There are a lot of different versions of the Harry Potter books. There's the original hardcovers, paperbacks with stencilled edges, and even a full-on Hogwarts trunk filled with the books you can buy. If you're looking for a gift to buy the Potter fan in your life while there's still time before Christmas, it can be a little overwhelming to decide exactly what set of books is worth purchasing for their collection. If you're buying for someone who has already read the entire series multiple times over, however, I'd suggest going with the illustrated editions that Amazon currently has in its buy 2, get 1 free book sale once again. This is the same exact deal we saw during Black Friday book sales this year, so it's definitely worth checking out.

Surprise, surprise, though, there are actually two different illustrated editions to choose from in this sale! There's the larger hardcovers (illustrated by Jim Kay) and the interactive illustrated editions (from MinaLima). Of the two, only the interactive illustrated editions are all included in Amazon's promotion.

Harry Potter Interactive Illustrated Edition Sale

Amazon's buy 2, get 1 free sale is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is add three items to your cart and the least expensive of the three will be discounted from the final price at checkout. Since there are currently four of the illustrated interactive editions available, you'll need to choose which three to add to your cart to get the discount. Whatever you choose, you'll be looking at an additional $21 off by purchasing three at once. Since each of these books is already reduced in price, that comes out to $89.90 for the full collection of four if you buy them all at once.

As you may have noticed, only the first four books in the series have gotten the interactive illustrated treatment so far. The first three books feature illustrations and papercraft from MinaLima while the Goblet of Fire was taken over by Karl James Mountford (Illustrator) and Jess Tice Gilbert (Designer). This discrepancy between artists is due to MinaLima announcing that she wasn't going to continue with the project. The most recent edition, The Goblet of Fire, was the first new book in this line of special editions since 2023 and was released a only two months ago in October 2025. The change in artists means that there are still plans to finish giving the rest of the series the same treatment in the coming years.

What is the "Interactive" element of these illustrated editions?

I actually own all of the MinaLima editions and have had the chance to read through them myself. The interactive element here refers to papercraft hidden within the pages. These are essentially illustrations that spin, open up, or can be played with in some way. It actually makes for a really fun experience as you make your way through the story. The only issue I've had with it is that it's not really meant to be used too heavily. The paper elements are obviously quite fragile and this isn't a book that you're supposed to be reading over and over again. As a collector's item and an occasional read, however, they are pretty cool. For an idea of what to expect you can check out some of the interactive elements featured in my copy of The Sorcerer's Stone.

Is Now the Best Time to Buy These Books?

Right now, this is the best deal on these books anywhere. It's certainly possible that prices could drop further before Christmas, but it's unlikely that this buy 2, get 1 free promotion will still be around by then as they usually only last about a week. This is the same exact deal we saw during Black Friday deals this year, so it's as good as it's going to get unless Amazon drops a surprise discount.

Amazon's "3 for 2" sale offers a unique opportunity to save on the entire collection. Even if Amazon further discounts the individual titles, you'll most likely end up saving the same amount as you would purchasing now while the promotion is on. This type of deal is especially great for buying full collections at once and these Harry Potter books are the best deal in the whole sale for doing just that.

West Coast fast-food chain In-N-Out will no longer call for order “67” after the nearly inescapable viral 6-7 trend became overwhelmingly popular in its stores.

If you’ve been online anytime in the last few months, there’s a good chance you’ve heard references to 6-7 at least six or seven times. It’s an uncomplicated gag that’s been especially popular amongst younger audiences on TikTok and usually involves simply moving one’s hands up and down while repeating 6-7 over and over (and over) again.

@epic38603 . #fyp #67 #innout #trending #foryou ♬ original sound - joe_rdan

There’s no limit to where the incomprehensible meme may appear, but restaurants that divvy out customers’ orders by assigning them a specific number have been impacted more than many others. In-N-Out may be the most notorious hub for 6-7 activity, with the store sometimes crowded with an audience not only ready to celebrate when the number is called but groan when any other number is said over the speaker.

Viral videos, which have amassed millions of likes on TikTok alone, likely contributed to the uptick in memes at the burger joint, but In-N-Out has had enough. Reddit user luckycowgirl_1 posted about the potential removal of order 67 nearly two weeks ago, with many others chiming in with their own comments, suggesting the infamous number won’t be showing up in any In-N-Outs anytime soon.

