My, how fortunes have changed. If I could go back to the past when 2021 me was playing the crap out of Splitgate and tell him, in a few short years, Halo Infinite multiplayer would be all but dead and Splitgate 2 would be announcing an open alpha, well, I'd probably think that was pretty ironic. I was sure Halo Infinite was going to be so massively popular that no one would talk about Splitgate ever again, but due to a number of factors I don't have time to go over at this late hour, that never happened.

Splitgate wasn't able to sustain the heights that it did when its beta launched on consoles in the summer of 2021, but it wasn't completely eclipsed by Halo's shadow. And now, almost four years later, its developers are focused on a sequel that sounds a whole lot more ambitious, while Halo Infinite is doing a whole lot of nothing.

1047 Games says Splitgate 2 "massively expands on the series' original vision and scale," and while it'll be a while before we see the fruits of that ambition, we know the closed alpha will show off a map that's 20 times the size of anything that was in the original Splitgate. The alpha will also let players preview "new, never-before-seen game modes, maps, weapons, and more."

While Team Deathmatch and Hotzone are returning for the sequel, there will also be all-new three-team 8v8v8 matches, which will be "Splitgate's biggest battles yet." Then there's Splitball, which is billed as a two-team arena mode that "combines the classic fun of Capture the Flag with the fast-paced strategy of Halo's Oddball, challenging rivals to master both offense and defense simultaneously. Portal-hop into enemy territory to steal Splitballs while defending a home base with precision and strategy."

Firecracker is another game mode new to Splitgate 2. It's a spin on the conventional two-team Search and Destroy mode that adds in respawns. "Attacking teams deploy to ignite a firecracker, and–if they can keep enemies at bay–fill the sky with fireworks while sending the crowd into a roar," says 1047.

The new maps are Glacier; that's the "frozen wasteland" that's 20 times the size of the biggest Splitgate map; Bypass, Splitgate's most vertical map yet and a tranquil park with a centralized launch pad for aerial attacks; and Eden, a Venusian desert "packed with portal walls inside and out to give players endless opportunities to flank, escape, and dominate."

Splitgate 2 is coming to PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One in 2025.

"We don't want to just be the 'Halo meets Portal' team": Splitgate 2 wants to to evolve beyond its inspirations.

"Days Gone remastered?" says one Reddit thread posted after today's broadcast. "Where's Bloodborne????"

"Sony didn't even greenlight a sequel for Days Gone because it flopped by their standards, and yet they remastered that shit before Bloodborne," says another disgruntled fan.

Hours before, players were more chipper, less accusatory. They were skipping on the sidewalk whistling songs by Yuka Kitamura and eating ice cream cones, probably. They were letting woodpeckers drill into their foreheads like in a cartoon, advertising that they were heading into State of Play "with nothing but delusions," as one post on Twitter says.

The most dangerous part of delusions, I say as someone who once believed her La-Z-Boy was haunted, is what happens when they shatter: disappointment. You think I didn't want a ghost to hang out with me on the couch? You think I don't wish FromSoftware's sanguinary 2015 masterpiece got a little more love?

But I have to be realistic. The game wasn't mentioned at tonight's State of Play, nor was it mentioned at any of the State of Play events in 2024. Actually, Bloodborne – which celebrates its 10-year anniversary in just over a month, I say with tears in my eyes – hasn't been PlayStation's focus in years.

So why are we still torturing ourselves over a 60fps remaster that even former Sony execs say may never happen? What are we doing here, people?

I think it's time we all start practicing radical acceptance. In this case, that means that I say things and you accept them.

First: PlayStation illustrating "persistence" with a clip of Bloodborne gameplay in its 30th anniversary trailer does not guarantee that the publisher plans to reward our hard work. It simply points to the fact that PlayStation executives have muted many of our social media accounts.

Second: PlayStation issuing DMCA takedowns to both the Bloodborne Kart dev and 60fps Bloodborne mod creator doesn't suggest the company plans to make its own PS5 remaster with free Mario Kart-style DLC lumped in as a birthday gift. It indicates that video game companies can be really stingy with IP.

Third: I know that Bloodborne's 10th anniversary in March might make you think PlayStation is planning something huge to celebrate, but I don't want you to dwell on it. Don't get all worked up like you always do, be in the moment. Eat an apple. Open the window instead of getting so angry when reality doesn't turn out how you've dreamed it. Or, better yet, play Bloodborne and rejoice in the miracle of 30fps.

Check out our live blog for everything actually announced at the PlayStation State of Play.

The news was announced at today's PlayStation State of Play broadcast, which featured a brief trailer showcasing the Nikke content, including a selection of slinky new costumes and what appears to be a whole new area. Developer Shift Up hasn't fully disclosed what to expect from the DLC, but it appears similar in scope to the previous Nier Automata crossover, which launched for $9.99 USD.

Of course, the bigger news is probably the fact that that that the PC version is launching in June. There's no more specific date than that – and again, no price – but the Steam page is already live and promises that the game will be "optimized for PC." I shudder to think what the mods are going to look like on day one.

As our Stellar Blade review notes, this is a solid action-RPG worth playing on its gameplay merits, but it's safe to say more than a little bit of its appeal is down to its attractive protagonist and the array of revealing outfits players can dress her up in. Shift Up is also behind Nikke, a game that's even less restrained in its horniness, and it's clear the studio knows how to appeal to its target audience.

Stellar Blade was such a hit that its dev gave all employees a PS5 Pro and a roughly $3,400 bonus, and this horny action RPG isn't even on PC yet.

In an exceedingly anime-esque announcement trailer shared at the February PlayStation State of Play showcase, developer Neowiz teased a bizarre and wintry romp for ol' P featuring plenty of new bosses and weapons. From the development time involved, the descriptions given, and the boss variety shown today, this almost looks like a full-fat prequel. The term "expansion" seems to be putting in some work, I'll say that.

Over on the PlayStation Blog, director Jiwon Choi reckons that "I am sure you’ll agree that the long journey to bring you this news was well worth it."

"Do you remember the moment when you, as Geppetto’s most ambitious masterwork, woke up in the middle of the great Puppet Frenzy, a massacre that devastated the entire city around you?" he adds. "Now, you will venture back in time to experience the harrowing journey that birthed that fateful moment. Through Lies of P: Overture, we aimed to fully refine, forge and complete the story as we originally envisioned it."

Channeling a bit of Hideo Kojima, the director adds: "There’s a term in movie making known as a 'director’s cut.' This version differs from an initial theatrical release and usually includes additional footage the filmmaker believes perfects the work. With Lies of P: Overture I wonder if we subconsciously aimed to create a 'developers’ cut' of Lies of P."

There's been a big emphasis on the DLC's narrative so far, but while the world of Krat is an interesting one, I'm personally more excited to have new weapons to test and new bosses to test them on. Lies of P's combat is the closest anyone's ever gotten to that FromSoftware magic, for my money, and it earned high marks in Jasmine's Lies of P review. More of that? Yes, please.

The next game from the Lies of P devs is reportedly a sci-fi survival horror.

"We are thrilled to announce that our latest game, Saros, is launching next year on PS5 and enhanced for PS5 Pro," creative director Gregory Louden said during today's State of Play broadcast. "Saros is the ultimate evolution of the Housemarque gameplay-first experience. It's a new single-player IP that builds on Returnal's award-winning third-person action.“

The cinematic announce trailer gives us our first look at protagonist Arjun Devraj, portrayed by Rahul Kohli. The game takes place on a "hostile, shape-shifting planet haunted by an ominous eclipse." If that sounds like a roguelike to you, you're not far off - but Saros offers more long-term progression systems, so the pendatic among you might want to call it a roguelite instead.

"A key gameplay distinction between Saros and Returnal is permanent resources and progression making every death valuable," according to a post on the PlayStation blog. "After every death you will face a changed world, but in Saros you will be able to choose and permanently upgrade your loadout from an evolving set of weapons and suit upgrades to 'come back stronger' to overcome the challenges you face on Carcosa."

That's all Housemarque is revealing about the gameplay in Saros for now, but a proper look at gameplay is coming later this year, ahead of the game's actual launch in 2026.

If Saros even comes close to Returnal, it'll be a strong candidate for our list of the best roguelike games.

If you already own Days Gone on PS4, you'll be able to upgrade to the remastered version for $10, which has become pretty standard for this sorta thing. If you don't already own it, the remaster will run you $50. For your money, you get Days Gone buffed up with better textures, better shadows and lighting, "increased foliage draw," and support for stuff like Tempest 3D Audio and VRR.

On top of that, there's some new features coming exclusively to the Days Gone remaster, including DualSense support and new accessibility features like High Contrast mode, Game Speed, UI narration, collectible audio cues, controller remapping, a field of view slider, "and more." Photo mode has also been expanded with a time-of-day setting, a three-point lighting system, and new logo options.

Additionally, there are three new modes. Horde Assault is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: hordes of undead close in on you and you have to survive as long as possible, with the goal of increasing your high score with each run. Permadeath mode, again, is pretty much what it says on the tin. You die once, and you start over from scratch. Finally, there's the new Speedrun mode, which – you won't believe it – tasks you with playing through the campaign as quickly as possible and sharing your times with a special endgame graphic.

