IGN can exclusively reveal the first details and trailer for BEYOND BORDERS Vol.1: EMERGE MODE MIKU, a new collaboration EP that will pair virtual singer superstar Hatsune Miku with such artists as Grimes, slayr, MOLIY, Odetari, George Clanton, Frost Children, and XAMIYA.

The artist lineup and official EP trailer were unveiled during Anime Expo in Los Angeles, and this 'Beyond Borders' project from Dwango is all in an effort to introduce Vocaloid music to a new generation of global listeners.

Dwango is working with Nebula17 through their US Label on this project, and Hatsune Miku will be the lead vocalist across all tracks that span multiple genres, including electronic, alternative, hyperpop, rap, and experimental music.

Alongside the artists mentioned above who are teaming up on this project, the EP is being brought to life by a team of Grammy-winning and platinum-selling collaborators. Producers include Grant Boutin (Tate McRae), VADAKIN (Grimes), MOMBRU (Fridayy), Byrd (Bad Bunny), Xansei (XG), while songwriting contributions include Charles "Scoot" Anderson (Ariana Grande) and Cecile Believe (Charli xcx). jon-YAKITORY, SatapanP, and picco, a few of Japan's most celebrated Vocaloid producers, are also part of the team.

While no release date has been announced beyond fall 2026, a series of singles will be released during the summer to help with the wait.

"Vocaloid culture was born in Japan from the passion of producers making music in their own bedrooms and on their own desktops, and now it's taking flight on the global stage," said Gorokiyotake Orimoto, General Manager at Dwango. "Watching it grow into this new form of expression through collaborations with world-renowned artists has been an honor, and we're deeply grateful to everyone whose support made this milestone possible."

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

After two seasons, the anime series Solo Leveling will continue its story with a full-length movie adaptation, Solo Leveling: Beyond the System. None other than Sung Jinwoo's English voice actor Aleks Le revealed the news that the title was in production as part of Crunchyroll's Anime Expo showcase. The movie will pick up where season 2, Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow, left off.

We didn't get a release date or any news on a full season 3 of the show, but we did get a concept video and some moody key art for the movie.

Anime studio A-1 Pictures, the team behind Sword Art Online and Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, is providing the animation in collaboration with Aniplex, Netmarble, D&C MEDIA, Kakao Piccoma, and Crunchyroll.

Solo Leveling tells the story of supernatural monster hunter Sung Jinwoo who, driven by the burdens of his mother's medical expenses and his sister's education, takes a risk and, as a result, gains the ability to level up and go from being the "World’s Weakest Hunter" to, essentially, a one-man army. The anime is based on the 2016 South Korean web novel, which was adapted into a webtoon in 2018. The first season of the anime version aired on Crunchyroll in 2024, with season 2 dropping last year.

Rachel Weber is the Head of Editorial Development at IGN and an elder millennial. She's been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, Red Dead Redemption 2, and her Love and Deepspace boyfriends.

Young Washington is now playing in theaters.

Young Washington is a sincere if stunted and superficial chronicle of the first US President’s formative years that forged his character, leadership skills and saw him, two decades after the events depicted here, rebel against the British Empire he had dutifully served to become one of America’s Founding Fathers. This Jon Erwin-directed film strives to be a big screen historical epic, but its formulaic script and plainly evident budgetary limitations (there are some notable digital shots that are either rudimentary CGi or straight-up AI) keep it more at the level of a decent but generally flat TV movie.

That said, this Angel Studios release is far more competently made and engaging than their other recent Presidential biopic, Reagan (a schmaltzy, underwritten slog despite Dennis Quaid’s earnest turn as the Gipper). Young Washington’s battle scenes and depiction of survival on the early American frontier (Ireland stands in for colonial America) gives this film more grit and action than most other entries in the admittedly niche subgenre of Presidential biopics.

As the title character, William Franklyn-Miller has the height and presence one associates with George Washington even if he otherwise looks nothing like him. He tries to find some layers in the role, and you care about George, but ultimately the story doesn’t let him do much in the way of soul-searching beyond when he blows it in 1754 at Fort Necessity.

Washington’s character arc goes from aspiring aristocrat and officer in His Majesty’s Army to realizing that his goal to join the British gentry or receive a royal military commission is naive and unattainable. His ambition leads him to seek out benefactors in the persons of Lord Fairfax (Kelsey Grammer, in his third project about Washington) and Virginia’s Lt. Governor Robert Dinwiddie (a by-the-numbers Sir Ben Kingsley). Andy Serkis shows up later in a distractingly showy turn as General Braddock, who belatedly comes to see Washington’s value.

Although born into Virginia’s planter class, Washington is still deemed by most of the Brits he interacts with as an inferior colonial, despite his older half-brother Lawrence (a kindly John Foss) being accepted among them because he owns property and was educated in England. George wants to join their ranks so when a chance to survey the Ohio frontier presents itself he eagerly volunteers. Turns out that Britain’s nemesis France is already out there with imperial designs of their own…

Washington’s experience on the frontier — where he encounters the fierce Seneca leader Tanacharison (a commanding Ryan Begay), whom the Europeans refer to as the “Half-King” — lead George directly into events that spark the global conflict known to Americans as the French & Indian War. This is the film’s strongest section, where George’s inexperience and pride lead him into the ruinous blunder that was Fort Necessity.

Following that notorious and avoidable defeat, the film sees Washington eating a hefty dose of humble pie as he wrestles with his faith in himself and what he thought God wanted of him. The issue of faith factors into the story — this is an Angel Studios film, after all — with George’s tough but pious mother Mary (a welcome Mary-Louise Parker), and even the Natives who failed to kill him in combat, coming to believe Providence is protecting him for some larger purpose.

We all know Washington is destined for greater things after the French & Indian War so the film’s final scene — where George has traded in his royal reds for colonial blues — plays like the climax of a comic book origin story where the superhero finally earns his iconic costume. Sure, it’s an unsubtle, low-hanging fruit of a crowd-pleaser moment but it works.

I’m a history buff not a historian so I will leave it to those better informed to scrutinize the film’s historical accuracy, but even a cursory reading of the French & Indian War reveals Young Washington took some big creative liberties, such as having one key supporting character perish at Fort Necessity years before they actually died or another character being present for scenes years after they’d historically died. I understand the dramatic necessity behind those decisions, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t point those errors out.

And while the film makes clear that Washington comes from a slave-owning family, slavery is largely relegated to the background, save for a few small scenes where their plight is acknowledged by supporting characters but then the story quickly moves on without ever exploring Washington’s own thoughts on it.

The film, as a whole, bypasses any sort of moral exploration of the complicated era when it’s set in favor of a less dimensional, more romantic view of Young Washington as an action hero with a bright, preordained future ahead of him.

At Anime Expo, Crunchyroll gave attendees a first look at the characters that will appear in the anime adaptation of the PlayStation game Ghost of Tsushima and, specifically, its Legends multiplayer mode. The art showed the Assassin, Ronin and Hunter characters that the story's protagonist, one of the last remaining samurai, will meet on his journey.

The character design is the work of Takashi Okazaki, best known for creating Afro Samurai. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Solo Leveling, and Sword Art Online studio Aniplex is working on the adaptation, with Takanobu Mizuno directing. Satoshi Maejima and Gen Urobuchi (of game and visual novel studio NITRO PLUS) are on script duties.

“Having already proven the immense quality and versatility of our gaming properties across multiple successful film and television projects, we couldn’t be more excited to announce our first-ever anime adaptation,” said Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions, when the series was announced in January 2025.

