Since 1873, the team at Rock Paper Shotgun have gathered once a year to select what they believe to be the best PC games of all time. Admittedly, they only started writing the list down in 2021, but try not to hold their spotty recordkeeping against them.
IO Interactive is busy working on James Bond video game 007 First Light, but it has said it also has plans to release Hitman 4.
In an interview with Variety, CEO Hakan Abrak said “of course there will be more Hitman.” But it may be some time before Hitman 4 comes out. Abrak said that any talk of a Hitman 4 announcement will have to wait until Hitman co-op arrives in World of Assassination, which continues to enjoy support via DLC from the studio.
“So of course there will be more Hitman,” Abrak said. “But right now, I think we need to get to the other side of this year and next year you’ll get more news about Hitman co-op, because I think co-op is a really, really good extension to the universe, and will introduce very interesting mechanics and combinations in World of Assassination. But we will, after that, be talking about the next Hitman — because, of course, there’s going to be a next Hitman.”
The Hitman franchise kicked off in 2000 with Hitman: Codename 47. Hitman 2: Silent Assassin followed in 2002. Hitman: Blood Money came out in 2006, and served as the third game in the original Hitman trilogy. Hitman: Absolution followed in 2012, before Hitman, which acted as the first installment of the World of Assassination trilogy, came out in 2016. Hitman 2 followed in 2018, then Hitman 3 in 2021.
IOI has three main productions right now: ongoing work on Hitman: World of Assassination, 007 First Light, and a new fantasy IP appropriately codenamed Project Fantasy. “It’s not announced yet, exactly what it is, but it’s a multiplayer fantasy project, which is extremely ambitious and really cool and is something else than a gun in a suit,” Abrak teased. “So that’s also good to have something new within the creative outlook here.”
Will Hitman 4 have to wait until all three projects are wrapped up? Abrak didn’t say, but you can see why the studio would want to return to the franchise with a brand new sequel: overall, Hitman has had more than 85 million players and over 25 million copies sold. Each more, more than a million people play Hitman, Abrak added.
As for 007 First Light, that’s due out March 27, 2026 (a release date that looks all the more lucrative now GTA 6 is delayed to November). In the shorter term, the latest Elusive Target arriving in Hitman World of Assassination is rap star Eminem, who recruits Agent 47 to take down his dangerous alter ego Slim Shady. The mission is live now for free on all platforms.
Cyber Monday is your last chance to secure the best offers of the year before the holidays. If you’re on the hunt for some last minute deals, we’re actively rounding up the strongest Cyber Monday discounts, and you can all our top picks and price drops in IGN’s comprehensive Cyber Monday hub.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
But she’d still “love to play Bayonetta again”.
Jennifer Hale, one of the most iconic voice actors and best known for playing Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy and Naomi Hunter and Emma Emmerich in the Metal Gear Solid series, has spoken about her experience in playing Bayonetta in Bayonetta 3.
Hale, who took over the role from Hellena Taylor for the third entry in the series, told GAMINGbible (via IGN) that she “got thrown under the bus by that whole thing.”
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Searching for the perfect gaming gifts this holiday season? Our Designed for Xbox Holiday Gift Guide is packed with a variety of accessories to power up your play, whether you’re surprising a player in your life or upgrading your own setup.
Give the gift of storage with the 4TB storage expansion card from Seagate, explore new accessories for the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, check out a variety of controllers including the Backbone Pro – Xbox Edition, and pick up audio gear to suit every style and budget. Whatever your gaming goals, you’ll find plenty of choices to take your experience to the next level.
The whole Designed for Xbox team wishes you a holiday season filled with great games, new gear, and plenty of fun.
Take center stage and rock the spotlight with the CRKD x Gibson Blueberry Burst Pro Edition Les Paul Guitar Controller, officially licensed by Xbox. From the team that developed the iconic hardware for Guitar Hero and DJ Hero, this new controller continues the revival of rhythm gaming like never before, bringing the band back together for a whole new era!
