While I’m not going to argue that Obsidian’s fantasy RPG matches the depth of the genre’s topline measuring sticks, your Baldur’s Gates, your Witchers, your New Vegases, it did provide me a good time in 2025. I found the world of Eora – with its mushrooms, sprawling coastlines, dense forests, arid deserts, and more mushrooms – colourful and varied enough to whet my appetite for exploration. Combat was satisfying enough that I looked forward to each opportunity to whip out my trusty blunderbuss and characters were engaging enough that hanging out with them in camp was a pleasant way to while away evenings.
Limited Run Games has announced a very exciting enhanced version of 1987’s NES “classic”, Jaws – and they’ve got their signature offering of flashy physical editions ready to devour and everything.
These new physical editions of the game come complete with the 8-bit original, now with modern conveniences such as quick save. But, of course, the star turn is a “massively expanded” Jaws Enhanced Edition that embiggens the adventure to incorporate aspects from four (!) of the Jaws movies, rather than just the good one.
Jonathan Blow has just “announced an announcement,” teasing he just may be getting on a plane today to join a “gaming industry event coming up.”
Blow — perhaps best known for 2008’s Braid and 2016’s The Witness — popped up on his YouTube channel with a brief video, revealing that a project that has likely taken “nine or 10 years to make” is “finally get[ting] out to people.” And while it’s probably not “a trailer for like an RPG where you fight monsters from hell” — “nothing wrong with that,” he hastily added — whatever it is seems likely to be showing up at 2025’s The Game Awards.
“We’ve been working hard on projects for a very long time. We have a wide variety of things that we’ve been developing. They’re very complicated. Sometimes they take a while to come to fruition. Do we give up? No, we do not. We keep going, and we get them done because ultimately, even if something took nine years or 10 years to make, if you work hard for a long time, you can produce something that is tremendously good, much better than you ever expected in the beginning, and then you can finally get it out to people.
“I’m speaking in generalities right now,” Blow teased. “I cannot actually say anything specific because this is not the announcement, okay? This is the announcement of the announcement, and therefore, I cannot relay any actual facts that are being reserved for the actual announcement. But I am announcing that this announcement will occur sometime soon. Maybe very soon. Maybe, you know, I don’t know if there’s any gaming industry events coming up this week where stuff about upcoming projects might get shown. I don’t know, if there’s something like that, you might keep an eye out, right? You might just want to look, and you might see, you know, a trailer for like an RPG where you fight monsters from hell.”
“That’s probably not what we’re announcing,” he hastily added. “Nothing wrong with that, but that’s not what we’re announcing. You might see some other things. So, that is the announcement of the announcement. If there’s any game industry events, such as something happening in Los Angeles — which I wouldn’t even know about because I have to get on a plane tomorrow morning to go to some show — if there’s something like that, some Game Awards. I don’t think we’re getting an award tomorrow, but if there’s something like that that also has information in it besides like awards, then just keep your eyes peeled…”
“Yeah. Just keep an eye out, because at such a place — if I were to make an actual announcement that conveyed the actual facts that I wanted to provide that people often ask about — that would be a good place to do it, to have the actual announcement that we are announcing today. All right. Thank you.”
Wondering what the new game could be? Well, according to one commenter, the game is expected to be called Order of the Sinking Star. “The game has been called that for over a year, and there’s even a subreddit for it,” they pointed out.
Blow’s most recent game, The Witness, secured an impressive 10/10 from us. In IGN’s The Witness review, we called it “a beautiful, powerful, and cleverly designed puzzle game with a wealth of mysteries to unravel.”
We’ve been keeping tabs on what’s been confirmed to make an appearance so far, what’s been teased, and some of the pie-in-the-sky dream games we know deep down in our brains won’t be there, but our heart tells us there might just be a chance. Don’t worry, we’re not going to be quite as far-fetched as to say GTA 6 will be at The Game Awards, nor The Witcher 4, which CD Projekt Red has already confirmed won’t be. But that’s enough of that. For more, check out our round-up of what you can expect from The Game Awards 2025.
Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Publishers and studios who want to show off their games during the main show at a Keighleyfest usually have to pay a not small chunk of change for the privilege. According to a fresh report from Kotaku which aims to deliver the latest figures for a couple of different trailer lengths at this year’s Game Awards, those handing over the cash are now looking at paying seven figures for a three-minute showing of their game.
When Sins of a Solar Empire 2 launched from early access in September 2024, its premium edition and content pass promised something no other game in the series had delivered: a singleplayer campaign.
The Times of War DLC would for the first time give you an authored story and set of missions for each faction. Originally announced for release in “Fall 2025”, there are players of the series who have waited nearly 20 years for this, and they’re still waiting because there’s no sign of the DLC yet. Nor Harbinger, the expansion bringing a fourth playable race to Sins of a Solar Empire 2.
“They’re definitely still on the road map,” development lead Brian Clair tells me, “but we’ve shifted them around a bit.”
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.
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.
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.
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
Earlier this year, a Switch Online + Expansion Pack trailer supposedly teased some upcoming releases for the N64 library. One of these games was Forsaken 64, which was released in September, and another title spotted was Rayman 2: The Great Escape, and that’s now returning next week.
This month, stalk the streets of ancient Baghdad in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, cut down demons across a fallen empire in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, shred through hell’s underworld in Skate Story, or soar among the clouds in Granblue Fantasy: Relink. All these titles and more are available in December’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup. Meanwhile, Soulcalibur III brings arcade action to PlayStation Plus Deluxe. All of these will be available to play December 16, aside from Skate Story, which released into the service December 9.
