Love and Deepspace is a virtual boyfriend game (also known as an otome game) where you play as a character who fights monster aliens while five men fight for her love. It's available to download on iOS and Android and works on the old free-to-play, gacha mechanic. The ultimate aim is to build your relationships with one, two, or all of the men (we listen and we don't judge) by interacting with them, fighting alongside them, texting them, completing their storylines and even… playing with claw machines to collect plushies. It was developed by Papergames, which is also the studio behind Infinity Nikki.

What's the plot of Love and Deepspace?

You know how it goes, a Deepspace Tunnel opens up and suddenly alien monsters are causing havoc. As the main character living in 2034, in the fictional Linkon City, it's your job to battle these alien monsters as part of an organisation called the Hunters Association. The Hunters all wield a special ability called an Evol and yours is Resonance, one that works alongside other Evol wielders' to boost their skills. Throw in a shady biotech company called EVER, an organized crime syndicate called Onychinus, the Farspace Fleet, medical experiments and secrets a plenty, and you've got the storyline that makes the average love story look like child's play.

Who are the men of Love and Deepspace?

There are five potential love interests in Love and Deepspace. Each has a different personality and storyline, but the one thing they all have in common is being obsessed with you. You can choose to focus on just one or play the field, and while they are mentioned in each other's storylines, they don't interact directly. Each has a specific Evol (think superpower) and multiple storylines that take place in both the modern day and in different lifetimes.

Light spoiler warnings ahead, although the non-linear way in which you unlock memories means piecing the storylines together is more of a puzzle than a straight path.

• Xavier - Fights alongside you as a Hunter, gentle and caring, is actually a time traveller from the future. His Evol is light.
• Zayne - A cardiac surgeon with a grumpy outer shell but a sweet toothed gooey middle. His Evol is ice.
• Rafayel - A sensitive, pouty artist who hates cats and is actually one of the last survivors of an ancient race called the Lemurians. His Evol is fire.
• Sylus - Powerful and strategic, with distinctive silver hair and red eyes, Sylus is the leader of the crime syndicate called Onychinus. His Evol is Energy.
• Caleb - The main character's adoptive brother, and a Farspace Fleet pilot. Protective and possessive, he was one thought dead, but returned as a Colonel in the Farspace Fleet. His Evol is Gravity.

What are the mechanics in Love and Deepspace?

There are a whole bunch of mechanics in Love and Deepspace, and all of them contribute to your relationship with the different male characters.

Combat

You take on different combat challenges in the storyline to progress, and regular activities like bounty hunts or Hunter training to earn rewards. You're always paired with one of the male characters, and your choice of special attacks will depend on their Evol. Players have the option to set combat to an auto mode where the battle plays out without your input.

Texts and phonecalls

You'll receive texts from each of the men at various points, and you're giving a selection of dialogue options to reply with. As your relationship increases you'll also get phone calls from them to discuss various events or check in. You can also comment on their posts on a Facebook like feed, send them emojis, and poke them.

Physical Interactions

You interact with each of the men in a setting called the Destiny Cafe. You can touch various parts of their body to elicit reactions, feel their heartbeat, or blow on your microphone.

Conversation

In the Destiny cafe you can also prompt them to have different types of conversations with you. You can get them to introduce themselves to your family or friends (a great way to weird your parents out over lunch) or to suggest what you should have for breakfast. Again, the dialogue options are heavily guardrailed so this isn't going to head into AI sexbot territory. Sorry. You can also use the notebook function to ask them to set reminders for you, everything from important dates to tracking your period.

Quality Time

Basically the world's most handsome Pomodoro timers. You can choose to Work, Workout, Study or Sleep for a set amount of time with any of the guys, and you can even do it in AR mode, so that you can reach new heights of comforting delusion by framing them in your real surroundings.

Dates

With Love and Deepspace dates you can go with the guys to try and grab plush toys at a claw machine, play a game called Kitty Cards against them, and go to a photo studio to get video or snapshots with them, or of them. You can style them, change the poses and backgrounds, and they have way more patience than any real life love interest would. In this section you can also update a personal journal with stickers and notes and photos, listen to audio recordings starring them, or access 'Falling for You' videos and visual novels content telling the story of your relationship.

Home

A recent addition, this mode brings a bit of The Sims to Love and Deepspace. You have a house to decorate with new rooms unlocking as you complete activities in the home, and each of the men can spend time with you there. It's kinda cute to see badass Sylus dusting bookshelves because you've told him to do chores. There's a gardening element too, where you can grow flowers that can be used in flower arranging without or without the boy's input, and new blooms can be unlocked by hybridizing the plants.

How do the gacha mechanics work in Love and Deepspace?

Like Genshin Impact, you can buy or earn wishes to speed up your progress in Love and Deepspace, and there's a number of in-game currencies which can be earned or bought.

Here the wishes represent memories with the men of Love and Deepspace, with different rarities and values attached to each. Five star memories, for instance, can be used to experience Each memory can be upgraded with Heartsand and crystals which can be earned by taking part in bounty hunts, or completing tasks and protocores, which are collected through combat.

Some memories are only available during special events, though those events are repeated sporadically to allow you more than one chance to grab specific wishes. Previous events have included a Star Wars style Throne of Eros storyline and Mortality's Tenderness, which has a classical Chinese theme.

Rachel Weber is the Head of Editorial Development at IGN and an elder millennial. She's been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, Red Dead Redemption 2, and her Love and Deepspace boyfriends.

Here's a great opportunity to pick up a fully featured 3D printer for a supremely low price. AliExpress is currently offering the Anycubic Kobra 3 V2 3D Printer Combo - which also includes the Ace Pro multi-filament printing module - for just $199 with free delivery. You must sign in to see the $231 price drop to $199 (no coupon code is necessary). This is the first time I've seen this model sell for under $200. The exact same combo sells for $380 on Amazon.

You're buying it from Anycubic's official store on AliExpress. It ships free locally from the United States and arrives within 1 to 2 weeks. The Kobra 3 is an excellent option for any newcomer to 3D printing; it's easy to setup, it produces great 3D prints with minimal fiddling, there are plenty of mods available (that you can print yourself), all at a budget price.

Update: If you aren't seeing the price, try disabling any popup blockers.

Anycubic Kobra 3 3D Printer Combo for $199

Includes the Ace Pro Multi-Filament Printing Module (for multiple colors)

Blizzard will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Diablo by adding the Warlock class to a swathe of games — including Diablo 2: Resurrected, more than 25 years after the game's original launch.

