Disney and WEBTOON have teamed up to create 'Mickey X F1 Racing to the Top!,' an original vertical comics series launching in March that aims to combine the creativity and imagination of Mickey & Friends and the excitement and drama of Formula 1.

'Mickey X F1 Racing to the Top!' will launch on March 6 during the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, and it will be available on WEBTOON's global platforms throughout the entire Formula 1 race season.

New episodes will drop during each race weekend, and the original story the comic will tell is inspired by the "high-octane thrills and teamwork of elite racing," and will see "Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy come together to help support a racing team in crisis, demonstrating the power of friendship and collaboration to overcome adversity."

"The Duckburg F1 fan club, led by Mickey Mouse, is invited to shadow a racing team to create a behind-the-scenes documentary," the official synopsis reads. "But when that team suddenly collapses at the very beginning of the season, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and friends step up to keep the project alive, filling key roles themselves and recommending Jun, a talented taxi driver chasing his lifelong dream of winning Formula 1, only to discover his teammate is his sister Lia, his ultimate rival who left him in the dust years before.

"Will Jun, with the help of Mickey Mouse, be able to overcome the old grudge, make peace with his sister and finally play as a team? It will be a long journey, to be covered at full speed on the Grand Prix tracks!"

For more in the world of Disney, check out our experience attending the Goofy's Mystery Tour Cast Member event at Walt Disney World and the latest updates on Hollywood Studios' The Magic of Disney Animation.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.

The Scream series differentiates itself from other slasher series in many ways, beginning with its meta approach, but one other notable aspect is its lack of an ongoing villain. In 2022’s Scream (AKA Scream 5), Amber Freeman, discussing the movie-within-a-movie franchise used for much of the self-referential comedy, Stab, directly brings this up. Says Amber, “You know what the biggest problem with the Stab movies is? There's no Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. No bad guy to keep coming back!”

Of course, that’s never really been a problem for Scream as the concept is part of its baked-in formula. Rather than an ongoing killer, Scream has mostly stuck to the same ongoing heroine, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), along with other key characters like Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox). Each movie is a whodunnit, with a new killer donning the familiar Ghostface persona, complete with mask and robe, until their identity is revealed in the final act. Almost all of these movies have multiple killers too, working in tandem together, meaning as we go into the new Scream 7, there’s already been plenty of Ghostfaces to go around.

But which of them has stood out the most and ranks as the best? We’re here to help!

13. Jason Carvey (Scream VI)

Scream VI’s Jason kind of has to go last, if you include him at all, simply for accomplishing so little. Well, unless we also gave a ranking to his would-be partner, Greg, who never actually managed to fully become Ghostface, despite intending to.

Blackmore University student Jason (played by Tony Revolori) wanted to follow in the footsteps of previous Ghostface Richie Kirsch, with a new murder spree alongside his intended partner Greg that would “finish Richie’s movie” - as in commit new murders to inspire a crowd-pleasing new Stab movie. But on the very night Jason killed his first victim, both Jason and Greg found out the hard way that there were others with their own Ghostface plans who saw these two as an inconvenience to be quickly disposed of.

We didn’t learn much more about the full extent of Jason and Greg’s plans because they become the kind of pre-title fodder that any good Scream (and Stab) fan knows is usually there just to set the scene, not be the focus.

12. Ethan Landry (Scream VI)

You’re about to notice a logjam of Scream VI killers here at the bottom, which is funny, because Scream VI is a really good movie. And on top of that, the final showdown between that film’s heroines, Samantha (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), and these particular killers is awesome, with the Carpenter sisters taking out each of the Scream franchise’s first-ever Ghostface trio in satisfying and suitably intense ways.

But that makes it all the more glaring that the actual killer reveal is kind of a dud. Yes, it’s a fun idea to have it be the family of the previous film’s killer, Richie, but the characters chosen aren’t exactly the most exciting, particularly Ethan, played by Jack Champion. Though sorta-kinda part of the central friend group in the film, by virtue of being “Core Four” character Chad’s roommate, Ethan is kept at arm’s length, not interacting with the others as much except in a jokey manner. He’s the nerdy virgin and that’s about it. Though it is amusing how Chad’s sister Mindy continually suspects he’s Ghostface before it turns out she’s right, there’s not much more to him than that.

But man is it great when Tara literally twists the knife after she stabs him in the mouth…

11. Quinn Bailey (Scream VI)

Liana Liberato’s Quinn rates just above her brother for a handful of reasons, including her simultaneous moxie and restraint. First off, she’s just a likeable character. Introduced as the roommate to Sam and Tara Carpenter, she’s funny and quirky and the idea that she has a, ahem, healthy amount of sexual partners is treated in an amusing manner. As Quinn describes it, she’s not “the slutty roommate” - she’s just sex positive.

Also, kudos on her stellar dead-body acting when she needed to fake her own death. But most of all, she stands out for feeling like the only one of the family who has a more grounded (by Ghostface standards) attitude when she, her brother, and her dad are revealed as the killers. She genuinely seems angry and menacing and vengeance-minded the whole time, while her brother and father are going just a wee bit – okay a lot – bigger.

Quinn’s kill count is probably low, most likely limited only to franchise perennial Gale Weathers’ boyfriend, but her showdown with Gale is memorable, as she comes closer than anyone ever has to finally taking out the intrepid reporter. And on top of that, she’s the first-ever Ghostface to actually get Gale on the phone for a classic Ghostface phone call scene, and that’s something, dang it!

10. Wayne Bailey (Scream VI)

Take it down a notch, Wayne!

Dermot Mulroney is a good actor, but the decision to have him go so very big, performance-wise, when his character Wayne is revealed as the patriarch of a very twisted, homicidal family, briefly knocks the wind out of the sails in Scream VI. It doesn’t mesh with how Wayne had behaved up until that point and it also feels contradictory because Wayne doesn’t personally care about the Stab movies - he just wants revenge for Samantha Carpenter killing his son Richie. But he’s behaving like the wackiest Stab superfan we’ve ever seen.

Wayne rates above his kids though for being the mastermind of the New York City Ghostface killings and for how he used his position as a police detective to further all sorts of Ghostface shenanigans. This goes back even before the family began killing people to when he helped Richie buy artifacts connected to the previous Ghostface murders for his first born’s macabre shrine. He then was able to successfully fake his daughter’s death and cast doubt on Kirby Reed, implicating her as Ghostface (though we’re still not sure if the stuff about Kirby no longer being FBI was true or not?).

On the kill-count front, it seems likely he was the Ghostface who stalked Sam and Tara in that bodega, taking out three different victims back-to-back-to-back in an intense and uncharacteristic group-kill scene unlike any in the series. This included him using a gun, in what’s become a debated fan topic, since that makes him the only Ghostface to use a firearm while in their full masked persona.

So yeah, Wayne did a lot during his Ghostface stint, but did he need to be so Crazy with a capital C about it?!

9. Charlie Walker (Scream 4)

Among Scream’s many murderous partners, there’s pretty much always a Ghostface hierarchy where you can tell who’s the one who’s coming up with most of the plans and calling the shots. And in a couple of cases, that hierarchy gets underlined in a big way by an outright betrayal as it turns out one Ghostface was just the pawn of another. Such is the case with Scream 4’s Charlie, who found out the hard way that his partner Jill had no intention of sharing the falsified “We’re the only survivors!” spotlight with him when she stabbed and killed him.

