Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass November 2025 Wave 1 lineup of games, headlined by Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
As a Microsoft-owned video game, Black Ops 7 launches straight into Game Pass day one when it comes out on November 14. That’s across cloud, console, and PC for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers only.
But there are a number of games hitting Game Pass before Treyarch and Raven’s first-person shooter arrives. On November 5, Dead Static Drive (Cloud, Console, and PC) arrives on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as another day one release.
As per Xbox Wire, Dead Static Drive is “Grand Theft Cthulhu.” "An indie survival-horror game following a nightmarish road trip across a 1980s Americana, Dead Static Drive blends weird fiction and uncanny Eldritch themes with a spooky unease underlying this small-town life," Microsoft said.
Also on November 5 is Rebellion's Sniper Elite: Resistance (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Premium. Here's the official blurb:
Offering unparalleled sniping mechanics, stealth and tactical third-person combat, Sniper Elite: Resistance turns the attention of the award-winning series towards a hidden war, far from the front lines, deep within the heart of occupied France. Bring a friend – the full campaign can be experienced in co-op.
On November 6, Egging On (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) hits Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day one launch. The day one launches continue with Whiskerwood (PC), also on November 6, for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Moving on, November 7 sees Voidtrain (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) launch across Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. November 11 sees Great God Grove (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) across Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. Also on November 11, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. And, on November 11, Pigeon Simulator (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) is a day one launch on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
November 12 sees Relic Hunters Legend (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium. Also on November 12 is the day one release of Winter Burrow (Cloud, Console, and PC) on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. And of course, Wave 1 ends with the big one: Black Ops 7 on November 14.
It’s worth remembering that, following Microsoft’s recent Game Pass price hike and rebranding of some tiers, we’re now talking about what’s on Game Pass Premium and Essential, rather than Standard and Core. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass keep their names.
As already announced, a number of games leave Game Pass this month. The loss of Stalker 2 in particular has caused some subscribers to express their frustration, coming as it does a year after its timed console exclusive release on Xbox and ahead of its PS5 release date. As always, you can save up to 20% if you buy these games to keep them in your library.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Fancy a Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Box for around $56? I bet you do, but it would be better if you had a $60 Amazon gift card to get it for free, wouldn't it?
Well, if you get approved for an Amazon Store Card, select AMEX to pay for your purchase, then use the $60 welcome gift card, you can (technically, or just pay $19.98 after the gift card).
Amazon has knocked off 20% off this ETB, so it's now $79.95, down from $99.99. This is, by far, even without the extra promos I've just mentioned, the best deal on Mega Evolution ETBs you will find right now, and you shouldn't sleep on it.
If you already have an AMEX card on your Amazon account, give it a try. It doesn't seem to be available to everyone, and we're not sure what the criteria are, but it's worth a shot.
The AMEX discount will be applied at checkout. Just follow the link here to see if you qualify.
Amazon's Store Card is also offering a $60 gift card upon qualifying for it. So you can technically get this product for free. Worst-case scenario? You're paying either $19.98 with the gift card or $55.97 with the AMEX discount. There's really nothing to lose if you're in the market for it.
If you'd sooner buy the cards you're after rather than spend money on a load of sealed products, TCGPlayer has your back. Here's some updated pricing on the top Mega Evolution Pokémon cards right now, the majority of which have dropped massively in value in the past week:
Near Mint Holofoil: $312
Market price: $421.16
Most recent sale: $349.99
Near Mint Holofoil: $416
Market price: $529.54
Most recent sale: $470.99
Near Mint Holofoil: $230
Market price: $243.69
Most recent sale: $239
Near Mint Holofoil: $243.50
Market price: $257.33
Most recent sale: $248
Near Mint Holofoil: $176.53
Market price: $176.51
Most recent sale: $191.30
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
There are a lot of promising upcoming Warhammer video games, but this is one I did not expect to add to my list: Warhammer Survivors.
It’s a Warhammer twist on indie smash hit, Vampire Survivors, and was developed in partnership with poncle (Luca Galante), the creator of the much-loved fast-paced rogue-like. Indeed, Warhammer Survivors uses poncle’s Vampire Survivors engine.
Warhammer Survivors lets you play as characters from both Warhammer 40,000 (the grimdark far future one) and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar (the fantasy one), and, this being a Survivors game, tasks you with destroying endless swarms of enemies in ‘pixel-vomit’ gameplay. It’s due out in 2026, developed and published by Auroch Digital (Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun).
