Girl, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, What We Do In The Shadows, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Broad City, Abbott Elementary, and so much more.

There are also some big Hulu originals to watch, including The Bear, The Old Man, The Handmaid's Tale, and Only Murders In The Building.

As far as animated fare, there are modern adult classics like Rick and Morty and Bob's Burgers, as well as Futurama, Family Guy, and King of the Hill. Anime staples like Cowboy Bebop are also available. And if you want to bring more youth-friendly fun, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and Curious George are just a small sample of what Hulu has available.

The future of Hulu

Hulu isn't going anywhere. As a matter of fact, beyond it being awarded the best streaming service by us and receiving a 9/10 in our updated Hulu review, it was bought in full by Disney in November 2023 and the House of Mouse has created a one-app experience for those bundling Hulu and Disney+. With an FX partnership, Hulu is also home to those shows, including the latest drama miniseries, Shogun.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Original story from Brian Barnett.

In terms of upcoming sales events, the only thing bigger than Prime Day is Black Friday. So if you plan on making any major purchases this year, your best bet is to wait for the Amazon-led shopping event in July or hold out for Black Friday sales in November. Now that Amazon has officially confirmed that Prime Day will be taking place in July again this year, shoppers can look forward to another summer sales extravaganza.

While Amazon did confirm the month and which countries the event will take place in, the retailer still hasn't announced a specific date. That being said, we can make some guesses as to when the Amazon shopping holiday will begin in 2025.

When Is Amazon Prime Day 2025?

Amazon has officially stated that Prime Day will be taking place again in July 2025. This follows the same pattern as previous years, so we can take a stab at when the actual dates of the sale will be. Last year, Amazon Prime Day ran for two days on Tuesday, July 16 through Wednesday, July 17. These dates landed on the third week of the month, so if we apply the same timing to this year, that puts the Amazon Prime Day 2025 dates at July 15-16. We likely won't get an official announcement from Amazon about the start date of the sale until June, but the dates have been fairly consistent in years past.

Which Countries Will Host a Prime Day Sale?

According to the official Amazon press release, Prime Day will return to these countries in 2025: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the U.S., and the UK.

Prime members will also be able to shop the sale in Ireland for the first time this year.

Will Other Retailers Have Prime Day Sales?

While Amazon is the only one to have officially confirmed a big sale for July, other major retailers have consistently participated with their own sales during Prime Day over the past few years. The exact dates may vary, but you can expect shopping events to pop up for the following retailers in July:

• Walmart
• Target
• Best Buy
• Dell
• Kohl's
• Home Depot

Fans are ready to meet the new Fantastic Four — and that includes the new take on Silver Surfer, played by Julia Garner. The actress, who will be playing the Shalla-Bal version of the character in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, recently opened up about the Surfer’s backstory, as well as reaching different audiences through the MCU and the potential for a Silver Surfer spin-off movie.

“It's going to be really interesting,” she told Entertainment Weekly recently in her first interview since the trailer reveal when asked to describe how director Matt Shakman described the character to her initially and how it was written in the script.

“I have to be so cryptic about everything, otherwise I'm going to have Marvel come after me. But it was described as there's this mystery about her, and there's this sense of this ambiguous energy going on of whether she's good or not. She is the herald of Galactus, so she works for Galactus, but you're not sure where she stands. Does she stand with her boss, or is she just doing what she's told? She has this mysterious energy about her, and slowly that mystery will get solved with the audience throughout watching it.”

The actress was also drawn to the audience she could cultivate through the MCU, not just the strength of the character. "She's so different than anyone I've ever played, and that was also another reason why I wanted to do it," Garner explained.

"I don't expect everybody to watch Ozark or [Inventing] Anna or The Assistant. Some people are only going to watch certain things, so that's why I want to branch out to every genre, and that's one of the reasons why I wanted to do Marvel — it's reaching a different kind of audience."

Garner seems to be all in on the MCU, so much so that she would be willing to return for a Silver Surfer spin-off movie, if that ever became a reality.

“A hundred percent, I would love to do that,” she told the outlet. “The Silver Surfer is such a cool character, and I feel like it's so rare to be presented with any sort of mystery in this day and age. So any kind of energy like that on screen, I know I want to see that, so that would be awesome if that happened.”

That said, in true Marvel superhero fashion, she was tight-lipped about whether or not there were concrete plans for her to return to the MCU for another film.

“Oh my God, I wish I could answer that question, but I don't have an answer, honestly,” she teased to Entertainment Weekly. “I was just happy to be a part of this movie. But we'll see.”

Garner stars in The Fantastic Four: First Steps alongside Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Ralph Ineson. The film will arrive in theaters on July 25, 2025.

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

I want to call this a good day for anyone who likes saving money without working too hard. Sam's Club memberships are 60% off today through Groupon, which is about the easiest win you are going to find if you like cheap bulk snacks, discounted tech, and occasional panic buys of kayaks you will never use.

Even better, a membership right now gets you access to Pokémon TCG deals that have been selling out fast, including the Charizard ex Super-Premium Collection at a price you can explain to your wallet.

Sam's Club Membership (1 Year)

Pokémon TCG Charizard Ex Super-Premium Collection

Single Pokémon Cards Are Crashing

In my opinion, this is a strong two-for-one situation. You save on the membership, you get early access to deals that are usually wiped out by the time they hit the regular shelves, and if you have been thinking about jumping back into Pokémon TCG without paying eBay prices, this is probably one of the better windows you will see.

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.

Samsung's newest SSD - the Samsung 990 Evo Plus PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe solid state drive - is on sale today. Pick up the 1TB size for just $69.99, the 2TB size for $139.99 or, if you can swing it, the 4TB size for $249.99. It's currently $30-$60 cheaper than the Samsung 990 Pro and most (if not all) gamers won't notice the difference in performance.

Samsung 990 Evo Plus SSDs on Sale

IGN's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 map is here! Our interactive map tracks essential locations across The Continent, including collectibles, Bosses, and Pictos, so you always know where to go for your next objective.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Interactive Map

Fantagraphics is kicking off a new series of "Lost Marvels" hardcovers that aim to reprint some of the lesser-known and forgotten titles in Marvel's vast back catalog. This new line debuts with Lost Marvels No. 1: Tower of Shadows, collecting the entire horror anthology series in one handsome volume.

