Sucker Punch co-founder Brian Fleming is stepping down n the new year after three decades at the studio behind Ghost of Tsushima, Sly Cooper, and Infamous.
According to a post from Sony, on January 1, Jason Connell and Adrian Bentley will step into Fleming's former role as co-studio heads, with Nate Fox continuing his role as co-creative director alongside Connell and Adrian also serving as technical director.
Our deepest thanks and gratitude to Sucker Punch Productions Co-Founder Brian Fleming, who is handing over the leadership reins as the studio begins a new chapter. Starting Jan 1, longtime creative and technical leaders Jason Connell and Adrian Bentley will step into new roles… pic.twitter.com/RvPzJfWHGl
Fleming first founded the studio in 1997 alongside Bruce Oberg, Darrell Plank, Tom and Cathy Saxton, and Chris Zimmerman following a stint at Microsoft. The group went on to start the Sly Cooper franchise, which Sony published. The two companies continued their publishing relationship into the Infamous series in 2009, and after the sequel Infamous 2 in 2011, Sony acquired Sucker Punch. Under Sony, the studio created Ghost of Tsushima in 2020, and most recently followed up with a sequel, Ghost of Yōtei, this past October. With Fleming's departure, only Oberg and Zimmerman of the co-founders remain with the studio.
Connell and Bentley are long-time Sucker Punch veterans. Connell joined the studio in 2010 as a lighting artist and worked his way up to lighting director and eventually creative and art director, and recently co-creative director on the Ghost franchise. Bentley came to Sucker Punch as a programmer in 2004 fresh out of DigiPen Institute of Technology, and has worked there his entire career, moving up to become an engine programmer and later technical director.
Fleming hands off Sucker Punch in what seems from the outside to be a pretty positive state. The studio's had multiple successful games both critically and commercially, with Ghost of Yōtei recently reviewing well (including our own 8/10 score) and selling 3.3 million copies as of November 2. An added New Game Plus mode just released a few weeks ago. It's unclear what Sucker Punch will work on next under Connell and Bentley, or if the Ghost franchise will continue or something new is on the horizon for the studio.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Last month, amid increasing pressure from fans for some information on the game, Howard said The Elder Scrolls 6 wouldn’t be out for some time yet. In an interview with GQ magazine to celebrate the release of Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition, Howard said The Elder Scrolls 6 is “still a long way off,” adding: “I’m preaching patience. I don’t want fans to feel anxious.”
Now, speaking to Game Informer, Howard — who is The Elder Scrolls 6 director and executive producer — and other Bethesda developers issued a more detailed update. Let’s start with Howard, who said of The Elder Scrolls 6:
“It’s progressing really well. The majority of the studio’s on 6, but I’ll say this: we always overlap. So, we’re very used to overlapping development. And we have long pre-productions on things so that we feel good about them. And it’s a process. We all wish it went a little bit faster — or a lot faster — but it’s a process that we want to get right.”
Taking the time to get The Elder Scrolls 6 right is a sentiment shared by studio design director Emil Pagliarulo, who pointed to GTA 6’s high-profile delays as the “smartest thing they could do.”
“What do fans really want?” he asked. “Do they want a game that comes out before it should and doesn’t meet their expectations? Or do they want the turkey that is in the oven for long enough to be delicious when it finally comes out of the oven, you know? That’s what I think people are going to want. So, we’re going to take our time and as long as it needs to be great.”
And finally, studio director Angela Browder hyped up the technological advances that make The Elder Scrolls 6 “this endless set of possibilities that is really, really exciting as a developer, but really, really exciting as someone who really likes to think about how far everything has come in our industry. It’s gonna be dope. It’s dope! [laughs]”
In the GQ article, Howard once again admitted that it had taken too long to get The Elder Scrolls 6 out the door, but did tease a The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered-style shadowdrop — without confirming anything.
“I do like to have a break between them, where it isn’t like a ‘plus one’ sequel,” Howard said of making The Elder Scrolls games again. “I think it’s also good for an audience to have a break — The Elder Scrolls has been too long, let’s be clear. But we wanted to do something new with Starfield. We needed a creative reset.” Bethesda is currently playtesting The Elder Scrolls 6, Howard revealed.
“I like to just announce stuff and release it,” Howard continued. “My perfect version — and I’m not saying this is going to happen — is that it's going to be a while and then, one day, the game will just appear.” The Oblivion Remastered shadowdrop was “a test run,” Howard teased. “It worked out well.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The 1960 film The Magnificent Seven is one of the best known remakes, reimagining Akira Kurosawa’s beloved 1954 classic Seven Samurai as an American western. Now, that Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen remake is getting a whole new remake itself.
Amazon-owned streaming service MGM+ just announced it has greenlit an eight-episode drama series based on the iconic movie. Tim Kring, known for creating the iconic series Heroes in 2006, will write and executive produce the series. Donald De Line, Lawrence Mirisch, and Bruce Kaufman will executive produce alongside Kring, but no other cast or crew announcements have been made just yet.
