Steam has quietly withdrawn under fire MMO Ashes of Creation from sale after its director and leadership team quit just weeks after launch.

Ashes of Creation was funded by a hugely successful $3.2 million Kickstarter campaign back in 2017. It finally released in December as a $50 Early Access game on Steam, but by the end of January, the game's director, Steven Sharif, and "much of" the senior dev team quit "in protest," claiming that its management board had asked him to do things he "could not ethically support." According to Sharif, the Board then issued WARN Act notices — layoff warnings, in other words — to the remaining staff. It's unclear how many employees remain employed or who sits on this mysterious board.

Although Sharif posted a brief statement explaining why he quit in the game's Discord community, he has not posted anything since. Given the comments, memes, and inappropriate comments flooding every channel, the Discord itself seems wholly unmoderated now.

Head over to the Ashes of Creation page on Steam now, however, and you'll see that the button to buy has been quietly removed. Conversely, the game's website is still live and accepting payment for cosmetics, but a notice at the top reads: "delivery of cosmetic purchases may be delayed on certain realms. Items will appear in your in-game mail once processing completes." While the site is typically updated several times a month, only one update was posted in the whole of January, and that was alluding to a developer diary livestream coming up on February 13, although it's unclear who will host that, given most of the familiar faces fans have seen in prior streams seem to have left.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Reddit and Discord communities are full of people asking if anyone's successfully convinced Steam to give them a refund. While anyone with less than two hours on the clock should get one automatically, those with more time are having mixed results, with some reporting success, others being denied, and the rest asked to wait while Steam "investigates" the issue.

The most successful requests seem to be via human checks, so players are suggesting that those looking for a refund should not check the box to "request a refund," but instead contact Steam via the "I have a question about this product" option. That way, your request will be routed to a member of customer support, and not an automated service.

It's unlikely Kickstarter donors will secure any refunds, given the nature of crowdfunded programs.

Interestingly, without any context or introduction, a standard member, Karen L. Boreyko, addressed the community earlier today (February 3) across several Discord channels, writing: "Hello everyone — my name is Karen L. Boreyko, and I want to take a moment to speak directly to this community as we begin a new chapter for Ashes of Creation.

"Intrepid Studios is moving forward with a renewed long-term vision for the game, including continued development in China and a transition to a subscription-based model supported by optional daily battle passes, a new in-game gold shop, and expanded skill point progression systems. Our goal is to ensure the project’s sustainability while accelerating development and delivering a live service experience that can grow for years to come. We know change brings questions, and we’re committed to open communication as we move ahead together."

At this time, because her account isn't tagged as an official team member, it's impossible to determine who Boreyko is or how she is involved in the game's development, if at all. A Leanne Boreyko is attached to a multi-level marketing wellness company called Vemma, and, coincidentially enough, a different wellness company called 310 Nutrition and run by a man called Tim Sharif who has just dropped a load of Ashes of Creation merch onto Amazon.com. Make of that what you will.

I've a feeling February 13's livestream is going to be very well attended indeed.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

The original Switch is now officially Nintendo's best-selling hardware ever, while Switch 2 has already eclipsed the sales of the company's disastrous Wii U in just nine months.

Nintendo's latest financial results have revealed updated hardware totals for both of the company's Switch generations, with the original Switch now sitting on lifetime sales of 155.37 million units. Finally, this edges it past the Nintendo DS' total of 154.02 million units — making it Nintendo's most popular console family.

As for Switch 2, while we already knew that the console was the fastest-selling hardware the company has released, a fresh sales total has placed the console on 17.37 million sales as of December 31, 2025. This is enough to ensure it has already beaten the lifetime sales of Wii U — which only managed a paltry 13.56 million and is considered one of Nintendo's few failures.

Comparing the Switch and Switch 2, a sales graph published by Nintendo shows its newer console passing the 15 million sales milestone after 30 weeks, while the original Switch had not hit this mark after 45 weeks. But, of course, the original Switch launched off the back of the Wii U — while the Switch 2 has been able to pivot customers over from the Switch itself.