Here’s the official blurb:
Endorsed as part of the official Survivors lineage, this standalone game brings familiar tides of endless enemies with fresh twists, iconic characters, and powerful weapons, packaged in an entirely new setting. Or should we say, settings!
Choosing from the Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar universes, players will lead a roster of iconic characters and endure against the swarms of relentless enemies. Weapons and power-ups can be combined into devastating new forms to create screen-clearing storms of bullets, blades and magic.
Experiment in every run with new strategies, unlocking new characters, upgrades, weapon combinations, as well as troves of secrets and collectables waiting to be discovered.
On the 40K side, playable characters include Malum Caedo, the hero from Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, Cadian Shock Trooper, Trooper Kozlowski, and the Space Marine Intercessor, Brother Luca, who face off against the Tyranid swarm.
Age of Sigmar has Neave Blacktalon, warrior of the God-King Sigmar, Gotrek Gurnisson, and Sharynn Azurwrath, Stormcast Eternal Vanquisher, armed with a Celestial Greatsword. They’re up against the Skaven.
As I mentioned, Warhammer Survivors joins the ever-growing list of cool-looking Warhammer video games set to come out over the course of the next few years. There’s Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 2, Auroch Digital’s own Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3, and perhaps a few more yet to be announced.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
You may have noticed reviews for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment start to pop up around the internet today, with one site’s take missing from the roundups: ours! But don’t worry – unlike Zelda’s 100-year-long wait for Link to emerge from the Shrine of Resurrection, our delay will only last a couple of days.
Logan Plant is reviewing Age of Imprisonment for IGN, and that review is basically in the can and ready to go live already. So why the wait? Well, the embargo restrictions Nintendo sent alongside a review code were particularly strict this time around, preventing reviews that publish ahead of launch from discussing any non-public story details whatsoever.
While we always try to avoid spoilers in our reviews, and are generally happy to steer clear of specific surprises a developer wants to preserve if requested, not being able to discuss what happens in the story at all is something we simply could not agree to. So, we decided to hold the review until Age of Imprisonment comes out later this week so we can publish our full thoughts without those limitations.
That doesn’t mean we're going to spoil anything major about Age of Imprisonment’s plot, because even being able to discuss non-spoilery details is important here. When Nintendo itself has put an emphasis on Age of Imprisonment telling the canonical events leading up to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in its marketing for this game, it’s pretty critical that we can clearly and candidly tell you how we feel about those events in our review.
We’ll publish our review when Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment becomes available on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop, which we’re expecting to happen at around 9 p.m. PT on Wednesday, November 5. While you wait, you can check out Logan's Playlist ranking every Zelda game released in the Switch 1 and 2 era so far down below, including new mainline entries, spinoffs, and remakes. And, you can read our previews on Age of Imprisonment, where we discuss what’s changed since Age of Calamity. We’ll see you back here later this week!
Woot, an online store owned by Amazon, is running a big sale on LEGO sets right now. Specifically, the sale features big, expensive LEGO sets. The discounts aren’t huge (up to 15% off), but these sets rarely (if ever) receive any discounts at all, so now is a good time to snap up any you’ve had an eye on.
Real quick, because people always question it when I post Woot deals, Woot is a legit store. It’s been online for ages, but Amazon bought it in 2010 and, as you can see, hasn’t really updated the look of the site at all in the meantime. But Woot often runs sales on items that don’t go on sale elsewhere. I’ve bought plenty of items from Woot, and they always arrive when it says they will. In other words, go forth and buy with confidence.
All of the prices above are cheaper than you’ll find at the LEGO Store or at Amazon. These big sets don’t tend to go on sale very often. These are mostly big landmark sets that take a long time to put together and take up a lot of space once you do. Hogwarts Castle is comprised of over 6,000 pieces. The Titanic set is one of the biggest sets ever produced, and has never gone on sale at all, from what I can find. It has nearly 10,000 pieces and is 4.5 feet long when assembled. I’ve seen it in real life; it’s a marvelous thing to behold. The Avengers Tower is also enormous, and it’s never gone on sale on Amazon.
It’s also worth noting that these Woot deals don’t usually last long. Stock is limited, and it almost always sells out well before the sale ends (in this case on November 8). The more sought-after the set, the quicker it sells out, too. You can scroll down on the sale page to see the sets that have already sold out.
