In most versions of the Batman mythos, Joker's origins will forever remain shrouded in mystery and conjecture. His past will forever be multiple choice. But the old rules don't necessarily apply in DC's new Absolute Universe. Absolute Batman has reinvented the Dark Knight and his world in a number of ways, and the same holds true for the Clown Prince of Crime.

Lately, writer Scott Snyder and his collaborators have been fleshing out the origin and nature of Absolute Joker. Read on for a full breakdown of who he is, how he rose to power, and why this version of Joker transforms into a literal monster.

Warning: Beware of full spoilers for Absolute Batman #15 and Absolute Batman: Ark-M #1 ahead!

Absolute Joker's Origin Revealed

In Absolute Batman #15, Agent Alfred Pennyworth decides to finally reveal everything he knows about the mysterious figurehead of JK Industries - a man he's been tracking across the globe for the last three years. First, Alfred recounts the sanitized version of events. Joker is Jack Grimm V, the descendant of a long line of successful businessmen who run the global conglomerate JK (Just Kidding) Industries. The original Jack Grimm was a childhood street performer who made a fortune off the vaudeville circuit. Subsequent heirs expanded the family business to encompass television, telecommunications, and video game hardware. Jack Grimm V is now one of the wealthiest men in the world, and one of its most generous philanthropists.

But that's far from the whole story. As he researched Jack Grimm and JK Industries, Alfred discovered that the company has been funding far less noble endeavors, too. Essentially, Jack Grimm and his offspring have been funding both sides in many global conflicts, getting rich off manipulating everyone. If Jack Grimm is a clown, he's the sort that laughs at humanity.

Then Alfred reveals the truly dark secrets he's managed to uncover. Countless business rivals and other associates of the Grimms have vanished over the years, with Alfred assuming that they were murdered. Worse, Alfred has come to suspect that the Joker is the original Jack Grimm. There are no sons. Instead, Jack achieved immortality through some unholy fusion of science and black magic, using the blood of infants to fuel his eternal youth.

It's smart to have a light source on hand for emergencies, especially since everyday carry flashlights can be had for a throwaway price. The Sofirn brand is extremely popular amongst the enthusiast flashlight community for the amount the light they throw out at a bargain price. Sofirn's official store on AliExpress routinely sells these flashlights at up to 50% less than on Amazon. They ship free from a local US warehouse, which means no hidden tariffs or obnoxious shipping times.

Sofirn Q8 Plus 16,000-Lumen LED Flashlight for $51.17

Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen LED Flashlight for $31.26

The powerful yet compact Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen Rechargeable LED Flashlight has also dropped in price to $31.26 after you apply $4 off coupon code "4USAFF". This exact flashlight sells for $70 on Amazon.

The Sofirn SP36 Pro is a compact EDC style flashlight, measuring just 5" in length and weighing about 10 ounces without the battery. It features a rugged aluminum shell and has an IPX8 rating, which means it can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep. The flashlight comes with three 18650 Li-on batteries that can be recharged with a USB Type-C cable.

The light array is comprised of four Luminus SST-40 LEDs each with is own individual reflector. They combine for a maximum output of 8,000 lumens and a beam distance of up to 450 meters, which means that this little flashlight can illuminate an entire football field. The intensity is adjustable so you can conserve battery life.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Avengers: Doomsday directors the Russo Brothers have issued a cryptic message to fans following the release of the fourth teaser trailer for the upcoming Marvel movie, insisting they are neither teasers nor trailers.

Rather, the Russos said in a post on Instagram, the videos — for want of a better word — are “stories” and “clues.”

“Pay attention,” they said.

Here's their statement in full:

"What you’ve been watching for the last four weeks… are not teasers. Or trailers. They are stories. They are clues… Pay attention."

The Avengers: Doomsday hype train kicked off with the Steve Rogers / Captain America teaser, which shows Chris Evans’ character holding a baby, presumably his child with Peggy Carter.

This was followed by the Thor trailer, which shows Chris Hemsworth's Asgardian caring for his adopted daughter, Love. The teaser shows Thor (this time with the short-haired look from the much-loved and hugely successful Thor Ragnarok) pray to his father, Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins in the MCU), calling for the “strength of the All-Fathers” so he may “fight once more… defeat one more enemy and return home to her.”

The X-Men trailer shows Professor X, Magneto, and Cyclops in what looks like a last stand against Sentinels at the X-Mansion.

The Wakandans teaser follows a similar theme, with an ominous tone set out by Shuri / Black Panter that, alongside the meeting with The Fantastic Four, suggests a preparation for a significant battle that has our heroes really worried.

So, what does this cryptic message from the Russo brothers actually mean? That’s the question most fans are asking, and there aren’t any great answers right now. Are these clips even from Avengers: Doomsday? Could they be extra promo material we won’t end up seeing in theaters? Perhaps there are clues in the ending of each of these videos, which shows the Avengers symbol on a mysterious green 'Doomsday clock,' which has runes on it.

It seems the teaser reveals are over for now, as Marvel just started an Avengers: Doomsday countdown clock livestream, which thousands of people are watching already.

Avengers: Doomsday, meanwhile, is due out December 18, 2026.

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.

Humble's new Decked Out Collection bundle features seven games that are great for Steam Deck users looking to add a little something new to their handheld's library. If you have some trips planned for the months ahead, these are sure to keep you entertained on any long journeys.

The seven games in this bundle (which you can see in full below) have a total value of $129, but through the bundle you can get them all for as low as $12. That's a sweet offer to jump on, though keep in mind it's only live for 15 more days. If the selection has caught your eye, now is the time to grab it.

Humble Bundle Decked Out Collection

If you're in need of at-home printing but you don't want to deal with the upfront cost of buying a printer or the hassle of purchasing ink cartridges when they run out, then HP is offering a plan that might be perfect for you.

HP's All-in-One Plan is a convenient service that leases you a printer for a low monthly fee. Along with the printer, you get an unlimited supply of ink, continuous warranty coverage, and a monthy allotment of prints. There are several plans to choose from, with each offering a different printer and print allotment depending on your needs.

Larry Hryb, better known to legions of fans as Xbox's former communications director Major Nelson, has reported being laid off from his new role at Unity.

In a post on Twitter/X, Hryb shared an image of a zero Gamerscore Xbox achievement pop-up, simply titled "Laid Off!" Over on LinkedIn, meanwhile, Hryb issued a longer post to confirm his departure from Unity, where he has served as Director of Community and Advocacy since June 2024.

