Director Sam Raimi has ruled out making a belated fourth film for Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man despite once having plans to do so, as his versions of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson now "have gone elsewhere."
Speaking to Screenrant, Raimi said that he still loved the Spider-Man franchise but could not see a way he would return to direct another entry himself, despite the enduring popularity of Maguire's incarnation and calls from fans for more following the character's reappearance in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
That film featured Maguire's Spider-Man temporarily crossing over into the MCU and meeting Tom Holland's iteration, before returning to his own universe — and in an earlier version of the script, there were reportedly plans for Kirsten Dunst to reprise her role as Mary Jane as well.
"For a brief time I was handed the torch to carry on after 40 years of Spider-Man comics," Raimi said of his time working on the franchise. "And then after my three movies, I handed the torch off to someone else. And I think they've got to keep running with the storyline and the audience that is now following the torchbearer."
Raimi had once planned a further full trilogy of Spider-Man movies starring Tobey Maguire, and reportedly had lined up John Malkovich to play Vulture, Anne Hathaway as Black Cat, and Bruce Campbell as Mysterio to appear across the new films.
Alas, Sony ultimately decided to cancel work on the new trilogy amid disagreements over the film's script and Raimi's schedule. The company then opted to instead reboot the franchise with Marc Webb directing Spider-Man's new Andrew Garfield incarnation.
Now, Raimi has suggested he'd be unable to tell more stories with his versions of Spider-Man and Mary Jane as their lives have continued off-screen (while Marvel Studios has now come up with its own versions of Vulture and Mysterio to face up against Tom Holland's Spider-Man). Because of that, Raimi has said it wouldn't "be right for me to go back and try and resurrect my version of this story" and that he had been able to "pass the torch happily."
Marvel fans still expect they haven't seen the last of Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, however, with a further return for the actor expected, though certainly not yet confirmed, in Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel's upcoming climactic conclusion to the MCU's Multiverse Saga.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Whether you log in to keep up with the NBA or you’re just a casual fan of video games, chances are, you’ve seen a lot of talk about content creators Kingsman265, Cece, zazzastack, and an infamous $40,000 Marvel Rivals tournament recently.
What began as a livestreamed spat between esports teammates has since evolved into an inescapable beast of a trending topic that quickly broke containment in the Marvel Rivals community. But who are these people? Why are thousands rallying behind their favorite online personalities? And why are the Atlanta Hawks posting TikToks about a Marvel Rivals tournament?
The saga many are calling the “Kingsman265 drama” began just earlier this month and is transforming every day, so we did our best to explain the story so far for those who need to know what’s got the internet so worked up.
NetEase Games’ Marvel hero shooter became the center of attention when a relatively small Marvel Rivals esports content creator named Kingsman265 uploaded a YouTube video titled, “I was kicked from a $40,000 tournament…” on January 17, 2026. That tournament, hosted by streamer BasimZB, was known as the Deadpool Creator Cup, a somewhat small competition advertised to feature 48 creators as Deadpool joined Marvel Rivals. According to a number of competitors invited to the tourney, the competition didn’t include a $40,000 prize pool until after invites had been sent out and many had already signed on.
“In this video I show all perspectives, POV's and exactly why I was removed,” Kingsman says in the video’s description. “With this being one of the biggest tournaments I've played in, and $40,000 on the line with the prize pool being $18,000 for first place, AKA $3,000 per person.”
Most of Kingsman’s videos hover around 25,000 views, with many struggling to break 10,000 views as recently as eight months ago. At the time of this piece’s publication, his upload covering the creator tournament has amassed 2.7 million views. Kingsman says numerous times, both in and outside of the video, that he’s a college student, and that winning the $3,000 would go a long way toward helping pay his bills.
“It is an insanely big deal for someone like me,” his description adds.
The hour-and-17-minute upload is an edited recording of a livestream showcasing a series of pre-tournament scrimmage matches with his team – team captain Cece, zazzastack, kayceeedilla, Fumiata, and collaborator, Luciyasa. It starts simply enough, with each player preparing by speaking about their respective competitive ranks as Kingsman asks Cece if they can “full try hard for these scrims.”
“I need to win this s**t. Can we do that? Please?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she replies. “I got you.”
Magik and Black Widow
Judging by what is shown in edited clips, it seems the team gets off to a good start, winning their first match as zazzastack’s preferred character, Black Widow, nabs the MVP title. The laughs between the group quickly fade as Kingsman suggests the team switch from the theoretically balanced build of two tanks, two damage per second (DPS), and two support heroes to the current favored meta composition that includes three supports. Other teammates fire back, telling him they did not plan to utilize the meta comp during their scrimmage matches or for the tournament.