In other words, these sets definitely aren’t for everybody. They’re some of the most expensive LEGO sets you can buy, so they're for the most dedicated LEGO fans, who have a deep appreciation for what the set depicts. And while they’re not deeply discounted, they almost never are. These are the best prices you’re likely to see anytime soon.
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
Road-Side Shawarma has released its first code, giving you a free revive just in case you ignored the rules for surviving each night.
This horror Roblox experience sees you join the kitchen at a popular shawarma spot, where you'll work through three night shifts. If you follow the rules set by the mysterious stranger on the phone, keep your serving station restocked, and fulfill each customer's order, you should survive until the end. But if you do get tempted to look up when the ceiling starts leaking, then this Road-Side Shawarma code for a free revive will help you out.
The following codes have been tested and can be redeemed:
Launch Road-Side Shawarma on Roblox and then follow these steps to redeem codes:
Road-Side Shawarma has just launched codes, so there are currently no expired codes. Make the most of the ones available and redeem them before they disappear.
Codes for Roblox experiences are usually case-sensitive, so the best way to ensure you've got a working code is to directly copy it from this article. We check all codes before we upload them, so you can guarantee they're working. Just double-check that you haven't copied over an extra space!
Road-Side Shawarma has just extended their previous update, which was the Halloween event. This will run until November 9th, 2025, and has introduced new monsters you can encounter while serving up shawarma. You've got until November 9th to participate and earn yourself a special badge.
Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.
Fortnite is already teasing what's next for the game, even as it enjoys a positive response to its just-launched The Simpsons-themed mini-season.
Following its current foray into Springfield, which is set to conclude on November 29, Fortnite is expected to fully transition to its seventh Island home — an era that Epic Games is already teasing as "Chapter Seven."
An official "Chapter Seven" teaser shared by Fortnite content creator NickEh30 includes real-world coordinates for the Hollywood sign, and the following text: "Now Playing / Zero Hour / Chapter Seven / Fortnite After Dark With Q&U."
Fortnite sent me a teaser... pic.twitter.com/6frt4BFHyG
— Nick Eh 30 (@NickEh30) November 3, 2025
"Q&U" was quickly linked by fans to the acronym used by Hollywood's Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman for their work as director and lead actor in Kill Bill. (Notably, Kill Bill is set for re-release on December 5 as Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, a fresh, newly-combined version of the two Kill Bill films — something that would be well-timed for a Fortnite crossover.)
In a separate tease, a collection of Fortnite characters appeared yesterday at a LA Dodgers victory celebration, holding up signs and posing for photos with fans. Banana hero Peely, hotdog man The Brat, and rapper pickle Big Dill were spotted by fan Reetlol, and can be seen holding signs saying "Game 7 first, Chapter Seven Next!!," "Seven," and "Nov 29" — a date fans now think is when we'll get a first glimpse at Chapter Seven.
👀 @Fortnite pic.twitter.com/GHAsz9OuzC
— JOGO Reet (@Reetlol) November 4, 2025
Fortnite has always labelled the different incarnations of its battle royale map as different "chapters" of the game (which are then sub-divided into seasons). But this one, fans have noticed, is being referred to as Chapter Seven, spelt out, rather than the usual Chapter 7 numbering.
Seven holds a big significance in Fortnite lore (and thankfully no, it's nothing to do with the 6-7 meme). Throughout Fortnite's first five years, The Seven were slowly revealed as a heroic team of characters who defended the game's multiverse, and who led the charge during the game's big story events (such as the one where the original Chapter 1 Island got sucked into a black hole).
Over the years, The Seven's helmeted heroes were revealed to include characters played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Brie Larsen, though after Chapter 3's grand finale, the team's story was abruptly concluded, with their members seemingly defeated and dispursed. More recent Chapters have acted as something of a reset of the game's narrative, following the departure of Epic Games' previous creative lead Donald Mustard, though fans have long held out hope of seeing The Seven once again. In a Chapter named after them, surely it's finally time?
Separately, numerous Fortnite leakers have claimed that the Chapter Seven map will include a large desert biome, with mention of an "Area 51" style location. FortniteLeaks, meanwhile, has specifically reported that the game will feature a weapon called the Gambler Shotgun — "which is related to one of the major themes of the map."
Now, fans are putting two and two together and arriving at the idea of Chapter Seven featuring a Nevada-style location, and have suggested a crossover with another upcoming franchise: Fallout. The game has already featured Fallout in the shape of an outfit sporting the franchise's power suit. But with new episodes of the Fallout TV series scheduled to debut from December 17, fans have wondered whether a larger collaboration is also now on the cards.