The series is set to go into production in about six months, in June 2026. MGM+ has also released an official synopsis for the film, which is “set in the tumultuous 1880s American frontier.”
The synopsis reads: “After a peaceful Quaker village is massacred by mercenaries working for a greedy and ruthless land baron trying to force them off the land he covets, seven gifted but flawed mercenaries are hired by the community to protect them from the land baron’s hired guns. But as the team embeds itself in the community, preparing to defend them against overwhelming odds, they are all forced to grapple with an essential question: is the use of violence acceptable to defend a people whose faith is based on non-violence?”
MGM+ added: “The series takes a deep dive into the stories behind each of the Seven; what’s at stake for them, and why they choose to take on this mission. Like the original, this updated take on the classic story explores themes of honor, sacrifice and redemption, focusing on morality, faith, and the cost of courage.”
“Tim Kring is a master storyteller,” head of MGM+ Michael Wright said in a statement. “Tim, Donald De Line, Larry Mirisch, and Bruce Kaufman have crafted a series that delivers the energy of a classic western, honors the legacy of the original film, and reasserts its timeless themes of the power of unity against oppression and flawed heroes finding redemption by helping those who can’t help themselves.”
The 1960 movie — which was released by United Artists, now part of MGM — was such a critical and commercial success, it spawned many iterations over the years: three sequel films, a 1998 TV series, and a 2016 film remake starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. It’s known as one of the greatest westerns ever made and essentially was a game-changer for the genre when it was released.
Variety reports that True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto's adaptation of The Magnificent Seven for Amazon is no longer moving forward, and neither is he involved in this new adaptation.
Image credit: Getty.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
This morning, the news broke that Larian Studios, developer of Baldur's Gate 3 and the upcoming, just-announced Divinity, is apparently using generative AI behind the scenes for things like concept art and placeholder text. The backlash has been swift and loud from the gaming community, and now Larian founder and game director Swen Vincke is responding to clarify his remarks, affirming that Larian is "neither releasing a game with any AI components, nor are we looking at trimming down teams to replace them with AI," and that AI is "something we are constantly discussing internally through the lens of making everyone's working day better, not worse."
The original news comes from a Bloomberg interview with Vincke. In it, Vincke admits that Larian is "pushing hard" [Bloomberg's phrasing] on generative AI, even though it hasn't led to big gains in efficiency. Specifically, the studio is using the technology to "explore ideas, flesh out PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art and write placeholder text." [Bloomberg's phrasing].
Vincke reassures that there won't be any AI-generated content in the final version of Divinity. "Everything is human actors; we're writing everything ourselves." But it sounds like this approach isn't going over smoothly with everyone. Bloomberg's piece acknowledges that some internally at Larian have pushed back, though Vincke says, "I think at this point everyone at the company is more or less OK with the way we're using it."
This news hasn't gone over super well with the community, though. On Bluesky, Larian is being lambasted by a number of individuals across the game development community, including some former Larian employees. "consider my feedback: i loved working at @larianstudios.com until AI," writes Selena Tobin, an environment artist and former Larian employees. "reconsider and change your direction, like, yesterday. show your employees some respect. they are world-class & do not need AI assistance to come up with amazing ideas."
The Divinity and Baldur's Gate 3 communities have a somewhat more divided reaction, with some defending its use for concepting, though there's still a significant amount of backlash. A few commenters have pointed out that games such as The Alters suffered from significant fan anger over discovered generative AI use, but are willing to forgive Larian for the same offense.
In response to this backlash, Vincke has issued IGN a lengthy follow-up response, which we've published here in full:
We’ve been continuously increasing our pool of concept artists , writers and story-tellers, are actively putting together writer rooms, casting and recording performances from actors and hiring translators.
Since concept art is being called out explicitly - we have 23 concept artists and have job openings for more. These artists are creating concept art day in day out for ideation and production use.
Everything we do is incremental and aimed at having people spend more time creating.
Any ML tool used well is additive to a creative team or individual’s workflow, not a replacement for their skill or craft.
We are researching and understanding the cutting edge of ML as a toolset for creatives to use and see how it can make their day-to-day lives easier, which will let us make better games.
We are neither releasing a game with any AI components, nor are we looking at trimming down teams to replace them with AI.
While I understand it's a subject that invokes a lot of emotion, it's something we are constantly discussing internally through the lens of making everyone's working day better, not worse.
Mega K pop band Stray Kids is headed to Roblox. Its SKZOO animal avatars will be performing songs from its new hit album, Do It On the Block Stage between Friday, December 19, and Monday, December 22. All you'll need to access it is a Roblox login, and to navigate your way to the Block, and you'll be in for a Divine experience.
Bookmark The Block now and sign up for notifications at the stage's official site.
How to sign up for a Roblox account to watch Stray Kids
If this'll be your first time navigating Roblox you need to set up a free Roblox account first.
