Gaming News

See an Exclusive Excerpt of the Star Wars Outlaws Prequel Novel Low Red Moon

Random House Worlds is gearing up to release its latest Star Wars novel, author Mike Chen's Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon. You might assume the book showcases an earlier adventure in the life of goldhearted smuggler Kay Vess, but you'd be wrong. Instead, the book focuses on one of the most surprising figures in the game, Jaylen Vrax. The book explores how Jaylen met the fearsome bodyguard droid ND-5 and made his way through the ranks of the criminal underworld. Ahead of its February 3 release, IGN can exclusively debut a preview of Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon. This excerpt is set early in the book, just after Jaylen is rescued by ND-5 following an attack on his family's compound. Check it out below: JAYLEN HAD NO memory of the...

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Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 – Hands-On Deep Dive with the Ork Faction – IGN First

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 will be pitting two space marine chapters – the Blood Ravens and the Dark Angels – against the terrifying Necrons, with an assist from their cyborg compatriots in the Adeptus Mechanicus. But while they all brood and scheme and recite litanies, the Orks will be literally crash-landing into the middle of it all in search of good fights and making gory memories. We got to try out a swathe of units and new campaign mechanics, and if there's one idea that seems to define the faction in this new RTS, it's this: "Make it bigger!" The WAAAGH! The Orks wouldn't really be the Orks without the Waaagh! mechanic, representing their entire culture and warfare ethos of enthusiastic mayhem. It's been represented in...

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MECHBORN, a Unique Roguelike Inspired by '90's Anime, Announced

Greek mythology and '90's mech anime come together in MECHBORN, a new roguelike deckbuilder from developer Turtle Juice and publisher Curve Games. The hook is that your mech is your deck, meaning you can swap out parts as desired using your cards. More intriguingly, Turtle Juice says that "every card played is immediately replaced, forcing players to think ahead, position cards strategically, and chain pilot abilities to forge mech-pilot synergies and unleash attack combos that can turn the tide of battle." Lead designer Ernani Rocha said, “With MECHBORN, we wanted to rethink what moment-to-moment strategy feels like in a roguelike deckbuilder. The conveyor-belt card system fundamentally changes how players plan, adapt, and position...

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Ubisoft Cancels 6 Projects Including Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake, Closes 2 Studios and Confirms Further Layoffs in Major Company Restructur

Ubisoft has announced a sweeping company restructure that will result in the cancelation of six games including its Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, and a delay to a further seven titles. Two Ubisoft studios will be closed completely as a result of the changes, while others will be subject to further layoffs. Of the half dozen games that have been fully scrapped, Ubisoft is only publicly naming one today — its long-awaited Sands of Time remake that was rebooted once already. Three of the canceled games were new IPs, while one was a mobile game. Ubisoft's core focus going forward, the company has said, will be on open-world games and live-services. No specific detail has been given of the seven titles that Ubisoft has delayed...

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Fortnite Gets a New Roguelike Map and a Visit From Jason Statham

The British are coming. Specifically, IGN can exclusively reveal that action man Jason Statham - star of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Hobbs and Shaw and The Meg - is coming to Fortnite today. He lent his chiselled jawline and voice to the game to promote his new movie Shelter as part of a new in-game experience. The Stath appears as his character from Shelter, Michael Mason. In the movie Mason is a former assassin who is forced to dust off his guns (aren't they always?) to protect himself and a girl - Jessie - that he rescued from the sea surrounding the remote Scottish island he calls home. Players can fight alongside him on a new custom map inspired by the movie, taking on waves of enemies in order to protect Jessie. If that...

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Crimson Desert Locks in March Release Date as Dev Acknowledges 'Strong Anticipation'

Crimson Desert has gone gold, locking in its global release date of March 19, 2026. That’s across PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Mac. Developer Pearl Abyss described going gold as a “major development milestone” for the open-world action-adventure game. It thanked fans for their continued support, acknowledging what it called “strong anticipation” that has built up over the course of the last year. Here’s the official blurb on Crimson Desert: Earlier this month, Pearl Abyss called Crimson Desert’s open world “absolutely massive,” bigger even than that of Bethesda’s Skyrim and Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. Speaking on the Gaming Interviews YouTube channel, Pearl Abyss’ Will Powers said that describing the...