Resurrected, the 2021 remaster of Blizzard's classic sequel, will receive the Reign of the Warlock DLC today, February 11, priced at $24.99 across PC, PlayStation, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. The paid add-on is available already on Battle.net — and on Steam, where Diablo 2: Resurrected has also launched.

The news was announced just moments ago at Blizzard's Diablo Anniversary Spotlight showcase, which featured Warlock-flavored reveals for the franchise's other games, too. A Warlock class will arrive as part of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred on April 28, across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, before dropping in the free-to-play Diablo Immortal this summer.

But it's the addition to Diablo 2: Resurrected that comes as the biggest surprise — since the class was never available in the original game. As of today, however, you'll be able to summon demons (including the suitably devilish-sounding Goatman, the Tainted and the Defiler), then bind and even devour them to gobble up their lifeforce, granting temporary buffs and traits.

Today's Diablo 2: Resurrected update also adds enhanced Terror Zones, where you can earn consumables and choose which acts are terrorized. On Hell difficulty you'll encounter the stalker enemies Heralds of Terror, though also have the ability to unveil five mystical statues to unlock an uber boss — the Colossal Ancients — which Blizzard describes as "the next evolution of endgame battles."

Lastly, today's update also adds a sprinkling of quality-of-life updates too, including built-in loot filters, improved stash tabs (yes, including stacking!), and a Chronicle to track the items you've collected.

Blizzard launched Diablo 2: Resurrected more than five years ago for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. The game "brings a beloved classic up today's graphical standards, but it overlooks 20 years of obvious flaws," IGN wrote in our Diablo 2: Resurrected review, awarding the game 7/10.

For more from tonight's show, catch up on everything announced during the Diablo Anniversary Spotlight right here.

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

We've seen several actresses play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles heroine April O'Neil in live-action, but for many fans, there's no topping Judith Hoag, who played April in the beloved 1990 film. Now Hoag reveals that she almost had the chance to reprise the role in the now-canceled TMNT: The Last Ronin movie.

Collider reports that Hoag revealed as much during a recent panel at Big Lick Comic-Con in Roanoke, VA. Hoag told attendees that she had been approached to return for the movie, which would have taken a darker, R-rated approach to the Turtles franchise.

"Yes, I've been approached, and I'd be happy," Hoag said during the panel. "It would be a great bookend for me. And maybe that happens and maybe it doesn't. We'll see."

This seemingly confirms that TMNT: The Last Ronin would have served as a direct sequel to the 1990 movie, rubber suits and all. For those not familiar, The Last Ronin presents an alternate, Dark Knight Returns-style future for the TMNT universe where only one of the four Turtles is still alive and waging a guerrilla war against the grandson of Shredder. The comic proved extremely successful for IDW Publishing, so far spawning two sequels spotlighting a new generation of Turtles. A video game adaptation is also in development.

Unfortunately, Paramount recently opted to veer in a different, more family-friendly direction with the TMNT franchise, looking to the Sonic the Hedgehog movies as inspiration. The studio is currently developing a new live-action reboot alongside the animated sequel TMNT: Mutant Mayhem 2, the latter of which is slated for release in 2027.

Still, as Hoag suggests above, the Last Ronin movie could still rise from the grave in the future. Do you want to see her reprise the April O'Neil role? Do you like the idea of a dark, R-rated sequel to the 1990 film? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

For mroe on the future of the Last Ronin franchise, check out IGN's breakdown of the tragic ending to TMNT: The Last Ronin II.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Arc Raiders players have gathered to applaud Embark Studios after it took just one day to tackle new duplication and infinite ammo exploits – even though reports of a new inventory glitch have already popped up in their place.

The developer behind the successful extraction shooter published a hotfix addressing a variety of issues today, defying the expectations of fans who thought the latest exploits would be around for nefarious players to take advantage of for days, if not weeks. Initially, at least, it resulted in a wave of positive comments from fans.

🛠️Attention, Raiders!
We've just deployed a new hotfix to address additional reported issues:
• Fixed an inventory slot mechanic duplication glitch
• Fixed an infinite ammo weapon glitch
• Fixed an issue where some quests were missing from the Headwinds update
• Fixed an… pic.twitter.com/xv0k1dIQ1t

— ARC Raiders (@ARCRaidersGame) February 11, 2026

“Say what you want about embark,” one Reddit user commented, “but this was QUICK!”

“Dude I was literally in firing range, tried it (successfully), went back to Speranza to grab a bobcat and give it a 100 round mag in practice range, and it just stopped working,” another replied.

“Insane work Embark, I didn't even restart my client.”

Arc Raiders has suffered from those looking to take advantage of dupe exploits since its launch in October, and Embark has played whac-a-mole with cheaters and exploiters since. This was the case earlier this week, when the Stockholm-based studio launched an update fixing the latest dupe glitch only to find reports of a new one cropping up shortly after.

It’s an annoyance for players, who are often forced to confront Raiders who have earned their items and in-game currency through illegitimate means, and it’s apparently keeping Embark up at night, too. As players – and even popular streamer TheBurntPeanut – began showcasing examples of the latest glitches, the developer launched the new hotfix, bringing adjustments just one day after its last patch.

In addition to fixing the inventory slot mechanic duplication glitch and infinite ammo weapon glitch, the update tackles two bugs related to quests. Embark says it is “dedicated to investigating and squashing exploits” in Arc Raiders and will “keep you in the loop” regarding future issues. The problem is, these issues are already here, with what appears to be hundreds of players already taking to various Arc Raiders social media accounts to share that they’ve been impacted by a new problem.

🚨BREAKING 🚨 Since today's hotfix to fix the infinite ammo glitch, there are many reports of Raiders losing their loot when they extract. Be careful out there!

🎥u/hellfire13 pic.twitter.com/zyO56MAydV

— ARC Raiders PVP (@ArcRaidersPVP) February 11, 2026

Reports related to a separate glitch, which seemingly robs players of their topside inventory when extracting, appeared moments after today’s hotfix went live. It’s unclear if this is an ongoing issue or if the lost loot bug is only affecting those who were mid-raid while the hotfix was published. The confusion has been enough to see fans directly ask Embark for their loot to be returned, while others worry a new topside run could result in them losing their gear, too.

“Embark,” one player said, “come on guys.”

“Damn, they fix one thing and break something else entirely,” another replied. “Good lookin out!”

