A jump starter is an essential part of car's emergency kit, and a cordless one eliminates the need to plug it into an available cigarette lighter. You don't need to pay a premium for a jump starter that reliably gets the job done, either. Amazon is currently offering Amazon Prime members this AstroAI S8 Pro 12V 3,000A cordless car jump starter for $32.99 shipped after you clip a 45% off coupon code "AQ97FOMC". Not only does it function as a jump starter, it can also be used to recharge your smartphone in a pinch.

AstroAI S8 Pro 12V 3,000A Car Jump Starter for $32.99

Between layoffs, studio closures, and funding drying up, it’s fair to say that the games industry has been having a rough time. Enrique Fuentes, CEO and co-founder of Teravision games, experienced that turbulence much too closely for comfort when he and his team released Killer Klowns From Outer Space, an asymmetrical horror game based on the 80s movie of the same name. The game was well received (IGN gave it a 7, calling it “as silly and entertaining as the movie that spawned it.”) and trailers for the title racked up hundreds of thousands of views online. But the team found itself in a difficult spot after launch, the same difficult spot that many in the games industry found themselves in.

“As you know, 2024 was a pretty tough year for the whole industry. So it was a little bit slow for us to close our next project,” Fuentes says. Despite working with companies like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Xbox, Teravision was having difficulty finding a follow-up project to Killer Klowns. With time running out, the studio and its veteran developers with 20 years of experience in the industry looked towards something novel: making a game within Fortnite. In less than a year, Teravision has released three Unreal Engine for Fortnite (UEFN) games. Its fourth game, launching today, takes advantage of the official The Walking Dead content pack released in UEFN.

Made in partnership with Skybound, the company co-founded by The Walking Dead’s creator Robert Kirkman, Teravision’s newest UEFN game is a King of the Hill style multiplayer PvPvE project called Courtyard King, where players fight each other as well as NPC zombies for control of territory in The Walking Dead’s infamous prison location.

Everything The Walking Dead related in Courtyard King is made using official assets released for UEFN, including character models based on Rick Grimes, Negan, and Daryl Dixon. But the project goes further than just assets; Teravision worked with the writers at Skybound to craft the game’s story and dialogue.

“We have worked with big brands in the past… and UEFN was something that we were experimenting with… but we never imagined that was going to be the root where we’re going to be engaging with a company like Skybound,” Fuentes says. “But I mean, UGC, it’s one of the biggest things in gaming right now.”

UGC, or user-generated content, is driving one of the biggest trends in gaming right now thanks to platforms like Fortnite. This kind of playground style game making has found massive audiences in services like Roblox already, but the ‘U’ in USC typically refers to the end user, AKA players at home. USG developed by professional studios is a newer concept, and Fortnite’s Unreal Engine 5-based tools were perfect for experienced devs like Teravision.

“It made sense because we come from an engineering background and it was a platform where we could experiment in and assume some of the risk,” explains Fuentes. “Because instead of a multi-year project like Killer Clowns From Outer Space, these are projects that we could put together in weeks or months.”

Teravision’s experiments resulted in the launch of Havoc Hotel, a roguelike shooter where you fight through levels in a hotel, with each cleared floor earning you currency to purchase more powerful weapons. The first Havoc Hotel was a modest hit, enough to keep working on the series. Eventually we got to Havoc Hotel 3, which is now consistently one of Fortnite’s most popular games.

Teravision’s game designer, Martin Rodriguez, says given the studio previously made Killer Klowns in Unreal Engine, the jump to UEFN — a modified version of Unreal Engine 5 — was not only convenient, but gave the experienced devs a leg up when creating their games in UEFN. The systems are streamlined, and processes are a bit more “drag and drop,” as Rodriguez says. “For us, it just removes some of the work that we would’ve done otherwise and allows us to focus on just making better games and explore different new creative ideas."

While the engineering side had no trouble adapting to UEFN’s Unreal-based tools, the game design team was presented with a unique challenge. Games like Havoc Hotel began as experiments as opposed to fully-fledged games, but quickly grew to become their own thing. And Teravision’s creative director, LD Zambrano, quickly learned that UEFN games were different from traditional games in many ways.

