It was an understandably quiet January in the U.S. games market, with very few new releases and a bit of a comedown from a busy holiday season leaving Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 again the best-selling game of the month, and the PlayStation 5 on top for consoles.
The PS5 led hardware in both unit and dollar sales, with the Nintendo Switch 2 taking second in both, according to analysis shared by Circana senior director and analyst Mat Piscatella. Overall hardware spending was up 16% year-over-year, with an increase in Switch 2 spending (admittedly an increase over nothing, as the Switch 2 wasn't out last year) offsetting declines in spending on PS5 (down 17%), Xbox Series (down 27%) and Switch 1 (down a whopping but understandable 79%). Accessories spending was down 5% to $185 million.
In content, spending up was up 3% year-over-year to $4.3 billion, largely driven by a 23% increase in subscription spending. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was once again the best-selling game of the month, followed by NBA 2K26 again in the No.2 spot, and Madden NFL 26 rising from No.4 last month to No.3 in January. Battlefield 6, last month's No.3, dropped to No. 5 in January.
The only new game entering the top 20 for January was Code Vein II, which came in at No. 11. We did see Final Fantasy 7: Remake leap from No.225 last month to No.9 for January, thanks to its Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2 releases. Fallout 4 also made a big jump from No.68 to No.20, possibly thanks both to Season 2 of the Fallout TV show coinciding with a major drop in price on Steam at the end of the month.
Additionally, Piscatella tells IGN that outside the top 20, both Fable Anniversary and Animal Crossing: New Horizons saw significant sales bumps. In the former's case, this was thanks to the new trailer for the upcoming Fable game, and in the latter's, due to the DLC and Switch 2 release.
Overall, total gaming spending reached $4.7 billion, up 3% year-over-year. Not exactly a thrilling start to 2026, but when has January ever been an explosive month for games?
January 2026 U.S. Top 20 Best-Selling Games:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
NBA 2K26
Madden NFL 26
Minecraft*
Battlefield 6
EA Sports FC 26
Grand Theft Auto V
Red Dead Redemption II
Final Fantasy VII: Remake
Forza Horizon 5
Code Vein II (NEW)
Ghost of Yotei
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
EA Sports College Football 26
Helldivers II
Pokemon Legends: Z-A*
Split Fiction
Elden Ring
Flight Simulator 2024
Fallout 4
* Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana's data. Some publishers, including Nintendo, do not share certain digital data for this report.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Spoilers follow for Strip Law on Netflix, which debuts on February 20.
13 years ago, Adult Swim launched an animated series that would change the game – Rick and Morty, which became a cultural behemoth and redefined what adult animation can do. And while there have been plenty of series before and since that have inspired and been inspired, respectively, by the now iconic show, Netflix’s Strip Law is the first adult animated comedy series since the debut of Rick and Morty that feels like it’s really doing something fresh and new, and could be as impactful as the adventures of that famous duo.
To be 100% clear, Rick and Morty and Strip Law are two extremely different programs. The former is a riff on the sci-fi classic Back to the Future that pairs a drunken scientist with his relatively normal (though extremely horny) grandson to go on adventures through time and space, while ultimately being a deep dive into sadness, grief, and an exploration of healing and self through family. Meanwhile, Strip Law is about lawyers in Las Vegas.
OK, that isn’t fair to how revelatory Strip Law feels to watch (the full 10-episode season was provided to critics). The show focuses on Lincoln Gumb (Adam Scott), the son of the most popular lawyer in Vegas; after she dies, Lincoln is fired by his mother’s long-time partner, Steve Nichols (Keith David). Lincoln has to make it on his own now, but the problem is that he plays things by the book, and Vegas – as depicted through the lens of former Late Show with Stephen Colbert writer and showrunner Cullen Crawford – is a surreal wonderland/wasteland where almost anything can happen at any time, and the populace values ads and spectacle far more than the letter of the law.
