Following various delays, Bungie is now ready to open Marathon's doors courtesy of a 'Server Slam' event from tomorrow, February 26, which will run until March 2.
Marathon is a PvP-focused extraction shooter set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV. Players inhabit the bodies of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries who have been designed to survive the planet’s harsh environments, exploring the lost colony that once inhabited Tau Ceti’s surface.
Marathon's full launch is scheduled for March 5 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, so this is an opportunity to try before you buy. Furthermore, Bungie's also using the Server Slam to test its anti-cheat systems, and is calling on players to report cheaters if they encounter them.
Here's everything you need to know about what content's available, the rewards you'll get for participating, and when the free server test goes live where you live.
Marathon Server Slam start times
Depending on where you are in the world, Marathon's Server Slam is set to go live on:
Thursday, February 26 — Monday March 2, 2026:
PST (San Francisco):
10am
CST (Austin, Mexico City):
12pm
EST (New York):
1pm
GMT (London):
6pm
CET (Paris):
7pm
Friday, February 27 — Tuesday March 3, 2026:
JST (Tokyo):
3am
CST (Beijing):
3am
AEST (Sydney):
5am
NZST (Wellington):
7am
Marathon Server Slam Missions and Activities
Infil into two zones:
Perimeter, an edge-site expansion on the colony's outskirts
Dire Marsh, the colony’s agricultural research hub
Take on the early contracts for five factions: CyberAcme, NuCaloric, Traxus, MIDA, and Arachne
Progress though the early faction levels and progression trees for each faction
Try out five of the six Runner shells that will be available at launch, plus our scavenger experience Rook
Play as a crew, solo Runner, form uneasy alliances with proximity chat, and more
Marathon Server Slam Rewards
Time spent during the Slam will "bank loot rewards you’ll receive at launch, based on how far you progress":
Complete your first mission: Unlock the Standard Arrival Cache
Standard implants (6x)
Standard Runner shell cores (4x)
Standard weapon chip mods (6x)
Weapons: Overrun and Hardline
Reach Runner Level 10: Unlock the Enhanced Arrival Cache (Green)
Enhanced implants (6x)
Enhanced Runner shell cores (2x for each shell, 12x total)
Enhanced weapon chip mods (4x)
Weapons: Enhanced Magnum and Enhanced Hardline
Reach Runner Level 30: Unlock the Deluxe Arrival Cache (Blue)
Deluxe and Enhanced implants (3x each, 6x total)
Deluxe and Enhanced Runner shell cores (1x each for each shell, 12x total)
Deluxe and Enhanced weapon chip mods (2x each, 4x total)
Weapons: Deluxe Magnum and Enhanced Volley Rifle
Backpack: Enhanced Base Backpack
PlayStation Plus subscribers will also be able to nab bonus weapon charms themed around Ghost of Yōtei, Death Stranding 2, and Helldivers 2 at launch. Marathon players on Steam automatically receive the exclusive Crowbar Weapon Charm (don't say Half-Life 3 confirmed!) when Marathon releases on March 5. Marathon players on Xbox Series X and S, meanwhile, get the exclusive Emerald Clutch Weapon Charm and Emerald Catch Weapon Charm.
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.
Christian Bale has told a reporter he is due to start filming Heat 2 in Chicago soon, confirming his appearance in the hotly anticipated sequel as part of an increasingly stacked cast that also includes Leonardo DiCaprio.
It’s the first time the American Psycho star has commented on his rumored appearance in Heat 2, which follows on from Michael Mann’s iconic 1995 heist film starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. However, we don’t know which character Bale will play, nor do we know Leonardo DiCaprio’s role. Mann worked with Bale on 2009 crime drama Public Enemies, so his appearance in Heat 2 would see the pair reunite.
The sequel is an adaptation of the 2022 novel of the same name, a collaboration between director Mann and thriller writer Meg Gardiner. Mann was open about his desire to direct a movie version at the time, and in 2023 was being coy over rumors about Adam Driver taking a role.
