Lords of the Fallen publisher CI Games has just announced and released a surprise final update to its 2023 game — mere hours ahead of its sequel getting a fresh airing at tonight's Game Awards.

Today's new Version 2.5 release caps off a lengthy journey for the action role-player, which launched to mixed reviews but has since turned around its player sentiment via a series of major post-launch patches.

Lords of the Fallen's previous major 2.0 update was once believed to be its last — as was its 1.5 update before that. But, based on further fan feedback, CI Games has put together one final offering that reworks enemy and boss behavior and adds a new Veteran Mode for those seeking the game's toughest challenge.

"We've prided ourselves on being a players-first studio, and we mean that," CI Games' creative strategist Ryan Hill told IGN today. "Version 2.0 in April was a huge milestone, but we weren't finished... It became clear that players wanted a greater challenge from both enemies and bosses, so we went back in and pushed those systems further.

"Version 2.5 brings significant enhancements to Legacy Mode - new behaviours, new movesets, more aggression across the board - and introduces an entirely new difficulty option, Veteran Mode, for players craving an even steeper climb. We're thrilled to offer this final major update free to all players as a genuine thank-you for their support, and as a small taste of what awaits them in Lords of the Fallen II next year."

Familiar bosses now feature fresh behaviors, with even more difficult versions tuned for Veteran Mode. But with fresh challenges also come new rewards, including signature attack animations on boss weapons and a unique breastplate for those who take on Veteran Mode and conquer it.

CI Games previously promised "big news" on Lords of the Fallen II would be featured in tonight's Game Awards 2025. Join us then, as IGN reports on all of the event's reveals as they happen.

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

Disney has agreed to license 200 of its most beloved characters for use in Sora's generative AI videos, alongside a $1 billion investment in OpenAI.

The three-year deal will allow users to generate short-form videos featuring Disney icons such as Mickey Mouse, Pixar favorites such as Woody, Marvel heroes like Black Panther and Captain America, as well as Star Wars characters like Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

Disney and OpenAI's agreement includes mention of a "shared commitment to the responsible use of AI that protects user safety and the rights of creators," and notably, Disney has said that all of its licensed characters will be animated, masked or creatures, with no "talent likeness or voices." There will also be "age-appropriate policies and other reasonable controls."

After Sora and ChatGPT both gain the ability to generate AI content based on Disney characters in early 2026, curated selections of this AI-generated content will begin rolling out via Disney+. There's mention of other "new experiences for Disney+ subscribers" generated by AI too, without any further detail — other than that they will provide "innovative and creative ways to connect with Disney’s stories and characters."

The addition of user-generated content on Disney+ was previously mentioned last month by Disney boss Bob Iger, who dubbed its rollout as the "biggest and the most significant change" to Disney's streaming service since its launch.

"Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world," Iger said in a statement today. "The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works.

"Bringing together Disney’s iconic stories and characters with OpenAI’s groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we’ve never seen before," Iger continued, "giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love."

Back in October, the launch of OpenAI's Sora 2 saw it flooded with AI versions of Disney characters, as well as Pokémon and other licensed properties — until the platform belatedly began clamping down on copyright-infringing material. Popular videos included examples of pop culture characters in X-Wings or holding lightsabers — something it seems we're now about to see a lot more of, with Disney's seal of approval.

Licensed characters set to be thrown into the generative AI algorithm include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Lilo, Stitch, Ariel, Belle, Beast, Cinderella, Baymax, Simba, Mufasa, plus more from Encanto, Frozen, Inside Out, Moana, Monsters Inc., Toy Story, Up, and Zootopia. Marvel and Lucasfilm characters are also included, such as Black Panther, Captain America, Deadpool, Groot, Iron Man, Loki, Thor, Thanos, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia, the Mandalorian, Stormtroopers and Yoda.

Beyond Disney+, the deal will see Disney overall "become a major customer of OpenAI", today's announcement from the two companies revealed, with the ChatGPT and Sora maker's capabilties deployed to help create "new products, tools, and experiences."

In related news, Disney has today accused Google of infringing its copyright "on a massive scale" by using its works to train its own generative AI models. In a cease-and-desist letter revealed by Variety, Disney said it believes Google is allowing its own algorithm to create content featuring many of the same characters it has now licensed to OpenAI, without its permission.