“OK, this is going to be a hard tourney then,” Kingsman says.
Kingsman, who is seen by many to be one of the best Marvel Rivals Magik players in the world, appears to be the first to turn up the heat, arguing that other teams will almost certainly enter matches with the triple support plan because $40,000 in winnings is on the line. Others, including zazzastack, contend they shouldn’t “run a triple support with a character that I don’t know how to play.”
The moment passes and tensions ease. Then, seemingly minutes later, the driving point of contention emerges when Kingsman calmly asks zazzastack if she would be interested in swapping from Black Widow’s sniper to a character with crowd control and displacement abilities like Winter Soldier. She declines, calling Black Widow her “anti-dive” pick, making it clear that she has no intention of switching from her preferred character.
Fans of hero shooters like Marvel Rivals and Overwatch are certainly aware of the weight character flexibility holds in a every match, but team chemistry can sometimes be just as important. Both elements were topics of discussion that day, as Kingsman frequently overperformed as Magik, while zazzastack’s Black Widow proved to be inconsistent.
Meanwhile, players use scoreboards in hero shooters as a measurement of performance, but these tools rarely tell the full story and don’t account for things like time on point or game-changing plays. Still, they can be used to detect symptoms of broader issues. One specific round's scoreboard circulating online saw Magik carrying eliminations with 18 kills, one assist, and two deaths, while Black Widow secured zero kills, zero assists, and five deaths. It’s also worth noting that zazzastack had a notably higher ping than her teammates, often reaching numbers as high as 170ms.
As Kingsman persisted, the tense back and forth about strategy and philosophy eventually took a turn for the worse. The video shows multiple members of the team siding against Kingsman, with players like Cece and Luciyasa becoming two of the more vocal individuals coming to zazzastack’s defense. What many online take issue with is the tone and insults that followed, even as Kingsman offers to switch to other characters to support a new team comp.
“That’s such a good point,” Cece replies with a sarcastic tone. “You’re so right about that – and we’re still going to play Widow.”
“I’m just here to accept that Kingsman is a meta slave,” she jabs again shortly after.
Insults and calls to “shut the f**k up” are lobbed at Kingsman as arguments progress in the video, with clips showing instances of Cece calling him a “loser” in-between matches on her own stream emerging later. One match that takes place later in Kingsman’s video sees the team calmly walk away with a narrow win, with everyone performing relatively well. Just as the “Victory” card slides across the screen, a voice can be heard, saying, “talk s**t to Kingsman now, zazza.”
This whole Kingsman situation on Marvel Rivals has gone insanely viral.
I’ve seen clips of it and posts about it on literally every social media platform, even posts about it from people I KNOW don’t play video games or keep up with them 😅 pic.twitter.com/ZkH84XqJ8X
Moments later and more than an hour into tournament prep, Kingsman departs, saying he’s going to go queue ranked games, separate from his team. Cece leaves to take an “urgent” call from BasimZB, the team goes their separate ways, and Kingsman shares a few words with his viewers.
“I’m just here to win the tournament, you know? I need that money,” he says. “I’m f**king broke. I like money, and $40,000, which has a prize pool for first place of three grand, is a lot of money for me. I could really use that to help pay my college.”
BasimZB later sends Kingsman a message, telling him he has been kicked from the tournament without warning. Cece was banned on Twitch – and thus kicked from the tournament – shortly after for a separate incident that she has since said is related to her “saying something toxic to my friend in chat,” violating the streaming site’s terms of service.
Overtime
Kingsman and Cece’s former teammates went on to participate in the tournament and landed in seventh place out of eight teams. All of the major players in the story have since released separate videos and social media statements in an attempt to clear confusion and share their sides of the story, with everyone calling on their fans to not harass anyone else involved.
Cece’s immediate video response alleges BasimZB kicked Kingsman solely because of his tone, which she says was “making the team uncomfortable” and potentially impacting team performance. She says she had little involvement in Kingsman’s removal from the tournament, sharing messages with BasimZB where he says he saw clips of Kingsman “saying disrespectful things while muted” and “saying disrespectful things about the tournament.” She adds, “in hindsight, maybe [Kingsman] should have gotten a warning.”