"Let me put it this way: Adam and I got along like a house on fire [on Ferrari]," Mann told Deadline. "We have the same work ethic, which is pretty intense. We like each other, and we had a great time working together artistically.”
The Heat 2 novel tells the story of the main characters before and after the events of the first movie, which has sparked speculation about how Mann will tackle portraying younger versions of Pacino and De Niro’s characters.
Speaking in October, Mann said he might experiment with AI to solve the issue. “I don’t experiment with technology gratuitously. When I have a dramatic need or aesthetic need for it, then I go deep into what I need,” he said, adding: “Aging and de-aging may be very important in the next film.”
In 2022, Pacino told The Independent that he would be open to using de-aging technology to reprise the role himself. Star Wars actor Adam Driver is rumored to be playing a younger version of De Niro’s character, while Elvis star Austin Butler is reportedly playing Chris Shiherlis, the late Val Kilmer’s character.
Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images.
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.
Final Fantasy 7 — and by that, I mean the original, not the three-part remake — is clocking up negative reviews after developer Square Enix re-released the game on Steam with quality of life improvements that seem to have had the opposite intended effect.
Announced last month and released just yesterday (February 24), this updated version of Final Fantasy 7 comes with a handful of new features, including a 3x speed mode — more on that in a bit — the ability to turn off random encounters, a "battle enhancement mode" that will max out the Limit gauge and let players recover HP/MP during battles, and a handy autosave feature.
Shortly after launch, though, it was clear there were significant issues with the new edition, not least the speedier combat that doesn't match the speed of the animations or menus, plus blurry textures, including in its important cinematic sequences.
Square Enix was on the case within hours and released a small update just a short while later, claiming it had "fixed the speed of certain scenes, including battles," and addressed other, unspecified "minor bug fixes." What it didn't address, however, is the forced 4:3 resolution, and while there will undoubtedly be players happy to jump in and experience the game in its native resolution, the 2013 edition that this new version replaces did let you select other resolutions, leaving some wondering why on earth this was changed.
The problem is compounded even further given this new version of the game replaces the 2013 Steam edition on the Steam storefront entirely, so players looking to buy Final Fantasy 7 for the first time will only have this option available — only those who already owned the 2013 edition are able to switch between the two.
"The battle animation speeds are WAY too high, even without the 3x speed, so the game just plays wrong and feels wrong right now. Hopefully, they fix this," wrote one player. "In addition, you appear to be locked into a 4:3 display, which makes sense as the original format, and many people will prefer to have it that way, but even the 2013 PC version has the ability to stretch it to full screen (which is how I prefer). This should be an option.
"It's very hard to recommend. May I suggest that companies make sure their re-releases at least function on a basic level before delisting their old versions? That'[d] be great," added another.
"I'd just play the 2013 version without glasses on if I wanted the game to look like this," quipped someone else.
All in all, the issues have brought the game's overall Steam user rating down to 'Mostly Negative,' with just 36% of players leaving positive feedback.
"Both the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox versions have been incredibly well received and generated a lot of buzz online," Hamaguchi said. "That attention has also made me realize how many people are worried about this issue. However, our decision to go multiplatform with the FF7 Remake series will not in any way lower the quality of the third installment."
We also recently learned that the "core game experience is almost complete," and while Hamaguchi "really want[s] everyone to play it as soon as possible," the team has now moved on to "refining and polishing."
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.
Jackass star Johnny Knoxville has said that the franchise's upcoming fifth film will be its final installment — and this time, it sounds like he really means it.
Due for release this summer, Jackass 5 will reunite the series' core surviving cast for one last compilation of pain-inducing stunts and silly pranks. Even Bam Margera is set to appear, albeit via never-before-seen archive footage.
And this time, it seems, the Jackass crew really are ready to ride off into the sunset — years after Jackass Forever seemed set to serve as its own swansong.