With the book in stores now, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of Lost Marvels No. 1: Tower of Shadows, featuring a classic tale from Stan Lee and John Buscema. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:

Tower of Shadows is a short-lived anthology series from 1969, notable for being Marvel's first attempt at an EC Comics-style horror project since the advent of the Comics Code Authority. The series featured work from a number of Marvel luminaries, including Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Wally Wood, Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, John Romita, Johnny Craig, Marie Severin, Gerry Conway, and Bernie Wrightson.

Fantagraphics has so far revealed two more volumes in the Lost Marvels series. Lost Marvels No. 2: Howard Chaykin Vol. 1: Dominic Fortune, Monark Starstalker, and Phantom Eagle will collect many of Chaykin's military and sci-fi stories ranging from 1975 to 2008. Lost Marvels No. 3: Savage Tales will collect the entire pulp anthology series, which was notable for featuring Conan the Barbarian stories and the first appearance of Man-Thing.

“Marvel published a surprising amount of work that fell outside its superhero purview in the '60s and '70s and '80s, most of it never before reprinted, much of it "lost" except in the fading memories of fans who bought it and read it for the first time back then when it was originally published,” said Fantagraphics Publisher Gary Groth in a statement. “Exceptional craftsmen and artists were often featured — Barry Windsor-Smith, Steranko, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, and others— and one of the goals of this project is to create a carefully curated record of this somewhat more obscure work that so many comics readers have forgotten or are unfamiliar with. Lost Marvels complements our Atlas reprints which features so many of the best craftsmen from the 1950s.”

Lost Marvels No. 1: Tower of Shadows is now available bookstores and comic shops. Lost Marvels No. 2: Howard Chaykin Vol. 1: Dominic Fortune, Monark Starstalker, and Phantom Eagle will be released on July 8, followed by Lost Marvels No. 3: Savage Tales in November 2025.

In other comic book news, iconic TMNT villain Shredder is getting his own solo series, and we've got an exclusive look inside the new Heavy Metal series.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Ahh… so that’s what the asterisk is for. Thunderbolts* is a worthy outing for some of the MCU’s unsung heroes but, just like the film's sort-of-not-really antagonist, The Sentry, it has both a dark half and a light half. One of them is actually pretty great.

I had a lot of hope for Thunderbolts* going into it. Something’s been in the air this last year, from the Dr. Doom and Fantastic Four of it all, to the sense that we’re through phase 4’s strange aimlessness, and it’s all got me more intrigued. There’s been a sense lately, something Anthony Mackie has even said out loud, that Marvel is set to recapture some of its magic. Thunderbolts*, for the most part, is moving in the right direction, with a solid, fairly unexpected ride for its band of antiheroes.

But first, there’s a lot of exposition and for a not insignificant amount of the runtime, the movie belongs to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) hanging on the periphery of her plotting, in his new role as a politician. More than anything, this section of the movie had me wondering at what point it was decided to make The Winter Soldier a congressman, and if it was just because one of the titular Thunderbolts* should be around for all the early shoe-leather.

Once it gets properly moving though, one of the things I liked most about Thunderbolts* is actually one of the things I liked most about Infinity War and Endgame: Combinations of characters who’ve never met, but make for an interesting dynamic. Think a whole movie built around moments like War Machine and Nebula bonding over the fact that they’ve both been put back together with mechanical appendages. The moments where Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bucky idly chat about super soldier serum are very charming. Yelena (Florence Pugh) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) gang up on Agent Walker (Wyatt Russell) to make fun of his “hat” – which is to say his beat-up, valor-stealing Captain America helmet – and not only is it really fun, it’s used at the right spot in the film to the exact right effect. An MCU movie really gets a chance to stand out if it can bolster its more workmanlike components with this kind of endearing material – and the parts of Thunderbolts’ lighter half that work do just that.

But it’s an established relationship in Thunderbolts* that shines the brightest. Florence Pugh and David Harbour were a blast as Yelena Belova and Red Guardian in 2021's Black Widow, and they’re just as much fun here. The pair’s father-daughter dynamic ranges from a “real emotional need” to “embarrassing me in front of my friends” – they so clearly and so sweetly depend on each other, it’s difficult not to love them. And it doesn’t hurt that Harbour chews every piece of scenery he can get his metal teeth on.

For all these quality interactions between two or three Thunderbolts, the team never quite gels as a whole, though. Director Jake Schreier and screenwriters Eric Pearson and and Joanna Calo are aiming for a non-stop, snappy back-and-forth in the Guardians of the Galaxy mold, but their main characters don’t live in that energy for nearly as long as they’re meant to – or more, importantly, as long as they need to. Because while Yelena and pals are cracking wise, Thunderbolts*' gloomier half is lurking just out of sight and ready to effectively bum you out.

Lewis Pullman’s Bob, and his journey to becoming The Sentry, is a story about mental health and extreme loneliness. There are days when Bob feels every bit the invincible Sentry, and days when he can’t help but let The Void take over and wreak havoc. He's the exact right opposition for a character like Yelena, who’s constantly questioning the things she’s done and how she should feel about herself. As Bob forces the members of the Thunderbolts to face the darkest times in their lives, the movie makes its most potent statements about how broken these people really are.

And this is, again, where Thunderbolts* is really at its best. It’s where the craft of the filmmaking team is on full display: Schreier has a bunch of darkly funny stuff on his resume – some of which even leans darker than funny – but my favorite member of the behind-the-scenes team is cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo. He shot both The Green Knight and A Ghost Story, two movies with very specific visuals speaking to a character's weaknesses and fears. Just look at how he shoots the one-against-many hallway fight in the film’s opening sequence: This is one of the most basic staples of superhero fight choreography, but this time we see it from overhead, with stark black and white shadows stretched all the way across the frame. Even bearing in mind that Marvel films can only modulate their style of action and never completely reinvent it, this is some gorgeous imagery, and it speaks to the isolation Yelena is dealing with throughout the film.