Cece, who has received a barrage of harassment online following the Deadpool Creator Cup, also took to X/Twitter to respond to questions about her behavior, addressing comments she made both during and after the initial incident. One more recent post issued to her followers sees her explaining the reasoning for her actions and apologizing to Kingsman for some of her words, including calling him a “loser,” both on her stream and her follow-up video.
I’m sorry I failed to realize that I need to take proper accountability on here as well. Many of you saw my replies and they were defensive, deflecting, and argumentative. I was busy fighting to defend myself and I’ve deleted them now because I realized what you guys really…
“Emotions were high and I failed to notice which resulted in me snapping at Kingsman,” Cece says. “I apologize as no matter what, raising voices and instantly shutting down a teammate is not the right thing to do. I also should have reprimanded the comments directed at Kingsman once the scrims were over. I needed to hold everyone accountable.”
BasimZB initially stood by his decision to kick Kingsman but eventually reversed course after watching the entire series of scrimmages. He has since apologized to Kingsman, saying that he has already spoken to him and that he “def got played by a lot of people.” He has also commented on the “hate” he’s received from users criticizing his handling of the Marvel Rivals tournament, saying, “the people who come in here, when they hate, they are justified in what they’re saying.”
Luciyasa, who has been known to collaborate and “duo” with Kingsman in the past, has also faced criticism for her role during the scrimmage matches and for comments she made later. She has clarified that some of her words were said “at wrong times,” though she stands by telling Kingsman to “shut the f**k up” because of how it was affecting zazzastacks. While it’s unclear if she has spoken with her former Marvel Rivals partner, she has expressed interest in speaking with him offline.
Zazzastack has also been bashed online despite saying relatively little during the confrontation with Kingsman. In her follow-up post, she apologizes for shifting to a “stern” tone after he continued to push her to switch characters, adding that she is “taking accountability for not swapping off Widow when I should have.”
“I was never once rude to Kingsman in the VODs (video on demand) even when asked to talk my s**t,” zazzastacks said. “I will take accountability for getting stern after a while of being asked the same question over and over and do apologise for that as I definitely could’ve had more patience, however I still don’t believe that I insulted him in any way. If Kingsman is at all offended by any of my actions then I am deeply sorry to him.”
Kingsman
Kingsman eventually shared a document containing direct messages between he and Cece called "The Cece Files." It covers a conversation between the two feuding creators that took place after the scrimmage matches and after Kingsman had uploaded his video.
He appears to have hoped to maintain a competitive attitude upon learning of how it could help pay for his education but only wound up removed from the tournament without a dime to show for it. That’s the story the internet has rallied behind, and the result is far, far more than $3,000 for the Magik player.
Kingsman’s latest YouTube video hitting nearly 3 million views may earn him a bit of cash, for example. In addition to what appears to be a growth of hundreds of thousands of subscribers on the Google video platform, he has seen an increase of more than 220,000 followers (up from 1,000 January 16) as his average viewers skyrockets (via TwitchTracker). Kingsman has also seen a drastic increase in subscribers and audience donations, as he also alleges that one anonymous donor outright paid him the $3,000 he had hoped to earn in winnings.
We can't tell just how much money he has made in the aftermath of his removal from the Deadpool Creator Cup, but as viewers head to comment sections across the internet to offer their support, it’s safe to say he’s got at least a little more cash to help pay for college. Meanwhile, Kingsman says the Marvel Rivals team at NetEase has also stepped in, gifting him in-game credits known as Units to, as he says, “purchase Magik skins.”
NBA team the Atlanta Hawks got in on the drama, too, showing their support for the competitive gamer with a post on TikTok. Even Straight Outta Compton star and son of Ice Cube, O’Shea Jackson Jr., commented on the events of the last few weeks, simply sending out a post mentioning his name.
kingsman went live and just made more than 3K in literally 5 minutes of the stream.
The Kingsman265 drama began as the kind of argument hero shooter players find themselves in every day and transformed into what could remain as the biggest gaming drama of the year. For now, it appears every name involved will continue playing, streaming, and competing in Marvel Rivals events, regardless of the sides they took. Kingsman didn’t come close to winning the Deadpool Creator Cup, and it doesn’t like he would have if he hadn’t have been kicked, but at this stage of the drama, it seems the internet is doing its best to put him on top.
“I was looking through my old clips, and I found a video of myself being like, ‘I’ve only ever made $90 from Twitch in four years of streaming, but I’m going to keep streaming anyway,’ and… holy s**t,” Kingsman said during a recent stream as his livestream chat asks him to turn on ads. “You guys really want ads? OK, bro.”
