I’m thankfully very remote from the capital these days, but Edwin will occasionally regale the morning meeting with dark fables about how much a pint now costs in London. He’ll stumble on to camera, his eyes bloodshot and breathing heavy, and we’ll all know he’s traded a new vital organ for a swift half. Occasionally he’ll dart his head around to the sound of banging at the door then immediately dive out of the window, and we’ll pray for his safe return after outrunning The Bad Teapot gang, who he borrowed £8000 from in 2006 for a warm plastic beaker of Carling with a dead wasp floating in it. Sounds bleak down there.
As such, I would not blame anyone south of the Severn-Wash for resorting to the stealth puzzle drink stealing antics we find in Sipssassin. You play a bald, sharply dressed sneak thief. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to never pay for another drink as long as you live. There are some nonsense lore reasons about why it’s actually good and cool that you’re half-inching everyone’s tipples but that just makes it less fun, honestly. Here’s a trailer.
If you’re thinking about getting Street Fighter 6 on the Switch 2 at launch but don’t necessarily want to commit to the entire package with both DLC updates, it seems there will be one other option.
As highlighted by Nintendo, fighters will be able to choose from the ‘Years 1-2’ edition including all 26 fighters, or you can opt with a digital standard edition – without all the extra characters and additional content.
But Bungie will consider additional hardware in the future.
Halo, Destiny and ex-Microsoft developer Bungie revealed its new extraction-shooter Marathon to the world last week and it seems there has already been some questions about the possibility of a Switch 2 release.
In case you were wondering, Japanese publication Famitsu asked about the chances of this upcoming game – due out this September – coming to Nintendo’s “next-generation game hardware” and it’s currently something the team has no plans for right now but will consider in the future.
The update includes a total of 12 tracks with a runtime of nine minutes in total. You can listen to the iconic title theme, the overworld theme, and more. Here’s the full list of tracks on offer in this latest update:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the biggest RPGs out there. While there are many iconic items and locations in the game, perhaps none comes close to the Dragonborn Helmet worn by your character. For a limited time at IGN Store, you can pre-order this brand new Dragonborn Helmet Replica from Fanattik. If you’re a huge fan of Skyrim or just looking for a new item for your gaming collection, the Dragonborn Helmet is the perfect choice!
Pre-Order The Elder Scrolls V: Skryrim Dragonborn Helmet Today at IGN Store
Fanattikis no stranger to the worlds of collectibles and replicas, with many items available at IGN Store. This Dragonborn Helmet Replica is a limited edition product, with only 5,000 units available worldwide. With The Elder Scrolls as big as it is, it’s likely that this item will sell out quickly. For many Skyrim fans, this Dragonborn Helmet should be quite familiar, as it is used by the protagonist of the game.
Thanks to the hand-painted work, there are a ton of details all over the helmet, so you can expect even details like rust to appear on this premium product. There’s a built-in stand included in the box, so you won’t have to worry about finding a way to display the helmet.
Currently, this Skyrim Dragonborn Helmet Replica is set to ship out in September 2025. Don’t miss your chance to take home this limited edition collector’s item!
About IGN Store
IGN Store sells high-quality merch, collectibles, and shirts for everything you’re into. It’s a shop built with fans in mind: for all the geek culture and fandom you love most. Whether you’re into comics, movies, anime, games, retro gaming or just want some cute plushies (who doesn’t?), this store is for you!
Astro Bot fans have all heard the story of the creation of the sponge power-up, but did you know developer Team Asobi also prototyped even wackier powers, like a coffee grinder and a roulette wheel?
We didn’t, until IGN attended GDC 2025, where Team Asobi studio director Nicolas Doucet gave a talk simply titled, “The Making of ‘ASTRO BOT'”. In his talk, Doucet went in-depth on the process of creating the PlayStation mascot platformer, including showing off a number of early prototype images and cut content.
Doucet began his talk by talking about the initial pitch for Astro Bot, which was written in May 2021, just a few months after Team Asobi began prototyping it. According to him, there were 23 different revisions of the pitch before it was shown to top management. Their pitch was apparently initially given as an adorable comic strip showing off the main pillars and activities of the game. Clearly, it was a success.
Next, Doucet explained how the team generated ideas. The answer, unshockingly, is a lot of brainstorming, but what Team Asobi did was form small groups of 5-6 people that mix individuals from different disciplines together. Everyone wrote or drew ideas on individual sticky notes, leading to this absolutely incredible brainstorming board image:
Not every idea made it to the next phase, prototyping, Doucet said. In fact, only around 10% of their brainstorms actually got made. But that was still a lot of prototyping. Doucet went on to talk about the importance of prototyping all sorts of things, explaining that everyone on the team was encouraged to prototype ideas they had. This included departments outside of game design, such as an example where audio designers made a theater inside Astro Bot to prototype haptic controller vibrations that corresponded to different sound effects, such as the different ways a door can open and close.