"Ghost of Tsushima’s rich, immersive world and its fantastical Legends mode based on Japanese mythology provide the perfect canvas for this project, and Aniplex is the perfect partner to translate Sucker Punch Productions’ hit video game into a stunning new anime series."

The series is set to be released exclusively on Crunchroll in 2027.

Rachel Weber is the Head of Editorial Development at IGN and an elder millennial. She's been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, Red Dead Redemption 2, and her Love and Deepspace boyfriends.

A new weekend has arrived, and today, you can save on Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, the Criterion Collection Blu-ray Sale, and more. Check out our top picks for Saturday, July 4, below.

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for $57.99

Minor spoilers for a 51-year-old film follow.

Fun story: Many years ago when I was editor of a comics and collectibles publishing company, I briefly worked with author Gabe Essoe, who wanted us to publish his Tarzan collecting guide. We ultimately passed on it, but flash forward to now, and I’m reviewing a film co-written by none other than Gabe Essoe! Small world, huh? Well, I thought it was a fun story. Anyway…

The trailer for The Devil’s Rain hailed it as featuring “…absolutely the most incredible, unforgettable ending of any motion picture ever!” Hyperbole? Sure. But will I remember that ending (a veritable celebration of practical effects) for the rest of my life? Also yes. The movie has appropriately enough built a following over the years, but it never quite joined the pantheon of truly beloved classics. That’s understandable when you watch it in this impressive new 4K Severin Films release, because although it has a lot going for it — a great cast, some beautiful cinematography, and that ending — the movie falls short of greatness. There’s still a lot to appreciate, though, so let’s get into this wild time capsule of ’70s paranormal kitsch from ESP to Satanism to Shatner!

The Devils’ Rein

The Preston family has been cursed by Satanist leader Corbis (Ernest Borgnine) for centuries. A family member who was once one of his disciples betrayed him way back when and stole his registry of followers, who now reside as tortured souls inside an ornate receptacle called the Devil’s Rain. He can draw those souls out and implant them in host bodies or waxy facsimiles thereof (it’s not exactly clear, but they seem like living Voodoo dolls), but he can’t turn them over to Satan himself and fulfill his infernal pact without the book. When the Preston matriarch Emma (Ida Lupino) and son Mark (William Shatner) go missing, it’s up to younger brother Dr. Tom Preston (Tom Skerritt), his ESP-sensitive wife Julie (Joan Prather), and their colleague Dr. Sam Richards (Eddie Albert) to find out what happened to the other Prestons and stop Corbis forever. But it’s the ’70s, remember, so who will you bet on winning in the end?

Opening with discordant music, disturbing Hieronymus Bosch paintings, and an appearance by Woody Chambliss from 1972’s Gargoyles, the movie loses some of this early good will by trying to convince us that then-44 Shatner could be the son of 57-year-old Lupino. It really drops you in and demands you piece things together, often without crucial information. One might call that a failing of the film, but there’s a satisfying bleakness here. Despite feeling like a TV movie that only occasionally pushes the boundaries beyond what the small screen would allow, it has some absolutely beautiful dark and desolate vistas. A windswept western ghost town inhabited by eyeless Omega Man-like black-robed minions is a truly arresting image, even if one well-placed tumbleweed feels a bit too on the nose. At least they didn’t name the town Purgatory, opting instead for Redstone.

Borgnine glowers through every scene with a palpable sense of menace, and his confrontations with Shatner and Albert have a satisfying Bond villain dynamic. Al De Lory’s score is often reminiscent of Leonard Rosenman’s for Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and there are valiant attempts to achieve some thematic resonance, including literal rain falling from the heavens as part of a Raiders-esque delivery of God’s judgment. But the real star of this film is the makeup effects work by Tom Burman and brother Ellis Jr., from Borgnine’s horned goat-like incarnation to the climactic melting sequence with multi-colored goop leaking from the eyes (and every other part) of the cultists. The eyeless look of Corbis’ disciples does suffer in the HD era, with the black plugs covering the actors’ eyes visible in this amazing-looking transfer, but it still looks pretty damn cool.

The Devils Reign

Let’s deal with the Shatner in the room; the man really curbs his excesses in what amounts to a small part that only lasts about the first third of the film and a bit of the end. He also performs a rough draft of his Star Trek II “Khannnnnn” with a similar scream to the sky at “Corbissssss,” and even replicates an uncomfortable shirtless Chuck Heston moment from the aforementioned Omega Man. Many pop culture aficionados know that a lifecast made of Shatner’s face for this production was obtained by Don Post to create the 1975 Kirk mask, a copy of which was eventually bought by the Halloween crew and turned into Michael Myers’ distinctive visage (Shatner disputes some of this, but he’s not exactly a trustworthy source). What I’ve never seen people point out, however, is that Shatner actually originates the Myers head tilt! I’m not kidding; watch the scene late in the film where eyeless Shatner looks quizzically at his brother, trying to recognize him through a Satanic haze, and there’s the Shape tilt three years before Nick Castle gazed at ol’ pinned-up Bob!

Ultimately, one of the movie’s biggest missed opportunities is a result of some misogynistic myopia. Instead of Skerritt’s rather bland and mostly clueless character, the protagonist should have been Julie, the complete outsider who would be learning it all along with the audience while facing her destiny. The sepia-toned psychic flashback to 1680 would also have set up the ending even more strongly if Corbis had actually noticed her there while she sits and watches the past taking place around her. That version of Devil’s Rain might have risen from mid-level cult film to all-time horror classic, although it probably would have taken someone other than Prather in the role to make that work, and a second act that featured at least one good set piece to carry us into the truly spectacular ending that almost makes up for the rest of the movie.

Nevertheless, genre fans coming to The Devil’s Rain now might be intrigued by all the connections to movies that preceded or followed, such as The Haunted Palace, The Touch of Satan, The Beyond, and even Return of the Jedi and A Nightmare on Elm Street! I could imagine this being a regular rewatch for me today if I had seen this when I was younger; as it is, I like The Devil’s Rain for all the things it did well, and for the movie it wanted to be. There’s enough of that film there to enjoy, even if the rest is frustrating.

Bonus Features:

There are a lot of bonus features included in this 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo release, most brought over from Severin’s 2017 Blu-ray release. Many of them are only a few minutes long; perhaps best of all is a chat with makeup artist Tom Burman, who confirms the film was made with Mafia money and describes Shatner as loving himself “more than you could ever love yourself.” Star Tom Skerritt wishes they’d made it a camp comedy, while the past and present leadership of the Church of Satan share that the film’s technical advisor, Church founder Anton LaVey, struck up a very close friendship with young actor John Travolta, who makes his film debut here (it’s creepier when you find out that co-star Prather introduced Travolta to Dianetics, so I guess aliens beat the Devil on that one). There are also plenty of visual galleries, radio and TV spots, the theatrical trailer, and not one but two audio commentaries — one with director Robert Fuest (which is pretty informative) and the one 2026 addition, a commentary by “film historian” Stephen R. Bissette who comes right out of the gate mispronouncing production company Bryanston as “Bryanstone;” do with that what you will.

The minds at DC Studios are reportedly developing a TV show spin-off based on Superman side character and superhero genius Mr. Terrific.

The latest news on the future DCU installment comes from a The Hollywood Reporter story. Mixed in with all of the dirty details behind the making of last week's troubled comic book movie, Supergirl, is news that the company has been quietly tinkering away on a new project based on Mr. Terrific.