Gumb teams up with a street magician named Sheila Flambé (Abbott Elementary's Janelle James), who provides the pizazz while Gumb locks down the actual trials…at least, as best as he can. It’s a classic sitcom setup, but it’s really just an excuse to go hog wild with the most imaginative, demented series of episodes that have hit TV since Rick and Morty premiered well over a decade ago.
At least part of that evolution can be chalked up to the difference in references, and while Strip Law may also call to mind reference-humor-heavy shows like Family Guy, what separates Strip Law from the pack is that the points of origin lift up the characters rather than merely existing to remind the audience of moments they remember. Basically, it’s the difference between satire and parody; satire (among other things) is using references to make a point, while parody is merely presenting them as is. While Rick and Morty was very pointedly riffing on movies of the ’80s, the touchstones for Strip Law are moved at least 10 to 20 years up and squarely in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
That’s made incredibly clear in the first episode, when a Vegas montage is hilariously set to “Cleveland Rocks,” the theme song from The Drew Carey Show; Strip Law knows this, calls it out, and loves it. Strip Law may be the first TV show that is specifically aimed at those of us who have been irrevocably brain-poisoned by social media. Your mileage may vary about whether this is a good or bad thing, but the breakneck pace of the series is the equivalent of doomscrolling through vintage Twitter while taking a Buzzfeed quiz, or perhaps browsing Vine a half-hour at a time instead of six seconds at a time.
Strip Law is crystal clear from the get-go, from the relationship between Gumb and Flambé, to supporting characters at the firm.
There’s a more important point of comparison between Strip Law and Rick and Morty: You instantly know who these characters are and what they want. More often than not, comedies take a while to find their footing. You need to introduce the characters, find their games (i.e., recurring bits and point of view), and then the writing staff needs to realize they don’t quite work and tweak accordingly. Animated shows, by working years ahead, don’t have the luxury of seeing how an audience responds to their actors and pivoting; instead, this often takes the form of providing a supporting cast and recurring characters to bump up the main cast. Think about the citizens of Springfield in The Simpsons; sure, the title family are the main event, but without Moe, Mr. Burns, Ralph Wiggum, and all the rest, the show wouldn’t work.
Rick and Morty, meanwhile, came out of the gate clean and clear with a clarity of purpose and understanding of what made its main characters tick. The rest of the family may have taken a moment to slide into their games, and arguably the show didn’t kick things up to the next level until the sixth episode of Season 1 (“Rick Potion No. 9”), but from the first moment Rick blathered on about “a hundred years Rick and Morty” while Morty convulsed in the driveway, you knew what the show was about.
Similarly, Strip Law is crystal clear from the get-go, from the relationship between Gumb and Flambé, to supporting characters at the firm like Lincoln’s weight-lifting niece/investigator, Irene (Aimee Garcia), and the requisite disgusting old man, Glem Blorchman (Stephen Root). Each and every character on the show hits the ground running, and thanks to an instantly populated Las Vegas full of characters like a stripper named Lunch Meat and various judges who would rather celebrate Halloween or win a world’s record for most cases judged, it’s clear that Strip Law looked at The Simpsons, Rick and Morty, and other programs, figured out what worked, put that in a blender, and remarkably came out with one of those milkshakes that has a cake and candy on top instead of disgusting sludge.
Even the Rick and Morty comparison – though it will likely be called out the most – isn’t quite right. Strip Law is more akin to classic Adult Swim series like Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law or Space Ghost Coast to Coast. It has an ‘anything goes’ aesthetic that still sits within guardrails that may not be visible but are clearly there. The pace is more packed, and there’s less of the “you’re at home on a Saturday night past midnight and extremely high” vibe that most Adult Swim series go for, but the idea of setting the rules merely so they can break them is omnipresent.
Strip Law is a show that is aware of itself as a TV show, hitting the beats while throwing everything at the wall…with most of it sticking. Episodes feature plots like putting the characters in a virtual HR seminar hosted by an AI amalgamation of the Rat Pack while the rest of the town is rioting over an update of the horny claymation characters, the Hot Dates. Yet, even with all of that going on, it’s never overwhelming, because Crawford and company remember this needs to first be about Gumb, Flambé, and the other staff of the law firm. Even when the show is going for the throat with an episode about the emptiness of religious shows in Vegas mixed with the nihilism of faith-based filmmaking (including an absolutely wild live-action trailer), it’s surprisingly respectful in its exploration, and continues to focus on what this means for Gumb and his co-workers.