"This is the natural place to end," Knoxville, now 54, said in an interview with Rolling Stone. "So it's going to be absolutely awful.
"You hope it doesn't go well at all!" he joked. "Should be a f*cking train wreck. That's what you should hope for. I think we designed it that way."
But is this really the end? In a GQ interview conducted back in 2021, Knoxville said Jackass Forever would be his "last contribution to the franchise," only to subsequently be tempted back once again. As part of the same interview, however, co-star Steve-O declared that "every movie that we ever made was the f***ing last one. And not just the last one, but declared as the last one."
Indeed, IGN’s Jackass Forever review dubbed the movie as the "final chapter in American comedy’s most chaotic saga," and declared it "a hilarious last hurrah for its original crew."
All of which was correct up until last month, when Knoxville surprised fans by announcing Jackass 5, for launch this summer. "Well a wang dang and hot damn doodle, we are starting the year off with a bang,” wrote Knoxville on Instagram. "We wanted to let you know that this summer Jackass is back! We will see you in theatres June 26th."
Image credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Saints Row 1 design director Chris Stockman has said he believes the series is now “dead” and that owner Embracer has “zero ability” to do anything with the franchise.
The one-time Grand Theft Auto competitor hasn’t seen a new entry since 2022’s ill-fated reboot, Saints Row. It received a mixed reception from fans, with IGN’s Saints Row review returning a 6/10. “Saints Row delivers no shortage of shallow shoot 'em up thrills, but it's a very familiar and uninspired brand of sandbox fun,” we said at the time. Sales were depressed, and developer Volition shut down in 2023. We haven’t heard about Saints Row from Embracer since.
So, is Saints Row dead? Stockman, speaking in the Discord for his studio, Bit Planet Games, said he thinks it is, having pitched a revival to Embracer (via subsidiary Plaion) and heard nothing back.
Stockman, who left Volition during pre-production of Saints Row 2, said last month: “... honestly, I think the franchise is dead, unfortunately. I get the sense that Embracer has zero ability to do anything with it.”
He continued: “I wish things were different. I tried my best to offer a path forward but they've ghosted me.”
IGN asked Embracer for a statement on Stockman’s comments and for a status update on Saints Row, but a spokesperson said the company does not comment on “rumors and speculation.”
More recently, Stockman clarified he’d spoken to Plaion about Saints Row, and he asked about the possibility of selling the IP, “but as I mentioned before they refuse to respond to my messages and emails.”
“Companies of that size almost never sell their IP because it, ultimately, devalues their purchase price if they decide to sell or try to take on investment,” Stockman said.
The upshot of all this is Saints Row celebrates its 20th anniversary this year (the first game came out on August 29, 2006) and it feels like a new game in the series is further away than ever. But one thing seems clear: if the company does have a secret plan for a new Saints Row, Stockman isn’t involved.
“As long as they [Embracer] are in business they own it,” Stockman added. “If they went out of business or filed for bankruptcy it would get auctioned off to the highest bidder.
“They could license it to me or contract us to manage it. But I've done all I can do to try and make that happen.”
Upcoming Embracer games include Killing Floor 3, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, the Embracer-owned Crystal Dynamics' new Tomb Raider games, and Darksiders 4. The fate of the Lord of the Rings MMO, developed by Amazon Games in collaboration with Embracer-owned Middle-earth Enterprises, is unclear. Dead Island 3 is in the works at Dambuster Studios, and is due out in the first half of 2028.
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.
LEGO is one of the most beloved toy brands. While these tiny plastic bricks have built their way into our hearts over the years, they've also made their way on to our screens. There have been a ton of LEGO movies and TV shows released as far back as the early 2000s, but the biggest and most notable films all stem from 2014's The LEGO Movie.
Since The LEGO Movie had its debut in theaters, there have been two spin-offs and a direct sequel that have received a theatrical release. If you're wondering where exactly you can watch those movies in 2026, we've gathered all of the up-to-date streaming details right here.