Head to the sign up page and enter your date of birth, a username and a password
Add your gender if you want, this step is optional
You're in - add an email address or phone number for added security measures if you wish
You can customize your avatar by heading to the menu on the left hand side of the Roblox main page - if you head to the marketplace there are already hundreds of ways to get your avatar ready for the event, from Chk Chk Boom emotes to Wolf Chan back packs
When to watch Stray Kids SKZOO in Roblox
The event will run from Friday, December 19, and Monday, December 22, 2025. It's scheduled to start at midnight EST, or 9pm PST. That's 5am on December 20 in the UK. The STray Kids takeover will officially start on December 15, so keep an eye out for special Stray Kids treats.
What to expect from the Stray Kids SKZOO concert in Roblox
Stray Kids SKZOO avatars - animal versions of the band - will perform tracks from the new mixtape album Do It, which was released on November 21, 2025. It's made up of four new tracks, Do It, Divine, Holiday and Photobook. Do It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 earlier this month.
So far not much else has been revealed beyond the timing of the event itself, but we know there'll be at least two different special Badges available. One for taking part in a SKZavenger Hunt to earn a limited edition SKZOO backpack, and another special souvenir for anyone who attends the concert.
If you want to make sure you're ready to celebrate the event in style, check out our Roblox guides and a list of all the latest working Roblox codes. If you're ready to kill some time before the event, check out IGN's dedicated game guides for some of the most popular Roblox experiences. Check out our guides for Grow a Garden, Dress to Impress, Dead Rails, Fisch, and more!
Rachel Weber is the Senior Editorial Director of Games 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, and French Bulldogs. Those extra wrinkles on her face are thanks to going time blind and staying up too late finishing every sidequest in RPGs like Fallout and Witcher 3.
Bethesda has released a December patch for Fallout 4 just in time for the holidays.
In a post on Steam, Bethesda thanked players of its 10-year-old role-playing game for their feedback, which “helped us sort through a few key pain points.”
However, storage expansion on console will have to wait until 2026. “It was a goal of ours to launch storage expansion on console this year, knowing it's been one of the top requests from players,” Bethesda said. “While the team has made progress, we need a little more time to roll this out for console players and will need to wait until the new year.”
Fixed issues with the missing Creations Bundle add-on for Steam
Game now recognizes Creation Club content upon loading a save file from an older build.
Correct warning dialogue is shown when Creations are disabled but not deleted.
General UI/UX Improvements
Improved visibility and interaction in the Category List, fixed overlapping boxes, and ensured button prompts display correctly on all platforms (including ROG Ally and Steam Deck).
Fixed issues with missing or broken UI elements, such as missing button layouts, gallery image enlargement, and empty titles in “My Library”.
Improved sort menu transparency and restored the 'Best Results' sort option.
Addressed keyboard input loss and cursor visibility issues in the Creations menu.
Fixed prompt and navigation issues when rapidly re-entering the Creations Store or using the PS Store overlay.
Creations removed from the storefront can now be individually deleted from the Load Order.
Banner carousel/category rows no longer endlessly scroll when opening the Purchase Credits menu.
Crash & Stability Fixes
Addressed crashes related to downloading all Creations, data reloads, idling in menus, profile sign-out, and leaving the Creations menu (especially on PS4/PS5).
Fixed rare crashes after store purchases, during scrolling/viewing in the Creations menu, and when starting a new game with Creations enabled.
Improved error handling for rapid menu actions and ensured the game no longer hangs on quit.
Ultrawide, Steam Deck, and Platform-Specific Fixes
Workshop menus and reset screens are now optimized for ultrawide and super ultrawide monitors.
Fixed performance hitches and UI alignment issues on ultrawide
Addressed platform-specific issues such as button prompts, misplaced UI
Text, Localization, and Miscellaneous
Apostrophes and other special characters now display correctly in the in-game Creations menu.
Prompt for Anniversary Upgrade now fits correctly in German, French, and Spanish localizations.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
NACON has just announced that Terminator: Survivors has been delayed indefinitely. Moreover, the game will no longer have co-op multiplayer. Plus, it will no longer come out on Steam Early Access. NACON stated that its aim with Terminator: Survivors has been to bring players an authentic and immersive open-world Terminator experience. However, after months of … Continue reading Terminator: Survivors has been delayed indefinitely→
Bethesda has just released the December Title Update for Fallout 4 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table. The Fallout 4 December Update will make the game more stable. It fixes crashes that could happen when downloading Creations, reloading data, waiting in menus, signing out … Continue reading Fallout 4 December Update Released – Full Patch Notes→
High on Life 2 is our IGN First “cover story” game for December, which means we’ve got exclusive coverage all month long. We’ve already posted plenty of new gameplay, and today we’re thrilled to announce one of High on Life 2’s brand-new weapons: Say hello to the Flint Turtles, flame-spitting reptiles who can be wielded like flamethrowers or tossed like fire-belching sentries.
Take a look at some footage of the Flint Turtle in action in the video below, and for more exclusive High on Life 2 coverage – don't miss our first weapon reveal of Travis.
High on Life 2 will be released on February 13, 2026 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S – including launching on day one into Xbox Game Pass.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
As usual, there were a bunch of horror movies to check out in 2025. The genre never has a lack of new contributions, thanks in part to its relatively low bar of entry for up-and-coming filmmakers, as well as to audiences’ never-ending appetite for stuff that will thrill them. Some of these new horror flicks of 2025 were great, some were good, some were just OK, and plenty were, shall we say, not great at all.
