Here's a rare chance to pick up an OLED TV at an absolutely bargain price. Starting today, Buydig has discounted the 55" Panasonic Z85 4K OLED Smart TV with Amazon Fire TV to just $699.99 with free delivery after you apply coupon code "HEAT". The price is reflected at the final step of checkout (before you actually place your order). This is the least expensive 55" OLED TV I've seen this year. Buydig is a reputable, established online retailer; I've personally placed several high-dollar orders from this vendor - both from their storefront and through their eBay seller page - without any problems.

55" Panasonic Z85 4K OLED Fire TV for $699.99

Pedro Pascal has admitted he’s well aware of some of the complaints around his casting as Reed Richards in upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but said Iron Man and Doctor Doom actor Robert Downey Jr. has provided reassurance.

The 50-year-old Pedro Pascal is set to make his MCU debut in July as one of the stars of The Fantastic Four. Marvel Studios and parent company Disney will be hoping it succeeds at a level this year's other MCU movies (Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*) have not, and so there is heightened scrutiny on what is expected to be one of the biggest movies of 2025.

In a Vanity Fair profile, Pascal revealed he is more aware of what he called “disgruntlement” around his casting as Mister Fantastic than any other role he has taken on. So, that’s more disgruntlement that he saw with his casting as Joel in HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, Oberyn Martell in HBO’s Game of Thrones, and the title role in Star Wars show The Mandalorian.

“I’m getting an inkling of excitement because it seems to reflect what our common goal was, and what we want to share, which is all of our f***ing hearts on a platter within this genre,” he said. “You just never know if people are going to be disgusted by your heart or not.”

“I’m more aware of disgruntlement around my casting than anything I’ve ever done,” Pascal added. “‘He’s too old. He’s not right. He needs to shave.’”

Ever since Pascal was revealed as the actor behind Reed Richards, there has been a debate on whether he has the right look for the character. While some have complained about, yes, his version of Reed Richards wearing a moustache, others have said we’ve only seen a glimpse of Pascal as Mister Fantastic in action, and point out that there is of course much more to a performance than appearances.

Still, Pascal revealed he has an ally in Robert Downey Jr. The former Iron Man actor, now Doctor Doom actor, is set to star alongside Pascal in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, although Pascal, predictably, wouldn’t say much of anything about the secretive film.

“He’s just so immediately generous and inviting that you feel like you can be afraid, you can be hungry, you can be ambivalent,” Pascal said of RDJ.

Marvel Studios already sounds confident in this version of The Fantastic Four, at least. Last week, Marvel was said to be already planning a sequel, despite the upcoming blockbuster still being more than a month from launch.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Bambu Lab is widely considered one of the better consumer 3D printer brands on the market. It offers a few different models that cater to a wide audience, from the fledgling first-timer testing out a new hobby or the seasoned professonal looking to produce en masse. Normally, you would have to order these printers from Bambu Lab directly, which is based in the UK and ships oversaes to the United States. However, Best Buy just started carrying Bambu products this year. Even better, there's currently an Anniversary Sale going on right now at Bambu Lab, and the discounted pricing is showing up at Best Buy as well. Now is the time to pick up one of the best 3D printers at a reduced price, and with domestic shipping.

Bambu Lab 3D Printers on Sale at Best Buy

The Best Deal: Bambu P1S Combo for $699.99

Max (soon to be HBO Max again sometime this summer) is home to some incredibly high-quality films and shows, including House of the Dragon, Succession, The Penguin, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, which just wrapped up season 2. You can read our spoiler-free The Last of Us season 2 review to see our thoughts.

If you've been hoping to start up an account to dig into that library, we're here to help. We're keeping track of the best price right now for Max subscriptions, along with any deals as they appear. This includes bundle deals like the Max, Hulu, and Disney+ bundle, which is one you absolutely don't want to miss out on. This mega bundle starts at just $16.99/month, which is an astonishing price to have three very popular streaming services right in the palm of your hand. You can learn more about that bundle deal and Max's subscription plans below.

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.

To learn more about how to get started with this bundle as a new or existing subscriber, head to our guide on how to get (or switch over to) the Disney+/Hulu/Max streaming bundle.

Students Get 50% off Max Basic With Ads

The Final Fantasy Universes Beyond crossover is already proving to be a massive hit. After breaking preorder records, the set is now flying off shelves and selling out everywhere, with collectors and Commander fans alike scrambling to pick up iconic characters in card form.

Whether you're opening boosters, sorting through prerelease pulls, or keeping tabs on the market for trade value, it's clear this set is drawing serious attention.

If you're curious which cards are in highest demand right now, either to cash in or just to see what the hype is all about, we've broken down the top 12 best-selling Final Fantasy cards based on data from trusted marketplace TCGPlayer.

We’ve simplified the list for clarity, grouping some variants, like Borderless and Surge Foils, with their base versions, while also noting the specific card number that’s proving most popular (i.e, Aerith Gainsborough - 519). Not every slot is a Mythic Rare either. This list includes a bit of variety to reflect what’s actually trending, while still focusing on the standout cards from the set. Let’s dive in.

12. Aerith Gainsborough - 519

Aerith Gainsborough is a deceptively powerful engine for life gain and +1/+1 counter strategies. With lifelink built in, she can start growing immediately,every time you gain life, Aerith picks up a +1/+1 counter.

And when she dies, she passes that strength on, putting X +1/+1 counters on each legendary creature you control, where X is the number of counters she had. In the right deck, that can be a game-ending swing.

The card’s popularity is reflected in its pricing. The standard print is just $1.83, while the foil version goes for $16.81. For collectors or premium deckbuilders, the borderless version is around $39, but the rare borderless surge foil sits at a much steeper $140+.

11. Starting Town - 289

Starting Town is an early-game powerhouse, especially in multicolor decks. If you can play it on turn one, two, or three, it enters untapped, giving you immediate access to mana without slowing your tempo. Beyond that, it taps for colorless, or you can pay 1 life to generate one mana of any color, making it a flexible piece in almost any deck.

That versatility comes at a price. The regular version is currently going for around $14, while the foil will set you back just under $17. Still, for decks that care about fast, reliable mana across multiple colors, it's proving to be well worth the cost.

10. Summon: Knights of Round - 359

Summon: Knights of the Round is one of the hottest cards from the Final Fantasy crossover right now, and it’s not hard to see why. For just five mana, you create three 2/2 white Knight creature tokens, instantly building a board.

But it gets even better with its [V] ability, Ultimate End, which gives all your other creatures +2/+2 until end of turn and puts an indestructible counter on each of them. Combined with the card’s own indestructible keyword, it turns even a modest board into a nearly unstoppable force.

The borderless version is currently going for $35.99, which marks a 25% drop in market price this month. The standard print is more budget-friendly at $21.88. Either way, it’s a powerful pickup for Knight, token, or white-based Commander decks, and one that’s likely to remain popular.

9. Traveling Chocobo - 210

The chase card of all chase cards, there are just 77 gold foil Traveling Chocobos out there, available. There are other versions, including Neon Ink versions going for well over $1000, but if you manage to find the gold foil, it is the one you’ll want to find when you’re cracking open Collector Boosters.

Considering how much the ink versions are already going for, I can't imagine how much the Gold Foil variant would actually be valued at, maybe you just win at money and never have to pay for Magic cards again, now that would be nice. But, that being said, one did recently sell for around $30K on eBay.

8. Summon: Bahamut - 1

I love a big ol’ dragon in my Magic collection, and Bahamut certainly fits that bill.

Not only does this Summon create a 9/9, but it can remove permanents, trigger card draw, and use Mega Flare to essentially finish a game of Commander.

All yours for around $93 in the borderless variant, or around $30 for the standard print right now at TCGPlayer.

7. Lightning, Army of One - 545

How many card variants do you NEED? Apparently, Final Fantasy 13’s protagonist, Lightning, needs at least five. To be fair, that makes sense considering how many spin off games she got.

Army of One is all about the Stagger mechanic, teeing your foes up for double damage while also offering lifelink, first strike, and trample in a three-cost card.

Market price is already up to around $256.50 for the most popular Borderless Surge Foil version, while my personal favorite is seemingly the cheapest (but still just as popular), normal print for $20.58.

6. Yuna, Hope of Spira - 549

Yuna's an interesting one, as it's just her 549 Borderless Surge Foil that have drawn the most interest from eager buyers in the secondary market.

Yet, her standard variant is also going through much more of geniune surge in value over the past couple of weeks, rising +143.65% in value, jumping from a low of $5.68 to around $20.15 most recently. It's a big jump in such a short space of time.

5. Tifa Lockhart - 536

Tifa Lockhart continues to be a main stay of the best selling Final Fantasy cards, and even featured as one of the most popular during the presale period just before the Universes Beyond set launched.

Tifa has a Landfall trigger that doubles her power alongside her existing Trample keyword. As TCGPlayer points out, you can grow her attack power with something like Titanic Growth and then use Fabled Passage to double it again.

She’ll set you back between $9.10 for the standard version, and all the way up to $187.60 for the Borderless Surge Foil variant. Otherwise, and quite surprisingly, the non-foil Borderless version is pretty good value for money at around $25.

4. Buster Sword - 255

What’s Cloud without the Buster Sword? Thankfully, this iconic weapon gets the treatment it deserves in Magic’s Final Fantasy set, with a stunning borderless version illustrated by Karuta Shiki. It’s more than just a collector’s piece too, it’s a powerful piece of equipment in its own right.

Buster Sword gives the equipped creature +3/+2, making it a serious threat in combat. But the real payoff comes when that creature connects with a player. Not only do you draw a card, but you can immediately cast a spell from your hand with mana value equal to or less than the damage dealt, without paying its cost.

Of course, a card this flashy doesn’t come cheap. While current listings on TCGPlayer hover around $66 for the standard issue, it has already sold for as much as $208.30 this month for its fantastic borderless version.

If you're a fan of Cloud or just love flashy, high-impact equipment, this is one to watch, and anything under triple digits is looking like a bargain right now.

3. Vivi Ornitier - 248

Final Fantasy 9 spellcaster Vivi Ornitier, by Toshiyuki Itahana (character designer on the game), might just be one of the best cards in the game right now. So, it's hardly surprising that it's standard card is up there as the third most popular in the set currently. Market price isn't too bad either (at least compared to the rest of this list), if you're looking to buy one standalone.

The Borderless version is also the absolute definition of a collector’s item if I've ever seen one, and proving to have plenty of interest as well. Both of these can also be considered a top 10 card for collectors, also demanding a rather mighty price at around $72.13 for the former, and $232.71 for the later in the market right now.

