Get your first look at developer Chronospace’s revamped War Mechanic, a single-player alternate-history “what if the Manhattan Project had been sabotaged?” action-adventure game where you must survive, pilot your combat car, deal with NPCs that have their own agendas, and build up your base.
The reworked War Mechanic brings in Narrative Designers Jacek Komuda and Maciej Jurewicz (The Witcher 1 and 2) as players take on the role of Jack Wallace, a mechanic stranded on the war-torn Nordook Island. “Bringing in veteran storytellers let a young team grow up fast,” said Co-Producer Rafał Lewkowicz. “The vision is the same—now it’s precise, readable, and worth fighting for.” On the island, you’ll rebuild your base, modify your guns and equipment, salvage parts and materials with your multi-torch, set up automated defense systems.
“The re-reveal isn’t a reset; it’s a refocus,” said Co-Producer Rafał Pelc. “We aligned everything to narrative—richer lore, character-driven quests, and exploration that actually matters.” Visually, Chronospace says, “War Mechanic now boasts a visual overhaul with photorealistic assets, haunting environments, and creatively designed robots and bosses that feel as alive as the world they inhabit. Combined with a redesigned UI and immersive systems-driven gameplay loop, War Mechanic balances player agency with a gripping narrative.”
Wishlist War Mechanic on Steam if you’re interested.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
Details surrounding Cyberpunk 2 are scarce, but fans of Cyberpunk 2077 can rest assured that the game’s biggest star is down to return if given the opportunity.
Speaking with IGN while promoting his upcoming movie Good Fortune, Keanu Reeves said that he wants to be part of the sequel to CD Projekt’s 2020 game.
“Absolutely. I’d love to play Johnny Silverhand again,” Reeves said when asked if he’d be interested in revisiting his legendary rockstar terrorist character in Cyberpunk 2.
Reeves’s love-affair with the Cyberpunk community began with his viral “you’re breathtaking” moment at E3 2019. Reeves, on-stage to announce the release date of Cyberpunk 2077, was interrupted by a fan who shouted out “you’re breathtaking!” Reeves’ response was to double-down with his own “you’re breathtaking… you’re all breathtaking!” Cue wholesome memes across the internet forever more. You can see the iconic gamer moment in the video below.
The question is, could Reeves actually play Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2 even if he wanted to? In other words, could Johnny Silverhand return in the sequel, given the events of Cyberpunk 2077?
Warning! Spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077 follow:
While many players believe Cyberpunk 2077 provided a suitable ending for Johnny and V’s story, depending on which ending of the game CD Projekt makes canon for Cyberpunk 2, the door may be left open for Reeves’ return. Could Johnny return in cameo form perhaps, having downloaded himself into someone or something else? Canon ending dependent, could V end up becoming Johnny Silverhand in mind and body for Cyberpunk 2? Or perhaps it would be better to let Johnny and V rest and go for a fresh start with the sequel.
There are many unanswered questions when it comes to Cyberpunk 2, but in May Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith teased some previously unknown details. Pondsmith, who worked closely with CD Projekt on the 30 million-selling Cyberpunk 2077 and was involved in promoting the game ahead of its 2020 launch, was asked about the scope of his involvement with Orion at the Digital Dragons 2025 conference.
Responding, Pondsmith admitted he wasn’t as involved this time around, but said he does review scripts and had been to CD Projekt to check out the ongoing work.
“Last week I was wandering around talking to different departments, and seeing what they had, ‘Oh look, this is the new cyberware, what do you think?’ ‘Oh yeah, that’s pretty good, that works here.’”
And then, the morsel on the sequel: that it features a brand new city in addition to the Night City we know from Cyberpunk 2077. Pondsmith described this new city as “like Chicago gone wrong.”
“I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys, and he was explaining how the new place in Orion, because there’s another city we visit — I’m not telling you any more than that but there’s another city we visit. And Night City is still there. But I remember looking at it and going, yeah I understand the feel you’re going for this, and this really does work. And it doesn’t feel like Blade Runner, it feels more like Chicago gone wrong. I said, ‘Yeah, I can see this working.’”
It’s worth pointing out that Pondsmith’s comments do not necessarily suggest the Cyberpunk sequel will feature a future Chicago, rather a city that has the feel of a dystopian version of the city. It may well be a take on future Chicago, but that isn’t confirmed based on these comments. There is also some debate about whether Cyberpunk 2 will expand upon the Night City that’s in Cyberpunk 2077 or feature a new version, and the extent to which it is playable.
Also back in May, CD Projekt revealed that a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 is officially in pre-production and will be called Cyberpunk 2. The studio also said that nearly 100 developers were already working on the game, which was previously referred to by the codename “Project Orion.” That number had grown to 116 by the end of July.
CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski also seemed to confirm rumors that the sequel won’t be out until at least 2030 by stating that the studio’s “journey from pre-production to final release takes four to five years on average.”
Image credit Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment at IGN, leading entertainment content and coverage of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He’s spent 20 years working in the games and entertainment industry, and his adventures have taken him everywhere from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him on Bluesky @MichaelPeyton
Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford has said the inbound Borderlands 4 Day 1 patch “does a lot,” amid concern about the performance of the looter shooter.
Pitchford responded to concern about Borderlands 4’s pre-release performance on PC from some users on X / Twitter, confirming not only that there’s a Day 1 patch on the way, but that it sounds pretty much essential to play the game.
Borderlands 4 has an official release date of September 12 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, with the Nintendo Switch 2 launch following shortly after. Fans will be keen to jump in as soon as possible, making the Day 1 patch an early hoop to jump through.
Despite the Day 1 patch, playing Borderlands 4 on older hardware won’t miraculously unlock “buttery smooth performance,” Pitchford added. It should be expected that Borderlands 4 is “unplayable” if you’re trying to use a PC below min-spec, he said, and, generally, playing new AAA games on older hardware won’t achieve impressive results.
Here’s the comment in full:
The Day 1 patch does a lot! That said, the expectation for using a below min-spec machine should be that the game is unplayable. That the game runs at all on your system is a miracle. That you can get 55 – 60 fps out of heavy combat is actually incredible given how the engine and what’s going on under the hood. Your specification doesn’t indicate if you’re on SDD or HDD, but that could also explain some of the hitching. It’s a big, bold, new, seamless world and I’m sorry to say that older hardware may not provide buttery smooth performance for the latest gen AAA games, as has always been the case since the dawn of PC gaming.
A significant portion of the PC gaming audience play on low-end hardware. Indeed, just last month the developers of Battlefield 6 told Eurogamer they saw a “substantial number” of open beta players on or around the minimum recommended specs, with a number of users even playing below the minimum spec.
While you wait for Borderlands 4 to launch, be sure to check out IGN’s recent interview with narrative director Sam Winkler, lead writer Taylor Clark, and managing director of narrative properties Lin Joyce to learn more about why the team decided to create a more grounded story this time around.
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.
Shhhhh. If we’re quiet, we might be able to avoid discourse with this one. If you’ve spent your weekend playingHollow Knight: Silksong and found that the likes of enemies inflicting double damage and spawns being miles away put a dampner on the fun, mods can help.
I know, I know, these are videogames and we must take their difficulty with the utmost seriousness. How else are any of us supposed to learn important life lessons, like ‘press button dodge at this point’, unless we go through hours of frustration trying to beat one boss (or look such info up)? As such, I stress that these mods, like all mods, are entirely optional. No need to shout at people for using them. Save your voice for singing love ballads to Hornet during breaks in the action.
MachineGames seemingly hasn’t finished with its Wolfenstein series just yet.
While it’s been over half a decade since we last punched a Nazi in Wolfenstein: Youngblood, studio head Jerk Gustafsson has hinted the team would very much like to go back to the Wolfenstein universe to tie up BJ Blazkowicz’s story.
While both Youngblood and the 2019 VR title Cyberpilot touched on the wider Blazkowicz family’s fortunes, we haven’t actually played as series stalwart Blazkowicz since 2017’s The New Colossus. And it’s BJ’s story that seems to intrigue Gustafsson most — in fact, it seems Blazkowicz’s story was always meant to be told in three parts.
In a new interview with Noclip, Gustafsson said the team had “always seen [BJ’s story] as a trilogy,” adding: “That journey for BJ, even during those first weeks at [id Software], when we mapped out New Order — we still had the plan for at least [BJ], what would happen in the second one and what would happen in the third one.
“I think that’s important to say, because — at least, I hope — we’re not done with Wolfenstein yet. We have a story to tell,” he added (thanks, PC Gamer).
The last Wolfenstein game was 2019’s Wolftenstein: Youngblood, Set in 1980, 19 years after BJ Blazkowicz ignited the second American Revolution, it introduced the next Blazkowicz generation to the fight against the Nazis. In IGN’s review, we awarded it a middling 6.5, calling it “aggressively okay.”
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.
“Defendant’s conduct has caused NOA significant and irreparable harm”.
Nintendo has won yet another lawsuit in its ongoing battle against piracy on the Switch and Switch 2, this time against ‘MiG Switch’ distributor Ryan Daly and the Modded Hardware website.
Updated on 5th September 2025, the court document confirms that Daly is required to pay Nintendo a total of $2 million in damages (thanks, Engadget). In addition, a permanent injunction has been entered against Daly, preventing him from engaging in any activities that might be linked to the selling, marketing, or promotion of piracy devices such as the ‘MiG Switch’ and ‘MiG Dumper’.
