Coca-Cola has sparked a backlash with its new, entirely AI-generated Holiday 2025 ad, but has insisted "the genie is out of the bottle, and you’re not going to put it back in."

The advert, below, was created by Los Angeles-based AI studio Secret Level, and features the trademark Coca-Cola trucks, 'Holidays are Coming' chant, wide-eyed animals, and, at the end, Santa Claus — all drenched in that generative AI shine.

We are incredibly proud to have partnered with Coca-Cola for the second time for the “Holidays are Coming” AI film. Last year was a cultural milestone, and this year, through animated characters, we bring magic across the globe with the arrival of the Coca-Cola trucks. pic.twitter.com/Bs7Gmj09gD

— Jason Zada (@jasonzada) November 3, 2025

Coca-Cola, currently valued at a market cap of $292.38 billion, is all in on generative AI, having released its first ever Coke ad co-created by AI in 2023, then a Christmas ad created entirely by generative AI in 2024. Despite a significant backlash to last year's advert, the company has created yet another AI Christmas ad, but this time, it boasted, with even fewer humans involved — 20 down from 50.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Pratik Thakar, global vp and head of generative AI at Coca-Cola, said that while people criticized the “craftmanship” of last year’s ad, the craftsmanship this time around is “10 times better.”

Jason Zada, Secret Level’s founder and chief creative officer, said: “The haters on the Internet are the loudest. A lot of the people complaining last year were from the creative industry who were just afraid — afraid for their jobs, afraid for what it did. But I think the spot tested really well and average people really enjoyed it.”

Thakar added: “Last year we decided to go all in, and it worked out well for us… Yes, some parts of the industry were not pleased we were using a 100% generative AI film, but that’s part and parcel of doing something pioneering.

“We understand that concern. But we need to keep moving forward and pushing the envelope.

“The genie is out of the bottle, and you’re not going to put it back in.”

Those comments and the ad itself have sparked a backlash online, with many pointing out that Coca-Cola's marketing slogan "it's always the real thing" feels out of place inside an advert made by generative AI.

Alex Hirsch, who created TV show Gravity Falls, taking to social media to say: “‘The genie is out of the bottle, and you’re not going to put it back in’ — your boss firing you on Christmas.”

Others were quick to hit out at the ad. “Flexing that you put even more people out of a job is CRAZY, especially when this isn't some metaphorical genie and is a technology forcing slop onto people,” said X / Twitter user @captaincupkicks.

“This unarguably looks like shit, so it’s very funny the only defense anyone can come up with is ‘well, I mean it’s the future and all that,’” added @regularaugust.

“You can literally see the characters from ZOOTOPIA and SING! in this,” said @unikunka. “F***ing artistic grand theft.”

“What the f**k does a genie bottle have to do with you being purposefully lazy about your commercials?” asked @TheJakeneutron.

"The best ad I've ever seen for Pepsi," one viewer said of the advert on the official Coca-Cola YouTube channel, which, interestingly, left the comments on.

Remember one of the most iconic Christmas commercials ever made? https://t.co/ZcYVZdulzr pic.twitter.com/bwauR2laTX

— cartoon moments that are raw (@rawtoonmoments) November 4, 2025

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

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

Photo illustration by Brandon Bell/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.

The director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office has ordered a reexamination of Nintendo's controversial 'summon character and let it fight' Pokémon patent after it was heavily criticized by IP lawyers.

In September, IP lawyers criticized the U.S. patent system and the USPTO after Nintendo was awarded a Pokémon patent that revolves around summoning a character and letting it fight.

Games Fray reported that Patent No. 12,403,397, dubbed the '397 patent, was granted by the USPTO "without any objection” to Nintendo, which is embroiled in ongoing litigation with Pocketpair's Palworld.

While the patent sums up how Pokémon games work in that you summon Pokémon to battle other Pokémon in the hope of adding them to your collection, there are countless other games that use similar mechanics, such as Persona, Digimon, and even Elden Ring, depending upon how the patent is interpreted.

At the time, IP expert Florian Mueller took to social media to say Nintendo “should never” have received a "summon character and let it fight" patent in the first place, while video game patent lawyer Kirk Sigmon told PC Gamer "these claims were in no way allowable."

Now, Games Fray has reported that Donald Trump nominee John A. Squires, who only became director of the USPTO in September, has personally ordered a reexamination after he "determined that substantial new questions of patentability have arisen" to certain claims made by the patent.

Here's Squires' description of the claims in question:

"The '397 patent issued with claims drawn to controlling the movement of a player character in a field of a virtual space, causing a sub character to appear in the field, controlling a battle in a manual mode when an enemy character is present in the location the sub character has appeared, and when an enemy character is not present in the location the sub character has appeared, automatically moving the sub character, and controlling a battle in an automatic mode when an enemy character is placed at a designated location."

In his order, Squires pointed to two older U.S. patent applications — one filed by Konami in 2002, the other by Nintendo itself in 2019 — as “prior art” references. Both, Squires said, would be “important in deciding whether the claims are patentable,” and each “raises a substantial new question of patentability.”

Mueller, writing for Games Fray, said Squires' order was down to the “public outrage” at the award of the patent, and concerns about the reputation of the U.S. patent system as a whole. While this reexamination isn’t a revocation order, Mueller insisted it is now “highly likely” that the USPTO will revoke Nintendo’s ‘397 patent. Nintendo has two months to respond.

What does this mean for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s high-profile legal battle with Pocketpair over Palworld? Mueller said it “further undermines the credibility” of Nintendo’s patent assertions against Pocketpair's game.