This is all to say that Thunderbolts* truly excels with its darker, more upsetting subject matter and themes. Because these lows work so well, the highs that don’t quite have the energy they’re aiming for seem that much less high by comparison. And for me, it made the movie overall feel like kind of a bummer. A compelling and moving bummer at times, but I wasn’t really feeling up for a silly round of petty bickering by the time the home stretch rolled around.

Yelena has always been a little anti-Marvel, going back to how she made fun of her sister for being a “poser.” So it’s fitting that at one point in Thunderbolts*, she actually asks “what’s the point?” This is a movie that is low-key wondering “is the MCU too big for a whole two hours dedicated to a collection of side characters like the Thunderbolts?” And the answer is, “actually, yeah.” They are alone. They are the side characters that have to stick up for each other. And they are not The Avengers.

Even though the climax – which we’ve seen in the trailers – takes place in and around Avengers Tower. Even though a lot of the visuals in that action sequence are pretty clearly meant to evoke the Battle of New York. Even though it references The Avengers’ fakeout working title, Group Hug –this team is not The Avengers. Not yet, at least. And even with bigger MCU events on the horizon, I hope we don’t collectively hold that against them.

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 season 2 of Andor (you can read our Andor season 2 spoiler-free review here), 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 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 Max deals.

How to Get the Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max Streaming Bundle

The Disney Plus, Hulu, and 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 New Paid Sharing Plan on Disney Plus?

In an effort to crack down on password sharing, Disney has unveiled 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
• Pixar
• Marvel
• Star Wars
• National Geographic

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, 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 Your Friendly Neigborhood Spider-Man, 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 some viewers say is "the best Star Wars has ever been." 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.

Grant Kirkhope, the composer behind many classic games including Donkey Kong 64, has explained why he wasn't credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for the use of the infamous DK Rap.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope said he spoke with Nintendo after the film's release, and the company had made the decision to not credit any music it owns, which includes the DK Rap.

"They said we decided that any music that was quoted from the games that we owned, we wouldn't credit the composers - apart from Koji Kondo," said Kirkhope. "Then they decided anything with a vocal would get credited, so the DK Rap scores there. But then they decided if we also own it, we won't credit the composers. And that was the final nail in the coffin.

"I said I appreciate you've got your policies and all the rest of it, but by the time the credits roll in the movie to show the songs, the theatre's completely empty, everyone's gone, it's only me and my wife and my two kids sat there going 'look daddy's name!'. I said 'for the sake of a couple of lines of text…', but that was that," explained Kirkhope.

In 2023, Kirkhope expressed frustration over his name not appearing in the credits of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, posting: "I was really looking forward to see my name in the credits for the DK Rap, but alas as expected it's not there ........ fml"

I was really looking forward to see my name in the credits for the DK Rap, but alas as expected it's not there ........ fml

— Grant Kirkhope (@grantkirkhope) April 5, 2023

While Bowser's Fury, another Nintendo-owned song in the film, was also not credited, licensed tracks were given credits for their composers and performers.

Kirkhope went on, telling Eurogamer the sampling of the DK Rap was "bizarre," like they "just plugged in the N64 and sampled it and looped it." Kirkhope played guitar on the track, while the "lads from Rare" did the "D-K" part, and all were uncredited.

Eurogamer asked if, because Nintendo owns the right to the DK Rap, it could make its way to the Nintendo Music App. The outlet got an interesting answer.

"I wonder," said Kirkhope. "They have put some of [David Wise]'s stuff on it. They do own it all so it's up to them. I don't think they ever really liked [Donkey Kong 64] that much. That's a rumour we got back through the cycle of whispers from Nintendo when we were at Rare. I don't know if that's true or not."

As Eurogamer noted, Donkey Kong 64 is not included in the N64 Switch Online lineup, though the theme for Rambi does seem like it's set to appear in Donkey Kong Bananza. Who knows?

You can check out more discussion with Kirkhope in the full interview over on Eurogamer, where the DK composer talked about the odds on a new Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong Bananza, and the sound of nostalgia.

As for Mario's movie franchise, development is underway on a new Super Mario Bros. movie, which is planned to arrive in April 2026.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

I may have dabbled with Xbox in the early days, but at some point I made the full switch over to PC gaming. The high frequency of Steam sales has usually been enough to tide me over on newer releases. So while I knew Game Pass was out there and did occasionally offer some big name games, there was never a moment where it felt like it would be worth it for me, personally. Well, until now.

Bethesda and Virtuos shadow-dropping Oblivion Remastered straight onto Game Pass? A badly kept secret, but still an insane reveal. Two days later, the gaming subscription got Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the stylish debut from Sandfall Interactive that takes inspiration from the JRPG greats. I have to admit, as a die-hard RPG fan: Microsoft, you finally got me.

Even better? Newegg is currently offering a sale on three-month Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions, letting you stock up so you can spend as much time as you want exploring these worlds.

Get Three Months of Game Pass Ultimate for $48.99

With PS5 games getting bigger each year and SSD prices rising, we want to make sure you can find the best storage for the lowest price possible. Here, we'll point you in the direction of some of the greatest 2TB SSD deals we can find. At the moment, Amazon has a great sale on Lexar SSDs right now, including the Lexar 2TB NM790 SSD with Heatsink which is down to $129.49 (22% off).

It's worth noting that you can't use any old SSD and expect it to perform well on the PS5 console. You'll want to pick up a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid-state drive with at least a 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5's internal drive. We've gathered up SSDs that match or exceed these specs in the list below to make your search easier.

Note that Sony recommends a heatsink attached to your SSD and not all SSDs listed here have pre-installed heatsinks. For the ones that do, we'll be sure to mention it. For the ones that don't, all you have to do is purchase your own heatsink (like this one for $10) and install it yourself. For our top recommended picks for 2025, check out our full breakdown for the Best PS5 SSDs.

Lexar 2TB NM790 SSD with Heatsink for $129.49

The Alexander Skarsgård-led series Murderbot is set to hit Apple TV+ on May 16, but if you've been hoping to dig into the book series by Martha Wells ahead of the show, we have good news. All seven books are on sale right now at Amazon. You can score the entire sci-fi series at a discount for your library.

