The Holidays are approaching, and you know what that means: tanks. Lots and lots of tanks. And to celebrate the season, Wargaming just revealed that none other than Benedict Cumberbatch will be the official Ambassador for the World of Tanks Holiday Ops 2026 event. You can check out an exclusive behind the scenes look at the actor’s appearance in the game in the player above.

Cumberbatch sat down with IGN to dive into his participation in World of Tanks, break down his favorite video games as a kid, and share whether Doctor Strange would beat Doctor Doom in a fight.

“World of Tanks is about as good as it gets,” Cumberbatch says. “My character in the game does much more than just handing out assignments. From the winter garage, he shares bits of life (and) wisdom through stories that inspire players to push forward. There’s also the special Holiday Ops Challenge filled with over 50 battle missions that grant exclusive, customized rewards – including my role as a tank commander with my own voice in the game.”

Cumberbatch follows in a long line of celebrities who’ve participated in World of Tanks Holiday Ops events including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Milla Jovovich, and Vinnie Jones. Cumberbatch says that his favorite tank in the game is the M24 Chaffee, but that all the artillery in the game wouldn’t stand a chance against one of his famous on-screen characters.

When we asked Cumberbatch who would win a face-off between every single tank in World of Tanks combined and Doctor Strange, he scoffed. “Doctor Strange. Come on guys, of course it would be the good Doctor.”

Cumberbatch, who’s appeared in games like The Nightjar, Sherlock: The Network, LEGO The Hobbit, and Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff, says video games were an essential part of his childhood. “It all started with a little Nintendo Donkey Kong Jr.,” Cumberbatch says, “which I was obsessed with, and then Mario Brothers of course. I had an Atari console which I used to remember playing very basic ping-pong with my dad and a rather scary end of days nuclear strike game where you had to intercept intercontinental ballistic missile(s)! I remember how stiff the control sticks were but (they were) all very fond memories and despite the simplicity a great deal of fun.

“I had a SEGA Game Gear a little later on, but apart from that now the console and gaming world kind of left me behind with adult life. At moments like this I wish I could find some time to while away the hours either with a shoot ’em up or strategy-heavy game. Everything that happened (with World of Tanks) was a completely new experience for me - engaging with the video gaming world and its creative side in such an intense way. It’s been fascinating, and I’m excited to see how players will receive it.”

Cumberbatch, who’s known for his appearances in the MCU, on-screen roles like Sherlock and Smaug, and critically acclaimed turns in films like The Power of the Dog, August: Osage County, and The Imitation Game, says he and the Wargaming team recorded hundreds of voice lines to give his character depth and make him “instantly recognizable.”

“Like all things gaming, (World of Tanks is) wild and clever and fast moving. Here I am stepping into a completely new world and exploring a role that’s both grounded in a certain reality that then slowly swirls into magic realism and absurdity via some great comedic beats.

“I’m the virtual commander in World of Tanks, but in the guise of a highly inappropriate therapist. I’m guiding players through the battlefield with a steady hand. My character is eccentric and high-energy but also the embodiment of calmness. He is a tactician and strategist who knows that true strength lies in composure and clarity of thought.”

Beyond World of Tanks, fans are eager to know if Cumberbatch will appear as Doctor Strange in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday. While he’s tightlipped on that possibility, Cumberbatch does have an opinion as to who's the ultimate Doctor in the MCU. When we asked him who would win in a fight - Dr Strange or Doctor Doom - he didn’t mince words.

“I hope Dr Strange!”

The World of Tanks Holiday Ops 2026 event kicks off on December 5, 2025, and continues through January 12, 2026.

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

A wave of speculation among fans of Alan Wake 2 and Control developer Remedy Entertainment has been sparked by the filing of a fresh trademark, just days ahead of The Game Awards.

As spotted by MP1st, a trademark for something named "Control: Resonant" was filed yesterday, November 27, by Remedy's legal firm, Nordic Attorneys at Law Ltd. This, it's stated, is the same group responsible for all of Remedy's other trademarks.

The obvious conclusion here is that Control: Resonant will be the title of Remedy's upcoming Control sequel, which the developer first announced for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S back in 2022. Little else is known about the project, however.

The timing of the trademark's filing raises eyebrows, coming exactly two weeks before this year's The Game Awards broadcast on December 11. And Remedy has gone big at the show before, with a full dance number during the show's 2023 ceremony to celebrate Alan Wake 2.

Of course, there's a possibility this isn't the Control sequel that fans are waiting patiently for. Remedy also has ideas for film and TV adaptations cooking in collaboration with Annapurna Interactive, or this could alternatively be some other kind of spin-off.

But the sense among fans is that now is the right time for Control's full sequel to be revealed, two years after Remedy's last blockbuster game project arrived, and as a statement of intent following the disappointing performance of FBC: Firebreak, the studio's scrappy attempt at a Control multiplayer experience.

IGN has contacted Remedy for more, and will of course be reporting all the announcements from The Game Awards 2025 live.

If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.

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

Amazon first kicked off its Black Friday sale last Thursday, and some of the best discounts went live right away (check them out here). Not all of the discounts dropped all at once, though. Amazon has slowly been including new price drops all week long as competing online stores set their own sales live. And now that we've finally reached actual Black Friday, the final deals have arrived for the 2025 sale. At least until Cyber Monday arrives with more.

There are quite a few new price drops at Amazon today and most of the best discounts are still available. The main exception to that is physical video games at Amazon has been mostly cleared out after the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation sales went live last weekend. I'd recommend just diving into the sale yourself, but I've also highlighted some of the best new deals available starting today.

New LEGO Deals

Amazon has added a bunch of new LEGO sets to its sale today, likely because the actual LEGO Store Black Friday sale starts today. Target has also dropped a new 40% off LEGO sets sale today.

Neither of these can really compete with LEGO's U.S.S Enterprise set launch, but the discounts are still quite good today.

New Book Deals

Amazon has had box sets on sale all week long, but the latest price drops are great new additions. There's a nice mix of fun gift sets for kids, like the Where's Waldo Ultimate Collection, as well as giant Lord of the Rings tomes for the more adult crowd. If you're looking for a good gift for a reader in your life, I'd suggest checking these out. Many of these are also eligible for Amazon's "3 for 2" sale on movies and vinyl as well.

Top Amazon Black Friday Deals Today

Both the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft have dropped to the lowest prices we've seen all year as well, making it a great time to pick up one of the best reading tablets if you don't already have one. Amazon is also running a $0.99 for three months deal on Kindle Unlimited subscriptions as well, but the discount is only available for those who haven't recently had a subscription.
And if reading isn't really something you have time for right now, the classic Audible deal has returned and you can get that service for only $0.99 per month for the first three months. I'd definitely recommend trying that out, even to just listen to the new full-cast Harry Potter Audiobook, which I thought was actually really good.