This is the latest legal blow for Nintendo in its battle against Palworld. Last month, one of the Nintendo patents related to its monster capture patents filed last year was rejected by the Japan Patent Office (JPO) for lacking originality. The office’s reasoning for the rejection made reference to older games with similar mechanics that were released even before 2021, including ARK (released in 2015), Monster Hunter 4 (2013), and Japanese browser game Kantai Collection (also 2013). Ironically, Pocketpair’s Craftopia (2020) and Niantic’s Pokémon Go (2016) were among other examples of games that were used to argue that the patent lacks originality.

The case involves three main patents granted by the JPO: two related to monster capture and release, and one related to riding characters. All three patents were filed in 2024, after Palworld came out. However, they are actually derived from earlier Nintendo patents dating from 2021. In other words, it seems that once Palworld came on the scene, Nintendo filed divisional patents that were geared to fight specifically against Palworld’s alleged infringement of the original patents.

Since then, Pocketpair has made changes to Palworld’s disputed mechanics. The November 2024 patch removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pokéball-like Pal Spheres (now Pals just materialize next to you when summoned). In May this year, another Palworld update changed how you can glide in the game — instead of directly grabbing onto Glider Pals, now you just simply use Pal-buffed Glider equipment. The case has rumbled on, with Nintendo even rewriting a mount-related patent mid-lawsuit, and arguing that mods should not count as prior art.

Nintendo Switch 2 has sold an astonishing 10.36 million units in six months, a record-breaking amount that sees the platform continue its run as the biggest console launch ever.

In its latest financial results, published this morning, Nintendo raised its hardware forecast for the year in response to the Switch 2's spectacular performance. It now expects to shift 19 million units of its new console before the end of March 2026.

To put Switch 2's success into perspective, Nintendo has doubled the launch sales of Switch 1 (which sold 4.7 million units in its first six months back in 2017) and is also well ahead of the PlayStation 5's own impressive arrival (which sold 7.8 million units back in November 2020, though was limited by stock availability).

Mario Kart World, the Switch 2's flagship launch game, has now sold 9.57 million copies, with 8.1 million units of that total from the console's bundle. (So yes, more than a million people paid $80 to buy it separately.)

Nintendo's second biggest Switch 2 title, Donkey Kong Bananza, has notched up 3.49 million sales since its July debut. Super Mario Party Jamboree — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, meanwhile, has sold 1.16 million copies.

There's no word in today's data on Pokémon Legends Z-A, which launched too recently to be included. However, we already know the new Pokémon adventure has sold 5.8 million copies in a week — enough to ensure it will certainly be one of the console's best sellers in Nintendo's next results.

Interestingly, sales of Switch 1 game Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continue to remain strong — with another 1.37 million units sold over the last six months (seriously, who doesn't own a copy by now?).

The original Nintendo Switch now stands at 154 million units, meanwhile, meaning it is just 10,000 sales away from overtaking Nintendo's current best-selling device — the Nintendo DS. But can the aging console shift another six million units to finally dethrone the best-selling console ever, PlayStation 2? Nintendo says it expects Switch 1 to have reached a lifetime total of 156 million by the end of March 2026, so it will come close.

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

Looking for a Black Friday deal on a world-renowned VPN at a great value? Surfshark VPN might have just what you’re looking for. While each month would usually set you back $5, the company is offering a Black Friday deal that nets you two years of coverage at a fixed rate of $1.99 per month, as well as an extra 3 months. Surfshark's biggest deal of the year will end on December 2, after which the price for the 2-year subscription of Surfshark One will increase.

Ever thought of replacing your gaming headset with a pair of earbuds? Steelseries has kicked off its first week of Black Friday deals with a 30% discount on its Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds. Prices drop from $199.99 to $139.99 shipped on both Xbox and PlayStation editions in Black, White, or Glorange after you apply coupon code "STEELDEAL1". The GameBuds is our front-runner for the best dedicated gaming earbuds of 2025.

Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds for $139.99 (was $200)

Nintendo recently raised the price of the new Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller from $85 to $90, but here's an opportunity to get one for less than either price. AliExpress is currently offering an official Switch 2 Pro controller for just $77.03 after you apply $12 off coupon code "AEUS12" during checkout. Your order ships free locally from the United States.

This is a brand new, genuine model, most likely from Hong Kong, China, or Japan. All Switch hardware (including the Pro 2 controller) is region unlocked, meaning you can use the controller with any US-based Nintendo Switch console without any additional steps. The only caveat is that imported peripherals don't come with a Nintendo warranty however AliExpress does offer a 15-day free return window.

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller for $77.03

Russell Crowe has revealed in a new interview that the upcoming Highlander remake, where he will portray the character played by Sean Connery in the 1986 original, will allow him to finally do what director Ridley Scott forbade him from doing in Gladiator.

In a recent interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Crowe laughingly recalled the ridiculously complicated background of Connery's version of the character:

“The character’s name is Ramirez and Sean played the character brilliantly, obviously, as a Scotsman. But they explain the reason that Ramirez, the Spaniard, had a Scottish accent in the movie by saying that earlier he came from Egypt!”

Connery’s Scottish accent infamously remained intact whether he was playing a Russian sub commander in The Hunt for Red October, an Irish beat cop in The Untouchables, or a Moroccan insurrectionist in The Wind and the Lion.

That’s when Crowe recalled how, early in rehearsals for Gladiator, he explained to Ridley Scott that, since his character Maximus was actually a Spaniard not a Roman, that he should speak with a Spanish accent or, as he put it, like “Antonio Banderas with slightly better elocution.”

Crowe chuckled when recalling Scott’s blunt response to his proposed character choice: “There’s no fuckin’ way that you’re doing that.” Crowe said they finally settled on Maximus speaking with an accent the actor dubs “Royal Shakespeare Company two pints after lunch.”