It's unclear how the Embark team plans to handle the latest Arc Raiders glitch. For now, at least, it seems some of its community managers are working with fans to determine the cause.

The Arc Raiders team can’t catch a break, at least when it comes to cheaters and exploits. Since laying out a plan to deal with widespread reports of cheaters last month, the studio has done its best to keep players coming back with frequent gameplay adjustments, new content, and a four-month roadmap. Its post-launch plan currently has it sitting in the middle of its Headwinds update, with its next chapter, Shrouded Sky, set to bring a new map condition, a new Arc threat, and more later this month.

For more, you can check out our interview with Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund, where we talked about the past, present, and future of Arc Raiders. During our chat, we also learned more about what’s next for the company following its extraction shooter’s success.

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).

2026 has already seen surges in the cost of RAM and GPUs. Unfortunately, this also affects the price of gaming PCs. Obviously this isn't an ideal time to be buying a new PC, but fortunately, there are still good deals to be found. If you're looking for a future-proof system, an RTX 5080 PC is powerful enough to set you up for 4K gaming for years to come.

As part of the Dell Presidents Day Sale, the Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PC has dropped to $2,179.99 with free delivery after a $650 instant discount. This is currently one of the least expensive RTX 5080 prebuilts you'll be able to get right now. Most other RTX 5080 prebuilts are currently priced at $2,500 and up.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PC for $2,180

Blizzard Entertainment tied a bow on its Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight after showing off how the Warlock class will take over Diablo 4, Diablo Immortal, and even Diablo 2: Resurrected in 2026.

The 40-minute presentation came to a close after giving fans a sneak peek at a dungeon’s worth of updates across its three Diablo pillars. Highlights include the reveal that the Warlock is coming to Diablo 4 and Immortal in April and June, respectively, and it’s out for Diablo 2: Resurrected with The Reign of the Warlock DLC right now. While new content definitely stole the show, the Blizzard team still made sure to offer deep dives into some of the quality-of-life updates players have been expecting, too.

Whether you’re looking to learn more about the Lord of Hatred expansion or revisit a beloved early 2000s action RPG, we’ve gathered all of the highlights from today’s show. You can see everything announced at the Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight below.

The Warlock Class Is Coming to Diablo 4, Diablo Immortal, and Diablo 2: Resurrected

Players expected the Warlock to come to Diablo 4, but they didn't expect this. In addition to Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, the Warlock is coming to Diablo Immortal and, yes, even Diablo 2: Resurrected. It's an unexpected update that brings the class to all three of today's games, with the full spotlight detailing how each offers different playstyles for different kinds of action RPG fans.

Blizzard Is Summoning the Reign of the Warlock for Diablo 2: Resurrected

Introducing the Warlock and enough arcane updates to make any demon nervous.

Play Diablo II: Resurrected- Reign of the Warlock today and see how knowledge bites back.

Learn More: 🔗 https://t.co/TE0fdcCK4V pic.twitter.com/6TpWaHehs7

— Diablo (@Diablo) February 11, 2026

Blizzard’s 2021 reimagining might be a mostly faithful remake of a classic game, but that doesn’t mean it can’t add to it. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise, Diablo 2: Resurrected is getting a new expansion called Reign of the Warlock – and it’s out today for PC (including Steam), PlayStation, and Xbox for $24.99.

The content adds the demon-summoning Warlock as an all-new class not present in the original experience. It allows players to summon, bind, and devour demons, shaking up the Diablo 2 formula for the first time in 25 years.

Blizzard Talks Terror Zones in Diablo 2

With Reign of the Warlock comes a few tweaks to Terror Zones. Specifically, players can now be stalked by hunters called Heralds of Terror when playing on Hell difficulty. Terrorized bosses beaten on the same difficulty mode also now unveil statues, with players encouraged to combine five of them to access new endgame bosses called the Colossal Ancients.

Quality-of-Life Adjustments Add Loot Filers, Advanced Stash Tabs, and More to Diablo 2: Resurrected

The new quality of life changes in Reign of the Warlock give you sharper tools for even the darkest of journeys. pic.twitter.com/yOWzcZ9my6

— Diablo (@Diablo) February 11, 2026

Now, time for what most fans expected when they heard Diablo 2: Resurrected would be featured at the Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight: quality-of-life changes. Blizzard now allows players to create, share, and check out community loot filters, all without the use of mods. The update also comes with the ability to stack stash items alongside the addition of dedicated tabs for materials, gems, and runes. Finally, The Chronicle is an item tracker for players who like their Diablo experience to be nice and organized.

A First Look at the Warlock in Diablo Immortal

There are video game deals aplenty today, from Hell is Us hitting a new low price, to Elden Ring Nightreign for $20, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Tactical Edition for just $30. If you’ve been in the market for a new gaming mouse, one of our favorites is on sale for the first time, or grab some of the best-sounding earbuds around for 44% off. Check out all the top deals below:

TL:DR - Best Deals Today

Hell is Us for PS5 Hits New Low Price

The Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse is $20 Off

Save 9% on the MTG x Marvel Super Heroes Play Booster Box Preorder

Save $200 on the 27" Samsung G5 OLED Gaming Monitor

Score 44% Off Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Earbuds

$500 Off a Zephyrus G14 RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Laptop

Boost Your Workouts With A Discounted MVRK Weighted Vest

Amazon’s Buy One, Get One 50% Off Books, Movies, and Board Games Sale

Elden Ring Nightreign for PS5 Is Only $20

Metal Gear Solid Delta for PS5 Drops to $30

Silent Hill f for PS5 and XSX Is Just $39.99

There’s a plethora of great gaming mice out there and the standard of sensors, batteries, and build quality is better than ever. Finding the right one has a lot to do with personal preference – don’t get us wrong, some are demonstrably better than others, but you’ll want to consider things like weight, size, ergonomics, extra buttons, or even what types of games you play. Because of this, we've broken down our picks for best gaming mouse into categories to help you make the best choice for your needs.

For example, the Logitech G502 X Lightspeed is one of the most comfortable mice that prioritizes ergonomics, but we'd recommend the ultra-light Corsair Sabre V2 Pro to those who want an edge in competitive rounds of Valorant. Meanwhile, those extra buttons on the Corsair Scimitar Elite sure look nice to those who want to program all their MMO/MOBA commands off the keyboard. But if we had to just choose one mouse as a blanket recommendation, the 10/10 Logitech Pro X2 Superstrike or the DeathAdder V4 Pro from Razer gets our vote. Throughout this guide, we break down our hands-on experience with each of the gaming mice recommended to showcase why they’re the right fit for their category.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Gaming Mice

At the end of the guide we’ve outlined some important questions to ask when looking for a gaming mouse on your own. And as always, we’ll update this guide with new recommendations as we get hands on and review more gaming mice in the future, so be sure to check back whenever you need some buying advice.