Save on The Murderbot Diaries Books at Amazon

All seven books in The Murderbot Diaries series have been discounted at Amazon up to 46% off. If you've been looking for a new series to stock up your library with, you can secure all of these in hardcover for $90.94.

Murderbot Books in Order

As with most book series, you'll want to read them in order. Below is the publication order for the Murderbot series.

• All Systems Red
• Artificial Condition
• Rogue Protocol
• Exit Strategy
• Network Effect
• Fugitive Telemetry
• System Collapse

Alternatively, most of the books are included with Kindle Unlimited as well, which we've included a link to below if you're interested in signing up as a Kindle user. No matter if you enjoy a physical book in your hands or the convenience of reading from an e-reader, you'll be ready to embark on a new adventure with this deal on The Murderbot Diaries series.

Most Murderbot Books Are on Kindle Unlimited

Every superhero story has its villain, and for Captain America: Brave New World, fans were treated to The Leader. Actor Tim Blake Nelson was enhanced via practical effects and makeup for the character, who is visibly mutated, but the design ended up being somewhat different from how he looked in the comics.

Now, Blue Whale Studios, who worked on the character's design and effects for the MCU film, has opened up about its original take on Sam Sterns’ alter ego, one that is much closer to the comics.

The Atlanta-based special effects company originally decided to play into a very sickly look for the character. The effects artists revealed the design on their Instagram, which included an engorged head and pale green skin. However, it’s a pretty straightforward design and doesn’t include any of the finer mutation details they added for the final version. They also included a video of prosthetics being applied to Nelson in their post, which is a really cool peek behind the curtain for this character.

"We were originally brought on to design and apply the practical makeup for The Leader on the incomparable Tim Blake Nelson in Captain America: Brave New World," Blue Whale Studios said. "As often happens in film, the story evolved, and during reshoots, the creative direction shifted. Our version was ultimately not used in the final cut. Still, we remain incredibly proud of the work we created.

"Drawing inspiration from the original comic book art, we developed a look that felt both grounded and iconic — true to the source while achieving a refined, natural realism. Technically, we were thrilled with how lightweight and comfortable the final makeup was for the actor — an achievement made possible by the dedication of an extraordinary team."

This original design actually bears a big resemblance to the character’s first appearance in the Marvel comic universe. The Leader was first introduced in 1964’s Tales to Astonish #62, but interestingly enough, his final design also has a comic connection. As he appears in Brave New World, The Leader looks closer to the more recent appearances from the character in 2018's Immortal Hulk.

The Leader was first hinted at as a potential MCU villain all the way back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Sam Sterns is exposed to Bruce Bannon’s blood in that film, which is filled with Gamma radiation. At the time, he was still a normal human being — but time clearly made him what he is at the start of Brave New World.

In May last year, reports indicated Captain America: Brave New World was undergoing reshoots to help introduce Breaking Bad, Star Wars, and The Boys actor Giancarlo Esposito’s new villainous character into the fold. Esposito plays Sidewinder, leader of the Serpent Society, in the film.

Ahead of the film's revease, five-time WWE world champion Seth Rollins confirmed his role was cut following extensive rewrites of the script and subsequent reshoots.

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

Gearbox’s upcoming first-person shooter Borderlands 4 will release 11 days earlier than planned, as confirmed by development chief Randy Pitchford in a video that appears to have gone live early.

Borderlands 4 was due out September 23, but will now release on September 12 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

In the video, Pitchford said: “Everything is going great, actually. In fact, everything is going kind of the best-case scenario. The game is awesome, the team is cooking, and so the launch date for Borderlands 4 is changing. We’re moving it forward. The launch date is now September 12.”

“What?! This never happens you guys! This never happens! We’re moving the launch date forward! You’re gonna get Borderlands 4 earlier!”

Pitchford added that the promised PlayStation State of Play focused on Borderlands 4 is due out imminently (Sony just announced it for tomorrow, April 30 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST).

Of course, there will be questions asked about whether the unexpected decision to bring Borderlands 4 forward has anything to do with the looming behemoth that is Grand Theft Auto 6. GTA 6 is currently still set for release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S at some point in the fall of 2025. That’s a vague release window that could end up consuming the likes of Borderlands 4, among other games. Has Borderlands 4 moved to give it more breathing room?

It’s worth noting that Borderlands 4 is published by 2K Games, which is owned by Take-Two. Take-Two is also the parent company of GTA developer Rockstar. At a high enough level, right up to CEO Strauss Zelnick, there will be a knowledge of all the company’s games, where they’re at in development, and a desire to give them all the best chance of success. Perhaps GTA 6’s release date recently came into focus, and it was felt that for the good of Borderlands 4, it should come out nearly two weeks earlier than planned.

If Borderlands 4 comes out September 12, we can perhaps rule out a GTA 6 release date during the same month and August. Could it come out in October? November? December 2025? All seem up for grabs now for GTA 6. The risk of course is that Take-Two ends up cannibalizing its big 2025 games by releasing them too close together. And let’s not forget Mafia: The Old Country, another 2K game, launches at some point summer 2025.

Could Take-Two’s big games, and by that we really mean GTA 6, end up doing more harm to each other than good by releasing too close to each other? That’s a question we put to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick in an interview conducted in February.

As you’d expect, Zelnick said Take-Two is planning its releases to avoid a risk of cannibalization, insisting the timing is driven by a desire to “respect the consumer's need to spend a lot of time playing these hit games before they go on to the next.”

“No, I think we will plan the releases so as not to have that be a problem,” Zelnick said. “And what we found is when you're giving consumers hits, they tend to be interested in pursuing other hits. In other words, I've said this many times, even when the hits aren't ours, they're a good thing for the industry. In this case, we hope that the hits will largely be ours. So we feel really good about it and I think that we will time our releases so as to respect the consumer's need to spend a lot of time playing these hit games before they go on to the next.”

Amid all this speculation is of course the prospect that GTA 6 will be delayed either into early winter, or at some point in the first quarter of 2026.