Crowe, who won the Oscar as Best Actor for Gladiator, revealed that he told this anecdote to Highlander reboot director Chad Stahelski who assured him, “‘If you bring me Spanish, I will take Spanish.’ So I’m gonna do Ramirez as a Spaniard. We shall see.”

Production on Highlander has been delayed until 2026 while lead actor Henry Cavill recovers from an injury he sustained during training for the film.

In addition to reuniting Man of Steel’s Crowe and Cavill, the Highlander cast also includes Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Marisa Abela, Djimon Hounsou, Max Zhang, and Scottish WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre.

Meanwhile, IGN’s Jesse Schedeen explains how the new Highlander’s casting of Jeremy Irons proves the reboot is already avoiding the franchise’s biggest mistake.

Black Friday deals season is fast approaching. It's the biggest shopping holiday of the year and overall the best time to find discounts on just about everything. If you're hoping to save some money on gifts and essentials in 2025, this upcoming sales event is your best bet.

With that in mind, Black Friday has evolved well beyond a single day of deals. While plenty of shoppers still tend to do the bulk of their actual shopping over Thanksgiving weekend, you will definitely be able to find good deals well before then. Best Buy has has already launched its early Black Friday sale, so you don't even need to wait.

When Do Black Friday Sales Actually Start?

Black Friday is November 28 this year, but we expect most sales to drop much earlier than that. Based on last year, we expect all of the major online retailers to start offering "early" Black Friday disounts at the beginning of November or on Halloween and continue through the week before Thanksgiving. Right after that, the "official" Black Friday sales start going live.

Best Buy was the first retailer to reveal its sale dates for 2025, and it looks like its Black Friday sales will start on Thursday, November 20 this year. Amazon was one of the first retailers to kick off the sale last year on the Thursday before Thanksgiving weekend, and it would seem that trend has caught on for 2025. Amazon will almost certainly match Best Buy's sale start time. Costco has also announced that part of its sale will begin on November 17 this year with more deals arriving online on Thanksgiving.

Best Buy, Costco, and Walmart have made an announcement about sale dates just yet, but it's probably safe to say that you'll be able to do most of your online Black Friday shopping the weekend before Thanksgiving in 2025. For many brick-and-mortar stores, you may be able to expect the full discounts even earlier. Some sales will still only take place on actual Black Friday, like at the LEGO Store, but for the most part the discounts will start ahead of then.

What Deals to Expect From Major Retailers

With the ongoing tariffs and recent price increases in the U.S., it's difficult to predict exactly what discounts we'll see during the 2025 Black Friday season. Tthe IGN Deals team has been covering shopping events all year and we have a decent idea of what you can expect, even if the prices will be higher than what we saw last year.

Amazon Black Friday

Amazon has one of the biggest Black Friday sales every year and tends to have discounts on just about everything. Based on previous Amazon sales like Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, you can expect the same discounts on Amazon devices we saw earlier this year. The lowest prices will most likely be on Kindles and Fire TV sticks, as well as Echo speaker bundles. Amazon has also been pushing a pretty steep discount on the Luna controller and subsequent bundles during every major sale this year. These particular discounts will most likely be exclusive to Prime members.

Outside of Amazon devices, the online retailer will also automatically match prices on popular products that are offered at other retailers. That means you can expect discounts on things like Apple devices, LEGO sets, laptops, TVs, and just about every other brand not exclusively owned by another major retailer. Amazon's Black Friday sale will usually be offering the same low price (or lower) as any of its competitors for these types of items.

To get a better idea of what to expect this year, you can take a look at last year's Amazon Black Friday ad.

Walmart Black Friday

After Amazon, the next biggest Black Friday sale you can expect is at Walmart. These discounts will be both in store and online, but the online savings should start a bit earlier. Walmart usually has some of the best deals on Apple devices like iPad and AirPods. You'll usually also find some of the lowest prices of the year on Walmart-exclusive products like Onn electronics, select Vizio TVs, some gaming PC configurations (see: the recent GeForce sale), and certain home appliances.

In the past, Walmart has also had some great Nintendo Switch deals that Amazon wasn't able to offer. We'd expect to see this again this year, most likely on newer Switch 2 games or Pokémon cards. Expect some of these discounts to be available early for Walmart+ members, which has been the case for other major sales this year.

In addition to popular tech and games, Walmart also tends to have deals on groceries, clothing, and toys. Walmart has been especially known to offer particularly good LEGO discounts, but stock tends to be fairly limited.

You can check out the full Walmart Black Friday ad from last year for more information. Walmart has also released an early deals preview for discounts starting on November 14 this year you can check out.

Best Buy Black Friday

The Best Buy Black Friday sale is usually the best collection of tech deals during the holiday season. Many of these discounts will be price-matched by Amazon and Walmart, but it will still likely have all of the same Apple devices, TVs, and video games on sale as everywhere else. You can also likely expect some sort of video game console deal on the PS5/PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X. With the continued price increases, this could just mean getting a free Best Buy gift card with your purchase, but it will still be a better deal than paying full price with no additional benefits.

In addition to consoles, video games, and video game accessories, Best Buy also tends to be one of the best places to buy handheld gaming PCs and laptops. With the recent release of the ROG Xbox Ally X, Best Buy has been the only retailer to keep stock. You can likely expect price cuts on the previous generation ROG Ally devices at Best Buy this year, as well as other popular handhelds. We also expect competitive pricing around newer laptops with the latest 50-series GPUs.

For more information on what to expect, check out the Best Buy Black Friday ad from last year. Best Buy has stated that it will have new doorbuster deals dropping every friday starting on Halloween this year, so expect the deals to arrive early.