An employee at a Los Angeles location also confirmed to People that order 67 has been completely removed from its system. It’s a move that seems to stem from the disruption the 6-7 meme has caused, with the same employee adding that order 69 has been pulled for good measure.

@stopsignpros #InNOut ♬ original sound - stopsignpros

While In-N-Out opts out of the 6-7 craze, others have taken the opportunity to double down on a meme that just won’t seem to go away. Rapper Skrilla said in October that his hit song Doot Doot (6 7), which helped spawn the meme, is set to be featured in next year’s Grand Theft Auto 6. Wendy’s even dipped its toes in the 6-7 waters with a Black Friday deal that saw the fast-food restaurant selling small Frostys for 67 cents.

In the gaming world, Fortnite got a quick laugh out of fans when its explosive Zero Hour event paid tribute to the meme when transitioning from Chapter 6 to 7. Overwatch 2, meanwhile, launched into Season 20 by giving Soldier: 76 a Soldier: 67 emote.

Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty.

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).

Lenovo's most powerful Legion gaming PC is back in stock, but not only that, it's also the least expensive RTX 5090 prebuilt that i can find from any retailer. The Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10 gaming PC equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor and RTX 5090 graphics card is marked down to $3,752.49 after coupon code "EXTRAFIVE".

This is Lenovo's highest-end gaming PC. What's even better about this deal is this system includes 64GB of DDR5 RAM which commands an exorbitantly high price by itself in today's market.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7i RTX 5090 Gaming PC for $3,752

The Nintendo Switch is going out in a blaze of glory, with some exciting games launching to make way for the console's successor, the Switch 2. Whether they’re exclusively developed for the Switch or ported over from other platforms, these upcoming Switch games are wrapping up the Switch era while also being compatible with the Switch 2.

In 2026, we'll hopefully be getting our hands on well-known in-development titles as well as a host of new games announced at the most recent Nintendo Direct. Here are all of the new Switch games we can look forward to close out this year and kick off the next one.

All Upcoming Switch Games With Release Dates

Dunjungle (December 11, 2025)

This side-scrolling 2D roguelite launched in early access back in 2024 and is now make its way to the Nintendo console. Play as a monkey hero, encountering new characters and unlocking new classes in each run across procedurally generated dungeons. No checkpoints here!

Oppidum (December 18, 2025)

This multiplayer survival game launched on PC earlier this year before making its way to Switch. Craft materials and expand your base to help defeat corruption on the island of Insule.

Softly Placed (December 25, 2025)

This wouldn't be a solid Switch list without some cozy gaming. Softly Placed blends cooking, organizing, and pretty much the full range of cozy tasks, with each level offering a new dopamine-filled challenge.

Starsand Island (February 1, 2026)

The coziness continues with Starsand Island, a Starew Valley-esque simulation sandbox game. Escape from the city to harvest crops, go fishing, protect local ruins, and, of course, befriend all your new neighbors in the countryside.

Deus Ex Remastered (February 5, 2026)

Announced at the September State of Play, the iconic action RPG originally developed by Ion Storm is getting a new remaster in 2026, bringing the game to modern-gen consoles. Rick Sanchez didn't hold back the praise in his 9.4 review for IGN back in 2002: "Deep story, awesome graphics, and intense fun. You must play this game!"

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined (February 5, 2026)

Dragon Quest is really going at it with the remakes. It started with HD-2D remakes of the first three games, and now we’re skipping a few installments to go straight to Fragments of the Past. This next ‘revamp’ goes for “Reimagined,” and features a pretty substantial overhaul of the graphics and gameplay from the original JRPG released in 2001.

Blazblue Entropy Effect X (February 12, 2026)

Next up, we're getting an expanded, console version of the Blazblue spin-off originally released for mobile and PC in 2023. The action roguelite sets you on an adventure into the Sea of Possibility with new characters and story additions.

Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse (March 5, 2026)

From PocketPair, Never Grave is a new 2D roguelite where you harness magic powers (as a hat, of course) to journey into the deep, working to help a young witch retrieve her soul. You also have a home base you can build and upgrade into your own little village.