"Look, there's always a risk of slippage and I think as soon as you say words like absolutely, you jinx things," Zelnick responded when IGN asked how confident he was that Rockstar would hit fall 2025 for GTA 6. "So we feel really good about it."

Alternatively, 2K and Gearbox may have brought Borderlands 4 forward to avoid clashing with Bungie's online co-op extraction shooter Marathon, which is currently set for release on Sep 23, 2025. As a Bungie game, Marathon is published by Sony. Borderlands 4 has its very own PlayStation State of Play set for this week.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

While it can be tempting to go with a cheaper variety of portable charger, the Anker 313 Power Bank — now available for only £6.99 — makes a strong case for sticking with the signature brand.

Originally £22.99, this slimline portable charger has had an initial discount of 39% by bringing the price down to £13.99.

However, Amazon UK have also added a limited-time voucher running until Sunday, the May 4 — letting you take off an extra 50%, so you'll only have to pay £6.99 at checkout.

ARC Raiders is blisteringly, aggressively archetypical, the extraction-est extraction shooter that ever extracted. It’s one of the least surprising games I’ve ever played, holding so much in common with its inspirations that they’re almost comically indistinguishable. For preview purposes, this is a very good thing: If you enjoy other games about scavenging goods while avoiding PvE foes and robbing PvP humans, you’re probably going to like ARC Raiders. If you don’t, then there’s likely nothing new here to tempt you.

This is a game so unabashedly tied to its progenitors that the hero’s default melee weapon is a pickaxe, the same weapon Fortnite metaverse heroes dropping off the Battle Bus lug into combat. That’s a cute enough homage, but it's only the tip of the iceberg for the ways ARC Raiders will be instantly comprehensible to those who play Battle Royale, tree-punching survival games, or extraction. There’s very little that feels truly original, but the components bolted together from other successful live service games click together predictably and produce a satisfying result.

The goal each round is simple: go to the surface and then get back underground alive with better loot than you started with. Two forces stand in the way of that goal. The first are the ARC, AI-controlled battle robots that wander the map searching for any sign of organic life. The ARC are no trifling threat. Even the smallest bots can prove surprisingly dangerous, especially in groups. The little spider-like scurriers are downright upsetting for an arachnophobe like me, and the large crawlers do not mess around. ARC wander the map listening for the sounds of search or battle and swarm any humans they find.

The ARC are especially dangerous in numbers, and there are plenty of subtle little traps set where clusters of different ARC with complementary abilities are placed near one another, sometimes hidden in indoor areas where one can literally trip into them. I met my fate more than once when I got overconfident around ARC. One crawling monstrosity literally spun into the air with its legs like some cyclops spider helicopter. Take down an ARC, though, and the rewards can be worth your trouble. They generally contain ammo and weapon components.

The second and more deadly threat are your fellow raiders. If you choose to play ARC Raiders, you’d best enjoy watching your back, because to quote Casablanca, “this place is full of vultures, vultures everywhere.” It’s often more efficient to fall upon a fully-loaded player who isn’t paying attention than to risk a half hour of bracing open doors in a nearby warehouse, or to lurk near an extraction point and cut down somebody when they’re about to escape. Of course, every other raider is likely looking to do the same to you.

Combat is competent enough to be satisfying. Your third-person avatar moves and controls like most other third-person avatars in modern shooters, with no real irregularities or surprises in the controls. Bullets mostly go where you want them to, depending on the capabilities of your chosen weapon, and melee attack power is substantial. Firearms feel right: SMGs are springy and difficult to control, assault rifles steady and heavy, sniper rifles punch like artillery.

Playing in teams of three adds a bit of depth to the battle, as you and your companions can search and cover for each other much more systematically than is possible with a single raider. Firefights between teams develop a sense of strategy, as coordinating squads deploy flanking tactics and ambushes against groups of foes. Whether calling out directions, overhearing sounds, covering all windows in a room, your three-person squad will find plenty of tension waiting in most buildings.

Cleverly-designed maps draw the characters in. The most lucrative resource hubs are clearly marked, and players flock to the richest areas looking for loot, or hover between the treasures and the extraction areas, waiting to dispossess the luckiest foragers of their well-won gains.

The environments are passable, with the usual collection of rusty warehouses, abandoned apartment buildings, and overgrown vacant lots you’ll find in a lot of post-apocalyptic shooters. Everything is serviceable, but it all kinda feels like they gave Fortnite a coat of Day Z grime and moved on. It’s a boring enough world that it certainly took me out of any chance of getting into the lore. But I don’t really think lore is the big draw here anyway. ARC Raiders is meat loaf without much plate presentation, but the meat loaf is tasty if a little cold.

Every drawer and cabinet is a potential source of wealth: crafting components, ammunition, shields, healing items, and weapons. Ammunition is properly segmented enough to keep you hungry as you scavenge and construct guns. Light, medium, heavy, and shotgun ammo variants are available early on to locate in the overworld, craft in your lair, or purchase underground. Materials have the usual, predictable levels of rarity corresponding to color, with certain colors granting the ability to develop more useful or rare items. A single special pocket in your inventory allows you to keep one special discovered item safe even in the event of your death, so that you can haul your rarest finds home even when you die.

Some containers take time to open and generate quite a bit of noise when manipulated, which is a delightful tension-raising mechanic that I really appreciated. Opening one of these was especially harrowing when playing solo... you can really feel the vulnerability with your camera locked forward, not knowing what passing robot or player might discover you as you make an ugly racket jimmying a door.

You spend your time between rounds underground, where you convert your ill-gotten gains into an ever-escalating series of crafting tables allowing for the creation of ever-more-elaborate gear. You can also choose to straight liquidate materials and finds for cash, and purchase fully-created items at in-game stores. There’s also some part of crafting that involves a live rooster. I never figured that out.

As you explore the world above, you gain experience which opens up access to a series of Skill Trees. Selecting various branches can help you optimize your avatar to your playstyle, increasing combat ability, mobility, or stealth. The different abilities are clearly labeled, and most are useful enough that every step feels like real progress.