Oh, and let’s not forget Stephen King adaptations. The author’s legacy was present on the big screen throughout the year (and the small screen as well with Welcome to Derry), from Osgood Perkins' fun adaptation of The Monkey to Francis Lawrence’s intense The Long Walk and, most recently, Edgar Wright’s non-horror spin on The Running Man.
But what was the best horror of the year? Read on…
Runner-Up: 28 Years Later
It hadn’t actually been 28 years since the last movie in the series (just 22), but the return of director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland, who gave us the original tale of the Rage Virus back in 2003, was certainly a cause for celebration. However, rather than return to Cillian Murphy’s Jim for this sequel, we were instead introduced to a new batch of (wildly different) characters in the strange new world that has evolved since folks started gettin’ angry and spittin’ up blood at each other. As IGN’s Tom Jorgensen said in his review, “28 Years Later is as potent and timely an exploration of cultural strife as the original, and Danny Boyle and Alex Garland tug at the heartstrings with bloody, deadly skill.”
Runner-Up: Bring Her Back
The Philippou brothers, Danny and Michael, may have started as YouTubers, but their 2023 debut feature Talk to Me left an eerie mark on the horror genre. And so their follow-up film was always going to be a “do they really have what it takes” test. And you know what? It turns out they do. The supernaturally tinged Bring Her Back is anchored by Sally Hawkins’ performance as a foster mother who takes in the teenage Andy (Billy Barratt) and his sister Piper (Sora Wong) after their father dies. Not surprisingly, Hawkins’ Laura is not quite what she seems, and the resulting scares, blood, and chills prove that the Philippous are here to stay.
Runner-Up: Sinners
Frequent collaborators Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan reteamed (again) for Sinners, taking a step into the horror genre along the way with a tale of vampires, generational sin, and Black history. The Fruitvale Station/Creed/Black Panther team gave us a picture filled with blood and pointy fangs, yes, but also one packed with emotion and sexiness and, by the way, amazing performances across the board – and in particular by Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers Smoke and Stack Moore. Said Eric Goldman in his review for IGN, “Other frequent Coogler collaborators like cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw and costume designer Ruth E. Carter do remarkable work bringing the brothers’ world to life. Sinners also puts music to beautiful use, as we’re reminded that vampirism is but one way to achieve immortality.”
Runner-Up: Together
Writer-director Michael Shanks made his feature-length debut with this body horror flick about a young couple who, well, learn that being together sometimes means changing… Real-life couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco star as the girlfriend/boyfriend duo who perhaps should actually not be together anymore, but old habits die hard… and sometimes in increasingly horrific, hilarious ways, as Together shows us. Siddhant Adlakha sums it up in his IGN review: “What if you literally couldn’t be separate from your partner? Together answers that question with an obvious metaphor that Alison Brie and Dave Franco turn into a hilarious action-body-horror blast.”
Winner: Weapons
Writer-director Zach Cregger followed up his 2022 hit Barbarian with this creepfest about a town where 17 school children inexplicably all disappeared from their homes at the same moment one night. Told through different “chapters” which relay the various characters’ points of view, Weapons cleverly keeps the audience guessing as to what’s really going on even as our loyalties and feelings about certain characters are subverted: For example, Josh Brolin’s angry dad, who shows up briefly in Julia Garner’s school teacher’s “chapter” to blame her for the kids’ disappearance, comes across as hostile and in the wrong… until we join him in his own chapter and are suddenly on his side.
As with Barbarian, Cregger is willing to delve into the truly weird and surreal. But it works better in Weapons in so far as – without giving too much away if you somehow haven’t yet heard what the film’s twists are – the more supernatural aspects of the story are believable in this world. And they’re also horrifying at times, which is why Weapons is IGN’s Best Horror Movie of 2025!
What do you think? Was Weapons the best horror movie of the year? Should it have gone to Sinners or another of these titles? Let’s talk in the comments, and don’t forget to vote in the poll above. And don’t forget to check out all our IGN Awards for 2025 across film, TV, gaming, anime, and comics!
With the Switch 2 having launched in June, 2025 marked the beginning of a whole new console generation for Nintendo. The more powerful hybrid console has seen an extremely busy first six months, filled with excellent first-party games, surprising third-party ports, and highly-anticipated indies. And even deep into its ninth year, the original Switch provided its players with plenty to do, too, with the long-overdue arrivals of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles X, and a few cross-generation Nintendo games that made it to both Switches.