The character, a crime-fighting genius and technological wizard, made his live-action movie debut in the DCU's first theatrical release, Superman, where he was played by StartUp star Edi Gathegi. Although the David Corenswet-starring film was directed by DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, it's unclear how involved he will be in the Mr. Terrific TV show.

Details on the series are light for now, as the project seems to be early days, but it sounds like DC and Warner Bros. have at least one name already attached behind-the-scenes: Allan Heinberg. TV watchers will recognize Heinberg as showrunner and writer for Netflix's short-lived The Sandman series. He also helped as a writer for Wonder Woman, as well as multiple episodes of The O.C. and Grey's Anatomy.

Heinberg will bring his experience in the live-action superhero movie genre as DC Studios continues bringing the pieces together. It sounds like Gathegi will return as Mr. Terrific for the show, too, though additional information about its plot, cast, and release date has yet to be confirmed.

The DCU is still very much going strong despite turbulence picked up by Supergirl in late June. The Milly Alcock-led entry in the cinematic universe only managed to pick up so-so reviews and disappointing box office returns in its opening weekend, leading to projections that could see Warner Bros. losing more than $100 million.

Still, the DCU seems set up for brighter days ahead. Lanterns, a Green Lantern TV show, is currently set to premiere in August. Body horror Batman spin-off Clayface will then head to theaters in October, with Man of Tomorrow, a proper Superman sequel, set to follow next July. How the Mr. Terrific TV show will materialize has yet to be revealed, but Gathegi is at least expected to reprise his role in Man of Tomorrow.

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).

Creative differences reportedly led James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Studios to test competing Supergirl cuts – one from director Craig Gillespie and one from the studio – just months before its release.

Behind-the-scenes details from the latest DCU movie suggest creative differences had the crew battling to choose a direction for Milly Alcock's standalone superhero debut, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Updates on the flick's development follow a week of negative reactions from fans hoping Supergirl would have taken flight before it bombed during its opening weekend at the box office.

The site says "numerous sources" reported creative differences between Gunn and Gillespie, specifically, with the film pulling test scores that struggled to break 70 out of a possible 100 points. While some said DC Studios and the director had a normal amount of friction during Supergirl, another said a polite way to describe the dissonance would be to say they were "not creatively aligned."

DC Studios had allegedly known Supergirl would face issues as early as fall of 2025, just a few months after filming finished that May. Gunn and Safran's DC film wing jumped in after a so-so screening aired in December 2025, with the studio then creating its own cut of the film with the aid of Mortal Kombat 2 and Moon Knight writer Jeremy Slater.

At least four test screenings aired throughout December 2025, February 2026, and March 2026. Although some winter screenings returned test scores in the low 70s, DC Studios called for two cuts to be made: one from Gillespie and one from the studio. The exact differences between the two are unclear, but as previously rumored, the director's is said to have been about 11 minutes longer and featured a greater emphasis on Matthias Schoenaerts' antagonist, Krem.

It was during the period that saw the two screenings test against one another that scores dropped. DC Studios' won out – but only by two points – and, ultimately, became the version of the film it chose to send to theaters in late June. One Hollywood Reporter source said that, after this point, if Gillespie had strong opinions on the movie, he would have to advocate for any changes.

"It happens more than you think, but it’s not normal," one anonymous filmmaker, who was not involved with Supergirl, said of the decision to test two competing cuts. "If a studio is going to put money into the test process, it means they feel strongly about certain things."

Another element that remained important for DC Studios and Gillespie to tackle during the post-production process involved something that has proven to be a hot topic since Supergirl premiered – its music. Fans have poked fun at the film's soundtrack in the days since its launch, with its use of a cover of Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" during a late-movie moment being especially controversial.

Gillespie previously stated that Gunn is the one who made the call to include the song, and The Hollywood Reporter's sources agree. They added that a February screening included a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" during the moment instead. Gunn is said to have chosen this song, as well, before swapping it out for the version of The Middle that made it into the final cut.

Supergirl put Alcock center stage when it premiered June 26. Despite only one week in theaters and presumably at least a few more to go, things aren't looking too hot for the DCU's new hero. A report from earlier this week suggested Warner Bros. and DC Studios could stand to lose more than $100 million from its time in theaters.

IGN gave Supergirl a 6/10 review. We said, "Supergirl borrows from the best, but Milly Alcock’s great take on Kara Zor-El gets lost in the spare parts from other movies used to assemble her story." Next up on the DCU movie release schedule is Clayface, which is set with an October 23, 2026, release date. After that is Gunn's Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, which premiered July 9, 2027.

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).

Spike Chunsoft has announced that Danganronpa 2x2 has been delayed to early 2027.

The studio behind the Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair remaster confirmed it will no longer make its previously planned 2026 release schedule, with a statement published by producer Shohei Sakakibara. Spike Chunsoft did not confirm exactly why it decided to delay Danganronpa 2x2 but did attempt to cushion the blow with first details about a new story remix feature called Slayhem Mode.

"While development has been progressing toward a 2026 release, we have decided to move the launch to early 2027," Sakakibara said. "We will share a more specific release date at a later time.

"We are continuing to work to bring you the best possible experience. We sincerely appreciate your patience as development continues, and we look forward to sharing further updates with you soon."

As for Danganronpa 2x2's Slayhem Mode, players were told to expect it to feature a new version of the original 2012 experience that tells a "completely different storyline." All we know about the mode for now is that it follows a new chain of events with " different victims, culprits, and tricks" and features about 20% more content than Danganronpa 2x2's Original mode. Both story options will be available from the beginning of the game.

Spike Chunsoft also took its delay announcement as an opportunity to confirm that Danganronpa 2x2 comes with 3D world map instead of a side-scrolling map. Character portraits have also been updated. You can see in-development screenshots below.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair fans were told they'd be able to revisit the story of Monokuma and Hope's Peak Academy when Danganronpa 2x2 was announced during a Nintendo Direct later last year. Although it's not expected to launch for a few months later than fans may have expected, it is still on track to release for PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S.

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).

Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale have reportedly joined the cast of Heat 2 as Chris Shiherlis and Vincent Hanna.

The two A-listers finally finalized deals to appear as the two characters following months of rumors and speculation, according to TheWrap. The site said they reached deals "after a year of difficult negotiations," with two of its sources saying deals are closed, while two others say negotiations are being finalized. A representative for Amazon MGM told the site that deals have not been finalized.

The two characters both DiCaprio (Inception) and Bale (The Dark Knight) are set to portray first appeared in director Michael Mann's original '90s crime thriller, with Al Pacino previously playing Vincent Hanna and the late Val Kilmer playing Chris Shiherlis. Heat was known for its stacked cast, which also included Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley, Natalie Portman as Lauren, and Ashley Judd as Charlene Shiherlis, and it looks like Heat 2 will follow suit.

Today's update for the prequel-sequel will see DiCaprio and Bale share a screen together – but they won't be alone. TheWrap also reported that Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode 8 – The Last Jedi) is "deep in negotiations" to play villain Otis Wardell in Heat 2. Stephen Graham, who recently walked away an Emmy winner for his role in Netflix's Adolescence, is said to be in talks to take over De Niro's role as Neil McCauley.

The report added that "a number of actresses" are circling for the role of Charlene, with other "A-list names" interested in joining Heat 2, too. Who these additional potential cast members are was not revealed, though Deadline reported in May that Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) was being eyed for a role.