“A traditional experience we have had designing other [non-UEFN] games is where players relate through objectives that entice cooperation and competition, right?” Zambrano says. “In [UEFN’s] case, we have found that even though those objectives are still relevant and we still can use that game design sensibility and bring them there, I found that there are a lot of experiences that are very popular within the Fortnite ecosystem that are kind of just context. They’re weird situations and interactions that don’t necessarily translate into a very clear competition, but they still work.”

Zambrano compares UEFN games to the school yard. “I have found that there is this way of approaching each other that brings me back to recess, which is you meet somebody and make up some sort of game that might not make sense, but still you’re engaging and creating friendships. That’s what I mean about some of these games becoming a ‘context.’”

In that way, one unique thing I learned about Courtyard King from Teravision is that it is an infinite game, meaning there is no final winner at the end of a round. Instead, matches continue forever with players jumping in and out, switching teams. And while there will always be a team that is winning, there will never be a final round where a true winner is crowned.

“Players can drop in and drop out whenever they want. They can even change teams whenever they like, which generates situations for betrayals. Maybe you enter a party with your friend, but then in the middle of the match you don’t tell him and change teams. Which is very Walking Dead-like.”

Is this a future for game developers? On the one hand, it puts them in the sandbox of other, bigger players like Epic Games or Roblox. But for studios looking to experiment without burning through their entire funds, while having access to a large player base and big IP assets like The Walking Dead, Enrique Fuentes says there’s a lot of upside.

“We can actually assume the risk as an indie developer in [UEFN]. Because last year, we couldn’t even think about starting a three-year project. We could do something in a few weeks with a smaller team and that completely changes the paradigm for a new developer. This is now a viable model where you can actually support an 80 person studio like we do, and we can assume the risk,” Fuentes says. “It’s something that if you have the right ideas, the right creativity around it, if you understand the market well enough and you have the right thinking, execution becomes possible and it doesn’t take years, it actually takes weeks, maybe months. I think this is a dream come true for indie developers.”

Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.

Ralph Fiennes has been tapped to play President Coriolanus Snow in Lionsgate’s latest book-to-movie adaptation, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

The Conclave and Harry Potter alum’s attachment to the upcoming film was revealed via the official Hunger Games X/Twitter account today. He’s the latest in a long line of Hunger Games casting reveals, and he’s also got one of the most important parts to nail.

Doom: The Dark Ages is finally here, and if you’re a handheld gaming PC nerd like I am, you’re probably wondering whether or not the Asus ROG Ally X can handle it. I’m setting 30 frames per second as the bare minimum for playability, but anything higher is welcome, especially 60fps (which would be ideal, but unrealistic for such a demanding game).

The last game in the series, Doom Eternal, was renowned for how well it ran on the Ally, but if you’re expecting that same level of performance out of The Dark Ages, I’m sorry to say you’re going to be disappointed.

Funko unveiled their lineup of Funko Pop! Collectibles for Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Friday, spoiling the reveal of an important new character that fans didn’t know (for certain) would be in the movie.

If you don’t want to know who that character is then STOP READING NOW!

No, seriously, this is your final warning!

The Funko Pop figures for The Fantastic Four: First Steps include Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, Thing, Silver Surfer, Galactus and Invisible Woman, who is paired with … her and Reed’s toddler son Franklin Richards.

In the Marvel comics, Franklin is Reed and Sue Richards’ first child; their daughter Valeria would follow years later. The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer revealed that Sue is pregnant in the movie. These collectibles suggest that either First Steps takes place over a long enough period of time to go from Sue announcing her pregnancy to Franklin being of toddler age.

Given that Reed and Sue were exposed to cosmic rays during the fateful space flight that beget the Fantastic Four, it’s not surprising that their offspring would be born with powers. Perhaps the first manifestation of Franklin’s mutant abilities is rapid growth upon birth?

It’s the sheer scope of his mutant powers that makes Franklin one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. His powers range from telepathy and telekinesis to warping reality and matter to creating pocket dimensions and communicating on the astral plane.

You can see the Sue and Franklin collectible in the slideshow below.

As IGN’s Jesse Schedeen recently wrote, “Franklin is the one being on Earth whose power is so great it rivals that of cosmic entities like the Celestials and Galactus. And he’s destined to only grow more powerful with age. The FF have met multiple adult versions of Franklin from the future, suggesting that he’ll one day grow to become an immortal defender of the entire Marvel Universe.”

With the MCU’s next two event films being Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, it’s quite possible we’ll see a future adult version of Franklin Richards in one of them, perhaps alongside his younger sister Valeria.