See our list of the best gaming mouse pads, too!

1. Logitech Pro X2 SuperStrike

The Best Gaming Mouse

2. Razer Deathadder V4 Pro

The Runner-Up

3. SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2

Best Budget Gaming Mouse

4. SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless

Best Budget Wireless Gaming Mouse

5. Logitech G403 Hero

Best Wired Gaming Mouse

6. Corsair Scimitar Elite

Best MMO/MOBA Gaming Mouse

7. HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Mini

Best Small Gaming Mouse

8. Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2

Best Lightweight Gaming Mouse

9. Corsair Sabre V2 Pro

Best Ultra-Lightweight Gaming Mouse

10. Logitech G502 X Lightspeed

Best Ergonomic Gaming Mouse

Gaming Mouse FAQ

How do you determine what makes a good gaming mouse?

Much of what makes a good gaming mouse comes down to your personal preferences. The first thing you’ll want to consider is your preferred grip style: palm, claw, or fingertip. Generally, a bigger mouse is a better choice for palm grips while lighter and smaller mice are better suited for fingertip grips, although it varies mouse-to-mouse so it's worth reading detailed reviews. Do you like having a more ergonomic feel with deep-set grooves for your thumb and pinky to help hold onto the mouse? Does using something super lightweight matter more for when you’re whipping the mouse around during clutch moments in Counter-Strike 2? For me, I gravitate towards the latter since I’m most comfortable with a claw grip.

Some mice are ambidextrous/symmetrical, which should work just fine for right-handed users while giving lefties out there a viable option, but watch out because a lot of symmetrically shaped mice still have the buttons positioned for right-handers.

Button feel is a tough thing to suss out when researching mice, but I make it a point in my mouse reviews to determine the squishiness or springiness of mouse clicks since that’s an important factor for both comfort and performance. Manufacturers tend to differ on the kinds of switches used from mouse to mouse, but the more firm and tactile the clicking feels, the better, since it helps with rapid firing in shooters or repeated clicks in MMOs/MOBAs.

Another feature that’s become standard is programmable side buttons. Most mice offer two around the thumb area, but they come in all shapes and sizes. Comfortable positioning and being easy to actuate in a moment's notice are things we account for when determining whether or not a mouse’s side buttons are good. You may also be interested in mice that go the extra mile with additional buttons, such as the ergonomic-minded Logitech G502 or the MMO/MOBA powerhouse that is the Corsair Scimitar Elite – they’re nowhere near as nimble as other mice, but that’s the compromise they make to offer those unique benefits.

Another variable to account for is the sensor, which tracks movement. Almost every brand name gaming-grade mouse today is equipped with an accurate and fast optical sensor that’s more than enough to line up shots in a competitive shooter. A higher maximum DPI (dots-per-inch, which is one variable that affects sensitivity) used to be shorthand for a mouse’s performance ceiling, but it has gotten to the point of diminishing returns.

What’s the deal with high polling rate on gaming mice?

Gaming mice come standard with a 1000Hz polling rate nowadays, which means your mouse updates your PC with movements and inputs every millisecond (1 ms). That’s plenty fast for most gamers, but a recent trend born out of the esports world is equipping mice with higher polling rates – up to 8000 Hz. Nowadays, most high-end mice offer polling rates of 1000Hz, 2000Hz, 4000Hz, and 8000Hz. It’s technically impressive, but does it really affect performance? It can, under specific circumstances.

* General range using the Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed as an example.

Polling rate doesn’t necessarily reduce latency, rather it increases the frequency at which your mouse movements are read. This can lead to an increase in smoothness since your PC is picking up and tracking the more incremental movements. Basically, polling rate is the measurement of how often the mouse sends data to your device (see chart above).

However, you won’t be able to actually reap the benefits if the rest of the input pipeline isn’t up to snuff. Two things to keep in mind are the resolution you’re playing at and the refresh rate of your screen. With higher pixel density (and screen space), the more those incremental movements matter. But also, higher refresh rates (such as 144 Hz and above) are important too. To benefit from those high refresh rates, your PC needs to be powerful enough to produce the high frame rates to match. In other words, there’s a lot that goes into PC gaming before you can start to notice the advantage of a mouse’s higher polling rate.

Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions have picked Aquaman actor Jason Momoa to star in their upcoming Helldivers movie.

As reported by Deadline and confirmed by Sony, the action film regular is now set to lead the adaptation of Arrowhead Game Studios’ popular video game franchise. With the casting update comes news that Sony is charging forward in hopes of dropping into theaters November 10, 2027.

The Secretlab Presidents Sale has officially commenced and with it are a couple of different promotions that are running concurrently (some are stackable). For starters, you can save up to $139 off across Secretlab's lineup of Titan Evo gaming chairs and Magnus gaming desks, including themed editions from One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Star Wars, Demon Slayer, and more. Secretlab's highest-end gaming chair, the Titan Evo Nanogen, has also ben discounted.

In addition to these instant discounts, you can get extra tiered savings by hitting a certain order amount for each category. These should be stackable with the instant discounts, although some themes are excluded.

• Extra $40 off Chair orders of $850+ with code "SLEV-MINCPRES26"
• Extra $50 off Desk orders of $1,489+ with code: "SLEV-MINDPRES26"
• $100 off all orders of $1,999+ with code: "SLEV-MINSWPRES26"

Finally, Secretlab's Genshin Impact themed gaming chairs gets some love of its own. The Ninguang and and Xiao inspired gaming chairs are on sale as well, to coincide with the Lantern Rite event that's going on right now in-game.

Save $50 off Secretlab Titan Evo gaming chairs

The Titan Evo is Secretlab's most iconic and best selling chair. Over 70 different styles are currently on sale, with prices ranging from $529 to $634 after a $50 off instant discount across the entire lineup. It's available in small, medium, and large sizes, which is great for smaller people because most gaming chairs sold here in the United States are huge. Discounted upholstery optioins include Neo Hybrid leatherette and SoftWeave Plus fabric.