Nintendo itself published a whopping 16 games in 2025 – spread across new Switch 1 and 2 games and enhanced Switch 2 editions of older games – and along with the higher volume of third-party support brought on by a new console, it’s a crowded field to choose the best of the best from this year. But ranking things is what we do at IGN, so here are the Nintendo Switch games we went bananas for in 2025, starting with the honorable mentions…
Honorable Mentions
Our staff voted for a wide variety of games, but not all of them can make our shortlist of the top five Nintendo Switch games of the year. They still deserve a nod, though, and we start with Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, a Switch 2 launch game for the cozy gamers that combines chill action RPG systems with life sim mechanics. The Pokemon series wasted no time debuting on Switch 2 with Pokemon Legends: Z-A, a cross-generation release in the more experimental Legends subseries. It shook up the formula by introducing a more action-focused battle system in an adventure set entirely within Lumiose City. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was another strong entry in the Zelda spinoff series, with flashy action that remixed Tears of the Kingdom’s abilities in clever ways. And while it arrived too late into the year to have been included in our ballot, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally here, eight years after it was first teased at E3 2017. I reviewed it, and it turned out great, with highs that rival the best moments in the whole series. Now, let’s move on to our four runner-ups…
Runner-Up - Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World had a lot of expectations placed on it. Its predecessor, Mario Kart 8, established itself as the definitive kart racer over the course of the Wii U and Switch years, and it was tough to see how Nintendo would improve upon it in a sequel. On top of that, World was also the flagship launch game for Switch 2, meaning it had the responsibility of leaving a strong first impression of the generation to come. While it feels like Mario Kart World is still living in 8 Deluxe’s shadow, at least for now, it’s still a fantastic game in its own right. It’s a gorgeous showcase for Nintendo’s new console with its vibrant, exaggerated art style, and its tight controls are the most polished of any entry in the series. Plus, its frankly enormous soundtrack is an absolute treat for longtime Mario fans, with catchy remixes of tunes drawn from across the entire franchise, from old Mario Kart games, to platformers like Yoshi’s Island.
The implementation of its open world is uneven overall, but its miles and miles of interconnected roads allow for World’s standout new mode: Knockout Tour. This tense cross-country race eliminates the bottom four drivers at designated cutoff points, leading to moments where you lean forward in your seat and press the A button even harder in an attempt to will your kart across the finish line. It’s a brilliant evolution of Mario Kart that will no doubt be a staple on family game nights for years to come. And we can’t end this without shouting out Cow, the new playable character who stole our hearts.
Runner-Up - Kirby Air Riders
Switch 2’s first-party lineup featured a couple of fascinating risks in its first six months: instead of a 3D Mario, we got a 3D Donkey Kong. And instead of starting work on a new Smash Bros., Masahiro Sakurai instead directed Kirby Air Riders; a surprise sequel to a niche GameCube racer that no one saw coming. Air Riders turned out to be fantastic – Sakurai truly gave the Smash Ultimate treatment to Air Ride – and it’s hard to imagine a better realization of this formula. It’s overflowing with wildly different modes, meaningful unlockables and achievements to chase, and a borderline absurd amount of customization. There’s an extreme level of polish and attention to detail throughout every pocket of Air Riders that makes the whole thing shine brightly. Its unique – and admittedly somewhat limited – one or two-button control scheme isn’t going to be for everyone. But if you meet Air Riders on its own terms and click with it, you’ll find a cult classic in the making that’s unlike many other triple-A games out there.
Runner-Up - Hollow Knight: Silksong
This year, both generations of Nintendo Switch got two long-awaited metroidvania sequels that were, in hindsight, probably announced far too early: Metroid Prime 4, and our next runner-up, Hollow Knight: Silksong. While Prime 4 has some visible scars from its troubled development, Silksong somehow managed to arrive sparkling like a masterpiece whose artists just didn’t want to stop adding more to it. As IGN’s reviewer Tom Marks put it, “The whole world may have been waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong’s cocoon to finally crack open, but it sure doesn’t seem to have been burdened by that pressure. This excellent sequel to an all-time great has more than managed to live up to the high expectations I had set for it, standing as both a smart continuation of the original Hollow Knight and a fantastic game of its own.” Silksong may not be developed by Nintendo, but it feels right at home on Switch 2, because of both its obvious debt of inspiration to the Metroid franchise, and the fact that the first Hollow Knight really took off after it was ported to the original Switch in 2018.
Runner-Up - Hades 2
The first Hades was a runaway success – it even won IGN’s Game of the Year award in 2020 – so it’s remarkable that Supergiant Games managed to outdo itself with a sequel. Hades 2 is an incredible refinement of the innovative story-driven roguelite blueprint laid out by its predecessor. As IGN’s reviewer Leana Hafer said, “There is no one out there doing what Supergiant does as well as it does, and this exceptional action roguelite is some of this team’s best work on nearly every level (which is an astonishingly high bar to clear)... The art is breathtaking, the characters are captivating, the combat is fast, fun, endlessly varied, and tactical, and the music is spectacular.” Just like the first, Hades 2 launched in 1.0 as a Nintendo console exclusive (alongside its PC release), giving Switch 1 and 2 players one of the year’s very best. Hades 2 is also one of only two games this year to score our highest rating on IGN: a 10 out of 10 masterpiece. But the other game that scored a 10 also happens to be a Nintendo game…
Winner - Donkey Kong Bananza
The safe option would have been to release a new 3D Mario game in the Switch 2’s launch window. But Nintendo made a bold move instead, choosing to bring one of its original mascots back in-house for the first time in 20 years. The result is Donkey Kong Bananza: an ambitious, masterful 3D platformer that brilliantly redefines one of gaming’s oldest characters while simultaneously paying loving tribute to every era of the great ape. DK and Pauline’s journey to the planet core was the Switch 2’s first essential adventure, and our staff’s pick for the best Nintendo game of 2025.