"I've always been transparent with this community, so I wanted to share that – like a lot of people in tech and gaming right now – I was laid off from Unity," Hryb wrote today.

pic.twitter.com/k9DNgK6LMN

— Larry Hryb, Gamer Emeritus 📱⌨️🖱️🎮 (@majornelson) January 13, 2026

Prior to Unity, Hryb found fame within the world of video games while serving as the communications boss for Xbox — a role he held for more than a decade, as part of a longer tenure at Microsoft that stretched to over 22 years. Hyrb had helped run the official Xbox podcast and kept a blog of new releases, and frequently appeared on official Xbox livestreams.

Hryb's time at Microsoft came to end in September 2023, however, when he announced he had "decided to take a step back and work on the next chapter of my career." At the time of his departure, Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer thanked Hryb for "being a friend, and for everything you've done for our Xbox community and team."

The God of War TV Series is still a ways off, but one of the key players of both the God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök video games says he’d be open to continuing his work on that and other God of War projects.

Speaking exclusively with IGN during an interview about his work on the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, composer Bear McCreary said he isn’t completely done with the God of War franchise. I asked McCreary if he'd be interested in expanding his work into other media or if his time on God of War was done.

“I still feel that I am very proud of the work that I've done (with God of War),” McCreary replied. “And if there were an opportunity to expand upon it, I would be open to that.”

McCreary previously said that he felt his work on God of War was “complete,” but now seems open to revisiting the popular video game series in television form. The show is being developed by Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions to stream on Prime Video. The series, which is being helmed by Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore, will follow Kratos and Atreus as they travel to the highest peak in the nine realms of Norse mythology to spread the ashes of their late wife and mother.

For his part, McCreary said that his experience working on God of War was unique to the many other franchises he’s scored, which include Lord of the Rings, Halo, Star Wars, Marvel, Terminator, and the aforementioned Percy Jackson.

“The great thing about working on these God of War games (is) they are so expansive,” McCreary explained. “I don't think I have written anything musically in the two games and DLC that hasn't been discovered. If anything, I think the more you dig into it, what I hope is evident is how much the team and I (were) always working to just make it better.

“At the end of every one of these massive games, after I've played through it and all I want to do is sleep, I'm like, ‘Here's what we should do next time.’”

McCreary added that working on video games is inherently different from producing music for TV or movies given the interactive nature of the storytelling. “We (were) always pushing the boundaries on God of War,” he said. “For example, in God War Ragnarök we decided to implement a ‘do no harm to melody’ rule. What that means is if (a player is) really doing well in a skirmish or an encounter, you start getting these character themes and it changes depending on who your partner is in the game.

“But let's say it's Kratos's theme. If you win, normally there'd just be a big splash and it would stop. But in Ragnarök, there's the big splash, everything else stops, but that melody completes itself. It sounds simple, but it took thousands of man hours from a half dozen people to be able to do that.”

Beyond God of War, McCreary’s love of gaming runs deep. So much so that he’s itching to write music for a rhythm game.

“I would love to do something like that,” McCreary said. “I'm always looking for interesting projects, interesting people to collaborate with. One of my favorite games from the last generation is Stray. I think I've played it through seven or eight times. And I'm very interested in (indie) and AA gaming. I think there's a lot of experimentation that happens there. And I love the medium. I'm putting it out there.”

Stay tuned later this week for more from our interview with Bear McCreary.

Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment at IGN, leading entertainment content and coverage of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years working in the games and entertainment industry, and his adventures have taken him everywhere from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him on Bluesky @MichaelPeyton

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War has been in hibernation since 2017, and its most recent installment was far from universally well-received. So when King Art Games was handed the task of bringing it back, there were a lot of tricky decisions to navigate and an eager but picky fanbase to face. We recently got to chat with Creative Director Jan Theysen and Senior Game Designer Elliott Verbiest about how the team is calling the shots. (Read on or watch the video interview below.)

It was King Art's previous game, Iron Harvest, that seemed to catch the attention of someone at Games Workshop. And it's not too difficult to see why, if you look at its big, stompy robots.

"So we were working on Iron Harvest, our previous game, an RTS game as well," Theysen recalled. "And that was a Kickstarter game. So we were very open about the development and we showed a lot of stuff we can do with the engine and what we do in terms of art and so on. And as someone at Games Workshop must have seen that and they basically contacted us and asked, 'If we were doing Dawn of War 4, what would you do, basically?' And so we made a little pitch and we sent them over our ideas and the presentation and we didn't really hear back from them a lot. And so we basically thought, okay, that's it, right? It's like, cool that they asked us, basically. And then when Iron Harvest came out and was successful, they basically came back and said, 'Okay, let's talk about it for real.' But you can't really believe it, right? Yeah, well, okay, now they're asking us, but in reality, we're not going to make Dawn of War 4. And then slowly but surely it becomes more realistic and you don't really dare to believe it, right? And then at some point you sign the contract and it's like, holy… it's there. We're doing it."

For many, myself included, Dawn of War was the gateway to the whole Warhammer 40K universe. And King Art hopes this next installment might be as well. It's a sprawling and… sometimes convoluted setting, so that's not exactly a straightforward task.

"It's funny because we hear that a lot, right?" Theysen agreed. "And that was also one of the big things for Dawn of War 4, that a lot of people say, 'Okay, Dawn of War, yes, that was like the first time I really interacted with Warhammer.' And so for us, it was very important to basically make a Dawn of War 4 that is of course for fans, but also a potential entry point for someone who's new.

"Yeah. I think I remember basically how I felt when I played Dawn of War for the first time and it was like, okay, super cool, but also I don't understand a lot, right? But I understood enough so the game was fun. It was not like I had to know what all the different weapons do or something like that. It was more like, okay, I can figure it out. And I think that is also the approach we take for Dawn of War 4, which is basically without any prior knowledge of Warhammer, you still need to understand what the factions are about, what the units are about. You won't understand all the different weapons and equipment and all of that, but it's fine, you can figure it out."

Taking the brutal, aggressive Orks as an example, the goal with the design of the whole faction is that you should naturally be able to figure out how to play without knowing a ton about their lore or having to have it spelled out for you. But those of us who have been living part of our lives in this universe for years should still have stuff to get excited about.