Coffee Talk Tokyo (March 5, 2026)

We finally have a release date for the next iteration of Coffee Talk, a cozy cafe series developed by Toge Productions. Manage a new but familiar cafe while learning more about your human and yokai customers.

Upcoming Switch Games With Unknown Release Dates

There are plenty more Nintendo Switch games in development that don’t have a solid release date yet. Here are some more Switch games we know are on the way:

• Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX - 2025
• The Eternal Life of Goldman - Winter 2025
• Suika Game Planet - Winter 2025
• Witchbrook - 2026
• Professor Layton and the New World of Steam – 2026
• Rhythm Heaven Groove - 2026
• Tamadotchi Life: Living the Dream - 2026
• The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales - 2026
• Danganronpa 2x2 - 2026
• Haunted Chocolatier - TBA

What About Switch 2 Games?

Most upcoming Switch games will be supported on the Switch 2, but we're already seeing announcements of Switch 2-exclusive games. You can check out our full guide on Switch 2 games, but in the meantime, here's some highlights of what you have to look forward to on the new console:

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition - January 15, 2026
• Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition - TBA 2026
• Reanimal - TBA 2026
• Resident Evil: Requiem - February 27, 2026
• The Duskbloods - 2026
• Pokemon Pokopia - March 5, 2026
• Yoshi and the Mysterious Book - 2026
• Mario Tennis Fever - 2026
• Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection - March 13, 2026

Christmas is still over a month away, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying classic Christmas movies right now. And is there anything more classic than Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas? If you're wondering where to watch any of the iterations of the Grinch movies online in 2025, we've got you covered with details below.

Jump to:

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
• Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
• Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018)

How Many Grinch Movies Are There?

There are 3 main Grinch movies that have been made based off the original Dr. Seuss story. First, there's the original 1966 animated classic called How the Grinch Stole Christmas! There's also the 2000 Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas movie starring Jim Carrey. Finally, the most recent 2018 film simply titled: The Grinch. This version stars Benedict Cumberbatch.

There was also an indie film in 2022 called The Mean One that features the Grinch as a horror villain, but we limited this list to Grinch movies with at least some Christmas spirit.

Where to Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

If you're wondering where to watch the original animated Grinch movie, there are a few different streaming options available, but a Peacock subscription is your best bet. TNT and TBS will also start likely air the movie at certain dates and times in December, but those dates have not yet been announced. I'd recommend checking out the TV Guide page for the film a Christmas draws near.

Where to Watch Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

If you're wondering where to watch the live-action Grinch movie with Jim Carrey right now, you can currently stream the film on Peacock. Seeing as 2025 is the 25th anniversary of this movie, there is a new 4K steelbook available to buy if you'd prefer to own it rather than rely on streaming this year.

Where to Watch The Grinch (2018)

If you're wondering where to watch the latest animated Grinch movie, the short answer is that you can't right now as it isn't available with any streaming service. You can choose to rent the film from various platforms for $3.99 or watch it on TV at certain times on FX. There are currently some TV listings for this movie available, but we'll likely start seeing more of them pop up closer to Christmas.

Grinch Movies on DVD and Blu-ray

It's not easy to find the Grinch movies online. If you're a particularly big Grinch fan, or want to make sure you and your family will always have the movie night option, you can check out the (impressively large) quantity of Grinch-related DVD and Blu-ray sets that have been released through the years.

Games Workshop has revived the Siege of Terra: End of Ruin special edition book after scalpers descended upon its pre-orders, forcing Warhammer.com itself offline.

In June, Games Workshop pulled its own website, Warhammer.com, offline after scalpers caused chaos during the launch of pre-orders for the Siege of Terra: End of Ruin special edition book.

Siege of Terra: End of Ruin is an anthology of short stories set during the aftermath of the Siege of Terra and the Horus Heresy. For the uninitiated, the Horus Heresy is the Space Marine civil war that took place 10,000 years before the current Warhammer 40,000 setting. It is the foundation of 40K’s grimdark universe, and reveals how the carrion Emperor ended up on the Golden Throne.

Fresh from receiving a custom piece of artwork showing his fan-favorite character Captain Jack Sparrow in the style of One Piece drawn by the anime's creator, Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp is set to produce and potentially star in an English-language adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita.