Up until then, Rory Culkin’s Charlie had been a decent Ghostface. With Jill needing to play her pre-determined role as the seeming main target of this killing spree, it was up to Charlie to carry out most of the actual murders, which he embraced wholeheartedly. And there was a clever hiding-in-plain-sight aspect to making him part of a nerdy movie-loving duo alongside his pal (until he murdered him) Robbie, which gave him more cover than he might have otherwise.

Oh, and though it’s delivered through the ol’ Ghostface voice changer (as said by the ever-great Roger L. Jackson, who’s been the Ghostface alter-ego voice from the start), it’s technically Charlie who has one of the funniest Ghostface lines in the franchise’s history as he gets outright pissed off about being misidentified on the phone as Jill’s ex-boyfriend and yells “This isn’t fucking Trevor!” in exasperation.

8. Mickey Altieri (Scream 2)

Obviously Timothy Olyphant rules, and kudos to Scream 2 for giving one of Hollywood’s greatest modern cowboy types his first high-profile role. But as a Ghostface, Olyphant’s Mickey isn’t exactly a standout.

First and foremost is that he just isn’t in enough of the movie. He’s established early on as one of Sidney’s college friends, but his appearances are rather scattershot, and he rarely gets a moment to stand out - except for voicing his false (in retrospect, of course) suspicions about Sid’s boyfriend, Derek. When he takes off the Ghostface mask, there really isn’t much excitement behind it because of how the movie has sidelined him so much.

That being said, once he is revealed as Ghostface, he gets a couple of strong moments, including his diabolical treatment of Derek, who he pretends is his partner in front of Sid, only to then shoot and kill him. The fact that he made Derek’s last moments extra emotionally agonizing is pretty dang cruel, which gets him some points, because remember, Ghostfaces are bad people!

Also, he’s interesting as the only Ghostface in Scream movie history who wants to be caught as part of his endgame, excited by the prospect of a big televised trial where he’s going to blame the movies for corrupting him. It’s a nice change-up from the norm of wanting to frame someone, which helps him briefly stand out… Except that he was always a pawn in someone else’s game, as proven when he’s oh-so-casually betrayed by fellow Ghostface Nancy Loomis, who guns him down.

7. Roman Bridger (Scream 3)

Played by Scott Foley, Roman’s a tricky one because he’s got some clear trouble spots, starting with the fact that he’s Ghostface in the weakest Scream movie, Scream 3. Also, the big reveal about his identity and his role in past events is a massive retcon that is not always embraced by the fanbase. And on top of that, that reveal is predicated on him telling Sidney who he really is in a movie that never had these two characters meet a single time before he takes off his mask, so from her point of view, he’s just some random guy suddenly showing up to take the spotlight.

Of course, that random guy then quickly explains he’s the brother she never knew she had, the most recent Ghostface who’s been killing his way through Los Angeles, and the guy behind everything in this series, given he’s the one who first pushed Billy Loomis to kill Roman and Sidney’s mother prior to the events of the first film. That last point may be divisive, but it positions him as a key player in the entire series, like it or not.

And then there’s the fact that you have to give Roman some extra credit because he’s the only solo Ghostface in the entire series. He had no partner to rely on or to help cover for him, and was doing it on his own with even greater danger of being caught. That takes initiative!

And jeez, he killed the entire main cast of Stab 3, the movie he was the director of! Think about how crazy that is and how much that would be talked about for the rest of time among infamous Hollywood scandals.

6. Nancy Loomis (Scream 2)

There’s nothing like the love of a mother, which was proven once more when original Ghostface Billy Loomis’ mom Nancy took up her baby boy’s mantle and set out to get revenge on Sidney for killing her son.

As it turned out, Billy must have gotten all of his own natural diabolical serial killer prowess from Momma, because Nancy took to her new mission like a pro. She gave herself a makeover and a new identity as seemingly awkward, small-town reporter Debbie Salt, while simultaneously recruiting her accomplice Mickey on the internet and getting him inserted at Windsor College alongside Sidney. And Mickey was the perfect dupe for her, not realizing she never intended to let him get arrested and have the showy trial he dreamed of.

It seems likely Nancy let Mickey take on most of the actual killings at Windsor, but look, as much as it hurts when fan favorite characters are taken out, Nancy was the one who managed to get the drop on Scream’s first movie geek extraordinaire, Randy Meeks, after he dared disparage her Billy. And when you’re accomplishing that, and bringing the audience that much pain, it’s a notch on your bloody belt.

Plus, Nancy gave us Laurie Metcalf as a Ghostface, and who doesn’t enjoy seeing Roseanne’s Aunt Jackie get homicidal?

5. Amber Freeman (Scream 2022)

There’s an argument to be made for putting Amber above her partner, given that she committed most of the murders in the fifth Scream movie, one of which was an incredibly notable character, and that Scream 5 filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have speculated she was likely the one really “leading from behind,” despite how it might have appeared. However, that latter bit of pondering was never made canon, and she does suffer a bit from just feeling like part of the friend group for much of the film without a lot of moments of her own (an excised plot point about her and Tara Carpenter actually being ex-girlfriends might have both alleviated that but also made her too obvious a suspect).

Still, by the end of the film, we realize Amber is a particularly passionate and cruel Ghostface. And this includes the revelation that she’s the one who pulled off the fan-agonizing move of finally taking out the beloved Dewey Riley after he managed to survive so many other near-fatal attacks before. “It’s an honor” she declared while slicing Dewey open, underlining the significance of what she’s doing.

When she’s revealed as Ghostface, she also stands out for how much future Academy Award-winner Mikey Madison absolutely goes for it as this demented teenager, who mocks Gale and Sidney – though she’ll come to regret that – to their faces with how she killed Dewey, while prematurely declaring “Your story’s over!”

4. Richie Kirsch (Scream 2022)

In a film series that’s always been oh-so meta and self-aware both about the movie tropes it’s trafficking in and how the audience perceives them, along with how that changes through the years, Scream 5’s Richie got to be the avatar for the ugly side of modern fandom in a notably witty and wicked way.

Richie’s motivation for going on a murder spree, along with tricking a woman into thinking he loved her when he really intended to frame her for his crimes? Well, there was a sequel to a movie he loved that he really hated! Who could blame him after that!?

Richie’s plan is to orchestrate a new Ghostface murder spree built around a “story” he thinks will make for a great Stab movie. Then the producers of the franchise will base the next Stab movie on these murders, course-correcting after the loathed Stab 8 dared to stray too far from the formula.

We’re all familiar with how nasty things can quickly get these days when fans feel “betrayed” by a new installment of a franchise they love failing to meet expectations, with some of the most intense folks sounding particularly… heated. From earnestly asking how fandom can possibly be perceived as toxic to the fact that the fictional movie that set him and Amber off was a sequel to a long-running franchise directed by freaking Rian Johnson, the commentary Richie embodies regarding where things can go with overly “enthusiastic” fans in the modern era is very on the nose, and also very funny and perfect for a Scream movie. Richie plotted an intricate murder spree because he's the biggest, most loyal Stab fan ever, and this is how he’ll fix the movies he loves so very much.