“How do I even turn on ads? I literally don’t know,” he adds.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
Though we've heard very little since, Highguard reemerged last week with the promise of a launch showcase that confirmed the January 26, 2026 release date. The showcase will offer a "full gameplay deep dive, year one plans, and much more."
In Highguard, players will "ride, fight, and raid as Wardens, arcane gunslingers sent to fight for control of a mythic continent," although it has suffered from a degree of negativity online since that The Game Awards reveal.
Highguard is set to launch across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Confirmation of its release time comes from SteamDB, which of course relates only to the global Steam launch, but it is likely Highguard will go live simultaneously across all platforms.
Highguard global release times:
Depending on where you are in the world, Highguard is set to go live on:
Monday, January 26, 2026:
PST (San Francisco):
10am
CST (Austin, Mexico City):
12pm
EST (New York):
1pm
GMT (London):
6pm
CET (Paris):
7pm
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
JST (Tokyo):
3am
CST (Beijing):
3am
AEST (Sydney):
5am
NZST (Wellington):
7am
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
A strategy game dubbed ‘FTL in a Warhammer 40,000 skin’ was recently pulled from Steam, with its developer suggesting it may have been on the receiving end of a nuisance DMCA takedown from a troll claiming to be Games Workshop.
Last week, Tundra Interactive posted a message on the Void War Steam forum to say the game was “temporarily unavailable” after it had been pulled from Steam without explanation. The indie developer said it was working with Valve to “resolve” the issue, and pointed to Void War's continued availability on Itch.io.
Void War is often compared to both indie darling FTL and Warhammer 40,000, Games Workshop’s tabletop wargame set in the grim darkness of the far future — and it’s easy to see why.
The gameplay looks incredibly similar to Subset Games’ hugely popular 2012 ‘spaceship simulation roguelike-like,’ and the aesthetic is very Warhammer 40,000. The voidships themselves look — in Void War’s official art — like Imperial Navy Vessels.
Meanwhile, some of the characters look like Space Marines. There’s an actual Psyker that’s called a Psyker. There are “Imperial Shrineworlds.” There’s mention of “Imperial astrogation authorities.” You get the idea.
Following the takedown, IGN asked Tundra Interactive for comment, and it responded with something quite unusual. It said that it had received a takedown notice from Valve stating that Games Workshop itself had claimed copyright infringement. But here’s what makes this one odd: the only claiming information Valve provided the developer it said, is Games Workshop’s public-facing infringements inbox and the name “Mal Reynolds.”
Mal Reynolds is a name that will be instantly familiar to Firefly / Serenity fans, because that’s the name of the main character, played by Nathan Fillion in the beloved but short-lived sci-fi show. It seems unlikely that Games Workshop would have someone on its books named Mal Reynolds, and that it would come after Void War now, half a year after release on Steam. And it’s worth pointing out Void War is still up on Itch.io, where no DMCA takedown appears to have taken place.
Here’s Tundra Interactive's comment to IGN in full:
We received a DMCA takedown notice from Valve stating that Games Workshop is claiming copyright infringement. We have not received any other communication from Games Workshop, and the only claimant information Valve has provided is Games Workshop’s public-facing infringements inbox and the name “Mal Reynolds,” which is unusual since that’s the main character from Firefly. We can’t independently verify who actually submitted the notice, and Games Workshop hasn’t responded yet to our email asking them to confirm or withdraw it. We’re following the standard DMCA process and will share further updates when we have confirmed information.
Of course, this may actually be a genuine DMCA takedown by Games Workshop, and there may well be a Mal Reynolds who's doing the dirty work. Perhaps there's an official FTL-style Warhammer 40,000 game in the works, and it's close to a reveal. Neither Games Workshop nor Valve has clarified the matter, and based on both companies' history when it comes to DMCAs, are unlikely to.
All of which leaves Void War off Steam and Tundra Interactive, like the Imperium Nihilus itself, in the dark. As for Games Workshop, it’s got plenty of official Warhammer 40,000 games in development, including Dawn of War 4, Dark Heresy, and Total War: Warhammer 40,000.
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.
Konami has just released Title Update 1.2.4 for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. From what I can see, this is a minor update that does not bring any huge tweaks or changes to the game. Still, it’s at least good to know that Konami has not abandoned the game. At least not yet. According … Continue reading Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Patch 1.2.4 Released & Detailed→
The RE:Enhance Mod is perhaps the best mod you can use to replay Capcom’s classic Resident Evil 3. Yesterday, the modder released a brand new version of it. So, let’s see what Version 2.2 brings to the table, shall we? For those who did not know, this mod enhances the pre-rendered backgrounds via AI tools. … Continue reading Version 2.2 of RE:Enhance Mod for Resident Evil 3 Released→
The writer behind upcoming movie Star Wars: Starfighter has ruled out the chance of any familiar face from the franchise's past making a secret cameo, after a recent report confirmed the film would feature a lightsaber duel.