The film does not currently have a director attached, but will be produced by Depp’s IN.2 Film alongside producers from Jeanne du Barry, the 2023 film he starred in. The project was announced at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival and is expected to go into production in late 2026, according to Variety.

This is the most recent output in the collaboration between Depp and producer Svetlana Dali, who will work alongside Grace Loh on this project. Dali has executive produced the Depp-starring film World Vision, Jeanne du Barry, and his directorial effort Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness.

An official synopsis for the film, which is based on Bulgakov’s posthumous novel published in the 1960s, reads: “Set between 1930s Moscow, where the devil returns with his talking cat to cause havoc amongst its corrupt citizens, and Jerusalem during the time of Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita tells a fantastical, satirical tale of love, artistic freedom and the eternal battle of good versus evil."

It continues: “A third intertwined story follows a struggling writer and his lover, Margarita, who is willing to do anything to save him from the totalitarian system. What follows is a darkly comic, wildly imaginative tale of inexhaustible energy, philosophical depth, and spiritual rebellion — a work that remains ferociously relevant today and a timeless reminder of art’s power to challenge, illuminate and endure.”

Casting will be announced at a later date, specifically whether or not Depp will actually star in the project. As far as an expected release date, there isn’t any news there just yet, but it appears to be sometime in 2027.

Yep, I found a way to save $15 on Pokémon Legends: Z-A and the Mega Dimension DLC just as the expansion drops, proper legend I am. Not just that, but Woot has gone mad with discounting loads of First Party Nintendo Switch games, many of which have Switch 2 upgrades. More on that below.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

I've also been on the lookout for stocking fillers, and Tomy's Club Mocchi Mocchi Plushies are just awesome. There's a few Mario, Sonic and TMNT ones discounted across the web at the moment, so don't miss those.

Happy Cyberpunk 2077 5th anniversary! There's some very cool colaborations releasing for it too thanks to CD PROJEKT RED, Viture, Corsair and of course Secretlab put their Cyberpunk 2077 Titan Evo Gaming Chair in their holiday sale. Happy days, let's get into it.

Oh yeah, and Skyrim came out for the millionth time on a new console, so turn that Nintendo Switch 2 on:

Allpowers R600 299Wh LiFePO4 Power Station

Allpowers is the most popular power station on brand on AliExpress for good reason: it's generally less expensive than other brands while offering the same features. Even the least expensive power station - the compact R600 - boasts a LiFePO4 battery that lasts at least 10 years before you even need to start worrying about battery degradation. Other features include both AC outlets and USB ports, solar panel hookups, and smart app functionaliy. All of the power stations listed include a 5 year warranty and have plenty of reviews commenting on the responsiveness of their customer service. If you're looking to get the highest capacity at the lowest price possible, Allpowers is legit.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A + Mega Dimension DLC

Haven't played Legends Z-A yet? Well I can save you some money on Switch 1 and 2. Kick things off with the Woot deals on the region free copy for $44.99. If you're playing on Switch 1, just buy the Mega Dimension DLC for $29.99 and you're fixed up for $74.98.

For Switch 2 owners, you'll need to also buy the Switch 2 upgrade pack for $9.99, which brings the total price to $84.98. That's a $15 Switch 1 or Switch 2 savings, you're welcome!

Skyrim: Anniversary on Switch 2

I'd love to say that I found a magical way to knock some money off getting Skyrim for the 15th time, but it would require you to already have the game. Here's how it works, if you have Skyrim Anniversary for Switch 1 already, the Switch 2 upgrade is free. If you have the base version of Skyrim, you need to get the $19.99 Anniversary upgrade that will include upgrading to Nintendo Switch 2.

If you don't have it at all, it seems the only way to get hold of Skyrim Anniversary on Switch 2 currently is buying the full fat digital code. Nintendo Online and all retailers are rocking that $69.99 price tag, so make of that what you will.

Sadly it's still 30 FPS even when docked but it's a night and day difference when it comes to sharp and crisp visuals in a portable form factor. So if you're on Switch 2 and don't have a gaming PC handheld, you'll get a ridiculous amount of mileage from it!

