Owlcat Games has announced The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, a narrative-driven action role-playing game set in the universe of the sci-fi TV series of the same name.

The developer, best known for isometric role-playing games such as Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, is stepping firmly into Mass Effect territory with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, which has an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, cover-based gunplay and class-driven powers, party management, and companion romance.

Owlcat said fans of the TV show will encounter familiar faces, with some of the actors reprising their roles, but stopped short of naming any. The canon story sees players assume the role of a Pinkwater Security mercenary trapped on Eros Station during a deadly lockdown. You lead a crew, take command of a ship, and navigate the solar system.

“We’ve been dreaming about building a sci-fi action RPG of this scale for a long time, and The Expanse is the perfect universe to bring that vision to life,” said Owlcat’s Creative Director, Alexander Mishulin.

“It’s a world grounded in realism and complexity, perfect for telling a story how we like — mature and character-driven, where your choices truly matter. We are excited to bring this new experience to our players and look forward to sharing more soon, especially knowing how many questions our fans will have.”

Game Design Producer Yuliya Chernenko admitted the original Mass Effect trilogy “was absolutely an inspiration to the team.”

“It was iconic for the Xbox 360 generation of gamers,” Chernenko continued. “Many of us first played it in our teenage years, and it left a lasting impression. We are building on that legacy and expanding what players anticipate from this experience. Our story is deeply rooted in hard science fiction, one of the core reasons The Expanse universe resonates so well with its fans. The combat reflects the standards of modern action gameplay. The narrative emphasizes political tension and moral complexity. And yes — there’s romance too.”

Like in Mass Effect, in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn you get to create your own captain (play as an Earther, Martian, or Belter and take command of the system’s most advanced ship), lead a crew (your companions have “pasts, motives, and a voice in your story”), and experience tactical third-person combat, with real-time cover mechanics, various abilities, and squad coordination. And, just like in Mass Effect, you bring two companions into combat while others support from behind the scenes.

The Expanse fans will be pleased to know you get to visit familiar locations from the show and books, such as Ganymede, Ceres, Mars, and Luna. This is a story-driven RPG, with a narrative “grounded in tension, consequence, and the complexity of humanity’s future among the stars.” Yep, that sounds a lot like The Expanse, and, it turns out, Mass Effect.

There’s no release date just yet, but Owlcat said The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is “coming soon” to Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Xbox Series X and S, and PlayStation 5.

It’s a busy time for Owlcat Games, which is working on the just-announced Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy as well as DLC for Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. But it described The Expanse: Osiris Reborn as its “flagship project.”

“Rest assured, the team behind The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is completely separate from Owlcat’s other projects and will not hinder excellence elsewhere,” Owlcat insisted.

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.

Capcom has confirmed the Year 3 roster of playable DLC characters for fighting game Street fighter 6.

Four new DLC characters were revealed during Summer Game Fest 2025. Sagat is out this summer, C. Viper this fall, Alex early spring 2026, and finally, Ingrid late spring 2026.

Street Fighter 6 Year 3 DLC characters:

• Sagat - Summer 2025
• C. Viper - Autumn 2025
• Alex - Early Spring 2026
• Ingrid - Late Spring 2026

The announcement was made in a trailer starring pro wrestler Kenny Omega, who dressed up as each DLC character. Artwork shown in the video, below, reveals the new designs of each of the upcoming DLC characters, and a snippet of Sagat gameplay. We see the veteran Street Fighter villain perform his trademark Tiger Shot, Tiger Uppercut, and Tiger Knee special moves against rival Ryu, as well as a twist on his iconic Street Fighter 2 Thailand stage.

Geoff Keighley kicked off Summer Game Fest 2025 with the announcement of Mortal Shell 2.

The Soulslike sequel is due out at some point in 2026 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.

Mortal Shell 2 is developed by Cold Symmetry, creator of the first game.

Here's the official blurb:

Mortal Shell II is a standalone sequel to Mortal Shell that significantly expands on the original with unrestricted, adrenaline-charged combat, deeper weapon design with extensive upgrade options, and an emphasis on free exploration.

This action-RPG offers an immersive, interconnected open world, expansive yet deliberately compact, designed to unfold its twisted landscapes and hidden structures while respecting the player's time.

The dormant forms of forgotten warriors are scattered throughout Mortal Shell II’s shattered world. Once discovered, each Shell can be awakened and possessed, unlocking their innate strengths and unique abilities.