This wouldn’t be the first time – and almost certainly won’t be the last – that merchandising products have spoiled a Marvel project ahead of its release. Toys spoiled reveals for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Thor: Love and Thunder and Captain America: Brave New World. Heck, this wouldn’t even be the first time toys revealed something from The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

While there are cases where a toy or tie-product showed a character, location or costume design that wasn’t in the final movie, more often than not the products – which are made well in advance of a film’s release – are out in the public and on store shelves before the film’s in theaters. (That’s the main reason why Jon Favreau successfully fought to keep the reveal of Grogu in The Mandalorian a secret until the series premiered.)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters on July 25th.

Death Stranding fans, it seems like you’ve got something really killer coming your way. The sequel game, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, is set to arrive in June and the franchise’s star, actor Norman Reedus, recently teased some of the game — as well as a key tidbit about the future film adaptation — in an interview with IGN.

“If it was an option, yeah, for sure,” Reedus revealed when asked if he would consider playing himself in a future film version of the game which was announced to be in the works from Michael Sarnoski and A24 last month. “I don’t know what’s happening with it. It’s so pre pre pre right now. But yeah, of course.”

@ign Norman Reedus teases Death Stranding 2 while promoting From the World of John Wick: Ballerina! #deathstranding #normanreedus #ballerina #johnwick #interview ♬ original sound - IGN Entertainment

We also asked Reedus about his confusion with the first game and if he still felt that way going into the second one, but it seems he deeply trusts creator Hideo Kojima, whose reputation obviously precedes him. “As far as working with him and understanding where his head’s at, I don’t think anybody can understand where his head’s at,” the Walking Dead alum explained. “He’s just that guy, he’s out there and he’s got great ideas. But story-wise, I did know what was happening more. There’s more action in it, there’s more of a definite goal to get to.”

That said, no matter what’s going on in the Death Stranding world, Reedus is happily along for the ride. “It’s always a trip working on those things,” he told IGN. “It’s great, but it’s wild.”

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach will be released on June 26, 2025.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

Back at the start of April, Nintendo Switch 2 fans noticed mention of variable refresh rate, or VRR, on informational pages about the system that soon disappeared. Now, the company is clarifying just how and where VRR is working on the Nintendo Switch 2.

In a statement to NintendoLife, Nintendo says the original information about VRR published on the site was incorrect: "Nintendo Switch 2 supports VRR in handheld mode only. The incorrect information was initially published on the Nintendo Switch 2 website, and we apologise for the error."

In response to VRR support for docked mode coming in a future firmware update, NIntendo said it has "nothing to announce on this topic."

So while the Switch 2 will support VRR as an option for the handheld side of things, it looks like right now, those using their new console on the TV won't see the same features.

The update arrives after a lot of head-scratching, as the original VRR mention was first noticed and then swiftly erased. Mentions of it disappeared gradually from different sites over time, as catalogued by Digital Foundry contributor Oliver Mackenzie.

While this might disappoint those hoping for variable refresh rate on the Switch 2's TV settings at launch, it might not mean all hope is lost. Sony issued an update rolling VRR support out to PS5 consoles post-launch, so it stands to reason we could see something similar happen here.

In other Switch 2 news, Nintendo just dropped a list of games that are getting free performance upgrades on the Switch 2, ranging from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet to Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser also insists the company will have enough Switch 2 units to meet demand "through the holidays."

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

If you're in the process of building out a new gaming PC and you're looking for the best gaming processor, this is it. Right now, the recently released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 desktop processor is back in stock on Amazon at its retail price of $489 shipped. The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market (across both AMD and Intel) and a better choice for gamers than the more expensive Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.

The Gamer's Choice: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU

It might be a smart move to gear up ahead of the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s an easy bet when it comes to finding the right headset – for one, we’re extremely sure accessories such as headsets are going to be forward compatible. And two, we already know which headsets are among the best across all price ranges. If you don’t already have one lined up to use on your Switch 2 or if you’re looking to upgrade from the set you were using with your first Switch, I have my top recommendations for headsets here, all of which I’ve had firsthand experience with and/or have reviewed here on IGN myself.