All of this will also be available to Days Gone PC players day and date with the PS5 remaster, with the same $10 upgrade charge.

Days Gone Remastered is just one of many upcoming PS5 games we can't wait to play.

MindsEye stars Jacob Diaz, "a former soldier fitted with The MindsEye, a mysterious neural implant that haunts him with fragmented memories of a covert mission that changed his life forever."

Benzies describes the game as a "new action adventure set in the fictional city of Redrock, where AI and human greed collide to bring earth to the precipice of collapse." Phew, thank goodness we don't have to deal with worrying AI and escalating human greed here in the present.

"We're now proud to share some gameplay footage of the explosive combat and high-octane driving that you can expect on PlayStation 5 later this year," Benzies concluded. Not unexpectedly, that combat and driving combo has some distinct GTA vibes, right down to neighborhood shootouts. However, studio community and creator VP Dan Bulteel says MindsEye has "strategic" combat, seemingly leaning into the gadgets and gizmos.

The near-future dystopian look and tech gives this a whiff of Cyberpunk 2077, too, just as a modern sci-fi touchstone. "Get ready for intense combat - on foot, behind the wheel, and in the air - where every decision can mean the difference between survival and defeat," the trailer blurb adds.

It's a wonder that this and GTA 6 both ended up in the same year, roughly 10,000 years after the release of GTA 5. Build A Rocket Boy is separately developing "the next-generation immersive gaming and entertainment open world platform Everywhere" and "a suite of remarkably easy-to-use AAA [user-generated content] design and publishing tools Arcadia."

Build A Rocket Boy has been surprisingly shy on open-world comparisons, instead pitching the action and narrative side of MindsEye. That said, the city-sized game world looks plenty big in the driving snippets shown today.

"With MindsEye, we’ve pushed cinematic adventure to the next level - building characters and a world that feels truly alive," Benzies said in a press release. "We can’t wait for players to step in and feel the immersive realism and tireless effort poured into every moment of the game."

"This world isn’t just a backdrop. It’s filled with stories, perspectives, and hidden truths waiting to be uncovered," Bulteel adds in a blog post. "As you progress, you’ll learn how to adapt and use these new technologies in your missions."

MindsEye is a new AAA action-adventure game that lives inside ex-GTA lead's Everywhere.

Here's the Gwen Stacy teaser by Paco Medina and Morry Hollowell, which teases more info next week:

But what the publisher has teased for Jean Grey could be even more monumental in terms of potential returns. As announced by Marvel, Phoenix #11 will feature the "miraculous return" of one of Jean's "long-lost loved ones" - though, crucially, the publisher doesn't say who will be coming back or how.

There are a few possibilities, but there's one somewhat obscure character return that could shake the Marvel Universe - and Jean's life - the most. It could somehow be Annie Richardson, Jean's childhood best friend whose sudden death triggered Jean's psychic abilities, forcing Jean to telepathically connect with Annie at the moment of her death.

Annie has never come back to life (which is surprisingly uncommon in X-Men comics), and her death shaped Jean's life for decades to come, so her sudden return would certainly be a huge twist of fate.

When it comes to Gwen Stacy, who we mentioned at the top, this isn't the first time we've been asked to believe that the real true original main universe version has come back to life or been desecrated in some way. But all of those previous times have eventually proven to be lies or bait-and-switches involving clones, duplicates, and all manner of comic book trickery.

Still, when it comes to Marvel's oldest, deadest characters who haven't truly come back, Gwen Stacy is up there - and so is Jean's childhood friend Annie.

We'll see what's up with Gwen sooner rather than later, as Marvel has promised more info to come. As for what's going on with Jean, we'll learn the truth in May 14's Phoenix #11 by writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Roi Mercado, with a cover by Lucas Werneck, seen above.

Maybe it means something that Werneck's cover puts Jean in her Dark Phoenix colors...

Stay up to date on all the new Spider-Man comics and new X-Men comics that Marvel has planned for release.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is set to launch for $29.99 USD across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC via Steam on August 29, 2025. It's being developed by Lizardcube, the studio that previously brought us the great Master System remake Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap and co-developed the even better Streets of Rage 4 alongside Dotemu and Guard Crush.

We previously saw a few seconds of "early development footage" of Art of Vengeance in that Power Surge trailer, but now we've gotten some more detail on what to expect. The game stars Joe Musashi on a quest for vengeance across "more than a dozen" stages featuring "challenging platforming puzzles," according to a press release. Combat will be combo-driven, and tools like "Katana Oborozuki, Kunai, Ninjutsu arts, and Ninpo" will give you some options in how you defeat your foes.

A Digital Deluxe version of the game will be available for $39.99, featuring early access, a starter pack with some in-game goodies, a digital art book and soundtrack, and a DLC stage "featuring bosses based on iconic SEGA villains" set to launch in early 2026.

Shinobi was one of the central series in Sega's golden era through the late '80s and early '90s, and Shinobi 3 in particular is broadly regarded as one of the defining classics of the Mega Drive/Genesis platform. The series has gotten a few attempted revivals over the decades on the PS2 and 3DS, but Art of Vengeance will be the first new Shinobi game in 14 years.

On top of that, it was previously announced that Sega is making a Shinobi movie from the Extraction director.

The Pirate Yakuza demo will be available on PS5 beginning 10 a.m. ET on February 13, a full week before the kitschy seaside adventure releases in all its eyepatched glory on February 20.

"Players can try out two battle styles" in the demo, Sony global third party portfolio director Shawne Benson says during State of Play, "including Goro Majima's new seadog style, as well as engage in naval battles at the Pirates' Coliseum." The demo seems to overlap with gameplay we experienced during our Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii preview earlier this year, which we felt turns Majima into a "swashbuckling Spider-Man."

"The real-time combat feels more exciting than ever with its chaotic combos, while the ship battles add another level of fun," says writer James Daly. "Returning to Hawaii is another boon, as Infinite Wealth's map is huge and packed with things to do."

Benson also reveals Dave the Diver's shockingly cute Yakuza crossover DLC, Ichiban's Holiday.

"Ichiban Kasuga and other Like a Dragon characters team up [...] in classic beat 'em up-style, all while perfecting new recipes at Ganko Sushi," they say. The DLC's trailer shows lots of gleeful pixelated face-punching and underwater rifles, much to the dismay of poor, jolly Dave. It'll be out some time in April.

Keep up with our State of Play live blog.

According to Deadline, John Lithgow is in talks to play Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming series. Not much else is known at this time.

HBO, however, refused to comment. "We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation," the network said in a statement. "As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals."

Dumbledore was originally played by Richard Harris in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Sir Michael Gambon took over for the rest of the franchise after Harris's death.

The new series was initially set to premiere in 2026, but is now set for a 2027 release date. Francesca Gardiner will serve as showrunner with Mark Mylod as director. Paapa Essiedu was reportedly "offered" a role as Severus Snape, the antithesis to Dumbledore and main antagonist (until, you know, the whole plot twist at the end).

For more from HBO, check out our guides to the best shows on Max and the best movies on Max to watch right now.

It is important to note that the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series has been the subject of criticism and debate due to the show's executive producer and author J.K. Rowling's very public and harmful stance on gender identity. It was a similar situation with the Hogwarts Legacy launch. For more, read more about the Hogwarts Legacy controversy.

A now-official leaked trailer shown at Sony's February State of Play showcase has confirmed the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake release date, which was previously leaked by the PlayStation Store itself. Snake returns in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater on August 28.

"The remake maintains what players loved from the original, like the story, characters, voice acting, gameplay, and music, but presented now in an even more immersive experience," the new trailer reiterates. "The special game “Snake vs Monkey” to capture the Pipo Monkeys is back for PS5®!" (Delta: Snake Eater is, of course, also coming to Xbox Series X and PC.)

That leak means that there's not a huge amount of new information here, although I will admit to raising an eyebrow at a couple of things. There's that eye bulge from infamous boss The End, of course, as well as the moment that Snake aims a rocket launcher with his bad eye. But both of those paled in comparison to the appearance of that Ape Escape cameo - a cheeky monkey appeared at the end of the trailer to smack its behind several times, which is clearly in-line with Kojima's original vision.

Our own resident Metal Gear Knower Oscar found that 20 years of muscle memory made Metal Gear Solid Delta feel like playing the original, and reckons fellow fans will know that that's no small thing. You'll find more details on the upcoming remake in our hands-on report from last year, sizing up the prettiest version of one of the greatest stealth games ever made.

It's so good, in fact, that maybe it'll make our list of the best stealth games.

Metal Eden is Reikon's first game release since 2017, when the group of former CD Projekt Red and Techland devs released the twin-stick blaster Ruiner – "an adrenaline surge akin to a cyberpunk Hotline Miami," we said in our four-star Ruiner review.

While Ruiner's bitesized runtime has since been overshadowed by more sprawling cyberpunk adventures like 2022's Citizen Sleeper and literal Cyberpunk, the game nonetheless offers unparalleled heat. It's nice to see that, aesthetically and energetically, Metal Eden looks like it's made from the same red-hot impulse as Ruiner. It promises vast opportunities for hastily shattering enemies' tibias like you're Doomguy with a plane to catch.