Evolve your own style of combat by harnessing the diverse unique abilities of each Shell, and unravel their secrets through the discovery of lost memories.

Mortal Shell II’s compact open-world connects over winding footpaths guarded by the desperate and fanatical. Those who wander are rewarded with new story elements, Shells, powerful and strange weaponry, upgrades, curiosities and more.

Step through derelict temples of ancient deities, across forbidden forests and icy graves, into citadels carved from bone.

Scattered between these lost landmarks are more than 60 dungeons, each providing a formidable challenge to the talents and weaponry you have accrued on your way.

You are the Harbinger, a being prophesied to reclaim the blessed Undermether’s stolen Ova from the daunting creatures that ruthlessly guard her unborn.

Mortal Shell II’s combat system is agile yet grounded. Unrestricted by stamina, players exploit multiple tactics to shatter enemy posture and strike critically.

If you need a catch up, check out everything announced at Summer Game Fest 2025.

Developing...

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.

The Star Wars: Starfighter cast is beginning to take shape, with Mia Goth reportedly set to join Ryan Gosling in the upcoming sci-fi film.

The Hollywood Reporter said Goth, best known for playing Maxine Minx and Pearl in the X horror film series, will play a villain in Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy’s Star Wars movie. Production kicks off in England this fall, with a release date set for May 28, 2027.

THR said Gosling plays a character who “must protect his young nephew against evil pursuers.” One of those pursuers is Goth’s character. Lucasfilm declined to comment.

As for where Starfighter takes place in the Star Wars timeline, it’s set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. But it is considered standalone, Levy has insisted. “This is a standalone. It’s not a prequel, not a sequel," he said at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in April. "It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet.”

Starfighter is shaping up to be the next Star Wars film released after 2026’s The Mandalorian and Grogu. It does of course share its name with a short-lived series of video games from the PS2 / Xbox era. The original Star Wars: Starfighter released in 2001, followed by the sequel Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter in 2002. But we don’t expect it to borrow anything from the games in terms of plot.

While The Wheel of Time seems dead after Amazon canceled the show following the conclusion of Season 3, its showrunner has pointed to The Expanse in expressing hope it could be saved.

The Wheel of Time is an adaptation of the much-loved fantasy book series by Robert Jordan, with a cast led by Rosamund Pike. After a shaky first two seasons that had fans of the books in uproar over controversial changes from the source material, Season 3 appeared to win over the fanbase and, it was felt, set up the show for even better things to come.

But last month it emerged that Prime Video had decided against renewing The Wheel of Time for Season 4 after what Deadline reported were "lengthy deliberations." Apparently executives liked the show, but couldn’t make it work financially.

Brandon Sanderson, who finished Jordan's The Wheel of Time book series, has gone on the record to offer his thoughts on the series’ cancelation, saying: “I do think it's a shame, as while I had my problems with the show, it had a fanbase who deserved better than a cancelation after the best season. I won't miss being largely ignored; they wanted my name on it for legitimacy, but not to involve me in any meaningful way.”

Now showrunner Rafe Judkins has offered his thoughts in his first comments since the news broke. In a statement published on social media, Judkins said he couldn’t offer “something clear and tidy” to explain the cancelation, but insisted The Wheel of Time was watched “by huge numbers of people all over the world.” He pointed to viewership data to back up his claim, saying The Wheel of Time appeared in the Nielsen Top 10 chart for nearly 20 weeks, “a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade.”

Judkins went on to say that he and the team behind the show set out to adapt the entire The Wheel of Time story from the books, and not being able to finish the job “feels like a devastating blow for all of us.”

He then lamented what he called the “trend in TV toward fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquire additional streaming subscribers,” saying this approach “goes against the fundamental strength of television — long-form storytelling.”

At the time of this article's publication, over 130,000 fans have signed an online petition to “Save The Wheel of Time.” “Finish the story,” the organizers of the petition say on their website. “It deserves to be told in full!” But it feels likely those pleas will fall on deaf ears. While some fans hope Apple may pick up The Wheel of Time for Apple TV+, given the slate of expensive sci-fi and fantasy shows it already has on its books, that is perhaps wishful thinking.

Still, Judkins expressed a degree of hope that someone, somewhere will pick up The Wheel of Time. He pointed to sci-fi show The Expanse, which was canceled by SYFY before Amazon saved it and finished the story.

“So who knows?” Judkins concluded. “Perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one — defy the traditional definitions of ‘beginnings’ and ‘ends.’ I certainly hope it does — because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.”