2. Cloud, Midgar Mercenary - 520

Cloud, Midgar Mercenary is, unsurprisingly, by far one of the most popular cards from the Final Fantasy x MTG Universes Beyond set. Low mana cost and double equipment triggers make Cloud very close to Stoneforge Mystic, but with some striking new anime art from Kazto Furuya.

Not only is the Borderless Surge Foil variant one of the priciest cards from the new set (sitting at around $466 market), the Borderless, Extended Art, and Normal print all also fetch a pretty penny right now.

In terms of popularity, the Borderless Surge Foil is shoulders above the rest, but the Normal print is also exceedingly popular right now according to TCGPlayer, and still one of the top 20 cards players have been chasing since the new set released. Finding any of these, or deciding to buy them out right standalone, are good reasons to get excited.

1. Sephiroth, Fabled Soldier - 527

Sephiroth, Fabled Soldier - 0527 (Borderless) (Surge Foil) is the most popular card in the game right now, and has surged to a market price of $701.55 this week, up +74.09% just this month.

But it's not the only version that's proving popular either, with the 382 and 317 Borderless, alongside the 115 Normal print also proving to increasingly sought after right now, which is unsurprisingly reflected in the market prices right now as well.

Where to Buy Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy Cards

I'm going to give it to you straight right from the off. It's painfully hard to get hold of any of these sets from major retailers right now. While we saw some big restocks over the past month, pretty much everywhere is sold out of Final Fantasy MTG at the time of writing.

I can provide some handy links to bookmark so you can check back in, but for now, your best chance of securing anything will be via the most trusted third-party resellers like TCGPlayer.

Or perhaps, collectors will instead be most interested in the new Final Fantasy x Secret Lair drops, instead. It’s been a busy year for Wizards of the Coast’s limited-time mini-sets, and while the company sold out of all three Final Fantasy drops in record time (leaving many disappointed), you can still get them via third-party sellers... if you're willing to pay the inflated costs, that is.

There are a trio of Final Fantasy Secret Lair sets, Weapons, Grimoire, and Game Over, each offering unique art and names for Magic: The Gathering cards. Everything is available in standard and foil, alongside the Japanese variants as well.

But, since they've sold out, you won’t find Secret Lair drops at the same price as you’d find them directly from Wizards of the Coast (standard $30 nonfoil, $40 rainbow foil), with most being listed anywhere between $80-$150 or above.

This is a huge markup, so if you're looking to buy, be sure you're 100% informed of what you're paying for. You can buy them from eBay, but we’ve always found TCGPlayer, while still eBay-owned, to be the most secure and trustworthy way to nab Secret Lair drops post-release.

Lloyd Coombes is Gaming Editor @ Daily Star. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay. He's also a tech, gaming, and fitness freelancer seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, IGN, and more.

This article also includes contributions from Lloyd Coombes. Thanks to TCGPlayer for the data and information that informed this article.

We're still a few weeks away from Amazon's big four-day-long Prime Day sale event this year, but that doesn't mean there aren't still some great deals to check out at the retailer. For physical media collectors in particular, Marvel fans - we've found an excellent discount on Moon Knight's 4K steelbook that's worth picking up.

Moon Knight 4K Steelbook for $36

Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts could have featured Scott Pilgrim and Superbad star Michael Cera — until the actor turned down the opportunity to avoid getting "too famous."

As revealed by Cera himself in a new episode of Louis Theroux's podcast (thanks, Variety), Fantastic Beasts' casting directors were keen for him to play a major part in the franchise that would have given the star years of work.

Ultimately, however, Cera said the time commitment and the high-profile nature of the franchise gave him "fear" — though he didn't rule out joining another blockbuster series, such as Marvel, at some point in the future.

"I don't even know if I was offered, I think I just declined to engage with it because I think it would be like probably six years commitment or something," Cera said. "But also, I did sort of make a conscientious choice to limit my exposure a little bit, or just try and be a little more in control of it. And I felt like doing, especially little kids' movies, I had a big fear of doing things that I would get too famous."

It's interesting to consider who Cera might have played, had he been a part of the Fantastic Beasts series — and presumably a major part, if he was asked to potentially sign up for six years.

Could he have been in contention for its lead role of Newt Scamander, which ultimately went to Eddie Redmayne? The two actors share some similarities, with both actors known for playing introverted or awkward characters, though its hard to imagine an American landing the particularly British main role.

Potentially, Cera could have been considered for Scamander's down-to-earth American pal Jacob Kowalski, a more light-hearted role that would have fitted Cera's background in comedy. Alas, Cera did not go into further detail.

"I think I've outgrown that particular feeling, but I think that's what that was at that time," Cera continued, suggesting he would now consider a role in a big movie franchise. "If a franchise came along now and seemed interesting, I don't think on the grounds of it being a franchise I would storm out of the office or anything."

After a trilogy of movies, Fantastic Beasts now looks to have been paused for the forseeable future, while Warner Bros. turns its attention to remaking the original Harry Potter books as a big-budget HBO TV show. Numerous actors have now been cast, including John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Hagrid, alongside the series' core trio of kids. No word yet on Cera joining that cast, either.

Image credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

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 Anora and Predator: Killer of Killers to excellent television series like Shogun, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Bear (which returns with season four on June 25), there is always something awesome to watch. We've also got the highly-anticipated Alien: Earth series on our radar this year, which premieres its first two episodes on August 12 on Hulu at 8pm ET, and on FX and Disney+ at 8pm PT / ET.

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 The Last of Us 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. With an FX partnership, Hulu is also home to those shows, including Shogun and the upcoming Alien: Earth series.

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. Beyond it being awarded the best streaming service by us, it also received a 9/10 in our updated Hulu review. Writer Rosie Knight said, "Hulu's ease of use, solid UI, and ever- expanding catalog has moved it ahead of top competitor Netflix to secure our highest score for a streaming service."

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

Original story from Brian Barnett.

IGN can exclusively reveal that the Crunchyroll Anime FanFest will be heading to San Diego Comic-Con for two days of anime and anime-inspired music, including SPYAIR, yama, Denzel Curry, and Iniko. And the best part? It's free for everyone, even if you don't have a badge for SDCC!

The Crunchyroll Anime FanFest will take place July 25 - 26 at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, which is right behind the San Diego Convention Center. The doors will open at 1pm PT each day and will welcome guests until capacity is full.

As for the lineup, here is everything fans can expect, directly from Crunchyroll;

• On Friday, July 25, the Crunchyroll Anime FanFest will blend the best of Japan’s music scene with global, anime-inspired sounds.
  • SPYAIR — Japanese rock band behind Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle theme.
  • yama — J-Pop singer behind SPY×FAMILY ending theme.
  • ASH DA HERO—Punk rock band behind “Judgement” for BLUE LOCK.
  • Slushii—Anime-inspired DJ, producer, and multi-instrumentalist.
  • Magnolia Park—Alternative rock band
  • Hyper Potions—Electronic artist known for anime-esque soundscapes.
  • VGR—EDM producer known for video game and anime music remixes.
  • James Landino—Composer and DJ behind Tower of God original soundtrack.
• On Saturday, July 26, anime’s impact on hip-hop, R&B and more is on full display for fans to explore the intersection between anime-fandom and music.
  • Denzel Curry—Miami rapper blending underground hip-hop with anime.
  • INIKO—Shounen anime-inspired genre-defying songwriter and producer.
  • Pink Pablo—Puerto Rican singer and producer.
  • ALI—Boundary-pushing group behind “Lost in Paradise” for JUJUTSUKAISEN.
  • Yaeji [DJ Set]—NYC-via-Seoul artist, producer, vocalist, DJ and lifelong anime fan.
  • Taku Takahashi x Alenoise—DJ and producer of the Black Clover theme.
  • NOODLES—Los Angeles-based DJ.

In addition to seeing these artists perform live, guests can look forward to exclusive art and anime merch pop-ups, giveaways, and explore the Activations Crosswalk, which features immersive experiences for Gachiakuta, Kaiju No. 8, Rising of the Shield Hero, and more.

“Anime fans’ love goes beyond just the content because it’s a lifestyle, and music is an integral part of that anime fandom,” said Crunchyroll’s Chief Operating Officer Gita Rebbapragada. “Music drives anime narratives, sets the tone with hit themes that bookend episodes of fan-favorite series, and is often born from a creator’s unyielding love for the medium. This year, we are going to San Diego Comic-Con with a tremendous festival experience to celebrate music across the anime spectrum.”

For more in the world of anime, check out our list of the top 25 best anime series of all time and what the best anime to watch right now is.

And be sure to stay tuned for more of IGN's SDCC coverage, where we will be covering all the biggest moments from the show and more!

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.

Dying Light: The Beast lead producer Szymon Strauss shares five tips for helping you survive the zombie apocalypse in Dying Light: The Beast, the upcoming new standalone entry in the first-person, melee-plus-parkour action-adventure series.

This is the final exclusive piece of our month-long IGN First coverage on Dying Light: The Beast. If you missed any of our other content, get caught up on our hands-on preview, our 30-minute extended gameplay video, the deep dive on the Chimera boss battles you'll fight, the weapons overview, and a closer look at the Castor Woods setting.

Dying Light: The Beast will be released on August 22 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Wishlist it on Steam if you're interested.

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

Post-It Notes are great for jotting down quick notes and reminders, but as a vessel for creating fine art, they leave a little to be desired. At least, that's what we thought until glimpsing Aaron Wiesenfeld's new book Playtime: The Post-It Note Drawings. This hardcover art book collects 100 of Wiesenfeld's gorgeously rendered and imaginative drawings, all done on tiny, 3-inch sheets of yellow paper.

With the Kickstarter campaign for Playtime: The Post-It Note Drawings live now, IGN can exclusively reveal some of the stunning artwork featured inside. Get a closer look in the slideshow gallery below

Wiesenfeld is probably best known for his work on 1997's Deathblow/Wolverine (which earned him an Eisner nomination) and his painted covers for DC's Y: The Last Man. This book sees Wiesenfeld working in a much simpler medium, relying on nothing but black ink and Post-It Notes to create vivid works of art. Playtime: The Post-It Note Drawings reprints 100 of these drawings, along with a handful of text pages and poems.

“It's always good to put limitations on yourself,” said Wiesenfeld in a statement. “In this series I only allowed myself to use black pens on a 3x3-inch square of yellow paper. It became a challenge to see if I could capture some of the key elements I love in large oil paintings: mood, atmosphere, time of day, weather conditions, character, and story. I wasn't always successful, but was often pleasantly surprised with the results anyway. When you see your lines blown up, every quiver of the hand is captured there. No falseness, or flourishes of style are even possible, it's just too small for any of that. The results always felt ‘real’ to me. One of my heroes is Gustave Doré, who, constrained by the printing limitations of his time, was able to tell visual stories that felt like paintings, but limited to only using black and white engraving lines.”

