Buying the digital Switch 2 edition of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition from the Nintendo eShop will cost you $64.99. However, if you buy the digital edition for the original Switch through this Amazon deal and then purchase the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack from the eShop for $4.99, that’ll set you back about $45 instead. That’s roughly $20 in savings, so why not take this opportunity to upgrade for less if you’ve wanted Xenoblade Chronicles X for Nintendo’s latest console?
Step 1: Buy Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition for Switch
Step 2: Buy Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is a game that’s worthy of a spot in your gaming library. Our review from George Yang had high praise for it, saying “Xenoblade Chronicles X was already one of the Wii U’s best games, and this Definitive Edition has escaped the destruction of its old home like the White Whale and settled down nicely on Switch.”
Yang continued on to say that, “The quality-of-life improvements here are enough to justify another trip to Mira alone for veteran players, and it’s the perfect opportunity for newcomers to explore its beautiful landscapes for themselves.” If its one that’s been sitting on your must-play list, this is a great time to pick it up, especially because the Switch 2 upgrade lets you play at up to 4k resolution and with smoother frame rates.
Alongside Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, Amazon has plenty more digital Switch game deals to explore right now. Our rundown of Amazon’s digital Nintendo Switch game sale highlights some of our top picks, including Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, Princess Peach: Showtime, and more.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
It was an understandably quiet January in the U.S. games market, with very few new releases and a bit of a comedown from a busy holiday season leaving Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 again the best-selling game of the month, and the PlayStation 5 on top for consoles.
The PS5 led hardware in both unit and dollar sales, with the Nintendo Switch 2 taking second in both, according to analysis shared by Circana senior director and analyst Mat Piscatella. Overall hardware spending was up 16% year-over-year, with an increase in Switch 2 spending (admittedly an increase over nothing, as the Switch 2 wasn’t out last year) offsetting declines in spending on PS5 (down 17%), Xbox Series (down 27%) and Switch 1 (down a whopping but understandable 79%). Accessories spending was down 5% to $185 million.
In content, spending up was up 3% year-over-year to $4.3 billion, largely driven by a 23% increase in subscription spending. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was once again the best-selling game of the month, followed by NBA 2K26 again in the No.2 spot, and Madden NFL 26 rising from No.4 last month to No.3 in January. Battlefield 6, last month’s No.3, dropped to No. 5 in January.
The only new game entering the top 20 for January was Code Vein II, which came in at No. 11. We did see Final Fantasy 7: Remake leap from No.225 last month to No.9 for January, thanks to its Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2 releases. Fallout 4 also made a big jump from No.68 to No.20, possibly thanks both to Season 2 of the Fallout TV show coinciding with a major drop in price on Steam at the end of the month.
Overall, total gaming spending reached $4.7 billion, up 3% year-over-year. Not exactly a thrilling start to 2026, but when has January ever been an explosive month for games?
January 2026 U.S. Top 20 Best-Selling Games:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
NBA 2K26
Madden NFL 26
Minecraft*
Battlefield 6
EA Sports FC 26
Grand Theft Auto V
Red Dead Redemption II
Final Fantasy VII: Remake
Forza Horizon 5
Code Vein II (NEW)
Ghost of Yotei
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
EA Sports College Football 26
Helldivers II
Pokemon Legends: Z-A*
Split Fiction
Elden Ring
Flight Simulator 2024
Fallout 4
* Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana’s data. Some publishers, including Nintendo, do not share certain digital data for this report.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Finji, publisher of beloved indie titles such as Night in the Woods and Tunic and the developer behind Overland and Usual June, says that TikTok has been using generative AI to modify its ads on the platform without permission and pushing those ads to its users without Finji’s knowledge, including one ad that was modified to include a racist, sexualized stereotype of one of Finji’s characters.
This was first brought up by Finji CEO and co-founder Rebekah Saltsman on Bluesky, where she shared a screencap of a social media post from another brand that appeared to be going through the same thing, and saying the following, “If you happen to see any Finji ads that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, send me a screencap.”
Unusual June
According to Saltsman speaking with IGN, Finji’s official account on TikTok does push ads for its games, but has “AI turned all the way off.” The team first learned that generative AI ads were being created without their knowledge thanks to social media comments on Finji’s actual, regular ads from users concerned about what they were seeing. Saltsman was able to get screenshots from audience members showing the offending ads, which prompted her to escalate the issue to TikTok support.
