Sony’s next State of Play is happening later today, September 24, and it promises more than 35 minutes of reveals and news from developers around the world, including an extended look at Housemarque’s Saros.
While we don’t know what other surprises this State of Play has in store for us, we will be here covering all the biggest announcements right here, live as they happen. So, be sure to keep checking back to ensure you don’t miss a thing!
The State of Play kicks off at 2pm PT/5pm ET/11pm CEST, and Sony did note we will also be getting a look at third-party and indie titles, as well as updates from “some of our teams at PlayStation Studios,” meaning there may be more than just Saros to look forward to.
This particular show takes place during the week of Tokyo Game Show, and it’s also just a few days before the much-anticipated launch of Ghost of Yotei on October 2, so the Ghost of Tsushima sequel will most likely show up. Could we also get a glimpse of Marvel’s Wolverine from Insomniac? Or perhaps Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet?
Either way, we don’t have much longer to wait to find out!
How to Watch Today’s PlayStation State of Play
If you want to watch today’s PlayStation State of Play with us, you can watch with us at any of the links below or atop the page right here! We will also have a Podcast Beyond post-show following the State of Play, where our PlayStation experts will break down all the greatest and not-so-great moments from the show!
Anyone fancy taking a journey across space? Last month, Daedalic Entertainment announced it is publishing Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown, a “story-based survival strategy game” from developer gameXcite. It was only a quick reveal though, so I’m sure they were quite Xcited to reveal a first look at gameplay in a trailer earlier today.
If you have been meaning to check out Star Wars: Hunters for the last 16 months but never found the opportunity to do so, you’re time’s almost up. This is your friendly reminder that the servers will be closing one week today on 1st October.
Zynga announced the game’s closure back in March of this year, telling fans in a blog post, “We understand this news may be disappointing and want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly”.
Xbox Insiders – We’re Looking for Users Interested in New User Research Opportunities
Jon, Xbox Program Manager
As we continue to look for new ways for Xbox Insiders to provide feedback to Team Xbox, we’re looking for users interested in future user research opportunities in addition to what’s currently available in the Xbox Insider Program.
Please take a few minutes now to take the Microsoft Games User Research Survey and let us know if you’re interested in these upcoming user research opportunities. Please note that by taking this survey, you will be joining a panel of users that are interested in games user research with Microsoft. This could mean receiving invitations and incentives (when applicable) to take part in onsite or remote research studies.
How to Get Xbox Insider Support and Share Your Feedback
We want to thank all the Xbox Insiders for the feedback you share with us. Your feedback is a key part of our process. If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please join our community on the Xbox Insider subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help. We recommend adding to threads with the same topic before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can!
If you aren’t part of the Xbox Insider Program yet and want to help create the future of Xbox and get early access to new features, join the Program today by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One or Windows PC. For more information on the Xbox Insider Program, follow us on Twitter at @XboxInsider and keep an eye on this blog for all the latest news.
For more information: follow us on X/Twitter at @XboxInsider and this blog for announcements and more. And feel free to interact with the community on the Xbox Insider SubReddit.
If you picked up the non-bundle edition of the Nintendo Switch 2 console but you changed your mind and now want Mario Kart World Tour, there’s a way you can get it for close to the bundled price. The eBay seller “Pezz’s INC” has listed a “like new” (new but opened) copy of Mario Kart World for just $54.25 with free shipping. This game normally costs $79 new. This is the best price I’ve seen for a domestic (non-imported) version of the game. The seller seems to be legitimate with 300,000 feedback and a 99.9% rating. There are also positive reviews from people who bought the game from this listing.
Mario Kart World for $54.25
Currently there are only two original first party games released for the Switch 2 console: Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. Mario Kart World is a completely new addition to the MK series, with the last new entry being Mario Kart 8 way back in 2014. Mario Kart Word’s biggest updates include a completely open world design with interconnected tracks, a big and boisterous “Knockout Tour” multiplayer mode, and a massive visual overhaul that looks great on a 4K TV. Logan Plant reviewed Mario Kart World and wrote that “Mario Kart World may not make the most convincing case that going open-world was the boost the series needed, but excellent multiplayer racing, incredible polish, and the thrilling new Knockout Tour mode still more than live up to its legacy.”
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Mega Evolution is making a major comeback in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and as IGN learned in a recent hands-on with the new action-forward title, there’s more than one new spin on the years-old mechanic: you can trigger Mega Evolution multiple times in a single battle.
In the core Pokémon games, like in X and Y where Mega Evolution was introduced, you can only Mega Evolve one Pokémon per battle, even if your first Mega Evolution Pokémon faints.
Unexpectedly, that wasn’t the case during IGN’s battle against a Rouge Mega-Evolved Victreebell in Legends: Z-A–they were able to Mega Evolve all three Pokémon on their team capable of Mega Evolution, as long as they gathered the required Mega Power.
In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the Mega Ring icon in the bottom right of the screen displays how much Mega Power you currently have. Each attack builds up Mega Power, but you can also charge it up by collecting Mega Power orbs in Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon battles, and by breaking certain crystals in the city.