Playtime: The Post-It Note Drawings is live on Kickstarter now.

In other comic book news, the Phillipe Labaune Gallery is showcasing the work of Paul Pope, and DC has revealed the many variant covers for September's Batman #1 relaunch.

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

Ubisoft's next big patch for Assassin's Creed Shadows arrives tomorrow, June 25, 2025, and the publisher has now detailed everything included.

As we knew already, Title Update 1.0.6 includes the game's next story pack, which introduces a new Ally character for Naoe and Yasuke played by Critical Role's Robbie Daymond. Players will meet Rufino, Daymond's character, and get to hang out with him at their hideout — though whether you can also romance him is unconfirmed.

Another big addition that was previously announced is a new Nightmare Difficulty option. Today brings further detail on what this will comprise, with perfect parries required to deflect hits without taking any damage, fewer combat resources, plus smarter enemies able to see and hear Naoe's movement even while crouched or in the shadows.

For a slightly more difficult challenge generally, Ubisoft has added an Open World Alarm system that extends the stomping grounds of Shadows' fearsome Guardian warriors outside of castles and enemy camps. Now, Naoe and Yasuke can earn Wanted status in the open world, should you repeatedly be naughty and attack civilians or military units.

Ubisoft is set to continue adding small dollops of extra story missions, alongside other fixes and feature additions, through the rest of 2025, as fans await Shadow's first major expansion Claws of Awaji, due at some point before the end of this year.

The full list of additions, and a long rundown of the update's bug fixes, lie below in full.

PATCH HIGHLIGHTS

New Free Story Pack: "A Critical Encounter"

• Reward: New Ally based on Critical Role's Assassin's Creed Shadows One-Shot campaign character, Rufino, played by Robbie Daymond. You will also get a banner in the hideout with the Critical Role logo.
• New Trophy/Achievement: "A Critical Encounter", received upon completion of the questline.

New Nightmare Difficulty Setting

• Player defensive options are less effective, and enemies deal greater damage at all levels.
  • E.g., Parries now require perfect timing to deflect the hit - imperfect parries will only partially block incoming damage.
• Enemy AI is smarter, faster, and more aggressive in a variety of circumstances, including detection.
  • E.g., Even while crouching, Naoe now generates some sound! And even while in the shadows, she can be seen while moving!
  • E.g., Enemies will no longer become vulnerable from dodges or parries - only abilities can put them into a vulnerable state.
• Combat resources (like adrenaline, rations, and shinobi items) are harder to come by, making their use even more vital.

Toggle Headgear in Cutscenes

• Note that headgear will not be displayed in cinematics or in some specific instances where a rule overrides this setting (romance-specific cutscenes).

VFX Toggles

• Players can now disable/enable specific VFX to further customize their experience. These include the ability to hide or show the loot on dead bodies, the last known position of the player, the special attacks indicators of the enemies, and more. All will be accessible in the Interface option menu.

Open World Alarm

• We have expanded the Regional Alert System available in Castles to the whole Province. Now by repetitively attacking Civilians or Military units outside Castles, the alarm can be triggered, and a group of Guardians will hunt you in the world.

Horse Camera Presets

• You can now toggle between 3 different camera presets while riding on your mount (hold the down button on controller/'X' key on keyboard while riding) allowing for a more cinematic experience to take in the full beauty of Japan.

Ultra Low Specs for PC

• We are adding a new visual quality level, the Ultra Low mode. This will allow PC players with a limited GPU configuration to experience the game in better framerate conditions.

LIST OF BUG FIXES

General

• Fixed an issue where the Onryo Mask remained visible despite selecting the option to hide gear.
• Fixed an issue where players were unable to earn Mastery Points.
• Fixed an issue where Mastery Points were not returned after resetting the Mastery Tree.
• Fixed an issue where players could not switch characters anymore even without gameplay context restrictions.
• Fixed an issue where allies could be trained to veteran rank without upgrading the dojo to level 3.
• Fixed an issue where Gennojo did not immediately appear in the hideout after recruitment. He was busy washing his hair!
• Fixed an issue where sometimes a player remains stuck in a Red Zone, without being able to fast travel anywhere, by allowing them to fast travel to the hideout.
• Fixed an issue where the Oni Drawing remains stuck on screen after completing the "Vision of the Realms" quest.
• Fixed various localization issues.

Quests

• Fixed an issue where players could not progress in the "A Chance Encounter" quest when following Fuyu.
• Fixed an issue where players could not complete the quest after defeating all Kabukimono.
• Fixed an issue where Lady Oichi's letter became unavailable after the Fuji-maru cutscene.
• Fixed an issue where players were unable to talk to Katsuhime in the crop field when she was sitting on the ground. She just wanted some peace and quiet!
• Fixed an issue where tracking the "Temple Stories" quest only showed a progress bar with no text.
• Fixed an issue where Genzaburo's Teppo Master was missing from the Kaya Shrine.
• Fixed an issue where Yagyu Munetoshi revealed a later plot point too early in the "Nobutsuna's Students" quest.
• Fixed an issue where players could not assassinate the Godai of Void because the NPC was missing. He took his name too seriously.
• Fixed an issue where players could not complete the "Diary of Lady Rokkaku" quest after dodge rolling and dropping Katsuhime.
• Fixed an issue where players could not complete the "Diary of Lady Rokkaku" quest when there was no immediate option to carry Katsuhime.
• Fixed an issue where players glitched through an anomaly in the "Heads Will Roll" quest, making Animus activities unavailable.
• Fixed an issue where players could not progress in the "Lost Honor" quest because the game failed to switch to Naoe.
• Fixed an issue where players could not progress through the Tournament after dying.

Visuals & Graphics

• Fixed some minor visual issues.
• Fixed misplaced visual elements with the Dark Woods Kusarigama.
• Fixed an issue where all NPC horses appeared as identical.
• Fixed a clipping issue with Naoe's Sekiryu outfit.
• Fixed an issue with the "Bloodshade Katana" being visible out of the sheath when transmogged.
• Fixed a movement physics issue with the Dead by Daylight Oni's armor.

Audio

• Fixed an issue where footstep audio occasionally ceased when opening the map while moving.

No matter which platform you prefer, there's an excellent variety of video game deals to check out right now. Whether you're gaming on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC, we've rounded up the best offers to help you get more for your money. This includes the PS5 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 bundle, which is still available at select retailers post-Days of Play. You'll want to be quick to grab it, though, as it may not stay in stock much longer.

On top of that, PC players can score discounts right now on Doom: The Dark Ages, Elden Ring Nightreign, and even Stellar Blade. These deals just scratch the surface of what's available, though. Have a look through our favorite video game deals at the moment below.

PS5 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Bundle

Best PC Game Deals

Humble Choice Games for June 2025

Best Physical Video Game Deals

If you're looking to save on physical games right now, there are plenty of deals worth checking out across PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. We've included just a few of our favorites above, but if you'd like to see more game deals for each platform, check out our individual roundups for these consoles: the best PlayStation deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals.

Best Nintendo Switch 2 Accessory Deals

It's official: the Nintendo Switch 2 is now available for people to get their hands on. If you've already picked up your console and are on the hunt for some accessories, we're here to help. We've found some great Nintendo Switch 2 accessory deals that are worth picking up right now, from carrying cases to screen protectors and more. The selection above just scratches the surface of what's available, though. Check out our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch 2 deals to see more.

Best Xbox Accessory Deals

Outside of games, there are a few different Xbox accessory deals that are worth your time and money as well. Walmart's offering a nice discount at the moment on the Elite Series 2 controller, while Amazon's got the 1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card on sale. Woot has a couple of nice accessory deals to check out, too.

Best PS5 SSD Deals

Best Gaming PC Deals

Do you prefer to play on a dedicated PC tower? Navigating the options online can be quite the ordeal. Desk space, portability, and price point are often factors in the decision. However, there are some great PC deals that pop up every now and again that are worth jumping on. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on the Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5070 Ti Gaming PC (32GB/1TB), which has dropped to $1,849.99. To see even more PC deals, check out our roundup of the best gaming PC deals.

Superman has a lot to squeeze in. Following the various trailer reveals, fans had wondered how Superman would do justice to its expanding supporting cast. The rebooted DC Universe kickstarter revolves around a trio of characters: Clark Kent / Superman, Lois Lane, and central antagonist Lex Luther, but there are a number of other superheroes and supervillains confirmed to appear in the summer blockbuster.

On top of this, the events of Superman take place in a fictional world in which superheroes and villains are already established. Superman has been doing the Superman thing for a few years by the time we meet him, and there’s no need for origin stories for the likes of Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Metamorpho.

So, is writer and director James Gunn concerned about causing confusion by dropping the audience in the middle of a fully formed world already filled with superheroes and villains?

In an interview with Esquire Philippines, Gunn said early screenings had proven this not to be a problem.

“No not really, because I've screened the movie for so many people and saw that people aren't confused,” he said. “So I know from fact that it's not confusing.”

Gunn went on to say that Superman just has two sets of friends in the movie: his work friends and his play friends. Who fits into which group is up for debate, of course, but the supporting characters should just be treated like the friends of any other movie’s protagonist.

“We're used to seeing movies with protagonists and Superman is definitely the protagonist of Superman, and he has his work friends and he has his play friends,” Gunn said.

“Now, I don't know if the Justice Gang are his play friends, or his work friends at the Daily Planet are his work friends or his play friends, but that's the two groups of his friends from different places. And just because they have insignias on their costumes or superpowers doesn't mean they're not like any other supporting character in any movie.”

Gunn then pointed to the Oscar-winning, three-hour biopic Oppenheimer as having more characters to contend with than Superman: “I think Oppenheimer has three times as many speaking roles as we do,” he said. “So I think people are fine.”

Speaking of runtime, Superman, which hits theaters July 11, clocks in at 2 hours 9 minutes inclusive of credits and post-credits. For context, that’s 15 minutes shorter than Henry Cavill’s 2013 film, Man of Steel.

All the characters revealed so far in Superman:

• Superman
• Lois Lane
• Lex Luthor
• Mister Terrific
• Guy Gardner
• Hawkgirl
• Metamorpho
• Baby Joey
• The Engineer
• The Hammer of Boravia
• Ultraman
• Rick Flag Sr.
• Supergirl
• Maxwell Lord
• Kryptonian robots, including Kelex
• Krypto
• Jonathan Kent
• Martha Kent
• Perry White
• Jimmy Olsen
• Steve Lombard
• Cat Grant
• Ron Troupe
• Eve Teschmacher
• Otis

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Elden Ring Nightreign is adding its next enhanced Everdark Sovereign boss into the game. Fulghor, Champion of the Nightglow will be the next Nightlord to get an enhanced version, arriving on June 26.