The original adsin question appear to be videos advertising Finji’s games, with one showing off several games and the other focused on Usual June. The AI-“enhanced” versions, which appear on TikTok as if posted directly from the official Finji account, seem to consist of slideshows rather than videos as indicated by a number of comments on both ads. Finji has sent IGN screenshots sent in by viewers who claim they saw the AI version of those ads. While several of the AI-“enhanced” images seem to be relatively unedited compared to their official counter parts, one image seen by IGN is noticeably modified.
The offending image depicts an edited version of the official cover art, the original version of which is pictured above. In the seemingly AI-edited version, the main character June (center in the image above) is depicted alone, but the image extends down to her ankles. She is depicted with a bikini bottom, impossibly large hips and thighs, and boots that rise up over her knees, seemingly invoking a harmful stereotype. This is extremely distinct from June’s actual depiction in the game:
IGN has viewed a conversation between the official Finji account and TikTok customer support, including a part of the discussion where the customer support agent confirmed Finji did have TikTok’s “Smart Creative” option shut off. “Smart Creative” is essentially a TikTok function that uses generative AI to create multiple versions of user-created ads. So if a company makes Ad A with Image A and Text A, and Ad B with Image B and Text B, generative AI will mix and match these in different combinations to test which versions of the ads work best with users, and then surface the best ones more frequently. There’s also an “Automate Creative” feature that uses AI to “automatically optimize” assets, such as “improving” images, music, audio, and other things to make an ad allegedly more pleasing to an audience. Saltsman confirms that Finji has both of those options shut off, and showed screenshots of the TikTok backend for several of the ads in question to confirm this.
Finji also says it is unable to view or edit the AI-generated versions of its own ads, and is only aware of them via numerous comments on the ads as well as users in its official Discord reporting the problem and sharing screenshots. Saltsman says she suspects there is at least one other inappropriate generative AI ad circulating based on comments on some of the ads regarding another character in Usual June, Frankie, but is unable to see the modifications herself and thus cannot confirm.
In that same support conversation, the TikTok support agent was unable to find an immediate solution for Finji. At one point, the agent suggests that one of Finji’s ads was inadvertently using the Automate Create feature, to which Finji replies, “I have never turned that on,” and had the agent confirm that option was not on for the ads described above.
Later in the conversation, the agent said, “I am checking all the possible cause [sic] why this can happen but as per checking all the setup is clear and there should be no ai generated content included.” The agent offers to “raise a ticket” for further investigation, but ignored repeated requests from Finji to share a timeline for when the ticket might be responded to.
The Support Circle of Hell
Since this incident took place, Finji staff have made efforts to follow up and get answers, only to be shut down by TikTok support repeatedly. Finji has sent IGN screenshots of all of the following messages to TikTok, and their responses.
The above conversation happened on February 3. On February 6, after a follow-up message to support from Finji asking for an update, TikTok Ads Support responded as follows:
After checking the creatives, we do not see any indication that AI-generated assets or slideshow formats are being used. Both ads are confirmed as video creatives sourced directly from your Creative Library / TikTok posts, and creatives appear unchanged at the ad level. There is no evidence that AI-generated content or auto-assembled slideshow assets were added by the system. [All emphasis TikTok’s.]
A Finji representative responded that same day with the screenshot of the offensive ad (which Finji had already sent during the initial support request) and asked for TikTok to escalate the issue, which prompted the following response from TikTok:
We acknowledge receipt of the evidence you’ve provided and understand the seriousness of your concerns. Based on the materials and context you’ve shared, we recognize that this situation raises significant issues, including the unauthorized use of AI, the sexualization and misrepresentation of your characters, and the resulting commercial and reputational harm to your studio.
We want to be clear that we are no longer disputing whether this occurred. We understand that you have provided documentation and that audience comments on the ads further corroborate your claims. This matter will be escalated immediately for further review at the highest appropriate level.
We are intiating an internal escalation to ensure this issue is investigated thoroughly, and we will work to connect you with a senior representative who has the authority to address the situation and discuss next steps toward resolution.
On February 10, having not received further responses nor been connected with a “senior representative”, Finji followed up again to ask where the ticket was at. It received a message containing the following:
I understand how surprising it was to see AI-generated or automatically created content appear in your ads, especially when you weren’t expecting any changes to your creatives.