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World of Warcraft Director 'Overall Happy' With Add-on Disarmament Ahead of Midnight Launch

Way back in April of last year, Blizzard began making gestures at something that would eventually be called "add-on disarmament," effectively an effort to make competitive play in World of Warcraft significantly less reliant on externally downloaded mods, or add-ons. Now, nine months later, those efforts are well underway, and uh, they haven't gone over amazingly. The premise doesn't sound bad on paper. Initially, Blizzard talked about implementing some new in-game tools that would theoretically take the place of a lot of functions players typically wanted add-ons for. This started with rotation assistance, and has since followed in the World of Warcraft: Midnight alpha and beta with other new features such as a cooldown manager...

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War, Weapons & Wanzers: The History Of Front Mission

Since its origins at SquareSoft (long before the company would become Square Enix), the Front Mission series has occupied a unique corner of the strategy RPG landscape. Few franchises have blended methodical tactical combat, intricate mecha customisation, and politically charged science fiction quite so deftly. Across decades and platforms, Front Mission has been unafraid to evolve, experiment, and occasionally stumble, all while building a dense, interconnected world shaped by war, ideology, and human cost. What follows is a look back at the full history of the Front Mission franchise, from its tactical roots to its more divisive later years. Front Mission (1995) The original Front Mission arrived on the Super Nintendo and...

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For the God of War TV Show To Work, It Needs a New Approach to Violence

At a glance, there are many reasons to be at least a little bit hopeful about Prime Video’s plans to adapt the Norse duology of God of War. Ronald D. Moore is a tried and tested showrunner, having helmed both Battlestar Galactica and Outlander, among others. And Ryan Hurst, who played Thor in God of War: Ragnarok, is a promising if surprising lead. The celebrated Frederick E.O. Toye of Shōgun is set to direct the first two episodes, while Cory Barlog – the franchise’s creative shepherd – will serve as an executive producer, not unlike Bethesda’s Todd Howard on Prime’s Fallout or Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann on HBO’s The Last of Us, two of the finest game adaptations of all time. And yet, like Kratos, I have a hard time letting my guard...

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sets World Record for Game of the Year Awards, Surpassing Elden Ring

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has set the world record for most Game of the Year awards, surpassing FromSoftware's Elden Ring. Last week, IGN reported that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was once again sweeping award nominations, this time at the Game Developers Choice Awards, where it's been nominated for all but one award, and earlier that same week, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 absolutely dominated the Annual D.I.C.E. Award Nominations along with Ghost of Yotei. Even with with the BAFTAs, DICE, GDC Awards and more still to go, ResetEra's Angie — who's been keeping an eye on all the nominations and wins — reports that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has clocked up a staggering 436 awards, surpassing prior top-spot-holder, Elden Ring, which...

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Fortnite Adds Limited-Time Fall Guys Mode Crown Jam, a Mix of Basketball, Football and Obstacle Courses

There's a fresh mode to try in Fortnite this week, thanks to another crossover with Epic Games' beloved Fall Guys beans. Crown Jam will go live this Friday, January 23 and feature three-versus-three arcade action that blends elements of basketball and football with the usual Fall Guys obstacle-based chaos. There's even a touch of Rocket League in there too, as you zoom around an arena as a trio (albeit on foot), while attempting to score. IGN has bean able to reveal the first gameplay footage of the mode today — catch a look at all the dodging, dashing and dashing action below as players attempt to yeet balls through hoops, and work up Hype along the way to unlock special abilities. Participation in the mode will unlock Fortnite...

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Can We Stop Dunking on Highguard Before It's Even Out, Please?

On December 11, 2025, Highguard was revealed at The Game Awards. A PvP “raid shooter” from some of the creators behind Apex Legends and Titanfall, Highguard was admittedly somewhat of a surprise as the last reveal of Geoff Keighley’s show in December, which has typically been reserved for highly-anticipated, single-player games such as Naughty Dog’s next project, Intergalactic, or the next Mass Effect. Rather than a big-budget RPG, Highguard’s trailer displayed a multiplayer game rooted in a mix of fantasy and sci-fi, with SMG-wielding heroes riding horses into battle and magical spears hurled into grounded enemies by floating characters. “A new breed of shooter” flashed across the screen as its Overwatch-by-way-of-Concord action played...