The update goes live at 7am PDT / 4pm CEST / 11pm JST on June 26, as a new target for a Nightfarer expedition. If the big guy is anything like the previous Everdark Sovereign, you'll have to successfully take down the base version of the Nightlord at least once to challenge its more difficult variant.

Developer FromSoftware started rolling these Everdark Sovereigns out in a surprise drop last week, with the addition of a souped-up Gaping Jaw challenge. These enhanced bosses can throw a lot at the player. Adel, Baron of the Night's upgraded form was terrifying, zipping around the arena and, at one point, making a giant storm inside the arena.

Fulghor, who reigns under the Darkdrift Knight banner, has already been a bit of a challenge for players in Elden Ring Nightreign in his base form. The centaur can cause some serious damage fast and leaves little room to get in and hit him. The area-of-effect attacks especially cause some problems, if you're not ready.

So, naturally, the enhanced version of Fulghor could pose some real challenge. Replies to the announcement tweet are gearing up for the prospect of tackling this warrior's even-more powerful version.

More Everdark Sovereigns are planned to roll out, as FromSoftware has confirmed each week will host a new upgraded boss. As Darkdrift Knight rotates in, it looks like the Gaping Jaw challenge will rotate out. Sentient Pest is the next on the docket, and should pose a fairly interesting challenge, especially with the phase shifts.

We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has linked the stories of upcoming Disney+ spin-off series Ironheart and Marvel's next mega blockbuster Avengers: Doomsday, as the show's first three episodes launch today.

Speaking to Deadline, Coogler admitted that Ironheart was conceived before Marvel dramatically changed course on its plans for the next Avengers movie, and ditched Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror to instead bring back Robert Downey Jr., now playing Dr. Doom.

Still, Coogler evoked Dr. Doom to suggest that Ironheart had a similar focus — a mix of technology and magic that was symbolic of Marvel's iconic masked villain.

"It's so crazy to be putting this [show] out now, at the time where AI is on the front of everybody's mind, technological ethics are on the front of everybody's mind," said Coogler, who holds an executive producer credit on the series.

"But also when the MCU is gearing up — we didn't know it was going to be Dr. Doom in the Avengers when we first started, but he's a guy in publishing who's most famous for fusing technology and magic, so it's a great sample of things that are to come in probably what's going to be the biggest movie in Marvel history."

The first half of Ironheart launches today, June 24, 2025 on Disney+, after an unusually long wait between filming and release. Filming initially lasted between June and November 2022, before reshoots reportedly took place between February to April 2024.

It's interesting to compare this production schedule to what else was going on behind the scenes at Marvel around this time. Reports suggesting Disney was reconsidering its plans for Kang circulated throughout 2023, after Majors' arrest in March of that year. Majors was formally fired in December 2023, immediately after he was found guilty of harassment and assault. By February 2024, what was Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was reportedly being rewritten. Finally, in July 2024, Marvel announced that its fifth Avengers film was now titled Avengers: Doomsday, with its focus shifted to Dr. Doom.

So, was there time amid all these changes for Ironheart to get retooled as an Avengers: Doomsday lead-in? Is that why the series took so long to arrive? If any clear sign of Doom does appear, it would suggest Marvel was already settled on its plans for the next Avengers film as early as the start of 2024, when Ironheart reshoots took place, months before the Russos and Robert Downey Jr. were formally announced to the world.

Or, perhaps, Coogler is just savvy enough to know that while this belated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever spin-off might be launching now, Marvel fans are already focused on December 18, 2026 — when Avengers: Doomsday finally arrives.

While Ironheart star Riri Williams is a technological genius, recent weeks have seen Marvel focus its marketing on the series' magical side, evoking popular Disney+ shows like Wandavision and Agatha: All Along. Indeed, Marvel fans believe Ironheart is hiding a big magical secret — the debut of a character whose MCU arrival has been expected for some time.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Unlike the beloved sitcom of our youth Malcolm in the Middle, the iconic Everybody Loves Raymond will not be participating in the reboot trend, according to the cast of the series.

"There won't be a reboot," the show’s star Ray Romano recently told The New York Post while attending a 30-year anniversary celebration of the series at the Paley Museum in New York City. "The obvious is Peter [Boyle] and Doris [Roberts], and one of the kids — they’re no longer with us. We’re all heartbroken. They’re a big part of the show, the dynamic.”

He added: “Without them, I don’t know what the dynamic is. We love the show too much, we respect it too much to even try to do it.”

Were you waiting for an excuse to grab an Audible or Kindle Unlimited subscription? Well, today is your day thanks to three months for $0.99 for the former and three months free for the latter. It's an epic day for game devs and players too thanks to a cracking deal on a 32" Alienware curved gaming monitor and a massive sound bundle over on Humble.

TL;DR: Deals For Today

The epic Sam's Club Pokémon TCG Classic deal is back, and it's undercutting big box stores and the collectors market by nearly $100 in some cases. I've looked up the top-valued cards from the box, so you know if it's worth it or not below. Spoiler alert, it is! Let's get into it:

3 Months for $0.99 Audible Deal

3 Months Free Kindle Unlimited

Pokémon TCG Classic

The Sam's Club Pokémon TCG Classic deal is back, and it's massively undercutting other big box retailers and the secondary market. Just for comparrison, the top four cards from this set, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur and Mewtwo, are worth the same price as this discounted offer. This deal is well worth it and should be snapped up as soon as possible.

Pokémon TCG Stock Updates

As usual we're looking at over-inflated pricing at big box stores, but it's a dependable source of sealed product for trainers looking to add to their collections or rip open boosters. Although we'd recommend checking out secondary market prices first, as big retailers are now regularly selling over market value now too. I've already done the hard work for you:

TCG Player and eBay Pokémon Sealed Product

The Most Expensive Japanese Black Bolt White Flare Cards

The most expensive cards from Pokémon TCG's Black Bolt and White Flare sets are already commanding serious prices in Japan. Top of the list are the Special Illustration Rares of Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex, both featuring intricate, hand-drawn artwork and fetching well over ¥20,000 (around $130–$150 USD) on the secondary market.

Also climbing fast are the new BWR (Black White Rare) cards and the full-art Victini promos from the themed file sets. With stunning clay and knitted art styles also making their debut, collectors are pushing prices up across the board, especially for low-population, high-style secret rares.

This Weeks Pokémon TCG Crashers and Climbers

With Black Bolt and White Flare wrapping up the Scarlet & Violet era, all eyes are now on what’s next—and Mega Evolution is officially back. The Japanese Championships 2025 confirmed MEGA Symphonia and MEGA Brave as the first entries in the new Mega Expansion Packs, launching August 1 in Japan. These sets reintroduce Mega Evolution ex cards in a powerful new form, now Stage 2 Pokémon worth 3 Prize Cards when knocked out. Cards like Mega Gardevoir ex, Mega Venusaur ex, and Mega Lucario ex are leading the charge, and collectors are already snapping up classic Mega cards in anticipation of their return to the spotlight.

MTG Live Preorders

Preorders are now live for Magic: The Gathering’s next major set, Edge of Eternities, ahead of its August 1 release. You can lock in Play Booster Boxes, Bundles, Commander Decks, and Collector Boosters, with prices already dipping below MSRP in some spots. With some chunky lore, borderless cards, and premium packaging teased, now’s a good time to grab your picks before stock tightens closer to launch.

MTG Stock Update

There's the usual suspects of insanely priced boosters such as Theros Beyond Death, but there's also some discounts such as 9% off a box of Assassin's Creed collector boosters and a massive 32% off a booster box of Lord of the Rings set boosters.

MTG Final Fantasy Chase Cards

I was going to say how insane MTG Final Fantasy's popularity is, but it's completely understandable. Whilst sealed stock is going up in value and becoming harder to get, there's plenty of option for the most in-demand cards for your deck or collection.

MTG Aetherdrift Chase Cards

Aetherdrift is one of Magic: The Gathering’s more experimental sets, blending high-speed vehicle mechanics with a bold visual style. Released as part of the Universes Beyond series, it introduced new archetypes and card types designed to shake up both casual and competitive formats.

Sound Explosion Software Bundle

Alienware AW3423DWF Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor

The Legend of Zelda Master Sword by Proplica

Monster Hunter Wilds PS5 and Xbox Series X

Monster Hunter Wilds has hit its lowest price yet for the standard physical edition on PS5 and Xbox Series X at just $55.99, down from $69.99. This latest entry takes the series into a fully voiced narrative, dynamic biomes, and crossplay multiplayer. If you’ve been waiting for a price drop to jump into the Forbidden Lands, this is a solid time to grab a copy.

Symphonic Journeys Pokémon Red & Blue - IGN Exclusive Vinyl

Elden Ring Nightreign Official Strategy Guide

Serrenity Forge Storyteller's Bundle

Donkey Kong Bananza

amFilm Switch 2 Tempered Glass Screen

San Diego Comic-Con is just weeks away, and more and more companies are revealing the exclusive collectibles and toys they'll be bringing to the show floor. Now it's Funko and Loungefly's turn. IGN can exclusively reveal their lineup of SDCC-exclusive collectibles based on The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Check out the slideshow gallery below to see these adorable Funko POP toys and Loungefly's FF-branded backpack:

Funko fans can look forward to two new additions to the ever-growing Funko POP line. The first of these is H.E.R.B.I.E., the team's faithful helper robot. The H.E.R.B.I.E. POP figure measures 4.2-inches tall and features a "2025 Summer Convention" sticker on the box. This figure is priced at $15.

The other POP release is quite a bit tinier, as it's part of the Bitty POP line. The Fantastic Four 4-pack features pint-sized versions of Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Thing, and Human Torch, each measuring about .9 inches tall. This set also comes packaged inside an acrylic display case, which is stackable with other Bitty POP cases. As with H.E.R.B.I.E., this set features a "2025 Summer Convention" sticker and is priced at $15.

Finally, backpack lovers will want to keep an eye out for Loungefly's Fantastic Four Uniform backpack, one that boasts the same retro-futuristic vibe as the film's FF costumes. The backpack measures 12" x 17" x 5" and is made of faux-leather. It's limited to just 1200 units and is priced at $100.

San Diego Comic-Con 2025 runs from July 24-27. The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters the same week, on July 25.

For more Comic-Con exclusives, check out Hasbro's epic Marvel Legends Savage Land set.