In essence, what Strip Law is doing isn’t reinventing the wheel so much as discovering a new, exciting voice (tire?) in animated comedy. Cullen Crawford gives Strip Law a different pace and tone while also delivering what audiences have craved since the beginning of animation: good characters, wild situations, and a way of using the form to the height of its abilities.
The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro are a true novelty: they are open-ear earbuds that, with a quick pivot, become in-ear noise-cancelling ones. It makes them one of the most flexible headphones I've ever tried, and I'd be surprised if they don't start a trend.
They're packed with bonus features including spatial audio, head tracking, dual connection to your phone and PC, and they've even got a gaming mode to reduce latency (with admittedly mixed results). But while their audio is impressive in both modes, and their customization rich, their in-ear configuration is a letdown thanks to meagre active noise cancellation (ANC) and a below-par battery. Is it enough to ruin these $180/£180 buds?
The thick anchor portion of the AeroFit 2 Pro buds hugs the bottom of your ear and I never felt like they'd fall off, even when I went running in the rain (which you can do thanks to the IP55 rating). The loop sat snugly on my ears without ever chafing or irritating me.
The case is a lot larger than most, but slim enough to sit in my pocket without issue. The buds feel light and particularly comfortable in open-ear mode. I could almost forget I was wearing buds and, as somebody who's used to in-ear buds with transparency modes, it was a real joy to keep my ear canals clear. I could, for example, play on my Steam Deck while still hearing everything my wife was saying, and when I was listening to a podcast outside I was fully aware of what was happening around me.
When I twisted the pivot to slide the tips into my ear they felt slightly less comfortable, probably because there's no flexible rubber on those tips. But they're slim, which means they won't dig into your ear, and I could still wear them for hours at a time. Only once, after about three hours, did I feel the urge to take a break.
Twisting between open-ear and in-ear modes is easy, with a satisfying click between each of the five increments. The hinge felt sturdy and tight even when I repeatedly yanked them back and forward more aggressively than any normal person would.
The flexibility of the buds' main stem does mean their tips wiggle towards and away from your head when you press them. That means that hitting the physical button – no touch controls here – on either side requires a bit of force because you need to press the buds against your ear before the button actuates. But that's a minor gripe, and the controls worked every time I tried them.
Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro: Reliable, customizable sound with a dedicated gaming mode
The AeroFit 2 Pro earbuds don't sound as rich as top-of-the-market earbuds, but I was generally impressed with the audio quality. They're clear and vibrant in every configuration – provided you're happy to fiddle with the settings a bit.
The sound smartly adjusts as you twist them from open-ear to in-ear. In open ear mode with the default EQ the audio lacks detail and the bass is slightly artificial but the important stuff – including vocals in both podcasts and music – is loud and punchy. When you twist to the in-ear mode, the sound gets far more detailed: I could pick out every note on every instrument in The Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony.
Soundcore Signature and a separate "Balanced" EQ will sound decent whatever you listen to, but rarely amazing. Soundcore Signature, for example, muffled the vocals in Bitter Sweet Symphony – whereas in Elton John's Rocketman, they were vibrant. Everything also sounded a little washed with ANC turned on, so I switched it off when possible.
You have to be prepared to dig into the settings to get a sound that works for you. Thankfully, there are plenty of options including 22 EQ presets and you can set separate, custom EQs for in-ear and open-ear modes. J. Cole's 03' Adolescence worked much better with the Hip Hop EQ, brining out the detail in his vocals and the bass in the beat. Bitter Sweet Symphony sounded, strangely, most balanced and lively on the Jazz preset.