We didn’t get to test if you can Mega Evolve multiple times in trainer battles, but were told by a public relations representative that you’re not limited to a single Mega Evolution per battle–as long as you have the Mega Stone and Mega Power to support it. It’s also been confirmed you can Mega Evolve the same Pokemon multiple times, as the Mega Evolution is retained only as long as you have the Mega Power to sustain it.
Casey DeFreitas is a deputy editor on the guides team at IGN and has been catching Pokemon since the very beginning. Catch her on socials @ShinyCaseyD.
That’s because, aside from the Infinity Stone debut for the new set, one card is already up for a market price of $1,250 on TCGPlayer. Here’s what you should be looking out for.
For this new set, Wizards of the Coast has released a series of Spectacular Spider-Man cards with a textured foil finish. There are five different versions going for a lot of money right now, and while it’ll be tough to find them unless you’re looking in the horrendously overpriced Collector Boosters, one is reaching new heights of market value.
The Bombastic Bag-Man Suit, pictured above, is up for $1,250 on TCGPlayer, meaning its market value is actually higher than The Soul Stone right now. The thrown-together suit, which includes a Fantastic Four hand-me-down and a literal paper bag, is clearly well worth it for collectors.
Curious about its comic book origins? It stems from Reed Richards removing the symbiote from Peter Parker, leaving our hero without any clothing. Johnny Storm ‘helpfully’ loaned the wall-crawler the costume we see here, but we can’t quite tell if the “Kick Me” sign is on Peter’s back.
The fun suit isn’t alone, either. The Six-Armed Spider-Man suit is up for $1037 right now, and while all of these prices could change in the next few days, you’ll undoubtedly be over the moon if you find one.if you find one. Next up, a personal favorite of mine, The Black Suit, is up for $949, while the Spider Armor MK 1 Suit is $850. Rounding things out, the awesome Future Foundation Suit has a market value of around $850, too.
If you’re looking to go chase these rare cards without wanting to pay the big bucks, then unfortunately, you might just be out of luck. Collector’s boosters are the best chance at scoring these rare finds, and they’re sold out completely except for resellers (who are charging upwards of $1000 for just 12 Packs).
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.
Capcom and Square Enix announced earlier this year that Monster Hunter Wilds and Final Fantasy 14 would be collaborating with one another, and the first trailer for the former’s collab received a proper look in today. It’s coming as part of the action game’s third title update, so there’s more included than just Final Fantasy bits, but that does seem to be the main thing here. So what’s included?
Rejoice, Gods and Goddesses! Hades II launches on Switch and Switch 2 tomorrow, 25th September 2025. Gosh, can time slow down a little bit? There are so many games coming out at the moment.
You’ll see reviews have gone live at a number of sites today and might be thinking “wait, where are NL’s impressions?” Well, they’re coming very soon! So keep an eye out in the coming days.
How Version 2.0 Brings Ara: History Untold into a New Age of Strategy Gaming
Brad Wardell, Creative Director, Ara: History Untold
Summary
The Revolutions v2.0 Update for Ara: History Untold is available starting today.
It features a wealth of new features and updates, including a new culture and influence system, Adaptive AI, unique leader and nation traits, a new map generator, and more.
Ara: History Untold is available for Xbox on PC, Steam, and with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
The launch ofAra: History Untoldwas only the beginning. From day one, we envisioned a deeper, more expansive experience for our historical, turn-based strategy game — developed by Oxide Games in partnership with Xbox Game Studios and Stardock Entertainment. Over the past year we’ve listened closely to you, our players, and transformed some of these bold ideas into reality. Today, we’re excited to announce the release of a massive update for Ara: History Untold: the Revolutions v2.0 Update.
We’re also celebrating the one-year anniversary of the game’s 2024 release by announcing a lower price for the base game and the availability of two DLCs, the Deluxe Leader Pack and the Official Game Soundtrack, that includes the digital art book.
Our goal with Version 2.0 is to bring you a strategy game that is both fun to play and unique to the genre. The team has been hard at work taking your feedback and molding them with our own innovations to keep Ara’s strengths, while improving nearly every area of the game. In many ways, it feels like a whole new experience.
Culture & Influence
Art, music, language, and traditions feed the game’s Quality of Life system with a new Culture stat that generates Influence. You can spend Influence in the all-new Culture shop to buy Claims for your Cities and new Cultural Traits for your nation.
Unique Units Per Nation
Each nation now has its own unique unit. For example, the Mongols gain Mangudai (elite horse archers), while the Aztecs gain Jaguar Warriors. Leader abilities reward specific playstyles. Genghis Khan has a leader feature that rewards having units in combat and for taking cities. Harun al-Rashid uses his leader traits to gain an advantage by building relationships and gaining an advantage through research and paragons. Benito Juarez can steal the game through taking care of his cities and accentuating strong buffs with golden ages.