The Gibson Les Paul Pro Edition for Xbox is available in both Blueberry Burst for $134.99 USD ERP and Black Tribal Encore for $124.99 USD ERP. Visit the Rhythm Gaming section at CRKD for more information.
The Backbone Pro – Xbox Edition mobile controller lets you instantly play your favorite games across phone, tablet, PC, laptop, smart TV, and more – no pairing menus, just tap and play, with easy access to your gaming library and cloud services through the Backbone app. Built for precision and comfort, it features full-size ALPS thumbsticks, Hall Effect triggers, laser-etched grips, rear buttons, and industry-leading ergonomics, plus wireless Bluetooth or USB-C connectivity for up to 40 hours of battery life.
Available now for $179.99 USD ERP. Visit Backbone.com for more information.
The T598X simracing wheel features Thrustmaster’s new Direct Axial Drive with Axial Flux motor and Harmony technology, delivering ultra-precise, high-fidelity Force Feedback and super-boosted sensations for demanding gamers. With a detachable wheel rim, mag-shift paddle shifters, the Raceline Pedals LTE set, and plug-and-play compatibility with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, it’s a high-performance package ready for any race.
Available now for $599.99 USD ERP. Visit Thrustmaster for more information.
The RS50 System includes the RS50 Base, RS Wheel Hub, and Round Wheel so you can hit the track quickly and easily. This gaming steering wheel system features Direct Drive with 8 Nm of torque, Trueforce support, integrated quick release, customization, and more to support an authentic racing experience on Xbox and PC.
Available now for $699.99 USD ERP. Visit Logitech for more information.
The Valor Pro Wireless controller features rear paddles for faster reactions and anti-drift TMR thumbsticks for durability and precision. Its low-latency wireless connection, including 1k Hz polling on PC, customizable settings via the Scuf app on Xbox & PC, and a built-in battery offering up to 17 hours of playtime make it a great choice for competitive wireless gaming.
Available now for $189.99 USD ERP. Visit Scuf for more information.
The Competitor is built for precision and reliability. Featuring drift-free Hall Effect sticks and triggers and programmable back buttons – thanks to anti-friction gates, metal glide rings, and some magic under the hood, players can enjoy some of the smoothest sticks available. With plug-and-play compatibility with Xbox and PC, a detachable USB-C cable, and an ergonomic grip, it’s ready for any gaming session.
Available in white and black this holiday season for $49.99 USD ERP. Visit the Hyperkin Store for more information.
The Revolution X Unlimited Anniversary Edition from Nacon features a design inspired by the Xbox 360 and is built for competitive play with drift-free Hall Effect joysticks, instant triggers, and a dedicated PC performance mode. With a command center screen for quick adjustments and multi-mode connectivity, this precision-engineered controller is made to outlast every opponent.
The Revolution X Unlimited Anniversary Edition is available for pre-order now for $199.99 USD ERP. Visit Nacon for more information.
Experience seamless gaming across all your favorite consoles with the Logitech G Astro A20 X headset – switch systems instantly and stay comfortable through every marathon session. With dazzling Lightsync RGB, immersive audio, and a 48kHz microphone, A20X lets you immerse yourself in your favorite games.
The Logitech G Astro A20 X Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Headset is available now for $179.99 USD ERP. Visit Logitech for more information.
Enjoy crystal-clear sound and ultra-low latency wireless gaming across multiple devices with SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, featuring 2.4GHz wireless for low latency audio, Bluetooth 5.3 for mobile, and Active Noise Cancellation to keep you focused on your game. With customizable audio presets, up to 10 hours of playtime (plus 30 hours of charge in the case), and a comfortable fit for long sessions, these GameBuds are built for gamers who want premium performance and convenience.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds for Xbox are available now for $199.99 USD ERP. Visit SteelSeries for more information.