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

Introducing Gloomy Eyes, a new "self co-op" cozy horror adventure with a Tim Burton-esque, The Nightmare Before Christmas artistic vibe that has you playing as two different characters, each with their own powers and abilities – and sometimes you'll control both of them at the same time to solve the game's puzzles.

Belgian developer Fishing Cactus sets up Gloomy Eyes as such: "In a world plunged into eternal night and torn by conflict between the living and the undead, one faint glimmer of hope still flickers in the hearts of two special souls. Gloomy Eyes tells the tale of Gloomy, a sweet zombie boy, and Nena, a mischievous human girl, who defy the rules by teaming up and embarking on a quest to bring back the daylight."

The levels are handcrafted dioramas, and puzzles will have you alternating between playing as Gloomy and Nena, set to what Fishing Cactus hopes will be a memorable and unique soundtrack.

Gloomy Eyes is coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch later this year. Wishlist it on Steam if you're interested.

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

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is now available on PS5, and is an expansive journey across Australia as Sam Porter Bridges aims to connect another continent to the Chiral Network. But just how long is it? Here we’ll let you know exactly how many hours it took different members of the IGN team to finish the story, and what they prioritised doing with their time.

Simon Cardy - Senior Editor

By the time I reached the end of Death Stranding 2’s story, I had just passed the 34-hour mark. Granted, I was so engaged with its twisting tale that I took the mainline path of missions, doing only a dozen or so optional objectives along the way. Thankfully, this didn’t make my journey much more difficult – although completing side orders does grant you extra tools to help you on your way, the Death Stranding sequel removes a lot of friction from the original game, meaning it’s never too difficult to reach your goal. That’s not to say it’s too easy, though, as towards the campaign’s end, a few combat encounters and long-haul deliveries did give me pause for thought.

I’ve played another ten hours since, and have now completely joined the whole of Australia and Mexico up with the Chiral Network. But I still feel the urge to get every one of those facility connections up to five stars. As someone who can’t leave a project unfinished, I’ll be back in the boots of Sam Porter Bridges soon and mopping up each of the moreish missions Death Stranding 2 still has in store for me.

Matt Kim - Senior Feature Editor

It took me about 38 hours to beat the main story of Death Stranding 2 and to hit credits. And no, 50% of those hours were not cinematics. Hideo Kojima clearly wanted to be more intentional with cutscenes in Death Stranding 2, and it feels like he purposefully restrained himself by trimming the cinematics’ runtime so we could all focus on playing the game. And focus is exactly what I did, almost exclusively on the campaign’s main missions. I did complete a handful of side quests that probably extended my final runtime by a couple of hours, but there’s still so much I didn’t get around to doing that I’m excited to jump back in to try and complete for something closer to a 100% run. Maybe I’ll try to platinum this game, who knows?

Nick Limon - Executive Producer

I hit credits on Death Stranding 2 at 41 hours. I took my time, exploring the nooks and crannies of Mexico and Australia, taking in the sights, sounds, and walking to the tune of my portable music player. While I didn't reconnect the entirety of Australia, I did connect most of the region to the Chiral Network. There are now just a handful of stragglers left, which I plan on checking off my list in the coming days. Where I spent most of my time was advancing my rating with Preppers using items and upgrades that caught my attention and suited my playstyle. Unlike the first game, Death Stranding 2 features far more bespoke side content (at least from my experience -- though I didn't play much of the original's "Director's Cut") that I can’t wait to investigate. Keep on keeping on!

Will you be playing Death Stranding 2? Planning on taking your time and completing every side delivery available, or here for the story and want to get to the end of it as quickly as possible? Let us know in the comments below!

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Nintendo has once again used its Today! app to announce news, this time a release date for Switch 2 exclusive Drag x Drive.

Drag x Drive launches exclusively on the eShop for Switch 2 on August 14, 2025. That confirms no physical release for the game is planned.

Nintendo has so far failed to confirm a price for Drag x Drive, which was announced in April as part of Nintendo’s Switch 2 reveal Direct.

The Nintendo-developed exclusive uses the Joy-Con 2 for 3v3 basketball-style matches where you control wheelchair-using characters. You can use the controllers in mouse mode at the same time to simulate the act of pushing the wheels, speed up, and perform tricks.

With the announcement of Drag x Drive’s release date, we’re starting to get a clearer idea of what’s coming exclusively to Switch 2 during the second half of 2025. On July 17, Donkey Kong Bananza comes out (it just got an eye-catching Nintendo Direct all to itself), then there’s Drag x Drive a month later. Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV launches on July 24, with Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World due out August 28. Switch 2 exclusives down for 2025 but without a release date include Kirby Air Riders, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, and Splatoon Raiders. FromSoftware's definitely not Bloodborne 2, The Duskbloods, is due out at some point in 2026.

Of course, Nintendo has a number of other big games set for both Switch and Switch 2 later this year, but they're worth mentioning here as there will be plenty of Switch 2 owners interested in playing them on their new console. These include the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4 and Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Microsoft and Meta have teamed up to release a limited-edition Xbox-branded version of the Meta Quest 3S. The virtual reality headset comes with 128GB of built-in storage and a custom “carbon black and velocity green” color scheme. The bundle also includes an Elite Strap, a limited-edition Xbox Wireless Controller, plus three months each of Meta Horizon+ and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is available starting today, June 24, for $399.99 at Meta and Best Buy (though the Best Buy listing isn't live yet). Microsoft says, “Quantities are extremely limited. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.”

Buy Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition

Microsoft has announced the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition, the first limited edition ever for the Quest virtual reality headset.

The company behind Xbox has yet to release a virtual reality headset of its own, but it seems happy to partner with Meta to expand Xbox cloud gaming on Quest.

In a post on Xbox Wire, Lori Wright, Corporate Vice President, Gaming Partnerships and Business Development, said the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is “crafted for Xbox fans.” It’s out now (see it at Meta) and costs $399.99.

The Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition Bundle contents:

• Custom 128GB Meta Quest 3S in Xbox Carbon Black and Velocity Green
• Matching Touch Plus controllers and a limited-edition Xbox Wireless Controller
• Elite Strap
• 3 months of Meta Horizon+
• 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

You can pair any Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, or Xbox Adaptive Controller to Quest using Bluetooth, but the included limited-edition Xbox Wireless Controller will share the same look as the other accessories.

The Xbox app on Quest lets you access Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is available as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Game Pass Ultimate members can also stream select cloud-playable games they own, even if they are not included with Game Pass Ultimate (there are over 100 supported titles in the Stream Your Own Game collection).

The marketing for the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition leans on Microsoft’s ongoing “This is an Xbox” campaign, which pushes the idea that Xbox isn’t confined to consoles, but playable on most things with a screen.

The Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is available now at meta.com, Best Buy (USA), Argos (UK), and EE (UK), but quantities are extremely limited. “Once they’re gone, they’re gone,” Microsoft said.

Microsoft has so far resisted the temptation to release a VR headset of its own, even as competitors such as Sony went all-in. Back in 2019, ahead of the launch of the Xbox Series X and S, Phil Spencer confirmed that virtual reality wasn't a focus for the consoles because there wasn't enough demand for it.

“We’re responding to what our customers are asking for and… nobody’s asking for VR,” Spencer said at the time. “The vast majority of our customers know if they want a VR experience, there’s places to go get those. We see the volumes of those on PC and other places.”

Sony went on to release the PSVR2 for the PlayStation 5, which now appears to have been left behind.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

There’s a new Chicken Run video game in development, and its voice cast is sure to ruffle some feathers.

Chicken Run: Eggstraction, from Outright Games, is described as an “action-stealth” video game that is of course based on the Chicken Run franchise. It’s a top-down, heist game that picks up where Aardman's 2023 film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget left off. Expect a launch this fall on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

What’s interesting here is Chicken Run: Eggstraction’s voice cast. It sees Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, and Josie Sedgwick-Davies return to voice Molly and Frizzle from Dawn of the Nugget. But it’s also got Chicken Shop Date creator Amelia Dimoldenberg, too.

On the surface, Grave Seasons might look like any other nice, cozy farming sim like Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon: you’re a stranger who’s come into a farm in the small town of Ashenridge, full of seemingly friendly people. You plant and harvest crops, craft items, and make friends. But there’s a mysterious, unnerving sense that tugged at the back of my neck during my half-hour playing Blumhouse Games and Perfect Garbage’s not-so-cozy farming sim. One that kept me much more engaged than your garden-variety farming game, with its impressively intriguing threads that added a little drop of poison to the well.

After a brief intro to the player character, who’s escaped a prison sentence in search of a new beginning, things start getting weird. Hari, a neighborly caretaker who’s maintained the property since falling into ruin, greeted me with an incredulous (but charming) hello, which doubles as a quick tutorial. At first glance, the stuff he introduced me to wasn’t that strange. I had the standard tool wheel, complete with a shovel, pickaxe, watering can, and so on. But I also had a crowbar?

That’s because Grave Seasons isn’t just a grim or slightly spooky take on farming: it’s also a mystery game. And while I didn’t have a chance to use a crowbar during the early section I played, it sounds like you’ll need to use it to break open locked doors later on in the story. But given the mysterious circumstances under which my character came into their new home, I’m curious to learn about their motives and means.

After working my new land, picking some chilis, cabbage, and tomatoes that Hari so neatly planted – and doing a little planting of my own, burying some carrot seeds my new friend offered as a welcoming gift – I did some exploring. To my shock, I found a severed hand and a bloodied ring amidst the weeds and garbage littering the far reaches of the property. I tugged at this new thread immediately, taking it to Hari to see what he had to say about it, rendering shock and horror from my musclebound, tutorial-dispensing neighbor.

Nothing really came from this interaction, beyond that reaction, and the revelation that I could talk to Hari about other stuff, and even offer them a gift. Obviously, I’m sure there are opportunities to spend more time with them (or any character, as I met later) and figure out what he might actually want. But a half-hour demo isn’t exactly designed for that kind of long-game mindset. So I gave them the chocolate ice cream cone in my inventory as a sign of friendship (and maybe more). Unfortunately, he reacted to the frozen treat about as well as he did to the hand… I didn’t get another chance to try my hand (no pun intended) at offering them something else, but given Grave Seasons’ dark, slightly comedic tone, I’m curious to see what winds up tickling their fancy in the full game.

Then I retreated to my shed, where I found a pickling and fermenting station a while earlier to put my chilis and cabbage to good use by making some kimchi. This highlighted one of my favorite parts of Grave Seasons. Although it’s decidedly horror-focused, Grave Seasons doesn’t skimp on the stuff that makes farming games great in the first place. With a diverse menu, well-realized in a sharp, pixelated art style, this demo made me hungry as I marveled at the pixel art of garlic, hummus, pickles, and salads. Kimchi in hand, I set back out to my house to find a new character sitting on the edge of the well in my yard.