"We believe we have been able to get off to a good start," Nintendo said of the Switch 2 launch today. "With our dedicated video game platforms prior to Nintendo Switch, our relationship with consumers was interrupted whenever they purchased a new platform, which presented challenges," Nintendo said. "In contrast, the Nintendo Switch install base, which is our largest ever, and the fact that many consumers continue to play on the platform, provide a strong business foundation that has supported the launch of Nintendo Switch 2."

Recent reporting has suggested that Switch 2 experienced a sales slowdown in the U.S. and some European countries towards the end of 2025, though globally the company's totals paint a more positive picture. According to Nintendo's stats, 129 million people played on its hardware during 2025, down 1 million from the year before but still Nintendo's second-best total ever. In accompanying notes, Nintendo suggested the slight dip reflected the "juncture between platform generations."

But while the Switch may be Nintendo's best-selling hardware ever, it still has a few million units to go before it dethrones Sony's best-selling hardware ever: PlayStation 2. Sony has estimated it sold around 160 million units of its hit console (and DVD player), meaning the Switch still has just under 5 million sales to go if it wants to close the gap.

Rather amusingly, Sony only revised its PS2 sales estimate upward to 160 million in November 2024, as Nintendo's console neared its crown. Had Sony not done this, the Switch would have now become the best-selling console globally of all time. Can Nintendo still surpass this? It's going to be tough, but not impossible. The Switch sold another 3.25 million units over the past nine months, though with Switch 2 now established, the older console's sales momentum will only continue to decline. Still, should Nintendo keep the original Switch on sale for another couple of years, it may still take the title yet.

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

Magic: The Gathering has a busy year in 2026, particularly when it pertains to Universes Beyond.

June 2026 will see a Marvel Super Heroes set arrive, and unlike Spider-Man, it’s bringing Commander precons. We’re still waiting for more information about what’s in each, but we’ll update this page as we hear more. Any you’ve got your eye on? Let us know in the comments!

There are four Commander Decks for the Marvel Super Heroes set, following in the footsteps of other Universes Beyond sets like The Lord of the Rings, Warhammer 40,000, and last year’s Final Fantasy.

Here’s the lineup, including the brief description on the box of each precon, as well as their color identity.

• Avengers Assemble (Captain America and Nick Fury - Red/White/Blue)
  • ‘Grow your ranks, equipment and counters’
• Wakanda Forever (Black Panther - Green/White)
  • ‘Power up with artifacts, reign as the Monarch’
• The Fantastic Four (The titular team - Red/Green/White/Blue)
  • ‘Noncreature spells, protection fields’
• Doom Prevails (Doctor Doom and Loki - Blue/Black/Red)
  • ‘Connive for power, drain life’

It’s worth noting that Marvel’s Spider-Man, which launched in 2025, didn’t get the Commander Deck treatment. Given it’s Magic’s most popular format, we’re unsure if this is Wizards of the Coast correcting that oversight, or if it was always planned this way.

What's in the Collector's Edition Commander Decks?

After weeks of heated speculation about whether Netflix was done with Stranger Things, including thousands of TikToks and social media posts about #ConformityGate and whether there was a secret, ninth episode of Season 5, the streamer has finally revealed the first look at new episodes of the hit series. Well, sort of. They actually unveiled the official, two-ish minute teaser for Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, a new animated series that’s been in the works for at least the past three years.

So yeah, sorry Season 5 truthers, Netflix has moved on with something new… Or rather, moved backwards, as this new series takes place smack in the middle of the action of Hawkins, Indiana, with some new characters, new creatures, and a whole lot of those ’80s vibes you know and love.

That said, there’s a lot that’s changed, and it isn’t just the fact that everyone is looking a whole lot more cartoony. So with that in mind, let’s break down some of the biggest burning questions about Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, and answer everything we know about the series so far.

What Is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 About?

Okay, before we get into it, to set the stage – and we’ll expand on some of this later – here’s the official synopsis for the series:

Return to Hawkins with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an exciting new animated series from Showrunner Eric Robles and Executive Producers the Duffer Brothers. In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this untold story set in the Stranger Things universe.

So they might solve a mystery? Perhaps rewrite history? What is this, DuckTales? Well, sort of. Except for the ducks. And the large, swimmable bin filled with money.

In addition, this is – as you may be able to tell from the footage – being done with computer animation, despite being partially inspired by ’80s cartoons. The reason? Originally, the show was going to be made in the style of cartoons from the 1980s. But then they realized it was much darker, and characters might die. Because of this, they updated the look.