The game "is all about fast and furious 'core ripping' combat fusing with hyper-mobile futuristic parkour," says a press release. "To stay alive in this world is to constantly be moving!"

As the "infinitely reprintable" Hyper Unit, ASKA, the press release explains, you must explore the industrial planet Möbius to uncover its secrets, for reasons you don't understand. Reikon also that you'll search "a world where humanity's consciousness has transcended the flesh, now residing within robots."

"With 8 unique missions," the studio continues, "the game thrills players into an artificial world, where they'll dive into cybernetic warfare, control a powerful hyper unit, and uncover the mysteries of a lost paradise."

The game will release on May 6 for PC, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Stay up-to-date with our February 2025 PlayStation State of Play live blog.

In the full announcement trailer, which you can view just below, we can see a roster of classic Sonic the Hedgehog characters zooming around various stages in cars, off-road buggies, hoverboards, and watercrafts, which seem to be able to adapt to different environments and surfaces.

You can also see racers zip through portals leading them to completely different worlds, which suddenly makes the whole CrossWorlds title make a whole lot of sense. PlayStation explains in a new blog that the "Travel Rings" are chosen by the lead racer before each match and force every player to be transported to a different level in the second lap of the race.

This isn't the first time we've seen Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, but it is by far our most comprehensive look yet, and it's also the first new trailer since the subtle reveal of Mario Kart 9, CrossWorlds' biggest and most direct competitor.

Neither Mario Kart 9 nor Sonic Racing CrossWorlds have release dates yet, but the latter is getting a closed network test on February 21. You can sign up for that right here, right now if you want to try out the game before launch.

Only time will tell whether Sonic Racing CrossWorlds has the chops to take on Mario Kart in our list of the best racing games to play today.

An all-too-brief trailer gave us a larger taste of what the in-game action will look like than we've seen before, and Gearbox says a dedicated State of Play reveal show with much more information is coming this spring.

"Explode each encounter with devastating Action Skills that unleash your Vault Hunter’s unique abilities," Gearbox says in a new PlayStation blog post. "Move across the Borderlands like never before—double jumping, gliding, dodging, fixed-point grappling, and more—dealing death from every direction. Borderlands 4 is our most ambitious game to date, giving you more looting and shooting Mayhem than ever before. Our team has been kicking so much ass, and we cannot wait to share it with you!"

Those are obviously some pretty thin details, but the trailer does at give us a more extensive look at the in-game action than the previous trailer provided. We're going to get a lot more information in the upcoming Borderlands 4 State of Play broadcast, due to run at an unspecified date this spring.

"We're diving deep, you guys," Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford said during the State of Play broadcast. "Join us [at the] Borderlands 4 State of Play, for combat, vault hunters, action skills, exploration, and discovery, everything. You're gonna see more guns than you can even count. All on PlayStation 5."

These are the best FPS games you can play today.

Wilds' first free title update will add the bubbly leviathan Mizutsune in the spring alongside "additional updates" and miscellaneous event quests.

Mizutsune was originally introduced in Monster Hunter Generations as part of its four core monsters. It was most recently seen in Monster Hunter Rise. It's also received a few variants over the years, but for now we've only heard that its base form is coming to Wilds.

Mizutsune parts have historically been used to craft potent water-type weapons, and its elegant shrine maiden-themed armor sets have also helped it earn quite the following over the years. It looks gorgeous, it's a fun monster to fight with a huge range of weapons, and its uniquely slippery ailment is more funny than it is annoying, so it's hard to think of a better way to start Wilds' lengthy post-release arc.

Details are still trickling in as launch nears. Wilds director Yuya Tokuda says the game's more traditional RPG feel was more of a natural consequence than an intentional design push, and has separately teased that endgame bosses may feel extra tough since the devs don't want you to "breeze through" encounters. Tokuda also shared some trickery of his own: "There are players out there who'd have no idea to this day that they were actually playing with the director."

20 years on, Monster Hunter Wilds' devs reflect on the series' co-op journey: "The world caught up with our vision."

And while Doom's rule is starting out surprisingly - almost shockingly - benevolent, the lingering sense of dread that the Latverian dictator is luring everyone into a false sense of security while planning something totally unwholesome behind the scenes is palpable.

Spoilers ahead for One World Under Doom #1

One World Under Doom #1 by writer Ryan North, artist RB Silva, colorist David Curiel, and letterer Travis Lanham opens with Doctor Doom commandeering the entire world's broadcast systems to declare himself the master of the world. We've seen bits of this broadcast in the lead-up to the official launch of the actual One World Under Doom title, but now we're getting the full spiel from Doom, including what he's actually doing as ruler of the world.

First off, Doom insists that all of the world's leaders have agreed to peacefully surrender power to him, and that those who have complied will be allowed to continue governing according to their own traditional systems of power, so long as they abide by his two rules, and agree to invoke several global policies that Doom himself will enforce.

What are these rules and policies? Well, as Doom himself states, they won't involve forcing people into enslaved labor or violent purges of his political enemies (though this last bit isn't quite true, as we'll get into).

Instead, the first rule is that there will be no war between the world's nations, all of which Doom has declared provinces of Latveria under his "Pax Victoris" policy. The second rule is the bit about the world's governments continuing mostly as normal so long as they institute his policies, which include offering full universal healthcare for all people on Earth, along with free education up to the highest levels of study for anyone who wants it.

Sounds pretty benevolent, right? Coming from a guy whose name is Doom and is already known to be not just a dictator but a supervillain, that's hardly the worst case scenario.

Still, there are already some cracks in Doom's claims of peacefulness, as he interrupts his own speech to send Doombots to crush several burgeoning rebellions against his rule across the world, using this as an example of what happens to those who try to rise up against him.

No sooner is this point made than Baron Zemo takes his own control of the airwaves, stating that Hydra will never come under the rule of Doctor Doom, and announcing Hydra's invasion of Latveria.

This prompts the involvement of the Avengers and Fantastic Four, who quickly make their way to Latveria to intervene in the conflict. But as they arrive, Zemo once again makes a broadcast stating that he and Hydra have actually come to terms with Doctor Doom, and will now put down their weapons and begin mobilizing all Hydra's troops to help build new infrastructure around the world.

But there's yet more to the story, as it turns out that Doom has actually killed Baron Zemo (and the Red Skull, and other villains) and replaced them with Doombots under his own control - a fact he reveals to the world to bring scrutiny to the Avengers' actions and gain sympathy for himself as the world's new ruler, since he's rooted out some of the Marvel Universe's most evil villains.

All of this sets up the Avengers, the FF, and the rest of Marvel's heroes to be on the back foot as Doom begins unveiling his plans for the Marvel Universe - though much like the heroes, I've got a seriously nagging feeling that Doom is planning something really bad for the world.

I won't be coy about it - the ideas of universal education and healthcare are incredibly appealing to me. But when those seemingly benevolent policies are coming from a guy with a literal iron fist who is promising not to root out his political opponents while also secretly murdering them and replacing them or violently, publicly shutting them down, it's worth considering the source of all the great promises being made for the people of the Marvel Universe.

Doom's rule will continue across the Marvel Universe into the summer, with One World Under Doom #2 arriving March 19.

Doctor Doom tops the list of the best Marvel Comics villains of all time.

As reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Diablo franchise general manager Rod Fergusson took to the stage at DICE Las Vegas to reveal the official release window for Diablo 4's next expansion, which appears to still be untitled.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, the ARPG's first expansion, launched back in October and brought with it a new campaign questline and location to explore, the game's first new character class, a bevy of gameplay and balance reworkings, and more. The DLC was generally well-received despite some controversies largely caused by balance adjustments.

Admittedly, I'm surprised to see Blizzard set a 2026 release window for Diablo 4's next DLC as I'd initially assumed expansions would be released yearly. Another DICE attendee reports that Fergusson said Blizzard had actually intended to release annual expansions for Diablo 4 but found it wasn't possible due to staffing limitations.

The game's regular seasonal content schedule will presumably continue to keep things fresh through 2025, but today's news makes me wonder if there's something bigger in store for this year since we aren't getting a proper expansion until next year.

No additional details beyond the next expansion's 2026 release window have come out of DICE so far, and it probably won't be until Blizzard's official reveal that we'll learn more.

Diablo creator rips into modern ARPGs for being all about "killing screen-fulls of things instantly," says Diablo 2's pacing "is great" and "that’s one of the reasons it’s endured."

The good news comes just over a week after Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 launched on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. It's not at all unusual for big RPGs to get official mod support from developers, but it's not necessarily the norm for it to happen so soon after launch. By comparison, it took Baldur's Gate 3 over a year to add official mods, and Hogwarts Legacy did the same about two years after launch.

"Bohemia is about to get even more exciting. Official modding support is coming to #KCD2 on Steamworks – stay tuned," reads a tweet from Warhorse.