"Obviously, lightsabers are a part of that universe and that part of that galaxy," Tropper told Screenrant. "I'm so careful not to reveal anything, but essentially, I think it's known that we have no legacy characters.
"You're not going to see any of the characters you've seen in the other movies," he continued. "So there are certain things that are still hallmarks of Star Wars that it's good to have in there. But more than that, I can't say."
So, who are Starfighter's lightsaber wielders? Lucasfilm has kept details of the movie's plot firmly under wraps, other than confirming that Ryan Gosling's scruffy-looking rogue is an uncle to the movie's younger star. Neither characters look like Jedi (although perhaps that is a deliberate choice, to hide one or both being Force-sensitive?) Production images released so far have seen the pair next to a speeder and on some kind of sci-fi raft, with a vibe that seems far removed from the franchise's usual galaxy-defining space conflicts.
More likely, however, the lightsaber battle will involve one or both of the movie's antagonist characters, played by former Doctor Who Matt Smith and Dracula star Mia Goth. Whispers from the film's production have pinned the two as playing Sith-aligned foes, though this has not been officially confirmed.
"This is a standalone. It’s not a prequel, not a sequel," director Shawn Levy previously said at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in April. "It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet." Star Wars: Starfighter is currently due to launch on May 28, 2027.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
While Ascended Heroes is the next big release in the calendar for Pokémon TCG, we can't help but look ahead to further down the line to the most recently announced set, Mega Evolution - Perfect Order. It will feature Mega Zygarde ex, Mega Starmie ex, Mega Clefable ex, and Meowth ex, and now confirmed to be releasing on March 27 this year.
Unsurprisingly, preorders for Perfect Order have been pretty hard to come by so far, with everything currently unavailable at most major retailers. Unfortunately, if you missed The Pokémon Center's latest drop, then it's a waiting game for now. That's at least if you don't want to dabble with the resale market.
Just as it did with Ascended Heroes, TCGplayer has recently launched its selection of presale listings for Perfect Order, giving plenty of fans an alternative to secure the upcoming set (as long as they can stomach the increased cost over MSRP).
I've left a link to everything that's now available in TCGplayer's presale, ready for the March 27, 2026, release. But, if that's not of interest to you, then we can swiftly move on to discussing the latest market price data on display for Perfect Order's sealed products, see how it compares to Ascended Heroes in its run-up to release, alongside the rest of the Mega Evolution series as well.
Perfect Order is actually one of the smallest English sets we've seen in years, with only around "120 cards", including secret rates, and only 88 cards in its main set. Unlike Ascended Heroes, Perfect Order will release its selection of sealed products in one fell swoop on March 27.
With that said, let's kick off our discussion on its current market prices with the Elite Trainer Box, prominently featuring a rather cool-looking Mega Zygarde ex. ETBs are currently sitting at around $139.98 market on TCGplayer, which is a 180% markup presently.
That's a bit higher compared to the current market for Ascended Heroes, which is sitting around $117.75 right now. But, with Perfect Order listings not being live for long, I'd also expect these to come down a bit before release in late March.
Phantasmal Flames last year averaged around $150-$200, even closer to its release, but has since dropped significantly, falling almost 50% in a fairly short space of time, and now sits around $80 instead. So, let's hope for a repeat of that for AH and PO as well later in the year.
Finishing up, if you're after the exclusive Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box for Perfect Order, that's sitting at around $390.55 market price right now, but is also limited to just a few listings on TCGplayer, so keep that in mind before making any purchases, as prices could still come down.
Next up is boosters, which are also looking a little pricey right now for Perfect Order. Booster Bundles are sat at around $86.38 market - for six packs, this works out at around $14.39 each, and that's before delivery costs. Individually, boosters are fairing a tiny bit better, at $10.92 each, while the massive Booster Boxes are currently $243.17 market price, containing 36 packs. That's the best value of the bunch, working out at about $6.75 per pack, if you can stomach the upfront cost.
Out of all of these, I'd only recommend considering the Booster Boxes (36 packs), as that's the best value for money, and these rarely drop further in price closer to release. Booster bundles, on the other hand, can significantly drop further.