Perhaps the best Meta Quest deal we are going to see during Black Friday has already gone live. Starting today, the official Meta Store on eBay is offering the refurbished Meta Quest 3 512GB VR headset for just $359.99 after a 20% off coupon code "TECH4THEM". Better yet, it comes with an extended 2 year warranty supplied by Allstate. The Quest 3 normally retails for $500 new and is rarely discounted. I saw this deal once before during Amazon's October Prime Day and it was so popular that it sold out within a day. This is easily the best deal I've ever seen on the Meta Quest 3 and you should absolutely buy it now over waiting for another deal during Black Friday.

Refurb Meta Quest 3 for $359.99

Includes extended 2 year warranty

If you're hoping to find a deal on an unlocked Google Pixel phone for Black Friday, I've got some good news: Amazon has already started slashing prices on most of the latest models from the Pixel lineup. The Google Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold have all dropped to their lowest prices ever well ahead of Thanksgiving weekend, with a whopping 25% savings.

Google's line of smartphones is mostly known for its high-quality camera and helpful AI features, both of which make them great iPhone alternatives. As someone who has owned a Pixel for well over a year now, I have no problem recommending them to anyone looking for a smartphone upgrade at a reasonable price.

The Best Google Pixel Phone Deals at Amazon Today

The only exception to the 25% discount is the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which is only getting 17% off the retail price. But even that is still substantial when you consider that this is the first discount we've seen on Google's latest foldable phone since it was released in October. With these price drops, right now is the best time we've seen all year to pick up an unlocked Google Pixel phone at a discount. None of these price drops are attached to a carrier plan, so you don't need to sign any sort of contract before you buy.

Which phone should you buy?

Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 10

Deciding which Google phone to buy really comes down to what features you want and how much you're willing to pay. My Google Pixel 8 is a few generations old at this point, but I decided to grab the Pro because of the increased screen size and bigger battery. I'd highly recommend picking up either the Pro or Pro XL if you plan on using your phone to watch videos or play games at all. Otherwise the cheaper Pixel 10 is probably your best bet at this price.

We reviewed the Google Pixel 10 Pro earlier this year and found that it didn't offer that many improvements of the Pixel 9 Pro. However, with the discount right now, the latest model is definitely the one worth buying over the previous generation.

The Google Pixel 9 deal is the best value option

Bambu is widely considered one of the premier 3D printer brands, and its most popular model is on sale ahead of Black Friday. Best Buy has the Bambu P1S Combo 3D Printer with Automatic Material System for multi-color printing for just $549.99 after a $200 off instant discount. This printer was $899 when it first launched, but prices have been steadily dropping since then. Best Buy labels this as a "Black Friday deal" and I'm not surprised - the deal is so good that I doubt the price will drop lower later this month, even during Black Friday proper.

Bambu P1S Combo for $549.99

In 1948, Walt Disney built a home in Palm Springs' Smoke Tree Ranch and, while he was forced to sell it to make a down payment on building Disneyland, a part of him always remained in that California desert. Now, in 2025, the company he co-founded has begun a new chapter in the nearby Rancho Mirage with Cotino, its first Storyliving by Disney Community.

We were invited to the grand opening of Cotino's Artisan Club to not only get a sense of what this new neighborhood actually is, but also to walk through the doors of an event space that was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering as a recreation of Incredibles 2's Parr House. It truly felt as though you were walking into the world of the Pixar classic, and walking through those red doors into the home was a moment I won’t soon forget.

What Is Cotino, A Storyliving by Disney Community?

Cotino, which welcomed its first residents earlier this year, is a very interesting new venture by Disney. It's a Disney community that is somewhat similar to Walt Disney World’s Golden Oak community, but it's not what you might think. Mickey isn't at the front gates welcoming guests, and there aren't fireworks every night or churro stands on every corner (which admittedly would be kind of amazing), but instead, this is a place infused with "the imagination of Walt Disney Imagineers and managed by Disney Cast members with the simple notion of bringing people together."

Homes here start from the mid $1 millions, and they welcome residents of all ages, as there is even a dedicated area known as Longtable Park for adults 55 and over. Cotino itself was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and developed in collaboration with DMB Development, and the three builders - Shea Homes, Woodbridge Pacific Group, and Davidson Communities - offer plenty of floorplans that really focus on the indoor-outdoor living that draws many to the wider Coachella Valley.

We were able to see a few model homes, and what really stood out to me was how open they were and how comfortable it felt to be both outside near the pool and inside the kitchen. And once again, there was very little Disney in these homes, save for the choice to purchase a Minnie Mouse- or Incredibles-themed golf cart and an awesome kids room with bunk beds and a ton of plushies, including Wall-E. Disney enthusiasts can of course choose to add their Disney artwork or memorabilia - and one of the builders even said they could install a custom Mickey-shaped pool if they'd like - but the Disney of it all was not front and center.

What was on prominent display, however, was that level of Disney service guests around the world have come to expect from the company's theme parks and cruises alongside a deep respect for the area. All that being said, this is a Disney community after all, and that dial of Disney Magic is turned up when you enter the voluntary Artisan Club that is located on the stunning Cotino Bay.

Incredibles 2's Parr House at Cotino's Artisan Club Is... Well... Incredible!

One of the purest joys of going to Walt Disney World or Disneyland is entering into the stories we hold closest to our hearts, and that feeling is brought to Cotino's Artisan Club by the event space that is a recreation of Incredibles 2's Parr House. This mid-century modern-inspired space was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering with the help of Pixar and built by Davidson Communities, and it's a six-bedroom retreat that members can host events at or even stay overnight.