When Does Tales From ’85 Take Place (in the Continuity of the Show…)?

This might get a little bit of a deserved groan from you, dear reader, because yes, it takes place in 1985. And as you might have either read in the synopsis or seen in the trailer based on the snowball fights, this takes place in the winter of 1985. But for those wondering when it takes place in the continuity of the live-action show, the answer is between the end of Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3.

More specifically, at the end of Season 2, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) sealed the gate to the Upside Down in Hawkins Lab after a legion of demodogs had invaded tunnels under the town. The final episode took place at the Snow Ball, a winter dance, so this happens after Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) kissed for the first time, El and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) are together, and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) have hooked up.

Season 3 kicks off the next summer with the opening of the Starcourt Mall, and the emergence of a goopy, rat-filled Mind Flayer, so we’re not quite there yet.

Point being, the Upside Down is closed off, the threat has dispersed, and mostly everyone is exploring new romantic relationships. And perhaps more importantly, they’re all still in eighth grade. Or at least, the kids are. Hopper (David Harbour) is not in eighth grade. FYI.

What’s Up With All the Monsters Then?

Great question! With previous spinoffs of Stranger Things, they’ve mostly touched on things that could maybe be supernatural but ultimately are not. Specifically any of the in-continuity Dark Horse Comics or novels will have things like Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) thinking he’s dealing with a Jason-style slasher at summer camp (he’s not), or the kids trying to find a secret treasure left by Bob Newby (Sean Astin) that isn’t really rich stuff so much as emotionally rich stuff.

The reason for that is pretty simple: If they fought monsters between seasons, why wouldn’t that come up in conversation during seasons? Tales From ’85, on the other hand, clearly has what looks like demogorgons with pumpkin heads, giant plant beasties, and more.

The answer is that Tales From ’85 exists in its own continuity. And in that continuity, Hawkins Lab is messing with the Upside Down. Showrunner Eric Robles explained to Tudum that, “All of it is still connected to the Upside Down, so there is the DNA of Upside Down creatures in all of our creatures. It’s like Hawkins Lab science meets Upside Down matter. When you put them together, those are the kinds of creatures we have in our world.”

So Wait, This Isn’t in Canon With Stranger Things?

Er, yes and no on the in canon thing. The closest comp to Tales From ’85 is The Real Ghostbusters, which Robles has noted was an inspiration for the show. Like that Ghostbusters spinoff, it didn’t do anything to contradict the live-action adventures, but also it followed its own path and ideas. So, for example, Dustin isn’t going to lose an arm on Tales From ’85, and we aren’t going to find out the Upside Down is not a wormhole – in fact, it’s likely nobody will mention wormholes at all. Probably.

So by not contradicting, one could simply imagine that fighting plant monsters before the summer of ’85 in Season 3 just never came up in conversation on screen, but they were talking about it all the time off-screen. It’s a narrative trick to allow the writers of Tales From ’85 to not be constrained in the same way that, for example, Broadway play The First Shadow had to cut out certain plot points so as to not spoil them before Season 5 of the show. Basically, it’s everything we said about the novels and comics, but with some of the restrictive guard-rails taken off.

Are Any of the Live-Action Actors Returning for Tales From ’85?

That’s a big “N-O,” good buddy. The entire voice cast of the show is new, with probably the most famous member being Jeremy Jordan – who you nerds might know as Winn from Supergirl – as the voice of Steve “The Hair” Harrington.

The Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 voice cast includes:

• Jeremy Jordan as Steve “The Hair” Harrington
• Luca Diaz as Mike Wheeler
• Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven
• Braxton Quinney as Dustin
• Elisha Williams as Lucas
• Ben Plessala as Will
• Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max
• Brett Gipson as Hopper

In addition, there will be a new character named Nikki Baxter, who is described as a tinker with pink hair. A pinker, if you will. You won’t? Okay then.

Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo and Lou Diamond Phillips are also in the cast in undisclosed roles.

That doesn’t preclude a surprise cameo from any of the live-action cast, but they won’t be playing the roles they made famous on TV. At least part of the reason for that is likely that the “kids” don’t, uh, sound like that anymore.