For example, Amazon has got Phantasmal Flames Booster Bundles for $44.99 right now, which is still above the MSRP, but it's also the best price going right now, and significantly better than paying around $80 before release day! At $7.50 per pack, it's not quite equalling the value you'd get from a Booster Box, but it's quite a lot closer. So, my advice, spend big now on a 36 pack of boosters, or spend a lot less in a few months time when prices have settled a bit more.
Still, that's the price of cards on the resale market these days! I'm sure most of us are already quite used to it, even if it's still a mega pricey. So what else is up for grabs, and how are the prices looking right now? For starters, there's the three pack blisters, featuring Chikorita, which are sitting at about $50 right now, alongside the Build and Battle bundles, for $69.94, or the single pack blister, featuring Makuhita, for $18.99.
For now, stock is unavailable for the other single or three pack blisters, so there's no market price data available. Check back in closer to release, and we'll be sure to update you when anything else changes, and new data and sealed products for Perfect Order appear.
This article also contains contributions from Robert Anderson, Senior Commerce Editor, and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Bluesky.
Re-Logic has dropped a new teaser trailer for Terraria 1.4.5 — now dubbed the Bigger and Boulder Update — which is set to launch tomorrow, January 27.
The teaser for Bigger and Boulder — I see what you did there, Re-Logic — shows off "over 100 combinations and eight brand new boss tracks," as well as reveals character portraits (including the Goblin Tinkerer), new icons for auto-sorting things like coins, new furniture, and new Palworld and Dead Cells minions.
There also seems to be a pre-hard mode Acorn Tosser, Slime Spear, Slime Whip, and Starcrash Whip, lightning strikes in thunderstorms, Boulder tiles, blocks, and chests, and more. Lots, lots more.
And no, Re-Logic doesn't even say that this is the last update anywhere — despite insisting Terraria had received its last update for years — but of course, with the team promising that crossplay will be "made available some time after 1.4.5," there's at least one more patch on the way.
"When Rockstar learned about the release of Terraria 1.4.5, they postponed GTA 6 in fear," teased one player in the YouTube comments. "I kid you not, I am gonna start on journey mode just to disable corruption spread, Hypeeeeee!" said another on Reddit.
Terraria 1.4.5 releases on January 27 and includes "things that got left out of 1.4.4" plus crossover events with Dead Cells and a second collab with Pocketpair's Palworld, this time for Terraria players. The upcoming features were published on the Terraria wiki, and outline what to expect from 1.4.5 when it comes out. Expect official and final patch notes soon.
Terraria is pretty old at this point; IGN reviewed it 15 years ago(!) in 2011. Even then, though, we thought it was amazing, scoring it 9/10 and writing: "Though on the surface it looks like just another "me too" indie game seeking to ride the coattails of Minecraft's success, Terraria expands on the familiar sandbox gameplay with a greater emphasis on combat and adventure that proves very satisfying. That's rare indeed."
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi has said his under-wraps Star Wars script is designed to recapture the sense of fun found in the sci-fi saga's original trilogy.
Waititi's on-again, off-again work on a Star Wars movie has been ongoing since at least 2020 and at times has felt unlikely to ever release due to the director's busy schedule and after a divisive reception to his most recent Marvel project.
Still, Waititi's take on a galaxy far, far away was recently mentioned again by outgoing Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy, who described it as "somewhat alive" — which was a more promising update than several other Star Wars movie projects that Kennedy had worked on which she simply didn't mention at all.
Now, Waititi has been asked to give a hint at what his script will entail. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, the filmmaker behind comedy-infused films such as What We Do in the Shadows and Thor: Ragnarok said he wanted to bring out the "fun" of Star Wars, too.
"I think you've seen it before but I'm just trying to sort of go back and harness a little bit more of the fun from the original films," Waititi told Variety, "which is what I remember.
"The stakes were very high," he continued, reminiscing of his take on George Lucas' original trilogy, "there were serious things going on but also there was a lot fun to be had in those films. That's what I was trying to bring back."
Amid a pile of in-progress and now-scrapped Star Wars pitches within Lucasfilm this decade, only two Star Wars films have been definitively confirmed to release. The Mandalorian and Grogu launches in theaters on May 22. After that, the Ryan Gosling-starring Star Wars: Starfighter arrives on May 28, 2027.
Image credit: Anna Pocaro/Variety via 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
DC fans have criticized a social media user for spamming James Gunn about Spider-Man director Sam Raimi wanting to make a Batman movie after the DC Universe boss responded to the deluge on Instagram.
