Sucker Punch co-founder Brian Fleming is stepping down n the new year after three decades at the studio behind Ghost of Tsushima, Sly Cooper, and Infamous.

According to a post from Sony, on January 1, Jason Connell and Adrian Bentley will step into Fleming’s former role as co-studio heads, with Nate Fox continuing his role as co-creative director alongside Connell and Adrian also serving as technical director.

Our deepest thanks and gratitude to Sucker Punch Productions Co-Founder Brian Fleming, who is handing over the leadership reins as the studio begins a new chapter. Starting Jan 1, longtime creative and technical leaders Jason Connell and Adrian Bentley will step into new roles… pic.twitter.com/RvPzJfWHGl

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) December 16, 2025

Fleming first founded the studio in 1997 alongside Bruce Oberg, Darrell Plank, Tom and Cathy Saxton, and Chris Zimmerman following a stint at Microsoft. The group went on to start the Sly Cooper franchise, which Sony published. The two companies continued their publishing relationship into the Infamous series in 2009, and after the sequel Infamous 2 in 2011, Sony acquired Sucker Punch. Under Sony, the studio created Ghost of Tsushima in 2020, and most recently followed up with a sequel, Ghost of Yōtei, this past October. With Fleming’s departure, only Oberg and Zimmerman of the co-founders remain with the studio.

Connell and Bentley are long-time Sucker Punch veterans. Connell joined the studio in 2010 as a lighting artist and worked his way up to lighting director and eventually creative and art director, and recently co-creative director on the Ghost franchise. Bentley came to Sucker Punch as a programmer in 2004 fresh out of DigiPen Institute of Technology, and has worked there his entire career, moving up to become an engine programmer and later technical director.

Fleming hands off Sucker Punch in what seems from the outside to be a pretty positive state. The studio’s had multiple successful games both critically and commercially, with Ghost of Yōtei recently reviewing well (including our own 8/10 score) and selling 3.3 million copies as of November 2. An added New Game Plus mode just released a few weeks ago. It’s unclear what Sucker Punch will work on next under Connell and Bentley, or if the Ghost franchise will continue or something new is on the horizon for the studio.

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

This morning, the news broke that Larian Studios, developer of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the upcoming, just-announced Divinity, is apparently using generative AI behind the scenes for things like concept art and placeholder text. The backlash has been swift and loud from the gaming community, and now Larian founder and game director Swen Vincke is responding to clarify his remarks, affirming that Larian is “neither releasing a game with any AI components, nor are we looking at trimming down teams to replace them with AI,” and that AI is “something we are constantly discussing internally through the lens of making everyone’s working day better, not worse.”

The original news comes from a Bloomberg interview with Vincke. In it, Vincke admits that Larian is “pushing hard” [Bloomberg’s phrasing] on generative AI, even though it hasn’t led to big gains in efficiency. Specifically, the studio is using the technology to “explore ideas, flesh out PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art and write placeholder text.” [Bloomberg’s phrasing].

Vincke reassures that there won’t be any AI-generated content in the final version of Divinity. “Everything is human actors; we’re writing everything ourselves.” But it sounds like this approach isn’t going over smoothly with everyone. Bloomberg’s piece acknowledges that some internally at Larian have pushed back, though Vincke says, “I think at this point everyone at the company is more or less OK with the way we’re using it.”

This news hasn’t gone over super well with the community, though. On Bluesky, Larian is being lambasted by a number of individuals across the game development community, including some former Larian employees. “consider my feedback: i loved working at @larianstudios.com until AI,” writes Selena Tobin, an environment artist and former Larian employees. “reconsider and change your direction, like, yesterday. show your employees some respect. they are world-class & do not need AI assistance to come up with amazing ideas.”

The Divinity and Baldur’s Gate 3 communities have a somewhat more divided reaction, with some defending its use for concepting, though there’s still a significant amount of backlash. A few commenters have pointed out that games such as The Alters suffered from significant fan anger over discovered generative AI use, but are willing to forgive Larian for the same offense.

In response to this backlash, Vincke has issued IGN a lengthy follow-up response, which we’ve published here in full:

We’ve been continuously increasing our pool of concept artists , writers and story-tellers, are actively putting together writer rooms, casting and recording performances from actors and hiring translators.

Since concept art is being called out explicitly – we have 23 concept artists and have job openings for more. These artists are creating concept art day in day out for ideation and production use.

Everything we do is incremental and aimed at having people spend more time creating.

Any ML tool used well is additive to a creative team or individual’s workflow, not a replacement for their skill or craft.

We are researching and understanding the cutting edge of ML as a toolset for creatives to use and see how it can make their day-to-day lives easier, which will let us make better games.