"We don't really tell the players, if you play Orks, you should have a lot of units and a lot of buildings and just have this explosive expansion," Theysen explained. "It just kind of feels natural to play that way, right? Because buildings are cheap, units are cheap, you lose a lot, so you build a lot ... We make sure that even if the people don't know what Orks are about, they can still play them correctly, basically."

"I think that's actually one of the main appeals for the Warhammer 40K universe is that enormous breadth and depth of things that you can potentially learn," Verbiest added. "It's definitely one of the things that attracted me to it was that, okay, sure, of course there is a surface level understanding of it that you can introduce to the games, for example, through a story or a campaign that kind of gets you into that world essentially. But there's so much more to it. And I think that that promise of, hey, there's much more going on beneath the surface, I think is what attracts so many fans to it. And I think that's also how you can serve both fans old and new is that you introduce a story, something to help onboard players into this world, but you have enough detail and other things within that, that signal to more established, more veteran fans of the universe, hey, we are aware of this and we speak the same language. We have the same understanding here."

But even within the Dawn of War envelope, there are different players bringing different expectations to the table. Dawn of War 1 was more of a traditional basecraft RTS. Dawn of War 2 put the focus more on upgrading a few elite squads, almost like an RPG. And Dawn of War 3 was… well, I try not to think about it too much. But even it had its fans, apparently. So deciding what Dawn of War 4 was going to be in context of the previous entries was a judgment call all its own.

"I mean, that was definitely one of the big questions at the beginning, right?" Theysen said. "What is a Dawn of War game, right? Because Dawn of War 1 and 2, at least everybody here at the company really loves, but they're very different games. And you can say, okay, maybe we can make a kind of best off of both of those. But we're not sure that that actually works. And so in the end we said, okay, we have to go with one of them. And we said ultimately, okay, let's go a little bit back to the roots, right? Let's do Dawn of War 1, or our version or our interpretation of Dawn of War 1. Let's see if something from Dawn of War 2 or even 3 works with that. And if it does, sure, then let's put it in. But Dawn of War 1 was clearly our guiding star."

"And it's really interesting because that also informed a lot of the gameplay and design decisions that we made as well," Verbiest elaborated. "The real time strategy genre is also something that has very different market segments or different audiences that have very different, sometimes conflicting needs. And I think that having that clarity of vision of, we want to go for Dawn of War 1 and how people felt about that definitely also informed a lot of the choices that we made as to what kind of parts of the game are we focusing on. So that's why we have this emphasis on the campaigns as kind of like our flagship feature, as well as having all these fantastic cinematics and CGIs that we then have then to inform that story. Because that's something that I think a lot of people were missing from the genre for quite a while."

And storytelling is poised to be front-and-center for Dawn of War 4. While many RTSes have led with a competitive multiplayer mindset, King Art is putting a lot of emphasis on their dynamic campaigns and the single-player experience.

"Because that is like the first big decision we made was basically, okay, if we do a Dawn of War 4, we want four factions back and not only three," Theysen continued. "And if we have four factions, we really would like to tell a story for each of the factions, right? And then all of the four campaigns have this overarching story, basically. And for us, that just felt like a natural thing we wanted to do because we like campaigns, we know that a lot of RTS players like campaigns, and so let's really focus on that. And then we made our lives even harder because we decided, okay, let's maybe also have the campaigns be a little bit non-linear. So there are things like, you can pick which of the Ork bosses you want to play, for example. Or there are missions that are mutually exclusive or things that you can optionally do and so on. And so for us, it's like this: the campaign is like the heart of the whole thing and that has to work. But of course, then also we have multiplayer and we have Last Stand and so on."

If you're interested to hear more about the nonlinear aspects of the Ork campaign, keep an eye out for our hands-on preview later this month. Then be sure to check out all of our other Dawn of War 4 coverage as part of IGN First, including the Ork cinematic trailer. And for everything else, keep it right here on IGN.

If you were to purchase a standalone Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card today, you'd be paying $3,000 or more. Why not just get a complete RTX 5090 prebuilt gaming PC for a similar price? HP is currently offering its flagship OMEN 45L RTX 5090 gaming PC for just $3,708 when you add this keyboard and mouse combo to the same order. This is by far the least expensive RTX 5090 prebuilt right now; everything else is closer to $5,000 and up. It even includes 64GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM, which alone probably costs close to $700 in today's outrageous DRAM market.

HP Omen 45L RTX 5090 Prebuilt Gaming PC for $3,708

EA and Battlefield Studios have announced the Battlefield 6 Season 2 release date has been delayed as it works to address community feedback with an extended Season 1.

The team behind last year’s new Battlefield game announced a delay for the long-awaited new season with an enigmatic Season 2 trailer and blog post. The trailer itself is only seven seconds long, showing a gas mask emerge from green smoke before promising a Battlefield 6 and REDSEC Season 2 release date of February 17.

Escalating the fight with new threats on the battlefield.

Season 2 begins February 17. pic.twitter.com/fGMegJJuTj

— Battlefield (@Battlefield) January 13, 2026

"This revised launch has been implemented to allow extra time to further develop and refine Season 2 as a result of community feedback," a message from the developers says.

It’s a nearly one-month late start for the next wave of content for the troubled shooter, which had previously been scheduled to deliver new maps, modes, updates, and more January 20. With Battlefield 6 Season 2 now set to launch mid-February, players have been told to expect a Season 1 extension update to arrive January 20 in its place. EA and BF Studios say the decision was made to “further polish and refine Season 2” in order to “keep our promise” of providing worthwhile content updates for all.

“We are also reinforcing Battlefield Labs as the public preview for future game updates in the late stages of development,” the message says. “Both the Season 1 extension and the use of Battlefield Labs will set the foundation for new and exciting content throughout our live seasons, including what will come in Season 2.”

More details on Battlefield 6 Season 2 will arrive in February, with a “greater 2026 roadmap” for both it and REDSEC set to follow “in the near future.” In the meantime, the Battlefield 6 Season 1 extension is still said to give players some of the balance tweaks and new content they’ve been begging for in recent weeks. BF Studios tells players to expect detailed patch notes prior to the extension's release date next week, teasing the update will include a showcase of Portal community experiences, severeal double XP periods, and free daily login rewards to help with the wait.