Pilar, a fashion designer with a passion for vintage clothing, greeted me with another warm welcome before telling me about their plans to forage for some rare herbs that night. After agreeing to explore my new home a bit, I tried talking to them more, again about the hand, getting another shocked response. I gave them my fresh kimchi to see what they thought about it, but just like Hari, no dice.

Here was another favorite part of the demo: just talking to Pilar and Hari. Their dialogue was consistently engaging, funny, and distinct in a way that conveyed loads of personality and life. I would’ve sat there for the entire demo just gifting them every last radish, head of lettuce, and cigarette in my inventory if I could. Based on the trailer and other materials Perfect Garbage has shared, I’m excited to see what other characters I get to meet. And I’m eager to watch them play out their roles in this mystery, which deepened at night.

After cleaning up some trash, mining for some minerals and iron, watering my carrots, and putting some crops into storage to be sold, it was time to take a walk in the woods with Pilar. Upon walking into the gulley, something was immediately off. Then, a pair of bright red eyes opened behind them, claws emerging at Pilar’s ankles, illuminated by their lantern. In the blink of an eye, some kind of eldritch beast mangled Pilar. It took me about a minute to refix my dropped jaw after seeing that… I can’t believe how expressively gory Grave Seasons would get, or that they just killed off Pilar like that.

That was the end of the demo, but it absolutely left me wanting more. Setting up a story that blends in all sorts of seemingly disparate threads like this – from small-town murders to bloodthirsty creatures beyond comprehension lurking in dark woods – created just the right kind of intrigue. I’m sure I’ll wind up investigating my now-dead friend’s witchy ways, make more friends (and enemies), and grow crops to make tasty food while doing it.

I’ve had a lot of trouble sticking with most farming sims because they lacked a certain sense of intrigue; that hook to keep me looking forward to the next day for something other than fresh crops. This is exactly what the developers at Perfect Garbage are looking to remedy with Grave Seasons; I’m sure this first day was a condensed version of the kind of pacing we’ll see in the full release, but I love the balance of visual novel-like mystery with the more relaxing pace of farming gameplay, ensuring that fresh crops grow in time with the narrative and dramatic tension.

Grave Seasons promises to inject something sinister into the farming sim genre with a compelling horror-mystery that seems on track to deliver personality, fright, and charm in spades. I’m interested to see and learn more about Grave Seasons’ community of charming townsfolk and the secrets lurking underneath Ashenridge’s small-town veneer when it ships on PC and consoles sometime next year.

Fans are warning others to be mindful of Nintendo's new anti-piracy policy when buying a secondhand Switch 2 — or risk buying a console that's permanently stuck offline.

As reported earlier this month, Nintendo fans suspect the company has begun blocking access to all online functionality on Switch 2 consoles that have used the MIG Switch flash card — a device used to play unofficial copies of games.

This tactic, which is seemingly permanent, leaves a Switch 2 console displaying the error code 2124-4508 when accessing any online functions. Impacted consoles are unable to download and play any digital games or Game-Key cartridges, access system updates or game updates, play using online multiplayer, communicate using GameChat, or use any Nintendo Switch Online functionality, including the subscription's retro game catalogues.

If you're buying a Switch 2, you likely want to do some of those things. And, unfortunately, someone has already reported the first instance of picking up a pre-owned Switch 2 at a discount and finding they have been sold a console that's been banned.

Writing on reddit, user Bimmytung reported buying a pre-owned Switch 2 from Walmart, and checking the box in-store to ensure that everything physically looked as it should.

"Physically it's fine, everything seems there," Bimmytung wrote. "Notice that the Mario Kart code is scratched off. Hmm. Naturally wonder if the original buyer redeemed the code and returned the system. They knocked $50 off the price so I figured I'd roll the dice and at least have the hardware. Bought a Pro Controller 2 while I was at it.

"Get home and go to finish the setup - quickly get Error Code 2124-4508. A quick Google search shows me I'm screwed. FML. Thankfully my local Walmart accepted the return without any fuss but still... I wish nothing but enthusiastic double gonorrhea to the lowlife scum that did this."

As word spreads of the MIG Switch card's risk, and as more Switch 2 consoles get banned by Nintendo, the likelihood grows that further impacted consoles will end up on eBay, or in secondhand retail shops.

Fans have suggested that anyone buying a secondhand Switch 2 console should now ask for proof the device still has access to its online functionality, and an assurance the previous owner had not used a MIG Switch previously, in order to avoid being caught up in a later ban wave.

Back in May, ahead of Switch 2's launch, Nintendo updated its Nintendo Account Agreement to make clear that any attempt to use "hardware or software that would cause the Nintendo Account Services to operate other than in accordance with its documentation and intended use" risked "the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device [becoming] permanently unusable in whole or in part."

Still, reports that Nintendo was swiftly bringing down the ban hammer on users who had inserted a MIG Switch into their console came as a shock to many Switch 2 owners, who found their new purchases banned from accessing online functionality almost immediately.

IGN contacted Nintendo at the time to ask for more detail on the bans, but did not receive a response. IGN has asked the company today for detail on what impacted customers should do if they purchase a blocked secondhand Switch 2, whether Nintendo would acknowledge this situation and remove bans, and whether the console maker would issue guidance to retail chains that handle secondhand stock warning them of the situation.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Firaxis and 2K are committed to reversing the fortunes of Civilization 7 with an all-new update, much of which has been "influenced by the community."

This month's "hefty" Update 1.2.2 brings a raft of long-awaited features like Large and Huge Maps, expanded Advanced Game Options, and a community favorite: Steam Workshop support. There's also new Town Specializations, City-State Bonuses, Beliefs, balance changes, UI improvements, and — best of all, of course — "a very pettable Scout dog."

Players can also finish their current save under a previous version by using the legacy Steam beta branch. Backwards compatibility for existing saves is also available, although you should note that "some new abilities or effects may not appear until you start a new game or advance to the next Age in your current campaign."

"For the best experience, we recommend starting a new game, or continuing your current game into the next Age," Firaxis said.

Large and Huge map sizes — which I'm afraid aren't available on Switch, along with Standard — default to 10 players, but multiplayer campaigns max out at eight people, inclusive of AI companions. The team hopes to expand Huge to accommodate 12 players eventually, but right now it "needs a bit more time to make sure increased player counts won't compromise game stability or performance." That said, because of the size, these maps have been spruced up with Pantheons (and two new ones have been added to Antiquity), Religious Beliefs, Discoveries, and City-State bonuses to "ensure there’s enough content for all the players in a game."

"One of the best things about Civilization is how many ways there are to play," the update added. "Some players are happy to peacefully build the biggest, best Cities while others want to ignore all that and go conquer the world ('Yes, your amazing City does look great in my empire'). With 1.2.2, we’ve added several new advanced game setup options to give you even more control over how you play."

This means you can now decide whether to enable, disable (or turn off entirely) Legacy Paths per Page, specific Crises, as well as disable Score Victory. AI difficulty can be amended, too, and you can bypass Civ Unlocks On Age Transitions now.

"We’ve had a lot of fun playing with different Legacy Paths on or off in each Age. While Legacy Paths that don’t lead to a Victory are always optional, sometimes it’s nice to just tune them out entirely and focus on playing into the unique strengths of your leader and civ," Firaxis added. "For a fun sandbox game we’ve been playing in the office, try turning off Legacy Paths for Antiquity and Exploration, and setting the game to Abbreviated Ages. If you want to lean into the sandbox feel even more, try turning off Legacy Paths in Modern and the Score Victory, too."

Feedback from fans about Religion has necessitated changes, too, with the team now adding new Beliefs and updating existing ones to give bonus incentives for converting your own Settlements. There are "bigger and bolder changes" also on the horizon for Religion, but we'll find out more about those at a later date. You can also expect Town focus bonuses to help them feel more "impactful."

"Urban Centers in particular have received a glow-up, and now gain access to many of the Buildings that were otherwise only available in Cities (like Libraries and Monuments in Antiquity)," the update explained. "Fort Towns gain the ability to purchase multiple walls so they can really lock down strategic chokepoints. We also introduced a new type of Town Focus: the Resort Town. These relaxing scenic retreats gain extra Gold and Happiness on Rural tiles with Happiness and increased Yields on Natural Wonders.

"Lastly, we felt massed Hub Towns were overshadowing some of the other options and gave them a slight nerf from +2 Influence per connected Settlement to +1 Influence. We’re going to keep our eye on them to see how they compare against the other newly buffed Towns."

Players will also now be able to find and install mods from Steam Workshop. Oh, and there's even a new loading screen, with rewritten and re-recorded narration from Gwendoline Christie.

There's also an absolute smorgasbord of tweaks and fixes, but if I wrote all those out here, we'd be here until Christmas. You can head on over to the official website to see it.

Civilization 7 has had a rough launch on Steam — that much is clear. The strategy sequel has struggled for players on Valve’s platform ever since its launch in February. Despite a number of patches issued by developer Firaxis to reverse things, Civilization 7 finds itself in the unenviable situation of having fewer players on Steam than Civilization 6 and even the 15-year-old Civilization 5. According to Steam user reviews the game is 'mixed,' although the last 1,500 or so reviews has it falling to a 'mostly negative' rating.

Update 1.2.2 is out now, although Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 players will have to wait a little longer as the team works "diligently to get these updates through the additional Switch submission requirements." Players still experiencing issues or bugs are encouraged to disable mods and make the team aware.

We thought Civilization 7 was 'good,' awarding it a fitting 7/10, writing: "Civilization 7's improved warfare and added bits of narrative flair give me reasons to keep clicking one more turn late into the night, but the desire to streamline and simplify this legendary 4X series feels like it has also gone a bit too far, particularly when it comes to the interface."

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Carrie-Anne Moss has discussed the backlash to her characters’ death early on in Star Wars Disney+ show The Acolyte, insisting she had no idea it would be a big deal.

Episode 1, Lost / Found, launches straight into the action as a mysterious assassin (Amandla Stenberg) — later revealed to be Osha's twin sister Mae — enters a bar to confront Moss' Jedi Master Indara. Mae challenges Indara to "attack her" with all her strength and then forces her into a duel. Mae ends up striking Indara down, resulting in her death, which some fans felt was premature for a screen legend like Moss.

Series creator Leslye Headland has offered an explanation for the death, insisting it was essential for the show to throw down the gauntlet and highlight the threats faced by the Jedi.