Mann first conceived his idea for a Heat prequel with a book that he announced back in 2016 and released in 2022. He's wanted to turn it into a movie for some time, saying in 2023 that he had laid the groundwork for the project to be his next film.

"Meg Gardiner and myself wrote the novel Heat 2, which came out right when we were shooting Ferrari," Mann said during a panel at Deadline's Contenders London event that same year. "It did very well. I plan to shoot that next."

Although story details have promised a Heat follow-up that explores events that happened both before and after the original story, progress on the movie has been slow going for the last few years. When Amazon signed on late last year, rumors that DiCaprio and Bale may join followed closely behind. Despite both actors publicly commenting on the movie in recent months, the details of their involvement have remained a mystery up to this point. The expectation is that filming will begin this November.

Heat 2 currently has no release date, and considering it's taken some time for the heist film-follow-up to get off the ground, it may be a while before we hear more on that front. Until then, you can read IGN’s review of its blu-ray release, which scored an 8/10.

(DiCaprio) Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images.

(Bale) Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images.

(Driver) Photo by Aurore Marechal/Getty Images.

(Graham) Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images.

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).

Heading into the 4th of July weekend, we’re seeing some awesome discounts on everything from TVs to gaming PCs and iPads. You can even pick up some new noise-cancelling Bose headphones, a vlogging camera, and a cordless water flosser on the cheap for an upcoming summer trip. Check out those deals and even more below:

TL;DR - The Best Deals for July 3

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Invincible Omnibus Vol. 1 Drops to Lowest Price Yet

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade & More Square Enix Deals

Get Death Stranding 2: On the Beach for PC for $44.99

Save $290 on the Top-Rated Dyson V8 Vacuum

MTG x Marvel Super Heroes Play Booster Box Hits New Low

Save $14 on Resident Evil Requiem for All Platforms

Missed the Resident Evil Requiem deal on Amazon last week? Best Buy is offering the latest installment of the franchise for $14 off right now on PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X, or you can pick it up on Steam for PC at the same price. This survival horror game that just dropped in February is full of all the gore, puzzles, and incredible boss fights you've come to expect from the iconic series. Earning a 9/10 in our review, Tristan Ogilvie said: “From my first trembling steps into its shadows all the way to the tremendous, titan-sized takedown at its climax, Resident Evil Requiem kept me completely absorbed and consistently entertained whether it was all hair-raising or all guns blazing.”

Get 256GB Switch 2 Memory Card for $39 and More Nintendo Deals

NetEase Games is celebrating the 4th of July with a Marvel Rivals swimsuit skin that comes bundled with Captain America's big package.

It's been hard to avoid the comic book hero shooter for the last few days as fans flock to react to the First Avenger's new cosmetic. This latest in a line of revealing swimsuit outfits for Marvel Rivals' ever-expanding roster of heroes and villains includes beachwear for Loki and White Fox, too, but the Captain America skin really lays it on thick.

Called Seaside Sentinel, the outfit gives Captain America a USA summer makeover just in time for the holiday. Those who purchase the cosmetic will allow Steve Rogers to ditch his usual battle-ready attire in favor of little more than an inflatable ducky shield and, of course, a very, very tight mankini. The jiggle physics are the icing on the cake.

The First Avenger is the first to the fun! 🏖️

"The beach crew voted Captain America should man the grill, just like the red, white, and blue-blooded specimen of American masculinity people believe he is. Unfortunately, his skills on the grill were not nearly as calculated as his… pic.twitter.com/B3tRSt9QjM

— Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) July 1, 2026

"The beach crew voted Captain America should man the grill," an official description for the swimsuit skin says, "just like the red, white, and blue-blooded specimen of American masculinity people believe he is. Unfortunately, his skills on the grill were not nearly as calculated as his shield throws."

Captain America is so bulky here that it looks almost like an accurate recreation of that infamous Rob Liefeld drawing, and it's got many wondering if the images and videos circulating around the internet are from a fan-made mod. There's no need to fear, though, as IGN can confirm that the outfit and all of its contents are indeed very real and available to purchase through the Marvel Rivals store.

Regardless of whether you're on a friendly or enemy team, there's a good chance you'll be distracted if another player waltzes out in Seaside Sentinel. As if you needed any proof of that, look no further than social media reactions across the internet.

pic.twitter.com/JgCNqmIjYI

— HOD_ BlackPanther (@HodBlackpanther) July 3, 2026

modders realizing netease doing their jobs for them pic.twitter.com/UDpgX8r0fm

— Zolanski (@zolanskimiraj) July 2, 2026

"Bro Steve stole Thor's hammer," one Reddit user reacted.

"Literally America's ass," another said, "that's my goat."

"F**king finally," an X/Twitter user added.

Despite NetEase's insistence that it doesn't intentionally create "gooner content" for its heroes and villains, Marvel Rivals fans have long called attention to its reliance on revealing outfits. At least as more swimwear joins the collection, players can rest easy knowing Captain America gets a slice of that cake.

pic.twitter.com/qCplrx3T2F

— BD (@BellowDGaming) July 3, 2026

Marvel Rivals is available now for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S. Other heroes who received swimsuit skins include Daredevil and Black Widow.

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).

The Odyssey is the first film to ever be shot solely on Imax cameras, but that has some people worried that they’ll only see part of the image if they watch it in standard theatres. Is this a problem? Let’s dig in.

There are many different ways to watch The Odyssey when it hits cinema screens on July 17, but all the various formats available can get confusing. Look online at social media or on Reddit threads, and you’ll see much debate about whether you’ll be missing out if you don’t see the much-promoted 70mm Imax version.

Comments such as, “So audiences will have six different choices of how to see this film, with only one of them being the full image?” by Reddit user “CP_Chronicler”.

Or Redditor “MooseBoys,” who is seemingly quite annoyed: “Stupid gatekeeping. It's fine if you want to shoot the film for that aspect ratio, but don't cut parts out for screens with other ratios — just don't use the whole screen. Linear scaling is completely arbitrary anyway.

As well as in 2023 for Nolan’s Oscar-sweeping Oppenheimer, a similar situation occurred in 2025 when a couple of high-profile movies, Sinners and One Battle After Another, were projected in different formats globally — the former was shot on a combination of 70mm Ultra Panavision and Imax cameras, and the latter on 35mm VistaVision cameras.

The Odyssey is a closer comparison to Sinners, in which Ryan Coogler only utilised Imax for specific scenes, as has long been the norm for most films that use the format, due to its cost and difficulty to use thanks to its sheer size and the sound it generates when the film is rolling. To combat this, though, Nolan worked with Imax to develop a new, quieter version of the camera on which the whole movie was shot on over 2 million feet of film.

So, with all of this effort put in, naturally you’d want to make sure you’re watching The Odyssey in as ideal a way as possible. With many different format types to choose from, ranging from 70mm Imax (if you’re lucky enough to live close to a theatre capable of projecting it) to 35mm, standard Imax, Dolby Vision, and others, it can get a little confusing.

Simply put, 70mm Imax is the “truest” way to see The Odyssey, but with only 30 or so cinema screens around the world able to show it this way, this won’t be the most common option. At an aspect ratio of 1:43:1, it’s a much “squarer” image than a standard theatre screen, thus delivering a taller image that fills up the frame from top to bottom. This is because 1:43:1 means that for every “100” tall an image is, it’s “143” wide.

So, naturally, there is some worry among potential viewers that if you watch Nolan’s latest in any other format, you won’t be seeing all of the film, or at least how it is intended. To some extent, this is true.