“I love Batman,” Raimi told Movieweb last week. “I tried to make a Batman film. I couldn’t get the rights.”
That was enough to set off Instagram user sethpelepchuk, who spammed Gunn’s page with the same message over and over again: “Sam Raimi said he wants to make a Batman movie.” Eventually Gunn responded: “Doesn’t mean you have to spam.” sethpelepchuk’s account was subsequently made private.
DC fans have criticized the social media user, while also expressing surprise that Gunn responded at all, fearing doing so might have encouraged copycats. “James Gunn should not be responding to these people. It sets a bad precedent,” said one fan. “The number one way to make sure your idea has zero chance of actually happening is to annoy the heck out of people with it,” said another. “This is embarrassing and leads to nothing,” added a fan. "At this point, if Sam Raimi DOESN’T make the Batman movie in the DCU it’s 100% sethpelepchuk’s fault," declared another.
Y’all want Sam Raimi to direct DCU’s Batman so bad that James Gunn is getting annoyed by spam 💀 pic.twitter.com/NIgmBLb5Oz
Gunn is particularly chatty on social media, and will often respond to questions from fans about his DCU plans, and even spend time denying internet rumors about upcoming films, TV shows, and casting. He will of course be perfectly aware of Sam Raimi's directing abilities, and who might be a good fit to spearhead his take on Batman.
For context, here’s Raimi’s quote on Batman in full:
“I love Batman. I tried to make a Batman film. I couldn't get the rights. I love The Shadow. I also couldn't get the rights to that one. But, um, Superman's always been one of my favorites. Yeah, there's a tremendous amount of DC characters that I love, and it would just take the writers to come up with an original story based on their character, that's true to the character and part of their real universe, not something that disappoints the fans, but something that's based on the fans love of the character and brings out the best moment of those characters and their proper conflicts, or the right challenges for the right hero. If it was a story that had a real journey for that particular individual. Then I'd love to make the movie.”
The issue of the DCU’s new Batman is very much a hot topic, with The Brave and the Bold getting a writer but with DC reportedly in no rush to put out yet another Batman movie.
Last week, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Christina Hodson is writing The Brave and the Bold, which will be the first Batman movie in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. Hodson is best known for writing 2018’s Transformers spinoff Bumblebee, 2020 DCEU movie Birds of Prey, and 2023’s ill-fated The Flash.
She was thought to be set for a reunion with The Flash director Andy Muschietti, but according to THR, Muschietti remains on board The Brave and the Bold but his involvement is not set in stone given his commitments to Welcome to Derry Season 2. Either way, it sounds like The Brave and the Bold is some way away. THR said “it would be some time before a definitive draft comes in as the studio is taking a measured approach to its development.”
So, hearing of Raimi’s failed bid to direct a Batman movie has some fans hoping he will finally get the chance with The Brave and the Bold. While promoting the rebooted DCU kickstarter Superman last year, Gunn admitted "Batman's my biggest issue in all of DC right now." Gunn must navigate next year’s release of The Batman 2 and potentially The Batman 3. The Batman films exist in a universe separate to the ongoing DCU, and given Gunn has ruled out Pattinson’s Batman crossing over, we’re set for a new actor to play the Caped Crusader for The Brave and the Bold.
Gunn then committed to never releasing two Batman movies in the same year. “I think both Batman and WW [Wonder Woman] are incredibly important,” he said in response to another fan. “But I'm also not going to have two Batman movies come out in the same year.”
Meanwhile, Raimi, who directed 2002’s Spider-Man, 2004’s Spider-Man 2, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, and 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has ruled out a Spider-Man 4 once and for all. He told ScreenRant that his versions of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, played by Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, “have gone elsewhere.”
“And then after my three movies, I handed the torch off to someone else,” he said. “And I think they’ve got to keep running with the storyline and the audience that is now following the torchbearer.”
Photo by L. Cohen/WireImage.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
A reliable leaker has revealed Sony's main PlayStation Plus Monthly offering for February, more than a week before it becomes available.
Boxing game Undisputed will headline next month's lineup, according to Dealabs' billbil-kun, who says that the liscensed punchup title will be the month's main game available. So, while other titles are expected, Undisputed will be February's main addition.
Undisputed is expected to become available on February 3, for PlayStation Plus subscribers across all tiers from Essential upwards. As ever, it should remain available for a month, until March 3. We'll follow up with February's other PlayStation Plus Monthly games whenever Sony announces them.