Prototyping was so important to the Astro Bot team, Doucet said, that a few programmers on the team were reserved to prototype things that had nothing to do with platforming. That’s where Astro Bot’s sponge mechanic came from – they prototyped a sponge that squeezed dry using the adaptive trigger, it was fun, and it became a part of the game.
Doucet shared the above image, which included a number of such prototypes that were made, but never turned into Astro Bot mechanics, alongside those that did. You can see the balloon and sponge, which were used, alongside prototypes of what looks like a tennis game, a little walking wind-up toy, a roulette wheel, a coffee grinder, and several more.
Later in the talk, Doucet also discussed how levels were selected and designed around certain mechanics. The goal, he said, was for every level to have unique gameplay of some kind and never feel too similar to another level. While that doesn’t mean that Astro Bot could never use the same power-up on more than one level, Doucet said that the expression of it had to be different enough each time to make the level feel unique. For instance, he showed some images of a cut level themed around bird flights that was cut due to reusing Astro Bot’s monkey power-up in ways that were a bit too similar to the level Go-Go Archipelago, as well as another level in Astro’s Playroom that had a similar power.
“In the end, it was decided that the overlap was not healthy enough to create variety, and we just cut this level entirely,” he said. “We’ll never know if that level would have been popular. But in hindsight, I think it’s a good thing that we got to spend that time elsewhere.”
Finally Doucet closed the talk by talking about the game’s final scene, and yes, this is Spoilers if you haven’t finished Astro Bot yet. Read on at your own risk.
In the final scene of Astro Bot, the player reassembles a broken Astro Bot using limbs and assistance from the other gathered bots. According to Doucet, originally the player was just handed a completely dismembered Astro. No head, no limbs, just the torso. But Doucet said that this made some people “really upset”, so they went with the slightly more intact version we see in the existing game.
Doucet’s talk included a number of other interesting nuggets and tidbits about the development of Astro Bot. We’ve spoken to him in the past multiple times about the development of Astro Bot, a game that we gave a 9/10 in our review, calling it “A fantastically inventive platformer in its own right, Astro Bot is particularly special for anyone with a place in their heart for PlayStation.”
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the Nintendoverse, and we’re all a bit excited around these parts. Despite some bumps in the road around pricing, if you look past all the noise and the Nintendo-like messaging that can present more questions than it answers, the software looks per-itty good.
Sure, for multiplatform gamers who’ve already had their fill of Elden Rings, Cyberpunks, and Street Fighters, Switch 2’s 2025 lineup won’t hit quite the same. And although Nintendo’s own slate is fairly slim at launch, it’s managed to turn the head of an old karting curmudgeon with a launch game that has me genuinely excited — with the tingles and everything — to play a new Mario Kart, something I honestly thought was beyond me at this point.
Set in the dark fantasy world of King Arthur: Knight’s Tale.
Conquer Avalon with heroes from the abyss.
Here at NeocoreGames, we are excited to share that King Arthur: Legion IXis coming to Xbox Series X|S. Legion IX is a turn-based, character-focused tactical RPG set in the dark fantasy world of our previous game King Arthur: Knight’s Tale. Whether you’re a seasoned tactician or diving into Avalon for the first time, we think there’s something here for you in this stand-alone adventure: New heroes, new story and, of course, plenty of tough battles to sink your sword (or gladius in this case) into.
The Ninth Legion Rises
A new threat has arrived on Avalon, and it’s not your usual band of marauders. The infamous Ninth Legion of Rome – lost to history – has marched straight out of the depths of Tartarus and onto the mystical island. Their leader, Gaius Julius Mento, was once a proud Roman tribune. Now he commands a demonic legion, a twisted gift from their dead emperor, Septimus Sulla. But Gaius has bigger ambitions: he wants to conquer Avalon and build an Eternal Rome. First, though, he must reunite his scattered legion.
A Roman Invasion of Avalon
You will step into Gaius Julius Mento’s boots and lead the Ninth Legion through a brutal, Roman-themed campaign. You’ll have to battle nightmare-fueled monsters, clash with fierce Pict tribes, and face off against the ancient Fomorians and cunning Sídhe. You might even cross swords with the knights of Sir Mordred’s Round Table, first introduced in King Arthur: Knight’s Tale. Across fifteen handcrafted missions, you’ll carve your path through Avalon and decide Gaius’ fate.