Perhaps the most substantial addition coming with the Battlefield 6 Season 1 extension is the Frostfitre Bonus Path, which is launching January 27. Free rewards include a Hardware XP boost, a vehicle skin, and other customization items, with battle pass owners also able to earn a new weapon package, a career XP boost, and more. Progress on the Frostfire Bonus Path is made conurrently with with the Season 1 battle pass and is said to require 110 Bonus Path points to fully complete. Frostfire Bonus Path points will also be earned via weekly challenges, not Bonus Challenges like what was seen in previous Bonus Paths.

A Valentine's Day event is also set to arrive in Battlefield 6 during the extended Season 1. Details about what it includes outside of the promise of double XP weekends and daily login rewards are under wraps for now, with EA only telling players to keep an eye on its social media pages for any and all updates.

"Moving forward together, we look forward to continuing our conversations with you, the Battlefield community, both in-game and across our official channels," the message signs off. "Again, thank you for being a part of our community and joining us for the future of this franchise, starting with our next update on January 20, 2026."

We checked in on Battlefield 6 earlier this month and found that a lack of content updates, communication from BF Studios, and a disappointing end with Season 1: Winter Offensive seemed to have caused its recent drop off in player interest. Contributing to an increase in negative user reviews was controversy involving EA's alleged use of generative AI material. Now, it seems players are simply waiting with bated breath to see if Battlefield 6 will be able to regain the momentum it had following its October 10 launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S.

Despite its late 2025 troubles, Battlefield 6 came out swinging at launch. In late December, that success had some analysts believing the latest installment in the EA shooter series could emerge above Call of Duty as the best-selling game of the year.

Battlefield fans waiting for Season 2 and the Season 1 extension are currently still in the throes of the Winter Offensive update, which launched December 9. It came with snowy versions of some familiar locations after both the Rogue Ops and California Resistance updates for Season 1 each included one brand-new map to explore.

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).

Looks like the Kat(niss) is officially out of the bag. Jennfier Lawrence was previously reported to be joining the cast of the upcoming Hunger Games prequel film, Sunrise on the Reaping — but now, the actress has all but seemingly confirmed her participation in the project herself.

On a recent episode of journalist Josh Horowitz’s podcast Happy Sad Confused, the host mentioned Francis Lawrence, the director of all of the Hunger Games films thus far minus the 2012 original. Horowitz said that Lawrence and JLaw should have a chat, since he is also in the director’s chair for Sunrise on the Reaping.

“Maybe we already have,” Lawrence teased. That gave Horowitz the runway to respond: “If you believe everything on the internet.”

“Oh yeah, it is out on the Internet, isn’t it?” Lawrence replied, hinting at the reports from last month about her and costar Josh Hutcherson, who plays her character Katniss Everdeen’s love interest Peeta Mellark, joining the cast. Horowitz then followed up, “So I should see that Hunger Games movie is what you’re saying?” The actor gave the podcaster a subtle smile and confirmed, “Yes. Yeah.”

Lawrence, who won an Oscar for her work in the 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook, starred in the first four films of the franchise, with her last appearance on screen as Katniss coming in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2.

As far as her and Hutcherson’s return goes, there’s no official word on how their characters will be incorporated into the film, as it takes place 24 years before the original trilogy starts. However, fans have speculated that Katniss and Peeta will show up at the end of the film because the book the upcoming film is based on has a present day epilogue that features both characters listening to former victor and close friend Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson in the films) recount his own story of competing in the Games.

Francis Lawrence returns to direct the upcoming film from a script by Billy Ray. The film stars Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy alongside Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Ralph Fiennes as Coriolanus Snow, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, and Maya Hawke as Wiress.

Sunrise on the Reaping is set to arrive in theaters on November 26.

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

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has said he will never release an "extended-extended cut" of the trilogy despite still having "bits and pieces" left to add.

While the trilogy's Extended Editions add hours of extra material, fans have long known that even more was shot and never released — and have remained hopeful of an even longer, ultimate cut eventually seeing the light of day.

Unfortunately, speaking with Empire, Jackson has now ruled this out. Despite acknowledging that "bits and pieces" of unused footage exist, a full re-release of the films with this in would just "be disappointing," the director has said.

"Are there great scenes that we never used? The answer is no," Jackson said. "There are bits and pieces, I guess. But if you did an extended-extended cut, or whatever it will get called, it would be disappointing.

"It would be the extended cut with a few extra seconds of something here and there. It wouldn’t be worthwhile doing."

Famously, Arwen was once set to feature in The Two Towers' big fight sequence at Helm's Deep, and actress Liv Tyler shot scenes dressed in battle regalia. Ultimately, the plotline was cut as it would have deviated too far from the original story, and the footage has never officially been released.

Further cut Arwen footage included a flashback scene showing her meeting with Aragorn, giving viewers a chance to see Viggo Mortensen without a beard.

Other cut scenes include a sequence where Lothlórien is attacked by orcs, originally intended for Fellowship of the Ring, and shots of Éowyn fighting Uruk-hai in the Glittering Caves, trimmed from The Two Towers. And yes, the notoriously-long epilogue from Return of the King was once even longer, with scenes showing Legolas and Gimli, as well as the wedding of Éowyn and Faramir.

Could some of this footage still be released somehow, even as not part of a new, extended-extended cut? On this, Jackson sounded more hopeful, saying he'd like to revisit the making of the trilogy one day in a fresh documentary that could contain unused material. "But to this day, I haven't persuaded [the studio], because obviously it's a big undertaking," he concluded.

Jackson is returning to Middle-earth as a producer on the upcoming The Lord of the Rings prequel The Hunt for Gollum, which is due for release next year on December 17, 2027. Frodo actor Elijah Wood — who looks likely to reprise his role on the project — previously praised the movie for reuniting Jackson Jackson with his Middle-earth scriptwriting team Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, as well as Gollum actor Andy Serkis, who is set to both star in and direct the film.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

It’s only been one day since the upcoming Pokémon LEGO sets went up for preorder, but the most expensive one has already sold out. Preorders for the $650 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise LEGO set are now unavailable — though you can still preorder the Eevee and Pikachu and Poké Ball sets, which are considerably less expensive. If you were hoping to grab the pricy set, however, all hope is not lost. It will be available to order again at release, on February 27.

That’s the day all three Pokémon LEGO sets will ship. These are the first Pokémon-themed sets LEGO has ever produced, and demand appears to be high. All three sets are currently exclusive to the LEGO Store, so that’s your only retailer option if you’re interested in purchasing them.