Few games feel as satisfying to play as Bananza. DK’s moveset is fast, expressive, and powerful, and the way the meticulously designed breakable world is structured around his destructive toolkit is incredibly impressive. Just ripping a chunk out of the ground leads to so many dynamic options: you can throw it, swing it, double jump, or even surf. Romping around each detailed sublevel and hunting for hundreds of well-hidden collectibles as the world crumbles before you is a blast. It’s always exciting to see what new twist the next layer’s terrain will bring, and Bananza’s focus on platforming by way of destruction is a completely fresh idea that pushes this genre in groundbreaking new directions.
Bananza also takes clear inspiration from Nintendo greats like Breath of the Wild in the way it approaches player freedom. Not only can you tear every level down to the studs, Bananza is ready for almost any sequence break you throw at it. Did you skip a layer’s challenge entirely by cleverly platforming around it? Pauline will comment on it when you’re diving to the next area. Nintendo doesn’t stop you from playing how you want, always allowing for a rewarding amount of flexibility, but it’s bold enough to also let you know the development team thought of all these tricks first.
Donkey Kong has gone through so many phases and stewards: from Shigeru Miyamoto’s legendary arcade original, to Rare’s classic Donkey Kong Country trilogy, to Retro’s fantastic revivals. But with Bananza, Nintendo finally brought Donkey Kong home again and kicked off a brand new era that’s hopefully just getting started. Donkey Kong is Nintendo’s king of 2025.
What was your favorite Nintendo game this year? Let us know in the comments! For more IGN awards, check out our pick for the best Xbox game of the year. And for a deeper dive on Nintendo’s 2025, check out our pair of year-in-review episodes of the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast over on the IGN Games YouTube channel or your favorite podcast app.
The past few years have felt like an embarrassment of riches when it comes to RPGs, and so expectations were high going into 2025. Thankfully, the last 12 months certainly lived up to such a bar. While that's good for gamers, it made things more than a little tough when whittling down our list of the best role-playing games of the year, especially because we had a wide variety of RPG styles that satisfied different tastes.
Avowed gave us some of that Obsidian magic in a fantasy world that was tighter and more focused than many of its contemporaries, resulting in a game that didn’t feel as overwhelming as typical open-world RPGs. Deltarune’s new chapters elevated the ongoing Undertale-adjacent saga to new heights with increasingly clever gameplay twists and sharper narrative chops. And if you had 100-plus hours to spare, Octopath Traveler 0 offered a stunning conclusion for an unforgettable journey to cap off the year.
The definition of RPG is fairly free-flowing these days, so you’ll see games with elements of the genre in our other award categories. But we made careful considerations for games with RPG mechanics at the forefront of their gameplay, along with deep stories, for this particular list. However, there can only be five games and one winner, so the IGN team voted and deliberated on which games would make up this year’s list. We believe the genre is in good hands with the games we picked, and the game we've chosen as the Best RPGs of 2025 is something very special.
Runner-Up – Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter
The Trails series, part of the larger Legend of Heroes franchise, has been gaining more and more traction over recent years. But it’s tricky to recommend as it now numbers 13 entries, all of which are part of a continuous timeline. Remake Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter helps rememdy that problem, as it went right back to the beginning to create one of strongest and sharpest games in the series – and now, it’s the easiest one to recommend.
Trails revolves around a deeply developed world with captivating geopolitical drama at its heart. 1st Chapter does such a good job of painting that broad picture, which is seen in detail through the eyes of its two leads, Estelle and Joshua. As budding Bracers (a peacekeeping guild) whose father is a legend in the guild, they're perfect conduits to provide a pretty intimate understanding of the world's various regions and how they feed into the larger story. The turn-based battles feature a fantastic blend of action combat and the series’ unique positioning system, which creates a gameplay flow that ushers you through this expanded version of this classic RPG. The true magic of Trails lies in the multifaceted stories from multiple perspectives, but it all starts here in Trails in the Sky, and this remake is a terrific representation of that.
Runner-Up – Dragon Quest 1&2 HD-2D Remake
Square Enix has done excellent work in revitalizing the Dragon Quest games of yore, and Dragon Quest 1&2 HD-2D Remake is the best example yet. The high-definition pixel art makeover is more than just a sensible way to pretty-up these classics, it also lets them stay true to the spirit of their original look without the weird pixel smoothing effect of past remasters. These Remakes also retain the turn-based combat system and characters without sacrificing the distinct spirit of the original games from all those years ago (frustrating difficulty spikes and all), but even then, quality of life improvements make sure they’re still enjoyable in a modern sense. Combined with the DQ3 HD-2D remake, these games complete the "Erdrick trilogy" of Dragon Quest games, and you can see how the series pioneered the genre, especially with the second entry’s emphasis on characters and storytelling. This package is one of the best examples of modernized nostalgia – faithful to the originals and approachable in today’s gaming landscape. And it’s some of the best role-playing we experienced this year.
