Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Fuse Games’ take on offroad speeder rushes in a galaxy far, far, away, sounds more and more up my alley every time I hear about it. That’s no different in a freshly published interview with Fuse founder Matt Webster and creative director Kieran Crimmins, which sees the pair chat about boost mechanics which sound a lot like the environmental temperature-sensitive system from PS3 racer Motorstorm: Pacific Rift.
The pair also made some interesting points when asked why they went for a more traditional track racer rather than an open world one with this game, and whether the latter’s reached a point where it’s a bit of a stale concept.
The developer of Crimson Desert has confirmed that the upcoming open world action adventure game does not have a cosmetic cash shop or microtransactions of any kind.
Crimson Desert, due out March 19 priced $69.99, is set in a huge and seamless open world packed with enemies, NPCs, and all sorts of things to do. But one thing players won’t have to contend with is a cosmetic cash shop.
“I can say that definitively: there is not a cosmetic cash shop,” Will Powers, director of marketing at Pearl Abyss America, told weekly talk show Dropped Frames (via @Okami13_). “This is made to be a premium experience that you buy and you enjoy the world, and not something for microtransactions.
“It’s a monetization model. If you do free-to-play then you need to make up the revenue in a different way. This is a premium experience. That is the transaction. Full stop.”
So, that’s microtransactions ruled out, which is sure to go down well with gamers who are hoping for a traditional single-player experience from Crimson Desert. The game has been slowly gaining hype over recent years, but that’s ramped up significantly in the last few months as Pearl Abyss shared more gameplay footage.
Crimson Desert’s huge open world has been a topic of debate recently. Pywel is divided into five distinct regions: Hernand; Pailune; Demeniss; Delesyia; and the Crimson Desert itself. The main quest revolves around protagonist Kliff’s journey, but you’re free to explore the world in any order, taking faction-driven quests, large-scale battles, fortress sieges and smaller, character-focused missions.
Pearl Abyss confirmed that as the story progresses, two additional playable characters become available, each with unique combat styles, skills and weapons. Exploration is a big part of the game — you travel on horseback, climb terrain, glide across distances, and later access advanced traversal options such as a missile-firing mech and a dragon. You can even ride a bear.
Pearl Abyss said the world is filled with hidden treasures, ancient mechanisms, puzzles and points of interest “designed to reward curiosity and discovery.” As for combat, expect to face enemy soldiers, sorcerers, beasts and machines.
Speaking on the Gaming Interviews YouTube channel, Powers said that describing the size of Crimson Desert’s world in terms of numbers doesn’t do it justice, because doing so fails to capture the scope and scale of the game. But he did go as far as to compare it to two of the biggest open-world games around.
“I don’t think numbers really do it justice because, how big is that in terms of scope and scale?” he said. “But what we can say is that the world’s at least twice as big as the open world, the playable area, of Skyrim. It’s larger than the map of Red Dead Redemption 2.”
Powers went on to insist that the size of Crimson Desert’s open world wouldn’t determine its quality. Rather, what you actually do in it is the key factor. “The continent of Pywel is absolutely massive, but size doesn’t really matter if there’s nothing to do,” he said. “Open-world games are about doing things, having activities, having distractions. So we wanted to create a world that’s not only massive, but is also incredibly interactive.”
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.
“Our development will continue” says one defiant dev.
It was back in 2024 that Nintendo really kicked its emulator takedown requests into overdrive following the removal of Yuzu and 3DS emulator Citra, and a fresh wave came late last week.
As spotted by Reddit user Devile, Nintendo issued a new DMCA notice on Friday calling for the removal of 13 Switch emulators’ GitHub pages. Alongside any that still rely on Yuzu, the takedown targeted Citron, Eden, Kenji-NX, MeloNX, Pine, Pomelo, Ryubing, Ryujinx, Skyline, Sudachi, Sumi, and Suyu (the one formed in Yuzu’s wake).