A dedicated gaming mode is what initially drew me to these buds. Soundcore says it reduces latency and emphasizes vocals and footsteps – I could still feel the lag between my inputs and game sounds on my laptop, Steam Deck, and Switch 2, and they're nowhere near as good as dedicated earbuds with 2.4GHz wireless connection (to be expected, of course).
You do get clear directionality and detail, so when I played Arc Raiders I could always tell where my enemies were coming from.
For more casual, story-driven games, I found gaming mode more of a hindrance than a help. In Disco Elysium, voices sounded blurry and blown-out, as if the actors were speaking too close to their microphones. Turning gaming mode off and fiddling with other settings gave me the sound I wanted.
It means gaming mode feels, ultimately, slightly pointless. The noticeable lag means you're unlikely to use these buds in a multiplayer shooter – and casual games sound better without it.
But I do appreciate its inclusion, and it fits the idea that these buds offer tons of bonus features that you might not expect.
They support the LDAC Bluetooth codec, which works with newer Android devices and gives you noticeable more detailed sound. You can adjust the left-right audio balance – useful if your hearing isn't equal in both ears. They connect seamlessly to two devices at once, such as your phone and laptop, and smartly switch back and forth. Spatial Audio gives you a wider soundscape at the cost of detail, and has both a movie and music mode (I enjoyed watching films this way). And you can even turn on head tracking so the sound moves about as you tilt your head, which feels novel.
Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro: Weak ANC and below-par battery
It's a shame that one of the real selling points – open ear buds that you can transform for ANC – is one of its big weaknesses.
Without a snug fit and a full seal around your ear, background noise is bound to seep through. The ANC definitely blocks some noise but it's weaker than almost any dedicated in-ear bud I've tested. It faltered on the three tests I always use: at the gym I could still hear the public music as well as my own, in a cafe I could still hear background conversations, and on the London Underground the rumble of the tube made it difficult to hear podcasts.
Whether it's sufficient for you depends on what sort of noise you'll need to block out. If you just want to filter out day-to-day sounds, they're fine, but if you work in a particularly noisy environment, I'd look elsewhere.
ANC, as I've mentioned, washes out the audio a bit, and it also cuts battery life from about seven hours to five. Seven hours without ANC is perfectly fine, but five hours with ANC is lower than I'd hope for at this price. They do, thankfully, charge quickly and wirelessly and the case holds a lot of charge, so you should get around 30 hours in total before you need to plug them in. That's not bad at all.
Samuel is a freelance reporter and editor specializing in longform journalism and hardware reviews. You can read his work at his website.
Nintendo has released a lengthy Q&A article discussing its upcoming Switch re-releases of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and addressed its decision to launch them separately — rather than as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service, like numerous other Game Boy Advance titles.
In response to the question "Why are you handling these classic games differently?" Nintendo writes: "In celebration of 30 years of Pokémon, we thought it would be fun to return to the ultimate versions of the original Pokémon adventures in the Kanto region with these special releases."
And in response to the question "Will these games also be coming to the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics collection?" Nintendo replies: "These games are being offered as standalone software and are not planned for release as part of the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics collection."
Neither of these answers seem to address the question of why the games could not also be part of the Switch Online's GBA collection (as a nice way for subscribers to access them at no extra cost) or why the games are priced at $20 each — a cost that has raised many fans' eyebrows.
Indeed, the whole Q&A reads as a rather defensive list of answers to questions Nintendo has anticipated fans will naturally raise in response to its decision-making here.
"If these titles are meant to celebrate 30 years of Pokémon, why aren't you releasing the original Pokémon Blue Version and Pokémon Red Version games that launched 30 years ago?" reads another pre-empted question. "We thought users will appreciate the ultimate versions of those original adventures, which add various features and upgrades to the contents of Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version," comes the reply. That's fair enough, but then having opened the Red and Blue can of worms, Nintendo goes on to pre-empt another popular question.