If it stays in stock, purchases of the Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise set will also come with the Kanto Region Badge Collection set as a free Gift With Purchase. And if you’re a LEGO Insider (you can sign up here for free) with 2,500 loyalty points to spare, you’ll be able to exchange those points for a Mini Pokémon Center set starting February 26.

By the way, if you’re interested in ordering the Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise set, you might want to set a reminder for 12 a.m. Eastern Time on February 27. Midnight is when new sets come available, and sought-after sets like this often don’t stay in stock for long. You’ll want to get your order in as soon as possible to ensure you get one.

The year is young, but it's already shaping up to be an exciting year for LEGO fans. A whole bunch of awesome LEGO sets released in January already, and a number of cool upcoming sets have been announced. Four LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight sets are coming out in March alongside the release of the video game. March is also when the first three LEGO Smart Play Star Wars sets will be available, featuring interactive features that have never been possible before in LEGO sets.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

With the advent of PC gaming handhelds, the nearly limitless library of games on Steam and other PC clients are now at your fingertips anytime and anywhere. Gaming handhelds aren't exactly inexpensive, but luckily for us they frequently go on sale. For a limited time, both Amazon and Best Buy are offering the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handheld gaming PC for just $499.99 after a $100 instant discount. This is the lowest price ever and matches the same deal I saw during Black Friday.

Xbox Ally Handheld Gaming PC for $499.99

Apple TV has released a new trailer for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2, and it’s a big one.

The teaser introduces the debut of “Titan X,” a brand new Titan that expands Legendary’s Monsterverse and gives Kong and Godzilla something even bigger to worry about.

For the uninitiated, Legendary’s Monsterverse began with 2014's Godzilla film and continued through 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, and most recently Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the franchises’ highest-grossing installment and the highest-grossing Godzilla film of all time. Sequel Godzilla x Kong: Supernova is set to release in 2027. The Monsterverse has made over $2.5 billion at the global box office.

TV show spinoff Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, meanwhile, sits within the Monsterverse, taking place in the 1950s and half a century later, with the story revolving around Army officer Lee Shaw (played by both Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell). Season 2 will see Kurt and Wyatt reprise their roles alongside Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Joe Tippett, and Anders Holm. It includes 10 episodes, with the first going live on February 27 followed by one episode every Friday until May 1, 2026.

Here’s the official blurb on Titan X:

In addition to Kong, Season 2 will feature Godzilla and introduce a new Titan: the enigmatic Titan X, now officially on the loose. Titan X isn’t just another monster; it’s a living cataclysm. When its massive bioluminescent form breaks the surface of the ocean, the world seems to hold its breath. In Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2, Titan X stands at the center of the mystery — an ancient force emerging from the deep, its purpose uncertain, its power unmatched, its awe and terror in equal measure. Additional Season 2 guest stars include Takehiro Hira, Amber Midthunder, Curtiss Cook, Cliff Curtis, Dominique Tipper, and Camilo Jiménez Varón.

And here’s what to expect from Season 2:

Season 2 will pick up with the fate of Monarch — and the world — hanging in the balance. The dramatic saga reveals buried secrets that reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea. The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend and foe — all with the threat of a titan event on the horizon.

Apple TV recently announced plans for multiple series set within the Monsterverse featuring both new and fan-favorite Titans. The first spin-off is a new untitled Young Lee Shaw prequel with Wyatt Russell reprising his role as Colonel Lee Shaw.

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.

With the release of Avengers: Doomsday's fourth teaser trailer now online, Marvel has begun a live countdown clock to the movie's release on YouTube that's set to run for more than 11 months.

Avengers: Doomsday will arrive in theaters on December 18, and you can now watch the months, days, hours, minutes and seconds tick down alongside other fans. Will anything else happen on the stream? You'll just have to tune in and find out — and more than 5,000 fans are currently watching at the time of writing.

The launch of today's countdown clock does seem to suggest that Marvel is done releasing its weekly Avengers: Doomsday trailers, which have arrived in theaters (and leaked online) before their official release via Marvel's YouTube channel.

Those four trailers — initially attached to Avatar: Fire and Ash — have given fans a first look at the movie's big players in action, though revealed relatively little about the overall plot. And, notably, Doctor Doom himself, played by Robert Downey Jr., has remained under wraps.

Only one additional cast member was confirmed throughout the four trailers: Chris Evans, whose return as Steve Rogers prompted some controversy from fans who believe Marvel has run out of fresh ideas. (It's fair to assume Hayley Atwell will return as his beau Peggy Carter, too.)

Subsequent weeks saw a glimpse at the previously-confirmed Thor (Chris Hemsworth), then a peek at some of the returning X-Men, including Magneto (Ian McKellen), Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Cyclops (James Marsden), before today's trailer which features the Wakandans and Fantastic Four's The Thing.

Fans had hoped for a fifth trailer to arrive in theaters today, but as of yet there's no sign, and the countdown clock may signify a wait for more (until the Super Bowl on February 8, perhaps).

Of course, this isn't the first lengthy livestream from Marvel to advertise the impending arrive of Avengers: Doomsday. Last year, the movie's gargantuan cast list was revealed via the now-infamous 'chair stream' which revealed all of Doomsday's main players via their names written on the back of chairs, in a long line within a cavernous aircraft hanger. At the end, after hours of wait, sat Robert Downey Jr. himself. Could he pop up again via the countdown clock?

At the time of writing, 11 months, four days and a little over 14 hours remain until Avengers: Doomsday's launch. Excited yet?

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further than Alienware's flagship Area-51 prebuilts. Following CES 2026, Dell has discounted an Alienware Area-51 AMD Ryzen X3D Edition RTX 5090 gaming PC to below $5,000 for the first time ever after an $800 discount. The Ryzen X3D Edition is essentially the second generation version of the Area-51 with a more powerful CPU replacement from AMD instead of Intel.

Alienware Area-51 Ryzen Edition RTX 5090 Gaming PC

The Alienware Area-51 is Dell's flagship gaming PC. Unveiled during last year's CES, the Area-51 is a super-sized upgrade to the mainstream Aurora R16 system. The significantly larger chassis features more premium build quality and a redesigned cooling system with greater net airflow. In fact, this is the only model that Dell feels comfortable enough to equip with the hot and power hungry GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. The first wave of Area-51 systems featured Intel CPUs exclusively, with AMD X3D options only available since late November.