Character design with default options is pretty rough, but a number of better textures and outfits open up when you apply premium currency. I deliberately made my guy look as bleak and sad as possible using only default options, but my multiplayer partner had this whole ZZ Top Man With No Name vibe going on... I was envious.

ARC Raiders previews pretty well, perhaps because its design conservatism makes it so instantly familiar. There’s absolutely nothing here to challenge what came before, but sometimes, that’s okay. Overall, the ARC Raiders loop seems pretty well tuned to satisfy: make it to the surface to loot and kill, bring your goods and experience back underground to improve your abilities, head back up stronger to find stronger gear, and repeat. There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.

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

Heavy Metal is easily one of the most popular and influential anthology magazines ever published, so we're pretty excited to see the series making its grand return to comic book shops. Following a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign, the new volume of Heavy Metal kicks off on Wednesday, April 30.

Ahead of that release, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of Heavy Metal #1. Head to the slideshow gallery below to see pages from a number of stories featured in the first issue, along with all the previously revealed covers:

The new volume of Heavy Metal features a mix of classic, returning creators and Heavy Metal newcomers. And yes, that includes new stories featuring Heavy Metal icon Taarna. Here's the full list of stories and creators featured in the first issue:

• BUG - Enki Bilal
• Burton & Cyb - Antonio Segura & José Ortiz
• The Mercenary - Vicente Segrelles
• Valentina - Sergio Gerasi
• Sixella: The Last Roots - Janevsky
• Taarna: Rebirth - Leah Moore, John Reppion, Anna Morozova
• Cold Dead War: The Aftermath - Craig Wilson
• Grimaldi - Keron Grant, Josh Sky, Frank Forte
• Legends of Taarna: "Autophonomania" - Matt and Shawn Fillbach, Joseph Michael Linsner
• Gladiatrix - John Stanisci
• Evil Sex Bitch - Steve Mannion
• Lester, That Old Feeling - Fernando Dagnino
• The Bus - Paul Kirchner
• June 2050 - John Workman
• Millstone - Michael Conrad, Ilias Kyriazis
• Transcendestiny - David Quinn, Tim Vigil
• Cobot - Jonathan Wayshak
• All American - Jason Spell, Jok
• Kecksburg UFO - Jim Rugg
• They Dug Too Deep - Dwayne Harris
• Floyd the Giant Killer - Michael L. Peters
• GUNK - Curt Merlo
• Harry Canyon - Josh Sky, Frank Forte
• Zeke & Edsel - Frank Forte
• The Devil's Teeth - Lia Bozonelis, Agustin Alessio

Heavy Metal #1 boasts a print run of 73,000 copies, mking it the most heavily printed issue of the series in several decades. This issue is priced at $14.99 and clocks in at 232 pages.

Heavy Metal #1 is set to hit comic shops on April 30 and newstands on May 13. Future issues will be published quarterly, though the publisher notes that there's room for a more frequent release schedule if the demand is there.

In other comic book news, Mike Mignola is returning to the Hellboy universe this summer, and we chatted with the creative team behind Spider-Man & Wolverine.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Amazon has once again restocked with some cool Pokémon TCG products, such as Surging Sparks Booster Bundles and Twilight Masquerade ETBs.

While some of the new listings are over-priced, I've also gone the extra mile to share some of the best deals on single Pokémon Cards from the relevant sets like TCGPlayer, so trainers can save just by grabbing their chase cards.

TL;DR: Amazon Pokémon TCG Restocks

Whilst I'm not going to be able to sort out a Surging Sparks Booster Bundle and Pikachu ex SIR for under $50, I've given trainers a few options to add to their collections and decks. Let's get straight into it.

Pokémon TCG: Surging Sparks Booster Bundle

Twilight Masquerade Elite Trainer Box

Shining Fates Collection Pikachu V Box

Paldean Fates Booster Bundle

Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs

Of the topics in constant rotation in role-playing discussions and forums, few have come up as often as turn-based games. The classic gameplay style of many RPGs has contended with more action-oriented systems for some time, and now Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is restarting discussion over the direction of some genre titans.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 went live last week and is, by both IGN's and many other accounts, an excellent RPG. It is unabashedly clear about its inspirations. There's a turn order, Pictos to equip and master, zoned-out "dungeons" to crawl, and even an overworld map.

In an interview with RPGsite, producer Francois Meurisse said Clair Obscur was conceived as a turn-based game from the start, and pointed to Final Fantasy VIII, IX, and X in particular. Of course, there's also Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which is where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's turn-based action takes after both FromSoftware's games and the likes of Mario & Luigi: using quick-time events on attacks, and parrying / dodging on defense.

The result is a turn-based game that feels like a traditional turn-based game when you're inputting attacks and crafting your strategy each turn, then like a more action-oriented game when you're doing damage or defending against it. It's a fascinating system that has, predictably, stirred up discourse.

Namely, social media users have taken the opportunity to point out Clair Obscur's success as a counter-argument to long-held grudges over positions on turn-based games; namely, from the Final Fantasy series.

An easy example: Naoki Yoshida, while on the media tour for Final Fantasy XVI, talked about why Final Fantasy and RPGs have taken on more action-based mechanics over the years.

"I’m from a generation that grew up with command and turn-based RPGs," Yoshida told Famitsu (via VGC). “I think I understand how interesting and immersive it can be. On the other hand, for the past decade or so, I’ve seen quite a number of opinions saying 'I don’t understand the attraction of selecting commands in video games.'

“This opinion is only increasing, particularly with younger audiences who do not typically play RPGs."

This thinking is reflected in the series, as Final Fantasy XV, XVI, and the VII remake series have all opted for more action-driven systems. Each has garnered their own share of fans and detractors.

And comments about turn-based games, and whether they connect with players, often come up in those moments. It's easy to see how stalwarts might read Yoshida's comments and hold a grudge, and now feel vindicated by Clair Obscur's status as the hottest game on the block. Here is a turn-based RPG, inspired by the greats, wearing its inspirations on its sleeve, and thriving.

Any truth is, as always, a little more nuanced than just that. It's certainly a little more nuanced than just, "Final Fantasy should do this."