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Creator of DMCA'd Cyberpunk 2077 VR Mod Says People Are Now Pirating It to 'Punish' Him for Breaking CD Projekt's Terms of Service

The creator of the Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod CD Projekt recently hit with a DMCA strike has said people are now pirating it to “punish” him for breaking the developer’s terms of service. Luke Ross, creator of the R.E.A.L. VR mods for games such as Elden Ring, Days Gone, and Far Cry, reportedly earns $20,000 a month through Patreon, which acts as a paywall for his work. Ross extended his VR conversion framework to support Cyberpunk 2077 in February 2022. A few months later, he contacted CD Projekt to ask if the Polish studio was interested in turning the mod into an official port. It declined, Ross told IGN. Then, on January 9, 2026, Patreon alerted Ross to CD Projekt's DMCA notice for the removal of the mod, which it had already taken...

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Developer Behind Fallen Trailer Responds to AI Backlash

The founder, director, producer, and writer behind indie title Fallen has responded to claims its reveal trailer was built using generative AI, confirming that it was a "tone pitch" with AI "placeholders [that] briefly escaped the context [they were] meant to live in." After the Fallen reveal teaser debuted on IGN, commenters were quick to critique it, with one writing: "Woof. Any way to unreveal it?" and another saying: "can't wait to not touch this with a 10-foot pole." "Are game companies even aware of how controversial using AI art is?" asked someone else in the comments. "Why can't [they] just read the room." You can watch the trailer yourself below: Now, creator Brooke Burgess has clarified that while there are AI...

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Arc Raiders Dev Says Players Who Spawn Late Don't Realize They 'Economically Profit Way More' Than Players Who Don't

Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios has said players who spawn late don’t realize they “economically profit way more” than players who don’t. In an interview with GamesRadar, design lead Virgil Watkins discussed the extraction shooter’s divisive late spawn system, which can see players join games with around 20 minutes left to go. The feeling from some is that this can be a frustrating experience because it gives late joiners less time to complete objectives, and there isn’t as much loot around. But Watkins suggested the data tells a different story. “We 100% acknowledge the whole thing of, 'Man, I came in to do that trial and now I clearly don't have enough time to do that, and that sucks, so I'm just going to leave,' or whatever...

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Arknights: Endfield Review So Far

Any game built around gacha mechanics needs to have a certain hook to keep things interesting in the long term, especially if there’s potential to invest your hard-earned dollars into it. For all their systemic sins, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad and Persona 5: The Phantom X at least piqued my interest by expanding on already-revered lore, allowing me to intertwine myself in their beloved worlds. The much more enjoyable Zenless Zone Zero, on the other hand, pulled me in with a mix of high-octane combat, endearing character development, and Y2K flair. Arknights: Endfield is the latest competitor in this genre’s fierce attention economy, offering not only an engrossing sci-fi open world to explore, but another mechanically moreish addition...

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Fortnite Tease Seems to Confirm The Office Crossover for Chapter 7 Following Rumors

Fortnite appears to be getting The Office content in Chapter 7 after rumors suggested Epic Games was working on a crossover. Fans of TV and video games were thrown for a loop earlier today when Epic shared a not-so-cryptic tease on social media. It’s the kind of thing that would seem completely nonsensical to the uninitiated, but those who are even peripherally aware of the NBC comedy will recognize “Build. Beets. Battle Royale.” as a reference to one of the most memorable quotes from The Office. A meeting between Fortnite and The Office, though never considered to be impossible, is unexpected, but some recent rumors had players believing confirmation was only a matter of time. Popular Fortnite content creator Shiina said they heard...

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Arc Raiders Update Targets Infamous Stella Montis Glitch – But Some Say ‘Rats’ Are Still in the Walls

Developer Embark Studios says Arc Raiders update 1.12.0 patched some infamous out-of-bounds exploits – but players say "rats" still live in the walls of Stella Montis. Community lead Ossen took to the official website to publish full patch notes for the January 20 adjustments, revealing a smaller set of targeted fixes for the massively popular extraction shooter. Exploits are in the line of fire this time, with the update said to fix glitches related to item and ammo duplication, the ability to damage other players from behind certain geometry, and a bug that let players reach out-of-bounds locations – specifically on Stella Montis. The cold, labyrinthian halls of Stella Montis have already garnered a reputation for being perhaps the...