Similar to my best PS5 headsets and best Xbox headsets guides, there are a few nuances I took into consideration when making my selections for this specific platform. One of which is portability; for example, I’m hesitant to suggest getting the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro even though it has consistently topped our lists – one of its biggest features is its mixamp/DAC, which connects the headset to your systems, and that gets unwieldy for a device that’s about versatility and taking on the go. I’m also accounting for the fact that you only have access to USB-C ports when playing handheld, so all of the wireless headsets recommended here come with a native USB-C dongle to make connectivity easy. Above all else, I prioritize sound quality and comfort in my choices because if those factors aren’t the focus, what would we even be doing here!

TL;DR – These Are The Best Nintendo Switch 2 Headsets:

The Switch 2 does have Bluetooth capabilities, but I wouldn’t recommend that for gaming scenarios due to the inherent audio delay. While the wireless headsets here can connect via Bluetooth, my recommendations run primarily on a 2.4GHz wireless connection, and there are a few picks with a 3.5mm wired aux connection, too. Regardless of which you go with, you’ll be getting a great headset for the money – I can vouch for each pick, and if you need a little extra convincing, I have all the details you need to know below.

Best High-End Wireless Headset

Audeze Maxwell

As pre-orders sell out and tons of references are revealed, Magic: The Gathering's upcoming crossover with Final Fantasy is shaping up to be its biggest ever. Today, we get to add to that fun with six cards that are available in the upcoming set: three featuring classic concept art by Yoshitaka Amano, and three with more recent art by Toshitaka Matsuda.

Flip through the gallery below to see all six cards, and read on to learn where to find them yourself:

The cards we are revealing today are part of the "Through the Ages" bonus sheet that is within the larger main set. That means they are all reprints of existing cards reskinned with concept art and characters from different Final Fantasy games - so while there are no brand new or mechanically unique cards here like the ones that have been shown off recently or those in the Commander decks we previously revealed, they do have art that stretches back all the way to the very first game in the series.

Unlike the cards in the main set, Through the Ages cards do not become legal in Magic's Standard format (though they still are if the existing card was already legal there, of course), essentially just making them alternate art versions of those cards. That said, they can be found in both the fancier Collector Boosters as well as one in every three of the regular Play Boosters that are used for Limited events like Draft and Sealed.

That means if you plan to play a lot of this set either at your local game store or digitally on something like Magic: The Gathering Arena, you are likely to see these cards in action quite frequently. Five of the six cards here are Rares, which means they won't show up as often, but Thrum of the Vestige is notably an Uncommon. That's a reskin for one of Magic's most ubiquitous cards, Lightning Bolt, and I wouldn't be surprised if this particular printing has quite the impact on the set.

The Warrior of Light reprinting of Jodah, the Unifier is also certain to be a popular one - Jodah is a powerful and common Commander, and the art used here is Amano's from the Japanese boxart of the original Final Fantasy. Similarly, Amano's iconic art for Final Fantasy 4's Cecil Harvey has been repurposed for one of Magic's strongest partner commanders, Tymna the Weaver, which has only ever been reprinted once before this.

These cards launch physically as part of the larger Final Fantasy set on June 13, with the digital versions going live on MTG Arena and MTGO on June 10. And if you are a Final Fantasy fan who isn't into Magic yet, there is still reason to be excited, as FF7 Remake series director Tetsuya Nomura said the design of Sephiroth on one card is different for some cryptic reason.

Tom Marks is IGN's Executive Reviews Editor. He loves cards games, puzzles, platformers, puzzle-platformers, and lots more.

LEGO Ideas is an absolute treasure trove of potential. These fan-submitted builds gain traction in the community and sometimes become actual sets. LEGO Ideas have become the source of some of the most popular builds, like the new LEGO Pixar Lamp set that will be arriving in June. Not all popular ideas get turned into sets, but the most recent build to reach 10,000 supporters certainly seems like it has potential.

The iconic "This is fine" meme created by web comic artist KC Green has been turned into a potential LEGO set and has reached the second 2025 review stage. You can get a good look at what the set would look like below.

LEGO Ideas This Is Fine Set

Although it may not look like it, this set is actually made from a total of 1,016 LEGO bricks. It's a book nook style display that is meant to sit upon your shelf among your books or other LEGO creations. It isn't often that we see memes as LEGO sets, but the creator of this build (eat.sleep.build.repeat) has high hopes for this particular creation. Here's a snippet of what they said about this build in their product idea submission:

"I believe memes have been quite overlooked by Lego while still being a massive part of the internet and internet culture. The set itself also includes great potential, in its style. It could be used as a piggy bank, book nook or other display options, being a great option for both meme and lego enthusiasts alike."