Until then, there's three weeks left of Fortnite's really very enjoyable The Simpsons era to enjoy, before a big live event on November 29 that's expected to usher in Chapter Seven — and whatever it holds — in style.
Image credit: Medios y Media/Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Audible has officially kicked off its ambitious new Harry Potter audiobook series with the release of The Philosopher’s Stone, a full-cast edition of the story that introduced us to The Boy Who Lived.
This is the start of an interesting new approach for the franchise in this format, as rather than a traditional audiobook, the new production is more akin to an audio drama, leaning into cinematic sound design and a resoundingly stacked cast of big-name performances to bring the world of Hogwarts to life.
Editor's Note: This sponsored article is brought to you in partnership with Audible.
The Harry Potter series is Audible’s most high-profile, full-cast audio production to date by far. But, you may have already seen snippets of other immersive audio productions this year doing the rounds on socials. The added production elements, including ambient effects and real-world sound capture, such as the clanging of swords, and dramatic music, are a good example of what’s been attracting readers to seek out alternative ways of consuming their favourite media.
That’s no different here, from the echo of footsteps in the Great Hall to the crack of a spell in motion, every sound draws you further into the world, creating an experience that feels utterly real, and leaving you completely immersed.
There are a whole lot of familiar names to listen out for as well, scattered through the seven iconic books. This includes Hugh Laurie as Dumbledore, Matthew Macfadyen as Voldemort, and Kit Harington, who plays Gilderoy Lockhart. That’s alongside Bill Nighy’s take on Professor Slughorn, and Keira Knightley, who steps into Umbridge’s nightmarish pink shoes.
You’ll also hear other big names like Simon Pegg as Arthur Weasley, James McAvoy as Mad-Eye Moody, and someone I’m immensely excited to hear, Matt Berry, undoubtedly shouting his way through Sir Cadogan’s portraits. There’s plenty more I’m missing as well, which I’m sure you’ll discover as the story unfolds.
Just like in the stage adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the famous trio is also brought to life through two different sets of actors. You will hear Frankie Treadaway, Max Lester, and Arabella Stanton as the sprightly 11-year-olds embarking on their first years at Hogwarts, before Jaxon Knopf, Rhys Mulligan, and Nina Barker-Francis take over as Harry, Ron, and Hermione once the series gets that bit darker from Goblet of Fire onwards.
Now, nearly 30 years after the books were first published, these new editions give the story a modern audio treatment, featuring over 2,000 recording hours to create complete, unabridged editions, with nothing cut out or ignored. Each new entry in the series will follow every four to six weeks, with Chamber of Secrets arriving December 16 and, my personal favourite, Prisoner of Azkaban, set for January 13, 2026. The schedule continues through to Deathly Hallows on May 12, 2026.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Full Cast Edition) is available now for £17.99, though you don’t actually need to spend that much to listen. Audible’s current holiday offer gives new and returning members three months of Premium Plus for £0.99 per month, down from the usual £8.99.
That includes one credit per month, which you can use to grab this production or any other title in Audible’s library, plus full access to the Plus Catalogue of thousands more audiobooks.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
Train Dreams will begin a limited theatrical release on November 7 before debuting on Netflix on November 21.
I would refer to Train Dreams as a movie that feels like a “great American novel,” except it was technically adapted from a novella. Based on Denis Johnson’s 2011 text, Train Dreams comes courtesy of director Clint Bentley, and is a movie that on paper may seem somewhat taxing for the modern viewer. It’s light on big ticket plot events, its protagonist is fairly passive for much of the runtime, and the episodic nature of following a single character across several decades means it doesn’t really feature what you would call propulsive pacing. But it’s a commendable execution of exactly the movie it’s trying to be, which is a tender rumination on a lone man’s life and all the small but significant moments that make up his existence.
Joel Edgerton stars as Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker getting by day after day in the Pacific Northwest of the early 20th century. He’s a simple man by presentation who belies the more complicated portrait the film intends to paint, that of the costs and consequences of a nation’s gradual change as seen through his eyes. We follow Grainier through the circumstances that shape him, from his humble origins, his witnessing (and failure to stop) a fellow laborer of Chinese descent from being killed by his colleagues, building a home and family with his wife and daughter, and his attempts to find peace and purpose in his later years after tragedies rob him of the path he thought he was on.