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Hytale and Minecraft Get Crossplay Capability Thanks to Intrepid Modder

Newly-released sandbox adventure game Hytale originated as a Minecraft mod, Hypixel, only to eventually be spun off and transformed into the early access, standalone game we now know. But even so, I don't think anyone had "Minecraft x Hytale crossplay" on their Bingo card. This wizardry comes from modder u/ssquadteam, also known as iamcxv7, a 15-year-old modder who has also managed to get things like Windows 95 running in Hytale and, separate from the guy who did it pre-launch, Doom. iamcxv7 has managed to figure out how to get Hytale and Minecraft to talk to one another so that players in one can play alongside players in the other, seeing one another's characters rendered in their own game's style, interact, build, chat, and even...

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Square Enix Reveals Life Is Strange: Reunion Will Be the Series' Conclusion 'To the Max and Chloe Saga'

After a decade of storytelling, Square Enix has decided to wrap up the story of Max Caulfield and Chloe Price in the newly-revealed Life is Strange: Reunion, which is set for launch on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on March 26, 2026. A direct sequel to 2024's Life is Strange: Double Exposure, featuring many of the same secondary characters, Reunion will also finally answer fan wishes by bringing back both beloved faces from the franchise's original 2015 game. Max, who returned as the protagonist of Double Exposure, will reunite with her former lover/best friend Chloe for one final adventure — and for the first time in the same game, both characters will be playable. Once again, there's a sci-fi mystery to solve...

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Hitman World of Assassination Gets Cross-Progression, Though Hitman 2 to 3 Carryover is Ending

Hitman developer IO Interactive has announced that cross-platform progression is finally coming to World of Assassination, allowing you to pick up your stealthy murders wherever you last left off. Released exactly five years ago today, Hitman 3 initially launched for PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. In the years since, IO's assassination masterpiece has since also launched for Switch 2, iPhone, iPad and Mac. Next month, on February 3, a fresh update will unlock Hitman: World of Assassination cross-progression across mobile, consoles and PC — though the ability to carry over progress from Hitman 2 will cease as a result. Cross-Progression will allow you to assign a specific platform as your...

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'I Have No Regrets Saving Hytale' — Hypixel Founder Celebrates After Huge Early Access Launch

The chief developer behind the saving of Hytale has celebrated the game’s early access launch, declaring: “I have no regrets.” Hypixel Studios founder Simon Collins-Laflamme issued an update a week on from Hytale’s release on PC (check out IGN's Hytale early access review so far to see what we think). He said saving the game and releasing it had been “the most challenging but rewarding experience of my life.” Hytale has endured a tumultuous development. It was announced in December 2018 with a trailer that so far has an incredible 62 million views on YouTube. The idea was to expand on the likes of Minecraft by combining the scope of a sandbox with the depth of a roleplaying game, all set in a procedurally generated world. Excitement...

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The 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time (Picks 100-76)

What is an Xbox? Microsoft has spent 25 years trying to answer the question, but for fans, the answer is easy: “Xbox” evokes one-eared headsets wired into the memory card slots of massive controllers with breakaway cords. A dashboard with gleaming skeuomorphic blades and avatars adorned in earned accessories. That sound that plays when a hard-earned Achievement finally pops. “Xbox” means heavy-duty hardware. Tactile sensations. Friends connecting for the first time. And that’s before we even get to the games. It may be that the very idea of an Xbox game is coming to an end. Microsoft has undeniably shifted its tactics, with a new focus on multi-platform releases, handheld Xboxes that are actually miniature Windows computers, and the...

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Ex-Nintendo of America Boss Doug Bowser Joins Hasbro, Owner of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering

Doug Bowser, former president and chief operating officer at Nintendo of America, has joined the board of directors at Hasbro. Bowser departed Nintendo on December 31, less than a month ago. He had served more than a decade at the company, and six years as Nintendo of America's final boss, following the departure of previous president Reggie Fils-Aimé. Bowser's time at the company was notable as he oversaw the success of Nintendo Switch and then the record-breaking launch of Switch 2, while gamely acknowledging all the jokes about his surname. Nintendo's former chief will be joined as a newly-installed member of the Hasbro board by Carla Vernón, CEO of The Honest Company. "We are delighted to have Doug and Carla join our seasoned...