The comments come amid a new report that claims The Wheel of Time isn’t being shopped around to other streamers. TVLine said its “well-placed sources” confirmed the news that is sure to disappoint fans who’d hoped for Season 4 at least.

Here is Rafe Judkins' comment in full:

I’ve been asked the same question many times the last week — why was The Wheel of Time canceled? And the truth is, I don’t know. I wish I could say something clear and tidy that explains to all those who love it why it’s coming to an end, but sadly, I can’t.

What I can say is that the actors and crew on our show are the most talented and wonderful group of people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. And we’ve all been incredibly lucky to make something that not only was beloved by fans (and even critics! ha!) but was also watched by huge numbers of people all over the world (appearing in the Nielsen Top 10 for nearly 20 weeks, a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade.

One of my core goals in making this show, even from the earliest crafting of the pitch, has been to tell the whole story. Because the Wheel of Time books do what television has always done best — get better as they go. And as our actors and team came on board, they too could see the potential if we were allowed to finish this incredible story. We made many sacrifices, both personal and creative, along the way to get to that ending, so coming up short feels like a devastating blow for all of us.

Much has been written about this larger trend in TV toward fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquire additional streaming subscribers. But I genuinely believe that this goes against the fundamental strength of television — long-form storytelling. It is an art form, much like epic fantasy, which at its very best, gives people a place to go and spend time with the characters that they love year after year after year. And I believe there are executives, studios, and networks who know that. I believe that we will find our way through this current iteration of the industry and back to what we do best — bringing great characters into people’s living rooms and lives every week.

Will the Wheel of Time get to do that with another network and finish the story? Sadly, it’s not something that happens often. But it does happen. In fact, one of the reasons we first chose Amazon as a home for the show was because they were in the midst of picking up The Expanse after SYFY cancelled it.

So who knows? Perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one — defy the traditional definitions of “beginnings” and “ends.” I certainly hope it does — because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.

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.

Persona 4 Remake — one of the worst-kept secrets in video games — is reportedly set for an official reveal during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase.

Both Windows Central and MP1st reported that the so-far unannounced game will finally get confirmed at the Xbox showcase this Sunday, June 8.

While Atlus’ Persona 4 Remake will be announced during the Xbox Games Showcase, it’s set for launch across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. A Nintendo Switch 2 version remains up in the air.

Persona 4 Remake has endured a number of remarkable leaks from voice actors who have said they are not in the game. Last month, three of the original voice actors said they weren’t coming back for Persona 4 Remake — despite Persona 4 Remake not being announced yet.

That includes Yosuke Hanamura voice actor Yuri Lowenthal, who took to BlueSky to say he would not be reprising his role for "the Persona 4 remake." You know, the one that no one's officially announced yet.

"And for those who keep asking, no, I will not be returning as Yosuke for the Persona 4 remake," said Lowenthal in a since-deleted post. "I asked. Maybe I even begged, but they don’t want me to come back."

Two more actors from the original game subsequently spoke up, saying they wouldn't reprise their roles. Erin Fitzgerald, the English voice of Chie Satonaka, said she hadn't been asked to come back. And then Amanda Winn Lee chimed in to say she wasn't coming back as Yukiko Amagi.

There have been rumors to this tune bubbling up over the last year, with a recent domain registration fueling hope that its announcement might be coming soon.

Xbox Games Showcase 2025 will be livestreamed on Sunday, June 8, starting at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK time.

Xbox Games Showcase 2025 will offer a look at upcoming titles from across Microsoft’s first-party studios, Microsoft said, “in addition to incredible new titles from our third-party partners across the globe.”

It seems likely Persona 4 Remake is among them.

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.

Legendary director Ridley Scott has indicated he has moved on from the Alien franchise, declaring: “I think I’ve done enough.”

The 87-year-old English film director and producer, who directed 1979’s seminal sci-fi horror Alien before reviving the franchise with 2012’s Prometheus, told ScreenRant in a recent interview: “Where it’s going now, I think I’ve done enough, and I just hope it goes further.”

Scott has left Alien in capable hands, with the successful Alien: Romulus from Fede Álvarez and FX TV series Alien: Earth from Fargo creator Noah Hawley. Alien: Romulus did so well a sequel is in the works. And there are a number of Alien crossover references in the upcoming Predator: Badlands.