Another reason Richie works so well as a Ghostface is that Jack Quaid makes for the perfect seemingly sweet, dorky boyfriend type you hope truly has his girlfriend Sam’s best interests at heart, making it all the worse when he stabs her and reveals the truth. “I know, it’s a bummer it’s me!” he tells her. Which it is, which is also why it’s great.

3. Stu Macher (Scream)

Stu’s just the best! He’s so fun and goofy and likeable in that manner we’ve come to expect from the man portraying him, Matthew Lillard. Well, okay, he is an awful murderer too, but nobody’s perfect.

Ultimately, Stu is clearly the follower in his Ghostface partnership with Billy, who’s calling the shots and personally motivated when it comes to why the first-ever Woodsboro murder spree happens. But you can’t deny Stu didn’t embrace his role with gusto. He was all in, serving as both a perfect sidekick and partner, fully immersed in all of the murder, manipulation, and movie trivia phone calls that came with the territory. Lillard makes Stu a funny, quirky presence throughout the film, but it's his performance in the film’s big reveal sequence and ensuing showdown with Sid where he really gets to shine, as we see just how gleefully deranged and nearly Joker-esque he can be. It’s the kind of Big Crazy Killer vibe that other Ghostfaces are often living in the shadow of.

Oh, and he allowed himself to get grievously injured by Billy as part of their plan to look like the survivors at the end. Of course, Stu didn’t end up reacting so well after Billy stabbed him, which is where that whole likeable/disarmingly funny thing takes center stage again (including some healthy improv-ing from the intrepid Mr. Lillard). Because yes, Stu has other memorable lines like “It’s a scream baby!” and “It was fun!” but his most relatable moment is probably yelling “You hit me with the phone, you dick!” at Billy, along with becoming a blubbering mess and crying “My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me!” when he believes Sidney is going to be able to successfully get them arrested. That might not make for a scary Ghostface moment, but it sure is an entertaining one.

2. Jill Roberts (Scream 4)

We know, we know, how can Stu not be number two when he’s so funny and Matthew Lillard is so great!? All of which is absolutely true, but we’re ranking Ghostfaces here and in the Ghostface realm, Stu wasn’t a mastermind. And when it comes to those who took the reins in the Ghostface dynamic, Emma Roberts’ Jill stands tall, despite her short stature.

Jill is as demented a Ghostface as you’ll find, coldly willing to kill all of her high school friends, her cousin Sidney Prescott, and even her own mother in order to achieve her ultimate goal. And that particular goal, to be famous for the sake of being famous, is another time Scream has stood out for shrewdly parodying a particularly online mindset. In fact, Scream 4 feels somewhat ahead of its time in this regard, because Jill’s motivations already worked in 2011, but eerily feel even more part of our zeitgeist these days as we’ve seen so many more people attract huge followings for the most random or inexplicable of reasons.

Jill has one of the best Ghostface reveal sequences ever, both because of her proclamation of why she’s doing what she’s doing – “I don’t need friends, I need fans!” standing out as her most iconic and oft-quoted line – and for how she goes about setting the scene to look like the only survivor of another massacre. Jill may be “remaking” what Billy and Stu did, but she’d doing it in her own impressive manner, from how coldly she kills both her ex-boyfriend Trevor and her partner and secret lover Charlie in order to frame them, to brutally stabbing Sidney. Frankly, she was so close to getting away with it too if she’d just made sure Sid was dead.

But the biggest feat of all is seeing her on her own go about causing all the brutal damage she needs to sell her lone-survivor scenario. From using Trevor’s dead hand to scratch her face and yank out her hair, to bracing a knife against a wall to deeply stab herself, to throwing her entire body through a glass table, Jill is fully committed, just not in the way she should have been if she’d gotten proper psychological testing.

1. Billy Loomis (Scream)

Let’s face it: Billy’s got to be number one. He was the first! Sure, Roman was the one who pushed him into killing Maureen Prescott, but Billy kept going after that with a much larger murder spree thanks to his own psychotic initiative. And presumably he was the one who came up with the whole “let’s wear this cool mask and call people with horror movie trivia questions” thing when the Ghostface murders really kicked in, though perhaps Stu helped with some brainstorming.

In so many ways, Billy really set the template for a Ghostface, which included his cruelly close relationship to Sidney prior to the murders and how diabolical it was that he was pretending to be a loving boyfriend while also the one killing her mother, her friends, and ultimately planning to kill her. And he took it to the next level of manipulation, leaning into and using that he knew he’d be seen as an obvious suspect before getting Stu to fake it so it seemed he himself was attacked, stabbed (and, for a moment it appeared, even killed) right in front of Sidney, both briefly making it seem like there was no way he could be the killer – and make her feel terrible for ever suspecting him – and then making it all the worse when he revealed he actually was the killer moments later.

His impact on the series has been profound, with later killers like Nancy and Roman turning out to be either related to him or directly connected to him. And then things went even further when the fifth and sixth movie introduced a new heroine, Samantha, who was his secret daughter, setting the stage for Skeet Ulrich’s Billy to become the first Ghostface to ever return onscreen in later installments of this supernatural-free series, albeit through Sam’s visions of him.

In Scream VI, when the shrine to all of the Ghostfaces is revealed, it’s Billy’s robe and mask that stands at the center, given an extra bit of reverence above the others. Which is fitting for the guy who first reminded us that we all go a little mad sometimes.

But who do you think is the greatest Ghostface of all time? Vote in our poll, and let’s discuss in the comments!

With Housemarque's new game Saros on the horizon, now is a great time to boot up the developer's previous release, Returnal. If you haven't added this one to your library yet but have been waiting for a good time to grab it, this is your chance: Amazon's dropped its price to $29.83 (see it here).

Considering it usually comes with a price tag of $69.99, this deal saves you 57% on the game overall. It's also just a few dollars away from its lowest price point at the retailer of $24.70. That's not too bad at all. Plus, there's still plenty of time before Saros is released, so the timing of jumping into Returnal couldn't be better. You've plenty of time to get a feel for Housemarque's style of roguelike shooter before jumping into the studio's new take on that formula.

Returnal for $29.83

In the run-up to Resident Evil Requiem’s release this week, the official Japanese X account for Resident Evil has come up with a quirky way to promote the game. On Tuesday, it made a joke post that Resident Evil’s nefarious pharmaceutical company Umbrella Corp. was filing a lawsuit against the real-life Nissin Noodles over their similarity to Umbrella Noodles.

Umbrella Noodles have appeared in several Resident Evil games. They were an item in 2003’s Resident Evil Outbreak and, more recently, showed up on posters around Raccoon City in the Resident Evil 3 remake. Umbrella Noodles’ packaging is a spoof on the red and white lettering of Nissin’s Cup Noodles, a cheeky Easter Egg for players who noticed. Real-life Japanese food company Nissin was founded by instant noodle inventor Momofuku Ando in 1948. After putting the world’s first instant ramen on the market in 1958, Nissin has been selling their Cup Noodles ever since 1971.

However, on February 24, Resident Evil’s official X account posted an announcement that Umbrella Corp. had submitted a complaint to the Raccoon City District Court, alleging that Nissin’s noodles significantly infringe upon Umbrella Corp.’s intellectual property rights regarding Umbrella Noodles. It’s worth noting that even if Umbrella Corp. were a real company, it set up shop in 1968 with an initial focus on biological weaponry, meaning that it’s unlikely it developed Umbrella Noodles before Nissin’s offering!