This particular configuration is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, 32GB or DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Additional system details include a 360mm all-in-one liquid cooling system for the CPU and a massive 1,500W 80Plus Platinum power supply that allows plenty of headroom for future upgrades.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming CPU for most people

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is considered to be the best gaming processor currently on the market and outperforms any Intel or AMD non-X3D chip in games thanks to AMD's 3D-V-Cache technology.

Although the 9800X3D is an absolute speed demon for gaming, it only has eight cores. If you regularly use your PC for non-gaming applications that benefit from as many cores as possible, then you can upgrade to an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-core processor, which doubles the core count while offering similar gaming performance, for an additional $300.

The RTX 5090 is the most powerful graphics card ever

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 has emerged as the most powerful consumer GPU on the market. Although with this generation Nvidia has prioritized software updates, AI features, and DLSS 4 technology to improve gameplay performance, the 5090 still boasts an impressive 25%-30% uplift over the RTX 4090 in hardware-based raster performance. If you want the absolute best performance for your gaming PC, there is literally no other option from any other brand.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Marvel Studios has officially released the fourth teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday after it leaked online last week.

The trailer, below, shows off the returning Wakandans. We see Shuri as Black Panther, King M'Baku, Namora, and Namor, with Shuri talking seriously about what sounds like the coming battle with Doctor Doom.

The trailer begins with Shuri saying she’s lost everyone that mattered to her (see the events of Black Panther 2). Then, as we switch to a look at Namor, she adds: “a king has his duties to prepare our people for the afterlife. I have mine.”

We then get a moment of comedy with a surprise appearance from a beardless Ben Grimm / The Thing in full The Fantastic Four costume meeting M'Baku. M'Baku introduces himself as “King M'Baku, of Wakanda.” Grimm replies: “Ben, Yancy Street, between Broome and Grand.” The trailer ends with the line, 'The Wakandans and The Fantastic Four will return in Avengers: Doomsday.'

The trailer poses a number of questions. Where does this meeting between the Wakandans and The Thing take place? Is Ben Grimm alone here, or with the other members of The Fantastic Four? How did The Thing come to be in the same universe as the Wakandans? And why are they teaming up in the first place? Surely Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is at the heart of the answers.

It's worth remembering that last year's Thunderbolts movie teased the arrival of The Fantastic Four in the main MCU universe, when we see The New Avengers, as they're now called, spot an interdimensional spaceship donning the Fantastic Four’s logo head their way. The Fantastic Four: First Steps, meanwhile, ended with Doctor Doom appearing to kidnap Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm.

This fourth teaser follows last week's release of the X-Men trailer, which had also leaked beforehand. The Avengers: Doomsday trailers have so far followed the same pattern: leak online, release in theaters ahead of Disney's Avatar: Fire and Ash for a week, then run officially online. So far, we haven't had a fifth trailer leak, so perhaps this is it now for the teasers, at least for the time being.

The Avengers: Doomsday hype train kicked off with the Steve Rogers / Captain America teaser, which shows Chris Evans’ character holding a baby, presumably his child with Peggy Carter. This was followed by the Thor trailer, which shows Chris Hemsworth's Asgardian caring for his adopted daughter, Love. The teaser shows Thor (this time with the short-haired look from the much-loved and hugely successful Thor Ragnarok) pray to his father, Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins in the MCU), calling for the “strength of the All-Fathers” so he may “fight once more… defeat one more enemy and return home to her.”

The Wakandans teaser follows a similar theme, with an ominous tone set out by Shuri that, alongside the meeting with The Fantastic Four, suggests a preparation for a significant battle that has our heroes really worried.

Avengers: Doomsday, meanwhile, is due out December 18, 2026.

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.

Games Workshop has addressed the long wait for Henry Cavill’s Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe, insisting that Amazon is in control of the delivery of the adaptation.

Former Superman actor and Warhammer 40,000 lover Henry Cavill is set to star in and executive produce the live-action Warhammer 40,000 adaptation for Prime Video.

Cavill's Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe is shrouded in mystery, and Games Workshop itself has cautioned fans not to expect to see anything of it for some time. But it is now over three years since Games Workshop’s deal with Amazon was announced, and fans have yet to see anything of it, or hear anything tangible about it.

In its latest financial results (the long and short of it is that Games Workshop is doing tremendously well and making loads of money), CEO Kevin Rountree addressed the elephant in the room: just what is going on with the Amazon stuff?

“We continue to work on some exciting projects that will bring Warhammer to screens like never before,” Rountree said, keeping his cards close to his chest. “Our live action endeavour is still in development with our partners: Amazon MGM Studios, Henry Cavill and Vertigo. It is the nature of these things to take several years, and while we wish we could tie down a release the way we can with our core business, the reality is that, as with any licensing deal, delivery is not in our control. We leave it to our partners to manage their own businesses.”

That doesn’t help fans much, to be honest. But at least we know the project is still in the works and hasn’t been lost to the Warp. Fans have spent the last few years in a state of enduring excitement about the prospect of finally seeing Warhammer 40,000 brought to life in live-action form across films and TV shows — and with Cavill steering the ship, they’re confident it will be done right. Hopefully we'll get some details, including who Cavill himself will play, soon.

However, condensing the vast scope of Warhammer 40,000 into films and TV shows while sticking to a reasonable budget may prove a challenge. Warhammer 40,000 is a highly detailed setting with multiple factions, thousands of years of war played out on a galactic scale, and, at the heart of it all, enormous Space Marines who often fight against even bigger monsters. We’re talking space battles that can last hundreds of years, gargantuan land battles that can consume entire planets, and the Warp, a place so unknowable that it can be pretty much anything you can imagine.

In that context, what story will Cavill tell? Does it need to be more grounded than a big galactic epic? We’re left with scraps to mull over, such as recent comments from Dan Abnett about NDAs and upcoming books.

In June last year, Cavill himself touched on the “complexity” and “trickiness” of adapting the Warhammer 40,000 IP. But, he insisted, he’s loving the challenge, which for fans will be great to hear. Bringing Warhammer to life "is a dream come true," Cavill said, "but it's different from what I've done before, in the sense I haven't had my hand on the tiller of things before. It's wonderful doing that. It is a tricky IP, and a very complex IP, and that's what I love about it. The challenges that come with putting this on the page in a way that is doing justice to that complexity, that trickiness, and that nuance, is a challenge I'm enjoying enormously."

However, Rountree did have one solid bit of news to deliver: a standalone Warhammer Age of Sigmar episode is in the works. Age of Sigmar is the fantasy portion of the Warhammer universe, as opposed to Warhammer 40,000's far future setting. This new episode follows on from the hugely popular Warhammer 40,000 episode for Amazon’s animated anthology series Secret Level, which starred Titus from Space Marine 2.