Where to Watch the LEGO Movies Online
Unfortunately, there is not singular location where you can stream all of the LEGO movies. The two spin-off films, The LEGO Batman Movie and The LEGO Ninjago Movie, are both currently available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. However, if you want to watch The LEGO Movie or its sequel, you'll need to buy or rent them digitally from a VOD platform.
All four of the films are available to buy or rent digitally from Prime Video or Apple TV. You can rent each movie for $3.99, with the exception of The LEGO Ninjago Movie, which is $5.99 for some reason.
Where to Buy the Movies in 4K
If you'd prefer to own the films rather than pay to rent or buy them digitally, you can currently find 4K Blu-ray editions of all four films on Amazon. There are also standard Blu-ray and DVD versions of each film available. Amazon is overall the best place to buy 4K movies in general, but you can also find all of the LEGO movies available on Gruv, which is the official storefront for physical movies from Warner Bros. and Universal.
Upcoming LEGO Movies
Although we have don't any set release dates or titles just yet, it was revealed back in 2024 that there are four live-action LEGO movies in the works for Universal. Of the four films coming down the pipeline, the only one we really have any concrete details about is the untitled live-action Ninjago film. There isn't any sort of director attached, but we do know that Kevin and Dan Hageman are reportedly writing the script. The two brothers are well-known for their work on the popular animated Ninjago TV series.
Darth Maul's new Disney+ TV series will show a changed version of the infamous Star Wars: The Phantom Menace villain — one who has learned that there's "something to respect" about the Jedi.
That's according to veteran Darth Maul voice actor Sam Witwer, speaking to Star Wars Insider (via The HoloFiles), who has previewed his character's upcoming return by discussing how things have changed in the years since he killed Qui-Gon Jinn, and then was cut in two by Obi-Wan.
For those who haven't followed what happened next to Darth Maul (who ended Phantom Menace in two pieces), the short version is he was revived, somehow, and enjoyed a popular run in the Star Wars: Clone Wars TV show. Now, the horny antagonist is back for more, this time as the star of Maul: Shadow Lord, a 10-episode animated show set to feature more of his exploits.
"We pick up after The Clone Wars," Witwer said, setting the scene. "The Empire has taken over, and Maul's reassessing everything. There were plans in place that were supposed to insulate him from the changes when the Empire came to power, and a lot of the people that were supposed to be there for him were not. He's getting back on his feet, the dust is clearing, and he's looking around at the Empire — the thing he and his master had been working toward since he was an apprentice — and thinking, 'Is this what Palpatine had in mind? How do I feel about this?'"
As the series will apparently show, Maul does not have a great feeling about this — what the Empire is up to and how it is simply a regime that exists for "influence, power and money." At the same time, Maul is also harbouring changed thoughts on his former master, following Darth Sidious' murder of Maul's brother Savage Opress.
"He was trained to hate and destroy the Jedi without ever questioning it," Witwer continued. "Now he’s looking at the galaxy going, 'Boy, we could sure use a Jedi Knight or two.' At least with the Jedi you knew where they stood. There's something to respect there. This Empire, he sees no values there, just the naked grab for influence, power, and money. Principles are gone. And he looks at that with a certain level of distaste. He may not have agreed with the Jedi Knights, but at least they had principles. You knew who you were dealing with and you could reason with that. There’s no reasoning with the Empire."
All of that said, don't expect Maul to suddenly become a cuddly character. "This show is bad guys versus worse guys," Witwer concluded, "and Maul's on the bad-guy side of that equation."
Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord will premiere via Disney+ on April 6, 2026, with two episodes being released each week until May 4.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
"What I loved about Resident Evil, apart from the fact it was a great game, was it was clearly patterned on a series of movies that I had loved growing up."
In a lengthy blog, Discord co-creator and CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy admitted the company had "missed the mark" and "failed at [its] most basic job: clearly explaining what we're doing and why."