"Will you add the original Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version or other Pokémon games to the Nintendo Classics collections available with Nintendo Switch Online?" It's a question Nintendo fans have asked ever since the first Game Boy titles were announced for Nintendo Switch Online, years ago. In response, Nintendo lists a selection of Pokémon spin-off games which are already available via the service, and then concludes with: "We have nothing to announce regarding any other potential titles."
One notable response suggests that Nintendo sees its launch strategy for FireRed and LeafGreen as likely a one-off: "What about other classic games beyond Pokémon titles? Is this the return of standalone Virtual Console types of offerings?" The response: "We remain focused on offering classic games through Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack."
But again, other than Nintendo thinking this solution would be "fun", there's little reasoning given here for why FireRed and LeafGreen will be a costly exception to its usual rule.
Of course, Nintendo is unlikely to turn around and say to fans that, really, money is the reason why it is doing this — whether that is the motivating factor here or not. And of course, despite any complaints online, these re-launches will undoubtedly sell very well.
Other fans have suggested that Nintendo is just technically unable to offer FireRed and LeafGreen via its usual Nintendo Switch Online GBA catalog, which typically allows players to load multiple save states and rewind gameplay. Such antics would likely create havoc for The Pokémon Company, by allowing for easier duplication of Pokémon. With just this list of Q&A answers to go on, though, this remains speculation.
Pokémon will celebrate its 30th anniversary next Friday, February 27, with its annual Pokémon Presents livestream. Tune in then for more.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Saudi-owned RTS has officially taken full ownership of fighting game tournament series EVO, as former co-owner Nodwin Gaming exits and leaves RTS solely in charge.
As reported by Shacknews, Nodwin Gaming will remain involved in EVO to assist with marketing and some members of leadership will remain in place. However, RTS, the talent management and brand consulting company originally founded by streamer Pokimane, will take full control.
"We are proud of our legacy with Evo that started 5 years ago," said RTS CEO Stuart Saw in a statement. "We’re going to continue investing in the things that matter to our community, elevating and empowering members of the FGC and working diligently with our game developer partners to ensure that EVO benefits all involved parties."
EVO's shifting ownership has been an ongoing point of discussion and eventually concern in the fighting game community for the last several years. In 2021, PlayStation purchased EVO alongside RTS, leading many fans to express concern over how this would impact games from competing first parties, such as Nintendo. And indeed, Nintendo removed Smash Bros. from EVO 2022. Then, last August, Sony sold its ownership stake in EVO to Indian gaming and events company Nodwin Gaming, which left Nodwin and RTS as joint owners.
At the same time, Saudi Arabian investment company Qiddiya entered the picture. Qiddiya Investment Company is the company behind a massive entertainment and tourism project in Saudia Arabia, which aims to build a high-tech city centered around sports, gaming, and entertainment, and is both owned and funded by the Saudia Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). While Qiddiya initially just announced an investment in RTS, as well as an intention to remain an EVO partner through 2027. However, just one month later, Qiddiya fully acquired RTS, meaning that EVO is now effectively owned and run by the Saudi government.
This news has been met negatively from many fans of the fighting game community. "Evo is dead. Go to your locals," reads one top comment on the thread about the news on r/Fighters. "And this, everybody, is why supporting grassroots locals should still be the priority over pushing big tentpole tournaments," reads another. Largely, those expressing criticism of the change cite Saudi Arabia's history of human rights abuses including in recent years, and including in connections to projects funded by the PIF. Community members also cite the country's repression of LGBTQ+ individuals, noting that many members of the fighting game community also identify as LGBTQ+ and would not feel safe attending. Some major players, such as Maximillion Dood and Sajam, have already stated they would not attend EVO last year, when Saudi involvement first became apparent.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Finji, publisher of beloved indie titles such as Night in the Woods and Tunic and the developer behind Overland and Usual June, says that TikTok has been using generative AI to modify its ads on the platform without permission and pushing those ads to its users without Finji's knowledge, including one ad that was modified to include a racist, sexualized stereotype of one of Finji's characters.
This was first brought up by Finji CEO and co-founder Rebekah Saltsman on Bluesky, where she shared a screencap of a social media post from another brand that appeared to be going through the same thing, and saying the following, "If you happen to see any Finji ads that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, send me a screencap."