However, if there’s one thing S.T.A.R.S members can attest to, it’s that Umbrella Corp. does not give up easily. The official Japanese Resident Evil account then escalated the drama by posting a video featuring an Umbrella Corp. scientist apologizing to those who accidentally purchased “imposer” Nissin Noodles instead of Umbrella Noodles, and explaining how Nissin "copied" the recipe.

As evidence, they allege that they were able to recreate Umbrella Noodles from Nissin Cup Noodles with a 99.9% success rate, simply by adding entrails and a herby, mostly basil-based sauce to Nissin’s product (although it made Umbrella employees who ate it a little itchy... probably best not to ask where those entrails are from). Sharing the video, Nissin clapped back with, "However you look at it, you're the ones doing the copying!"

どうみてもパクリはそちらです。 https://t.co/7VvG8kqWQX

— カップヌードル (@cupnoodle_jp) February 25, 2026

Adding even more hot water to the situation, Japanese shoppertainment company Yume Group (who last week released a bizarre ultra-limited edition of Resident Evil Requiem bundled with exercise equipment, which sold out almost instantly), launched the over-the-top Umbrella Noodles/Resident Evil Requiem ad below. A terrified Grace Ashcroft comes across the Japanese infomercial duo casually munching on and singing the praises of Umbrella Noodles (the ad notes that Umbrella Noodles are not a real product, although Resident Evil Requiem is a real game).

夢グループの石田です。

今日は、『アンブレラヌードル』のご紹介です。
びっくりの美味しさ！
いったい何でできてるのかなぁ・・・？
みなさん、ぜひお試しください。

『バイオハザード レクイエム』はこちらからお買い求めください。https://t.co/pSdtjNwJ0S#バイオレクイエム pic.twitter.com/zfEBhiAy5G

— 夢グループ (@yumegroup) February 26, 2026

Soon after, the official account for Nissin Cup Noodles reacted, sharing the ad with a, “What the hell is this?”

The fake lawsuit and sudden focus on Umbrella Noodles sparked much amusement from Japanese-speaking commenters. “No way can Umbrella beat Nissin. You think a Tyrant can stop a cheese alien?” joked one fan, referencing the mascot that sometimes appears in Nissin Cup Noodle commercials (like this one from 2001). “Umbrella Noodles are delicious, yeah? Although a huge eye’ll appear on your shoulder the day after you eat them,” quipped another.

Given all this sudden focus on Umbrella Noodles, it seems likely that they will pop up in Resident Evil Requiem too. Perhaps Leon and Grace will be able to find Umbrella Noodles in Resident Evil Requiem and chow down on them as they explore the ruins of Raccoon City.

We've got plenty more on Resident Evil Requiem, including how long Resident Evil Requiem takes to beat, and we've tracked Resident Evil Requiem's global release times.

"Like the result of an experiment conducted in an underground Umbrella Corporation lab, Resident Evil Requiem successfully splices two separate strains of survival horror together into the one highly infectious new mutation," IGN wrote in our full Resident Evil Requiem review, which returned a 9/10 score.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.

Writer and director Damien Leone has issued an update on horror movie sequel Terrifier 4, addressing what he called “speculation and false information” doing the rounds online.

In a post on Facebook, Leone confirmed that the Terrifier 4 script is “very close” to completion, and that pre-production is set for this spring. However, there’s still no official release date.

“This is the most precious script I’ve written for many reasons, but it’s also the most challenging,” Leone explained. “There’s a lot of material to tackle and a lot riding on this one, not just creatively but emotionally.

“We’ve built something special together over the years. The cast and crew who have been here since the beginning deserve a finale that honors their dedication, and the fans who’ve championed this franchise deserve something unforgettable.

“In all honesty, I’m thrilled with the way it’s turning out and confident it will deliver. I will officially announce when the script is complete on my social media pages which also means we’ll be moving into pre-production. If you don’t see it coming from or confirmed by me, then it’s not official.

“Thank you for your patience. I promise it will be worth the wait!”

It’s worth noting that Leone calls Terrifier 4 the “finale” here, confirming plans to end the franchise with the fourth entry.

Terrifier began life in full-blown movie form in 2016, and revolves around demonic serial killer Art the Clown. 2022’s Terrifier 2 was a box office success (check out IGN's Terrifier 2 review here), and Terrifier 3 followed in 2024, bringing in even more money from theaters (here's our Terrifier 3 review).

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.

Resident Evil Requiem includes numerous Easter eggs and unlockable extras, but none seemingly as complex as 'The Final Puzzle.'

Warning! Resident Evil Requiem puzzle spoilers follow:

As with other recent Resident Evil games, Requiem includes a list of challenges which add completion points to your playthrough score. At the bottom of the list is the appropriately-named 'The Final Puzzle' — which is proving to be something of a headscratcher.

IGN has a work-in-progress guide to The Final Puzzle where significant progress has been made through the challenge's convoluted early stages, which feel more complex than anything seen in any other Resident Evil game to date — and, seemingly, with still some way left to go.

Exactly what the final outcome or reward for the challenge might be remains unknown — but as the game continues its launch around the world, the hunt for answers here will undoubtedly become a major point of community focus.

The game's own description for the challenge offers only the vaguest of hints, to "Let the sweet pair hear the voice." The mechanics of the puzzle, or at least its first part, appear to rely on players picking up or examining a variety of objects throughout the game to determine fragments of a code.

Requiem's trail of clues relies on players picking up a specific severed hand which, if obtained, can also be scanned later on to provide a hidden RNA code in a blood sample analysis machine. Other items also hide their own codes, providing (with a bit more puzzling work) a version of that RNA sequence that can be plugged into a safe that features buttons labelled with a Star, Sun and Moon.

After that... well, it's here the trail has gone cold, though likely not for long. We'll be keeping an eye on further progress made throughout the next few days, as players uncover further steps. For now, however, it's just fun to see that the game hides this kind of puzzle.

For a far more granular look at each step to-date, IGN's work-in-progress guide to The Final Puzzle is right here. We've also logged how long Resident Evil Requiem takes to beat, and tracked Resident Evil Requiem's global release times.

"Like the result of an experiment conducted in an underground Umbrella Corporation lab, Resident Evil Requiem successfully splices two separate strains of survival horror together into the one highly infectious new mutation," IGN wrote in our full Resident Evil Requiem review, which returned a 9/10 score.

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

Amazon’s Woot store has been known to offer a bunch of deals in the past, but it might just have outdone itself this time around with its brand new "Video Games For All!" sale.

Not only is the retailer offering discounts on games like 2025 hits Monster Hunter Wilds and Pokémon Legends Z-A, but it’s got a handy "LEVEL20" discount code that makes them even cheaper. But, there's a limited time left to take advantage, as the promo code will expire by 11:59 PM CT on February 27.

That LEVEL20 promo code makes games like Monster Hunter Wilds just $13.59 (just wow!). Perfect for testing out the latest performance enhancements on all platforms and taking on the latest endgame content.

Legends Z-A, on the other hand, is just $35.92 on Switch 1. IGN's Rebekah Valentine gave the game an 8 out of 10 in her review last year, saying “Pokémon Legends: Z-A finally feels like Game Freak hitting its stride in Pokémon’s 3D era, with a fun setting to explore, a well-written story, and a total battle system overhaul that works surprisingly well.”