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Xbox Game Pass Is Set to Close Out January 2026 With a Bolt From the Grim Darkness of the Far Future: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Xbox Game Pass is set for a big hitter at the end of January: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. This marks the debut of Saber Interactive’s hugely popular third-person action game in a subscription library, and comes one-and-a-half years after its September 2024 release. For the uninitiated, Space Marine 2 sees you assume the role of Titus, a member of the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines. He goes up against the monstrous Tyranids in a campaign that can be played with up to two friends. But there are a number of PvE and PvP modes to keep you busy after. Following the success of Space Marine 2, Titus has become something of a poster boy for the Warhammer 40,000 setting, and was even rewarded for his heroic exploits with a...

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Fable Reboot Concept Art Points to Large Open World

Concept artwork for Microsoft's upcoming Fable reboot has been shared online, showing what looks to be a large open world. The images, originally highlighted by MP1st, reportedly originate from an unnamed artist who previously worked on the project at British development studio Playground Games. More than two dozen images show brooding fantasy landscapes that stretch off into the horizon, dilapidated thatched cottages in pastoral scenes, and familiar-looking towns with spired roofs. Several images also make reference to "Bloodstone" — suggesting we'll see locations from past Fable games return. Overall, the images offer a slightly darker color palette than seen in Lionhead's original Fable trilogy, with moody skies and a rugged...

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Monsters Are Coming! Rock & Road Mini-Review: An Excellent Twist on the Survivors Genre

Vampire Survivors, and many of the games inspired by it, can feel a little bit—well—familiar. So it’s always refreshing when something comes along that wants to put a genuine spin on the formula. Megabonk was one of the best examples of this last year, not only introducing a third dimension but also adding leaderboards to really get you hooked. One game you may have missed, though, is Monsters Are Coming! Rock & Road. Monsters Are Coming! has you protecting moving bastions as they make their way toward a massive city known as the Ark. This gives you a specific area to defend, rather than simply roaming around getting stronger, and means you have a city to upgrade along the way. As you gain experience, you don’t level up – your city...

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Original Tomb Raider Creators Resisted Calls from Japanese Publisher to Make a 'Manga-Style' Lara Croft

One of the original designers of Tomb Raider's iconic Lara Croft has revealed that Core Design's then-Japanese publisher had asked for the character to be given a "Manga" redesign to "appeal" to Japanese players. Responding to one fan who had unearthed a comment from him a few years ago, Tomb Raider co-creator and programmer Paul Douglas confirmed there had been a little pressure "quite late in Tomb Raider's development" when publisher Victor Interactive Software "faxed over some of their own designs" over fears the western character design wouldn't "go down well" in Japan. "Victor wanted us to change in-game Lara to appeal more to a Japanese audience," Douglas revealed on BlueSky. "Huge eyes/head etc. They faxed through examples...

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Marathon's 'Stacked' Voice Cast Includes Baldur's Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Star Jennifer English, and Many Other Familiar Names

Destiny developer Bungie has finally confirmed the previously leaked launch date for Marathon, which is indeed March 5, 2026, and followed up the news with a rundown of who we can expect to hear in the English voice cast. The bumper cast includes many, many familiar voices, such as Jennifer English (who won Best Performance at 2025's The Game Awards for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and has had notable roles in Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3, in which she plays Shadowheart), Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, Final Fantasy 14), Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption 2), and Neil Newbon (Baldur's Gate 3's Astarion, Resident Evil 3 Remake). As one commenter responded: "That's… stacked lol." Here's the full list, along with an...

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Divinity Announcement Sparks 'Incredible' Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 Sales, Larian Boss Says

Last month’s announcement of Divinity has sparked a significant increase in sales of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2, developer Larian has said. Divinity, announced at The Game Awards in December with a much-discussed trailer, is the next role-playing game from Larian following the enormous success of its 2023 Dungeons & Dragons-themed role-playing game. And it’s Baldur’s Gate 3 that has shown remarkable staying power, particularly on Steam where it is still seeing peak concurrent player numbers above 100,000 despite being two-and-a-half years old. 2017's Divinity: Original Sin 2, meanwhile, has also seen an uptick in players following the Divinity announcement, with peak concurrents in the tens of thousands rather than...

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