If you go to a screening at a standard Imax theatre that doesn’t have specific 70mm projection capabilities installed, you’ll be seeing it at an aspect ratio of 1:90:1, which means you’ll see roughly 40% less of the frame compared to 1:43:1, due to each “100” tall image being “190” wide on film this size, thus meaning in order to get whole width of a shot on screen, naturally, some of the top and bottom must be cropped or it just won’t look right.

This is further emphasised if you go and see it in either of its 70mm or 35mm formats, which hold an aspect ratio of 2:20:1 (100 tall, 220 wide) and 2:39:1 (100 tall, 239 wide) respectively, meaning you’ll see even less of the top and bottom of the frame here. Then there’s digital Dolby Vision and Premium Large Format, which can vary between 1:85:1 and 2:39:1 depending on the theatre. I did warn you it can get a little confusing. And that’s without even getting into the different audio systems available.

In short, yes, if you live close enough to one of the few theatres in the world that can project 70mm Imax, and can afford to do so, seeing The Odyssey this way will be the optimal method. But if that isn’t a possibility, standard Imax is still a very good option.

The Odyssey should still impress on standard cinema screens, though, as Nolan and his long-term director of photography, Hoyte van Hoytema, whom he has collaborated with on Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer, know how to shoot a film for these formats — the Academy Awards wins and nominations attest to this. The centre third of the frame is still where the meaningful action of the film will take place, so while you may not get the full majesty of the frame when it comes to those sweeping Greek landscapes, none of the story will be cut.

What format are you planning to see The Odyssey in? Living in London, I’m lucky enough to live close to two 70mm Imax cinemas, so I will be treating myself at least once. Let us know in the comments!

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.

On July 1, Sony announced that no new PlayStation games will ship on-disc from January 2028 onwards. This move to a digital-only future has sparked widespread backlash and concerns about game preservation and ownership, including in Sony’s homeland of Japan, where developers and fans have also expressed disapproval of the move.

Hideo Kojima, although not addressing the situation directly, topically reposted his previous comments on the pitfalls of a digital-only future. In two tweets dating from August 2021, Kojima said that, “Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative. Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it may suddenly be cut off. We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved. I would be a have-not. That's what I'm afraid of. This is not greed.”

Shueisha Games’ Masami Yamamoto, who has been involved in game production for decades within the Sony group, discussed how PlayStation moving to a digital-only future might affect game publishing timelines. “We’ll have about one-and-a-half months more to really polish the master if we don’t have to make a disc version,” Yamamoto said, before explaining that “even nowadays when day one patches are the norm, if there is a disc version you still need to get the game into a finalized state in which there are no serious flaws that would hinder gameplay.” He added that on an ideal schedule, the master should be completed two months prior to the game’s release.

There is a lot of concern that going digital-only will deal a big blow to Japan’s second-hand game stores and market. Voice actor and gamer Masaru Yoshimura was among those who expressed shock at Sony’s announcement, commenting that, “My hobby is browsing PlayStation titles at game stores and I prefer physical game cases so this makes me way too sad.” Others opined that one of the ways that PlayStation currently has an edge over PC is the option to buy your favorite games on disc. “Some people choose to get the PlayStation version instead of the PC version because it's on disc or it's a limited edition physical version," one person said.

Others questioned Sony’s timing of this announcement, noting that it came on the same day as the announcement about shutting down the PS3 and PS Vita online stores. “Announcing them both at the same time was bound to make customers anxious and think, ‘Does this mean that corporate decisions could make digitally bought games I bought unplayable at any moment!?” Indeed, the announcement also comes hot on the heels of Sony’s upcoming deletion of over 550 movies purchased by PlayStation users — with no refund — prompting further distrust of a digital-only future. “Digital is convenient but it only grants the right to play the game. Owning things seems like it's becoming a value from the past, doesn’t it?” said one X user on the topic.

On the flip side, some commenters pointed out that the writing has been on the wall for physical console games for a long time. Digital sales have been on an upward trend with Sony reporting that 78% of game sales in 2025 were downloads (although, this also includes games that do not have a physical release). In its PlayStation Blog post, Sony described phasing out discs as the company adapting “to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs.”

If games continue to get physical releases, it seems that they will be ‘code in a box’ affairs, like Grand Theft Auto 6’s disc-less physical version, which caused a stir last month. All of this points towards a digital-only future for consoles, with both PS6 and Xbox’s upcoming console, Project Helix, reportedly launching without a disc drive.

Elsewhere, the official UK Domino’s Pizza account has been grilling Sony for the decision like its personal, issuing a mock statement that it will switch to digital pizzas only in response to gaming industry trends. KFC also dunked on Sony in a similar manner.

A recent IGN poll found that 90% of readers do not support an all-digital gaming future, but recent statements from Sony suggest it is unlikely to backtrack on its decision, and it’s already moving to reassign disc production workers to other areas of the business.

Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images.

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.

You don't become one of the biggest, most profitable media franchises in human history without stepping on a few toes, especially when there’s literally a violent felony in your name.

“Grand Theft Auto” was destined to collide with controversy. Lawsuits, international incidents, and full-on moral panics have followed in the wake of the series’ unparalleled success. And while there’s often a kernel of truth to some concerns raised over the violent, over-the-top nature of GTA, advocacy groups and opportunists have spent decades disingenuously trying to take one of gaming’s greatest series down before it warps the fragile little minds of our children.

Anything with as much cultural significance as GTA can have an influence on someone, maybe even a bad one, but study after study after study has failed to find any link between playing violent video games and antisocial behavior in the real world. That hasn’t stopped opponents from attacking the series since pretty much day one. These are Grand Theft Auto’s biggest controversies.

1. Top Down Trouble

Back in 1997, we were just emerging from the first real video game moral panic (it was mostly about Mortal Kombat). Violence and vulgarity was the cultural vibe, with transgressive content pitched against the moral majority in a war for our attention and our souls. In Scotland, DMA Design - the studio that just made Lemmings - was about to release its next title: a top-down driving game called Grand Theft Auto.

The word was already out months before release: this is a game where you do crime. UK tabloids like the Daily Mail ran lurid headlines describing all of the anarchy allowed by the “criminal computer game that glorifies hit-and-run thugs,” while members of Parliament, such as Lord Campbell of Croy, warned that there’d be no way to stop kids from getting their impressionable little hands on it.

The Right Honorable Lord might have been sincere in his convictions, but as it turned out, he was playing right into DMA’s hands. The studio’s publisher, multimedia giant BMG, was used to creating buzz for their transgressive music acts like the Sex Pistols, and was more than happy to lean into the sleazy side of GTA. It hired a publicist who leaked details to newspapers and used a whisper network to make sure that certain pearl-clutching politicians were aware of the upcoming crime simulator. Then, they launched a radio campaign featuring clips from the House of Lords debate that made the game sound completely awesome.

Grand Theft Auto was a big success, despite its 18+ rating and the fact that it was banned in Brazil. It sold over three million copies by 1999. Grand Theft Auto’s first brush with infamy might have been manufactured, but it taught DMA and, later, Rockstar a valuable lesson: a little controversy can create a lot of cash.

2. Grand Theft Thompson

In the wake of the 1999 Columbine ​​High School mass shooting, critics pointed fingers at Doom rather than grappling with the real causes. The moral panic was in full swing when Grand Theft Auto 3 and its revolutionary, more “realistic” 3D depiction of crime hit the scene, and one man pounced on the opportunity to make himself part of its story.