"From a filmmaker perspective, I just felt like with the cold open, especially with a new story, that you just have to go hard," Headland explained in an interview with GamesRadar last year. "You have to say the Jedi are going to take some Ls; you're not going to know who the good guys and the bad guys are. And it's going to feel very visceral."

"Even if you already know it's going to happen, it doesn't have to be a big gotcha moment," she added. "It just has to be a moment where the emotional and the physical — meaning the fights — melt together. Carrie-Anne, not just being an action legend, is also a phenomenal actress. She was able to play all those beats within the fight as well as, of course, her death scene."

Still, fans took to social media as soon as the episode was shown to issue their complaints. Some were unhappy with the actor's short-lived appearance, feeling the character did not get enough screen time. Others criticized her heavy inclusion in promotional materials, only to be cut early on.

Why yall make Carrie-Anne Moss get out of bed if you’re just gonna waste her like that #theacolyte pic.twitter.com/d58TJbacI1

— Boka MAX (Formerly “Boka”) (@BokaLaBoca) June 5, 2024

Now, speaking to Business Insider a year on, Carrie-Anne Moss revealed she knew her character's fate when she signed on to play Indara, but admitted she underestimated the fan reaction to her death, and, looking back, feels she should have called it.

"The reaction to it from the fans, I kind of thought, 'Wow, how did I not think of that?'" she said. "I mean, I serve the writers and the directors. It didn't cross my mind. But afterward, when people made a big deal about it. I was like, 'How did I miss that?' I didn't think it would be a big deal at all."

Indara does appear in later episodes of the season in flashback form, but for many fans the damage was done. Indeed, Star Wars owner Disney canceled The Acolyte after Season 1, leaving a number of plot threads, chief among them the dramatic first appearance of Darth Plagueis in live-action form, dangling, perhaps never to be resolved.

Since the cancelation, a number of actors who appeared in The Acolyte have said they still hope for a Season 2. In December, Manny Jacinto, who played Qimir, said Darth Plagueis would have had a bigger role in further seasons of The Acolyte, but didn't reveal too much because "we could come back."

Sol actor Lee Jung-Jae said he was "quite surprised" to hear it wouldn't get a second season, which Headland was thinking about even before Season 1 premiered. Others, including Stenberg, have said they weren't shocked by the cancellation, however. "I'm going to be transparent and say that it's not a huge shock for me," she said. "I was in the bubble of my own reality, but for those who aren't aware there's been a rampage of vitriol that we've faced since the show was even announced. When it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it."

Mother Aniseya actress Jodie Turner-Smith raised this issue too, calling out Disney for not doing enough for the cast who faced waves of racist slander online. "They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting f**king dog-piled on the internet with racism and bulls**t," she said. Jacinto is still eager to create more of The Acolyte though, calling Season 2 his life's goal not long after its cancellation.

The Acolyte earned a 6/10 in IGN's review. We said: "The Acolyte takes us to an earlier era of Star Wars than we’ve seen on screen with mixed results. Awkward dialogue and a small scope rob it of some of the series’ signature space magic, but these old-school Jedi are a thrill to watch in action."

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Back in March this year, game industry veteran Masahiro Sakurai received a lifetime achievement award at the 30th AMD awards. In an interview by ITMedia Business Online conducted at the time (recently republished on Yahoo Japan), Sakurai revealed why he doesn’t hire people, reflected on how the games industry has changed, and touched on the potential use of generative AI in development.

Sakurai is best known as the creator behind two of Nintendo’s big franchises, Kirby and Smash Bros. After working at game dev studio Hal Laboratories from 1989 to 2003, Sakurai became a freelance game creator, founding his own company Sora Ltd. in 2005. In 2022, he created the award-winning YouTube channel “Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games,” in which he shared insight and advice on all aspects of making a game.

Sakurai’s approach differs from that of many game creators who have gone on to form their own companies. “When a game creator becomes the president of a company, it is difficult for them to fully engage in creative activities,” explained Sakurai. “There was a conflict between making interesting games and making management decisions — the problem was that being overwhelmed by the duties of being a president made it hard to focus on the vital part, game creation.”

This led Sakurai to his current approach, which involves creating games without directly hiring or managing any employees. “Basically I work together with other game companies to avoid having to manage a company,” Sakurai explained. “This method has worked well so far. I am able to continue being creative and concentrate on making things without becoming extremely busy running a company.”

However, Sakurai noted that his method is not without its challenges. Working with different game devs means that Sakurai has to “build up trusting relationships and working styles from scratch every time. So, I think it is necessary to have a certain degree of flexibility.”

According to Sakurai, one of the most important elements when working with a team on a new project for the first time is to make sure everyone is on the same page and has a clear, shared vision of the game. “I make sure that many members of staff can share the same information at the same time, regardless of their job or whether they are designer or programmer.” Although this takes more time and planning, Sakurai said that in his experience, this approach “reduces the risk of information gaps” and misunderstandings. “Conversely, if I just conveyed my ideas to the producer, and then they assign work to various other people, then some kind of misunderstanding would occur, or even a 180 degree difference (in what was intended).”

However, when asked whether his approach would be the best for the game industry as a whole, Sakurai was hesitant. “It depends on the person. As for me, I had built up a track record and trust through working on Kirby and Smash Bros. titles in the past. If you don’t have this, if you don’t have any track record at all, then the work won’t come to you. This is a way of working that becomes possible through gaining more allies by continuing to make good games, and it is not a style of working that works well for everyone.”

Director Danny Boyle has discussed how Britain's most iconic tree features in 28 Years Later — despite the movie being shot more than a year after vandals chopped it down.

Boyle's post-apocalyptic 28 Days Later film series has always included a heavy focus on British culture, and new entry 28 Years Later is no different, with references to the children's classic TV show The Teletubbies and a particularly notorious cultural figure who is best left behind a sizable spoiler warning.

But as British fans of the series flock to see the film, one other notable inclusion that's been spotted is the tree at Sycamore Gap — an iconic location in the English countryside that dominated national headlines when the tree was illegally felled.

For those unfamiliar, the 150-year-old Sycamore Gap tree was positioned in a photogenic tourist hotspot in the northern English county of Northumberland, next to an ancient Roman structure, Hadrian's Wall, that once divided the country from Scotland.

The tree gained particular fame from being featured in the 1991 Kevin Costner classic Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves — with some dubbing the sycamore as 'the Robin Hood tree' as a result.

In the early hours of September 28, 2023, the tree was cut down in an act deemed by police to be "deliberate vandalism." Two men in their 30s who filmed themselves felling the tree on their mobile phones were later arrested and charged with causing £623,335 worth of criminal damage to both the tree itself and Hadrian's Wall, upon which the sycamore had fallen. Both have since been found guilty, but await sentencing.

Hytale, the Minecraft competitor announced in 2018, is canceled and its developer is shutting down.

Hypixel Studios announced that the ambitious, Riot Games-backed Minecraft-style game had ended development, and the studio itself was in the process of winding down.

Hytale was announced in December 2018 with a trailer that has an incredible 61 million views on YouTube. Here’s the official blurb, as it was back then:

Hytale combines the scope of a sandbox with the depth of a roleplaying game, immersing players in a procedurally generated world where teetering towers and deep dungeons promise rich rewards throughout their adventures. Hytale supports everything from block-by-block construction to scripting and minigame creation, delivered using easy to use and powerful tools.

Excitement around Hytale was fueled by the experience of the developers themselves, who co-founded Hypixel, one of the most influential Minecraft servers in the world. Riot Games, maker of League of Legends, invested in the project and eventually bought the studio.

However, the Hytale dream is now over. “This is not the outcome any of us — at Hypixel or at Riot — wanted,” a statement attributed to co-founder Noxy published to the Hytale website reads. “But after years of pushing forward, adapting, and exploring every possible path, it became clear we couldn’t bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise.”

So, what went wrong? According to Noxy, Hytale’s technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a reboot of the game engine, the team “found that Hytale still wasn’t as far along as it needed to be.”

“It became clear we’d need a lot more time to get it to a place where it could support the ambitious vision for the game,” Noxy continued.

Options such as reducing scope and pushing the game back were rejected as they “would have meant compromising on what made Hytale special in the first place.” “It wouldn’t have been the game we set out to make,” Noxy explained. “And it wouldn’t have been the game you deserve.”

As for Riot, it tried to find investors to save the project, but it sounds like those efforts failed to go anywhere. The affected staff are getting “generous severance and resources to help them find what’s next.”

Confirmation of the cancelation comes just a few months after Hypixel issued a spring 2025 development update, where the studio revealed some of the progress it had made in the first few months of the year. It even finally revealed a new character that it had teased at the end of 2023. New engine progress was called out, with improvements highlighted.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Sarah Michelle Gellar wants the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot to bring back the show's original cast of characters — including "everyone who has died."

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Gellar said her vision for the series would be that it offers a mix of storylines featuring both new and returning faces, and have a lighter tone than the original show's Season 6 and Season 7.

As well as being an executive producer, Gellar will star in the series' new pilot episode and then appear in a recurring role afterwards, as she passes the Slayer baton to new series lead Ryan Kiera Armstrong. But it sounds like she won't be the only classic cast member returning when the Buffy reboot arrives.

"It will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original," Gellar said. "We will try to find a balance between new and old characters. My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well."

Gellar's comments are the first time we've heard of plans to bring back other classic characters as well as herself, and the suggestion that deceased characters could return as well opens up some intriguing possibilities.

Main character deaths in Buffy's original run were rare, though later seasons saw fan-favourite witch Tara tragically murdered, while the show's finale offed former demon Anya.

Buffy spin-off Angel killed off a slew of its cast characters, however, including several that debuted in its parent show. Cheerleader turned seer Cordelia sadly passed in the series' later episodes, while Watcher turned rogue demon hunter Wesley fell in the series finale.

In the world of Buffy, death does not pose a huge problem for returning characters, with numerous actors reprising their roles — or beginning them — as characters who have died, become undead, or been resurrected. Buffy herself died several times throughout the series' original run, and several of her closest pals (lovers) were vampires.

Gellar recently recorded a video reuniting with her former co-star Alyson Hannigan, who played Willow, putting to bed internet rumours of a feud. Fans had hoped this meant Hannigan's character might also return — though there's been no confirmation as yet.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer originally aired from 1997 to 2003, starring Gellar, Hannigan, Nicholas Brendan as Xander, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia, David Boreanaz as Angel and Anthony Stewart Head as Giles. The series was created by Joss Whedon, who is not connected to the reboot.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Pixar veteran Pete Docter has discussed the company's current struggles when trying to create new films and franchises, as current release Elio faces an uphill battle at the box office.