Here’s what happened and why you saw those assets:
Your campaign recently included an ad that used a catalog ads format designed to demonstrate the performance benefits of combining carousel and video assets in Sales campaigns. This is part of an initiative aimed at helping advertises [sic] like you achieve better results with less effort. Campaigns that use these mixed assets typically see a 1.4x ROAS [return on ad spend] lift, and we wanted to ensure you had access to that potential improvement. [All emphasis TikTok’s].
The message from support went on to describe the claimed improvements gained from a catalog ads format, followed by an offer to request to be added to an “opt-out blocklist” for which approval “isn’t guaranteed.”
Finji responded, understandably pretty irate at this point, demanding to know why it had not been put in touch with a senior representative, why it isn’t addressing the “SEXUALIZED, RACIST, and SEXIST representation of [the] studio’s work” [emphasis Finji’s], why the company can’t track AI-generated versions of the ads, why it was opted into this without the company’s consent, and why TikTok cannot guarantee an opt out.
TikTok responded again, stating that the most recent response it sent was in fact from its escalation team, and that Finji would not be contacted by a “senior representative” because the person currently speaking was “the highest internal team available for this type of issue.” The representative went on to say the escalation team had already reviewed the situation and “their findings were included in the previous response” and that the feedback “had been taken seriously.” It said that Finji had been included in “a broader automated initiative” and concluded that the escalation team had “already provided their final findings and actions on this matter.”
Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company and our game?
After another reply from Finji, the TikTok representative promised to “re-escalate the issue internally,” but this was the final communication received as of publication time, even after another check-in from Finji on February 17. When reached out to by IGN, TikTok declined to provide comment on-record.
“I have to admit I am a bit shocked by TikTok’s complete lack of appropriate response to the mess they made,” said Saltsman in a statement to IGN today. “It’s one thing to have an algorithm that’s racist and sexist, and another thing to use AI to churn content of your paying business partners, and another thing to do it against their consent, and then to also NOT respond to any of those mistakes in a coherent way? Really?
“What really is utterly baffling is what appears to be a profound void where common sense and business sense usually reside. Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company and our game? Based on the wild response through the weeks of customer service correspondence we have received, I think this is their stance and take on their obvious offensive and racist technology and process and how they secretly use it on the assets of their paying clients without consent or knowledge.
“This is just simply embarrassing but not for me as an individual. For me- I am just super pissed off. This is my work, my team’s work and mine and my company’s reputation- which I have spent over a decade building. My expectation was a proper apology, systemic changes in how they use this technology for paying clients and a hard look at why their technology is so obviously racist and sexist. I am obviously not holding my breath for any of the above.”
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Harry Potter movie star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed he was once pitched a bizarre Wizard of Oz adaptation that also featured his fellow Hogwarts co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
Describing it as “one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard,” the plan had apparently been for the Harry Potter trio to reunite in a fresh version of the classic story, for which Emma Watson would have played Kansas girl Dorothy.
Speaking via the Hot Ones show, Radcliffe said the offer came in while the trio were still making the Harry Potter movies, when he was aged either 14 or 15. Even then, though, Radcliffe said he was instantly aware that this was “a bad idea.”
“One of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard, during Potter, somebody came to us and I think asked… like they wanted to cast all three of us, me, Emma and Rupert, in a remake of Wizard of Oz,” Radcliffe revealed. “Emma was Dorothy, I can’t remember what Rupert was, and I just remember that I was going to be the lion, but also he knew karate?
“I was like a karate kicking cowardly lion,” he continued. “And I remember I was like 14 or 15, and I was like, ‘I don’t know a lot about the world, but this is a bad idea, this should not be made.”
For context, the timeline here would place Radcliffe and his co-stars as filming the fourth Harry Potter book, Goblet of Fire. So, had the Wizard of Oz remake progressed, the trio would still have been fairly young — though not too dissimilar to the age of 16-year-old Judy Garland in the story’s classic 1939 adaptation.
Numerous Wizard of Oz adaptations have surfaced over the years, including various spin-offs, prequels and sequels. These include the 2013 Sam Raimi-directed Oz the Great and Powerful, which starred James Franco, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis, and of course the two-part Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Ubisoft has said its long-awaited Splinter Cell remake remains in development despite layoffs at the studio working on the project.
40 jobs will be lost at Ubisoft Toronto, the company has now announced, as part of the ongoing push to cut costs that has seen thousands of employees depart over the past few years. In a statement sent to IGN, Ubisoft said that work on Splinter Cell was unaffected by the redundancies.
The company announced plans to remake the original Splinter Cell using The Division’s snazzy Snowdrop engine back in December 2021, though little has been heard of it since.