Runner-Up – The Outer Worlds 2
When it comes to RPGs and letting players dictate how they interact with the world, Obsidian is one of the best studios to do it. The Outer Worlds 2 improves on the first game in almost every way, from punchier gunplay to much deeper role-playing systems. The options you have to build your character and make pivotal choices have a larger impact on what you can do in combat, but also create specific avenues for how quests play out. We keep pointing to the Flaws system, which was present in the original, but has been expanded in unpredictable, creative ways by giving you some serious pros/cons to consider based on your playing habits. However, the much more expansive areas, smarter level design, and dynamic combat encounters make sure the actual gameplay experience is a significant leap over the first game. And you can’t have an RPG of this style without choice and consequence at the heart of the story, and Obsidian reminds us with The Outer Worlds 2 that it still has the chops, even in a post-Fallout: New Vegas era.
Runner-Up – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an investment that pays back multiple times over in its 120-hour runtime. It’s a commitment - a slow-burn game you have to want to live in. But it’s also an action-packed cinematic adventure that proves to have an emotional range that the original didn’t. You might be just "some guy" as Henry, yet that role often lets you see the world for what it is, whether you’re doing seemingly mundane activities or the pivotal story quests where your choices matter. What this game does better than most, though, is first-person melee combat, a tough thing that even the mighty Elder Scrolls franchise has struggled with for so long. It is intricate, skill-based, and stays engaging even as you get deeper into the furthest corners the campaign. Although developer Warhorse Studios arguably tries to bite off more than it can chew at times, you’ll find the quality writing and great combat leads you to a satisfying conclusion. This sequel might pick off where the first ended, but jumping into Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 regardless of your experience will open you up to a rare RPG that deserves its flowers, 2025 or otherwise.
Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Suprise, surprise – the Best RPG of 2025 is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and for good reason. The folks at development team Sandfall Interactive drew direct inspiration from Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy 10 and Persona 5 (their words, not ours), and made the kind of game they wanted to play. We know there’s still a huge appetite for good turn-based RPGs, and Clair Obscur is further proof of that, but it’s the mechanics built into the combat system that makes it stand out. The active timing inputs keep you engaged in each fight, and recognizing attack patterns so that you may parry and inflict damage on an enemy turn is some of the most satisfying stuff we’ve experienced in a turn-based system. Each party member plays uniquely and has their own unique gameplay gimmick, as to represent a Job or Class, but there's then the Picto/Lumina system that lets you stack on perks and wild buffs – at some point it feels like you’re breaking the game. However, the toughest challenges ensure the game pushes back on you to really test your mastery and understanding of its more intricate mechanics. It’s one of the best combat systems we’ve seen in a good long while, and it keeps that momentum throughout its story and optional content.
But Expedition 33 wouldn’t be a true homage to JRPGs without a melodramatic and heartwrenching story. While it immediately hits you with the theme of time wiping away swathes of people – friends and loved ones disintegrating before your eyes – it grows into a meditation on grief and how it changes people, seen through the eyes of fully formed characters who change alongside each other. Whether or not you want intricate systems, fun combat, or deep stories from your RPGs, Clair Obscur delivered all of that in a way that won the hearts of us here at IGN.
For more of our end-of-the-year celebrations, be sure to check out our list of awards and nominees, which is being updated daily in the lead-up to our official Best Game of 2025 announcement.
Michael is the tech reviews editor at IGN, but regularly contributes to games coverage with reviews, features, and news.
Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem trailer that revealed Leon S. Kennedy also featured yet another familiar face from the series' past, fans believe.
Blink and you'll miss it, but the trailer also includes a blonde female character speaking to Leon over comms, who fans believe is none other than Sherry Birkin — and, listening to the voice performance, they may well have a point.
Sherry first popped up in Resident Evil 2 (where she met Leon for the first time) but more recently featured in Resident Evil 6. Compare Sherry's voice actress from Resi 6 to the dialogue heard in Capcom's new Requiem trailer, and the two sound remarkably similar, if not identical. Take a listen via the fan comparison embedded below.
The character speaking to Leon is most likely Sherry Birkin, the voice is the same as hers in Resident Evil 6, the hair color is exactly the same, and she also works in the same organization as Leon, DSO.#REBHFunpic.twitter.com/mYXTGAfYYa
Capcom has remained coy about confirming Sherry, perhaps to give Leon his moment in the spotlight, but there seems no reason it couldn't be her. After all, Resident Evil 6 showed her working for the Division of Security Operations, the FBI-like government agency that also employs Leon. And with Leon involved, it seems straightforward enough that Sherry is also along for the ride.
Last week also brought word of yet another returning Resident Evil character who will apparently also make an appearance, Rosemary Winters. A product listing for Requiem's Deluxe Edition that was leaked by GameStop mentioned the inclusion of extra costumes for the character, who Capcom has so far not mentioned at all.