Popular LEGO Ideas sets you can buy now

Will This Set Become a Real Thing?

Unfortunately, even some of the best LEGO Ideas do not turned into a real set. That being said, it is definitly possible. Now that it has reached 10,000 supporters, it has entered the review stage, which is a lengthier process that requires various considerations. One of the biggest hurdles for any idea is whether or not LEGO can secure the rights to the IP. In this case, it does seem a bit more likely due to it not being from a major franchise, but it depends on whether or not LEGO wants to move forward with the set and if the creator of the original comic alllows it to happen.

There are a ton of other really cool LEGO Ideas that are currently sitting in the review phase that are just as likely to move forward to production. This list includes a Monsters, Inc. - Boo's Door Set, Planet Express Headuarters, and even your old pal Clippy from Microsoft Office.

AI Darth Vader has been out in Fortnite for roughly an hour, and already people have managed to get the Dark Lord of the Sith to swear.

Fortnite's new AI buddy has a death grip on all manner of cool and strange features, including the ability to serenade you, join and leave squads at will, respond intelligently to the player, issue cued and impromptu dialogue, summarize gameplay events, and warn the player if something's about to go down.

Within an hour of the feature going live, however, Fortnite players have popped up all over social media sharing reports and videos of Vader being manipulated into saying the kind of things very much associated with the Dark Side.

If I told you that Hurry Up Tomorrow, the latest onscreen vanity project co-written by and starring Abel Tesfaye, opens with the Canadian singer-songwriter-sometime-actor blowing raspberries at his own reflection in a dressing room mirror for a solid minute, would you believe me? As far as first images go, it's a pretty apt summation of the experience as a whole. Your reaction to it is a fairly solid indication of whether you’ll be onboard for what little Hurry Up Tomorrow has to offer, your thoughts on the music Tesfaye has made (and the public persona he’s cultivated) as The Weeknd notwithstanding.

Named after Tesfaye’s latest studio album and directed by It Comes at Night’s Trey Edward Shults, the navel-gazing and over-indulgent Hurry Up Tomorrow centers around a fictionalized account of the days preceding and following an incident in 2022, in which Tesfaye lost his voice while performing on stage in Los Angeles. It cuts back and forth between the “Can’t Feel My Face” singer (as himself) preparing for a series of performances with his entourage in tow – including Lee (Barry Keough), his manager and confidant – and Anima (Jenna Ortega), a mysterious woman who is drawn to Tesfaye, and whose name may or may not be an overt nod to the Jungian psychological concept of the same name.

It is, at the risk of sounding glib, the role Tesfaye was born to play: The Basquiat-haired Lothario of modern R&B and pop, whose brooding demeanor and crooning falsetto catapulted him from the depths of anonymity to the heights of mainstream superstardom. The register of the performance has shifted over time, but its baseline remains static, even as he drops the stage name and steps into Hurry Up Tomorrow’s big-screen spotlight. For an excruciating hour and 45 minutes, the wounded, misunderstood, self-destructive, sullen-hearted bad boy of Tesfaye’s multiple chart-toppers is front and center.

He cries; he whines; he dejectedly slumps on the floor while madly pouring his heart out to an answering machine, begging and pleading for recognition and reconciliation with an unnamed, unseen lover. If you’ve listened to a single album by the Weeknd – or hell, a single song – you get the gist. All the while, Lee hovers at the periphery like an impish, all-seeing Jiminy Cricket, gyrating wildly on the floor and doling out lines of cocaine like it's both on clearance and going out of style.

A Nintendo Switch 2 port of Red Dead Redemption 2 could be out by the end of 2025, and there are reports of a next-gen upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.

That's according to GameReactor, which reports sources "close to Rockstar" have said a Switch 2 version of Rockstar's Wild West romp is on the way, along with a "next-gen upgrade patch" that will also improve the game for current-gen systems (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S).

Though details are sketchy, GameReactor's sources assert the port and the upgrade patch could be out as early as later this year.

It echoes similar claims made by Nintenduo, which reports the Switch 2 version of Red Dead Redemption 2 should be released in Take-Two's current financial year, which ends March 31, 2026. It's unclear if the port will release digitally-only or be sold as a physical edition, too.