As you can see in the video above, they absolutely nailed the feeling and look of the exterior of the home, the living room, and Mr. and Mrs. Incredible's bedroom. However, we actually didn't get to see the entire house in Incredibles 2, so the team had some fun and built five bedrooms upstairs that are based off of Violet, Dash, Jack Jack, Edna Mode, and Frozone.

Ahead of Black Friday, Dell is offering an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop equipped with the GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card for as low as $2,065 with free delivery. Most RTX 5080 prebuilts you'll find elsewhere, including the more affordable brands you find on Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, are priced closer to $2,400 and up. That's impressive considering Alienware usually commands a higher price premium. Such a system would have cost as much as $3,000 at the beginning of the year, but Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 prices have been trending downwards lately.

Alienware Aurora RTX 5080 Gaming PC From $2,065

A compact power bank that is perfect for your Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, or Apple iPhone 17 has dropped in price for a limited time. Amazon is currently offering the Iniu 10,000mAh 45W Power Bank for just $11.21 after you clip the 49% off coupon on the product page. I expect this deal to reach its redemption limit very quickly.

Iniu 10,000mAh 45W Power Bank for $11.21

Pillars of Eternity is the surprise recipient of a patch to add turn-based mode, developer Obsidian has announced.

Fresh from releasing Avowed, Grounded 2, and The Outer Worlds 2 this year, the Microsoft-owned studio has gone back to its isometric, party-based fantasy RPG over a decade after it came out with a fresh update.

Obsidian announced a new public beta for Pillars of Eternity opens on November 5 for players on Steam and Xbox PC, which adds the turn-based mode. The reveal comes alongside a message from game director Josh Sawyer (last seen directing Pentiment), with his thoughts on what turn-based mode means for Pillars of Eternity.

“Fans who enjoyed experimenting with turn-based mode in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire will find familiar ground here, but with key improvements shaped by your feedback,” Obsidian said in a blog post. More details are below.

How turn-based mode works in Pillars of Eternity:

• Unbound Turns: All turns are now influenced by a character’s overall speed, improving the value of Real-Time with Pause attributes and mechanics.
• Smarter Free Actions: Actions like swapping weapons, drinking potions, or enabling modals are now free actions. Each free action is limited to one per turn per type for balance.
• Faster Pacing: Combat lethality has been significantly increased for both enemies and players to keep battles tense and impactful.
• Mode Flexibility: You can choose Turn-Based Mode alongside difficulty when starting a new game — or swap freely between Real-Time with Pause and Turn-Based Mode in the game options. We’re also investigating a direct HUD toggle for even more convenience.

As this is a public beta, please expect bugs and ongoing adjustments, Obsidian warned. The beta will run for “some time” as the developer continues to roll out updates and prepares for a full release.

Gone are the days of $200+ Black Bolt and White Flare Elite Trainer Boxes, and it looks like Amazon is finally paying attention to all the secondary market undercuts on TCGPlayer. I've got two banger deals for you today, with the Black Bolt ETB coming in under market value at $84.95, with White Flare coming in at market value at $82.84 once you factor in shipping.

Black Bolt Elite Trainer Box

White Flare Elite Trainer Box

I'm not messing around with today's Daily Deals. We've got Pokémon TCG product under market value on Amazon alongside some great related deals on TCGPlayer. On the otherside of the TCG sphere, Magic: The Gathering's Avatar: The Last Airbender set releases this month, and I've found the best prices online to preorder right now.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

Xbox controllers are awesome not just for the latest generation of Microsoft consoles, but for PC gaming too. I've got some great discounts on Elite V2, Special Editions and Hyperkin blasts from the past that you can't ignore. Looking for an extra special edition of Resident Evil: Requiem? I've got the preorder deets for the deluxe edition that comes with an awesome steelbook too. Let's get into it:

Amyet V9-G60 1000W Electric Bike for $426

The Best Pokémon TCG Deals

The main highlights of these Pokémon TCG deals has to be the Black Bolt and White Flare Elite Trainer Boxes. White Flare is at market value for $82.94, whilst Black Bolt is dipping under market value at $84.95. It's a great time to get into the dual set that capped off the Scarlet and Violet era. Don't forget the latest set, Mega Evolution, either. TCGPlayer is destroying big box retailer Amazon in pricing right now, and that includes the Enhanced Booster Box featuring a stamped Bulbasaur Illustration Rare.

The Cheapest MTG: Avatar Preorders

The biggest saving here is with the single Avatar Collector Booster. It's half the price of market value on Amazon now at $37.99, which is 100% worth the a look. Bar the Jumpstart Booster Box and Begginer Box, Amazon is under market value for preorders right now. Don't forget that Amazon don't charge for preorders until they ship, and their preorder price guarantee ensures you're getting the best price.

Xbox Series X|S Controller Sale

Hyperkin knocked it out of the park with their OG Xbox S controllers. Yes, they're wired, but that also means they're perfect for competitive play thanks to zero input lag. There's also three special edition controllers which never stick around for long, and one of the best controllers ever made, Xbox Elite V2, is on offer for $139.99 currently too. Don't sleep on these deals.

Resident Evil: Requiem Deluxe + Steelbook

No discounts, but this is one for steelbook collectors. You'll get the base game, deluxe edition content and a cool steelbook and sleeve for this special edition of Resident Evil: Requiem. The Deluxe Edition include's the Apocalypse costume for Grace as they flick between first and third person views whenever they want, a first for the series.

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

Hey. Hey you. Yes, you. The one playing Hollow Knight: Silksong. I just wanted to let you know, before you go any further, that you're missing a bench in Bilewater. Just in case that helps.