Jack Thompson is a conservative attorney and activist who spent over a decade waging an obnoxious war on the industry. He was a frequent talking head on cable news, constantly blaming video games for real world violent crimes. He’s gone after a lot of different titles over the years, but he had a particular axe to grind with Rockstar.

Thompson hounded the franchise for years with lawsuits and TV hits accusing GTA of inspiring horrific tragedies. He frequently sued Rockstar’s owner, Take-Two Interactive, as well as retail stores selling GTA and Sony for making the consoles it could be played on. His clients were typically family members of the victims of violent crimes, and he usually demanded outrageous amounts of money. His most high-profile case involved Devin Moore, a man in Alabama who was convicted of killing three police officers in 2005. Thompson filed a suit alleging that it was his obsession with GTA that caused him to snap.

The Moore case gave Thompson a national platform for his one-man vendetta against Rockstar, and cable news was happy to give him a soapbox. It was a big enough deal that the BBC made a movie about it in 2015. Rockstar called it “random, made up bollocks.” IGN gave it a 4.5/10. But the case was extremely flimsy and quickly dismissed. Thompson wound up in trouble with the Alabama bar as a result of his behavior, something that would become a theme throughout his career.

Thompson was undeterred by his losses, but concerns about GTA’s violence were soon drowned out by an even more lurid scandal. GTA is, after all, about America. As a nation, we have an unfortunate tendency to give brutality a pass, but we lose our minds when bro asks his date inside for some hot coffee.

3. Hot Coffee

Following the revolutionary design of GTA 3 and Vice City, anticipation for San Andreas was through the roof. At Rockstar, designer Sam Houser didn’t want to disappoint fans who expected the franchise to push even more boundaries.

“We are keen to include new functionality and interaction in line with the 'vibe' of the game,” he wrote at the time. “To this end, in addition to the violence and bad language, we want to include sexual content, which I understand is questionable to certain people, but pretty natural (more than violence), when you think about it and consider the fact that the game is intended for adults.”

During development, Rockstar worked on a full-fledged minigame to serve as the final stage of the game’s dating activity, in which the player controls main character CJ in flagrante delicto. Unfortunately for Houser, sex would tip the scale and result in San Andreas being slapped with an “Adults Only” rating. Up to 80% of U.S. retailers flat-out refused to stock anything rated AO. If they wanted San Andreas to sell, CJ must remain chaste.

It was allegedly too late to fully remove the sexual content from the game, since it was already deeply intertwined with the code. Instead, the minigame was merely disabled. As one Dutch modder soon discovered, it would be a simple matter to switch it back on.

Patrick Wildenborg and his modding buddies started digging into San Andreas as soon as the game came out in October of 2004, cracking open the codebase and discovering strangely named files like “KISSING” and “SNM.” They realized these were animations of explicit (albeit fully-clothed) sex acts from a dummied-out dating minigame, but Wildenbord decided to sit on the discovery until the PC version released the next summer. With one simple change in a hex editor, the forbidden content was restored. Wildenbord published his discovery on June 7, 2005, naming the mod “Hot Coffee.”

The ESRB certainly didn’t think it was hot. It announced an investigation into the games rating process, prompting the mainstream media to start paying attention. Major retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy immediately stopped selling San Andreas, and Rockstar issued a recall and replaced the tainted copies with a patched version sans the offending, invisible code.

In the 2000s, a controversy involving modding and cut content was pretty novel. Non-video game people had a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept that bad stuff was completely inaccessible to the layperson, and both sides took advantage. Rockstar slyly insinuated that the modders created the Hot Coffee themselves, even though Wildenborg had their back and took down the files in solidarity. Meanwhile, the media and politicians acted like sex was a major selling point. Jack Thompson seized the opportunity and reached across the aisle to find an unlikely ally in his quest to annoy gaming out of existence. He prepped Hillary Clinton for a press conference, which resulted in a resolution from Congress calling for an FTC investigation into Hot Coffee.

The FTC said that Take-Two was deceptive in marketing San Andreas, but let it off with a warning. It was less lucky with the class-action lawsuit that eventually settled for 20 million dollars, but the furor quickly faded. Rockstar had pulled away from the Pay & Spray of public opinion, ready to enter the HD era with their wanted level erased.

4. HD Hijinks

Grand Theft Auto 4 was a big change of pace from the prior “3D Universe” trilogy, notably less violent than its predecessors. Gone are the dismemberments and arcadey gore of the 3D Trilogy, replaced with Euphoria crumple physics– arguably just as unsettling as Tommy Vercetti slicing heads off with a katana, but definitely not as splashy. Despite kind of getting what they wanted, critics refused to let up.

While the violence angle was looking a little dusty, folks found plenty of other reasons to get big MADD about GTA 4. The organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving was upset that the game allowed Nico to get behind the wheel after bro-ing out with Packie or Little Jacob, and petitioned the ESRB to slap the game with an AO rating.

Rockstar stuck to its guns, insisting that its audience was “more than sophisticated enough to understand the game's content.” They were also sophisticated enough to appreciate the franchise debut of full-frontal male nudity in the “Lost and the Damned” expansion pack. Parents groups sounded the alarm in response, warning that the game “should be kept away -- far away -- from children.”

No one, least of all Rockstar, would disagree with that statement. Most of these controversies wouldn’t even exist if everyone would just acknowledge that GTA is not a game for kids, even if a ton of kids play it. Every lawsuit, every uproar, every federal investigation has ended up in the same place: the onus is on concerned guardians and retailers to keep these M-rated titles out of kids’ hands, and Rockstar is free to make the games they want to make, no matter how hard people like Jack Thompson try to shut them down.

Thompson was at the height of his relevance in the runup to GTA 4, picking fights with Penny Arcade and scrapping with Adam Sessler on G4. He had become such a pain-in-the-ass to Rockstar by this point that Take-Two preemptively sued him in order to cut off any frivolous lawsuits about GTA 4. The parties settled, with Thompson agreeing not to sue to block the sale or distribution of any of Take-Two’s future games. In exchange, Rockstar dropped the contempt of court charges stemming from Thompson’s improper conduct during his bully campaign against Bully. The war, at long last, was over.

For five months. Then Thompson accused Take-Two of stealing his likeness and trying to get the game banned. It didn’t work. GTA 4 was a smash hit, and its successor was about to become the biggest thing ever.

5. Pleading the Fifth

GTA 5’s most notable creation was Trevor Phillips, a raving psychopath who canonized the chaos and carnage that players experienced in older titles. For once, an in-game character represented the emergent freedom enjoyed by gamers embarking on unscripted rampages between missions– a balding, tattooed embodiment of Jack Thompson and Hillary Clinton’s darkest fears.

In a way, his presence almost defused larger concerns about violence, at least in the “think of the children” sense. Trevor was clearly a cartoon character, a straw man who couldn’t survive very long in the real world. If there were really a bunch of Trevors out there copying GTA, we would notice.

Instead, it was one very specific scene that threw GTA 5 in hot water. During the mission “By the Book,” the player controls Trevor as he interrogates an innocent man on behalf of the federal government, using a wrench, a car battery, and pliers to torture information out of him.

Obviously a satire of the U.S. military’s “enhanced interrogation techniques” during the War on Terror, turning torture into a quick-time-event was a bridge too far for many in the media. The mission was widely criticized by the press and condemned by politicians, teacher’s unions, and even Amnesty International, despite the litany of violent crimes against humanity GTA 5 allows one to commit every minute.