Give your Xbox setup a competitive edge with the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro for Xbox headset – ultra-low latency wireless (as low as 10ms) makes hearing footsteps instant, the detachable fullband mic makes callouts crystal-clear, and hybrid Active Noise Cancellation blocks distractions so you can lock in. With plush swiveling earcups, hybrid memoryfoam cushions, and adjustable noise canceling levels in Razer Synapse or the Razer Audio app, it’s the clutch headset to gift (or grab for yourself) this holiday.
The Razer Blackshark V3 Pro for Xbox is available for $249.99 USD ERP. Visit Razer for more information.
Effortlessly expand your Xbox gaming library with the Seagate Storage Expansion Card, designed in partnership with Xbox for blazing fast, plug-and-play performance that matches your console’s internal SSD. With up to 4TB of sleek, dedicated storage, you can enjoy zero-lag gaming and keep all your favorite titles at your fingertips!
The Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S is available for $429.99. Visit Seagate for more information.
Discover a lineup of accessories for the new ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. Explore accessories that help protect your Xbox Ally devices, expand your storage options, and include two versatile docks for enhanced connectivity and convenience.
The ROG Xbox Ally (2-in-1) Premium Case is a hard-shell carrying case, featuring a water-repellent exterior, unique zipper design, and a soft fleece inner liner to keep your device safe from scratches and bumps. It also includes a detachable accessory pouch for the 65W charging adapter, so you can travel light or carry everything you need with confidence.
The ROG Xbox Ally (2-in-1) Premium Case is available for $69.99. Visit ASUS for more information.
Take your games anywhere with a high-performance microSD card engineered for Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, offering up to 2TB of storage for up to 50 games on the go. Built for speed and reliability, it delivers fast installs and quick load times, plus rugged protection and a lifetime limited warranty for peace of mind.
The Sandisk microSD cards are available starting at $69.99. Visit Sandisk for more information.
Designed for demanding gamers, creators, and professionals, the Seagate FireCuda 530R SSD leverages PCIe Gen4 NVMe technology to deliver blazing fast speeds up to 7,400MB/s for ultra-responsive performance across desktop PCs, laptops, workstations, and handheld gaming devices. Available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities, its rugged M.2 2280 form factor and full compatibility with the Designed for Xbox program ensures seamless, reliable gaming and content creation on every platform.
The Seagate FireCuda 530R SSDs are available starting at $109.99. Visit Seagate for more information.
Play your Xbox games anywhere with the officially licensed WD_Black SN7100X NVMe SSD for for ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X and PC, delivering blazing fast speeds up to 7,250MB/s read and 6,900MB/s write for ultra-responsive gaming. With capacities up to 4TB, improved power efficiency, and a one-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial included, you’ll be ready to conquer your biggest gaming sessions wherever you go.
The WD_Black SN7100X NVMe SSDs are available starting at $159.99. Visit Sandisk for more information.
Power up your device, transfer data, and enjoy display output – all from a single, travel-friendly accessory that keeps your setup flexible wherever you go. The ROG 100W Gaming Charger Dock brings ultra-fast charging and seamless connectivity to your gaming experience, so you can plug in, play, and stay ready for anything.
The ROG 100W Gaming Charger Dock is available for $99.99. Visit Asus for more information.
Upgrade your setup with a versatile 7-in-1 dock featuring HDMI 2.1, USB-C, three USB-A ports, Ethernet, and an audio jack – all supporting up to 4K at 144Hz or 8K at 30Hz. Enjoy 100W USB-C power delivery, ultra-fast data transfer, and Aura Sync RGB lighting for performance and style that keeps up with every player.
The ROG Bulwark Dock is available for $139.99. Visit Asus for more information.
Engineered to survive everything from drops to marathon gaming sessions, the Dbrand Killswitch is a Designed for Xbox-certified case, built for the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X. It combines impact-resistant thermoplastics, a slim 2.5mm profile, integrated kickstand, and crush-proof Travel Cover to create the holy grail of handheld gaming cases.