In the same interview, Scott talked about how the Alien franchise dropped off after 1997’s Alien: Resurrection, and how that fueled his desire to revive the series with Prometheus. Scott followed up on Prometheus with 2017’s Alien: Covenant, where the Alien franchise was left in terms of mainline films until last year’s Alien: Romulus.

"I think I felt it was deadened after 4," he said. "I think mine was pretty damn good, and I think Jim's [Aliens director James Cameron] was good, and I have to say the rest were not very good. And I thought, 'F**k, that's the end of a franchise which should be as important as bloody Star Trek or Star Wars,' which I think is phenomenal."

He added: “A number of years after, I said, 'I'm going to resurrect this,' [and wrote] Prometheus from scratch — a blank sheet of paper. Damon Lindelof and I sat then hammered out Prometheus.

"It was very present and very welcome. The audience really wanted more. I said, 'It needs to fly.' No-one was coming for it, [and] I went once again [and made] Alien Covenant, and it worked too. Where it's going now, I think I've done enough, and I just hope it goes further."

While Scott has ruled out directing another Alien movie, he was a producer on Alien: Romulus and is an executive producer on Alien: Earth via his production company, Scott Free. Speaking of Alien: Earth, its first full trailer left plenty to chew on for fans.

Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage.

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 developer FromSoftware has concluded a fresh round of server maintenance designed to improve matchmaking.

During the game’s launch weekend, FromSoftware acknowledged Elden Ring Nightreign matchmaking issues and offered suggestions to players affected, including restarting the matchmaking process and, specifically on PlayStation 4 and 5, checking their NAT type.

Now, following server maintenance conducted on June 6 “to improve expedition matchmaking with an active Remembrance,” online functionalities have been restored, and fans are hoping for a better experience.

“Thank you for your patience, Nightfarers,” FromSoftware said. “Limveld awaits.”

Despite these issues, Elden Ring Nightreign sold 3.5 million copies after just five days on sale. Elden Ring was a massive hit, selling 30 million since going on sale in 2022, and it seems unlikely that Nightreign will come close to matching that success. For better context, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion sold 5 million copies within three days of its release in 2024.

Nightreign has also seen its Steam user review rating improve from 'mixed' to 'mostly positive.' Much of the initial negative sentiment revolved around Nightreign’s brutal solo experience, its lack of duos co-op, lack of voice chat, and other archaic mechanics.

But on Monday, FromSoftware released a patch to make solo play much easier, and has confirmed Duos mode is on the way.

So, what happens next? FromSoftware also said that in addition to the DLC releasing later this year, new additions will be “gradually implemented,” including enhanced fights against existing Nightlords starting this month.

Earlier this week, Elden Ring Nightreign's director revealed he had soloed every boss without Relics, and wanted players to know it's "very possible" to see everything.

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.

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.

Madame Web has gone down as one of the most disastrous superhero movies of all time, flopping at the box office amid a flood of negative reviews. Upon release it broke records as the worst opening for a Sony Spider-Man film ever and was the first Marvel film since Fox's Fantastic Four reboot to fail to open at number one.

Even Hideo Kojima, the legendary game director behind Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, couldn't muster up more than six words in his review. IGN managed a few more, putting the film's failings down to an "overcrowded" script loaded with "extraneous characters, basic archetypes, and generic dialogue."

Since then, and following the even worse Kraven the Hunter, Sony was reported to have given up on its Spider-Man universe to focus on next year’s surefire hit Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

So, what went wrong with Madame Web? There has been much hand-wringing since it came out. Last year, Emma Roberts, who played Mary Parker in the movie, attributed Madame Web's poor box office performance and critical reception to internet culture and "everything being made into a joke." One line of dialogue in the trailer went viral after people poked fun at it, and that line didn't even make it into the final cut of the movie.

Sydney Sweeney, who starred as Julia Cornwall (aka Spider-Woman), admitted she was "along for the ride," but used a Saturday Night Live monologue to emphasize all the other acting roles she is known for and completely disowned her turn as the Spidey superheroine, saying: "You definitely did not see me in Madame Web."

Now, Dakota Johnson, who played the title role, has expanded her thoughts on Madame Web, issuing strong words that get at the significant trouble the movie suffered during its development.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times as part of the promo tour for rom-com Materialists, Johnson said of Madame Web’s failure: “It wasn’t my fault.”

“There’s this thing that happens now where a lot of creative decisions are made by committee," she continued. "Or made by people who don’t have a creative bone in their body. And it’s really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way. And I think unfortunately with Madame Web, it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time.”