You can upgrade to the Switch 2 version digitally as well for just $10 after making your purchase, making this a certified bargain.

It’s not just newer titles, either. Elden Ring, heralded as one of the greatest games of all time (IGN awarded it a 10 out of 10 in our review), is just $15.99 on PS5 with the discount code as well.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which is getting Switch 2 features next month, got a 9 out of 10 review score from IGN, is down to $37.59 with the promo code.

Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are just $47.19 for the pair, while if you’ve not played Breath of the Wild yet, it’s $35.19. That's just the tip of the iceberg as well, as there's some unbelievable discounts all round.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.

It doesn’t sound like Scream 7 is the end for the horror franchise — Neve Campbell, who plays protagonist Sidney Prescott, already has a “great” idea for Scream 8, and it will be made as long as Scream 7 is a success.

Speaking to Deadline, Scream 7 writer and director Kevin Williamson confirmed that he and Campbell started discussing Scream 8 as they worked on this new movie.

“When you’re sitting on the set at 3am in the morning, you’re like, ‘Well, what would Scream 8 be about?’ And you just start spit-balling,” Williamson said. “And Neve had this great idea, and everyone seemed to run with it So yeah, if this movie works and people want it, we’re here for the fans. So, if they want it, we’ll certainly give it to them.”

Early indications are that Scream 7 is set for box office success. The Hollywood Reporter said Scream 7 is projected to debut with a 3-day total that lands between $40 and $45 million at the domestic box office, up on prior projections.

Earlier this week, Campbell confirmed that she skipped 2022’s Scream 6 because her salary offer didn’t reflect the 25 years of dedication she felt she gave to this story. “When I made that decision, I just didn’t think I could live with myself walking on set,” the actress recently told CBS Mornings in an interview about Scream 7. “I just didn’t feel right. I just knew that my value to this franchise was bigger than what had been offered. For me, I needed to make that choice.”

According to Variety, Campbell secured a nearly $7 million deal for Scream 7, whereas Scream mainstay Courteney Cox was paid $2 million.

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.

Marvel Rivals players are asking NetEase Games to take action after the emergence of an unofficial bounty website triggered fears that it could harm the community it’s supposedly trying to protect.

Fans of the hero shooter sounded the alarm when third-party site Intlist.org went live on February 22. Established by Marvel Rivals content creator and X/Twitter user EchoRivals, its official Discord page says the goal is to give players an avenue to name those who intentionally sabotage or “throw” multiplayer matches and “put a price on their head.”

Tired of griefers getting away with it? 🚨

I built @IntlistOrg - post a bounty on any thrower. The community queues in, claims it, and earns 80% of the pool. 💰

⚡ Free to post
🎮 6 games supported
💵 Payouts via PayPal

Portion of proceeds may go toward community tournaments -… pic.twitter.com/cipHg3WhnJ

— Carson (@EchoRivals) February 23, 2026

“Put a bounty on griefers & throwers,” the first post on its X account says, promising a system that offers an 80% payout for those who successfully throw matches in retaliation. “Someone queues in, throws it back, gets paid.”

Intlist allows any player to post bounties related to disruptive behavior across seven games: Deadlock, Overwatch, Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Dota 2, and, of course, Marvel Rivals. The site has done its best to sell the pitch as a simple solution to a common issue, but as Marvel Rivals fans have pointed out, there a number of concerns going unaddressed.

Some have already called out how a widely used bounty website could cause a domino effect that sees not only griefers punished but everyone else, too. One Reddit user calling attention to the issue says they’ve already seen an increase in sabotaged matches for every kind of player, warning that “now every game is people throwing each other’s games.”

“Something tells me throwing the game of someone who throws already is not going to annoy anyone but the four unfortunate randoms on the team,” another popular reply from a fan says. “I do not see the point of this like at all.”

The Intlist account replied to the criticism above: “Collateral damage is an unfortunate reality of war.”

pic.twitter.com/LJJX8xQEgw

— Viper4K (@Viper4K) February 25, 2026

Another matter brought to the table by fans online revolves around how the community defines who is and isn’t sabotaging matches, as well as Intlist’s verification process. The primary purpose of the site was already facing scrutiny at launch, as players suspected there may be too few safeguards to keep well-meaning players from falling victim to retaliation through the bounty system. Reports that notable Marvel Rivals content creators like Jay3 had joined the list of offenders only added to these concerns.

Meanwhile, as of the publication of this story, Intlist has been pulled offline as the team backing it teases that “something big is coming.” Discord messages from EchoRivals paint a clearer picture, explaining that the site was locked down after they “detected unauthorized access to our database from a single bad actor.”

“A limited number of email addresses tied to bounty posts were exposed,” the post adds. “No passwords, payment info, or plaintext IP addresses were compromised - we don't store any of those. The site is temporarily offline while we lock everything down - we were not taken down, one person just decided to ruin it for everyone temporarily. We're also working on some upgrades while we're at it.”

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s long-awaited Techmarine update is out now across all platforms as part of patch 12.0. It adds the new Techmarine class, a new melee weapon, a new Operation, DLCs, and balance updates.

The Techmarine is the big draw here. The new playable class — the first to hit the explosive third-person action game since launch — has a unique Servo-Gun ability that locks onto enemies in a line of sight and automatically fires at them while the Techmarine continues fighting in melee or range. It also has access to the new Omnissian Axe, which can deal massive damage to both a single target with its standard attacks and to surrounding enemies with its finishing heavy attacks.

“We hope you will really like the new class,” game director Dmitry Grigorenko said in a post on publisher Focus Entertainment’s website. “We've tried to make sure that this class plays differently from the rest.”

A number of changes were made based on feedback from the recent PTS, outlined in the patch notes below. “We've tried to address most of it, but there are some big changes that we didn't have time to implement,” Grigorenko explained. “There will be more improvements and perks reworks in upcoming patches.”

Elsewhere, patch 12.0 heralds the addition of Space Marine 2's first voice pack, which costs $4.99. This is not included in the Season Pass (and thus has upset some players who believe it should be part of the premium DLC package). It includes 450 re-recorded voicelines and a unique Space Marine Head cosmetic for each of the following Space Marine chapters: Blood Angels, Space Wolves, and Black Templars.

Resident Evil Requiem has finally arrived, ready to provide you with hours and hours of survival horror action, in which you can test your mettle as both Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy. Much like its modern predecessors, Requiem boasts a reasonably stacked campaign, but just how long is it? Here, we’ll let you know exactly how many hours it took different members of the IGN team to finish the game, and what they prioritised doing with that time.

How Long is Resident Evil Requiem?

• Our fastest player finished the game in 4.5 hours.
• Our “slowest” player finished the game in 16 hours.

Everyone plays games differently, so read on for more details about how everyone played, how long it took to reach the credits, and how much extra time players spent exploring. Once you've finished the game yourself, be sure to submit your times on our sister website, How Long To Beat, and see how your time compares!

Jesse Gomez - Senior Video Producer

Completion Time: 8 hours and 59 minutes on Standard (Modern) / 4 hours and 38 minutes on Insanity.

Shy of just under nine hours, my first playthrough of Resident Evil Requiem consisted of meticulously hunting down every single Mr. Raccoon collectable, reading as many files as I could (I missed just three of the 75 available to find), and relishing in the blood-soaked glory of Leon's vast, yet costly arsenal.