The Dbrand Killswitch case for Xbox Ally & Ally X is available to pre-order for $59.95 USD ERP. Visit Dbrand for more information
Exciting new hardware and accessories are available now to help take your gaming to the next level – stay tuned for even more great releases ahead! From all of us at Designed for Xbox, have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year.
The post Designed for Xbox: Your Gift Guide to Must-Have Xbox Accessories This Holiday appeared first on Xbox Wire.
It’s been a year of big new releases, long-awaited sequels, must play indies, and some surprises along the way. Today, we start the celebration of PlayStation gaming by asking you, the players, to cast your vote for your favorites of the year: the PS Blog Game of the Year Awards 2025 polls are now open!
We’re highlighting exemplary work from passionate studios worldwide across 19 categories. So help us celebrate the creatives whose hard work and exceptional craft have made this year’s gaming experiences memorable, with fantastic gameplay, great characters, outstanding art direction, unforgettable soundtracks, and much more.
The selections in each category are extensive, and you’ve further choice via the write-in option in each to add a title that, for you, best represents that category this year. As ever, the only votes counted in these awards are those cast by you, the players. Those games earning the majority of votes by the time polls close will be recognized with Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum PS Blog trophies when we reveal the results in a few weeks.
As ever, there are some guidelines regards the categories and their nominees:
So, cast your vote in the polls below to support your favorite games and developers. Don’t delay though: voting closes next Monday, December 8 at 23.59pm PT. So scroll below and get clicking.
Good luck to all the nominees!
Grand Theft Auto 6 work-in-progress development footage appeared online over the weekend before it was scrubbed from the internet. But while Rockstar’s hotly anticipated sequel has suffered substantial and damaging leaks in the past, this latest leak is anything but.
Eagle-eyed leak hunters uncovered an animation reel uploaded to Vimeo by a developer who has worked on a number of Rockstar games. In it were three snippets of development footage apparently showing GTA 6 (they were indeed labeled as such).
As you’d expect, the video was pulled from Vimeo, but the internet noticed and so the GTA 6 clips are doing the rounds. There are three separate clips, each brief and showing animations on what looks like a test map.
The first shows a male character removing and inserting a bike into a rental bicycle rack. We see the word ‘LomBike’ on the frame of the bike, which is probably a parody of real life LimeBike rental bicycles. No big surprise there for GTA 6! And we even saw this bike rental system in an official GTA 6 screenshot released by Rockstar earlier this year.
The other two, similarly brief clips, show a female character, presumably Lucia, getting out the back of a pickup truck in various stages. Again, nothing to write home about.
In truth, these very brief animation clips do hint at what we can expect from GTA 6 when it eventually comes out, but they tell us nothing we didn’t already know. Of course you’ll be able to rent bikes in GTA 6; it was right there in the screenshot, above. And of course you’ll be able to jump off a pick up truck. This is GTA 6 we’re talking about!
And let’s remember that when you’re actually playing GTA 6, you’ll see these animations in finished form — wonderfully detailed and high quality as you’d expect from Rockstar.
This real leak comes hot on the heels of a viral AI-generated GTA 6 gameplay leak whose creator claimed was all part of a social experiment. In lieu of Rockstar’s GTA 6 Trailer 3, fans are certainly on edge. We’ve got plenty more on GTA 6 in the meantime, including how the internet reacted to the GTA 6 delay, and why it’s no surprise it was delayed in the first place.
Cyber Monday is your last chance to secure the best offers of the year before the holidays. If you’re on the hunt for some last minute deals, we’re actively rounding up the strongest Cyber Monday discounts, and you can all our top picks and price drops in IGN’s comprehensive Cyber Monday hub.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Jennifer Hale has opened up on PlatinumGames’ controversial decision to hire her and replace original voice actor Hellena Taylor for Bayonetta 3, admitting, “I definitely got thrown under the bus by that whole thing.”