“Following the recent announcement of the final phase of Ubisoft’s global cost-savings plan and the discontinuation of projects, Ubisoft Toronto will be reducing its workforce by 40 roles,” a Ubisoft spokesperson said.
“This decision was not taken lightly and does not in any way reflect the talent, dedication, or contributions of the individuals affected. Our priority now is to support them through this transition with comprehensive severance packages and robust career placement assistance.
“The Toronto studio continues development on the Splinter Cell game and serves as a co-development partner on Rainbow Six, along with supporting additional co-development projects.”
Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green, which originally launched for the Game Boy Advance back in 2004, will arrive on Nintendo Switch next week to celebrate the Pokémon series’ 30th anniversary.
The games will become available on Switch shortly after this year’s Pokémon Presents broadcast — The Pokémon Company’s annual announcement showcase held on February 27 each year — that is expected to be a very important one indeed.
Today, The Pokémon Company also now firmed up the timing of the Pokémon Presents stream, which will be held at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK.
════════════ Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen confirmed for Nintendo Switch! ═══════════ These download-exclusive titles will be available after the #PokemonDay Presents presentation which begins Friday, February 27, 2026, at 6AM PST. #PokemonFRLGpic.twitter.com/m8xEFOOjle
Unlike other retro games available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, Fire Red and Leaf Green will be standalone releases — sold via the eShop for $19.99 each. Local wireless play for battling and trading will be possible, though online features are not supported.
Still, the game is expected to enable players to connect and transfer Pokémon into Pokémon Home, the franchise’s cloud-based monster storage service.
As for next week’s Pokémon Presents broadcast, fans are anticipating that the franchise’s 30th anniversary will be marked by some big announcements. We’ll hear more about promising upcoming life sim spin-off Pokémon Pokopia of course, but fans will be waiting to see if the series’ long-awaited 10th generation of games and creatures also gets a showing.
Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green, which originally launched for the Game Boy Advance back in 2004, will arrive on Nintendo Switch next week to celebrate the Pokémon series’ 30th anniversary.
The games will become available on Switch shortly after this year’s Pokémon Presents broadcast — The Pokémon Company’s annual announcement showcase held on February 27 each year — that is expected to be a very important one indeed.
Today, The Pokémon Company also now firmed up the timing of the Pokémon Presents stream: at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK.
More to follow…
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
The League of Legends trading card game Riftbound’s second set, titled Spiritforged, was released in the US on February 13. The newest expansion has been out in China for a couple of months now, and in the west for just over a week, sowe’ve seen a general picture of how the new cards are impacting the metagame thanks to two recent Regional Qualifiers in Fuzhou and Chengdu. With that being said, these are some of the best Spiritforged cards I think you should look into picking up now that the set is finally available.
10. Blood Money
At uncommon, this card is relatively easy to pick up at an affordable price as a single. This is a super cheap and efficient early removal spell to help you stay on tempo, and you’d be hard pressed to see Yellow decks like Viktor, Herald of the Arcane not running three copies.
9. Card Sharp
Card Sharp is pretty versatile. There are a few Power hungry decks with Spiritforged, so being able to offset some of that cost with the Gold generated from Card Sharp and pressure with a 3 MIght body is worth considering.
8. Not So Fast
Thanks to the recent errata to refexive triggers, nerfing cards like Icathian Rain, Not So Fast got significantly better. Before, you’d only be able to counter just one instance of damage, but now you can just counter the entire spell with Not So Fast. Definitely keep this card on your radar if you like Green decks.
7. Bellows Breath
The new Repeat mechanic offers a more dynamic way to interact with opponents. Bellows Breath is one of these, being able to clear a Battlefield of smaller units in the early game.
6. Trinity Force
One of my favorite new equipments from the set, Trinity Force is one of the few cards that allow you to store extra points. I can see this making waves in Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman, as his Legend ability buffs defending units. In the Origins meta, the deck was great at holding to score points, and looks to be the same situation with Spiritforged.
5. Piercing Light
Like Bellows Breath, this can be an early game removal spell for tempo, or an easy two-for-one later on. Kai’Sa, Daughter of the Void typically ran two to three copies of Falling Star, so I can see this finding a home in that deck too.
4. Ferrous Forerunner
Ferrous Forerunner is a big body that continues to pressure your opponent even after it dies. Doing its best Wurmcoil Engine impression, this guy will spit out two 3 Might Mech tokens upon death, allowing you to maintain your board presence.