And it sounds like there’s more to come from a potential Secret Level Season 2. “After a successful collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios and Blur for Secret Level (a high-end animated anthology show), we are now meeting with writers to determine our next step to continue the momentum gained from that episode,” Rountree said.

“In the meantime, work is almost complete on a standalone Warhammer Age of Sigmar episode. Again, for Prime Video. We will update you further when we have more significant milestones to share.”

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.

Scalpers are already reselling their LEGO Pokémon set pre-orders on eBay, with numerous instances of the limited edition Kanto Region Badge Collection having been sold on for hundreds of dollars in profit.

As with any hotly-anticipated product announcement, eBay listings have now flooded the online auction site. Just 24 hours on from yesterday's LEGO Pokémon reveal, all of the LEGO Pokémon range's toy sets are now available to buy for more money than they're worth.

There's no suggestion that the core range, which consists of three sets, will sell out. Still, scalpers seem to be preying on baseless fears that it might (or may at least be hard to find while LEGO produces more stock).

That said, there is particular interest around the Kanto Region Badge Collection set, which is a limited edition free gift. And here, offers are already being listed for upwards of $400.

The Kanto badge collectible is only available with the LEGO Pokémon range's expensive $600 Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise set, and like all LEGO Gifts with Purchase sets, likely won't be made available separately in large numbers.

IGN has seen numerous listings for the Kanto badge set on eBay at $400, or combined with the Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise set for $1,250, double that set's recommended retail price.

Warhammer maker Games Workshop has banned the use of AI in its content production and its design process, insisting that none of its senior managers are currently excited about the technology.

Delivering the UK company’s impressive financial results, CEO Kevin Rountree addressed the issue of AI and how Games Workshop is handling it. He said GW staff are barred from using it to actually produce anything, but admitted a “few” senior managers are experimenting with it.

Rountree said AI was “a very broad topic and to be honest I’m not an expert on it,” then went on to lay down the company line:

"We do have a few senior managers that are [experts on AI]: none are that excited about it yet. We have agreed an internal policy to guide us all, which is currently very cautious e.g. we do not allow AI generated content or AI to be used in our design processes or its unauthorised use outside of GW including in any of our competitions. We also have to monitor and protect ourselves from a data compliance, security and governance perspective, the AI or machine learning engines seem to be automatically included on our phones or laptops whether we like it or not.

“We are allowing those few senior managers to continue to be inquisitive about the technology. We have also agreed we will be maintaining a strong commitment to protect our intellectual property and respect our human creators. In the period reported, we continued to invest in our Warhammer Studio — hiring more creatives in multiple disciplines from concepting and art to writing and sculpting. Talented and passionate individuals that make Warhammer the rich, evocative IP that our hobbyists and we all love.”

Games Workshop owns and operates a number of hugely popular tabletop war games, including Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar. Its core business is selling miniatures and box sets that are used by fans to play these games, but there are a number of other creative aspects of the hobby that Games Workshop invests in, such as book selling, art sales, and animation production.

Last month, Displate was forced to deny that one of its pieces of official Warhammer 40,000 artwork was the product of generative AI, insisting “red flags” spotted by fans were the result of human error.

The Warhammer 40,000 setting is in many ways built upon the evocative and enduring art drawn by the likes of John Blanche, who shaped its "grimdark" aesthetic alongside other key Games Workshop staff. This official, human-made Warhammer 40,000 artwork is beloved by fans, most of whom take a dim view of the mere whiff of generative AI “art” sold or released in any official capacity by either Games Workshop itself, or its partners.

Indeed, Games Workshop sells expensive Warhammer 40,000 ‘codex’ rulebooks that are packed with stunning official art as well as lore. Any suggestion that this art was created either in part or entirely by generative AI tools would likely cause a community uproar.

Stellar Blade director and CEO of Shift Up Hyung-tae Kim has stated that without the use of AI, developers in smaller nations will struggle to keep up with studios in places like the U.S. and China.

As first reported by GameMeca, and picked up by Automaton, Kim addressed attendees at South Korea's 2026 Economic Growth Strategy event and said that countries like China have an overwhelming advantage due to the sheer number of staff it can throw at video game development.

"We devote around 150 people to a single game, but China puts in between 1,000 to 2,000. We lack the capacity to compete, both in terms of quality and volume of content," Kim said (via machine translation).

Using AI will not result in job losses, Kim insisted, but instead make employees more valuable, as "one person can perform the work of 100 people." This week, Shift Up gifted its 300 staff an Apple Watch, AirPods Max, and a $3,400 cash bonus. A sequel, Stellar Blade 2, is in development, as well as Project Spirits, to be published by Level Infinite.

AI is, of course, a huge topic in gaming right now, with numerous companies forced to issue statements confirming they have not used AI to create games or the marketing materials that promote them. Just yesterday, January 12, we reported that Nintendo denied allegations that it used AI-generated imagery to advertise its new My Mario children's toy range, while last month, a Fortnite artist was forced to defend their work after fans suggested numerous images found within the game's new season were AI-generated, including a suspicious-looking poster showing a character in a hammock with an odd number of toes.

In November 17, Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft had to remove an image found within Anno 117: Pax Romana that contained AI-generated elements after fans complained, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 players complained about suspected AI-generated images they had found across the game, following a trend of AI-Ghibli images from earlier this year. The Alters developer, 11 Bit Studios, and Jurassic World Evolution 3 developer, Frontier Developments, have similarly faced fan backlash.

More recently, Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian was embroiled in a genAI controversy of its own following the announcement of its next game, Divinity. It's since pullled back somewhat from using the tech.

Opinion on the use of AI in games continues to divide studios and their fans, with some vehemently against its use, while others claim it's an inevitable part of the future. Rockstar co-founder and former Grand Theft Auto writer Dan Houser recently likened AI to mad cow disease, but the CEO of Genvid — the company behind choose-your-own-adventure interactive series like Silent Hill Ascension — has claimed "consumers generally do not care" about generative AI in games, and stated that: "Gen Z loves AI slop."

EA CEO Andrew Wilson has said AI is "the very core of our business," and Square Enix recently implemented mass layoffs and reorganized, saying it needed to be "aggressive in applying AI." Dead Space creator Glen Schofield also recently detailed his plans to “fix” the industry in part via the use of generative AI in game development, and former God of War dev Meghan Morgan Juinio said: "... if we don’t embrace [AI], I think we’re selling ourselves short.”