Just ahead of the third instalment of Hideki Kamiya’s stylish action game series, PlatinumGames revealed that Taylor — who voiced Bayonetta in the first two games — wouldn’t return, and would instead be portrayed by Hale.
“Various overlapping circumstances made it difficult for Hellena Taylor to reprise her role,” Platinum said at the time. “We held auditions to cast the new voice of Bayonetta and offered the role to Jennifer Hale, whom we felt was a good match for the character.”
In 2022, Taylor released a thread of videos on Twitter claiming she was offered only $4,000 in total to reprise the role for Bayonetta 3. In addition, Taylor asked fans to boycott the game and instead donate the money they would have spent on it to charity.
A subsequent report from Bloomberg (and later corroborated by VGC) revealed that Platinum allegedly attempted to hire Taylor for five four-hour sessions at a rate between $3,000 and $4,000 apiece. This would have put Taylor’s total compensation for Bayonetta 3 at $15,000, much higher than the amount she claimed she was offered. Taylor then released a new statement, saying she was in fact offered $15,000 for the role, but she denied aspects of the reports.
Hale also released a statement amid increased scrutiny and social media harassment over the situation, although it was vague due to non-disclosure limitations.
Now, considering whether or not she’d reprise her role as the titular witch, Hale was cautious but candid, admitting that while she’d “love to play Bayonetta again,” “it was not fun getting thrown under the bus like I had.”
“I definitely got thrown under the bus by that whole thing, and I was unable to speak on my own behalf because I was under not one but two NDAs. Eventually, I was allowed to make a statement, which I appreciated, and I was able to present the facts,” Hale told GAMINGbible.
“There were some things said [that were] presented as facts, but were false. I would have never taken a role otherwise. Before I accepted the audition, I checked everything thoroughly, and I trust the director. Thankfully, playing Bayonetta was so much fun, and the community was so welcoming to me, especially after the fiasco had passed and the facts came out. But it was not fun getting thrown under the bus like I had, but I was happy to come out on the other side.”
The iconic voice behind Commander Shepard would also love to return for Mass Effect 5, saying she “would be there before they finish the sentence” if asked. Hale, the actress who gave life to “FemShep” spoke to IGN recently and expressed her desire to return to perhaps her most beloved character.
It turns out she wouldn’t even need to reprise her role as Commander Shepard — just being able to step back into that world again in any form would make her happy.
Cyber Monday is your last chance to secure the best offers of the year before the holidays. If you’re on the hunt for some last minute deals, we’re actively rounding up the strongest Cyber Monday discounts, and you can all our top picks and price drops in IGN’s comprehensive Cyber Monday hub.
Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for ReedPop.
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.
I’m still a little burned-out on Carrollian adaptations after Nightingale, but I will not let that tarnish my enjoyment of Wonder of Blue, a fey 2D labyrinth roguelite based on fiction’s most famous Alice after Alice Bee (RPS in peace). It features a lovely selection of pixelart colour palettes, and some pleasingly tricksy enemies. You play Liddell – yes, I too had forgotten Alice’s second name isn’t “in Wonderland” – and you are trying to navigate a series of procedurally generated dungeons made up of single-screen rooms. At the end of the journey waits the Red Queen.
CD Projekt is sticking to its ambitious plan to release all three video games in the new Ciri-fronted The Witcher trilogy within a six-year period.
Speaking during a recent financial call, joint CEO Michał Nowakowski said that future The Witcher video games “should be delivered in a shorter period of time.” That’s because CD Projekt has switched to Unreal Engine 5 for the full production of not only The Witcher 4, but The Witcher 5 and 6.
Here’s Nowakowski’s quote in full:
“We’ve been using UE5 for The Witcher 4 for almost four years now, and we’re very happy with what we’ve achieved. I think you could have seen some of that with your own eyes with our tech demo reveal at Unreal Fest couple of months ago, and we’re very happy with the results of that as well – we’ve already said that, but I’m always happy to say it again – and we’re happy with how the engine is evolving through the Epic team’s efforts, and how we are learning how to make it work within a huge open-world game, as TW4 is meant to be.