There's still a couple of months to go until Resident Evil Requiem releases on February 26, 2026, and until then, Capcom has certainly given fans plenty to discuss. Is there anyone else from the series' past that you'd like to see pop up?
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
For LEGO fans, the holiday period is a nice time to focus on building new sets. If you're on the hunt for something new to work on, Woot is here to help. The Amazon-owned online retailer is offering a $30 discount at the moment on the incredible LEGO Icons The Lord of The Rings: Rivendell set, dropping it to its lowest price yet at $469.99.
Save $30 on The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell LEGO Set
This is one of our favorite Lord of the Rings LEGO sets and one of our favorite LEGO sets overall, so whether you're looking to grab it for yourself or to give as a gift over the holidays this year, now is a great time to make a move on it. Keep in mind that this deal at Woot is only live for six more days or until it's sold out, so you'll want to be quick.
The LEGO Rivendell set is no small undertaking, either. It comes with a whopping 6,167 pieces that form a detailed recreation of Rivendell. It's packed with 15 minifigures as well, including nine of the Fellowship: Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, Boromir, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. The other six minifigures are of Gloin, Arwen, Elrond, Bilbo, and two elves. Given its huge size and amount of detail, it's a set that's recommended for adults as well.
If you're curious what it's like to take on this massive set, have a look at our Rivendell We Build. Writer Kevin Wong said that it's "a beautiful but fragile set" highlighting that, because of how delicate it is, it's definitely meant for adults. He continues on to say that "the designers sacrificed sturdiness for incredible aesthetics. But for most adult LEGO fans, that's a worthy trade."
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas celebrates its 25th anniversary this year — and with that, the cast has been reminiscing about shooting the project, particularly highlighting an on-set incident where star Jim Carrey shut down a scene in which his young costar Taylor Momsen was moments away from being hurt.
“I remember when we were shooting the scene coming down the mountain on the sled. It was this real sled that was up on a giant spring that was being controlled and moving from side to side, very aggressively,” Momsen revealed to Vulture in its oral history of the making of the film.
She continued: “Jim is leaning over and being extravagant Jim. There was a moment where I almost fell out of the sled, and he freaked out. He called cut and started checking in on me. I was having a great time. I was laughing; I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I just almost fell very high off the ground."
But clearly, Momsen felt protected on the set of the film. “I always felt really safe with Jim,” the actress, who went on to star in the original Gossip Girl TV series and front a band called The Pretty Reckless, explained. “I liked being around him. At such a young age, to watch an artist who is that serious at what they’re doing even while playing this very over-the-top character, it was clear to me how much he was putting into it and how much of an artist he was.”
For Carrey’s part, he told the outlet he could tell very quickly that seven-year-old Momsen was “an incredibly precocious child” who was “smart beyond her years.” He added: “Her comedy timing was impeccable. A total pro. I don’t think she ever went up on a line or missed a cue or anything like that.”
Momsen also revealed that she never knew what Carrey looked like in real life while they filmed the movie, only meeting the real him for the “first time” when they attended the film’s premiere. But just last month, the pair reunited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where they saw each other for the first time since working together.
“I turned around in the hallway, and she was standing there,” Carrey revealed to the outlet about their touching reunion. “I don’t know if she had heels or not, but she’s towering. I’m going, ‘What?’ She has a really powerful manner. I was so glad she’s done so well for herself. She’s been through some challenges in her life and come out the other side. It was very exciting to see her again. And she brought me a Crunchie, which is my favorite chocolate bar. That was awesome.”
How the Grinch Stole Christmas is currently available to stream on Prime Video and Peacock — and you better, this one’s a staple.
Photo by Universal/Getty Images.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
Steven Spielberg’s next sci-fi thriller, Disclosure Day, has a debut trailer and a release date: June 12, 2026.
The mysterious new movie is created and directed by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg, and stars Oppenheimer and A Quiet Place’s Emily Blunt as well as Josh O’Connor (Challengers, The Crown), Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Kingsman franchise), Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters, The Perfect Couple), and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin).
The trailer revolves around a shocking global secret that looks set to be revealed to the world's public all at once. We see Emily Blunt struggle to deliver the weather report live on air, her voice slowly transforming into a creepy clicking noise. It sounds like this could be about aliens, but we don’t see any in the trailer.
What we do see are a lot of very concerned people doing strange things while hooked up to machines. Eyes change, and we see people perform actions using these machines that are then mirrored by others. Is this a movie about mind control? Meanwhile, we see a crop circle emerge in real time, and in one shot, a woman miraculously turns into Emily Blunt’s character.
It looks like Disclosure Day will deal with some big, existential questions normally reserved for philosophy debates. And there's a clear religious theme here. The trailer asks: “Why would He make such a vast universe, yet save it only for us?” Well, perhaps in Disclosure Day, He didn’t.
The tagline is:
If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people.
We are coming close to … Disclosure Day.
David Koepp, whose previous work with Spielberg includes the scripts for Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, wrote the screenplay based on a story by Spielberg.
Image credit: Universal Studios.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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