Woot Nintendo Switch Game Sale

If you've got some gaps in your backlog for Nintendo Switch games you've missed, now's the time to top your shelves up. There's plenty of games here with Switch 2 upgrades also, and a lot are either free or included with Nintendo Switch Online. Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild are big ones, with their Switch 2 enhancements locked behind a $10 pass per game or included in Nintendo Switch Online.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has practically been remade thanks to a free Nintendo Switch 2 update, although I don't think Game Freak would have got away with a paid update thanks to the goodwill lost on S&Vs Switch 1 performance issues. We now get a smooth 60 FPS which clocks at 4K when docked, more Pokémon appear on screen and it's a pleasure to play. The dull textures still remain, but it's the fix we were looking for.

Games like Super Mario Wonder will be getting new content and a Switch 2 performance / visual upgrade in January also. Other games will generally run and load a little better, so it's well worth having a look through and checking which titles you're missing.

Club Mocchi Mocchi Plushie Sale

Tomy actually came up with a product to rival Squishmallows when it comes to feathersoft huggage plushies, and I'm a big fan of Mocchi Moochi. It's rare you see discounts this good on them, plus you can pretend you're tucking Super Sonic into bed when you get up in the morning, just expect your bed to set on fire in the process. Sorry, it's still a bargain though!

Cyberpunk 2077 5th Anniversary Gear

I've only gone and found the perfect setup for playing Cyberpunk 2077 on PC! Let's start with Secretlabs TITAN Evo Cyberpunk 2077 edition, which matches the box art perfectly and represents Johnny Silverhands band logo, "Samurai" on the back cover. Awesome right? Both the regular and XL models are on offer, that goes for accessories too.

VITURE and CD Projekt RED have teamed up to bring the most savage set of XR glasses i've ever seen. Limited to 100,000 units, these bad boys project a 152-inch virtual display at 120hz with 1,500 nits of brightness. That's all packed into Sony's latest MicroOLED panels, one for each eye. Forget a gaming monitor or TV, this is a one-stop solution for Street Kids, Corpo and Nomads.

Corsair have shown up and killed it too thanks to a new mechanical keyboard, wireless mouse and massive cloth gaming mouse pad. You can get all three at a discount for $269.99, or you can buy them seperatley. If you can I'd go for the bundle and save nearly $50, but these aren't just gimmicks budget products, they're based on the below Corsair products:

• MM300 2XL Anti-Fray Cloth Gaming Mouse Pad
• K65 Plus Keyboard
• M75 Wireless Mouse

Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle

X-Arcade Arcade2TV-XR

Elgato Streaming Gear Sale

The gold brand in streaming and content creation is Elgato, and there's plenty of its high-end gear on sale here such as the power-streamer Stream Deck XL down to $204.99 to one of the best budget-focused condenser microphone options in the $84.99 Wave Neo. Even the Facecam Mk.2 has been knocked down to $126.34, allowing streamers to stop worrying about mirrorless XLR camera setups and have a quality wcamera solution that plug and play. And who doesn't want an Elgato prompter for a marked down $228.99?

Excentric Christmas Gift Deals

So I thought i'd have a bit of fun today with some cool Christmas or White Rabbit gift ideas with some brilliant discounts. I've already touched on Sony InZone wireless earbuds, but they really are the best all-rounder earbuds i've tried in recent memory, and the included USB-C dongle fits in the charger case and is ideal for connecting to PC and PlayStation 5. And they're $42.99 off, bargain.

Saving over $100 on a 300W Kareoke machine with an included 10.1" tablet and wireless microphones is a cracking deal too. Ikario has RGB lighting and hooks up to YouTube or Karaoke app via WiFi for absolute endless banter for house parties this holiday.

Creative might not be the front and center of PC audio like it used to be, but it haven't lost its eye for quality. $69.99 for a soundbar and subwoofer combo is an awesome shout for a gaming setup or smaller home theatre setups.

If you've spotted a loved one forever filming themselves for TikToks or video calling to their friends, the Maono wireless lavalier microphone is USB-C compatible and clips to a users clothes for a pro sound wherever they are.

Stationary cameras are great for keeping an eye on a room in general, but cats and dogs don't like staying still. Enabot EBO Rola PetPal provides 2.5k video and allows owners to roll about the house to check what their pets are really up too. Attachable feeders and cat toys allow for owners to interact with their pets more than ever before and is a great gift for the craszy cat person in your life.