As of now, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2's official mod support has only been confirmed for PC via Steamworks; Warhorse has yet to respond to the many, many inquiries about potential mod support for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Outside of a select few Bethesda games and Baldur's Gate 3, official support for console mods is still a pretty niche thing, so I wouldn't hold your breath if you're waiting on console mods for Kindgom Come: Deliverance 2. I mean, never say never, but also never say definitely.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 trades Skyrim stealth archers for stinky smelly archers: you can get so filthy that NPCs catch you "broadcasting" body odor, so "wash your hands, kids"

"One thing we tried with Shadows was to be as scalable as possible," technical architect Pierre Fortin says in a new Q&A blog. "We want the game to cater to the high-end of the spectrum without putting the bar too high in terms of requirements. As such, we believe that our minimum required specs reflect this commitment. A GTX 1070, the minimum required GPU, is quite old at this time, yet we made efforts to support pre-RTX GPU (GTX 1070, GTX 1080TI and equivalent) that are still competent today but lack hardware level raytracing capabilities."

The devs additionally "want to highlight the fact that the game will look stunning even on the lowest settings," and if the comparison shot they've provided is any indication, they're not far off the mark. The image is admittedly a little too small for any robust comparison work, but the character looks effectively identical at low, high, and ultra specs. The one visible difference is that the shadows on the rooftop outside are slightly darker as the specs go up, but it's tough to say that any version looks genuinely better here.

I'm sure there will be some distinct visual differences between the game's different configurations, as the official specs released in January range from the aforementioned GTX 1070 all the way up to an RTX 4090, which is no small upgrade. Here's hoping all this emphasis on scalability means that low-spec players will also get a good experience in the end.

These are all the upcoming Assassin's Creed games you need to know about.

"Why is Cinnamoroll always following me?" one of many panicked Redditors asks. "I love him and he's so adorable, but it's actually kinda freaking me out."

"There's no escape from him," gravely states another post.

In Hello Kitty Island Adventure, the pudgy marshmallow dog Cinnamoroll acts as your burgeoning island's package carrier, so he's always flying from mailbox to mailbox with wings on his cap, the same kind the messenger god Hermes is often depicted wearing. Witness his mythically fearsome form: Cinnamoroll has a permanent puppy smile, puffy ears that look like a tube of frosting, and a stubby curled tail that looks like a cinnamon bun. OK, fine, he's the cutest creature to ever grace this undeserving Earth.

And, in his defense, he's been cheerfully lurking around Hello Kitty Island Adventure since the life sim released for Apple Arcade in 2023 - it's not maladaptive behavior he's only recently picked up to cope with the game's new Switch and PC releases. I know this, because I was one of his victims.

I remember it like it was two years ago. There I was, running around my Hello Kitty Island Adventure with my gorgeous dog protagonist, trying to deliver gifts like pineapple stack cake and seashells to my island friends, when Cinnamoroll began to block my path with his tubby body. I ran into him, sliding him around the sand, and all he did was smile at me. Unblinking. Just wreaking havoc on my mellow.

"Once I found out he was a dog and not a bunny, I’m like oooh. He's just a puppy following me around all day," says what seems to be a new Hello Kitty Island Adventure player on Reddit. Sure, yes, maybe. Whatever helps you feel safe from Cinnamoroll's cute power.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is the latest example of how cozy games are secretly pretty dark at their core.

That comes courtesy of a new Overwatch 2 Spotlight blog, where the developers broke down some pretty drastic changes to the game, including upgradeable perks, a new third-person-centric mode, the return of loot boxes, a map voting feature, and much more. Season 15 and Season 16 are easily bringing in more new and exciting features than Overwatch 2's seen since its launch - finally, arguably justifying the '2' at the end of its name - but Blizzard says it's just staying competitive.

"This will be one of Overwatch's most significant years so far," the blog post teases, "and we can't wait to have you all dive into the updates coming your way. In our continued drive to be the best competitive team-based hero shooter, this year will see a variety of updates that improve gameplay, update competitive rewards, introduce all new experiences, new metas, new heroes, key quality-of-life updates, and some of the best cosmetics we’ve ever made."

Comparisons between Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals have been everywhere, exhaustingly so, months before the latter even came out late last year, and the discourse has only continued to be head-shaking since. Twitch star Shroud argued that Overwatch 2 is easily the better shooter, while fellow streamer Ninja sat on the other side of the fence, calling it a "dead" game.

Whichever side of the debate you sit on, competition can only be a good thing for both games. Overwatch 2 finally seems like it's got some fire in its belly. And, hopefully, Marvel Rivals can step up to the plate with some of its own exciting ideas, too.

Not a fan of either? Check out the other best FPS games you can play right now.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 begins on February 18, and it's working overtime to finally bring in some sequel-worthy features. Top of the list is the introduction of upgradeable perks coming to almost every game mode. The way it works is that every hero starts the match at level one; once you upgrade to level two, you choose between two minor perks, and once you hit level three, you choose a more game-changing major perk. As you might expect, minor perks give a hero a pretty small stat buff or cooldown reduction or passive boost, but it's those major perks that remind me of that roguelike Halloween mode that absolutely slapped.

Hanzo's old Scatter Arrows, for example? They're back as an optional major perk, as is a Protective Barrier for Orisa if you give up the Javelin Spin instead. Other major perks include a secondary fire option for Winston that lets you chain lightning damage to multiple foes and a passive ability for Baptiste that'll finally activate the little turret that's been idly sitting on his shoulder for years, turning it into an automated healer whenever you use his ultimate. Most of the perks sound like a chaotic good time, while others, like Orisa's barrier, seem like situational boons for certain maps and a disaster for others.

Season 15 is also bringing back 6v6 competitive queues, and if you're not a fan of the new changes, you can reminisce with Overwatch Classic: GOATS, which is another mode throwing it back to "one of the most notorious and memorable periods from Overwatch's history" - namely, the meta that often had three supports sweating to keep three tanks alive.

And, finally, Season 15's list of changes ends with the return of loot boxes, once controversial, now missed because of how damn extortionate microtransactions have gotten in almost every live service. Refreshingly, this time around, Blizzard is being very transparent about loot box drop rates, though. "We are guaranteeing that a Rare or better item will drop in every single box," Blizzard says via a press release, "with an Epic item within five consecutive boxes and a Legendary item within twenty consecutive boxes."

Overwatch 2's most aggressive (or aggressive against Marvel Rivals) addition is coming in April with Season 16's new Stadium mode. Stadium is a best-of-seven mode that has each player gaining in-game currency via eliminations, before spending it on stat buffs and ability upgrades at the start of every round. Also a bit like the Halloween event, then - which itself was a bit like the scrapped co-op mode - but this time without the random, roguelike-ish elements. What makes Stadium particularly dramatic is that it's a third-person mode by default. You can switch to first-person if you wish, I should add, but it's a pretty blatant attempt to kneecap one of Marvel Rivals' most distinguishing features while letting players actually see the cosmetics they've sunk money into during matches.

Season 16 also sees the introduction of a new, crossbow-wielding DPS called Freja who you'll be able to try out soon one weekend and a Hero Ban feature, while a water-bending 44th hero and a handy Map Voting feature are both coming later in the year.

Twitch star Shroud said Overwatch 2 is “absolutely a much better game” than Marvel Rivals, and people forget how “that game took over the world.”

A couple of issues back Alfred described Bruce's entire personality as being "Batman AF." This is a Caped Crusader who is even more committed to the theatrical bit than his regular DC universe counterpart, one who is willing to make ever-more-extreme gestures in the cause of terrifying and wrong-footing his foes. In this month's issue he does so by putting a twist on a famous scene from The Dark Knight – then taking a quite improbable amount of punishment. Let's get into it…

Spoilers for Absolute Batman #5

One of the most interesting aspects of this comic has been its timely reinvention of Bruce Wayne as a blue collar man of the people, rather than a playboy billionaire. This version of Bruce has known deprivation and is friends with shady people operating on the edges of the law in order to survive. It's not for nothing that our one fleeting glimpse of the Absolute Universe Joker so far has been as a sinister billionaire industrialist (now who might that be modelled on, I wonder?). It's a conscious flip of the script when it comes to Batman's traditional hero and villain dynamic – albeit an imperfect one given that the Joker's attitude to wealth has typically been as ambiguous and fluid as the character himself. Money is traditionally a means to an end for him, with probably the most famous example of this being the scene in The Dark Knight where the Joker sets fire to a fortune simply to make a point.

Absolute Batman #5 appears to consciously call back to that moment. Bruce has accepted Black Mask's offer of selling out for the princely sum of $200m, but rather than use the money to shore up his fledgling crime-fighting operation, he straps the wads of bank notes to the memorial spotlight on top of Gotham Zoo, causing the money to go up in flames as he ignites the Absolute Universe's first Bat-Signal.

It's not the first time that this book has made explicit that this version of Batman is an anarchistic force of nature, in some ways not too far off the Joker in the regular DC universe, but it's certainly the most explicit. The difference here, of course, is that Batman's chaos is a needed corrective to the cruel status quo that has taken control of Gotham, whereas the Joker's actions exist purely to satisfy his own insatiable malice.

As you might imagine Black Mask does not take any of this well. A fight ensues and the Party Animals dole out all the punishment they can on Bruce which... well, it's quite a lot. While Batman certainly puts up a fight – those spikes on his suit are really nasty, in one hilarious moment literally attaching a henchman to his burly back – it's not long before he's captured. Black Mask and his gang then proceed to stab him, set him on fire with a flamethrower, hit him with Batman's own axe, shoot him, send him tumbling off a building, and then run him over. That he survives this at all stretches credulity beyond breaking point, but this is Absolute Batman, where maximalism is kind of the point.