If I wasn't so engrossed by exploring every nook and cranny of the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center and beyond for secrets, I'm sure I could’ve shaved an hour or two off my playtime. For my second playthrough, though, I cut that time practically in half. I dove into a run on Insanity difficulty right after hitting credits and, armed with knowledge of objectives and environment layouts from my first playthrough, I blitzed through it all in just over four hours and a half hours. Such speed does come with some hiccups, though; to Grace's dismay, I did get munched on a few times by the many monstrosities that stalk the care centers' halls.

Dale Driver - Associate Director, Video Programming

Completion Time: 16 hours on Standard (Modern)

I hit credits 16 hours into my playthrough of Resident Evil Requiem after choosing what I assume to be the “good” ending! I played through the game on the standard modern difficulty; the hardest option available out of the gate that doesn’t demand you deal with Ink Ribbons taking up inventory space.

I was quite thorough during my playthrough, making sure I got all the antique coins and all the safes' codes, and generally trying not to leave anything behind. When I got to Raccoon City later in the game, I spent a decent amount of time revisiting the classic locations and soaking up the nostalgia.

I did have an advantage that many first-time players won’t have, which I assume might have cut an hour or two from my playthrough. I’d previously played through the majority of the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center section for IGN’s preview of Resident Evil Requiem, so when it came to that section I already knew what I needed to find and where it was hidden. That certainly sped up the early hours for me.

So far, I’ve only finished the game once, but I definitely plan to dive back in for an Insanity run and see what I missed!

Tristan Ogilvie - Senior Video Editor + Reviewer

Completion Time: 10 hours on Standard (Modern)

It took me just over 10 hours to roll credits on Resident Evil Requiem, however that was to arrive at the shorter and what I consider to be the worse of its two possible endings. Man, I hate that ending so much! So, I immediately reloaded my save game to play through the other, better, ending, which added close to another 30 minutes onto my playtime.

I opted to play Requiem on the Standard (Modern) difficulty setting, mainly because I didn’t want to be restricted to using ink ribbons in order to save my game during Grace’s sections like you are on the Standard (Classic) setting. As the parent of two young kids who are liable to disrupt me at any moment and for no good reason, I need to have the ability to save my game without any restrictions.

However, I am now playing a second time through on Standard (Classic) and taking my time with it a bit more. I’ve still got a number of small things like notes and Mr. Raccoon bobbleheads to track down, as well as a few areas here and there tucked away in the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center that I didn’t fully explore the first time through.

I’m too much of a coward to tackle the game a third time on the Insanity difficulty setting, however if Capcom ends up adding a Mercenaries mode to Requiem at a later date I’ll come charging back harder than a zombie chef with the smell of blood in his nostrils.

Matt Purslow - Executive Editor of Features

Completion Time: 11 Hours on Standard (Modern)

I completed Resident Evil Requiem in exactly 11 hours. And, if you’re planning to do a pretty “regular” playthrough, I expect you’ll clock up a similar playtime. While I didn’t scour every last corner, bookshelf, and drawer for the most fiendishly hidden treasures and lore drops, I was reasonably thorough in my exploration of the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center and the locations that await beyond it. I scavenged enough currency to buy a healthy selection of upgrades, ensuring both Grace and Leon were well equipped for the dangers they faced, but by the time credits rolled there were still guns that could be further modified and stats that could be improved. I unlocked some safes, but there are still several left to crack in a second playthrough. I read plenty of documents, and so learned many of the story’s extra details, but there are still mysteries to be solved by finding the papers I missed.

11 hours is pretty typical for a Resident Evil game, but relatively slender compared to many of today’s massive, RPG-style games, and so a second playthrough is certainly on the cards. I not only plan to gather what I missed, but also play with the opposite perspectives of Requiem’s default set up – I’m excited to see what exploring Rhodes Hill as Grace in third person is like, and taking on Leon’s sections as a first-person shooter. That’ll surely clock up another dozen hours.

Brian Altano - Executive Producer

Completion Time: 12 Hours on Standard (Classic)

It took me around 12 and a half hours to beat Resident Evil Requiem on the Standard (Classic) difficulty setting, in which Leon can save the game infinitely at pretty much every save station, while Grace needs to find (or craft) limited, finite ink ribbons, just like in the classic Resident Evil games.

I’m a huge fan of the series and I had a hunch I’d like this game, but I didn’t expect to practically adore it. I found myself exploring every inch of it for secrets, collectibles, easter eggs, and more. Ultimately I missed a few on my first run through the game, but then immediately started a second and third playthrough after initially rolling credits the first time in an effort to find everything.

There are some really fun post-game options tied to beating the campaign with specific parameters (like finishing it without using a single healing item), plus a couple of other little challenges I’m excited to try. There’s one specific Mr. Raccoon bobblehead I definitely wouldn’t have found without the help of IGN’s guides guru, Brendan Graeber, so if you’re a completionist who doesn’t want to miss anything on your first trek through the story, be sure to give our walkthrough a look. Then there’s the unlockable “Insanity” difficulty that I absolutely can’t wait to repeatedly get my butt kicked in.

All in all, I’ll probably put about 40 hours into Resident Evil Requiem, a number that will only go up if Capcom decides to add a Mercenaries mode and additional story DLC post launch. I really love this game!

Magic: The Gathering will kick off its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set this weekend with a prerelease window before launch next week, but the notoriously elusive Collector Boosters are now back in stock at Amazon.

Not only can you find a box in stock (which in itself is a small miracle), but it’s discounted down to $424.93. That nets you twelve packs - it's pricey, but potentially worth it.

Save on MTG Collector Boosters For The New TMNT Set

For those new to the game, Collector Boosters offer the rarest cards in the Ninja Turtles-themed set, and are ideal for anyone looking for unique art treatments.

Will you get ‘better’ cards? No, not necessarily, but you’re more likely to find cards with higher resale value, hence why they cost an MSRP of $37.99 per pack. For anyone looking to play Magic, the aptly-named Play Boosters are a better bet.

While Play Boosters aren’t as cheap as they were last week, there are other TMNT products on sale.

Magic: The Gathering's TMNT Collector Booster Box preorders are in stock at Amazon... again! (Out March 6)

Currently down to $424.93 (was $455.88) https://t.co/oB0o5M55gO

This is the best deal we've seen on these since preorders first kicked off, I'd snap them up ASAP #ad pic.twitter.com/qDWQZd496G

— IGN Deals (@IGNDeals) February 26, 2026

The newest Commander Deck, ‘Turtle Power’, is down to $59, saving you $10 off the MSRP, while the Bundle of nine Play Boosters is $63.99, down from $69.99. It also includes a promo card and 30 lands from the set.

Draft Night, which includes a series of boosters to play a draft match and a Collector Booster to use as a prize, is down to $94.99 from $119.99.

For more on Magic’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle crossover, check out a card that pairs nicely with Warhammer 40K Necrons (what is Magic in 2026, eh?), and our early thoughts on the Commander precon, Turtle Power.

Amazon also has a great deal on Play Boosters for the game’s current set, Lorwyn Eclipsed, which you can find right here.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.