Tactical Combat Meets Role-Playing
If you like strategy and character-driven stories, you’ll be in for a treat. In King Arthur: Legion IX, you control a squad of five to six unique heroes as you explore and battle through the mystical land of Avalon. Combat in this game revolves around using cover, setting traps, flanking enemies and mastering the overwatch and opportunity system to turn the tide of battle.
Heroes from the Abyss
Legion IX introduces six new heroes, each with unique skills and playstyles. You’ll have to level them up, unlock their skill trees and equip them with powerful artifacts to become the deadliest force in Avalon. Whether you prefer a methodical approach or charging straight into battle, you’ll have the tools to build your characters your way.
Build Nova Roma
Conquering Avalon is no small feat, and you’ll need a proper stronghold to do it. We wanted to make the rebuilding of Nova Roma a fundamental part of the game. This means that you’ll have to manage resources, upgrade buildings and facilities in between battles, and make sure your heroes are ready for whatever comes next.
Your Choices Shape the Story
At the heart of Legion IXthere is a choice that will define Gaius Julius Mento’s journey. Your decisions throughout the campaign will shape not only Gaius’ fate, but the future of Avalon itself.
We hope you’re ready to lead the Ninth Legion and we’ll see you on the battlefield on May 6, 2025.
King Arthur: Legion IX is a turn-based, character-centric tactical RPG in the King Arthur: Knight’s Tale universe – a dark fantasy version of the Arthurian myth. King Arthur: Legion IX welcomes new players to the mythical land of Avalon with an all-new story and heroes, also offering tough challenges to returning veterans.
A new threat looms over Avalon as the long-lost, infamous Ninth Legion of Rome has set foot on the mythical island. Their commander, the fallen hero, Gaius Julius Mento was granted a demonic legion by their dead emperor, Septimus Sulla to find a way out of Tartarus. But when they accidentally arrive to the magical realm of the Lady of the Lake, Gaius Julius Mento decides to subjugate the island and establish Eternal Rome there. First, however, he must gather his lost legion…
Play through a Roman-themed campaign as Gaius Julius Mento, a tribune of the undead Ninth Legion, as he discovers Avalon. Battle the monsters of nightmares, challenge the Pict tribes, the monstrous Fomorians and the cunning Sídhe. Experience the might of the Old Faith and Christianity and face the knights of Sir Mordred’s Round Table through 15 handcrafted missions.
Find, rebuild and protect the remains of the only Roman colony in Avalon and choose your path to victory. By the end of the campaign, you’ll have to choose: do you want to become a powerful demon, or will you reject the might of Emperor Sulla and restore your humanity?
A Role-playing Tactical Adventure: Experience a unique hybrid between turn-based tactical games and traditional, character-centric RPGs. Manage and control a party of 5-6 heroes to explore and conquer the land of Avalon. Engage in deep tactical combat, tough moral choices, hero management, and the rebuilding of Nova Roma.
Prove your Worth as a Tactician: Every little move and every decision matters. Use covers, traps, flanking and an in-dept overwatch and opportunity system and turn the entire battlefield to your advantage like a master tactician. Sometimes meticulous planning, sometimes charging simply to combat will be the key to victory. The only difference between a successful or a failed quest may depend on the composition of your party only!
Heroes Straight from the Abyss: Legion IX introduces six unique heroes who have risen from the Abyss to conquer the mythical land of Avalon. Level up, gain skill points and unlock unique skill trees. Loot, equip and craft hundreds of artefacts and create the deadliest fighting force that has ever set foot on Avalon.
Wide variety of Abilities: Use unique skills, Ultimate Skills and World Abilities to overcome the toughest challenges during your quests in Avalon. Take risks and explore various tactical options as heroes don’t face permanent death at the end of the missions. Test your skills in different difficulty modes, from laid-back storytelling to brutal, unforgiving battles.
Not Built in a Day: Build up and expand the city of Nova Roma. Make sure that your stronghold has the right facilities for your heroes that prepare them for different quests. But beware! Resources are scarce and you have to manage Nova Roma thoughtfully to keep it afloat.
Regain your Humanity: Your decisions have far-reaching consequences, influencing both gameplay and narrative. Through your actions, Gaius will either restore his humanity, or forever be transformed into a demon.
Hello fellow precision platform junkies! I’m Juhana, the Creative Director of Bionic Bay – my most ambitious project yet. Bionic Bay is a precision-puzzle platformer set in an ancient bio-mechanical world, hand-crafted pixel by pixel to create a high-fidelity, atmospheric environment.