Another excellent issue this, full of the dynamism and high drama we've come to expect from the title, and it's great to have Nick Dragotta back on the art duties after missing last month's #4. By the end of the issue Bruce is injured, alone – even Alfred seems to have abandoned him – and Black Mask is appealing to the people of Gotham's worst instincts by offering them the chance to join the Party Animals and cause carnage for cash. Earlier in the issue Martha Wayne said, "Most times in Gotham people surprise you in awful ways. But sometimes, once in a blue moon, they surprise you in good ones too." Which will it be this time? You'll have to tune in next month to find out...

Absolute Batman #5 by writer Scott Snyder, artist Nick Dragotta, and colorist Frank Martin is out now from DC.

Check out interviews with the creative teams of Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman.

On February 7, streamer Ludwig finished a project years in the making. "It is going to span 30 years of Pokemon cards," he says on stream. From Prismatic Evolutions to the first-ever Base Set, Ludwig was going to open one of every single Pokemon card pack ever made.

"This was two years in the making," he explains. "When I was really into Pokemon collecting, I talked to IslandGrown [a Pokemon streamer] and I said 'Hey, I have an idea. I want to open every Pokemon pack ever made.' He said, 'Cool, I'll work on it.' And I sent them some money up front."

Fast forward to February 7, and Ludwig opened them all on stream as part of his Pokemon week. Rather than making thousands, or even breaking even, the cards he pulled were only worth a total of $3,000. As someone who's recently gotten into Pokemon TCG Pocket, I'm all too familiar with opening dozens of packs only to find nothing you actually want. It's brutal.

What's worse is Ludwig reckons the unopened packs as a collection were worth around $33,000. He claims the first pack alone "last sold for over $13,000."

But, cards are meant to be collected and played with, not sealed and never viewed. He went back in time, opening the newest pack first and ending on the first pack. You can watch the full stream for yourself to see all the highs and lows, but I'll be real with you, it's mostly lows. If you want to get right into the pack opening, skip ahead to 14 minutes in.

Still, it's a fun thing to do, and it's certainly better than scalping the most recent packs as soon as they hit store shelves and leave little kids crying because they can't play with their toys.

In the meantime, check out all the best Pokemon TCG Pocket cards.

Madi, known online as "acottonsock," spent hours putting a guide on every possible Sims 3 fix together so that players can actually enjoy the 2009 life sim on newer PCs. Her video, which she rightfully dubs a "definitive guide," covers just about anything and everything fans have spent years suffering through – from issues related to graphics cards to those caused by modern CPUs – and is unsurprisingly over an hour long.

It might seem daunting to sit through so much content, but Madi has added handy timestamps to make the guide more bite-sized for folks looking to find specific fixes. Her video includes some must-have mods, too, as well as fan-created patches. This isn't Madi's first impressive Sims-related roundup, either, with her "masterlist" of over 200 Sims 2 mods dropping just days prior following EA's re-releases of the series' first two games.

If there's one thing the Simming community is good at, it's cleaning up areas of The Sims that have gone overlooked for years and enhancing the games with all flavors of creative mods. There's no telling whether EA will address The Sims 3's issues itself anytime soon, especially as work cracks on with The Sims 4 and its upcoming hobby-related expansion pack, but fans can safely look to Madi's thorough guide for answers until then.

Hopping back into the game now to fix it? Here are the best Sims 3 cheats for a solid start.

Daggerfall Unity's 1.0 launch arrived in late 2023 after nine years of development, but the GOG Cut was available before this, offering the game alongside a whole bunch of pre-installed mods, making for a package that, as per the remaster devs themselves, is "buggy, slow, and completely changes how the game looks and plays." The actual Daggerfall Unity team wasn't involved with the GOG Cut. Back in 2023 – at which point they said it was already "almost two years out of date," and they "in no way recommend it to play Daggerfall Unity" – the team offered players a step-by-step guide on how to migrate over to their recommended version if need be.

Those concerns about the GOG Cut being out of date have now resurfaced as the storefront confirms the decision to delist it altogether has been made since "the pack is outdated and no longer fulfills its purpose of providing a hassle-free modded experience to the game." It vanished from the store earlier today, so if you didn't already have it, you've missed your chance – it'll stay in the library of anyone who already owned it, though.

The good news is that GOG says it's "working on a solution that will allow us to publish and maintain such projects better in the future, so stay tuned!" With that in mind, it'll hopefully be able to avoid similar situations going forward where project creators are actively discouraging players from downloading the GOG version. For now, the Daggerfall Unity version without all those extra mods is still out there to be downloaded and played – Elder Scrolls co-creator Ted Peterson even spoke about it recently, saying that it's "been the best" and "I really appreciate it."

Ambitious Skyblivion project is nearing completion, with only one region of Oblivion left to remake with Skyrim's engine, but it still needs volunteers to help.

According to Water Pokemon Master, a PokeBeach contributor, the reason why the upcoming set will see the spotlight shifted away from Team Rocket is that “modern English sets are huge and combine multiple Japanese sources”. While the Japanese market sees two distinct releases through Heat Wave Arena in March and The Glory of Team Rocket in April, Destined Rivals is supposedly set to mash the content of those sets into a single super-sized English language equivalent.

Recent history of the Pokemon TCG release schedule certainly seems to support this trend too. For example, Prismatic Evolutions combined cards from the two Japanese sets, Terastal Fest and Generation Start Decks, while Surging Sparks managed to cram elements of three different Japan-exclusive releases. So, it seems pretty clear: not only are the English equivalents of Pokemon TCG boosters a whole lot bigger than their Japanese counterparts, the sets they make up are too.

For recommendations on what to play next, check out our guide to the best board games. Looking for presents, on the other hand? Don't miss these essential gifts for gamers.

VGC reports that a new patent Nintendo filed suggests you can rotate the Switch 2 screen and still attach its bigger-than-before controllers. Of course, the OG Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons slid into place via a rail that made a satisfying snapping sound, but the hybrid-handheld's successor is using a slightly different method.

The Nintendo Switch 2's controllers instead hold onto the console's sides magnetically, and all you seemingly need to do is push them in. The funky new feature also has a more practical use. Nintendo's new patent seems to show the console's display rotated 180 degrees, with the Joy-Con's still connected on the "wrong" side up.

For anyone too forgetful to remember their lefts and rights, this seems like an easy fix to avoid mistakes. Since the Switch 2 only has one port for headphones and two for USBs, this also means you can have the ports on whichever side you prefer to avoid twisting your earphone wires and whatnot. I'm guessing the Switch 2's screen will be adapt to whatever you decide and rejig itself. (Knowing The Big N, there might even be an upcoming Switch 2 game or two that takes advantage of the feature, as well.)

"For example, the user can use the game system so that the upper and lower sides of the main body device are opposite to each other, such that the voice input/output connector on the upper surface of the main body device is located below the main body device," the patent says. "That is, the user can insert the earphone into the voice input/output connector from the preferred direction."

Another recent patent also confirmed what we've all suspected: Nintendo is straight-up calling that new Joy-Con thing a "mouse," which has me so, so excited for the potential comeback of DS/3DS games and PC-to-console ports that don't suck. Seriously, a handheld where I can play Baldur's Gate 3 or city-builders with mouse controls? Sounds like a dream.

Nintendo is making “preparations” to beat scalpers on the Switch 2’s launch.

While couples could always play a two-player version of the best tabletop RPGs (or put together a full party for the non-monogamous folk out there) there are currently a bunch of Valentines deals on board and card games. I figured some of them might be to your liking, so I thought I'd put together a list of the best Valentines game deals I've spotted this February.

The list includes conversation starters and some fantastic-looking queer tabletop games of which there are heaps popping up for Zine month. If you're still searching for the perfect Valentines gift, why not take a look below?

For more discounts, be sure to check out the latest the best D&D gifts. As for last-minute present ideas, why not drop by our gifts for gamers guide?

In an interview with the Grit podcast (spotted and transcribed by GameSpot), former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick reveals some behind-the-scenes secrets about the 2010 GoldenEye 007 game.

"[Barbara Broccoli] didn't really want guns in the game," he says. Broccoli is the co-owner to the film franchise rights for James Bond, and while I love what she's done with the movies, I think keeping guns out of a sequel to one of the most iconic FPS games of all time would have been a misstep. "GoldenEye is what actually sold the N64," as Kotick notes.

"We made a sequel, and it was a challenging thing to make because Barbara Broccoli did not really want anything that was violence," Kotick says. He goes on to explain that she was wary of including guns and violence because of how much kids loved the spy, but James Bond does a lot of things that aren't exactly kid-friendly in the films.

It also would have been tough not to use guns because that's what everyone would be expecting from a James Bond game that utilized the Wii's motion sensors. What's cooler than actually feeling like 007 himself, doing his iconic pose with your Wiimote? Actually, now that I've typed it out, a lot of things would be cooler, but it's still fun to do.

During the interview, Kotick also says the former EA and Unity CEO was "the worst CEO in video games." John Riccitiello did oversee Unity's disastrous plans to charge developers every time someone downloaded a game using the software, and he made comments about getting players to pay to reload in Battlefield. So, he's no saint, but Kotick is maybe the most controversial gaming CEO there is, with a lawsuit brought against Activision Blizzard accusing Kotick of ignoring credible allegations of misconduct within the company.