For one, Square Enix might have seen its Final Fantasy series head in a more action-oriented direction, but it certainly hasn't dumped turn-based games wholesale. Octopath Traveler 2 was, in this writer's opinion, one of the better role-playing games in the last few years, and the publisher has continued to roll out more turn-based RPGs, including SaGa Emerald Beyond and the upcoming Bravely Default remaster for Switch 2. While Final Fantasy may not be as turn-based as its SNES or PlayStation 1 days, it's not like Square has done away with the format.

And if the question is whether Final Fantasy should imitate Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, or whether this is "Final Fantasy if it was good" or not, well, I'd have to agree with everyone replying with a resolute "nope." Final Fantasy has its own aesthetic drives and iconography that a simple "replace X with Y" can't really account for. While some comparisons between Clair Obscur and Final Fantasy are obvious, it's also easy to note the differences. Reducing Clair Obscur down to "Final France-tasy" is fun wordplay, but it does a disservice to both what's made Final Fantasy an enduring series, and what Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has done to elevate itself above mere imitation.

This is, funny enough, not the first time we've done this. Those with some tingling soreness in their lower backs might recall discussions about Lost Odyssey and whether it was the "true" successor to Final Fantasy, over the series' direction going into Final Fantasy XIII. Go back even further, and you can probably dig up conversations about whether Final Fantasy VII is truly better than Final Fantasy VI or not. As long as there have been two Final Fantasy fans on the internet, there have been arguments about Final Fantasy on the internet.

None of this is accounting for sales either, which were a driver for Yoshida's aforementioned comments to Famitsu on Final Fantasy XVI's direction.

"As I said, I believe I know the fun of command system RPGs, and I want to continue developing them, but I thought about the expected sales of Final Fantasy XVI and the impact that we have to deliver," said Yoshida. The Final Fantasy XVI producer did not even rule out the possibility that the next Final Fantasy could use a command system; just that, at the time of the studio making it, Final Fantasy XVI was going to be the game it became.

And that's an interesting point to watch, as time goes on. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has certainly been a breakout success for Sandfall Interactive and Kepler, garnering 1 million sales over three days. It's a strong start, but Square Enix's expectations for Final Fantasy are usually a bit higher.

The most tired part, still worth noting, is the idea that turn-based games might struggle to see success. We have seen breakout hits in the space; notably, Baldur's Gate 3 and Metaphor: ReFantazio. While it's easy to point at the tip of the iceberg to make a point, it is worth noting that we've seen these RPGs — which each take after classic role-playing elements in their own way — have garnered both acclaim and financial success.

So, ultimately, Clair Obscur's success means a lot for the team behind it. It's an encouraging project that, even as we get into discussions on its team size compared to what you expect, feels like a return of the scoped, scaled, mid-budget RPG alongside the likes of Visions of Mana or Ruined King. Whether its momentum carries it on higher, to the heights of something like a Baldur's Gate 3 or Disco Elysium, is yet to be seen, but you can't ask for a better start.

As for whether it signals some radical shift is necessary for Final Fantasy, I'm less confident. While Square Enix has said recent entries like Final Fantasy XVI and FF7 Rebirth's profits did not meet expectations, that feels like a struggle shaped as much by broad shifts in the gaming landscape, as the cost of making major entries in huge franchises has not been a cheap endeavor. They're taking a long time to make, too.

If anything, the lesson to take away is to be unapologetically authentic. Projects that imitate can struggle to break out from the shadows. It's why I stressed earlier that for all the ways Clair Obscur wears its inspirations on its sleeve, it's not wholly defined by its predecessors; its clever combat systems, incredible soundtrack, thoughtful world-building and scene direction all come from within, from the studio's drives. To put it better, here's Larian CEO Swen Vincke, recently discussing the "single-player games are dead" discourse that also pops up quite often:

"I think we've proven with [Baldur's Gate 3] that you can put in a pretty high budget and expect pretty high results," Vincke told GameSpot. As Vincke has stated several times over, you just have to make a good game, one that your creative team is excited to make. That seems like a constructive way forward for everyone, and one that doesn't feel like reheating the leftovers of old internet discourse all over again.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

My first ritual was ended by a large man with two morningstars swinging around him in a circle. Think the hands of a clock — one short, one long — but spikier and much, much more deadly, and equally inevitable as time, at least to the novice. I was playing a Barbarian that run; I didn’t understand what I was doing yet, or how to avoid them. My dodges weren’t dodging. I’d done pretty well up until that point, but he chewed through my lives like a dog with a bone, and then I was dead, my ritual incomplete. But I’d gotten somewhere, earned some upgrades, had a better idea of what I was doing. Time to try again.

Conquest Dark is a strange beast. It clearly owes a lot to Vampire Survivors, but its inspirations don’t quit there. It’s also pulling from stuff like Conan the Barbarian — your characters look like they can bench press a car but start with little more than a loincloth — and some cosmic horror, as a treat. There isn’t much story in Conquest Dark, but the actual setup is cool. After the arrival of something called The Black Planet 237 years ago, humanity stands on the brink of annihilation. Undead armies have laid waste to the great human kingdoms. The Cosmic Gods have fallen. The Primordial Ones have awoken from their long slumber. Only Kharathia, The City of Legends, still stands, one last hope for humanity. In a last, desperate effort, people of all stripes — heroes, criminals, devotees of old gods, those seeking glory — complete Dark Rituals to summon the undead hordes and fallen heroes to gain power, hoping to use it to uncover the secrets of the Black Planet and reclaim what they can.

It’s a cool conceit, but Conquest Dark isn’t one for exposition. Most of this is delivered as text, and it’s up to you to stitch things together. You see it in the little details. The named bosses, like Lord Commander Urien, who appears outside Kharathia. Who was he before? A protector of the city, now turned against it in undeath? What about Witch Smeller Mzawi in the Shifting Sands? How do you smell witches, and what do you do if you catch a whiff of one? What happened at The Chasm of Fallen Heroes? Who was S’hes, why did she hunt Titans, and what specifically did she do to have an order of hunters named after her? What is the Black Planet? Where did it come from? I don’t know how interested in answering these questions Conquest Dark is, but every time I went to a new place, saw what was there, or learned a little bit more from a description, I was intrigued.