Edgerton has been a capable performer for years, but turns in career-best work as Grainier, making the audience fully buy into the idea that just because he’s a man with little to say doesn’t mean he’s without great thoughts or even greater feelings. He’s aided by the ever-reliable Felicity Jones as his wife Gladys, who despite her English background somehow feels perfectly suited for the role of a woman living in the American countryside. One of the movie’s best scenes features the pair laying together next to a river where they’ve built their house, simply absorbing the beauty around them and treasuring getting to experience it together. The movie skips a lot of their actual courtship, but it’s time that doesn’t feel lost, because Bentley and his actors know how to generate emotional investment in only a handful of scenes.
That’s one of the most surprising aspects of Train Dreams, which comes in at less than two hours and yet feels far grander in scope than its runtime may suggest. The use of Will Patton’s narration and the flow of the edit from Parker Laramie find clever ways to create transitions between events that still allow the audience to feel the weight of the time between them even when they aren’t shown in their totality. Patton’s narration is kind of a miracle in itself, avoiding many of the usual pitfalls of an expository voice in a drama by not prescribing how the audience is supposed to feel about what transpires, but simply reinforcing the emotional tone the film is trying to convey. It suits the gentle, leisurely rhythm of the story, and is another way the movie embraces the literary nature of its source.
But film is a visual medium, and Train Dreams is a gorgeous work by any measure. It might be too obvious to say the cinematography by Adolpho Veloso (who also worked on Bentley’s previous feature, Jockey) is painterly, but the word truly does capture how the film portrays the greens and browns of Washington state, where it was shot. It’s a shame most audiences will only ever experience the film on Netflix and not in a theater. There will be many warranted comparisons to the works of Terrence Malick given the focus on nature and the multiple magic hour compositions, but I was also reminded of Thomas Vinterberg’s adaptation of Far from the Madding Crowd or Terence Davies’ Sunset Song. Both of those films echo Train Dreams’ emphasis on the conventions of pastoral literature and use of rural imagery to give depth to their characters through their placement in shots, just as much as through words on a page.
Granted, that doesn’t mean some of the dialogue doesn’t come across like straining for poetic profundity that wasn’t strictly necessary, or that the use of certain characters don’t feel like missed opportunities. Justice for The Banshees of Inisherin stand-out Kerry Condon, who shows up late in the game as a forestry services worker who has a couple of small interactions with Grainier and then promptly vanishes from the film, or a spoilery nighttime reveal that feels like it’s supposed to go somewhere but then doesn’t. Yet even with these few setbacks, Bentley knows how to close out his picture, bringing Grainier’s journey full circle with a beautiful ode to the idea that our life stories matter even if only a handful of figures ever witnessed them.
Train Dreams suggests that history is not made of dates or places or successes or failures so much as it is made up of people, many of whom will never be remembered, but who did in fact live and were connected to the world around them. It’s a sentimental notion, but it feels earned because of all of the movie’s creative choices that build up to it. If only more movies were so patient with their storytelling that their impact lingers long after the credits roll instead of fading away, maybe a film like Train Dreams wouldn’t feel like such a singular impressive achievement.
In the autumn honors list, the Japanese government has given Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii the Order of the Rising Sun. This is one of the highest awards the government of Japan can bestow on citizens. It is awarded to those who have made significant contributions in their field, and Horii is the first game creator to receive it.
"I think it's a great honor, I'm surprised." Horii responded in a video interview with TBS. “I’ve been making games for quite a long time now, about 40 years, but I didn’t do it alone. It's all thanks to the staff who helped create the games alongside me, and to all the players who have continuously supported us."
Yuji Horii’s first game was 1983’s Love Match Tennis, which he entered into a game contest where it caught the attention of Enix. This was followed by the genre-defining visual novel mystery The Portopia Serial Murder Case. He would become most famous for his work on the game design and scenario for Enix’s long-running Dragon Quest series (1986-present).
Square Enix’s recent 2D-HD remakes of Dragon Quest I, II and III have bought new attention to the RPG series’ origins. Horii is currently still hard at work on Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, the much-awaited next game, which was announced back in 2021 during the 35th anniversary celebrations.
In May, Horii confirmed Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate had not been canceled. "Yes, indeed, I can't say anything, I apologize," he said at the time. "I am making it, putting lots of work into it... I can only say that the next work will be great too, [I'm] working really hard. Please look forward to it is the only thing I can say." It is set to be the first mainline entry since 2017's Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age.