Anyway, if you're a fan of shooters, check out the best FPS games you can play right now.

The best graphics card race this generation is off to a weird start. Not only are the GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5080 going practically unchallenged right now, but AMD is being allusive with Radeon RX 9070 XT details. All I can really say for certain right now is that the red team's GPU will target mainstream players looking for affordable 4K performance, and if rumors shared by reliable leaker MEGAsizeGPU hold true, the RTX 5070 could be doing the same this March.

The insider specifically says the RTX 5070 will be "on the shelf in early March", which effectively points towards the official release being on the same day. I actually think this delay could be a good thing, as, with RTX 5080 listings and RTX 5090 stock selling out practically instantly upon arrival, Nvidia will likely be looking to bolster supplies and make sure retailers are well-stocked.

After all, we are talking about a $549 next-gen GPU that Nvidia claims will keep up with the GeForce RTX 4090. I'd be surprised if that didn't instantly make a lot of you want to buy an RTX 5070 at release, and it'll likely put the pressure on AMD to keep its RX 9070 XT pricing low.

At the same time, the RTX 5070 Ti is still on track to launch this month, meaning Nvidia will have a contender effectively flanking the RX 9070 XT. Whether or not that tactic will help fend off the mid-range GPU fully depends on AMD's final pricing, as the card could end up being a middle-ground option that strikes a balance between price and performance.

I'll be looking to give both GPUs the review treatment over the next month, and only proper benchmarks will point toward a true mid-range champion. There's always a chance that if Nvidia does try and shift its 5070 launch to match the RX 9070 XT, AMD will simply nudge things forward to gain some sort of advantage in a neverending GPU release date chicken.

If that happens, at least both GPU makers will have time to boost their inventory.

Building a new rig? Check out the best CPU for gaming and the best gaming RAM for vital components. Alternatively, check out the best gaming handheld if you'd rather go outside with your Steam library.

Patti created Jumpship alongside film animator Chris Olsen in 2017, with the studio's debut game launching in 2022 as sci-fi adventure Somerville. That same year, Patti sold Jumpship to indie publisher Thunderful Games – a company that recently underwent restructuring and dealt with more than 100 layoffs. According to a new announcement from Thunderful and a post from Patti himself, however, Jumpship is back in the co-founder's hands.

"I sold my studio in 2022," writes Patti. "Today, I got it back. Today marks a new chapter for Jumpship. After Thunderful's acquisition in 2022 and recent changes, I've now reacquired the studio." It's not the same as it was, though. "Unfortunately, the company is now empty of employees, so the road ahead will be entirely different. But with every challenge comes an opportunity - it's always about moving forward with a bold and bright vision."

The executive continues, admitting that "the gaming industry needs fresh thinking, especially in how we treat our talent." He outlines his plan for Jumpship, including "a completely new direction" with "a bold reimagining of how talent can create and thrive" and "a vision where ambition and synergy with great talent unlock new possibilities." While Patti doesn't share precise details about Jumpship's future, he does hint toward "more details coming soon."

He concludes by assuring longtime fans that "one thing remains constant" about Jumpship: "our commitment to emotion-driven storytelling, gameplay, and innovation." Patti also adds that "sometimes the best new beginnings come from unexpected but familiar places" – and I'm inclined to agree. There's no telling what direction Jumpship will take from here, but if any games like Limbo or Somerville come out of it, I'll be content.

Itching for more after Limbo? Here are some of the best platform games ever.

Wikipedia editor Timur222 recently made a lengthy post on Reddit explaining the origins of the "highest-grossing media franchise" list, noting that he first created it back in 2016. A few months after its creation, he "noticed Pokemon was listed as the highest-grossing franchise on the Pokemon franchise Wikia page," which prompted him to edit the "main Pokemon Wikipedia page" to say this, too, complete with a link to his own list. "The article I had created had Pokemon listed as the top brand and I thought as the article would be updated with new information found by me and other editors other brands would be listed higher than Pokemon," he continues. "No one found any higher figures."

Just because no one found any doesn't mean that they don't exist, though, which is the concern Timur222 has now. Speaking with GamesRadar+, the editor reassures us that Pokemon's latest total revenue reported on the list – an eye-watering $98.9 billion – is accurate, after having gone through every listed source and adding new ones himself. This isn't the issue – the "main problem with the list is the data gaps and that other franchises might have higher figures that we don't know about," he says.

According to the Wikipedia list in question, the next highest-grossing franchise after Pokemon is Mickey Mouse & Friends at $61.2 billion, but as Timur222 warns, we should take the list's "ranking" with a pinch of salt given how much data isn't available to help shape it. To be fair, it's good advice to take in general when it comes to Wikipedia – it can be a fantastic source of information, but you should always make an effort to verify facts with their sources when you consider that anyone can edit the pages on there.

For that matter, even a quick glance at the list suggests it shouldn't be taken as a perfect ranking. Separate entries for the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers, Spider-Man, Thor, and Iron Man raise an eyebrow, for example, when the crossover between all of them is so great. Why do all those things need to be separated, and where do their figures begin to blend together?

Despite these flaws, the information compiled still highlights how massive a franchise Pokemon is – it's little wonder that its supposed status at the top has gone relatively unquestioned when you consider all the sales The Pokemon Company is constantly racking up from the games, merch, trading cards, anime… the list goes on.

Even so, Timur222 suggests "it's 50/50" whether Pokemon is actually the very best like no one ever was, despite what the current figures on the page suggest. With that said, it's likely to remain a mystery, as the editor believes "we will never know for sure" given how much revenue isn't reported.

While you're here, be sure to check out our ranking of the best Pokemon games.

"You’re not ready for the final game," Netflix tweeted alongside the teaser art, which you can see below. It shows three figures standing on a rooftop looking up at a large joker card in the sky. Season 2 ended with a close-up of the joker on a table full of playing cards, alluding to a character that we've yet to meet in the show.

Set in an abandoned version of Tokyo, Alice in Borderland sees people forced to participate in dangerous games, the difficulty of which is demonstrated by different playing cards, that enable them to extend their 'visas' in the city – and stay alive for longer in an attempt to get back to the real world. When their visas expire, players are executed by lasers that are shot from the sky.

Starring Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Nijirō Murakami, Ayaka Miyoshi, Aya Asahina, and Dori Sakurada, the show is based on the manga of the same name by Haro Aso. Season 1 premiered in 2020 and season 2 followed in 2022, with the second installment debuting to 61.2 million viewing hours, the most in a week for a Japanese series on the streamer. The show was renewed for a second season just two weeks after it first dropped on Netflix, but fans had to wait a year for confirmation of season 3.

Alice in Borderland season 3 is set to arrive on Netflix in September 2025. While we wait, fill out your watchlist with our picks of the other best Netflix shows streaming now.

Writing in a recent online post, Operation: Harsh Doorstop creator "Bluedrake42" shares several words of caution: "A warning to every content creator when our update for Operation: Harsh Doorstop drops. If you have taken over $10,000 USD in payments from studios we compete with in the last 12 months and you don't disclose that in any 'review' you create about our game, then you and I will have legal problems."

The dev continues, explaining that he's "tired" of content creators' "hit pieces" on games like Operation: Harsh Doorstop. "You aren't an 'independent journalist' you are a paid contractor for our competitor," writes Bluedrake42, "and I'm tired of watching you all get paid off to do hit pieces on games that don't fork cash over to you." He then says he'll "post more warnings clarifying this as we get closer to the release date."

Summarizing his thoughts, the dev says "if you're just going to post fake content attacking games that don't pay you off, then quite frankly I don't want you covering our game at all."

Bluedrake42 doesn't stop there, though. "I know this might come as a shock to many of you who are used to community managers being paid off to stroke your ego and beg you for coverage, but you'll find out very quickly that we don't operate that way."

He concludes by declaring that all users who repost his warning "will receive a Steam key to our launch playtest," as "I want to figure out which of you all are the good ones." The dev states that he doesn't "want fake people in my corner." Subsequent comments see followers ask Bluedrake42 who he considers to be his "competitors," to which he replies "Squad, Delta Force, Battlefield, Arma – any realistic/semi-realistic FPS."

Searching for a good shooter to play right now? Here are the best FPS games out there.

The trailer, which you can watch below, opens with Gerard Bulter's Viking leader telling the tale of how Vikings have killed dragons for as long as he can remember because they are a "threat".

However, when he instructs his outcast son Hiccup to kill a beast, the boy is unable to and instead forms a bond with the little black toothless dragon (I think we all know where this is going). As Hiccup and Toothless join forces to mend the ongoing war between man and beast, a huge battle erupts. The trailer ends with a huge dragon chasing the pair up to the sky.

The clip showcases some stunning visuals as well as new looks at main characters like Butler's Chief Stoick the Vast and Hiccup's love interest Astrid played by Nico Parker. The footage also includes sneak peeks at some of the best moments from the animated film, such as Hiccup making a prosthetic tail fin to fix Toothless' broken tail.

As we saw in the first teaser for the film, released last November, this new adaptation of Cressida Cowell's book series is staying faithful to DreamWorks' beloved animated film series.