When Mega Cat Studios sat down to dream big, one name sat at the very top of their wishlist: God of War. Years later, that long-shot ambition has become God of War Sons of Sparta, a newly released prequel developed in collaboration with Santa Monica Studio (SMS). Set at the earliest point in the series timeline, the game casts players as a young, devout Kratos before he knows his true nature as a demi-god, weaving a story about brotherhood and the meaning of being Spartan. Sons of Sparta pairs retro action-adventure design with an emotional God of War story.
Mega Cat Studios Founder and CEO James Deighan and Game Director Zack Manko also discuss the origins of the game’s title and the name of the studio. For the full conversation listen to the latest Official PlayStation Podcast episode.
PlayStation Blog: What can you share about the origins of this collaboration with Santa Monica Studio?
James Deighan: So one of the things we’ve always done at Mega Cat are these leadership retreats where we talk about what we want to do… what we want to be known for… what inspired us to join the games industry. And one of the things that we’ve maintained, kind of ceremonially, is this “wishlist” of franchises we wish we could collaborate on. And we’ve had God of War listed as number one since the very beginning. And part of that wishlist is also the probability of us being able to do that, which we’ve always had listed very low. And as we continued to grow and make bigger, better games, and got a lot more confidence we started taking bigger swings, and eventually we just made a pitch and reached out and got really lucky that somebody read it, and they were open to having a conversation about what our idea was for a prequel and some kind of pixel art treatment extension of the franchise that we all adore.
…so it really is just on multiple layers, a dream come true, working with such a talented team [at Santa Monica Studio], with a franchise we adore.
How is Kratos’ relationship with the Greek gods at this point in his life?
Zack Manko: This is Kratos as a boy. So it’s pre-god powers. He doesn’t even know he’s a god. But that also means he has a very different relationship with the gods. He’s very devout. He has this faith that he leans on and turns to when things look darkest. And in Sons of Sparta, you see how that pays off. You get Gifts of Olympus, these artifacts blessed by the gods, that allow you to do all these crazy puzzles, exploration, and combat. Ultimately, seeing Kratos as this devout, faith-filled figure, and knowing what comes later with his relationship with the gods…adds a new dimension as well.
What went into the decision to set the game at the earliest point in the series’ timeline?
Manko: I think there are two reasons, really. First, like you said, it’s a prequel. Our initial pitch was, you know, imagine what God of War would have looked like on [the original PlayStation], you know, what a God of War zero, if you will, would look like. So I think with that in mind the narrative team at SMS thought this time period you know, Kratos as a boy, his formative years, would be interesting to explore, because the events here and what he goes through and what he experiences, it really adds a texture to his character that kind of you can see throughout the rest of the saga. It certainly adds a new lens onto him [when looking back at the Greek games].
Early on, we did think about maybe [making the story] a little bit closer to the events of the Greek saga games that fans are familiar with. But again, I think the writers at SMS thought this is what we need to go to, because seeing Kratos as a boy here resonates throughout the rest of the series, not only with the Greek games, but also, you know, the Norse saga, where you see Kratos as a father with Atreus, and how the events in Sons of Sparta may influence that. And the same sort of, same sort of context, the influences on Kratos as a boy, how that lines up with Kratos’ parenting style in the Norse saga. These formative years of Kratos, this character, seeing all these things that happen and these influences on him. It just adds so much to this character that fans are familiar with throughout the rest of the games.
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Meet Mega Cat, the feline the God of War: Sons of Sparta studio is named after.
What can you tell us about the origins of the game’s title and name of the studio itself?
Manko: James wanted to name it something Greek yogurt themed, you know, high protein, fitting for Kratos [laughs]. But, um, no, in all seriousness, God of War Sons of Sparta was chosen because it just encapsulates the main themes in the game so well. You know, Kratos and Deimos are the sons of Sparta, and they’re discovering what that means. What it means to be a Spartan, what are the demands there, what’s the cost?
Deighan: [Regarding the studio name Mega Cat Studios] we had a beloved cat that I had as a pet that passed. One of our [team members’ now-wife] volunteers at a local animal shelter here, and she was serving a few bottle babies. [Bottle babies] are whenever the shelters are completely overburdened with animals, the trained [certified] volunteers can take [cats] home and help raise them. I was dealing with some pet-loss heartbreak, as you do, and [the shelter had] this one, really aggressive runt in the litter that we ended up taking home and bottle feeding and spending some time with. That was Mega Cat.