Signature features include a solid steel frame with aluminum wheelbase, firm and supportive cold-cure foam upholstery, adjustable four-way lumbar system, full length backrest with 165 degrees of recline, full metal 4D armrests with magnetically attached PU cushions, and a memory foam headrest pillow. Check out our own glowing Titan Evo review.

Genshin Impact themed chairs see their first discount ever

Actor James Van Der Beek, best known for his role as the title character on The WB teen drama Dawson's Creek, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 48.

His passing was confirmed by his family on his Instagram page with the following message:

"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."

DC K.O. is the latest epic crossover dominating the DC Universe. This storyline brings together dozens of heroes and villains to take part in a martial arts death tournament. The ultimate winner will be crowned King Omega and granted the power to battle the almighty Darkseid. And with the release of DC K.O. #4, we now know the identity of King Omega.

But that's arguably not the biggest development in DC K.O. #4. This issue is also notable for featuring the first real crossover between the regular DC Universe and the Absolute Universe. What happens when Batman fights Absolute Batman? And who is King Omega in the end? Read on to learn more, but beware of full spoilers for DC K.O. #4 ahead!

Issue #4 opens with only four combatants left standing - Superman, Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman, and Joker. Their opponents this time are the Absolute Universe versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, along with a Darkseid-possessed Booster Gold. Darkseid has brainwashed the Absolute heroes to be his personal fighting force, and they waste no time in bringing the pain.

Joker is so taken aback by Absolute Batman that he immediately defects and offers to become Darkseid's fourth horseman. However, that betrayal is quickly canceled out when the regular Batman returns to the battlefield following his surprise defeat in DC K.O. #1. Thanks to the events of the tie-in series DC K.O.: Knightfight, Batman is granted a second chance to fight. The Dark Knight impales Joker just as the Clown Prince of Crime did to him. That leaves the two versions of the DC Trinity to battle it out, while Luthor bides his time.

In other comic book news, find out which series was selected as IGN's best comic book of 2025, and see which comics we're most excited for in 2026.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Toy Fair 2026 is just around the corner, meaning a lot of companies are gearing up to reveal new toys and figures hitting shelves in 2026 and beyond. IGN can offer an exclusive first look at the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles offerings from Super7.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at Super7's newest TMNT Ultimates and Reaction+ figures:

With the TMNT Ultimates line, Super7 has shifted from releasing figures inspired by the classic '80s TMNT toys to focusing on the 2003 animated series. Fans can expect three new 7-inch-scale figures in the next Ultimates wave - Raphael (Road Gear), April O'Neil, and Hun. All three figures are designed to be compatible with a Shell Cycle vehicle and will come with interchangeable helmeted heads.

The TMNT Ultimates figures are priced at $65 each, while the Shell Cycle is $150.

On the Reaction+ front, this marks the first time Super7 will include the TMNT franchise in that long-running line of retro-style figures. Like all Reaction+ figures, these toys are similar in size and style to classic G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero figures and feature similar O-ring construction. The figures are inspired by the 1987 animated series, with this first wave including Raphael, Donatello, Shredder, and a Foot Ninja.

The TMNT Reaction+ figures are priced at $25 each.

Stay tuned to IGN in the coming days for more Toy Fair 2026 coverage. Until then, check out Mondo's latest X-Men: The Animated Series figure and Hasbro's new Marvel Legends reveals.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Crunchyroll has revealed that Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc will arrive on the anime streaming service this spring. In the announcement, Crunchyroll notes that the streaming release will be accompanied by “a range of subs and subs,” but does not confirm specific languages.

While not exactly a concrete release date, the streaming window is relatively soon, offering a boon to fans who didn’t catch one of last year’s biggest anime movies in theaters.

The Chainsaw Man movie was originally released in Japan last September, where it quickly climbed and proceeded to hold on to the #1 spot at the box office for over a full month. The movie's popularity continued to grow after expanding to North American theaters in mid-October, leading to a global box office haul of over $162 million.

This success is one of many that contributed to a record-breaking year at the Japanese box office; according to The Hollywood Reporter, theaters saw a 32% increase in revenue over the course of the year. Another notable release contributing to the box office excitement was Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which, as of early 2026, is the highest grossing Japanese movie of all time (and a Golden Globes nominee).

In the world of anime movies, this is a relatively quick turnaround for a streaming release, likely a product of the film’s theatrical success. The Chainsaw Man movie also ended up being Letterboxd’s highest user-rated film of 2025, with IGN’s own review highlighting plenty of action as well as "a compelling and hauntingly beautiful romance."

For now, Chainsaw Man -The Movie: Reze Arc is only available to purchase digitally through services like Prime Video. Crunchyroll, which recently increased prices and removed free streaming support, asked fans to “stay tuned for more details for an exact release date, time and languages.” No information has been revealed about a physical release, but it would be reasonable to anticipate one under the Crunchyroll banner.

The first and only Chainsaw Man movie so far is a direct sequel to the anime’s first season, which we gave a solid 9/10. Season 2 is currently in development, and is expected to pick up right after the movie's conclusion with the Assassin’s Arc from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original manga. No release window has been announced.

Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn't following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.

Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski has railed against the addition of AI tools into creative processes, as he prepares to launch a new sci-fi comedy featuring a rogue artificial intelligence as its villain.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die arrives in theaters this Friday, February 13 as Verbinski's first movie in eight years. Sam Rockwell stars as a time traveller who seeks help in the present day from a group of quirky diner customers, in order to stop an AI threat in the future.

Discussing the movie's AI villain character with The Hollywood Reporter, Verbinski said he wanted to create an adversary that wasn't "HAL 9000 or Skynet" but an AI that was worse because "it wants you to like it" — similar to the wave of seemingly-helpful AI bots and tools being injected into everyday apps and software today.

"So much of what AI has initially been focused on is how to keep us engaged. What do we buy? What do we consume? More importantly, what do we hate?" Verbinski said. "We're writing our worst attributes into its source code, and it's generating so much stuff back into the internet that it's starting to drink its own piss."

Verbinski said he'd been in meetings with movie executives where he's been told the future of film-making is using AI to make movies for cheaper, and as a "tool" he should use. "They're very fast," he said of discussions where this topic has come up.

"Why is AI helping me write a song or tell a story?" he continued. "I don't want it to breathe or f*** for me; I want it to solve cancer. Send some shit through a black hole; do something that we can't do. Or dig a ditch; do the shit we don't want to do. Why is it coming after the stuff that we essentially need to do to be human beings?"