I've been using the HOZO NeoBlade for a while now whilst cleaning up my 3D prints and creative projects. It's an ultrasonic knife that can take different microblades and is rechargable. This bit of kit just makes cutting jobs miles easier of toucher materials with acrylic, PLA, wood and softer metals. I use it to cut supports off my prints and clean up projects, and I can't go back to regular scalpels and blades. Plus this bundle is $10 off and you get a self healing A3 matt.

Switch 2 Games Releasing This Holiday

December is stacked for Nintendo Switch 2. We gave Metroid Prime 4: Beyond a solid 8/10 for nailing the Prime vibe whilst introducing some interesting mechanics and a pseudo open-world sandbox to explore. Considering how long we've been waiting for it, Metroid 4 is a solid comeback.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension DLC drops on Wednesday, which adds a post-game story, brand new Mega Evolutions and new mechanics such as an alternative dimension Lumioise City and Pokémon hitting over the long-standing level 100 mechanic. Insane.

Audible Holiday Sale

Fancy knocking a $14.95 per month subscription to 99 cents for three months? That's what's on offer for Amazon Prime members right now, which can easily be cancelled down before the discount dries if you don't want to continue, win-win.

Whilst Audible Plus, the cheaper membership tier, has 10,000 audiobooks to listen too, Premium Plus has 500,000. Premium Plus members get to pick an audiobook to keep in their library indefinitely too, with 30% off purchasable Audiobooks. Usually this crops up as a free 30-day trial, and these trials are only for new subscribers, so this is the best deal you're going to get.

Mega Evolution Booster Box

Secretlab Holiday Sale

It's no secret that Secretlab is one of the most premium gaming chairs and brands available right now, and the brand tax is real. But straight off the heels of Black Friday, Secretlab have dropped their Christmas Holiday Sale across all the favorites. The super premium Titan Evo Nanogen Edition features a Secretlab-exclusive NanGen Hybrid Leathette seat covering and NanoFoam Composite cushioning for one of the best feeling gaming chairs on the market,

Even the budget-minded Titan Evo Lite has premium features and coldfoam cusioning to make sure you're comfortable all day working and all night gaming. They even do an erganomic recliner add on now, featuring multiple angles of support to keep your legs comfortable for different posture types.

Alienware and Lenovo Gaming PC Deals

It's easy to get carried away with mad specifications on gaming PCs, and if you can afford it that's awesome. But builds like Lenovo's LOQ RTX 5060Ti build has a cracking budget price of $949.99 after using the discount code "EXTRAFIVE", capable of DLSS 4 upscaling and the latest Nvidia AI frame generation. The Ryzen 7 8745HX CPU backs up the 5060 Ti well, making this a lean and mean 1080p gaming monster.

Out of the two Alienware builds, i'd save the money and go for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 build. Both of these builds are going to kill it when it comes to high frame rate 4K gaming, and I simply don't think the extra $350 is worth it for the extra gains of a Core Ultra 9 285K CPU. Of course it's faster and better, but I think the $3,899.99 build is far better value for money.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

Someone has calculated exactly how many hours of recorded dialogue there are in Baldur's Gate 3, a task so unnecessarily large that even Larian Studios hadn't done it before.

As reported by PC Gamer, Everwhite-moonlight put together a spreadsheet breaking down all the dialogue in the game: who spoke it, how long the dialogue is, even how many files they speak in.

This survey results in some interesting facts surfacing: it's unsurprising that the narrator, Amelia Tyler, has the most dialogue at 14 hours, 43 minutes, and 55 seconds. Behind her, though, is Astarion, voiced by Neil Newbon, with 13 hours, six minutes, and 23 seconds. And behind him is Shadowheart, with 12 hours, 25 minutes, and 26 seconds. The smallest amount of dialogue is a many-way tie between numerous NPCs that all have only one second of dialogue, including four different Mind Flayer NPCs. In total, the game contains 236 hours, 55 minutes, and 45 seconds of spoken voice lines.

Every voice actor is catalogued in here, including small lines by random NPCs and even cut dialogue. One mystery that's arisen, per Everwhite-moonlight, is who exactly voices which Giant Rat NPC in the game. "There are four instances of a character named 'Giant Rat,' and there are four actors credited to have played 'Giant Rat.' I have separated the Giant Rat UIDs and could tell they are played by four different people, but I don't know which one is which." Those actors are Akbar Kurtha, Joseph Capp, Leemore Marrett Jr., and Sean Baker. Now we just have to sort out which actor is which rat.