And of course, all of this comes amid the ongoing backdrop of Hollywood's other huge industry development — the $82.7 billion sale of Warner Bros. to Netflix (which Paramount is now trying to disrupt with its own hostile takeover bid). One recent report suggested that Netflix valued Warner Bros. so highly because it wanted to use the century-old company's intellectual properties within its own generative AI content in future.

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

Kim Kardashian is joining Fortnite, and you'll be able to play as the TV and fashion icon beginning this weekend.

Two Kim Kardashian skins will become available in Fortnite this Saturday, December 13, cementing the star as one of the game's highest-profile public figures to date.

Leaning into the Kardashian's fashionable status, Kim's skins have been designed to be highly customisable. The Iconic Kim Kardashian skin features her in skin-tight attire with alterable colors, necklines and hairstyles. The regular Kim Kardashian skin, meanwhile, comes with a jacket you can toggle on and off.

The culprit behind the recent viral but very much fake Shenmue 4 trailer has apologized for creating false AI footage of the franchise's fictional fourth game.

In a post on fan forum ShenmueDojo, the creator, under the alias "JustAFan1," issued an apology for misleading the internet — just days after Shenmue developer Ys Net released its own statement that slammed the video for raising fan hopes and revealed it was now exploring legal action.

In their statement, JustAFan1 explained that they had made the video not "out of malice, but love for Shenmue." Indeed, their statement ends with the suggestion that "all the media attention this has received will do something to convince investors" that Shenmue 4 should be made.

"I just wanted to set the record straight for all those who think it might still be half real," JustAFan1 wrote. "It's not.

"I know many of you will want to hang me for dashing your hopes, but know this was not done out of malice, but love for Shenmue. I realize I went about it the wrong way, and I apologize for that. But I hope all the media attention this has received will do something to convince investors that Shenmue is very much alive and profitable if approached correctly."

As proof that they were the creator of the video, JustAFan1 posted a link to a new version of the trailer with additional music and footage, along with a lengthier apology statement in both English and Japanese.

"I want to be absolutely clear: I am merely a fan of the series and have absolutely no professional or personal affiliation with Ys Net, nor have I ever had any," this statement reads. "The creation and release of the trailer, which presented itself as an official piece of promotional material recorded behind the scenes, was a lapse in judgment. I take full responsibility for this action."

JustAFan1's statement continues by confirming that the fake trailer's story elements were made using publicly available lore and common fan theories about where the Shenmue series might progress in future, with nothing that specifically reflected any real development that may or may not be underway within Ys Net.

"While my intent was centered on a positive outcome, the method I chose to achieve it was misleading and unprofessional. I deeply regret creating and sharing information that was not factual, and I understand the negative impact this misinformation had.

"The sole purpose behind creating the 'Shenmue 4' trailer was to demonstrate the sustained and substantial market demand and community enthusiasm for this beloved series," the video statement concludes. "I meant no harm to Ys Net, its brand, or its loyal fans. My motivation was to champion the series and help encourage its continuation, not to mislead or create distress."

Reaction to the statement has been mostly supportive, with many agreeing that the trailer had created fresh buzz for the franchise amid hope for confirmation of a new game.

"Nah, you're good," fan hyo_razuki replied. "I knew it was fake from the beginning but it was fun and you generated some enthusiasm for Shenmue, so no biggie, no need to apologize."

As of now, it's unknown if a fourth major Shenmue game will ever get made, though the franchise's fans certainly hope it happens. Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki told IGN in 2023 that he wanted to create a fourth game at some point, though he is currently still working on an enhanced version of Shenmue 3. This, Suzuki hopes, will win the game a warmer reception across a wider set of platforms, after a middling response to Shenmue 3 at the game's initial launch.

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

Just a day after Bethesda announced and launched The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Nintendo Switch 2, the publisher has acknowledged the game has performance issues.

In a lengthy thread on reddit that brands the port as a "disaster," there are widespread complaints about input lag and the game's locked 30 frames per second visuals. "There's like a whole second between me flicking the stick and my character moving its head," the post's author wrote, describing the experience as worse than "online Smash Bros."

Many have compared Skyrim's Switch 2 port with that of the far more recent Cyberpunk 2077, which offers 40 frames per second on Nintendo's new hardware while rendering considerably more detailed environments. And there has been criticism, too, of the fact the game hogs 53GB of space on the Switch 2's relatively limited internal memory, compared to just 25GB on PC.