So when we first came up with a list of many ideas and names for the company, we included [“Mega Cat”] on the list and started voting and sharing it around with our friends, family, and colleagues. And there was this really overwhelmingly positive response [to the name]… which kind of rolls off the tongue. Early years, it really worked to our advantage, because people confused us with Mad Catz [laughs].
We had all these names that we really went deep on, and we added a Mega Cat at the end of the list. Even our UPS driver was like, “that one’s awesome, man.”
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is widely regarded as another masterpiece from Kojima Productions, with all the sweeping scope, drama, and weirdness fans have come to expect. Now those fans can delve even deeper into this unique world with the release of Titan Books’ The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
IGN can exclusively reveal a new preview of The Art of Death Stranding 2 ahead of the book’s release. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:
The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a 240-page hardcover book featuring concept art from the game. The book offers a closer look at character designs, equipment, locations, and creatures from the game, with plenty of pieces from acclaimed artist Yoji Shinkawa.
Here’s the official summary for the book:
The official art book for the action video game DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH, from legendary game creator Hideo Kojima, including artwork by acclaimed artist Yoji Shinkawa.
With DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH, step by step, legendary game creator Hideo Kojima changes the world once again. Embark on an inspiring mission of human connection beyond the UCA. Sam—with companions by his side—sets out on a new journey to save humanity from extinction. Join them as they traverse a world beset by otherworldly enemies and obstacles.
The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is packed with hundreds of pieces of concept art for the characters, equipment, locations and creatures featured in the game, as well as early and unused concepts, including artwork by character and mechanical design director, acclaimed artist Yoji Shinkawa.
The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is priced at $50 and will be released on February 17, 2026. You can preorder a copy on Amazon.
Discord have belatedly confirmed that they’re working with Persona, an identity detection firm backed by a fund directed by Palantir chairman Peter Thiel, as part of Discord’s new global age verification system rollout. The collaboration is described as an “experiment” involving people in the UK specifically, whereby Persona will store user information on their servers for up to seven days.
God of War creator David Jaffe has slammed the series’ new side-scrolling spinoff Sons of Sparta for being “boring” and “an insult” both to fans of the series and its original creative team.
God of War Sons of Sparta was announced and then shadow-dropped on PlayStation 5 last week at the end of Sony’s big State of Play broadcast. A Metroidvania-inspired action platformer from indie retro developer Mega Cat Studios, Sons of Sparta is designed as a prequel to the original God of War trilogy, featuring a young version of Kratos and his brother as they train together.
In an initial YouTube video posted after playing an hour of the game, Jaffe made his frustrations with the project’s concept clear: essentially, that it was too different in tone from the original trilogy, despite his initial excitment to see a side-scrolling take on the series.
“This is the kind of game I’ve always wanted in terms of 2.5D God of War, super into it — but this, to me, is not what I was talking about. I bought this game, it’s a $30 game, I don’t like it, I don’t recommend it,” Jaffe began, before turning his attention to the executives at Sony who decided to greenlight the project.
“I wanted to make a video more about what are they thinking, like what the f*** were they thinking? It’s not a bad game by any means, it’s fine, it controls decently… but to me the more fascinating part of this is, why is this in existence? I don’t understand.”
After an hour’s worth of play, Jaffe said he couldn’t continue with the game as its characters kept “stopping over and over [to] talk and talk.” He added: “This is not God of War.”
“Let’s just make him some generic f***ing kid, like we’re watching a Kids WB TV show or something,” Jaffe continued on. “It’s probably some bulls*** writer going, ‘Oh people want to know why, how did people become this way?’ No one cares. It’s a dumb idea… [Fans] wanted something like Blasphemous, in terms of it’s violent, it’s bloody, it’s serious, it has the tone of the early God of the War games.