Just like 2010's How to Train Your Dragon, the film follows an awkward young Viking who nurses an injured dragon when he was supposed to kill it. He later discovers that the dragon, which he names Toothless, is a Night Fury, one of the most feared kinds. Both feeling like outsiders, they make an unbreakable bond, and set out to put an end to his village's tradition of slaying the winged beasts.

The Black Phone star Mason Thames plays Hiccup, with Nick Frost, Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), and Ruth Codd (The Fall of the House of Usher) completing the supporting cast. The remake is directed by Dean DeBlois, who also helmed the animated movies.

How to Train Your Dragon arrives in theaters on June 13. While we wait, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.

In an IGN video, Mutsuki Iwanaka says: "When I was dubbing my lines, I could hear the English dialogue. Dubbing Japanese lines over the original English in this very Japanese setting made this an unusual and interesting experience."

The Assassin's Creed games are set all over the world, from Baghdad to Boston, London to Cairo. In the earlier games, even though they were originally voiced in English, characters still had accents that sounded region appropriate, but not all of the games are dubbed in the language of the locations they're set in, and I never thought about how strange that dubbing process must be.

Miyuri Shimabukuro, the Japanese voice actor for protagonist Naoe, says it was the romance options that challenged her. "Depending on the player's choices, Naoe may be involved in a romance thread," she explains. "So I had to think hard about how much of that essence to reveal as well."

Makoto Tamura, the Japanese voice actor for Nagato-no-Kami Fujibayashi, seemed to find the whole experience fairly easy. "As far as the tone of the vocabulary goes, the script had already been well translated," he says. "So all I had to do was read out the lines as they were and it was fine. I've watched period films since I was a kid and I love them, so the Sengoku Period vocabulary and samurai speak felt familiar. That part of the script came surprisingly naturally to me."

If you can't wait for Assassin's Creed Shadows, check out some of the best action games you can play right now.

Depending on how much time you spend online, you may or may not have a strong reaction to the word "loss." Back in 2008, a four-panel comic – part of the Ctrl+Alt+Del (or CAD) webcomic series – was posted online, depicting protagonist Ethan rushing into a hospital to find female lead Lilah in a bed after having suffered a miscarriage. It should go without saying that this situation and plot point obviously isn't funny, but the internet being the internet had a rather surprising reaction to it, largely spurred on by the fact that the tone of this particular comic was so wildly different to what had come before it in previous CAD instalments.

One thing led to another, and for some baffling reason, 17 years later, minimalist recreations of the four panels are still being created and shared. If you've ever seen a two by two grid with a few strangely placed lines or images inside it, it was probably a Loss reference. This whole thing has taken on a life of its own beyond the original tragic subject material, and that brings us to today. Over on Reddit last week, user potatolad6698 shared a screenshot of Balatro's Four Fingers Joker (which lets you pull off Flushes and Straights using four cards) alongside a mirrored screenshot of Ethan's raised hand in the first panel of Loss. "Is the Four Fingers hand a reference to Loss?" they ask.

There's a definite similarity with how the fingers are placed (although again, it's worth keeping in mind that the comic panel has to be flipped for it to match up with the card), and LocalThunk has now weighed in on the matter. How? By sharing the post along with a bunch of very specifically placed lines, referencing… well, you already know.

Responding to one fan claiming that this reply means the reference is "confirmed," LocalThunk says: "This is less of a 'confirmed' and more of a 'lmao it is now.'" So, it definitely wasn't an intentional reference LocalThunk had in mind when the Four Fingers Joker was created, but the dev seems happy enough to call it one in retrospect.

"I still have a job to do": Balatro creator says selling 5 million copies hasn't really changed his lifestyle, and he's focused on updates instead of new games.

Elden Ring Nightreign costs $39.99 at base (physical copies only available for PS5 and Xbox Series X), with a $54.99 digital deluxe edition bundling in a digital artbook and soundtrack plus a DLC that is already in development. The DLC will add new areas, bosses, and playable characters when it eventually arrives.

The Elden Ring Nightreign collector's edition proper is a $199.99 package that comes with everything in the digital deluxe edition plus a steelbook case, hardcover artbook, miscellaneous in-game collectibles, and for the crown jewel, a 24-centimeter statue of Wylder, one of the playable Elden Ring Nightreign characters.

Separately, a $189.99 Elden Ring Nightreign helmet – again, a replica of Wylder – will be available a la carte. You're just paying for the helmet here; the game is not included. This near-life-size bit of merch lines up with the Malenia and Messmer helmets released for Elden Ring and its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

As we said in our Elden Ring Nightreign preview, FromSoftware's weirdest game yet is shaping up to be an absurd but fun experiment that feels like a mod in the best way. It's a co-op roguelike where you assemble boss-killing Elden Ring builds on the fly while racing against the timer of a battle royale-style fog wall. It's weird! We've played it for a few hours now, and we'd certainly like to play more.

Elden Ring Nightreign beta codes are finally being sent out, but many PS5 and Xbox Series X players are reporting the same issue – they've seemingly got access to the wrong platform.

As GamesRadar+ learned at a recent preview event, Elden Ring Nightreign has been penciled in for a May 30, 2025 release date and will cost $39.99 if you're going for the standard edition. The game will be on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X as well as PC, but if you want a physical copy you'll need to go with the PS5 or Xbox Series X version.

If you've got more money to spend, the deluxe edition will cost $54.99 and come with the game, a digital artbook, a digital soundtrack, and access to the DLC when it launches. FromSoftware hasn't shared a release window for that DLC, though it has let slip that it'll include new playable Nightfarers, bosses, and map biomes.

Of course, there's a still-fancier Elden Ring Nightreign collector's edition you can get for $200 that features 24 centimeters of another poor soul to keep that trend going. Oh, and you also have the option to drop $190 for another fancy helmet – just the merch, with no game – to complete the Elden Ring trifecta. Who needs money, anyway?

As for whether it'll all be worth it, we certainly think so. We got the chance to play FromSoftware's next game, and as shared in our Elden Ring Nightreign preview, it's weird! But in a good way, so we're cautiously optimistic.

"In the best way possible, Elden Ring Nightreign feels like the kind of madcap experiment that players would normally have to cook up on their own because studios just wouldn't make it," we said.

Elden Ring Nightreign's map will sometimes see "large-scale changes" to terrain, including procedurally appearing volcanos, forests, and yes, swamps.

The show, based on the Ikusagami series by Shogo Imamura, revolves around samurai warriors who compete for a massive cash prize.

"When most people think about samurai, they think about this very glamorous period in Japanese history," Netflix's Japan content head Kaata Sakamoto said as the streamer's Japanese content slate was unveiled (via Variety). "But what a lot of people don't realize is that, towards the end of the Edo period, the samurai lost a lot of their glamour and their power. Last Samurai Standing is about what would happen if these warriors – the toughest and best in Japan – all of a sudden became common people and had to fight for their lives. Think Shōgun meets Squid Game.'"

Judging by the official logline, that comparison is very accurate. "In the Meiji period, at Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto, 292 skilled warriors gathered at nightfall, lured by the promise of a huge cash prize," it reads. "The rules are simple: whoever can steal the wooden tags distributed to each of them and reach Tokyo will win the prize money. Among them is Shujiro Saga, who enters the deadly game with one goal: to save his ailing wife and child."

In the first look, which you can see above, star Junichi Okada (who is also action choreographer and producer) stands amid a crowd of warriors, looking ready for anything.

Shōgun, meanwhile, is confirmed for a season 2, and the latest update is that the scripts are complete and production is planned for the end of the year.

As for Squid Game season 3, that's releasing on Netflix this June 27. Season 2 has already become a huge hit for the streamer, breaking a record set by Wednesday and becoming one of its most-watched shows ever. Season 1 remains Netflix's most popular show of all time.

Last Samurai Standing is arriving on Netflix this November 2025. In the meantime, fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix shows to stream now.

"We look fucking cool," Russell said in a recent interview with Empire, referring to the rest of the ragtag team assembled by Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. "And last time, I’m gonna be honest, I don’t think I looked very cool." The biggest improvement? "[This time] they made my helmet not look like the end of a penis."

Russell will star alongside Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, and David Harbour as Red Guardian in the movie, which follows the titular group of antiheroes as they're forced into a dangerous mission that could bring them all redemption, as long as they work together.

Russell's John Walker was the US government's choice to be Steve Rogers' successor as Captain America before he received other than honorable discharge – and then, of course, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) took his place instead. Mackie is making his big-screen debut as Cap in Captain America: Brave New World, which hits theaters on February 14. He's joined by Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon, and Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross, AKA Red Hulk.

Thunderbolts* arrives on the big screen on May 2 as the final installment of Marvel Phase 5. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other upcoming superhero movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.

"Of course, I mean Chris is my right hand so I love Chris," Mackie told Deadline. "I've told him, I just did a movie with him. He's just one of those guys that when he shows up, professionalism shows up, the opportunity to have fun and work on a diverse character shows up, and we work really well together. So I don't care whatever he shows up as, I just want him to be there."

Whether or not Evans will actually be coming back for the new Avengers movies is very much unconfirmed. There were reports last year that he'd been locked in for the new team-up movies directed by the Russo brothers. However, in a recent interview, the actor said he's actually retired and not coming back. Confused? Us too.