We considered Red Dead Redemption 2 a "masterpiece" when it released in 2018, awarding it a 10/10. IGN's Red Dead Redemption 2 review said: "Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game of rare quality; a meticulously polished open-world ode to the outlaw era."

Perhaps red Dead Redemption 2 coming to Switch 2 wouldn't come as a huge surprise. In a Q&A with investors following Take-Two's most recent financial results, CEO Strauss Zelnick answered a question about the publisher's support of the Switch 2 by saying he felt "great optimism" for Nintendo's new platform. In fact, he said Nintendo's support of third-party publishers this time around was better than it had been in the past.

"We're launching four titles with Nintendo Switch 2, and that's I think a bigger array of releases than we've ever offered before with a new Nintendo platform," he said. "Historically, being a third-party in the Nintendo business has been a bit challenging. I think Nintendo has been very forthcoming in addressing that. And we're stepping up too, because we have great optimism for the platform. In terms of what we would bring to any platform, we address it on a case-by-case basis, we obviously want to be where the consumers are. But we would not necessarily bring every title to every platform. There are also great catalog opportunities as well."

Specifically, Take-Two is bringing Civilization 7 (June 5, launch day), the NBA 2K and WWE 2K series (unclear which games, or when), and Borderlands 4 (September 12). Those admittedly aren't surprising inclusions, as Take-Two was already publishing all four franchises on the Nintendo Switch. But Zelnick's quote does make it sound like the door could be open in the future to other releases, especially from Take-Two's back catalog. GTA 6 probably won't make the cut, but perhaps GTA V or red Dead Redemption 2?

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

With perfect timing for the launch of the Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy set, TCG Player’s Mayhem sale is offering more with each purchase by offering store credit back in return (including Pokémon TCG as well).

The sale runs for one day only, May 16, from 9 AM to 11 PM. With that added store credit, you’ll then get to unlock money off future purchases. Earn enough, and you could even end up buying some free cards from this gorgeous set.

Still, while the above are incredibly pretty, several of the singles from the Final Fantasy MTG sets can be quite expensive (like with any TCG), especially with several borderless or Surge Foil cards skyrocketing towards $600.

So if the expense of buying these pricey options are putting you off, after grabbing the incredibly affordable FF MTG starter kit for $20, try grabbing one of my handpicked, top 10 MTG cards from the Final Fantasy set, and earn some extra credit to complete your collection by the time the set launches on June 13.

Traveling Chocobo

Netflix has announced it will roll out AI-generated advertising — including the dreaded pause ads — in the middle of its programming on the ad-supported tier from 2026.

The news, which was reported by Media Play News, doesn’t specify how the company will target the viewer for these ads; will they be individualized based on watch history? On whatever the viewer is watching at the time? At this point, we know next to nothing about how the ads will work on the backend, or even how they will be presented. But they are coming.

President of advertising Amy Reinhard recently revealed that the company sees its effort as a merging of the things Netflix excels in. “Either they have great technology, or they have great entertainment,” she explained at the recent Upfront for advertisers event in New York City. “Our superpower has always been the fact that we have both.”

The exec added: “When you compare us to our competitors, attention starts higher and ends much higher. And even more impressive, members pay as much attention to mid-roll ads as they do to the shows and movies themselves.”

Reinhard revealed ad-supported tier subscribers watch an average of 41 hours of Netflix per month, which, Kotaku worked out, equates to roughly three hours of ads per month for those viewers. That's a lot even if the ads aren’t AI. But in 2026, they will be.

Netflix has yet to give an official date for the change to be implemented.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

Upon release back in 2020, American developer Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima was generally well-received for its fictionalized depiction of historical Japan. The game’s director Nate Fox recently talked about his commitment to bringing the same kind of cultural sensitivity to the upcoming Ghost of Yotei, emphasizing the importance of research, respect, and listening to cultural advisors.

While Ghost of Tsushima had us take on the role of Jin Sakai as he defends Tsushima from a Mongol invasion in the 13th century, Ghost of Yotei skips forward to 1603, where we play as female warrior Atsu in Ezo (modern day Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island). She is out to wreak vengeance on a band of outlaws who murdered her family.

Ghost of Tsushima paid homage to classic samurai movies (with its black-and-white “Kurosawa mode” named after legendary Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa), so it will be interesting to see if Ghost of Yotei takes any influence from Japan’s many movies featuring tough female warriors exacting revenge, like the Lady Snowblood series.