If you're not to Bilewater yet, this PSA is still for you. You will get there, and you will want to know this. I am going to spoil what's in Bilewater in this piece, so if you don't want to know that information, leave and come back when you've gotten sufficiently angry at Bilewater.

Bilewater is notorious. It is a massive, disgusting zone on the other side of the already frustrating Sinner's Road that you can stumble into fairly early on in Act 1 of Silksong, and which is required if you ever want to see the game's Act 3. There are many reasons why Bilewater is loathesome: it has many obnoxious enemy types that can ambush you and ruin your day, there are lots of spikes you can fall on and hurt yourself, and notably, it is full of maggot-infested water that will stop you from healing and regenerating silk. Bilewater is awful.

But apart from the grub-water, one of the most standout horrors of Bilewater is its lack of benches. There's one bench way, way down at the bottom of Bilewater, in the Bell Beast station. At first, you might be tricked into thinking there is a second bench nearer the top lefthand side of the zone but, surprise! It's a trap. Not a bench at all. Down into the maggot water you fall.

So...uh...is that it? Is the Bell Beast bench really the only bench in Bilewater? Do you really have to do the entire zone, and the long, agonizing run back up to its boss over rivers of maggot-infested goop, past piles of spikes and exploding bug enemies and those awful things that belch poison at you, all with no break?

You don't. Be free. You're missing a bench in Bilewater. It is here:

We have a detailed guide to getting through Bilewater here on IGN, which you should use to find this bench when the time comes. The short version is that the hidden Bilewater bench is located behind a breakable wall on the far right-hand side of a cavern, past a giant pool of maggot soup at the bottom of a pit. Break the wall and drop down through another pit, then break another wall on your left to find the secret bench. This one, mercifully, is safe, and will not unceremoniously dump you into a pool of misery when you try to sit down.

This bench is much, much closer to Bilewater's boss, Groal, though it's still a bit of a trek up to him. Again, I recommend our walkthrough for help on surviving Bilewater, because it really is just a disgusting and difficult place.

We've seen a lot of people suggest that the run back to Groal, even with the help of the hidden bench, is one of the worst runbacks in the Souls genre. We're curious if you agree, so we set up the poll above. Vote to let us know which of these bosses has the worst runback from safety to their arena every time you die and have to attempt fighting them again. Or let us know in the comments if there's a worse fight we haven't mentioned here.

In addition to our Bilewater guide, we have a detailed Wiki to help you through every step of your journey in Pharloom, so check it out before, during, and after Bilewater.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Warning: This review contains full spoilers for South Park Season 28, Episode 2!

It was probably bound to happen sooner or later. South Park has generated a strong sense of momentum and narrative coherency in this Season 27/28 era, but inevitably, there were going to be bumps in the road. It’s tough to focus this much energy on being reactive and improvisational and not occasionally lose the thread. Bearing all that in mind, it’s still disappointing to see the series stumble in its eagerly anticipated Halloween episode.

“The Woman in the Hat” is one of those episodes that tries to tell two stories at once and winds up executing neither particularly well. On one hand, the Halloween angle comes into play as the ongoing renovation at the White House seemingly unleashes “a wrath” and causes the Trump Administration to become haunted by the mysterious “Woman in the Hat.” On the other hand, Stan, understandably miffed at having to live in his grandfather’s retirement home, concocts a new plan to get politics out of South Park. Even in the climax, these two threads never really tie together in a satisfying way.

There’s certainly some amusement to be had in watching the various people in Trump’s orbit stumble about as they’re haunted by a malevolent ghost. It’s one way of working the First Lady into the equation. This episode gets plenty of mileage out of mocking Attorney General Pam Bondi in particular, painting her as a literal brown-noser plagued by “rectoplasm” and all too happy to sue anyone who criticizes her beloved boss. It’s also funny to see the series continue to unload on FCC head Brendan Carr, who has indeed lost his freedom of speech and is now trapped in a permanent Nazi salute.

This is also where Trump advisor Stephen Miller enters the picture. Frankly, Miller seems to get off a little too easily compared to the rest of the group, with the episode focusing solely on portraying him as a creepy, shambling mash-up of Renfield and Riff Raff. It definitely seems like the show could have gone deeper there.

The larger issue with this half, though, is that the Halloween subplot feels more like a silly detour than a necessary new chapter of the season’s ongoing Trump storyline. We only get one brief scene of Peter Thiel and the captive Cartman. The seance never really pushes anything forward, nor does it have a particularly memorable payoff. The whole thing feels a little underbaked, despite how entertaining the Halloween trappings are.

That said, it’s not nearly as underbaked as the Stan subplot. This is where “The Woman in the Hat” really stumbles. It starts out promisingly enough, with Stan struggling with the idea of being unhoused and lamenting the sorry direction South Park is headed. Here, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are happily shattering the fourth wall and throwing a bone to every fan who feels the show has gotten too caught up in political humor (though it’s hardly like this is a new phenomenon for the series). I definitely chuckled when Stan complained that he hadn’t heard Kenny speak for four months.

Sadly, this episode completely fails to build from there. Stan’s crusade against politics almost immediately and inexplicably devolves into an attempt to hitch his wagon to the current crypto meme coin craze. Why, exactly? Not that crypto scams aren’t a fitting target for the series, but the way this episode goes about it just feels hamfisted and not particularly insightful. As nice as it is to see Cousin Kyle make a guest appearance, there just isn’t much humor or insight to be found in Stan’s story this week.