Unusual June
According to Saltsman speaking with IGN, Finji's official account on TikTok does push ads for its games, but has "AI turned all the way off." The team first learned that generative AI ads were being created without their knowledge thanks to social media comments on Finji's actual, regular ads from users concerned about what they were seeing. Saltsman was able to get screenshots from audience members showing the offending ads, which prompted her to escalate the issue to TikTok support.
The original adsin question appear to be videos advertising Finji's games, with one showing off several games and the other focused on Usual June. The AI-"enhanced" versions, which appear on TikTok as if posted directly from the official Finji account, seem to consist of slideshows rather than videos as indicated by a number of comments on both ads. Finji has sent IGN screenshots sent in by viewers who claim they saw the AI version of those ads. While several of the AI-"enhanced" images seem to be relatively unedited compared to their official counter parts, one image seen by IGN is noticeably modified.
The offending image depicts an edited version of the official cover art, the original version of which is pictured above. In the seemingly AI-edited version, the main character June (center in the image above) is depicted alone, but the image extends down to her ankles. She is depicted with a bikini bottom, impossibly large hips and thighs, and boots that rise up over her knees, seemingly invoking a harmful stereotype. This is extremely distinct from June's actual depiction in the game:
IGN has viewed a conversation between the official Finji account and TikTok customer support, including a part of the discussion where the customer support agent confirmed Finji did have TikTok's "Smart Creative" option shut off. "Smart Creative" is essentially a TikTok function that uses generative AI to create multiple versions of user-created ads. So if a company makes Ad A with Image A and Text A, and Ad B with Image B and Text B, generative AI will mix and match these in different combinations to test which versions of the ads work best with users, and then surface the best ones more frequently. There's also an "Automate Creative" feature that uses AI to "automatically optimize" assets, such as "improving" images, music, audio, and other things to make an ad allegedly more pleasing to an audience. Saltsman confirms that Finji has both of those options shut off, and showed screenshots of the TikTok backend for several of the ads in question to confirm this.
Finji also says it is unable to view or edit the AI-generated versions of its own ads, and is only aware of them via numerous comments on the ads as well as users in its official Discord reporting the problem and sharing screenshots. Saltsman says she suspects there is at least one other inappropriate generative AI ad circulating based on comments on some of the ads regarding another character in Usual June, Frankie, but is unable to see the modifications herself and thus cannot confirm.
In that same support conversation, the TikTok support agent was unable to find an immediate solution for Finji. At one point, the agent suggests that one of Finji's ads was inadvertently using the Automate Create feature, to which Finji replies, "I have never turned that on," and had the agent confirm that option was not on for the ads described above.
Later in the conversation, the agent said, "I am checking all the possible cause [sic] why this can happen but as per checking all the setup is clear and there should be no ai generated content included." The agent offers to "raise a ticket" for further investigation, but ignored repeated requests from Finji to share a timeline for when the ticket might be responded to.
The Support Circle of Hell
Since this incident took place, Finji staff have made efforts to follow up and get answers, only to be shut down by TikTok support repeatedly. Finji has sent IGN screenshots of all of the following messages to TikTok, and their responses.
The above conversation happened on February 3. On February 6, after a follow-up message to support from Finji asking for an update, TikTok Ads Support responded as follows:
After checking the creatives, we do not see any indication that AI-generated assets or slideshow formats are being used. Both ads are confirmed as video creatives sourced directly from your Creative Library / TikTok posts, and creatives appear unchanged at the ad level. There is no evidence that AI-generated content or auto-assembled slideshow assets were added by the system. [All emphasis TikTok's.]
A Finji representative responded that same day with the screenshot of the offensive ad (which Finji had already sent during the initial support request) and asked for TikTok to escalate the issue, which prompted the following response from TikTok:
We acknowledge receipt of the evidence you've provided and understand the seriousness of your concerns. Based on the materials and context you've shared, we recognize that this situation raises significant issues, including the unauthorized use of AI, the sexualization and misrepresentation of your characters, and the resulting commercial and reputational harm to your studio.