In a recent PlayStation Blog post, Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei director Nate Fox talked about how the research trips to Japan have not only been the “best part” of working on the games, they have also been highly inspiring and eye-opening.

“Everyone from Sucker Punch that went on those reference gathering trips came back to the studio with a driving passion to bring a sense of authenticity to our fictional depiction of these real life places," he commented, emphasizing the importance of getting the feel for a place in person, and then using this experience to craft an original, in-game environment that matches the spirit of the real location.

Comments made by Ghost of Tsushima’s English-to-Japanese localization producer Daisuke “Dice” Ishidate on Twitter / X back in May 2024 echo these sentiments: “The Ghost of Tsushima development team told me that 'we want to create enjoyable entertainment, not a history lesson...' I think that maybe the reason for Ghost of Tsushima’s success is not objective historical accuracy but its subjective period drama-like style (and flair).” (As reported by Automaton).

Indeed, Ghost of Tsushima read like a thoughtfully researched love letter to historical Japan with a dash of classic samurai movie thrown in. What inaccuracies it has were mostly artistic license used to create a more entertaining and atmospheric experience for the player, and to make the game more accessible to wider audiences. For its depiction of samurai, Ghost of Tsushima tapped into later centuries and the pop culture image of samurai as katana wielders, when they predominantly used bow and arrow in the 13th century (archery expert Sensei Ishikawa is perhaps the closest character to the samurai of that period). As for accessibility, Jin can compose haiku (the most widely recognized type of Japanese poem), however the haiku form didn’t develop until centuries later.

Although Ghost of Tsushima’s towns, shrines, and environments do feel like experiencing a nature hike through Japan from the comfort of your sofa, the game took some liberties in allowing the player to experience all Japan’s seasons. The real Tsushima is subtropical, located between South Korea and Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu. The heavy snow that Jin encounters in Act 3 is anachronistic, as the real Tsushima is too far south to experience such weather. However, this gave players the chance to experience a sort of virtual postcard of the most iconic and famous aspects of each season in Japan. Wandering the game’s fictional Tsushima, the player moves between different seasons: abundant pink cherry blossoms bringing a splash of spring to your screen one second, only to be replaced by orangey brown autumn leaves when you enter another area.

As Fox explained, the digital Tsushima was never intended to be a perfect recreation of the island, but it was meant to faithfully capture the spirit of the place. In the PlayStation blog post, he commented: “We felt that by listening to our cultural advisors and by doing research, we could deliver a respectful representation of what made Tsushima so special... For Ghost of Yotei, we’re doing the same thing.”

Fox revealed that Sony picked Hokkaido for Ghost of Yotei’s setting because it is “unbelievably beautiful.” Upon visiting the place, Fox recounted that the dev team were struck by the contrast between the majestic views and the potential threat posed by the bears that inhabit Hokkaido’s Shiretoko National Park. “A perfect marriage of beauty and danger, that was the exact feeling we wanted for our game,” Fox enthused. Added to this, in 1603 when Ghost of Yotei is set, Hokkaido was a sparsely populated, harsh northern island, which the developers felt fit with the tale of a female warrior so hell-bent on revenge that the locals start to believe she is a demon.

However, official information about Ghost of Yotei has yet to mention how and if it will address Hokkaido’s complicated history of eventual colonization by Japan. How will Ghost of Yotei depict Hokkaido’s indigenous people, the Ainu, and their language and culture? Will it portray tensions between Japanese and Ainu populations? This could be a difficult part of the game to get right.

After release, Ghost of Tsushima met with mostly positive reception from Japanese gaming media and people, gaining a perfect score from Famitsu and winning two awards at the Japan Game Awards 2021. It has also been embraced by the real life island of Tsushima, with its popularity encouraging more tourists to visit the island. The game’s director Nate Fox and creative director Jason Connell were named cultural ambassadors to the island, for their role in drawing people’s attention to Tsushima and its history. If Ghost of Yotei becomes as successful as its predecessor, it might also bring more overseas tourists to Hokkaido. However, they should probably make sure they are better prepared than the British couple who recently got stranded on Mount Yotei.

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.

Darth Vader has arrived in Fortnite, and your AI buddy has a death grip on all manner of cool and strange features, including the ability to serenade to you (provided you only expect him to sing Star Wars and Disney-related songs).