Another fun bit that's surfaced from this is that Larian Studios actually didn't know how much dialogue, time-wise, was in the game. On Twitter/X, Larian boss Swen Vincke shared the news about the finding, saying, "We weren’t really keeping track which I think was for the better."

Vincke did, however, know the word count of the game's script, as we learned back in 2024, saying that Baldur's Gate 3 has triple the word count of The Lord of the Rings, and its cutscene runtime is twice as long as HBO's Game of Thrones. Holy moly.

For lovers of Baldur's Gate 3's particular brand of delightful wordiness, it might be worth tuning into The Game Awards tomorrow, as Larian seems to be teasing a brand new Divinity game for reveal at the show.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

McDonald's has pulled a new ad created entirely with generative AI following a major backlash online.

The 45-second clip was released on the McDonald's Netherlands’ YouTube channel on December 6 — with comments turned off — and was removed from the platform on December 9. It depicted "the most terrible time of the year," and showed increasingly disastrous Christmas fails before suggesting people hide out in McDonald's until January.

Viewers were quick to hit out at the tone and quality of the video, pointing out a number of telltale generative AI signs. One user on social media called the video "god-awful" and "cynical." Another social media user added: "the future is here, and it's not looking good." "If they were going for creepy, depressing, deeply unfunny, clumsily shot, poorly edited, and inauthentic — nailed it!" another said.

McDonald's unveiled what has to be the most god-awful ad I've seen this year – worse than Coca-Cola's.

Fully AI-generated, that's one. Looks repulsive, that's two. More cynical about Christmas than the Grinch, that's three.

I don't wanna be the only one suffering, take a look: pic.twitter.com/lRYODLkkBJ

— Theodore McKenzie (@realTedMcKenzie) December 6, 2025

The message of this ad is “the holidays suck” and it’s solution is to spend as much time in McDonald’s as possible. Forget your friends and family…have a Big Mac.

The song is poorly written, almost certainly written by AI because it doesn’t fit the original rhythm at all and at… https://t.co/MTR2i7XG6y

— The Art of SpongeBob (@ArtofSpongebob) December 8, 2025

The fast food resturant chain issued a statement to BBC News, saying the backlash served as "an important learning" as the company explored "the effective use of AI."

The ad was a collaboration between Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. Melanie Bridge, CEO of The Sweetshop, went on to defend the ad after it was released publicly.

“For seven weeks, we hardly slept, with up to 10 of our in-house AI and post specialists at The Gardening Club [our in-house AI engine] working in lockstep with the directors,” Bridge said, as reported by Futurism. “We generated what felt like dailies — thousands of takes — then shaped them in the edit just as we would on any high-craft production. This wasn’t an AI trick. It was a film.”

She added: “I don’t see this spot as a novelty or a cute seasonal experiment. To me, it’s evidence of something much bigger: that when craft and technology meet with intention, they can create work that feels genuinely cinematic. So no — AI didn’t make this film. We did.”

The people who made the AI McDonald's ad want you to know they put more man hours into it than a traditional production.

Like Coca Cola, in their attempt to prove they worked hard, they've instead shown AI is hard to control, still expensive, and uglier. What's the point again? https://t.co/lXrdO8U8ok

— Reid Southen (@Rahll) December 9, 2025

The McDonald's backlash follows a similar response to Coca-Cola's entirely AI-generated Christmas ad and a similar justification. Jason Zada, founder and chief creative officer of AI studio Secret Level, defended his company’s work on Coke’s Christmas promo. “The haters on the Internet are the loudest. A lot of the people complaining last year were from the creative industry who were just afraid — afraid for their jobs, afraid for what it did. But I think the spot tested really well and average people really enjoyed it.”

Pratik Thakar, global vp and head of generative AI at Coca-Cola, added: “Last year we decided to go all in, and it worked out well for us… Yes, some parts of the industry were not pleased we were using a 100% generative AI film, but that’s part and parcel of doing something pioneering. We understand that concern. But we need to keep moving forward and pushing the envelope. The genie is out of the bottle, and you’re not going to put it back in.”