“If you pulled God of War out of it, and you just said, ‘hey, we’re making a game about this kid,’ most people would say ‘that doesn’t sound like a very compelling idea for a video game character,’ because it’s not.”
“Maybe it gets better, I’m sure it does,” he further continued. “There’s nothing offensive about it. The only thing offensive about it is its genericism. The only thing offensive about it is its inability to reflect the license, the brand. It’s like you get the John Wick license and you make a movie where he’s just sitting in a coffee shop talking. Now that might work when you have Keanu Reeves as he’s so compelling, and the character’s interesting.”
Jaffe said he had been keen to see a 2.5D God of War game more similar to titles such as Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Neon Inferno, or Shinobi. “Why would you even put this out? All it does is leave a bad taste in God of War fans’ mouths, in my assumption,” he concluded.
“Every time you make a new game, you don’t have to go, ‘You know what? Let’s not go back to the great character that people love that built this franchise. Let’s see him as a little kid, some generic boring little f***ing kid.’ It’s just insulting to the fans. It’s insulting to people who worked on the games that they would think this character right here is what people want. It’s crap. It’s dumb. It’s stupid. I would say avoid this f***ing thing.”
While Jaffe had said he wouldn’t return to Sons of Sparta, he then went back and played a further three hours, at which point he posted an even more in-depth video that critiques the game on a more granular level for more than 30 minutes.
Specifically, Jaffe addressed points around “confusing visual noise during combat,” “gameplay breaking visual inconsistencies,” a “buggy and confusing user interface,” the suggestion that “level design and character motion feels off,” and “kiddie level dialogue and poor voice actor performances.” Ultimately, he branded the game as “not ready for release.”
Final Fantasy Remake Part 3 director Naoki Hamaguchi has discussed the impact of expanding the platforms on which the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series is available, insisting that going multiplatform “will not in any way lower the quality of the third instalment.”
In an interview with Automaton, via Eurogamer, Hamaguchi said both the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox versions of the game’s prior instalments “have been incredibly well received and generated a lot of buzz online,” but did note some community concerns.
“Both the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox versions have been incredibly well received and generated a lot of buzz online,” Hamaguchi said. “That attention has also made me realize how many people are worried about this issue. However, our decision to go multiplatform with the FF7 Remake series will not in any way lower the quality of the third installment.
“Our development structure simply doesn’t work that way to begin with… I suppose I’ll just have to keep saying it,” he said, laughing. He also stressed that because of the growing popularity of gaming on PC both in Japan and beyond, the game has been built with PC “as the foundation.”
“While PC gaming is gradually expanding in Japan, overseas growth has been even more rapid,” Hamaguchi added. “The market has broadened tremendously across both consoles and PC. The FF7 Remake series has sold very well on platforms like Steam and the Epic Games Store, so we develop assets with the broad PC market in mind. In fact, our 3D assets are created at the highest quality level based on PC as the foundation.
“When FFVII Rebirth launched, there was talk about how the PC version looked better than the PS5 version, and our philosophy will not change for the third instalment,” he concluded. “As our fundamental principle, we do not design assets to meet the lowest baseline. Instead, we create them for high-end environments first.”
Last month, Hamaguchi teased that the “core game experience is almost complete,” and while he “really want[s] everyone to play it as soon as possible,” the team has now moved on to “refining and polishing.”
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.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight has become the latest game to have its initially listed recommended RAM requirement yanked down by a substantial amount, following in the footsteps of fellow 2026 release 007: First Light.
There was never any doubt that the Super Mario Galaxy Movie would bring some heat in the merch department on the run-up to launch. Nintendo may have its Talking Flower primed and ready to go as a Mario Wonder Switch 2 tie-in (brand synergy, and all that), but we dare you to take one look at the ‘Nintendo The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: Hatchin’ Yoshi Interactive Toy’ (catchy, right?) and not tell us that it’s adorable.
The name is pretty self-explanatory on this one. Hatchin’ Yoshi is an interactive toy that sees our beloved dino ‘hatch’ from his eggshell casing and then respond to touch and voice commands. He can rock back and forth, shake his little head, say his name — come on, what else do you expect from the little fella?