We want to be clear that we are no longer disputing whether this occurred. We understand that you have provided documentation and that audience comments on the ads further corroborate your claims. This matter will be escalated immediately for further review at the highest appropriate level.
We are intiating an internal escalation to ensure this issue is investigated thoroughly, and we will work to connect you with a senior representative who has the authority to address the situation and discuss next steps toward resolution.
On February 10, having not received further responses nor been connected with a "senior representative", Finji followed up again to ask where the ticket was at. It received a message containing the following:
I understand how surprising it was to see AI-generated or automatically created content appear in your ads, especially when you weren't expecting any changes to your creatives.
Here's what happened and why you saw those assets:
Your campaign recently included an ad that used a catalog ads format designed to demonstrate the performance benefits of combining carousel and video assets in Sales campaigns. This is part of an initiative aimed at helping advertises [sic] like you achieve better results with less effort. Campaigns that use these mixed assets typically see a 1.4x ROAS [return on ad spend] lift, and we wanted to ensure you had access to that potential improvement. [All emphasis TikTok's].
The message from support went on to describe the claimed improvements gained from a catalog ads format, followed by an offer to request to be added to an "opt-out blocklist" for which approval "isn't guaranteed."
Finji responded, understandably pretty irate at this point, demanding to know why it had not been put in touch with a senior representative, why it isn't addressing the "SEXUALIZED, RACIST, and SEXIST representation of [the] studio's work" [emphasis Finji's], why the company can't track AI-generated versions of the ads, why it was opted into this without the company's consent, and why TikTok cannot guarantee an opt out.
TikTok responded again, stating that the most recent response it sent was in fact from its escalation team, and that Finji would not be contacted by a "senior representative" because the person currently speaking was "the highest internal team available for this type of issue." The representative went on to say the escalation team had already reviewed the situation and "their findings were included in the previous response" and that the feedback "had been taken seriously." It said that Finji had been included in "a broader automated initiative" and concluded that the escalation team had "already provided their final findings and actions on this matter."
Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company and our game?
After another reply from Finji, the TikTok representative promised to "re-escalate the issue internally," but this was the final communication received as of publication time, even after another check-in from Finji on February 17. When reached out to by IGN, TikTok declined to provide comment on-record.
"I have to admit I am a bit shocked by TikTok's complete lack of appropriate response to the mess they made," said Saltsman in a statement to IGN today. "It's one thing to have an algorithm that's racist and sexist, and another thing to use AI to churn content of your paying business partners, and another thing to do it against their consent, and then to also NOT respond to any of those mistakes in a coherent way? Really?
"What really is utterly baffling is what appears to be a profound void where common sense and business sense usually reside. Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company and our game? Based on the wild response through the weeks of customer service correspondence we have received, I think this is their stance and take on their obvious offensive and racist technology and process and how they secretly use it on the assets of their paying clients without consent or knowledge.
"This is just simply embarrassing but not for me as an individual. For me- I am just super pissed off. This is my work, my team's work and mine and my company's reputation- which I have spent over a decade building. My expectation was a proper apology, systemic changes in how they use this technology for paying clients and a hard look at why their technology is so obviously racist and sexist. I am obviously not holding my breath for any of the above."
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Veteran game designer Jake Solomon has announced the shock closure of his studio and the apparent cancellation of its "next-gen" life simulation game, while publishing a glimpse at how it worked.
Solomon is famed for his work on the XCOM franchise at Firaxis, though began his career as a programmer on Civilization 3. Solomon was also creative director of the beloved Marvel's Midnight Suns, though departed Firaxis following its poor commercial performance.
In May 2024, Solomon announced Midsummer Studios, a fresh outfit founded by himself and other former Firaxis talent, with a goal to make a "next-generation entry to the life sim genre." But now, just 21 months later, Midsummer is closing, and its life sim project appears to have been scrapped mid-development.