Mummy fans, you’ve got a lot going for you right now. Lee Cronin’s take is dropping trailers and visuals left and right, and the film is set to be released in just over two months. On top of that, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are returning for a sequel to the beloved 1999 adventure film — and we now have a release date for that project.

According to the official release calendar for Universal Pictures, the fourth installment in The Mummy franchise — which currently has no official title just yet — will hit theaters on May 19, 2028. It’s a ways away, for sure, but at least there’s a date on the books!

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, two of the members of the directorial collective and production company Radio Silence, will serve as directors on the project. By now, you know these guys well; they’ve directed two of the three most recent Scream sequels, both 5 and 6, and both Ready or Not and its sequel film, which is hitting theaters at the end of next month. They also made one of the best V/H/S segments to date, the finale segment of the original film titled “10/31/98.”

David Coggeshall, the writer behind Orphan: First Kill, will write the script for the upcoming Mummy sequel film — and it seems as though the plot of the next movie will be fulfilling a dream for Fraser himself.

"The one I wanted to make is forthcoming," he explained to The Associated Press back in November. "And I've been waiting 20 years for this call. Sometimes it was loud, sometimes it was a faint telegraph. Now? It's time to give the fans what they want."

"The one I wanted to make was never made," he also noted, revealing of the third installment, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: "the third one was a model of… how can I say this to the AP reporter? NBC had the rights to broadcast the Olympics that year. So they put two together and we went to China."

After The Mummy was released in 1999, the first sequel titled The Mummy Returns debuted two years later in 2001. The third film premiered in 2008, though Weisz did not return for it and was replaced by Maria Bello. Thankfully, though, she’s back and it's hoped she and Fraser will bring the heart and charm of the original right back to this beloved franchise… in 2028, that is.

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

Crime 101 opens in theaters on Feb. 13.

A few minutes in to Crime 101, with the streets of Los Angeles whipping by, a tense, thudding soundtrack gnawing at you while carefully laid plans are set up with unassuming close-ups only to be paid off in full-circle moments, you might start to think that you’ve seen this movie before. If you find yourself enjoying the cross-cut montage of the main characters crossing paths on the 101 and the evocative LA-at-night atmosphere, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong in feeling a little deja vu.

Like an entry level college course from which the film takes its name, Crime 101 is proficient in all the right elements of a heist movie. Director Bart Layton and the stacked cast led by Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Halle Berry do what they can to take some chances around the periphery, veering from the formula in a few interesting ways. But like a high-end thief who strays from his MO, the movie ultimately pays for it in the end.

Crime 101 doesn’t actively do anything bad. In fact, the film tries to do a handful of interesting things, but only does each of them half as well as it could have with a little more focus. The pull of familiar heist movie tropes, the cat and mouse of Heat or the “one last score and I’m out” of… well, Heat again, proves too strong and too thoroughly reproduced in Crime 101 for the variations to comfortably fold in. It all adds up to a pretty standard heist flick featuring some flourishes to the formula that feel more out of place than like a creative riff on the genre.

For example, Chris Hemsworth’s Mike Davis is an awkward, almost cripplingly shy man who, at times, seems to be neurodivergent. It’s definitely a departure from Thor or any number of the comedic supporting roles he’s shone in over the years. He’s a charismatic presence on screen no matter who he’s playing and his performance here works in the moments where he struggles to connect with a would-be love interest or when he scrubs himself down before a job to avoid leaving DNA evidence behind. However, the characterization gets a little lost when he shows no compunction about car chases or shaking down insurance executives.

Mark Ruffalo’s Detective Lubesnick and Halle Berry’s broker Sharon, even Hemsworth’s thief, all suffer under the unjust treatment of awful bosses and the same dead-end sense of futility. Both Sharon and Detective Lubesnick wear the bitterness well, but are dismissed by their superiors in ways that are equally frustrating and formulaic. The trio also share a clarity as to who the real villains are in their world, leading to no small amount of Robin Hood style class warfare, with the film dipping a toe into a thread of wealthy white people buying and hoarding Black and Native American art while stopping short of a proper eat-the-rich kind of theme.

The real problem is none of this is allowed to be what the movie is “about” because Crime 101 is so determined to fall in line with the crime thriller genre that the flourishes feel more like bugs than features.

On the upside however, Barry Keoghan is an energetic little blast of a character. His version of the dangerous wild card thrown into the mix brings a rabid energy to the proceedings. He’s desperate to prove himself, bouncing back and forth between a skilled criminal and a clear psychopath.

Nick Nolte (now with 100% more gravelly-voice) does his thing as the elderly fence / father figure to Mike, but doesn’t get much else to play with outside of what the elderly fence / father figures usually get to do in movies like this.

Frankly, one of the real highlights is a one-and-a-half scene cameo. Jennifer Jason Leigh, in her screentime with Mark Ruffalo, helps make a tragic scene grounded and hilarious as an argument erupts about how much of a “beach guy” Lubesnick may or may not be. As far as scene partners go, they’re a pair I’d love to see more of.

By the end of the movie, though, the scales are tipped toward familiar crime movie tropes as opposed to the variations on the pattern. There are interesting ideas at play throughout the film that get swapped out like one getaway car for another in service of a plot that’s less compelling than any one of them.

Ultimately, there really isn’t anything wrong with Crime 101. That might be its biggest problem, though.

February 27 is Pokémon's big 30th anniversary of its original launch in Japan, and while details are slowly trickling in on how Nintendo and Game Freak plan to celebrate, TIME Magazine is already getting into the spirit.

The 96-page special edition issue of the magazine is coming out with three different covers, each featuring iconic pocket monsters from over the year - one cover depicts Mega Charizard X, one has Lugia and Ho-Oh, while the third shows off Rayquaza. You can purchase any of the three covers for $14.99 each on Amazon now.

Oscar-nominated racing blockbuster F1 is getting a sequel, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has now confirmed.

Speaking to BBC News today, Bruckheimer confirmed he was "working on a sequel," though did not share further detail on a filming schedule or plans for a release. It's unknown, too, whether F1 star Brad Pitt will return for the second film.

The quick confirmation comes as something of a surprise, just days after executives from both F1 and Apple TV hinted at the possibility of a F1 follow-up while simultaneously suggesting that any public confirmation was still a year away.