We’ve talked a lot about when Grand Theft Auto offends the religious right, TV pundits, entire countries, and the ambitions of activists and politicians. But what about when the series gets under the skin of a celebrity?

In 2014, actor Lindsay Lohan brought a lawsuit against Take-Two, alleging they had stolen her likeness for GTA 5. The whopping, 67-page complaint was really based on two allegations: First, that the blonde, bikini-clad woman who featured heavily in the marketing was based on a picture of Lohan throwing up her, quote, “signature peace sign.”

This claim kind of falls through when one realizes that the woman in the picture looks absolutely nothing like Linsday Lohan. If anything, she looks like early 2010’s “it-girl” Kate Upton, though it turns out that the actual model for the image was a woman named Shelby Welinder, who literally produced receipts by posting her invoice from Rockstar on Instagram.

The second claim of Lohan’s suit involved a character named Lacey Jonas, a rather broad parody of Hollywood divas. And… yeah, you don’t have to squint too hard to see that Lohan was probably an influence. Fortunately, art is allowed to poke fun at celebrities, whether they like it or not.

Rockstar fired back, arguing that the lawsuit was frivolous, Lohan was simply filling it for publicity purposes, and that parody and satire of public figures is protected by the First Amendment. At least on that last part, the court agreed. According to the decision, “this video game's unique story, characters, dialogue, and environment, combined with the player's ability to choose how to proceed in the game, render it a work of fiction and satire.” Lohan was out of luck.

For GTA 5, the controversy came and went with a whimper. By this point, violence was part of the fabric of gaming, and the game took far more heat for selling Shark Cards, the in-game currency for its ever-popular online mode, than any of the mature content it contains. No one really cares about violent video games anymore. That battle is over, and people like Jack Thompson lost.

Grand Theft Auto rose to dominance by pushing boundaries, breaking taboos, and playing with fire but rarely getting burned. If anything, the history of outrage surrounding GTA only added to its irresistible mystique, solidifying its stature as a cannot-miss cultural event. There’s little doubt that Grand Theft Auto 6 and beyond will continue to court controversy while raking in billions and reshaping the entire medium of video games to their image.

"Significant" pay rises are on offer at Professor Layton developer Level-5 — if you can correctly answer questions about the company's games.

That's according to Level-5's own CEO, Akihiro Hino, who has revealed that "knowledge quizzes" based on the developer's own games unlock bumper pay rises at the Japanese studio — but only if staff get the answers right.

Headquarted in Fukuoka, with satellite offices in Tokyo and Osaka, Level-5 is perhaps best known for creating the puzzle adventures of Professor Layton, but it's also behind the Pokémon-like RPG franchise Yo-kai Watch, anime soccer series Inazuma Eleven, and Studio Ghibli-esque role-player Ni No Kuni. So, if you know a lot about all of those, maybe take note...

Speaking to Japanese outlet Famitsu (via Automaton), Hino revealed the actual amount that existing employees can add to their salary by demonstrating a strong knowledge of the company's products — and while this has not been publicly revealed, it was said to have astonished reporters.

While unusual, this gesture has a business purpose, Hino argued: that employees who are highly knowledgeable about the company can take on more work, or tutor others.

"If their knowledge is insufficient, we'll need other team members to support them or review their work," Hino explained. "On the other hand, if they do have that knowledge, they can take the lead and even streamline the workflow.

"In other words, I consider a person's knowledge of and passion for the company's games to be a genuine skill," he continued. "When viewed as a company cost, it means we're achieving efficiency gains that far exceed that amount."

Level-5's next launch of major note is Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, which is set to arrive on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2 at some point later this year. Aptly titled for a game arriving on PC via Steam, this is the first adventure in the series to launch for PC and PlayStation, while other titles have stuck with Nintendo handhelds and smartphones.

In contrast, PlayStation recently announced it would drastically reduce the number of employees at Bungie, following the decision to cease development on Destiny 2. Microsoft, meanwhile, is expected to reveal a "bloodbath" of layoffs as soon as next Monday, as it offloads studios and refocuses its remaining development teams around a handful of core franchises.

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

We’re well and truly in the “AI age,” but if your laptop is looking a little forlorn, there’s never been a better time to upgrade.

Copilot+ PCs are powerful machines that leverage machine learning via an NPU (neural processing unit), all while using less power, to get more done in your working day.

Whether it’s the sheer volume of browser tabs you’ve got open at once (look, we’ve all been there), you’re trying to edit a photo or illustration in a specialist app like Photoshop, or you’re looking to gain insights on a spreadsheet that it would otherwise take you days to read, a Copilot+ can take the hassle out of your workday.

Here’s how.

Editor's Note: This article is brought to you in partnership with Microsoft.

What is a Copilot+ PC?

Windows 11 has Copilot functionality built in, but a Copilot+ PC computer needs to reach a certain threshold for that moniker. The bar? A neural processing unit that can reach 40 trillion (with a ‘T’!) operations per second.

Rather than offloading tasks to the cloud, the NPU runs AI tasks on your device, minimizing the impact on the environment and keeping your data secure, while also allowing more usefulness while offline. Performance is also better since you’re not uploading everything.

The NPU also shares some of the workload from your CPU and GPU, meaning battery life can be drastically improved, too.

Security is (Pass)Key

While cloud AI systems can use encryption, there’s no better way of keeping your data to yourself than working on your device.

Copilot+ PCs are built with security at a fundamental level, and require biometric sign-in using a fingerprint or a face scan to ensure bad actors can’t access any data stored on them.

Not only does this mean your laptop is more secure than if you’d used a password, but it also allows you to use your laptop as a Passkey so you can sign into sites and apps using your face or fingertips.

Do It In A Click

Something no other platform offers is Click to Do. This scans your screen, noting text, images, or other files, and suggests action points to take.

That means summarizing a lengthy product brief you’ve been sent, translating a block of text, or updating formatting can all be done in a single click, and with no dedicated app required.

To activate it, just press the Windows key and click, or press Windows and Q on your keyboard.

Bring Your Vision To Life

Copilot Vision and Copilot Voice are baked right into all Windows 11 PCs, and are all about making your PC easier to use, regardless of your level of technical expertise.

Vision can read text back to you, helping break down complex items or even error messages, while Voice lets you simply ask your PC what something means.

The two also have huge accessibility benefits, making it easier for anyone to get the information they need.

Whether you're looking to work smarter, create faster, or stay connected, Windows 11 and Copilot help you get more done - while Copilot+ PCs unlock the most powerful AI experiences yet.

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.

One of the longest-serving bits of tech I've still got knocking around is this Scuf Instinct Pro controller, finished in a wonderfully garish purple-and-orange colourway I chose nearly five years ago. It's not an Xbox or PC controller that gets much of a mention these days, as the market has moved on, which is naturally why I think it's absolutely worth a mention to you today.

Nintendo's president has been asked to address the current state of Pokémon trading card shortages and scalping — a situation that many fans feel is now worse than ever, despite an astonishing 10 billion cards being printed last year alone.

New card launches are continually left sold out due to scalpers looking to make a profit on eBay, while boxes of cards are now commonly the subject of store thefts — including dozens of instances where trading card stores have been broken into overnight. One card shop in New York was recently targeted by armed thieves in broad daylight, leaving terrified staff and shoppers held at gunpoint. In May, reports emerged of a Florida man who was arrested on suspicion of stealing $12,000 of Pokémon cards while wielding a battery-powered chainsaw. And in April, another desperate Pokémon fan was arrested in Pasadena, California, after hiding inside a closed Best Buy ahead of a Pokémon card drop.