Quotas & Priorities
Based on player feedback, we have streamlined crafting and greatly reduced micromanagement from crafting queues. In Version 2.0, you can simply set quotas and priorities. The player maintains total control without having to micromanage their economy. Players can ensure their production pipelines are created and distributed in an efficient way without having to micromanage each building or crafting queue.
Cultural Conquest
With the new Revolutions tech, you can unlock the Agitator who can incite rebellions in foreign regions. Imagine a city that has strategic improvements and key strategic resources. Send the Agitator to incite rebellion and claim their resources as your own.
This region prevents the nation from being contiguous. Capturing it creates a land connection.
Unique Leader and Nation Traits
Each leader and nation gets unique traits that change how that nation plays. A host of new leader traits have been added or adjusted to make each one feel and play more distinctive. The units give nations a truly distinct feel and character and provide access to tactics and strengths other nations won’t have.
Adaptive AI
We revamped the entire AI system to be smarter and added a game option called Adaptive AI so it can stay competitive. When Adaptive AI is on, the AI checks multiple game stats and adjusts its difficulty level in each specific area, making the game better adapt to your skill.
AI Shop Owners
In Version 2.0, you can let the AI Shop Owner – workshop, factory, or weaver for example – run the shop for you, including setting up priorities and quotas. This is handy when you conquer a massive city that has a dozen city improvements. Rather than managing multiple shops, you simply press a button and let the AI handle it.
New Map Generator
We changed the way resources are distributed to reflect more natural geography. Horses and zebras won’t exist in the same ecosystem, for example. Other resources, like coffee, are only found in clusters.
We also made extensive changes to the map system, introducing new map styles that allow you to create random maps with unique shapes, varied ecosystems, and multiple style options to choose from.
Build a nation and lead your people throughout history to the pinnacles of human achievement as you explore new lands, develop arts and culture, conduct diplomacy, and go head-to-head with your rivals to prove you are the greatest ruler ever known. It’s Your World Now.
Ara: History Untold is an evolution in historical grand strategy, featuring beloved classic PC strategy mechanics alongside innovative gameplay like a national crafting economy, true simultaneous turn resolution, a non-linear technology tree, and cloud-backed synchronous/asynchronous multiplayer – all with an expansive and vibrant presentation where you can zoom out from surveying the very edges of your empire all the way down to your citizens living their daily lives. In Ara, there are no pre-set paths to victory, leading to endless possibilities. Your choices will define the world you create, your experience, and your legacy.
Explore an Immersive Living World
Explore a dynamic living world filled with life and charm across sweeping landscapes ranging from tropical jungles to sand-swept deserts as you discover the resources you need to develop your nation. Witness the world come to life in vivid, realistic detail as citizens move throughout the world and react dynamically to times of health and sickness, war and peace, wealth and despair with unique biomes, cultures, and eras representing the diversity of human experience.
Build Your Nation
Serve your people and grow your prestige with numerous Improvements, from forges to libraries, citadels to cathedrals, public parks to industrial factories – as well as a global variety of the greatest architectural Triumphs ever conceived and built by human hands.
Guide your people through the eras of human discovery
Nurture your people’s brilliance and invention as you progress your Nation through twelve unique Technology Eras, making the hard choices about where to focus your Nation’s greatest minds. As you near the end of each Era, you’ll have to decide how fast to push your scientists along the path to the future – at the risk of the present.
Oversee a rich and detailed national economy
Harvest the bounty of the natural world and deploy the labor of your people with a depth-filled National Crafting system. Will you manufacture Amenities – like lavish feasts – to provide your cities and citizens with powerful benefits, or invest in the creation of Equipment – the weapons of war – to prepare your Armies to defend your nation or conquer your rivals? Whatever paths you choose you’ll need to carefully optimize your resources and production to achieve the most efficient systems if you want to outpace your rivals to fortune and lasting glory.
Rule Your Way
Choose from dozens of history’s most influential figures to embody as you reshape the world through your choices. The unique and varied global Leaders and Nations in Ara emphasize a wide variety of different playstyles. Experiment with gameplay-impacting Traits and powerful Leader Abilities drawn from the effect they had on world history. Whether friend or foe, each Leader has a distinct personality based on their historical background that informs their AI behaviors.
Experience True Simultaneous Turns
Every turn each nation’s actions and choices resolve simultaneously, leading to suspense, anticipation, unique outcomes, and surprising twists on the classic turn-based formula. The fate of your people will be determined by your decisions and your ability to predict your opponent’s next move, putting your skill as a leader to the ultimate test.
Defend your people by land, sea, and air
Warfare in Ara is presented in the Living World, as thousands of years of military conflict reflect the progress and martial prowess of your people. Develop technologies to advance your weaponry against your rivals, hone your wartime economy and industry to gain the edge, and outthink your opponent’s strategies as maneuvers resolve authentically at once thanks to the power of True Simultaneous Turns.
Prove Your Worth in Online Multiplayer
Combining the speed and surprise of True Simultaneous Turns with the power of the cloud – multiplayer in Ara is fast, seamless, and able to be enjoyed asynchronously with a wide range of options to tailor you and your friend’s experience to the way you want to play together.