February 27 is a special day in the Pokémon calendar, commemorating the release of the very first Pokémon games in Japan. Known to fans around the world as ‘Pokémon Day’, 2026 will be a special 30th anniversary celebration as well.

To celebrate, The Pokémon Company has recently dropped a 30th Anniversary Pokémon Day TCG Collection, featuring a specially stamped foil Pikachu promo card, a metallic coin featuring the 30th anniversary logo, and three booster packs from Phantasmal Flames and Mega Evolution.

Season 4 of Bridgerton ends with a bang. And that bang was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor when the final twist of the final episode was revealed. It seems there’s a new Lady Whistledown in town, and she promises to bring her readers (and the rest of us) “so much fun.”

Look, it may seem like an easy task, revisiting an updated version of the show’s central mystery (and one that didn’t appear in Julia Quinn’s books at that). But if that mystery keeps Julie Andrews (long may she reign) on our screens even a minute more than she would have been otherwise, sign me up. The finale shocker and its cliffhanger question – Who is Lady Whistledown? – is indicative of a leveled-up batch of episodes that elevates Season 4 of the Netflix regency drama from ho-hum to fantastic.

While Part 1 of the Benedict Bridgerton-centric season was at times plodding and frustrating, Part 2 takes off like a rocketship and doesn’t let up until the credits roll. It kind of makes one wonder (Dearest Gentle Reader) why Netflix insists on splitting up the seasons. But regardless of the rationale, the four new Bridgerton episodes are worth the wait.

When we last left our favorite very large 18th century British family, second son Benedict (Luke Thompson) had asked his maid-cum-paramour Sophie (Yerin Ha) to be his mistress (even though she was the woman he had unknowingly fallen in love with at a masquerade ball). Erstwhile Lady Whistledown Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) was finding it difficult to suss out her place in society now that her secret identity had been revealed. Matriarch Violet (Ruth Gemmell) was navigating a new relationship, and quiet Francesca (Hannah Dodd) was trying to find peace with her husband’s cousin.

Amazon will no longer publish UK developer Maverick Games’ yet-to-be-titled open-world driving game, reports The Game Business.

“As part of our strategic evolution to focus on projects that leverage Amazon’s unique strengths and scale, including the recent re-launch of Luna and our Tomb Raider franchise partnership with Crystal Dynamics, we have decided to release Maverick Games from their publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios,” the company explained in a provided statement.

“We have tremendous respect for the Maverick Games team and the compelling narrative-led driving experience they’re creating. This decision allows Maverick Games the flexibility to find a publishing partner whose strategic priorities are better aligned with bringing their game to market. We’re proud of what we accomplished together during our partnership and wish them every success in the future.”

Fortunately, this does not mean the end of the road for the project itself, with Maverick Games co-founder Mike Brown confirming on social media that development is continuing to progress strongly and plans are in place to share information about the game later this year.

Maverick Games was founded in 2022 following the departure of a number of staff from Forza Horizon developer Playground Games. At that time, former Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown was joined by producer Tom Butcher, technical director Matt Craven, technical art director Gareth Harwood, audio director Fraser Stachan, and art director Ben Penrose. It was revealed in January 2023 that the team was working on a “premium open-world game for consoles and PC.”

If you're looking for a more elegant charging solution for your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch, then Amazon has a limited time deal that's totally worth your consideration. Right now the Iniu 3-in-1 Qi2-certified wireless charging station has dropped in price from $35.99 all the way down to $18.35 after you clip a 49% off coupon code. I actually have this exact model and highly recommend it. I use it every evening on my nightstand next to bed and I also bring it along on extended trips because it folds away so neatly.

Iniu 3-in-1 Charging Station for iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods

From portable gaming handhelds to smartphones, our lives rely on portable, untethered electronics, and it can't hurt to always have a charger on hand. Amazon is currently offering a Baseus Picogo 100W USB Type-C wall charger for just $21.99 after you apply coupon code "76CRAZVA". You don't need to be an Amazon Prime member to get this deal. This diminutive adapter can fast charge even the most power hungry handheld gaming PCs like the ROG Xbox Ally X.

Baseus Picogo 100W USB-C Wall Charger for $21.99

The attorney general of New York Letitia James is suing Valve, alleging the platform illegally promotes gambling to children.

This comes from a press release issued by the attorney general's office today, which states that following an investigation, the office of the attorney general "found that Valve’s video games, including Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2, enable gambling by enticing users to pay for the chance to win a rare virtual item of significant monetary value."

"In Valve’s most popular game [Counter-Strike 2], the process resembles a slot machine, with an animated spinning wheel that eventually rests on a selected item. The randomly selected virtual items have no in-game functionality but can be sold online for money, with one item reportedly being sold for more than $1 million. The lawsuit alleges that Valve has made billions of dollars luring its users, many of whom are teenagers or younger, to engage in gambling in the hopes of winning expensive virtual items that they can cash in on. With this lawsuit, Attorney General James seeks to permanently stop Valve from continuing to promote illegal gambling in its games and to pay disgorgement and fines."

The lawsuit itself describes both the mechanics of how loot boxes work in all three games, as well as the ways in which users can "cash in" virtual items, either by selling them on the Steam Community Market, or by connecting their accounts to third-party marketplaces, the latter of which the attorney general's office says it found Valve "facilitates and even assists." The attorney general's office argues that Valve's loot box model is "quintessential gambling, prohibited under New York's Constitution and Penal Law." Gambling is illegal in New York with only some exceptions, which the attorney general says are all irrelevant here.

The question of whether loot boxes can or should be regulated as gambling has been ongoing for more than a decade, with different countries issuing various regulations around them over the years. China, South Korea, and some other countries require companies to disclose odds on receiving certain items in very specific ways. In Australia, the presence of loot boxes automatically nets a game an M rating (not recommended for children under 15, albeit not legally restricted), and anything with simulated gambling gets an R18+ rating, meaning it cannot be sold to minors. Belgium has attempted to ban them entirely, though it is apparently struggling to enforce this.

The New York lawsuit aims to permanently stop Valve from promoting gambling features in its games, make full restitution to consumers and give up all profit its made from this practice, and pay fines for violation of New York laws. If successful, this case could have significant ripple effects on the rest of the industry, as companies are forced to confirm to an increasing array of different loot box laws in different regions.

“Illegal gambling can be harmful and lead to serious addiction problems, especially for our young people,” said Attorney General James in a statement. “Valve has made billions of dollars by letting children and adults alike illegally gamble for the chance to win valuable virtual prizes. These features are addictive, harmful, and illegal, and my office is suing to stop Valve’s illegal conduct and protect New Yorkers.”

IGN has reached out to Valve for comment.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Editor's Note: This article is sponsored by ONNIT Alpha BRAIN.

Competitive PC and console gamers know that your mental state is just as vital as your skills and equipment when it comes to winning. If you’re not focused, a mispress or panic input could lead to your demise, especially in esports, where mere milliseconds matter most. Sure, getting enough sleep and breaks can help, but sometimes you just need a boost of focus during those extended gaming sessions and pivotal game moments.

If you haven't heard of ONNIT Alpha BRAIN yet, it's a nootropic designed to help you get past cognitive fatigue by supporting focus, memory, and clarity. From serious gamers to athletes, this brand is growing to gain international attention. (Apparently Joe Rogan is a fan.)