What we do know is that the Avengers movies begin filming very soon. In another interview with Deadline, Mackie confirmed: "We shoot in London through the summer and then the following summer we shoot the next one [Avengers: Secret Wars]. It’s going to be a full slate."

Alongside the Captain America 4 star, it's been confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. will play Doctor Doom. It's also expected that the new superhero teams in the MCU will also appear, including the Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts* casts.

While we wait, check out our guides to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows as well as our breakdown of how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

In an interview with RPG Site, game director Yuya Tokuda says: "We didn't want to make it so that if you had a certain set you could just breeze through any endgame fight. It's not the gameplay we want players to have; for endgame hunts, we want there to be a distinctive difference compared to hunting story monsters."

In Monster Hunter World, a lot of players weren't happy with the way monsters like Lunastra required you to use wind resistance in order to survive. I get it. When I play Bloodborne, I choose a build that looks cool or feels fun to play and stubbornly refuse to change my gear at all, even if a boss is walling me. But that's not the kind of experience the Wilds devs are going for, clearly.

They tell RPG Site that since these end-game monsters aren't necessary to beat the story and are optional bosses, they don't mind requiring us to put some more thought and effort into a new build.

Having to farm specific weapons or armor does add to the grind, but it also stops us from completing the game too quickly and then complaining that there isn't enough to do. The devs are damned if they do and damned if they don't. So, you'd better start reading up on the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons if you want to have an easier time beating the toughest foes.

If you want to know more about the game, check out our Monster Hunter Wilds preview. Or, have a look at all the new games of 2025 that you can look forward to.

Pocketpair Publishing opened its doors last month and announced its very first project – a horror game from Tales of Kenzera: ZAU dev Surgent Studios. This is just the beginning though, as the publisher quickly received loads more pitches from other developers. Bucky made it clear that the mission is all about "giving devs the financial freedom to make games they want so they DON'T have to get wrapped up with stinky rule makers and bullies." It sounds like the latter is something that the publishing manager has become even more aware of in recent weeks.

"Something I've noticed after hundreds of publishing pitches and meetings is how easy it would be to take advantage of devs and make them sign horrific contracts," Bucky writes. "Everyone is so desperate for funding that it really wouldn't take much effort for some devious bastard to yoink every last penny."

He describes the situation as a "pretty sad state of affairs," and it really is when you consider just how much the games industry has been struggling lately. From mass layoffs to studio closures, we've seen an enormous amount of talented devs lose their jobs in recent years, and as many have attested, getting funding for games is very difficult in the current climate, too.

Later down in his Twitter thread, Bucky states that "a lot of unsavory people are wrapping these deals up in pretty nasty contracts that give them the control and authority to shutters studios and pinch IPs if they feel they are 'underperforming.'" Here's hoping that with the goals he's previously shared for Pocketpair Publishing in mind, the Palworld makers might be able to help some devs avoid getting involved with the "pretty nasty contracts" he mentions.

Palworld's multi-million player launch was originally in the hands of just one server guy who was "trying his best."

The developers best known for making the first Far Cry, Crysis, Ryse: Son of Rome, Hunt: Showdown, and game dev tool CryEngine announced the news in a social media post earlier today, writing that it's laid off roughly 60 employees working on game development and shared services.

"Like so many of our peers, we aren't immune to the complex, unfavorable market dynamics that have hit our industry these past several years," the post says. "It pains us greatly to share today that we must lay off an estimated 15% of our around 400 employees." Crytek then confirms that it's been "trying to shift developers over to Hunt: Showdown 1896," its successful PvPvE extraction shooter, after pausing development on the next Crysis game late last year.

"While Hunt: Showdown 1896 is still growing, Crytek cannot continue as before and remain financially sustainable. Even after ongoing efforts to reduce costs and cut operating expenses, we have determined that layoffs are inevitable to move forward. Crytek will offer affected employees severance packages and career assistance services."

Crytek now seems solely focused on expanding Hunt: Showdown "with great content," while continuing to support CryEngine. It doesn't publicly have any other games in the pipeline - apart from the Crysis 4 that's just been put on ice, that is. That news is particularly worrying as sci-fi shooter Crysis was the hit that put Crytek on so many people's radar and proved CryEngine capable of making jaw-dropping game.

Layoffs in the video game industry have been particularly brutal this past year, with just about every big name publisher and developer shedding staff. In the last couple weeks alone, EA shrank BioWare even further, the Smite 2 studio said goodbye to more workers, and Killer Instinct rebooters Iron Galaxy let go of 66 employees as a "last resort."

Sad about the new Crysis? Check out the best FPS games you can play right now.

Whether we're looking at best tabletop RPG material, time will tell. For now we know Royal Flush is set in a new region of the Mojave Wasteland, and will see players solving the mystery of a body found in a ditch in New Reno (I wonder who that might be?) while quelling tensions around a "sudden boom in military grade firearms" that could see the entire Mojave going up in smoke.

All this is built upon one of Bethesda's most well-loved additions to the Fallout series: New Vegas, the dusty open-world RPG that inspired the likes of Atomfall and countless other games. I don't think I've got a single friend who doesn't consider this their favorite game in the series.

The upcoming solo RPG – Lone Wanderer – will be more akin to Fallout 3 and 4 by the sounds of it. That means taking on the role of a vault-dweller emerging into the wastes.

You'll be able to play not only as a well-preserved survivor but also as a ghoul, super mutant, or robot, if that's what takes your fancy. I can't wait to base my solo character around Victor from New Vegas and somehow try to make his story make sense as I generate narrative with Modiphius' 2d20 system.

Royal Flush is expected to release late this year, while the solo game will hit us closer to 2026. You can also expect Modiphius to come out with new sourcebooks to outline new areas of the Fallout history and geography, too.

New Fallout lore? Yes please. This is set to include New California, new parts of the Mojave, Capital Wasteland and the Commonwealth, as well as the Appalachian Wasteland.

For more recommendations, why not check out some of the most metal TRPGs I've spotted this month.

Speaking to the Limit Break Network in a recent interview, Piscatella explains why Rockstar Games' long-awaited title and Nintendo's new handheld console releasing in the same year could be huge for the video game market. "If those two things do happen this year," says the analyst, "and they do meet the expectations going into this year, I think you're looking at low to mid-single-digit percentage growth in overall market spending on video game products."

It might not sound like much to those of us less well-versed in the financial side of games, but it'd actually be quite a major jump for the market. "Now, that doesn't sound like a lot but it would result in record spending on the consumer side, it would get the industry back to growth over that 2021 peak that we've previously seen," Piscatella continues, "and most importantly … it gets investment flowing back into the game space."

Such growth would be especially monumental as the market has only "held relatively stable" since that 2021 peak, according to Piscatella. "We had a market that had been growing for decades all of a sudden peak and wasn't growing anymore after 2021 – and while the market's held relatively stable to those highs, it hasn't exceeded them." He points out that it's not only consumers who would benefit from the market's potential growth but also investors and developers.

"These are a couple of things that will help that market get back on a growth trajectory and [there's] nothing investors love more than the line going up and to the right. If your line is not going up and to the right, as an industry, it's really tough to get those dollars flowing in – because once those dollars start flowing in, all of a sudden you have more games coming out, you have more teams supported, and then that kind of self-sustains into another growth trajectory – which is what I'm hoping to see."

It sounds like GTA 6 and the Switch 2 could have quite an impact on the video game market should they both release in 2025. There's no telling what will happen just yet, however, but analysts in Japan previously speculated that a possible June launch is in the cards for the Switch 2, and a trailer confirming a 2025 release for GTA 6 dropped at the tail end of 2023 with confirmation of a fall window dropping later on.

Need more to look forward to? Here are the biggest new games for 2025 and beyond.

The hero is shows up in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man episode 6 titled ‘Duel With the Devil’ but the footage of the two heroes meeting was shared early on Twitter by ScreenRant. The footage shows Spidey facing off with The Man Without Fear on a rooftop. As the two begin to fight, it is obvious Parker has met his match as Daredevil bests him, all the while, Murdock is trying to warn Spider-Man about Norman Osborn. Check out the video below.

Though fans knew the cameo was coming, seeing Cox back as Daredevil, albeit in animation form, has only made Marvel fans that more pumped for the upcoming Daredevil series. "Hearing that daredevil theme again got me goosebumps!," said one fan on Twitter, while another added, "Charlie Cox absolutely KILLED it."

A lot of viewers have been pointing out how the two heroes make the most unlikely but entertaining pairing. "Charlie Cox reprising his role as Daredevil and hearing that ICONIC theme as he's fighting against Peter was beautiful—loved how their personalities clashed," said one viewer.

Although it's not certain if Daredevil will appear in the Spidey show again, fans don't have long to wait to see him in the flesh as Daredevil: Born Again will hit Disney Plus in a matter of weeks. Welcoming back Cox as blind lawyer Matt Murdock by day and vigilante Daredevil by night, Born Again follows the hero’s battle with crime on the mean streets of Hell’s Kitchen.

The cast also includes Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson, Jon Bernthal as Punisher, and more.

Daredevil: Born Again will be released on Disney Plus on March 4, 2025. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man airs weekly on Disney Plus - check out our Friendly Neighborhood release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order, or keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and shows.