We built a studio, we made a game, and I'm really proud of both. Before we close the doors at Midsummer Studios I'd like to share a glimpse of Burbank, the game we poured our hearts into.
It's like "Life Sims + The Truman Show," but it's more than that. I believe people are… pic.twitter.com/RuYvDhdEZO
"We built a studio, we made a game, and I'm really proud of both," Solomon wrote in a post on social media. "Before we close the doors at Midsummer Studios I'd like to share a glimpse of Burbank, the game we poured our hearts into.
"It's like 'Life Sims + The Truman Show,' but it's more than that. I believe people are storytellers, and I want them to share whatever stories and characters they can dream up. Burbank let's you do that."
The trailer, above, shows players being able to create characters with detailed backstories, then place them in TV show-like scenes where they can direct interactions and watch as stories develop. Over time, the digital actors playing these characters can level up, new types of interaction can be unlocked, and more locations for the story to develop in can be unlocked.
One moment sees the player unlocking the ability to place their characters in The Office-style talking heads interviews, then prompt them with a specific question.
"We have moments playing this game where characters come alive in a way we've never experienced," Solomon continued. "And for an old game developer like me that's special. What you're about to see is definitely pre-alpha. But this game was a dream of mine, our team made it come true, so watch and dream with us."
In a follow-up post, Solomon clarified that yes, as the trailer certainly appears to suggest, AI is heavily used within the game, including for characters' voices.
"Our characters use AI for memory, reasoning and speech," Solomon added. "That's what let's you create anyone you want and drop them in any story you write. But all of our art is created by our talented artists. We had no interest in replacing *any* developers with AI."
Elements of the concept appear somewhat similar to Nintendo's Tomodachi Life series (although that uses gibberish rather than actual voices, and is meant to feel more random, rather than allowing for the detailed prompting of scenarios). Several responses to Solomon's post also likened the idea to that of Lionhead Studios' classic The Movies.
As yet, it's unclear what Solomon's next plans are. IGN has contacted Midsummer Studios for more.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Harry Potter movie star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed he was once pitched a bizarre Wizard of Oz adaptation that also featured his fellow Hogwarts co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
Describing it as "one of the worst ideas I've ever heard," the plan had apparently been for the Harry Potter trio to reunite in a fresh version of the classic story, for which Emma Watson would have played Kansas girl Dorothy.
Speaking via the Hot Ones show, Radcliffe said the offer came in while the trio were still making the Harry Potter movies, when he was aged either 14 or 15. Even then, though, Radcliffe said he was instantly aware that this was "a bad idea."
"One of the worst ideas I've ever heard, during Potter, somebody came to us and I think asked... like they wanted to cast all three of us, me, Emma and Rupert, in a remake of Wizard of Oz," Radcliffe revealed. "Emma was Dorothy, I can't remember what Rupert was, and I just remember that I was going to be the lion, but also he knew karate?
"I was like a karate kicking cowardly lion," he continued. "And I remember I was like 14 or 15, and I was like, 'I don't know a lot about the world, but this is a bad idea, this should not be made."
For context, the timeline here would place Radcliffe and his co-stars as filming the fourth Harry Potter book, Goblet of Fire. So, had the Wizard of Oz remake progressed, the trio would still have been fairly young — though not too dissimilar to the age of 16-year-old Judy Garland in the story's classic 1939 adaptation.
Numerous Wizard of Oz adaptations have surfaced over the years, including various spin-offs, prequels and sequels. These include the 2013 Sam Raimi-directed Oz the Great and Powerful, which starred James Franco, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis, and of course the two-part Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Modder ‘detra’ has released a must-have mod for Fallout: New Vegas. This mod optimizes around 240 interior cells with room markers and occlusion planes to improve the game’s performance. Most of the cells the modder has covered didn’t have any optimization at all. Moreover, many that were already optimized could be optimized even further. Plus, … Continue reading Fallout: New Vegas Mod Optimizes Interiors for Better Performance→
Connexion
PC Gamer
DSOGaming
IGN