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Samsung Unpacked has come and gone. Thankfully, your trusty team here at IGN has the inside scoop on some fresh Galaxy devices Samsung Australia is about to drop. From today (February 26), you can pre-order your devices before the March 11 release date hits. You’ll have the new Galaxy S26 or Galaxy Buds right as they hit the shelves.

Skate developer Full Circle has announced layoffs affecting an undisclosed number of staff as it aims to “better support” the “long-term future” of its free-to-play title.

Publisher EA revealed its “reshaping” plans with a blog post on the studio’s website. No detailed information about the number of affected employees or their roles was given, with the message only stating that “making changes to our team structure” means that “some roles will be impacted.”

“The teammates affected are talented colleagues and friends who helped build the foundation of skate.,” Full Circle said. “Their creativity and dedication are deeply ingrained in what players experience today. This decision is not a reflection of their impact and we’re committed to supporting them through this transition.”

The post mentions that tens of millions of players have played the free-to-play Skate reboot since it launched as an Early Access title for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S September 2025. Today’s restructuring is said “to better support skate.’s long-term future and focus the team on the things that matter most to you.” EA and Full Circle sign off by assuring fans they will work with the community as they “move faster, listen more closely, and deliver consistently” as development on Skate continues.

“To our departing teammates: thank you. skate. exists because of your hard work and dedication to the craft.”

Full Circle’s restructuring is only the latest in a string of layoffs and game cancellations at EA. Following layoffs impacting around 670 workers in early 2024, the Battlefield and Madden publisher cut 300 additional jobs across the company in April 2025. That move alone saw the cancellation of a new project set in the Titanfall universe at Respawn Entertainment, as the studio accounted for around 100 of the affected roles at the time.

EA went on to end remote hiring and push employees to return to the office the following month. The closure of Cliffhanger Games, the studio behind the now-cancelled Black Panther video game, then arrived just weeks later. September 2025 then saw the company announce it had accepted a $55 billion acquisition offer from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake.

Full Circle will continue development on Skate as it works to secure its long-term future. As detailed in a separate post last week, the free-to-play skating revival will soon launch into Season 3. The rest of its roadmap includes the promise of additional features, cosmetics, game modes, and more.

IGN reached out to EA for comment regarding the restructuring at Full Circle, but was pointed back to the note shared by the studio in lieu of further comment.

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).

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone (ConcernedApe) has announced that he will publish a video tomorrow revealing the two new marriage candidates coming to the game in patch 1.7.

I made a video for tomorrow's 10-year Stardew Valley Anniversary, it will "premiere" tomorrow at 11am PST.
In the video, I comment on some pre-release footage, and reveal the 2 new 1.7 marriage candidates at the end.
See you in the chat https://t.co/di6uAhYADr

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) February 25, 2026

In a post on Twitter/X, ConcernedApe shared the following message: "I made a video for tomorrow's 10-year Stardew Valley Anniversary, it will 'premiere' tomorrow at 11am PST. In the video, I comment on some pre-release footage, and reveal the 2 new 1.7 marriage candidates at the end. See you in the chat." He included a link to YouTube, where the video will appear tomorrow.

Tomorrow is indeed the 10th anniversary of Stardew Valley, which we celebrated earlier this month with an interview with ConcernedApe himself, during which he revealed that two new marriage candidates were coming with the planned 1.7 update. This is significant news for Stardew fans. There have been no new romantic relationships added to the game since its early days, and fans have long hoped for the opportunity to marry other villagers such as Robin, Sandy, the Wizard, or Marlon. We do not know at this time whether these will be existing characters with new dialogue and relationships, or if two new characters are being added, though fans suspect the former.

We also spoke to ConcernedApe earlier this month on a number of other celebratory topics, such as why there isn't a Stardew Valley TV show, and the one secret left that the Stardew Valley community has yet to find. You can read our full, in-depth interview with the creator right here.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Ever since Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight’s reveal at gamescom 2025, one of the hottest topics surrounding it has been the surprisingly small number of playable characters on its roster. But developer TT Games promises that there’s a very good reason for this.

Over the past decade or so, Lego games ranging from DC and Marvel superheroes to Star Wars and Harry Potter droids and wizards have included unlockable playable character numbers stretching into the hundreds, but in the upcoming Legacy of the Dark Knight, that total at launch is just seven. Those that made the cut include the Bat family and a few friends: Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Jim Gordon, Talia Al Ghul, and Catwoman.

IGN recently spoke to the head of the TT Games development team, Jonathan Smith, to find out why this number has been reduced so drastically by comparison. “We're taking these individual characters on a journey,” Smith explains. “So you are constantly upgrading and developing new skills and opening up new abilities for each of those characters. Within the Bat family, as well, we really wanted to focus on making those characters really unique, making their personalities come across and their abilities very distinct.”

For example, Batman can throw batarangs and use his grapple to assist in combat as well as solve puzzles, but Catwoman can utilise her rangy whip and call in the help of her kittens by triggering a laser pointer on a target. Those same cats can also be directly controlled by the player to grant access to small vents and distract unsuspecting guards with a delightful “meow”.

While the focus is seemingly on a deeper gameplay experience this time around, with a Rocksteady Arkham-influenced combo-based combat system leading that charge, fans of old-school Lego games shouldn’t fear too much, as Smith promises there will still be plenty to collect across its open world and movie-inspired levels.

“The story is more focused on a tighter roster of characters that are now more differentiated with much deeper gameplay,” confirms Smith. “So they work well in partnership with each other, and we then want to give you lots and lots of options to see the full range of what those characters can be by giving you more than a hundred different suits to collect. So you still get that moment in the Bat Cave where you've got all the different suits from all the different characters arrayed in front of you, colorful and glorious. You're still compelled to want to complete that collection.”

For more on Bat Suits, take a look at every one confirmed to be in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight so far, and if you want to know a lot more about the game, check out more from our interview with the studio as part of IGN Fan Fest 2026.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Rockstar's most recent GTA 6 delay might mean a longer wait for the year's biggest launch, but it also brought relief to other developers previously set to release games in the same timeframe.

That includes TT Games, the storied British studio behind numerous LEGO titles such as LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Harry Potter, and the promising-looking LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.

Due to launch for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 29 (with a Nintendo Switch 2 edition to follow on later), the open-world Gotham action adventure is now set to launch within days of Rockstar's previous GTA 6 date — May 26.

TT Games made its Legacy of the Dark Knight release date announcement last December at The Game Awards, a month after Rockstar's latest GTA 6 delay was made public. (GTA 6 now looks to have a seemingly-final launch date, with marketing set to ramp up this summer ahead of its long-awaited arrival on November 19.)

"We knew we wanted to come out in spring of this year," TT Games Head of Production and Strategic Director Jonathan Smith told IGN in a recent interview, discussing the "space" now opened up by GTA 6's delay to this holiday.

"Look, I want to play that game [GTA 6], but we're also really glad to have some space for people to play Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. We're giving you an open city and a fantastic experience for all players. Which I thoroughly recommend."

Going hands-on with the game last year, IGN came away impressed, saying that "LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was the Arkham Game you've been waiting for."

For much more, be sure to check out IGN's full Fan Fest preview describing how Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is balancing old and new to celebrate the best of the caped crusader's many exploits — plus new footage of the game — and check out more detail on why the game has a smaller roster of just seven playable characters.

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