In the TBS interview, Horii also offered words of encouragement to future creators: "It's important to actually create something tangible, don't just think about it," he advised. "Just try making it."
The Order of the Rising Sun currently has six classes. As reported by nippon.com, Yuji Horii received the 4th class honors: Gold Rays with Rosette. Among the others to receive this particular award in 2025 was Devilman and Cutie Honey manga artist Go Nagai.
Photo by TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Grand Theft Auto fans have known for some time that Rockstar Games worked on a single-player DLC for GTA 5 that would have seen Trevor assume the role of a secret agent.
Last year, voice actor Steven Ogg said Rockstar originally planned to make a story expansion focused on his character, Trevor, with it thought to have fallen by the wayside as the developer focused on the cash cow that was GTA Online.
Ogg was joined by Michael actor Ned Luke and Franklin actor Shawn Fonteno in a Questions and Answers session with Streamily. The trio shed light on what they claimed was scrapped downloadable content for GTA 5 that starred Trevor as a Federal Investigation Bureau agent.
"Originally they were gonna do continuing stories of Michael, Franklin, and Trevor," Luke said, and Ogg expanded on his version. "We also had that really cool s**t of — and I forget if it was DLC, I have no idea — but where Trevor was gonna be undercover, he works for the FEDs," Ogg said. "And we did shoot some of that stuff with James Bond Trevor. He's still kind of a f**k up but he's doing his best. And we shot some stuff and then it just disappeared and they never followed up on it."
Also last year, Joe Robino, who was a senior camera artist and virtual cinematographer working at Rockstar’s New York office from 2010 to 2016, spoke to the SanInPlay YouTube channel about why the GTA 5 story DLC was canceled.
“A lot of the team went to do Red Dead Redemption 2 right away and I took on this other project that was a standalone DLC for GTA that never came out and it was kick ass,” Robino revealed.
“That was my thing. I was one of the main editors, camera artists, and on-stage stuff. We split our teams into two. I stayed on GTA Online and then this DLC, which Steven Ogg [the actor who played Trevor Philips] was a very important part of.
“And then some of the team overlapped and went to RDR2 early on, and then we just kind of did this [flipped motion], because when that game got shelved, we spent so much money… a lot of that stuff though did end up making it I believe into later iterations of GTA Online, I think. So it’s not like they wasted it.
“It was really really good. But when GTA Online came out it was so much of a cash cow and people were loving it so much that it was hard to make an argument that a standalone DLC would outcompete that. I think looking back now you could probably do both. But that was a business decision they made. I was a little upset about that.
“That actually was a lot of the reason for me being a little sour at that time. Because I was like yo, WTF guys? This s**t’s awesome. Let’s keep going. Let’s finish this s**t.”
Fans have had snippets of information about GTA 5’s fabled story DLC over the years. GTA dataminers have also discovered a reference to Trevor with a jetpack, which suggests story mode DLC was repurposed into GTA Online, as Robino said. In 2018, Rockstar finally unveiled GTA Online's Doomsday Heist missions alongside the Thruster jetpack.
Now, speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, Rockstar Games co-founder and former lead writer Dan Houser has addressed this DLC for the first time, insisting that if the developer had continued with it, it wouldn’t have been able to make 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2.
“The internet knows we made a DLC… single-player DLC for GTA 5 that never came out,” Houser said.
“It was one when you played as Trevor, but he was a secret agent. It was cute. It never quite came together, and it was never finished. It was about half done when it got abandoned. But I think if that had come out, we probably wouldn’t have gotten to make Red Dead 2. So, there are always compromises.”
It’s the first time Houser has addressed the canceled GTA 5 story DLC, but it turns out there’s another project he would have loved to have made while he was at the studio: GTA Zombies. “I liked the idea of it, it was a GTA zombie game,” he said. “That would have been funny. I think that could have been quite fun.”
GTA fans often lament the loss of single-player story DLC for GTA 5 after it did so well for previous GTA games. Houser said he remains a big fan of single-player DLC, and is hoping to make some as part of his new company, Absurd Ventures.
“I like making the stories,” he said. “For me, I love the model of GTA 4 when you had the extra stories coming afterwards, or Red Dead 1 when you had the zombie pack coming afterwards. I like just doing these extra things. So, I would personally like to have done more of that in that company. And with stuff we’re doing in the future, we’re going to try and come up with worlds where we can add more stories.