January's PlayStation Plus Monthly games are of course currently still available to claim, including Disney's Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, Core Keeper and Need for Speed Unbound.
Originally launched in October 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, Undisputed is notable for being the first major licensed boxing video game in over a decade, since the EA-published Fight Night Champion.
"Developer Steel City Interactive's approach to boxing in Undisputed is on the right track, but there's a long road ahead of it," IGN wrote in its Undisputed review, which returned a 6/10 score.
"Its emphasis on realism, preparing for fights using RPG-like mechanics, and creating an adrenaline-filled experience in the ring are significant building blocks. Still, the fluidity of its gameplay animations and reactiveness of its commentators don’t come close to living up to the high bar that was set by the Fight Night series back in the late 2000s, and its realistic fighting can be a little dull if you’re in the mood for a KO instead of a TKO."
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Marvel's Jeremy Renner and Hailey Steinfeld-starring Disney+ TV series Hawkeye sounds like it won't get a second season, despite the idea having been recently explored.
Speaking to The Direct, Hawkeye's consulting producer Andrew Guest — now showrunner on new superhero series Wonder Man — acknowledged that "there was talk" on bringing the show back for a second run, but it didn't work out due to "timing."
Most notable of all, Guest himself strongly indicated that Hawkeye would get a second season just months ago. "We'll work it out," Guest said in October last year. "It's gonna be great." Now, however, the showrunner has taken a decidedly different tone.
"There was talk at a certain point about... we did explore creatively what Season 2 of Hawkeye might be if we were able to do it," Guest said this month, mentioning that it would have featured a Die Hard-esque Christmas vibe.
"Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out in terms of Marvel and all the various pieces that need to come together, but I loved working on Hawkeye," he continued. "I think Renner and Hailee Steinfeld are so terrific together, and I would love to see more of those two."
It's unclear what exactly has happened to seemingly end the hopes of Hawkeye Season 2 happening, though the impending arrival of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars means Marvel has a lot on its plate — and while neither Renner or Steinfeld are announced as appearing yet, fans expect them to make appearances at some point.
Could Renner and Steinfeld's reunion now be moved to Avengers? Or has Marvel's plans for a Young Avengers/Champions team-up featuring Steinfeld's character Kate Bishop now taken precedence? Whatever is the case, it's now perhaps wise not to expect Hawkeye Season 2 soon, if ever.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
The director of Return to Silent Hill, Christophe Gans, has said that despite receiving death threats over adapting the horror series for the big screen, he would be open to bringing another instalment to life.
Talking to Variety, Gans admitted that 2006's Silent Hill was "a big challenge to adapt correctly and respectfully a game which is considered a classic," saying: "We know that the people who love video games are very passionate. I remember when I did the first film, I received plenty of death threats.
"People were saying, ‘If you mess up this one, we are going to find you,'" Gans added. "So I came onto the first film with great responsibility, and certainly even more with the second one. At the same time, it was important for me to imagine a movie that people who are not playing games can be interested in."
Gans siad he was heavily involved in all aspects of Return to Silent Hill, which was shot over 50 days across 67 sets, and had a budget of around $23 million. "I spent one year just designing everything, storyboarding everything, making tons of artwork. When I came on the pre-production, I was very well prepared," he said. "Sometimes, what was difficult was to make people who are not players understand why some elements were so important. Sometimes I had to fight because the fans would be pleased. When I’m doing a film, I’m obsessed by the detail, so that’s the fuel of my work as a director."
Even with the death threats, though, Gans isn't deterred from bringing another Silent Hill game to the big screen (and I've been told he hinted at a recent screening in France that he has his eye on Silent Hill: The Room next).
“If I have the opportunity, we’ll come back to Silent Hill once more,” he said. “I’m not looking at Silent Hill only as a great video game. I’m looking at it as a piece of modern art. It has something really edgy and experimental.
"I will adapt another chapter because there are some that are extremely good, something very different from the first film, and now Return to Silent Hill. I like this world, and I can see that plenty of people are thinking I’m doing a pretty good job.”
IGN's Return to Silent Hill review returned a 5/10. We said: "Return to Silent Hill isn’t completely without merit. It’s certainly a better follow-up to Cristophe Gans’ original 2006 film than 2012’s Silent Hill: Revelation, one that finds some success drawing on the creepy imagery and sound design of the games. But it’s ultimately an adaptation that fails to improve upon the source material or do anything particularly new and interesting. Those craving a truly great psychological horror experience are better off booting up a version of Silent Hill 2."
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
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