As summarized by Epic Games partner Shiina, the Darth Vader AI can join and leave squads at will, respond intelligently to the player, issue cued and impromptu dialogue, summarize gameplay events, and warn the player if something's about to go down.

Darth Vader will also apparently urge you to seek professional help "if he realizes that your well-being is at risk," saying: "You are valued, Trooper. Seek assistance from the authorities. Your well-being is paramount."

If you've got a sweet spot for Vader, though, I'm sorry to inform you that Shiina reports "Darth Vader AI is NOT allowed to engage in a romantic relationship with players." And no, he won't tell you "what he did to the younglings," so don't risk his wrath by even asking.

But why read about it when you see him in action? Here's Darth Vader AI popping up unexpectedly in Nick Eh 30's match:

GAMEPLAY OF THE DARTH VADER AI, THIS IS CRAZY 😭

(via @FN_Assist) pic.twitter.com/8AbyEc7vR2

— Shiina (@ShiinaBR) May 16, 2025

Darth Vader is, of course, voiced by the inimitable James Earl Jones, who sadly died in September 2024 at the age of 93. Epic Games said Darth Vader wouldn’t be "nearly as sinister without the legendary performance of James Earl Jones," adding it was "honored to feature" his voice and thanking his estate for "the opportunity to make this happen for players." Though it didn't elaborate there on how Vader's voice was recreated, elsewhere in an FAQ, Epic explained that the dialogue of Darth Vader's responses is AI-generated using Google's Gemini 2.0 Flash model, with the audio itself generated by ElevenLabs' Flash v2.5.

In a statement, the family of James Earl Jones said: "James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it. We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character."

Players under 13 or their country’s age of digital consent, whichever is higher, will need their parent or guardian’s permission to talk with Darth Vader. Parents can approve or deny Darth's shenanigans by heading to Epic Games' parental controls and selecting “allow voice and written communication with AI Features."

TCGplayer has kicked off its one-day-only Mayhem sale, where you'll get 10% back in store credit on everything you buy on May 16, 2025 (singles, sealed products, preorders, and more all count).

Since it's a one-day event, and you likely don't have the time to dig through every possible option, I've done the hard work for you. Let's dig into the best Pokémon cards to buy today.

Top 10 Pokémon Cards to Buy Today

Since it's 10% cashback (well, store credit, give me a break), I narrowed this down to the top 10 Pokémon TCG chase cards that you should be adding to your basket right now.

This isn't just 10 random picks either, as all of these have featured in our Pokémon Card Market Watch weekly roundups: "Crashers and Climbers".

Think about it like this: It’s Pokémon eBay, but cleaner. But the thing I’ve always liked about TCGplayer is it’s not just one warehouse selling cards. Every order goes through a network of local game stores and individual hobby sellers.

It’s one of the few ways you can buy cards online and still support small businesses in the process. The marketplace is massive, the prices are competitive, and I’ve never had an issue finding what I needed (or something I didn’t need until I saw it).

If your collection has been sitting in stasis or your decklist has a few too many question marks, this is a good time to fix that. You’ll get store credit for your next order just by doing what you were already planning to do.

When Undaunted: Normandy hit the shelves in 2019, it was an instant smash hit. It's a deck-building game, a genre where you start with a small deck of weak cards that you can upgrade and tweak during play until you’ve got a much more powerful, reliable engine. But its genius is to twin these mechanics with a squad-level tactical war board game.

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Soldier cards let you move and fire with the matching unit on the modular board in pursuit of scenario goals, while officer cards fine-tune your deck, allowing you to focus on particular squads. It's a marriage made in heaven, giving you strategic levers in deck construction, tactical thrills as you maneuver for position on the board, while still basically feeling like a simple simulation of combat where officers bolster the morale and makeup of squads under their command.

Undaunted: Normandy's success has led to a slew of games using the same basic system, which now ranges across a much wider variety of settings and complexity levels - even into outer space with a sci-fi variant. Undaunted is a great franchise, and this buying guide is here to help you decide which of its many titles is right for you.

Undaunted: Normandy

Undaunted: North Africa

Undaunted: Reinforcements

Undaunted: Stalingrad

Undaunted: Battle of Britain

Undaunted 2200: Callisto

Undaunted Promo Scenarios

Fans of the series might be interested to learn that, in the years since its release, there have been a number of additional scenarios published in magazines and given away at conventions. Over time the publisher has made most of these available to download for free on its website, so fill your combat boots.

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelance writer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.