It was probably the right choice to acknowledge the ongoing criticism about the lack of focus on the classic South Park kids in these new seasons. It’s a criticism that has merit, as much as the show’s political storylines have mostly been dead-on. But making Stan the center of a half-baked, Cartman-style scam isn’t the way to address things. The problem here is that Season 27 had the right angle by focusing on Cartman’s disillusionment over this post-election climate, but the show has now pivoted in a completely different direction in Season 28. Now Stan is being called upon to shoulder the burden, and it’s not working. Hopefully, this is something the writers can hash out over the remainder of Season 28.

FPS fans have spent months obsessing about Battlefield 6 map sizes, so some players finally took the time to measure and compare nearly every map the series has seen in the last 15 years.

The Battlefield map size breakdown is a collaborative effort organized by Reddit users ClaraTheRed and PENGUINonPC and includes multiplayer locations featured in Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4, Battlefield: Hardline, Battlefield 1, Battlefield 2042, and, of course, last month’s Battlefield 6. It comes not only with a side-by-side comparison for each game’s map, organized by game mode and player count, but also color-coded horizontal bar graphs, illustrating how EA’s approach to map sizes has changed through the years.

ClaraTheRed shared details about their analysis in a follow-up post, clarifying that they have “done nothing but work on this the entire weekend.” The more than 45 hours of work resulted in a six-game, 72-map breakdown that paints a clear picture: Battlefield 6 doesn’t quite reach the gargantuan size of some of the series’ biggest maps.

ClaraTheRed points out that, while many of the relatively small Battlefield 6 maps, like Iberian Offensive or Siege of Cairo, are similar in size to maps seen in Battlefield 3 and 1, many of its larger maps rank among the medium-sized pool of maps studied. While games like Battlefield 3 and even Battlefield 2042 boast some of the most colossal maps the series has seen yet, Battlefield 6 falls short of offering even one map in the top 20. Even its largest map, Operation Firestorm, which itself is a downsized remake of the Battlefield 3 map of the same name, lands as the 32nd biggest map for total shared playable area and 22nd for total map area.

These are numbers the Battlefield community is already latching onto, but there are a few notes to consider. The evaluation stops short of including every map in the series, for example, with 2018’s Battlefield V, which ClaraTheRed says was difficult to gather data for, being one omission. Battlefield titles have also been known to alter the play area mid-match thanks to features like Levolution and environmental hazards, which some portions of the study consider. Every game that is included also has the benefit of being a completed work, DLC included – Battlefield 6 launched less than one month ago.

EA and Battlefield Studios have continued to push updates for its new Battlefield game in the weeks since its release, with Season 1 introducing a medium-sized map with Blackwell Fields last week, and another called Eastwood set to follow later this month. There’s also Battlefield REDSEC, a standalone offshoot with ties to the Battlefield 6 experience, which also launched last week. EA has proudly declared its map, Fort Lyndon, as the “biggest Battlefield map ever,” though much of the community has already placed it into a separate category thanks to its status as a battle royale map included with REDSEC, not Battlefield 6, specifically.

Battlefield 6 fans who hopped in as early as the August beta tests have spent months clamoring for larger maps as EA and BF Studios continue to work on post-launch content. It’s a topic that has set the community on fire, as some work to defend Battlefield 6’s current offerings while others take to review-bombing to express their dissatisfaction with map sizes, among other things.

“The two of us are not here to complain about map sizes in BF6 (although we do have our opinions on them),” ClaraTheRed clarifies, “but we're here to provide context and show that Battlefield maps throughout the last decade and a half have varied in size by a tremendous amount.”

Battlefield 6 players will likely continue to break down new maps as future seasons roll out. Until then, you can see our collection of every multiplayer map Battlefield 6 has to offer. You can also learn about the hidden firing range room that players are investigating for secret Easter Eggs and hints at future content. Those looking to brush up on their online skills can also read our multiplayer tips and tricks guide.

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).

Not long you you wouldn't be able to find an electric bike for under $1,000. Although there are still plenty of "premium" brands that still sell ebikes for well above this threshold, it's no longer an accurate blanket statement. As we enter the Black Friday and holiday season, you can pick up an entry level ebike for as low as $300. The three deals below stand out for the following reasons: (1) they're a lot less expensive than buying the exact same bike off Amazon, (2) they're all shipped from a local US warehouse so you don't need to worry about tariffs or shipping delays, and (3) they're sold by reputable vendors with plenty of reviews and sales to back them up.

Amyet V9-G60 1000W Electric Bike for $426

Rockstar, the developer of Grand Theft Auto VI, reportedly fired between 30 and 40 employees in a move that the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) is claiming was "blatant" and "ruthless" union busting.

According to Bloomberg, the workers fired this past Thursday were all UK and Canadian employees who were also part of a private trade union chat group on Discord, and were either union members themselves or trying to organize Rockstar. IWGB has issued a press release in response to the firing, claiming that the employees' dismissal was explicitly due to union activities.

Rockstar has just carried out the most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry. This flagrant contempt for the law and for the lives of the workers who bring in their billions is an insult to their fans and the global industry.

Despite this calculated attack on workers organising for a collective voice and to improve their difficult working conditions, the Rockstar Union remains undeterred. They will keep organising for respect and better conditions whilst continuing to pour their blood, sweat and creativity into games that are loved by millions.

The IWGB will pursue every legal claim possible to ensure our members are reinstated and receive interim relief.

In response, publisher Take-Two has issued its own statement via a spokesperson, countering that the firings were for "gross misconduct, and for no other reason."

We strive to make the world’s best entertainment properties by giving our best-in-class creative teams positive work environments and ongoing career opportunities. Our culture is focused on teamwork, excellence, and kindness. Rockstar Games terminated a small number of individuals for gross misconduct, and for no other reason. As always, we fully support Rockstar’s ambitions and approach.