Despite a healthy ‘Mostly Positive’ review score on Steam and a concurrent user count high enough to make a AAA game blush with envy, Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Chinese players are seemingly less impressed by the highly-anticipated sequel.
While the Steam user review rating from players experiencing the game in English, French, German, and Polish are ‘Very Positive,’ and Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian reviews are ‘Overwhelmingly Positive,’ players using simplified Chinese have brought the score down to ‘Mostly Negative’ for that language, chiefly because of issues with the translation.
After tens of thousands of Chinese players left negative reviews, dragging Silksong’s overall Steam user review rating down to 76% positive, Team Cherry’s Matthew Griffin acknowledged the problem on X/Twitter, writing: “To our Chinese speaking fans: We appreciate you letting us know about quality issues with the current Simplified Chinese translation of Hollow Knight: Silksong. We’ll be working to improve the translation over the coming weeks. Thanks for your feedback and support.”
So, what’s the issue? “The current Silksong [Chinese] translation reads like a Wuxia novel instead of conveying the game’s tone,” said one player. “This isn’t about effort, but about taste and direction, and speaking from experience likely can’t be fixed without replacing the translator.” Another said: “can you imagine as a Chinese, I need to play the game by switching in English to understand [the] translation.”
“Native Chinese speaker here. The translation uses awkwardly archaic wording that makes a lot of the content unintelligible,” added someone else. “I’m talking about word salad type of situation. On top of the anachronistic pretentiousness, it’s downright gibberish at times.”
Neither Griffin nor Team Cherry has yet confirmed when a patch is coming, but at least we know the developer is aware of the issue and is looking to fix it “over the coming weeks.”
We’re having a great time with what we’ve played so far, however. In IGN’s Hollow Knight: Silksong review-in-progress, we wrote: “I could keep digging into more early observations, but honestly I just can’t wait to stop typing this so I can dive back in […] But so far Silksong is exactly what I want from a sequel like this: it’s not completely reinventing the wheel or messing with all the things that made the first game so incredible, but it’s also not resting on its laurels. No part of it feels untouched, and as far as I can tell right now, it somehow feels even better for it.”
Be sure to stay up-to-date with all the latest from IGN by clicking here and setting IGN as a preferred source in Google.
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.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 publisher Paradox have gotten the ball rolling on the “adjustments” they promised in response to the controversy over the game’s day-one paid DLC vampire clans.
As we’ve covered previously, the Toreador and Lasombra clans were originally revealed to be locked behind a purchase of either Bloodines’ £18.69/€21.99/$21.99 Shadows and Silk DLC pack, or the £74.99/€89.99/$89.99 premium edition that said DLC comes bundled with. Cue understandable unhappiness, and Paradox swiftly moving to declare they’d rejig some stuff before launch.
Alright, sweethearts. What are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day feeding the Maw. A day feeding the Maw is like a day on the farm – every update’s a banquet, every DLC a fortune, every quarterly earnings call a parade. I LOVE the Maw!
Nintendo doesn’t really need to create new franchises, a former developer has said, explaining that the company can simply wrap its fresh gameplay ideas into one of the many beloved video game series it owns already.
Speaking to Bloomberg, programmer Ken Watanabe said Nintendo doesn’t “really fuss over” which of its big franchises a fun new gameplay mechanic might end up in. And, with so many existing series to chose from, there’s little need to come up with more.
“New franchises haven’t come out simply because there’s no real need to make them,” Watanabe said. “When Nintendo wants to do something new, it’s basically about the gameplay mechanics first — about creating a new way to play.”
At Nintendo, Watanabe worked on Super Mario Bros. Wii, Pikmin 3 and Splatoon — one of the company’s biggest new franchises of its modern era. But even the first Splatoon is now a decade old.
“As for the skin or the wrapper, they don’t really fuss over it,” Watanabe continued. “They just pick whatever fits that new gameplay best.”
Nintendo’s long list of existing IP certainly seems expansive and beloved enough to support this. Why make a new spaceship combat series when it’s been years since the last Star Fox? Why create a fresh arcade racer when you could make a new F-Zero? (Though, let’s be real, Nintendo is never making a new, fully fledged F-Zero.)
Nintendo already has most genres covered, and existing fans waiting with baited breath for the next entries in series such as Animal Crossing, Pikmin and Fire Emblem. It makes sense that, if Nintendo did have new gameplay ideas for existing genres, it could just co-opt one of its existing series too.
Nintendo hasn’t completely ditched the idea of new franchises, of course — though it’s fair to say that the company tests fewer new IPs now than it once did. Nintendo’s most recent new idea was the just-released Drag x Drive, its wheelchair basketball game that utilised the Switch 2’s motion controls. It’s hard to see how that could have fitted into an existing franchise — though maybe plonking Mario and friends into its arenas might have helped.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