Is This the Spinoff the Duffer Brothers Were Teasing in Season 5?

Nope. Tales From ’85, as mentioned, has been in the works for a while now. But the live-action spinoff the Duffers are working on that has yet to be officially announced is not the animated series. That will involve entirely different characters than Stranger Things did, and in a different setting than Hawkins. Given Tales From ’85 includes the same characters in the same place… Well, you can probably figure it out from there.

Another big clue that this animated series is not the Duffers’ live-action spinoff? One is animated, and the other is live-action. And no, this show does not Roger Rabbit it up (probably).

How Many Episodes Are in Tales From ’85? And When Does It Premiere?

Last one first! Tales From ’85 premieres on April 23 on Netflix. As of now, we don’t have any info about how many episodes the show will run, or how long the episodes will be. We also don’t know if there will be additional seasons, or if those additional seasons would also be set in 1985… While animation has a long lead time to get ready (see above re: this taking three years), it’s possible Netflix may be waiting to see how this goes before greenlighting Season 2: Tales From Slightly Later In 1985.

As for now, we’ll just have to wait for April, when we find out that life is like a hurricane, here in, Haw-kins.

Welcome to the HP OmniBook X Flip 14 experience.

Your workday will start as it always does. Inbox. Calendar. Couple of documents. Too many tabs, but handled like a boss. A vid conference where you’re nodding like a bobblehead but yawning through your eyeballs. The HP OmniBook X Flip chews through this stuff without fuss.

The Intel Core Ultra 5 keeps everything feeling responsive, Copilot+ features handle the background admin like live captions and image tweaks, and the 5MP IR camera with Poly Camera Pro does a heroic job of making you look perky and present even when you’re spiritually down the street.

Then you get five minutes.

Five minutes is enough time to check on your Baldur’s Gate 3 save. Maybe respec a character. Maybe roll a newy, because that’s the kind of office-based number crunching that truly matters. On this beast, BG3 loads quick and looks a treat on the 14 inch 2K touchscreen. Turn based combat is perfect here. It waits. It understands your life is dungeons & dragons + deadlines.

Back to work. Creative time now. Premiere Pro open. Timeline scrubbing. Exports running. The HP OmniBook X Flip stays cool and cooperative, which is exactly what you want from a work machine. This is the part where you feel smug about the purchase. See? Work.

During a mid morning commute or coffee break, jack into Cyberpunk 2077. Experience preem Night City visuals, cybersexy escapism, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing the beast from your lappy bag can handle it without begging for a charger. Intel Arc graphics keep things smooth enough to stay immersed, and the battery holds on like it knows what’s coming later.

Another meeting. Notes this time. Flip the OmniBook X Flip into tablet mode. Touchscreen. Jot things down. Pretend you are sketching ideas, not thinking about optimising perks. The 2 in 1 design is genuinely useful here, which makes the inevitable pivot back to games feel earned rather than cheeky.

Lunch break. Controller out. One reality hop later and you’re in Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart, another PS5 crown jewel ported up into PC Valhalla. Tent mode works beautifully, load times are short thanks to the SSD, and clueless meerkating co-workers ask you when Pixar started making interactive movies.

Afternoon slump. Your day slides into (hopefully paid) overtime as you indulge in a particular joy of irony. Using a laptop bristling with AI features to play Terminator 2D No Fate feels like tempting fate on purpose. Running a sprite heavy love letter to 90s action excess on a Copilot+ PC barely taxes this beast, obviously, but it scratches that old school itch.

The cleaners are vacuuming, but you’re headphoned up for a night of AAA delights. Grip a ripcord and zip into Battlefield 6 REDSEC, avoiding peak hour traffic with fully loaded graphics. Or sling into Marvel’s Spider Man 2 for spandex-tight combat as you Peter parkour like his rent’s due and you both should be doing real work instead.

Art imitating life.

The HP OmniBook X Flip does not force you to choose between work or play. It lets you oscillate between the two grinds that matter. Better yet, it looks sensible enough to justify itself in any room, and is capable enough to reward every stolen moment.

So yes, “I need it for work”…works. Spreadsheets. Creative projects. Vid calls. Whatever.

It just also happens to slay at play.