These dismissals occur as Rockstar is on the cusp of releasing Grand Theft Auto 6 in May of next year, with the game projected by some analysts to make $3 billion in its first year on sale and said by others to be one of the most important game releases of all time.

Amidst massive public anticipation for the game, Rockstar has been sparing with its marketing, releasing very little information about the game ahead of launch. However, after a massive leak of the in-development game in 2022 and the day-early release of the game's first trailer the following year, Rockstar has been increasingly tight with security. Last year, the studio began asking employees to come to the office five days a week, citing a desire for both increased productivity and security. This decision was criticized by workers affiliated with the IWGB, who said Rockstar broke promises with the forced return to office, and accused the studio of refusing to engage with workers on the issue.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Xbox’s Black Friday sale this year is shaping up to be... complicated. Microsoft has spent much of 2025 raising prices across the board, with consoles, controllers, games, and even Game Pass Ultimate all getting more expensive.

We’ll definitely still see discounts for Xbox fans during the big sale season; it's just unfortunate that almost everything is starting from a considerably higher baseline than before.

That said, I'm also predicting that we'll still be able to score some worthwhile discounts come Black Friday. While Xbox's official "Black Friday" offerings (yet to be announced) rarely deliver great savings, in my experience, you just need to know where and when to look for bargains, and which "deals" to avoid altogether.

To help with this, I've put together my predictions for what will be discounted this year, alongside some expert advice on the best places to find Xbox deals once the sales properly kick off.

Xbox Game Pass

That's a great deal if you want to lock in coverage through the holidays. The max you can fill out your account with is 12 lots of three months (totalling 36 months), and currently costs $659.88, or $219.96 per year.

By comparison, at the new $29.99 monthly rate, three years of Game Pass Ultimate now costs $1,079.64. So there are already big savings to be had. It’s just a question of whether we’ll potentially see anything even better in the coming weeks.

Now that's where things get interesting. For the best deal possible in the final months of the year, my advice is to keep an eye on Amazon-owned Woot. Last year, Woot dropped three months of Game Pass Ultimate to just $28.99 during Black Friday, over 50% off at the time.

It was a great deal, but considering it now costs $90 for three months of Ultimate today, this now looks like an absolute juggernaut of a discount.

It's purely speculative that this offer could reappear, and I doubt we’ll see anything quite that generous in 2025, but anything even close to it would be worth shouting about again.

Woot is one of the best retailers for limited-time, doorbuster-style discounts, and since it’s backed by Amazon, it’s a safe bet. The only downside is that these deals sell out fast, so to avoid missing out, I'd suggest following @IGNDeals on Twitter/X for the latest updates.

Even now, the Carbon Black controller is $39.99 at Amazon ahead of Black Friday, which is likely better than anything Microsoft itself will offer once the sale begins. If you want to pick up one of the best PC gaming controllers at that price now, I wouldn’t judge you.

That said, I still expect we’ll see every color scheme go on sale closer to Black Friday, so it could be worth waiting to see if you can grab something a little bolder, and potentially at an even better price.

When it comes to deals to skip, I’d avoid paying anything over $45 for the core controllers during the sale season.

The only other Xbox controllers I’d be excited about this Black Friday are the new special edition models, such as the “Breaker” series, as long as they get deeper discounts.

I’m also watching to see whether we’ll get another significant price drop on the Xbox Elite 2 Controllers. Ideally, the Core Elite model would fall around $90, while the full Elite 2 package would drop to somewhere between $110 and $120.

Still holding out hope that Famke Janssen will reprise her role as Jean Grey in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday? Perhaps it's time to let go, because the actress has confirmed that Marvel hasn't asked her to play the superhero again since the end of Fox’s X-Men movies.

Famke Janssen played Jean Grey from 2000’s X-Men right up to a cameo in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. Her character, as the Phoenix, died in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, with Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner taking over the role for subsequent X-Men movies.

But a number of actors whose characters died in the Fox X-Men movies are set to reprise their roles in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. For example, Sonic the Hedgehog star James Marsden is confirmed to play Cyclops in Doomsday, despite the character's previous on-screen demise.

Other Fox X-Men veterans set for Doomsday include Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, and Rebecca Romijn. Grammer famously played Beast in the Fox X-Men franchise before making his MCU debut via The Marvels' post-credits scene. Stewart played Charles Xavier/Professor X in the X-Men films before appearing briefly in the MCU via Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a member of the Illuminati. McKellen, who played Magneto, has yet to appear in the MCU. Neither has Cumming, who played Nightcrawler, Romijn, who played Mystique, nor Marsden. It begs the question: is Avengers: Doomsday secretly an Avengers vs. X-Men movie?

Whatever the nature of Doomsday's plot, it sounds like Famke Janssen won’t join the party. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she was asked if Marvel had ever asked her to play Jean Grey again after the Fox era of movies. She replied: "Never. Never ever."

"I should be flattered, I suppose, that this character has resonated with people,” she added. “It's been so long, but it's nice that people are still talking about her. I'm sure every single time there's a new movie that they're doing, like [is it] Doomsday? ... it'll come up again.

"Every time I do an interview, it's mentioned. It's interesting. I didn't realize that was such a big part. Every interview I do, that will come up, and of everything I say, that is going to be the only thing that's gonna be printed."

Such is the interest in the MCU that Marvel superhero actors are often asked about reprising their roles for future films, and Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Secret Wars has only ramped interest up. Elizabeth Olsen, for example, recently said she’d “jump at” the opportunity to play Scarlet Witch again despite her character’s apparent death in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Olsen is not, however, among the confirmed cast for Doomsday. Interestingly, neither is Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman, who starred alongside Janssen in the Fox X-Men movies.