Stressing that Pixar needed to "find out what people want before they know it," Docter said that the alternative was just feeding audiences "more of what they know" — leading to endless sequels and more of the same.

"We'd be making Toy Story 27," Docter said, speaking at Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Summit, shortly before the studio's new film opened.

In the U.S., Elio earned just $20.8 million from its opening weekend, the lowest of any Pixar debut, amid tough competition from fellow new release 28 Years Later and the recent How To Train Your Dragon live-action remake.

Internationally, Elio has earned $14m, for a current worldwide total of $34.8 million — far short of the film's $150 million budget, a total that also does not include marketing costs.

"It's a rough time, and all we can do is try to make movies that I think are led by us. We have to believe in them," Docter said. "It takes as much work and effort to make something that doesn't make money as it does for something that does. And you can't really plan on this stuff. Sometimes you just hit the right little combinations of things."

Elio has received positive reviews by critics, but clearly has not sparked the level of interest among audiences Pixar had hoped for. It's a marked change to the audience response for Pixar's last movie, Inside Out 2, which overperformed versus expectations and became Disney's biggest box-office hit ever after netting $1.69 billion.

Aside from interest in individual films, there are longer term trends at work here too — lingering audience hesitation due to the effects of Covid, and an expectation from that era of animated movies quickly becoming available on streaming services.

To mitigate risks, Docter said Pixar was now sticking to a rough schedule of one original film followed by a sequel to a past hit — and, sure enough, 2026 will see the launch of Toy Story 5. While it's not quite the Toy Story 27 that Docter referenced, it will see Pixar adding yet another entry to a story many felt had been perfectly wrapped up in Toy Story 3, after the flop of Buzz-centric spin-off Lightyear.

Looking ahead, Pixar's future slate is as Docter suggests: a mix of original ideas and sequels. As well as Toy Story 5, next year also brings human-animal body-swap comedy Hoppers, while feline-focused Gatto debuts in 2027. These are followed by Incredibles 3 in 2028, and Coco 2 in 2029.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Mahershala Ali has issued a number of updates on Marvel’s M.I.A. Blade movie while promoting his new film, Jurassic World Rebirth, and none are particularly positive.

Blade was first announced at San Diego Comic Con back in 2019 and if all had gone to plan, the movie would have launched this November. But the troubled project has cycled through several directors at this point, and now, six years after it was announced, Blade starring Mahershala Ali is no closer to becoming a reality.

Indeed, it's been eight months since Blade was removed from Marvel’s release schedule — and the studio has yet to confirm a new release date. That said, a month after the film was pulled from the calendar, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige insisted the company still planned to make a Blade movie happen at some point.

"We are committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala's take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You're all up to date on what's happening," he said during an interview with Omelete in November 2024. "But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU.”

But what does Mahershala Ali have to say about it? Speaking to Variety, the Oscar-winning actor issued a brief and vague update that will do little to convince fans Blade is on the way. "Call Marvel," Ali said. "I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready."

The Hollywood Reporter also asked Ali for an update on Blade. Here, he said a little more, but it still sounds very much like nothing’s happening any time soon.

“I would love for Blade to happen; we’ll see, I don’t know where Marvel is at right now,” he said. “I’m just looking for the next great part, I really am.”

Dune: Awakening developer Funcom said it is aware that "players are reporting being cut out of the endgame due to the extremely competitive nature of the Deep Desert."

Last week, Funcom assured players in an AMA it was already "formulating a plan" to improve PvP in the Deep Desert, which players have previously branded as "toxic" due to griefing even after patching out the ability for players to squish other people with their Ornithopter.

In a candid letter from the creative director, Joel Bylos said: "So let me start by stating this unequivocally — we want PvE players to be able to play the endgame and have access to the content of the endgame. Our goal is not to force PvE players to interact with a PvP system that they may have no interest in.

"We still believe in the core concept of the Deep Desert — an endlessly renewing location that resets every week and creates an activity loop for great rewards. The tension of heading out there, head on a swivel, eyes peeled for foes as you enter the most dangerous part of the most dangerous planet in the universe, Our wish was that players would embrace this loop, forming guilds to work together to overcome the bleakness of the Deep Desert. But as Stephen King says, 'Wish in one hand, sh*t in the other, see which one fills up first.' One of my hands is overflowing right now and sadly not with wishes."

Bylos admitted that the "extremely competitive nature" of the Deep Desert was forcing players to engage when they may prefer PvP, and consequently, some areas of the Deep Desert will now be flagged as "Partial Warfare (PvE)" where players can grab rare resources without getting ambushed. The largest spice fields, shipwrecks and Landsraad control points will remain "War of Assassins (PvP)" as "high reward, high risk" areas.

That said, the whole game is balanced around guilds and groups, so if you prefer to be a lone wolf, you can expect it to be "grindy if [you] play solo."

As for the Orni griefing? "Thopters will always be incredibly important for crossing the desert, but they shouldn’t also be the dominant force in actual battles," Bylos said, adding that the following will be implemented "shortly":

• Scout Ornithopters with rocket launchers attached will have their speed maneuverability reduced
• Rockets fired from Scout Ornithopters will have increased heat generation
• Thrusters will provide a max speed bonus regardless of wings, ensuring that thruster equipped scouts will be the fastest vehicles in the game
• A new T5 infantry rocket launcher will be added to help improve the dynamics of vehicle/ground combat

Finally, the Landsraad. Bylos defines it as "an umbrella for all endgame activities," such as dungeons, contracts, and "more specialized delivery tasks."

"As a system it is an activity driver that is designed to promote the conflict between the factions, internal politics between the guilds, while providing goal thresholds for individuals and groups to work towards getting personal rewards," the director explained. "And the Landsraad should be doing that for everyone who wants to participate in the elder game, be they PvEer or PvPer. The Landsraad should be giving you things to do every day and every week.

"It’s nothing new, from a design perspective, we’ve seen daily/weekly quest systems in games for a long time. Our approach was to try and frame this system around the greater politics of the Dune universe, by having players engage in activities to earn the votes of the various Landsraad houses." Consequently, Funcom will shortly be addressing "key flaws" in the Landsraad design, too, including stockpiling, which is currently rewarded but was not designed to be that way.

"Once a live game launches, it becomes a collaborative effort between the developers and the players to make it something amazing," Bylos concluded. "We appreciate your feedback on what we hope is the beginning of a long journey together.

"Bear with us — our intention is to be clear and open in our communications and to make Dune: Awakening a game that everybody can enjoy."

We gave Dune: Awakening a Great 8/10 in our review, writing: "Dune: Awakening is an excellent survival MMO that captures Frank Herbet’s sci-fi world incredibly well, mostly to its advantage and occasionally to its detriment. The survival climb from dehydrated peasant to powerful warlord of Arrakis is a joy almost every step of the way, and the story and worldbuilding filled this nerd with absolute joy. There’s still plenty for Awakening to work on though, as its combat never really hits its stride, the endgame is a bit of a chaotic mess not worth the effort."

If all that's got you interested, make sure to check out all the Dune: Awakening classes you can choose from, and keep an eye on our in-progress Dune: Awakening walkthrough for a step-by-step guide to the story. To help you survive on Arrakis, we've got Dune: Awakening resource guides that'll help you find iron, steel, aluminium, and a Dune: Awakening Trainers locations guide.

Dune: Awakening has enjoyed a superb launch, with a 'very positive' user review rating on Steam. Within hours of going live on June 10, Funcom's survival MMO had clocked up over 142,000 concurrent players on Valve's platform, and hit a new high earlier this month of 189,333 players. And it's already clocked up over 1 million players, too, making it Funcom's fastest-selling game ever.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

On July 9, Samsung will host its third and final Galaxy Unpacked Event of 2025. Samsung hasn't revealed much beforehand other than its tagline "Ultra Unfolds," however the company is widely expected to release new foldable variants in its Galaxy smartphone lineup. In advance of the event, you can place a reservation online in order to get some early bird perks if you end up placing a preorder. These include:

• A bonus $50 Samsung credit
• Up to $1,150+ in additional savings (most likely from trade-ins)
• A chance to enter the sweepstakes for $5,000 in Samsung credit

If you're even slightly interested in getting your hands on the new smartphones, there's no reason not to reserve. Since this isn't a pre-order, you don't have to place any kind of deposit, and there's no commitment to buy.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked July 9, 2025: Reserve Now

Great news, everyone: The latest Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set has arrived, and it includes some great cards.

The arrival of a new set has already given rise to refreshed synergies with some forgotten cards seeing a boost, but naturally, the latest influx of cardboard has caused prices to climb and others to fall.

Magic: The Gathering - Crashers

Summer has arrived and neck fans are once again increasing in popularity. These portable fans wrap around your head and are a simple and effective way to keep your noggin cool and breezy. If you're not sure whether a neck fan is worth it for you, at least you can give it a try with minimal risk. Right now Amazon is offering 50% off Tunise Rechargeable Portable Neck Fans with coupon code "8Z2BHHVD". For Amazon Prime members, prices start at just $13.50 after the code is applied. To be honest, most of these inexpensive neck fans on Amazon look like they came from the same factory, so it really just comes down to finding the lowest price. Also, if you don't like it, Amazon offers an easy 30 day return policy.

Tunise Rechargeable Portable Neck Fan for $13.49

Clear the digital cobwebs off your wishlist and stretch those thumbs because some absolute gems are on sale across every major platform this week. Whether you're chasing a retro-style indie for loose change or something AAA to chew on until tax returns hit, there’s something to tempt just about everyone. Enough talk, though. Let's get amongst some bargains!

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 28th birthday of my personal favourite moustache racer, Mario Kart 64. What sold me was its first-in-series 4P multi, and probably about a hundred hours spent doing "winner plays on" 150cc VS. Mode and Block Fort balloon battles at a mate's house. When the surf was crap in Kiama, his headland-based abode basically became the local youth drop in centre—just a constant state of shoulder-to-shoulder competition and trash talk. Truly, some of the best gaming years of my life.

• Pokémon Legends: Z-A (-13%) - A$78
• Sonic x Shadow Generations (-35%) - A$49
• Inside (-90%) - A$2.90
• Front Mission 1st: Rem. (-66%) - A$17.80
• Sniper Elite 3 Ult. Ed. (-80%) - A$10.50
• Overcooked! All You Can Eat (-66%) - A$19.30

Expiring Recent Deals

• Super Mario RPG (-18%) - A$65.90
• Persona 5 Royal (-33%) - A$66.80
• Burnout Paradise Rem. (-27%) - A$29
• EA Sports FC 25 (-62%) - A$34
• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (-48%) - A$44
• What Remains of Edith Finch (-75%) - A$7.40

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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