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.

Xbox studio Ninja Theory is working on a third major Hellblade game, a new report has suggested — this time with more interactive elements.

Two Hellblade titles have released to date, featuring celtic warrier Senua in battles against monsters and her own mental health. Both have been widely praised for their visuals and story, though have also caught flak for prioritizing cinematography over gameplay.

A new, third Hellblade title in development at Ninja Theory will respond to that criticism by focusing on being more of a "game," according to Windows Central editor Jez Corden, speaking on the Xbox Two podcast. At the same time, Corden said that Ninja Theory was no longer working on Project Mara, an "experimental title" announced by Microsoft back in 2020.

"From what I understand, the next game [from Ninja Theory] is Hellblade 3," Corden said. "And it's going to be a bit more interactive than Hellblade 1 and 2.

"I don't know what the exact nature of Hellblade 3 is going to be like," he continued, "if it's even going to be Hellblade 3, but it does sound like it's going to be in the Hellblade universe, and it does sound like they want to make it more of a 'game', y'know, and broaden the appeal to some degree."

Project Mara was announced as one of several titles being worked on at Ninja Theory back in 2020, alongside Hellblade 2, Bleeding Edge, and a separate R&D project described as "an ambitious combination of technology, game design and clinical neuroscience." The years since have revealed that the studio has been working with Microsoft's generative AI model Muse as part of a project that's generate clips of simulated gameplay.

"You guys shouldn't expect Project Mara to be a thing," Corden claimed. "Project Mara was just a concept, it's not a game — and it's not a game they're currently working on. It might be something they work on eventually, but Project Mara is not a game that's currently being worked on at Ninja Theory."

Corden has since doubled down via social media on his claim that Project Mara was "only ever a concept" rather than a full game — so therefore "the game wasn't cancelled."

Back in 2020, Ninja Theory described Project Mara as "our new in-development experimental title that explores new ways of storytelling." To date, there's been no further word on what became of the concept or why it was seemingly been abandoned. Last year, it was publicly confirmed that Team Ninja's colourful co-founder Tameem Antoniades had quietly left the studio, something that Microsoft only acknowledged to Polygon after his absence was noted on a press visit.

IGN has contacted Microsoft 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

A former veteran Bethesda developer has said the studio may end up with “hateful comments” even if The Elder Scrolls 6 ends up just being as good as Skyrim, which he considers to be one of the top 10 games of all time.

In an interview with Esports Insider, former Bethesda lead artist Nate Purkeypile, who worked at Bethesda Game Studios from 2007 before leaving in 2021, agreed with the assertion that the development teams behind The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout are in a “no-win situation” because of the expectation fans have placed upon both games.

“Yes, and that definitely factored into me leaving because Skyrim being one of the top 10 games of all-time, how do you beat that?” Purkeypile, who founded solo indie dev Just Purkey Games after leaving Bethesda, replied.

“If they do, great! And I hope it’s a great game, but even if it’s just as good as Skyrim was, you’ll still get so many people throwing out hateful comments. I’m sure there will be more death threats again. All of that stuff. It’s really unfortunate that that’s the way things have gone.”

In January last year, The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement became as old as predecessor Skyrim was when The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced. Skyrim was released on November 11, 2011, and The Elder Scrolls 6 was revealed on June 10, 2018 — 2,403 days afterwards. It is now seven-and-a-half years since the announcement, and we’re no closer, it seems, to the release of the game.

When the six-year anniversary of The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement arrived in June 2024, even Bethesda chief Todd Howard paused to say, "oh wow, that has been a while." The Elder Scrolls 6 is at least in production, with Bethesda confirming it had entered "early development" in August 2023 and "early builds" were available in March 2024.

Last year, amid increasing pressure from fans for some information on the game, Howard said The Elder Scrolls 6 wouldn’t be out for some time yet. In an interview with GQ magazine to celebrate the release of Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition, Howard said The Elder Scrolls 6 is “still a long way off,” adding: “I’m preaching patience. I don’t want fans to feel anxious.”

More recently, speaking to Game Informer, studio design director Emil Pagliarulo pointed to GTA 6’s high-profile delays as the “smartest thing they could do.”

“What do fans really want?” he asked. “Do they want a game that comes out before it should and doesn’t meet their expectations? Or do they want the turkey that is in the oven for long enough to be delicious when it finally comes out of the oven, you know? That’s what I think people are going to want. So, we’re going to take our time and as long as it needs to be great.”

Purkeypile said he assumed Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6 so early because the studio was announcing Starfield at a time when it had already been so long since Skyrim came out, so “we needed to make sure people were not just pissed at us.” He continued: “it’s a very expensive way to do that, though. Those trailers are not cheap.”

Purkeypile added that Bethesda’s experience with the divisive Starfield shows it’s happy to delay games.

“I would imagine that they will take a while to deliver it because there’s so much pressure behind that title, and I think it’s been proven with Starfield that they’re finally okay, actually delaying stuff,” he said. “That was not really the case early on. On Skyrim, it was like, ‘It’s coming out on 11/11/11’ and we were like, what?! Oh boy, no pressure.

“I think there is less economic pressure to just get Elder Scrolls 6 out on a date, but there is more economic pressure to actually make sure it’s good, and I think that’s a good thing. That’s healthy so long as they’re also honest with the team about that.”

In the GQ article, Howard once again admitted that it had taken too long to get The Elder Scrolls 6 out the door, but did tease a The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered-style shadowdrop — without confirming anything.

“I do like to have a break between them, where it isn’t like a ‘plus one’ sequel,” Howard said of making The Elder Scrolls games again. “I think it’s also good for an audience to have a break — The Elder Scrolls has been too long, let’s be clear. But we wanted to do something new with Starfield. We needed a creative reset.” Bethesda is currently playtesting The Elder Scrolls 6, Howard revealed.

“I like to just announce stuff and release it,” Howard continued. “My perfect version — and I’m not saying this is going to happen — is that it's going to be a while and then, one day, the game will just appear.” The Oblivion Remastered shadowdrop was “a test run,” Howard teased. “It worked out well.”

Earlier this year it was confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 will include a character designed in memory of a much-missed fan after a remarkable charity campaign that raised more than $85,000 for Make-A-Wish.

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.