"Stay tuned," said Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali at an Apple TV press event last week. "We're going to tell you something more in the future. Never say never. But we need to digest more the success of this movie because it was something unique. And if you want to think of a new one, it has to be really, very, very good. Therefore, if this will happen, it will not be for next year. But maybe next year we're going to be here, and hopefully we have something more to announce."

Bruckheimer, who apparently didn't get that memo, today said he planned to be involved again — including in casting decisions. "I never worked with Brad Pitt before and it's really a thrill to work with Brad," he added, without confirming whether the Fight Club, Ocean's 11 and Troy star had yet been tempted back on board for the sequel.

Work on F1 2, or whatever it gets called, seems to still be in its early stages — and that's not surprising, considering the fact that the first F1 is still to see out its award season. Released last summer, the movie earned $630 million at the global box office and garnered four Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects.

"F1: The Movie follows the sports movie playbook almost perfectly," IGN wrote in its F1 movie review, "finding ways to be just that much better at nearly every stage of its 156-minute runtime – creating a super fun racecar flick in the process that eventually finds its way to victory lane."

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 lengthy, 60-plus minutes Sony State of Play is heading our way this Thursday, February 12, and promises new looks at “third-party and indie games headed to PS5, along with the latest from teams at PlayStation Studios.” So, what upcoming games can we expect to see fresh reveals for and gameplay of? Well, here’s what we think is likely to show up, as well as a few out-there guesses.

Exclusives

Seeing as it's shaping up to be PlayStation’s biggest game of 2026, you’d perhaps have expected Wolverine to show up in Thursday’s stream. Well, a late spanner has been thrown into the works via Insomniac’s official X account, which claims that we won’t be seeing any more of its latest Marvel game until “Spring 2026”. Last time I checked, February was in Winter, so maybe we’ll have to wait a little longer.

Spring 2026.

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) February 10, 2026

At the last State of Play, back in September 2025, Insomniac Games gave us a first look at Marvel’s Wolverine in action. As one of Sony’s tentpole releases for this year, it certainly wouldn’t be a shock to see some more X-Men gameplay, as well as perhaps a release date for Logan’s latest adventure. Could we also catch a glimpse of Daredevil, who has been teased to be making an appearance, too?

PlayStation Studio’s first big exclusive of the year comes in the shape of Marathon, Bungie’s extraction shooter, which will be looking to emulate the success of last year’s Arc Raiders. It’s been a bumpy road for the Destiny developer, such as a plagiarism scandal and poor reception to its alpha, but this week’s State of Play will be one of the last chances for it to convince players to hop into its world on March 5.

Later in Spring, we have Saros, Housemarque’s follow-up to Returnal, which will be dropping on April 30. We’ve seen it pop up regularly on recent State of Play streams, and it would make perfect sense to see it here, too, seeing as we’re only 10 weeks away from launch.

Another PS5 console exclusive is Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, the upcoming superhero fighting game from Guilty Gear Strive developer Arc System Works. Due for release this year, the flashy-looking fighter suffered from an unfortunate leak earlier this week that revealed a few key details about the game, such as the size of its roster. It would not be a shock to see some of this information officially confirmed as fact on Thursday.

PS5 console exclusive Phantom Blade Zero is a hotly anticipated wuxia action RPG coming from Chinese developer S-Game. The lead character is called Soul, so you can probably guess what genre this project borrows heavily from, too. It’s all looking very impressive, and maybe we’ll get yet another look at it in action this week ahead of its September 9 launch.

Then there’s the freshly revealed Horizon Hunters Gathering, yet another spin-off of the mechanical monster-hunting series created by Guerrilla Games. A 3-player live-service co-op action game, it's getting its first playtest at the end of this month, so, again, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we were to get a further look at some gameplay in this State of Play.

Unveiled at The Game Awards, 4:Loop is a PS5 and PC exclusive that appears to infuse some roguelike elements with the co-op shooting of games like Helldivers and Left 4 Dead. That makes more sense when you consider that Left 4 Dead creator Mike Booth is behind the project, working with Bad Robot Games, the video game wing of film director J.J. Abrams' production company. No release date has been given yet, but playtesting will start soon, with maybe a timing for that revealed at this State of Play.

One exclusive that we don’t think is coming this year, but would certainly love to see more of, is Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The Last of Us and Uncharted studio’s upcoming sci-fi action-adventure has gone very quiet since its initial reveal back at the 2024 Game Awards. So, is it time for a deeper look into what this new world has to offer? Let’s hope so.

As for what the other PlayStation Studios are up to, your guess is as good as mine, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expect one or two surprise reveals or updates. This State of Play stream is over an hour long, after all, so surely there’s something brand-new in there? Perhaps a look at the next project from God of War developer Sony Santa Monica, or a look into the world of Ghost of Yotei: Legends from Sucker Punch? Maybe the time is right for a first sighting of Gran Turismo 8, or an update on the development of Haven Studios’ Fairgames — if we don’t see this one soon, we’ll really start to get worried about it. Then there are two of Sony’s most creative studios, Media Molecule and Team Asobi. We’ve certainly been waiting a lot longer for a follow-up to Dreams than we have Astro Bot, but you never know what’s been going on behind those doors...

Multiplatform

Will we see GTA 6 at this Sony State of Play? No. I will eat my whole fist if we do.

There are a fair few other exciting games that we wouldn’t put body parts on the line for in terms of their likelihood, though. Resident Evil Requiem is imminent, so now seems like as good a time as any to show us one last slice of Leon Kennedy action before the big day on February 27. Sticking with survival horror, Konami has curiously announced a Silent Hill stream will be taking place just two hours after the State of Play. Is this a signal that a more in-depth look at a new Silent Hill game will be at that show, following its reveal just minutes prior as part of PlayStation’s stream? Perhaps this week is when we’ll see Bloober Team’s remake of the original in the series, or – more likely – our first proper look at the Annapurna-published Silent Hill: Townfall, which was first announced in 2022 and has been MIA since.

Back at Capcom briefly, and you can likely expect to see something from one of, if not both, Pragmata and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Final Fantasy 7 remake director, Naoki Hamaguchi, recently teased that Square Enix will “share more updates than ever before” about the project this year. Does that mean a potential reveal of the third part in the modernised RPG trilogy will happen at this State of Play? Or could we get an Intergrade-style bridging chapter as DLC for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

But, before we get too sidetracked, let’s stick with games closer on the horizon, such as Hitman developer IO Interactive's 007 First Light, and Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight from Warner Bros. Games. Both are coming this May, and their respective developers could share further info on Thursday. Before those, though, March will bring with it Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss’ ambitious open-world action-adventure that looks set to push the PS5 to its limits. No stranger to a trailer, we can likely expect it to turn up here, too.