But with demand sky high, what can Nintendo and The Pokémon Company do solve the issue for fans left unable to buy cards without having to fork out more money themselves (or turn to a life of crime)?

The issue has become so high-profile that Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked for his opinion at a recent shareholder AGM — during which he revealed that Nintendo was aware of the "issue," and discussed "appropriate ways to deliver products to consumers."

"With respect to the Pokémon Trading Card Game offered by The Pokémon Company, which is an equity-method subsidiary of Nintendo, we are aware of instances where limited-quantity cards are purchased in large volume, leading to high-priced reselling in the market," Furukawa said, in remarks now officially made public by Nintendo.

"In response, The Pokémon Company is taking various measures, including made-to-order sales and agreements with marketplace operators. For online priority drawings for certain products, I understand that The Pokémon Company also plans to use an account verification method that utilizes My Number Cards [Japan’s official government-issued ID cards].

"Nintendo also communicates with The Pokémon Company as needed to discuss appropriate ways to deliver products to consumers," Furukawa concluded. "We believe that The Pokémon Company will continue to take measures to respond to this issue."

The Pokémon Company recently released a set of astonishing sales figures which showed the enormous popularity of Pokémon cards, of which 85 billion have been produced to date. 10 billion cards were manufactured in 2025 alone — more cards than the number of people on the planet, and still nowhere near enough.

Card manufacturing has been boosted significantly in recent years to try and keep up with demand. 43 billion cards were printed in the 25 years between October 1996 and March 2022, but essentially the same amount again has now been released in just the past four years. And with the brand's eye-catching 30th anniversary set due in September, the situation is unlikely to calm down anytime soon.

Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images.

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

Pokémon TCG's hotly anticipated 30th Celebration set begins its rollout on September 16th, and we finally know what’s inside each of its massive waves.

If you want to get your hands on a booster pack, each with five foil cards and one Pikachu card from a special set of 30 unique artworks, you’ll need to pick up one of these special products - they won’t be sold individually!

Wave 1 - September 16th, 2026

In this first wave, there are five awesome new Pokémon TCG products you can get your hands on (if you can beat the bots, that is).

First up: the 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box for $49.99. This is bound to be a popular one. You get nine booster packs, a fancy Nidorina promo, 16 foil Energy cards, and all the usual extras.

Wait, Nidorina? Yes - it’s the first time a Nidorina card has held flagship promo status, but why? Pokémaniacs among us will know she’s #0030 in the National Pokédex, which is a very nice detail.

Inside - say it with me - you get:

• 9 Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration booster packs
• 1 Full-art Nidorina promo card (packed with 30 individual Nidorina in the artwork)
• 16 Foil Basic Energy cards
• 65 Premium card sleeves
• A player’s guide to the 30th Celebration expansion
• 6 Damage-counter dice
• 1 competition-legal coin-flip die
• 1 Plastic coin
• A collector’s box with 6 organizational dividers
• A code card for Pokémon Trading Card Game Live

Can’t grab the Pokémon Center exclusive? The regular ETB is still a beast.

So far, we’ve only seen product pictures, but the Pokémon Center exclusive bumps you up to 11 packs and gives you two Nidorina promos—one with the Pokémon Center stamp, one without, over the regular ETB. Both play the same, but the stamped one is, naturally, the real collector's gem.

If your walls are feeling a bit sparse, the Poster Collection is a steal at $14.99. Three packs, a huge double-sided poster with every card, and foil promos of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. The Tech Sticker Collection (also $14.99) gives you three packs, a sticker sheet for your laptop, and a foil promo—either Alolan Exeggutor or Lucario.

If you’re after heavy-hitters, check out the 30th Celebration Pokémon ex Box for $21.99: four packs, a shiny foil promo, and a jumbo version of either Sylveon ex or Greninja ex.

​Even if you’re on a bit of a smaller budget, you won’t have to miss out on the 30th Anniversary celebrations. The 30th Celebration Knock Out Collection and 2-Pack Blisters ($9.99 each) give you two packs, a plastic coin, and an Eevee promo. Cute!

Wave 2 - October 2, 2026

The second 30th Celebrations Pokémon TCG wave is all about specialized storage solutions and fast pack rips, landing just weeks after the launch of Wave 1. Let's HM08 in!

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I personally love these 30th Celebration Day & Night Mini Tins, coming in at a respectable $9.99. Each tin has two packs, a sticker sheet, and an art card that matches the tin. Put all the tins together and the Unown spell out "ANNIVERSARY" - how cool is that! You can really feel care and effort has gone into the design to celebrate this historic milestone.

The 30th Celebration Binder Collection ($31.99) is a must. You get a premium 9-pocket binder and five booster packs to show off your favorite cards.

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​Just want packs? The 30th Celebration Booster Bundle ($26.94) gives you six straight-up 30th Celebration packs, which is one of the best ways to chase those awesome YOSHIROTTEN Futuristic Rares.

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Wave 3 - October 30, 2026

Wave 3 is ​a much smaller release than the other two, but perfect for the Eevee-lovers in your life.

30th Celebration Espeon ex and Umbreon ex Battle Decks ($19.99) are all-foil, ready-to-play 60-card decks. You get a deck box, coin, playmat, and a bonus rare—Victini for Espeon, Zeraora for Umbreon.

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Wave 4 - November 6, 2026

There's still more celebrating to go! This one is a big one, so make sure to mark your calendars if you don't want to pay a fortune on third-party markets.

The 30th Celebration Ultra-Premium Collection ($179.99) come in two flavors: Day (Pikachu ex and Espeon ex) or Night (Pikachu ex and Umbreon ex). Either way, you get a themed playmat, sleeves, deck box, and 29 standard 30th Celebration booster packs.

It seems pricey at first glance, but the really cool thing about these sets is the three-card Classic Collection pack inside. This is your only guaranteed shot at these vintage throwbacks, since Classic Collection cards are some of the rarest chases.

No official pull rates yet, but collectors think they’ll be as tough as special rares—maybe 1 in 8 to 12 packs. That just makes them even more desirable, so good luck.

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The 30th Celebration Ditto Premium Collection ($39.99) is for display fans. You get a Ditto promo, eight packs, and a bright acrylic stand for your favorite card. Ditto cards have been seeing a lot of love recently; if you love Pokémon Pokopia, this one’s for you!

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Last up for this wave: a real Kanto throwback. The 30th Celebration Mewtwo & Mew Figure Collections ($29.99) include five packs, a foil promo, a jumbo card of the legends, and a detailed Mew or Mewtwo figure so you can recreate that iconic first movie scene. Talking Pikachu not included.

Wave 5 - December 4, 2026

Last, but by no means least, ​we're rounding out Pokémon’s 30th Celebration's in style.

Finishing off the year, Pokébeach reports that there will be a classic 30th Celebration Pokémon ex Tin ($21.99) has four packs and brings back the Sylveon ex or Greninja ex promos.

Official Pokémon Center pre-orders aren’t live yet, and there’s no date confirmed. We expect to see it drop in August, about a month before launch of wave 1. Get your account ready, check your payment and shipping info, and sign up for email alerts. Turn on IGNDeals notifications on X and bookmark this page so you’re ready to pounce when pre-orders drop!

Sara Heritage is a freelance journalist for IGN, specialising in Pokémon TCG. When she's not gaming, you’ll probably find her building yet another LEGO set she absolutely did not need, or chaining ranked matches in Pokémon Champions.