We are neither releasing a game with any AI components, nor are we looking at trimming down teams to replace them with AI.

While I understand it’s a subject that invokes a lot of emotion, it’s something we are constantly discussing internally through the lens of making everyone’s working day better, not worse.

This discussion comes amid a slate of interviews with Vincke following the announcement of Larian’s next game, Divinity, at The Game Awards last week. We had our own interview with Vincke, which you can read in full here, and elsewhere Vincke has confirmed Divinity will in fact be a turn-based RPG. We’ve been slowly compiling everything we know about Divinity so far right here.

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

The past few years have felt like an embarrassment of riches when it comes to RPGs, and so expectations were high going into 2025. Thankfully, the last 12 months certainly lived up to such a bar. While that’s good for gamers, it made things more than a little tough when whittling down our list of the best role-playing games of the year, especially because we had a wide variety of RPG styles that satisfied different tastes.

Avowed gave us some of that Obsidian magic in a fantasy world that was tighter and more focused than many of its contemporaries, resulting in a game that didn’t feel as overwhelming as typical open-world RPGs. Deltarune’s new chapters elevated the ongoing Undertale-adjacent saga to new heights with increasingly clever gameplay twists and sharper narrative chops. And if you had 100-plus hours to spare, Octopath Traveler 0 offered a stunning conclusion for an unforgettable journey to cap off the year.

The definition of RPG is fairly free-flowing these days, so you’ll see games with elements of the genre in our other award categories. But we made careful considerations for games with RPG mechanics at the forefront of their gameplay, along with deep stories, for this particular list. However, there can only be five games and one winner, so the IGN team voted and deliberated on which games would make up this year’s list. We believe the genre is in good hands with the games we picked, and the game we’ve chosen as the Best RPGs of 2025 is something very special.

Runner-Up – Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter

The Trails series, part of the larger Legend of Heroes franchise, has been gaining more and more traction over recent years. But it’s tricky to recommend as it now numbers 13 entries, all of which are part of a continuous timeline. Remake Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter helps rememdy that problem, as it went right back to the beginning to create one of strongest and sharpest games in the series – and now, it’s the easiest one to recommend.

Trails revolves around a deeply developed world with captivating geopolitical drama at its heart. 1st Chapter does such a good job of painting that broad picture, which is seen in detail through the eyes of its two leads, Estelle and Joshua. As budding Bracers (a peacekeeping guild) whose father is a legend in the guild, they’re perfect conduits to provide a pretty intimate understanding of the world’s various regions and how they feed into the larger story. The turn-based battles feature a fantastic blend of action combat and the series’ unique positioning system, which creates a gameplay flow that ushers you through this expanded version of this classic RPG. The true magic of Trails lies in the multifaceted stories from multiple perspectives, but it all starts here in Trails in the Sky, and this remake is a terrific representation of that.

Runner-Up – Dragon Quest 1&2 HD-2D Remake

Square Enix has done excellent work in revitalizing the Dragon Quest games of yore, and Dragon Quest 1&2 HD-2D Remake is the best example yet. The high-definition pixel art makeover is more than just a sensible way to pretty-up these classics, it also lets them stay true to the spirit of their original look without the weird pixel smoothing effect of past remasters. These Remakes also retain the turn-based combat system and characters without sacrificing the distinct spirit of the original games from all those years ago (frustrating difficulty spikes and all), but even then, quality of life improvements make sure they’re still enjoyable in a modern sense. Combined with the DQ3 HD-2D remake, these games complete the “Erdrick trilogy” of Dragon Quest games, and you can see how the series pioneered the genre, especially with the second entry’s emphasis on characters and storytelling. This package is one of the best examples of modernized nostalgia – faithful to the originals and approachable in today’s gaming landscape. And it’s some of the best role-playing we experienced this year.

Runner-Up – The Outer Worlds 2

When it comes to RPGs and letting players dictate how they interact with the world, Obsidian is one of the best studios to do it. The Outer Worlds 2 improves on the first game in almost every way, from punchier gunplay to much deeper role-playing systems. The options you have to build your character and make pivotal choices have a larger impact on what you can do in combat, but also create specific avenues for how quests play out. We keep pointing to the Flaws system, which was present in the original, but has been expanded in unpredictable, creative ways by giving you some serious pros/cons to consider based on your playing habits. However, the much more expansive areas, smarter level design, and dynamic combat encounters make sure the actual gameplay experience is a significant leap over the first game. And you can’t have an RPG of this style without choice and consequence at the heart of the story, and Obsidian reminds us with The Outer Worlds 2 that it still has the chops, even in a post-Fallout: New Vegas era.