3. Called Shot
Even if Called Shot had 1 Energy cost, I would consider extremely powerful. At 0 Energy and sporting the Repeat mechanic has convinced me it’s the best draw and filter spell in the game. With a ton of ways to generate Gold tokens to help pay Power costs, this card is positioned to be seen in every Purple deck.
2. Guardian Angel
Guardian Angel is essentially copies four through 6 of Zhonya’s Hourlgass, which has the same effect. This, however, is an equipment, so it comes with a +1 Might buff and costs a Power to equip to a unit. Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman is still poised to be a contender with Spiritforged, and this card is one reason for that.
1. Ezreal, Prodigy
While Draven, Glorious Executioner is easily the strongest deck in the Spiritforged meta, many lists are playing Ezreal, Prodigy, which is the best card in the set for my money.
Purple is undoubtedly very strong, and Ezreal’s effect allows you to filter through your deck and a lot cards early, and fits into a few other archetypes nicely.
Like Origins before it, the second set is already sold out on Riot’s online storefront, but you can order through TCGplayer at pretty high markups if you’re desperate to secure the goods.
Violent weather is about to hit the Rust Belt, as developer Embark Studios has revealed a first look at the new Hurricane map condition coming to Arc Raiders.
The studio pulled back the curtain on Shrouded Sky, its next major content update, with a post on its website. It comes with a sneak peek at how hurricanes will tear through maps like Spaceport, promising what already looks like the most dangerous weather the southern Italy-set video game has faced yet.
Powerful Electromagnetic Storms and wintery Cold Snap conditions have had players seeking shelter before, but Embark says Arc Raiders hasn’t seen anything quite like this. Starting with the launch of Shrouded Sky February 24, Raiders may be subjected to strong winds that will have them rethinking how they approach PvP and PvE.
Searching for topside resources and blueprints during a hurricane will have players fighting both with and against the wind. Running with the storm could provide a small speed boost, for example, but running against it will result in slowed movement and drained stamina. Raiders can also expect everything from gas grenades to trailblazers and other throwables to behave differently when winds pick up.
One look at the trailer makes it clear visibility will be low during a hurricane, but Embark says Arc Raiders players will want to be wary of debris, too. However, like with most other map conditions, the increased threat level means more opportunities to find better loot, with today’s post teasing Raider Caches and relics of the First Wave for those who brave the storm.
Shrouded Sky is Embark’s major update for February and follows the January Headwinds update. While that relatively small content drop added a solo vs. squads queue option and the Bird City map condition, Shrouded Sky is said to come packed with a Raider Deck and map update, as well as a new Arc threat, which we may have gotten a small glimpse of toward the end of today’s trailer. Players can also expect to reset their ranks once again with the launch of the next Expedition the following day.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
Developer Mega Crit has published a new animated trailer for Slay the Spire 2, revealing four-player co-op and an early access release date of March 5, 2026.
The sequel to the studio’s beloved roguelike deckbuilder reappeared with a two-and-a-half-minute trailer today. Alongside the promise to bring a host of new features to Early Access players on Steam in just a few weeks, the footage comes mixed with a stylish animation that almost looks like it could stand alone as its own TV show.
As the trailer’s silent hero falls in battle, we see others come to their aid, revealing that players won’t have to fight through Slay the Spire 2’s dark fantasy world alone. Gameplay featured in the footage highlights combat encounters for up to four players, with Mega Crit explaining in a blog post on Steam that the multiplayer mode will feature its own specific cards and team synergies.
While Early Access is said to come with new cards, characters, events, relics, potions, abilities, alternate acts, and more, today’s trailer shows off how some of these new mechanics will offer chaotic twists on the original formula. The footage also teases an additional new character to look forward to.
“For 1,000 years, the Spire lay dormant, its secrets buried and its horrors forgotten,” an official description for Slay the Spire 2 says. “Now, it has reopened, hungrier and more dangerous than ever, devouring all who dare to ascend.
“New perils demand sharper strategies, relentless cunning, and unwavering resolve. Outwit the Spire’s brutal trials and uncover the truths hidden at its peak.”
Slay the Spire 2 is Mega Crit’s follow-up to its massively popular 2019 original and was announced in 2024. Although a delay saw its release date move from late 2025 to this March, fans will no doubt be excited to hear they’ll now only need to wait two weeks before going hands-on when it comes to PC via Steam March 5.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