“In a way, yes, I do believe that further games should be delivered in a shorter period of time — as we had stated before, our plan still is to launch the whole trilogy within a six-year period, so yes, that would mean we would plan to have a shorter development time between TW4 and TW5, between TW5 and TW6 and so on.”
That’s a hugely ambitious release plan that comes across as all the more surprising given The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was originally released on May 19, 2015 — four years after The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Based on Nowakowski’s comment, CD Projekt plans to release The Witcher 5 three years after The Witcher 4, then The Witcher 6 three years after that, assuming it wants to spread each release out equally.
As we’ve seen, AAA video game development can be a difficult endeavor that takes years to complete. Bethesda is still beavering away on The Elder Scrolls 6, which it announced in 2018. Microsoft’s new Fable game, due out in 2026, was announced in 2020, but development began before then. And there was a five-year gap between Sony’s release of Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei.
So, the idea that CD Projekt will release three new The Witcher games in six years is certainly ambitious, and it remains to be seen if this plan holds when all is said and done. But assuming it does, when can we expect the games to actually come out?
CD Projekt has indicated The Witcher 4 won’t be out in 2026, which means 2027 at the earliest. According to CD Projekt’s latest financial report, 447 people are currently working on The Witcher 4, up slightly from the number reported at the end of July. Clearly, it is CD Projekt’s focus right now, and production is in full swing. Let’s say The Witcher 4 comes out in November 2027. That would mean The Witcher 5 in 2030, and The Witcher 6 in 2033.
There are multiple spanners that may end up being thrown in the works. CD Projekt will no doubt have to manage a console transition, which may or may not occur before The Witcher 4 comes out. And who knows where the world, generally, will be in just a year’s time, let alone four or five? The video game industry, already struggling through perhaps the most transformative, disruptive time in its history, could be in a very different place in just a couple years. It’s just impossible to predict much of anything right now.
Meanwhile, CD Projekt has Cyberpunk 2 in the works, although that’s further behind The Witcher 4. Will Cyberpunk 2 come out in between one of these new The Witcher games, or will CD Projekt wait until the new trilogy is out before pulling the trigger? And let’s not forget The Witcher 1 remake CD Projekt is working on in some fashion. Will that launch amid the new trilogy? There are other projects too at various stages of development at the Polish company, as well as non-video game projects involving its IP. In short, CD Projekt has a lot going on. A hell of a lot.
CD Projekt recently ruled out The Witcher 4 from this month’s The Game Awards, so don’t expect any new trailer there. Our last look at the game came via the hugely impressive Unreal Engine 5 tech demo in June, which Nowakowski mentioned in his comment. So, don’t hold your breath for The Witcher 4, but when it finally comes out — assuming everything goes according to CD Projekt’s plan — fans are potentially in for an incredible six years.
Cyber Monday is your last chance to secure the best offers of the year before the holidays. If you’re on the hunt for some last minute deals, we’re actively rounding up the strongest Cyber Monday discounts, and you can all our top picks and price drops in IGN’s comprehensive Cyber Monday hub.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Over the weekend, Grand Theft Auto 6’s legions of fan weather-watchers spotted an animation portfolio reel that includes what appears to be some WIP stuff from GTA 6. Assuming the leak is legitimate, this isn’t nearly an eruption on the scale of the 2022 GTA 6 leaks: it contains a couple of extremely non-final animations from Rockstar’s forthcoming open world game.
One is of deuteragonist Lucia Caminos jumping out of a pick-up truck, which seems like a thing she’d do, though official GTA 6 trailers suggest she’d do it with a lot more bum jiggle than this. Another is of a placeholder baldy man – let’s christen him as something appropriately generic, like Jean-Luc Picard – undocking a bike from a public bicycle hire station. Yes, GTA 6 has Boris Bikes.