Runner-Up – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an investment that pays back multiple times over in its 120-hour runtime. It’s a commitment – a slow-burn game you have to want to live in. But it’s also an action-packed cinematic adventure that proves to have an emotional range that the original didn’t. You might be just “some guy” as Henry, yet that role often lets you see the world for what it is, whether you’re doing seemingly mundane activities or the pivotal story quests where your choices matter. What this game does better than most, though, is first-person melee combat, a tough thing that even the mighty Elder Scrolls franchise has struggled with for so long. It is intricate, skill-based, and stays engaging even as you get deeper into the furthest corners the campaign. Although developer Warhorse Studios arguably tries to bite off more than it can chew at times, you’ll find the quality writing and great combat leads you to a satisfying conclusion. This sequel might pick off where the first ended, but jumping into Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 regardless of your experience will open you up to a rare RPG that deserves its flowers, 2025 or otherwise.

Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Suprise, surprise – the Best RPG of 2025 is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and for good reason. The folks at development team Sandfall Interactive drew direct inspiration from Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy 10 and Persona 5 (their words, not ours), and made the kind of game they wanted to play. We know there’s still a huge appetite for good turn-based RPGs, and Clair Obscur is further proof of that, but it’s the mechanics built into the combat system that makes it stand out. The active timing inputs keep you engaged in each fight, and recognizing attack patterns so that you may parry and inflict damage on an enemy turn is some of the most satisfying stuff we’ve experienced in a turn-based system. Each party member plays uniquely and has their own unique gameplay gimmick, as to represent a Job or Class, but there’s then the Picto/Lumina system that lets you stack on perks and wild buffs – at some point it feels like you’re breaking the game. However, the toughest challenges ensure the game pushes back on you to really test your mastery and understanding of its more intricate mechanics. It’s one of the best combat systems we’ve seen in a good long while, and it keeps that momentum throughout its story and optional content.

But Expedition 33 wouldn’t be a true homage to JRPGs without a melodramatic and heartwrenching story. While it immediately hits you with the theme of time wiping away swathes of people – friends and loved ones disintegrating before your eyes – it grows into a meditation on grief and how it changes people, seen through the eyes of fully formed characters who change alongside each other. Whether or not you want intricate systems, fun combat, or deep stories from your RPGs, Clair Obscur delivered all of that in a way that won the hearts of us here at IGN.

For more of our end-of-the-year celebrations, be sure to check out our list of awards and nominees, which is being updated daily in the lead-up to our official Best Game of 2025 announcement.

Michael is the tech reviews editor at IGN, but regularly contributes to games coverage with reviews, features, and news.

Nintendo recorded more than 30 minutes of extra conversations featuring Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s chatty companion characters that don’t currently appear in the game.

The voice lines have now been datamined and uploaded to YouTube (thanks, VGC) where fans can listen in to long stretches of cut Metroid Prime 4 banter, recorded for the Galactic Federation troops Samus encounters.

Specifically, these conversations would have played out at Base Camp, between much-maligned mechanic Miles MacKenzie, and later NPCs such as the robot VUE-995, Private Armstrong, Sergeant Duke and Corporal Tokabi.

Listening in to the conversations, these are all non-essential chats that add to each character’s backstory and personality. Most are designed to be humorous, such as the chats between hulking mech VUE-995 and Private Armstrong talking about working out, getting a tattoo-like custom paint scheme, and Armstrong’s love of dogs. Armstrong even discusses her pet pooch back home, named Bowser.

Speaking with Sergeant Duke, VUE-995 is told he needs greasing up, as the other troops are complaining that he’s squeaking. As a group, the team also discusses eating jerky. (There are no voice lines featuring Samus, for obvious reasons.)

It remains to be seen whether this dialogue is ever used for anything, or made available in-game via a future update. (Perhaps it’s being saved for the launch of a New Game Plus mode?) Alternatively, the fact the dialogue has been cut could be a sign that Nintendo knew its cheery marines might come across as an odd fit in Metroid Prime — a series known for its themes of isolation, with a famously silent protagonist and little to no other dialogue.

Notably, Nintendo held back all mention of these characters’ presence until a pre-release preview just a month from the game’s launch date. Their inclusion then became a focal point of discussion among fans, and part of the game’s critical consensus upon release.

“It doesn’t take psychic powers to see the ideal vision Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was aiming for,” IGN wrote in our Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review. “It tries to mix the excellent Prime formula with a character-focused story and a large hub world to explore. It doesn’t quite reach that ambitious goal, with an outdated open desert area that mostly feels like padding and a cast of characters that provide both a handful of memorable moments and too much chatter at times.”

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