Discord initially announced plans to roll out the "controversial" age verification checks as part of its "internal safety systems" and "enhancing its age-appropriate protections for users worldwide while maintaining "privacy, community and meaningful connection on the platform." The changes would have been coming to countries with age verifications mandated by law, as well as those without.
The announcement came just months after Discord admitted that hackers had gained access to images of 70,000 government IDs, uploaded to the servers of a third-party vendor that it had entrusted with the data, following user contact with its Customer Support or Trust & Safety teams. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, the news did not go down well, and thousands of members revolted, cancelling Discord's premium subscription, Nitro, and threatening to move their communities to other platforms, like Steam Groups.
In response to the community backlash and apprehension about third-parties vendors, Discord said it's moving to introduce more options and means of verifying your age, better transparency, plus that aforementioned delayed rollout.
Looking ahead, countries that have already passed age verification laws, like the UK, Australia, and Brazil, "may [still] require platforms to use approved methods like facial age estimation or ID checks," which means Discord cannot implement its own non-identifying systems, admitting, "we're not the only platform navigating this." For everyone else, though, the company reckons over 90% of people "will continue to use Discord without ever seeing an age verification prompt."
The firm stressed again that most people won't see any verification prompts, Discord does not get your identity, and if you don't verify, you can keep using your account — only age-restricted spaces could be limited. It also insisted it did not read DMs to determine your age, your age group is entirely private, and it will commit "to clearer vendor transparency" and "entirely on-device" age checks.
"We've made mistakes. I won't pretend we haven't. And I know that being a bigger company now means our mistakes have bigger consequences and erode trust faster," Vishnevskiy concluded. "I don't expect one blog post to fix that. Trust is earned through actions over time: shipping the things we promised, owning it when we miss the mark, and giving you real control over your own experience.
"But at our core, we build Discord because we love it and use it ourselves. Our motivation is simple: we want to build a great product for ourselves and the communities we’re part of. That doesn’t exempt us from the higher bar that comes with our scale; it motivates us to meet it. We’re listening. We'll get this right. And when we ship, you'll be able to see for yourselves."
Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
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.
AA publisher and developer Nacon has filed for insolvency, raising questions over the future of games such as GreedFall 2, Hell is Us, RoboCop, and Test Drive Unlimited.
Nacon, which is home to 16 development studios as well as a publishing arm, said it was forced into the decision after its majority shareholder, Bigben Interactive, failed to make a loan repayment. It has now asked a French court for permission to restructure its debt.
“The aim of this procedure is to assess all possible solutions to ensure the sustainability of the Company's activity under the best possible conditions, protect employees, and preserve jobs, while renegotiating with its creditors in a calm and constructive framework,” Nacon said. This procedure will enable the Company to continue its business, renegotiate its debts, and develop a credible and effective continuation plan.” The Court is expected to make its decision at a hearing in early March.
Nacon has a number of AA games under its belt, including GreedFall 2: The Dying World, which will release in its full 1.0 version on March 12. Nacon this week alerted press to its annual showcase event, dubbed Nacon Connect, which was set for March 4. It is expected to show off the likes of Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, The Mound, Edge of Memories, and Endurance Motorsport Series. And just this morning Nacon launched the third major update for Dragonkin: The Banished, which is still in Early Access.
The publisher just released Styx: Blades of Greed last week. RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business came out last year, as did Rogue Factor’s Hell is Us. IGN has asked Nacon for comment on its ability to continue to release its games and maintain and support those it has out already.
BBI, which currently holds 56.72% of the share capital and 65.79%% of the voting rights of Nacon, announced last week that it was unable to make a partial repayment of €43 million “due to the unexpected refusal of its banking pool to respond to the drawdown notice.” At the time, Nacon issued a warning to the financial markets, and suspended trading in the company’s shares.
Nacon’s hope now is that it gets approval from the court to restructure its debt. If it is successful, its existing liabilities will be frozen for a period that could last up to 18 months. During this time, the debtor will present a continuation plan for its activities by restructuring its debt, hopefully ensuring its recovery.
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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