At the time of this article's publication, the Coca-Cola advert remains live.

The use of generative AI to create videos both commercial and non-commercial is one of the hottest topics in all entertainment. OpenAI’s Sora 2 app, for example, has caused significant controversy after it was used to flood social media with videos containing depictions of copyrighted characters including those from popular anime and game franchises such as One Piece, Demon Slayer, Pokémon, and Mario. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has called Sora 2 videos using copyrighted characters "interactive fan fiction."

And in September, SAG-AFTRA issued a strongly worded statement in response to the emergence of Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated “actress” that has enraged Hollywood.

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

If you hadn’t already heard, there’s a weird, spiky monolith in the Mojave Desert. Adorned with a massive eye-like orb and a legion of demonic creatures, it’s a hint at something due to be revealed as part of The Game Awards 2025. And, following the registration of a few new trademarks, it seems like we already have the answer as to what it is: a brand new game from Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios called “Divinity”.

If you are one of the millions of players who first learned of Larian through the gargantuan success of Baldur’s Gate 3, then the word Divinity may not mean much to you. Fans of the studio, however, will tell you that BG3’s success is rooted in Divinity, a series of six games that Larian worked on almost exclusively between 2002 and 2017. If this monolith and trademark leak really do point towards Divinity, then the Belgian studio is returning to its original fantasy universe… and likely bringing a whole new fanbase along with it.

If such a currently-very-much-hypothetical game would mark your first foray into the Divinity universe, then you may want a quick primer on what to expect. Let us be your guide to Divinity, and be the first to (very pre-emptively) say…

Welcome to Rivellon

Much like how Baldur’s Gate takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons setting of the Forgotten Realms, Divinity has its own rich, original setting: the world of Rivellon. There are broad similarities between the two; both are rooted in Tolkienesque fantasy tropes, with classically styled medieval landscapes and locations. There are multiple races; like in D&D, you can expect to meet humans, elves, dwarves, lizard-like beings, and the living dead. Magic is commonplace in Rivellon, although sorcery is considered more dangerous and is more heavily regulated there than it is on D&D’s Sword Coast.

Like Baldur’s Gate, Divinity also features a number of more esoteric elements, from steampunk to sci-fi and beyond, that make its world a little quirkier than the lands explored in more traditional fantasy like The Lord of the Rings. Rivellon can also often be a very silly place, and the influence of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels has frequently been felt in Divinity’s writing. In fact, Terry’s daughter, Rhianna Pratchett, even wrote a tie-in novella for the second game. But that’s not to say Rivellon is frivolous – there’s a deep vein of fascinating lore that has been mined over the series’ six installments.

In short, Rivellon is the stage for stories similar to those you enjoyed in Baldur’s Gate 3, but is beholden only to Larian’s rules, rather than those set by the owners of Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards of the Coast.

What is Divinity?

Divinity is an RPG series, but its evolution has been far from usual. Take a quick look at each of the six games, and you’ll find at least four different approaches. Divine Divinity, the very first game in the series, and its sequel, Beyond Divinity, are Diablo-influenced action RPGs. Divinity 2: Ego Draconis, meanwhile, is a third-person RPG that feels a little closer to the likes of Dragon Age and The Witcher. Divinity: Dragon Commander is a slightly Total War-flavoured strategy game, and the Original Sin duology – the most recent games in the series – are classic-style RPGs that bear the most resemblance to Baldur’s Gate 3. Larian has experimented wildly over the years, and so there’s no clear indication as to what format the next game in the series will use (although considering the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, the sensible bet would be on something similar).

Another unusual element is its approach to the timeline. While Rivellon does have a coherent history and storylines that are threaded across the series, each game is set years (sometimes even centuries) apart, meaning each one is something of a standalone experience. Similar to how Baldur's Gate 3 demands no experience of the series but has plenty of nods to the two earlier games, you can play Divinity: Original Sin 2 without any experience of its predecessors. I suspect any future game in the series would continue this tradition, especially since Larian now has a legion of new fans who are unfamiliar with the studio’s previous work. If the leaked trademark is to be believed, this new project is simply called “Divinity” – a name that has likely been chosen since it comes with no suggestion that you need to have played multiple other games.

What Does “Divinity” Mean?