As for later in the year, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra recently shifted out of its original window of early 2026 to “beyond early 2026”, so your guess is as good as mine as to when we’ll be playing Amy Hennig’s Captain America and Black Panther in World War 2 story. Legendary PlayStation hero Lara Croft will be returning in a “reimagining” of her original game, titled Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and Finnish developer Remedy is back with another entry in its connected universe, Control: Resonant. Also announced at The Game Awards was the pleasantly surprising Star Wars: Galactic Racer from the makers of Burnout and Need For Speed that is scheduled to drop in 2026. All of these are possibilities.

As for indies, outside of the announcement of a PS5 version of Hades 2, there are a few destined for PlayStation that I’d personally love to see more of on Thursday. Namely, Beethoven & Dinosaur’s coming of age story Mixtape, old-school cartoon-inspired shooter Mouse P.I. For Hire, and Japanese convenience store sim inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories.

What game are you most looking forward to seeing more of at this week’s Sony State of Play? Let us know in the comments!

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Amazon's been a great place to find discounts on video games lately. Hidden among the retailer's selection of PS5 deals at the moment is Battlefield 6, which has dropped to $39.88 (see it here). It's not just the PlayStation version that's seen a price drop, though. Xbox fans can also scoop up it up on Series X for the same price (see it here).

Overall, this is a 43% discount for each platform, which is some great savings to make a move on. According to price tracker camelcamelcamel, it's also just a few dollars away from both PS5 and Xbox Series X's lowest price at the retailer of $35, so why not grab it now if you've been itching to drop in?

Battlefield 6 (PS5/Xbox Series X) for $39.88

Playground Games gave us a first look at gameplay from its Fable reboot earlier this year in January’s Xbox Developer Direct, and among its viewers was the series’ original creator, Peter Molyneux.

IGN recently spoke to the former Lionhead Studios developer in anticipation of his new God game, Masters of Albion, and took the opportunity to ask for his thoughts on what he saw from this new incarnation of Fable.

“When I was watching the Fable trailer, I just felt myself tearing up”, reveals Molyneux. “I know that I could probably be slaughtered for saying that, but I am someone who cries frequently, and I felt incredibly emotional, and the reason I felt emotional was: F*** me. This thing that we created, it's going to live, it’s going to carry on. This world, which we loved creating so much, and other people loved, has a life.”

“And for me, the saddest thing would be to see it diminish, which is one of the reasons I'm really going back to God games. So that was the overall emotion. I thought it was really smart of them to retell Fable 1 rather than have the burden of continuing the Fable story. I loved seeing some of those references. I thought it was super smart to have the kid’s family turn to stone. I thought that was really smart. And so those were all the plus points.”

But… there’s always a but. Although there was plenty that the series’ original creator enjoyed in Playground’s grand unveiling, it didn’t completely hit the nail on the head for Molyneux — with the game's tone and visual design not quite to his tastes.

“I mean, if I was critical, which I think you want me to be, there was a slight antiseptic feel about it," Molyneux states. “But I mean, they've got months and months to build in that character and almost that dirtiness that you want in the world. I never thought Fable as being clean and all the angles being sharp and defined. It's more chaotic. It's more what Old England probably used to be, which was not straight lines, the place, it's more crinkling, and all the buckle belts on people are ridiculously large, and the boots and the hands ridiculously large because that is part of the character. So there’s a little bit more of that character, which I would probably foolishly and ridiculously ask for.”

But these minor quibbles with the current aesthetic certainly aren’t getting in the way of Peter looking forward to getting his hands on it when it arrives later this year. When asked if he plans to play Fable, he replied: “Absolutely. For sure. Not as someone looking for the flaws and faults, but as someone who truly loves and adores that universe.”

I, too, cannot wait to jump back into the fairy tale world of Fable. You can check out all of the latest updates on Playground’s upcoming fantasy RPG here, including how it plans to utlilise a surprising storytelling technique from The Office, and how you’ll be able to marry each and every one of its 1,000 NPCs.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Masters of Albion, the new God game from 22cans, may well be “the culmination” of legendary developer Peter Molyneux’s career to date, but we may not see its end for many years to come — due to it being the first part of a planned trilogy.

“So this is an epic,” Molyneux tells IGN. “We are thinking about three epic chapters, I suppose you'd call them. Then what we'll be releasing into early access will be chapter one, and it's going to take us quite a few years to get to chapter three.”

“But this chapter one, it has a story. It starts as a classic story of a hero coming and finding his power. There was an adversary who was doing something awful. There was a confrontation. It's a classic. This first chapter is a classic beat of that narrative story. There's going to be love, loss, hate, and betrayal in that first episode of the story. So it is a complete game. We are just thinking bigger rather than, right, this is the game. That's it. We've always been thinking about this bigger story.”

It’s ambitious, a word that has followed Molyneux around for much of his career, whether that be the technologically driven Project Milo, or the experimental Curiosity – What's Inside the Cube? While some of these projects may not have fulfilled their initial promise, many of the British developer’s games have become favourites over the decades. Not least, Fable, of which Molyneux compares in narrative structure to Masters of Albion.

“If you think of Fable, there was Fable 1,” says Molyneux. “We were always thinking when we were thinking of Fable; right, we want time to move on a lot, and so the next issue of Fable is hundreds of years in the future. We thought of that before we even finished Fable 1.

“Whereas something like Black & White, we didn't really think beyond Black & White 2. So when we came to Black and White 2, that felt a little bit clumsy because there wasn't a continuation. So Masters of Albion will finish on a huge… well, I can't say anything. There is a hint in the gameplay trailer at the very end.”

The best laid plans are all well and good, but Molyneux is also fully aware that for two more chapters of the Masters of Albion series to be made, there needs to be both hunger from its audience, and the financial heft to do so.

“My overall desire is that Masters of Albion just brings joy to people,” Molyneux continues. “And if it brings joy to people and there are enough people, we'll definitely be going forward with Master Albion 2 and 3. But you need money to do this.”

Masters of Albion will be released on Steam on April 22, 2026. Do you plan on playing it? Let us know in the comments below. For more, you can check out more details on the god game, or read about what made watching the new Fable’s gameplay reveal so emotional for Peter Molyneux.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.