PlayStation Plus Extra and Deluxe | Game Catalog
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Assassin’s Creed Mirage | PS5, PS4
Play as a cunning young street thief seeking answers in this majestic Middle Eastern open world. Experience the home of the original Assassins in this exciting narrative-driven, open world adventure. In this smaller scale, back to basics Assassin’s caper, you play Basim, a young street thief seeking answers. Roam the richly-detailed, reactive and vibrant streets of 9th century Baghdad, uncovering the mysteries of the past as you fight to secure your future. Stalk the shadows and become the ultimate assassin. Enjoy 6 hours of extra gameplay with Valley of Memory, the major update that expands Basim’s story and introduces the breathtaking new region of AlUla, with gameplay improvements across the full game.
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Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty | PS5, PS4
184 AD, Later Han Dynasty China. The land is overcome by chaos and destruction. The imperial dynasty that prospered for many years is now about to collapse. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a dramatic, action-packed story of a nameless militia soldier fighting for survival in a dark fantasy version of the Later Han Dynasty where demons plague the Three Kingdoms. Fight off deadly creatures and enemy soldiers using swordplay based on the Chinese martial arts, attempting to overcome the odds by awakening the true power from within.
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Skate Story | PS5
You are a demon in the Underworld, made out of glass and pain. The Devil has given you a skateboard with a simple deal: Skate to the Moon and swallow it — and you shall be freed. Ollie, kickflip, and grind your way through the ash and smoke of The Emptylands as you take on a seemingly impossible quest. Learn to master your weight and motion to conquer the weeping concrete. Savour the ritualistic beauty as you set your feet to pop a perfect kickflip. Skate fast to destroy vicious demons, help a forgetful frog, and save other tortured souls on your journey from fragile beginner to hardened skater. Push through hell and discover The Devil’s greatest weakness: humility, perseverance, and a disgustingly sweet backside tailslide. All you need is your skateboard.
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Granblue Fantasy: Relink | PS5, PS4
Explore the Sky Realm, a floating archipelago set against a great blue expanse, and battle to decide its fate in this 3D action RPG. Become captain of a skyfaring crew as you sail with a colourful cast of crewmates on your quest to find Estalucia, a legendary island said to lie beyond the sky’s end. Visit the Zegagrande Skydom and unveil a web of intrigue that will embroil you in a battle for the fate of the entire Sky Realm. Create a party of four, each with unique weapons, skills and combat styles, and master a deep real-time combat system with team-based techniques including Link Attacks and Chain Bursts. Take on quests, battle enemies and score valuable loot solo, or party up with friends for up to four-player co-op.
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Planet Coaster 2 | PS5
Reach new heights of creativity, management, and sharing as you construct the theme parks of your dreams combining epic water rides and coasters to delight and thrill your park guests. Balance thrilling your guests with managing your budget – populate your park with amazing efficiently powered attractions and the right amenities to boost your rating and become a theme park master. Enhanced and improved building and pathing tools let you create spectacular, true-to-life theme parks, complete with sprawling plazas. Dive into a world of creativity with nine distinct themes, from returning classics like Pirate and Western, to exciting new additions in Viking and Mythology. With thousands of themed customisable pieces at your fingertips, every creation will be truly unique.
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Cat Quest III | PS5, PS4
Play as a swashbuckling privateer in this 2.5D open-world action RPG set in a fantastical pirate-themed world, the Purribean — an archipelago swarming with Pi-rats searching for the Northern Star. a long-lost mythical treasure. Alongside your trusty spirit companion, set sail through the Purribean in your very own ship! But beware, the seas are dangerous, and a mutiny is nigh as the hordes of Pi-rats under the order of the Pirate King hunt you down… Cat Quest III is playable either solo or in local co-op.
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Lego Horizon Adventures | PS5
Journey to a distant future, where the land is made of Lego bricks and lush nature has reclaimed the Earth. Join hunter Aloy as she battles to save Earth from an ancient digital demon, and a gang of sunworshippers who want to live in a world without shade so they can soak up the rays while everything burns. Hunt machines on your own as Aloy, or unlock colourful heroes Varl, Teersa, and Erend, and use their unique skills to defeat enemies and overcome challenges. Share the fun with another player online, or via innovative couch co-op on a single screen, so you’re always in the same world together.
PlayStation Plus Deluxe
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Soulcalibur III | PS5, PS4
Chosen by history, a man becomes a warrior. Engraved into history, a warrior becomes a hero. Enjoy this timeless tale of swords and souls, transcending history and worlds, destined to be told forever. Experience Soulcalibur III, originally released on PlayStation 2, enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. The Soulcalibur series is a weapon-based fighting series of games where players put their mastery of their character’s weapon to the test. The game features the Chronicles of the Sword mode that fuses real-time simulation with versus fighting-style action. In Soul Arena, choose between Quick Play for relentless battles against CPU opponents and Mission mode for fights set under special conditions.
*PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and PlayStation Plus Deluxe lineups may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day.
Earlier this week, Nintendo Music got an update which added a “Year in Review” feature to the application. Nintendo has now officially made this available to Switch Online members.
Nintendo is offering a cool new Metroid Prime 4: Beyond reward on its My Nintendo Store in the US and Canada. It’s a holographic poster set, and it will set you back 1,000 Platinum Points.