Bionic Bay started as a chance meeting between me (Mureena) and Psychoflow studio, on a Reddit post showcasing their swap mechanic. We soon began to collaborate, merging their technical expertise with my experience in level design and art direction from previous titles such as Badland 1 and 2.
Creating Bionic Bay: One pixel at a time
The humble swap mechanic remains a central gameplay mechanic, but Bionic Bay has seen incredible growth since we started. We knew early on that the biggest hurdle would be to create environments which provided a challenge without becoming frustrating. In addition, this balanced challenge would be hosted within intricately detailed and hand-crafted pixel-art environments, taking significant time to create.
We approached these development challenges with a simple two-part solution. Firstly, I would focus on level design and art, and Psychoflow would work on the technical solution to make sure our mechanics looked great and worked well.
Perhaps more important, we agreed that we would all regularly jump in and play each level, experiencing it just as a player would. We have carried this on all the way to release, and this has helped us to ensure great balance, and that we understand the player journey through Bionic Bay.
We all love a precision platformer, but we also wanted to make sure that Bionic Bay provides a unique and worthwhile experience, and that comes down to the game’s core mechanics.
This began with the swap feature which first brought Mureena and Psychoflow together – allowing players to switch places with objects within each level. This was soon joined by more tools, with each undergoing regular playthrough testing:
ChronoLag, our time dilation technology which allows players to slow down time for a short period. As well as allowing players to navigate through fast-moving areas, it’s also a great way of getting speed boosts to help you get faster times in our ghost data racing mode.
Power Fist, providing the opportunity to launch objects across the environment. As well as clearing space in the solo story, used in conjunction with ChronoLag has led to some imaginative puzzle solving to speed up your journey
Gravity Manipulation, allowing players to bend the very forces of reality. This can help to clear paths, or help find new paths. It’s important to be careful, however, as this new gravitational direction will also affect loose objects on the level which can lead to… unintended cessation of all life signs.
Of course, players will be introduced to these mechanics as you progress through Bionic Bay’s ancient bio-mechanical world. Some you’ll be able to use together, and players will often need to combine these tools (as well as quick thinking and precise controls) in order to overcome the challenges you’ll face.
As well as using these within our narrative single-player adventure, players can also find our dedicated online challenge mode with Bionic Bay Online. Bionic Bay Online allows players to compete for the fastest time on a course, racing against other players’ data ghosts – something which should speak to those of us racing on PlayStation in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.
To compete in Bionic Bay Online, players will need to use all of the tools at your disposal, and find creative solutions to take the top spot on the leaderboard. We will also be adding special post-launch content for Bionic Bay, including dedicated time challenge levels to allow you to showcase your skills to the world.
A legendary PlayStation collaboration
We are ecstatic to announce that Bionic Bay also has a collaboration with one of our biggest fans – PlayStation legend Shuhei Yoshida. We’ll be implementing a special level just for Shu within the online challenge mode following Bionic Bay’s launch on April 17. If you take part and beat Shu’s score, you can even unlock our Shu skin, allowing you to customize the look of your scientist for our online leaderboards.
As well as Shu’s own player skin, we’re also bringing you a Deluxe edition of Bionic Bay – with our Classic Monster skin pack. This includes eight costumes inspired by vintage horror (a personal favourite genre of mine), with an alien, a werewolf and more. The Classic Monster pack allows players to unleash a little frightful charm and really sink your fangs into the online leaderboards.
The bio-mechanical world of Bionic Bay opens up on PlayStation 5 this Thursday – April 17, and is available to wishlist now!
After a small leak last week, EA has confirmed the title of its next Star Wars game, as well as who’s making it. It’s called Star Wars: Zero Company, and it’s being developed by Bit Reactor with support from Lucasfilm Games and Respawn.
We don’t know much more about Zero Company, except that it be a “single-player turn-based tactics game”. We won’t have to wait long for more information, though, as EA says it will be giving a first look at the game on April 19 at Star Wars Celebration in Japan.
Developer Bit Reactor is a newly-formed strategy game studio made up of veterans from games like XCOM, Civilization, Gears of War, and Elder Scrolls Online. The studio was founded in 2022, and we’ve known for a while now that it was working on a Star Wars game with Respawn, but this is the first time we’ve received any real details about the project.
More about Star Wars: Zero Company will be revealed at a live panel on Saturday, April 19 at 4:30pm local time in Japan…which is unfortunately 12:30am PT and 3:30am ET over here in the U.S., so set your alarms accordingly.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