Dark Rituals, Big Choices

In practice, Conquest Dark is pretty simple: you go to an area on the map to start a Dark Ritual. Once you’ve selected where you want to be, it’s time to figure out who. You’ve got a trio of characters to select from, and you can reroll those options as many times as you like. You only have one race (Human) and two classes (Hunter and Barbarian) from the jump, though you’ll quickly get more. I won’t spoil the additional races, but the new classes like the agile Thief, paladin-esque Oathkeeper, and the spellcaster-flavored Acolyte of Kuu, all do exactly what they sound like.

But let’s start from, well, the start. The Hunter is faster and more nimble and naturally inclined towards bows and ranged attacks, while the Barbarian has more health and bleed resistance, and thrives up close and personal with melee weapons, but what might be more interesting are the randomly generated proficiencies they get right from the jump. An extra 5% critical hit damage, 2.5% bonus health, or 5% reduced bleed rate may not seem like a big deal, but it can define who you want your character to be, and how you upgrade later. I particularly like that you can reroll your three starting choices as much as you want, for free, or leave an area entirely at no cost if you decide this isn’t where you wanna be.

Once you’ve got your guy (or gal), the fun begins. First, you select an origin. Veteran of the War gives you Heavy Armor, Shields, and 25% Bonus Health, while Hunter’s Apprentice adds Short Bow proficiency, Survival, and 0.5 Projectile Pierce. It’s important to note that you can double-up here. If you’re playing as a Hunter, you probably shouldn’t take Hunter’s Apprentice, for instance, because you already have two of those proficiencies, but it would be great for a Barbarian that wants to play the ranged game. If you play things, right, you can essentially multi-class: Oathkeepers are already hard to kill, but it’s even more difficult when you take the Stargazer origin, which gives you the Acolyte of Kuu’s barrier. Once you’ve got an origin, the games begin. No matter who you pick, your character starts with nothing more than a loincloth and their fists. That doesn’t last long, though.

After you smack your first undead back to the afterlife, you get your first major choice: your weapon. Some of your options might not seem all that important. Take a Hunter’s opening choices. Shortbow versus longbow’s not really that crucial, right? Wrong. Shortbows shoot faster, but do less damage per shot and have less range, while longbows take a little more time to fire, but hit harder and farther. Once you’re got your killing instrument of choice, things escalate. The first few waves are small, just so you have enough time to get used to things. Like Vampire Survivors, you don’t actually control much in Conquest Dark; just where you move and when you dodge. Attacking happens automatically. Instead, your focus is almost entirely on positioning. Where to be, when to dodge, keeping track of when abilities will activate, and being in a position to capitalize on that big shot or big swing.

I Ain’t Got Time to Bleed

As you level up, you’ll make more choices. What to equip, what abilities to upgrade, when to re-roll a selection you don’t like or skip it entirely for more currency for re-rolls later. There’s a ton of build variety here. I gravitated to builds with huge critical hit damage and high crit chance with the Hunter, but the Barbarian works well with AoE damage and by increasing the chance for enemies to drop health. Picking early and specializing seems to be key.

Your real goal, aside from putting together a build that works, is staying alive as long as you can. See, you get 10 lives on each run. If you lose one, you start bleeding. The more lives you lose, the more you bleed. The first time you die, you start losing 1% of your health every second. The second time, that jumps to 2%. The third time makes it 3% and so on. There’s no way to stop bleeding once you start, but you can reduce it by speccing into health regeneration, reduced bleed rate, and how likely enemies are to drop health. Surviving long enough to complete a Ritual means staying alive after enemies cover every inch of the screen, and you start dying. The longer you can stave it off, the better, but the difference between a failed run and a successful one is how long you can hang on once things go sideways and the bosses start showing up. Like you, they have a lot of lives, and they can get pretty nasty, swinging morningstars or not. They’re tough, but if it bleeds, you can kill it. I’ve had the most success as a Hunter, Oathkeeper, and the Acolyte of Kuu (I like standing far away from things and shooting them), but I admire how different each class feels and how they forced me to approach fights in unique ways that played to their strengths.

Whether you succeed or fail (and by the way, you die regardless; even if you succeed, an army of unkillable ghosts sweeps in to ruin your day. Oops), you’re going to unlock rewards, and then it’s back to the map to spend them to help future runs. Maybe that means heading to the Stygian Archive in Kharathia, where you can not only see everything you’ve unlocked, but also upgrade individual skills, weapon sets, abilities, and so on with the Soul Coins you get on each run. Or maybe you’re off to the Altar of Power to spend crystals for increased damage, or the Altar of Toughness to take a chunk out of that pesky bleed damage, or the Altar of Souls to make sure you can collect souls (experience) from farther away. And then there’s the Factions, like the aforementioned Order of S’hes, which rewards you with buffs for all classes for slaying things as a Hunter. And then there’s the Obelisk of the Moon, where you can ramp up the difficulty of performing Rituals for increased rewards by offering up Shards of the Black Planet. Then it’s back to a Ritual. Live, die, upgrade, repeat.

Live, Die, Upgrade, Retry

Conquest Dark doesn’t stop and explain how all of this works off the bat, though there is a detailed game guide there if you want to do some light reading before you set off. Mostly, you learn by doing, and I like that. Put me in, coach, I’m ready to play, win or lose. And once you start unlocking more stuff, the wheels start turning. ‘What can I do with this class? How do I build around this thing? What if I tried taking this origin with this class? What can I do?” And once they start, they don’t really stop.

This preview’s written, Lord Commander Urien (the dude with the morningstars) has been sent on his way, and I’ve seen several hours of Conquest Dark at this point. But I also can’t stop thinking about it, either. What I might try next, how I might upgrade certain things, what classes I want to explore. The moment-to-moment gameplay here is remarkably simple. You just move and dodge (or use dodge-based abilities that can double as attacks), but there’s an elegance to it that I appreciate, and it kept me coming back with new ideas. Upgrades may be what put you over the top, but the magic happens when you step into the arena, in the moments between life and death. You’re going to die; that’s a given. The question is how far you can get (and how many horrors you can vanquish) before you do.