“I like single-player DLC. I just think the audience loves it, and it’s really fun to make.”
What approach will Rockstar take with next year’s GTA 6? Will it go back to story DLC, or focus on whatever new version of GTA Online it has up its sleeve?
And what of Steven Ogg, whose world-famous video game character, Trevor, was the focus of the canceled DLC? In September, he said he felt "absolutely nothing" inside for GTA 6 because he’s never been a fan of video games.
There are a number of revelations in Lex Fridman’s Dan Houser interview, including the fate of canceled PS3 exclusive Agent, and Houser’s thoughts on why GTA won’t leave the United States in terms of setting.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Coca-Cola has sparked a backlash with its new, entirely AI-generated Holiday 2025 ad, but has insisted "the genie is out of the bottle, and you’re not going to put it back in."
The advert, below, was created by Los Angeles-based AI studio Secret Level, and features the trademark Coca-Cola trucks, 'Holidays are Coming' chant, wide-eyed animals, and, at the end, Santa Claus — all drenched in that generative AI shine.
We are incredibly proud to have partnered with Coca-Cola for the second time for the “Holidays are Coming” AI film. Last year was a cultural milestone, and this year, through animated characters, we bring magic across the globe with the arrival of the Coca-Cola trucks. pic.twitter.com/Bs7Gmj09gD
— Jason Zada (@jasonzada) November 3, 2025
Coca-Cola, currently valued at a market cap of $292.38 billion, is all in on generative AI, having released its first ever Coke ad co-created by AI in 2023, then a Christmas ad created entirely by generative AI in 2024. Despite a significant backlash to last year's advert, the company has created yet another AI Christmas ad, but this time, it boasted, with even fewer humans involved — 20 down from 50.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Pratik Thakar, global vp and head of generative AI at Coca-Cola, said that while people criticized the “craftmanship” of last year’s ad, the craftsmanship this time around is “10 times better.”
Jason Zada, Secret Level’s founder and chief creative officer, said: “The haters on the Internet are the loudest. A lot of the people complaining last year were from the creative industry who were just afraid — afraid for their jobs, afraid for what it did. But I think the spot tested really well and average people really enjoyed it.”
Thakar added: “Last year we decided to go all in, and it worked out well for us… Yes, some parts of the industry were not pleased we were using a 100% generative AI film, but that’s part and parcel of doing something pioneering.
“We understand that concern. But we need to keep moving forward and pushing the envelope.
“The genie is out of the bottle, and you’re not going to put it back in.”
Those comments and the ad itself have sparked a backlash online, with many pointing out that Coca-Cola's marketing slogan "it's always the real thing" feels out of place inside an advert made by generative AI.
Alex Hirsch, who created TV show Gravity Falls, taking to social media to say: “‘The genie is out of the bottle, and you’re not going to put it back in’ — your boss firing you on Christmas.”
Others were quick to hit out at the ad. “Flexing that you put even more people out of a job is CRAZY, especially when this isn't some metaphorical genie and is a technology forcing slop onto people,” said X / Twitter user @captaincupkicks.
“This unarguably looks like shit, so it’s very funny the only defense anyone can come up with is ‘well, I mean it’s the future and all that,’” added @regularaugust.
“You can literally see the characters from ZOOTOPIA and SING! in this,” said @unikunka. “F***ing artistic grand theft.”
“What the f**k does a genie bottle have to do with you being purposefully lazy about your commercials?” asked @TheJakeneutron.
"The best ad I've ever seen for Pepsi," one viewer said of the advert on the official Coca-Cola YouTube channel, which, interestingly, left the comments on.
Remember one of the most iconic Christmas commercials ever made? https://t.co/ZcYVZdulzr pic.twitter.com/bwauR2laTX
— cartoon moments that are raw (@rawtoonmoments) November 4, 2025
The use of generative AI to create videos both commercial and non-commercial is one of the hottest topics in all entertainment. OpenAI’s recent Sora 2 app, for example, has caused significant controversy after it was used to flood social media with videos containing depictions of copyrighted characters including those from popular anime and game franchises such as One Piece, Demon Slayer, Pokémon, and Mario. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has called Sora 2 videos using copyrighted characters "interactive fan fiction."
And in September, SAG-AFTRA issued a strongly worded statement in response to the emergence of Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated “actress” that has enraged Hollywood.
Photo illustration by Brandon Bell/Getty Images.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Connexion