You can check out the HP OmniBook X Flip for yourself at your nearest JB Hi-IFiI (head to the link: https://w2buy.net/8i2d188u) or via the HP online store.

Samsung has added Nvidia G-Sync support to its 2026 OLED TVs and gaming monitors, the company announced over the weekend. In addition, a couple of TVs – the S95H and S90H – will also come with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.

Both of these VRR technologies aim to smooth out your gaming experience by preventing things like one part of an image moving ahead of another part, aka screen-tearing. In the past, Samsung displays have instead relied on its own version variable refresh rate, or VRR.

Besides the high end S95H and S90H, Samsung says it'll make the midrange S85H G-Sync Compatible, too. Over in gaming monitor land, the company named the new 27-inch Odyssey G6 – its absurdly high-refresh-rate 1,040Hz model – and its 240Hz refresh 27-inch Odyssey G6 sibling. (We love confusing lineup naming, don't we? Those are the G60H and G61SH, respectively). Equipped with G-Sync Compatible screens, Samsung's gaming displays could fare a little better when compared to some of the best gaming displays; the company has struggled to outperform the likes of Dell or Asus, at least by our estimation. It has done better in the OLED arena, though – the Odyssey G9 is, after all, our favorite OLED widescreen gaming display.

Besides G-Sync and FreeSync, Samsung's OLEDs this year will also get support for HDR10+ Advanced, which the company previewed late last year. That's the fancy-pants HDR standard meant to fix the soap opera effect, or the unnaturally fluid movement you see on your parents' TV when you go home for the holidays every year (I know you've been surreptitiously turning that off every chance you get, you sneaky old so-and-so).

Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn't be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.

Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach shared an emotional moment with fans after his new movie, Iron Lung, managed to win big at the box office over the weekend.

The YouTube star took to a livestream in the wake of the theatrical premiere of his debut feature film to speak about its success and clear up any confusion about how it compared to competing films. He starts the 25-minute video crying as he speaks about the response he’s received so far.

“Man, it’s been a bit of an emotional day. I’m not gonna lie. It’s been a bit of an emotional day in a good way, in the best way possible,” Markiplier, fighting back tears, said during the Sunday broadcast. “Everything good. Everything’s fine. I don’t even know where to start. OK, so I’ll first say… man, just thank you, guys. Just thank you, guys, so much, because it’s been a really special day.”

What starts with Markiplier’s reaction to a positive review from fellow content creator Hbomberguy then turns into a moment reflecting on his mark on independent filmmaking. Iron Lung premiered alongside Sam Raimi and Disney’s R-rated Send Help, but both films spent the weekend neck-and-neck for the number one spot.

Although Send Help will continue its run while Iron Lung drops out of the box office race (and most theaters), the $21.5 million the film has made globally means it more than made up for its reported $3 million budget. It also means Markiplier is going to be able to “give the crew a big bonus.”

“I had a conversation today with a fan, and it was a perfectly normal conversation,” he said through tears. “They mentioned that they were a film student, and they said how cool it was that this was done independently, and that this was really kind of an inspiration for people that wanted to get into making movies, that it was even possible.”

When Markiplier told the film student that he had “some conversations going” about bringing a studio in to help with distribution, they replied, “please don’t because it’s really cool and kind of a hero moment to showcase that indie filmmaking was possible.” After going back home shortly after, he received an email stating that Send Help was “closing the gap” and only $300,000 away.

“I’m almost hesitant to ask this, but I think it might be a big win for independent filmmaking,” Markiplier added, calling on fans to see Iron Lung before it left local cinemas. “It’s not to shutout Sam Raimi. It’s kinda to shutout Disney for winning 10 weeks in a row – maybe they could only win nine weeks in a row and the one weekend that Iron Lung is here, it could, you know… I think that might be pretty cool.”

He continued: “And maybe if I could inspire someone to keep making films, that would be pretty cool. And maybe if it could open up the door for other people to do their projects independently, and know there could be success in it, I think that would be pretty cool. I think that might actually be really cool.”

Markiplier wrote, directed, self-financed, distributed, and starred in Iron Lung. It’s a live-action adaptation of the 2022 independent horror game of the same name and follows a man trapped inside an iron submarine in an ocean of blood. We gave it a 4/10 in our review.

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).