A separate reddit post with more than 2,400 upvotes showing a video of the game's input delay can be seen below:

On Bethesda's official support site, the publisher has listed a question that asks: "Why am I experiencing frame rate issues with The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim following the Anniversary Edition update on Nintendo Switch?"

"We are investigating reports of performance issues on Nintendo Switch with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim after the Anniversary Edition update," is the official response. There's no word on fixes yet, but the publisher said anyone experiencing issues could subscribe to the article for updates.

"In addition, you can provide feedback and information regarding on this topic via the Feedback form," Bethesda concluded.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is being sold for $59.99. Alternatively, anyone who owns Skyrim Anniversary Edition on the original Switch can pay $19.99 to upgrade the game and play on both consoles.

Included for your money are Skyrim's base game and the three official Expansions: Dawnguard; Dragonborn; and Hearthfire. Players on Switch 2 get experience enhanced resolution, improved load times, performance optimisation, Joy-Con 2 mouse support, motion controls, Amiibo support, and more versus the OG Switch version, taking advantage of the more powerful hardware.

This week, IGN talked with Bethesda Game Studios exec Todd Howard about the company's future plans. Intriguinly, Howard said that while The Elder Scrolls 6 was still the next big new video game to be in the works, Fallout is the franchise the studio is doing the most in right now.

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

Yet another leak ahead of tonight's The Game Awards 2025 has revealed a legendary music star as a new James Bond villain in 007 First Light.

In a now-deleted social post from the official 007 social media account, Fly Away singer Lenny Kravitz was unmasked as playing a First Light character named Bawma, who shares Kravitz's likeness. And while the post may have been swiftly removed, the internet still took notice — seemingly letting a further secret out ahead of tonight's big gaming awards and announcement event.

"He rose from nothing, broke free, and built his own Kindom of Aleph," the now-deleted post read. "Introducing Bawma, the largest black-market dealer in the Western Hemisphere who's as charismatic as he is unpredictable."

The accompanying video, now also deleted, shows clearly that Bawma is a villain, as he has strung up Bond and threatens to drop him into a pit packed with crocodiles.

Another day, another leak ahead of The Game Awards 2025 — which is set to feature a look at what's next for Tomb Raider heroine Lara Croft.

Ahead of time, cover artwork has leaked for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, what looks to be a full remake of the franchise's original game. There are stills from a new trailer, too, showing Lara Croft in action.

Croft's design here appears to be a blend of the character's 'classic' design with her look from the franchise's more recent reboot trilogy, which showcased her origins. It's presumed that this remake will fully position the series' first Tomb Raider adventure as taking place after that trilogy, as had always been suggested.

Se habría filtrado "Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis", el remake del primer juego con algunas imágenes, portada incluida.

NeoRaider (Resetera).https://t.co/Ni4fGDRQ7F#PS5 pic.twitter.com/T0cBjaFWb1

— Universo PlayStation (@PlayVerso) December 11, 2025

More screenshots of the new Tomb Raider, it looks like a TR1 remake pic.twitter.com/BvmiNrMdAt

— Tarada (Ash)Croft (@JesuisJanice) December 11, 2025

After the images leaked online last night via video game forum ResetEra, fans quickly noted that Croft's box art pose perfectly matches that seen in The Game Awards' official social media teaser for tonight, where she is stood atop a rock, with one arm outstretched, iconic dual pistols raised.

The Game Awards' teaser boasted of "a look at the future of one of gaming's most iconic franchises" and tagged in the official Tomb Raider account, but is a remake really all that's in the works? It seems unlikely. Replying to the leak via ResetEra, noted gaming tipster Shinobi602 suggested that multiple projects would be shown tonight, and fans would not be disappointed.

Indeed, Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics has been working now for several years on its next chapter of the franchise. Here's hoping we get some word of that tonight too.

First announced in 2022, we are yet to see anything of the all-new Tomb Raider, though we did get a look at the Lara Croft redesign last year. Meanwhile, it has been a turbulent time for Crystal Dynamics with three waves of layoffs this year, including 30 individuals last month, an unknown number of workers in August following the cancellation of Perfect Dark by Xbox, and 17 people earlier in the year, as well as 10 others back in 2023.

Alongside all this, we know there's a live-action Tomb Raider series in the works at Amazon in partnership with Story Kitchen, starring Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner as Lara Croft. The show will, per Story Kitchen, "reinvent the franchise on a massive scale" and will interconnect "live-action television series and video games into a unified storytelling universe." How will it all connect? What else is in the works? We may well find out more tonight.

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