Evidence of an under-wraps third expansion for The Witcher 3 continues to mount, with one report now pointing to a possible ‘Dune-style’ location for the new adventure.
Word of a fresh DLC for the beloved 2015 blockbuster RPG began bubbling up in earnest last month, fuelled by a set of reports from insiders and apparent teases by developer CD Projekt that it had something secret in the works.
Now, a report by IGN Poland has said its local sources have been aware of potential plans for several years, and that — initially at least — its developers had expressed a keen interest in exploring Zerrikania, an exotic desert region to the far east of The Witcher 3’s current map.
While IGN Poland cautions that this information dates back several years, it also goes on to list a string of reasons why Zerrikania makes a lot of sense for the expansion, due to various hints at a Zerrikanian Manticore School in previous expansion Blood and Wine, and references to the region made by other characters. The same school is also a part of The Witcher’s tabletop RPG — as seen in the artwork above.
Separately, a Eurogamer report has given a more black-and-white reason why this expansion is likely real and expected to launch in 2026: because there’s currently a gap in CD Projekt’s employee incentive program target indicative of the company launching something expected to earn significant money.
As Eurogamer notes, CD Projekt doesn’t really have anything else expected to fit the bill, with The Witcher 4 not set for launch until 2027 at the earliest, and Cyberpunk 2 after that. Work on a new IP is also ongoing, but even further off.
There’s a possibility still that this could relate to some other, smaller Witcher spinoff, but with all the smoke around a Witcher 3 expansion now rising, everything looks to be pointing in the same direction.
A new DLC feels like a smart idea to reawaken lapsed interest ahead of the series’ next chapter, via extra content sold to The Witcher 3’s existing audience of more than 60 million players. This content could be used as a reason to sell the game anew, to bring fresh fans to the decade-old role-player, and potentially set up plot points to be expanded upon in the franchise’s eventual sequels.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
A ratings board leak has detailed Life is Strange: Reunion, a new game in the narrative adventure series that focuses on the return of fan-favorite character Chloe.
Details of Life is Strange: Reunion have now been made public by the European ratings board PEGI, which published a now-deleted plot summary for the game online last night.
Reunion’s existance had long been rumored among Life is Strange fans clued into the franchise’s ongoing development at troubled studio Deck Nine Games. The expectation is that Reunion will be made official in the imminent future, and launch not long after.
Life is Strange: Reunion is particularly notable as it appears to revive (or return) the character of Chloe, the original game’s blue-haired best friend (or love interest) that you could sacrifice (or save) depending on your choices.
Deck Nine’s most recent Life is Strange game, Double Exposure, received a negative reaction from many core fans of the series for returning to the story of original main character Max Caulfield in a reality in which Chloe survived the events of the franchise’s first game but did not appear in person. Fans of the pair’s romantic relationship option were particularly upset, as Double Exposure explained that the two characters were now broken up, seemingly permanently.
Purported leaks from within Deck Nine Games amid this backlash painted a picture of a troubled development, but also mentioned a further game being in the works that did feature Chloe. Reunion certainly seems to be this project — and it will be interesting to see whether its final version feels like it has been shaped by feedback to Double Exposure.
“Chloe Price was Max Caulfield’s partner in time,” reads a description of the game published by PEGI. “Losing her is Max’s greatest regret. Now Chloe has come to Caledon University. Haunted by nightmares and impossible memories, Chloe needs Max’s help. But Max is already in crisis: in three days, a deadly inferno will destroy the campus.”
Other plot details include a character hallucinating on mushrooms, and a scene where a building is on fire with people trapped inside. The game will reportedly begin with a recap of previous Life is Strange entries, in which it sounds like we’ll see Chloe during the events of the first game.
A digital deluxe version of the game will also be offered, containing additional outfits.
Life is Strange: Reunion is yet to be officially announced by publisher Square Enix, but it likely won’t be long now. We’ve contacted the company for more.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Amazon has been dropping some very nice gaming deals recently to start off 2026. The latest offer to catch our eye is on Star Wars Outlaws for PS5 and Xbox Series X, which have both dropped to $19.99 for a limited time. This marks a return to the lowest price for both PS5 and Xbox Series X versions at Amazon, so this is a great opportunity to grab it. And why not spend these next few winter months journeying to a galaxy far, far away?
Star Wars Outlaws (PS5 and Xbox Series X) for $20
This Amazon Exclusive limited edition release of Star Wars Outlaws comes with some extras alongside the game. This version will set you up with The Rogue Infiltrator Character Pack, which features cosmetics for Kay and Nix that you can use in the game.
Still wondering if this is the game for you? Our review from IGN’s Tristan Ogilvie called it a “fun intergalactic heist adventure with great exploration,” though he noted at the time that it was “hindered by simple stealth, repetitive combat, and a few too many bugs at launch.” However, since launch, it’s received updates to give it a bit of a boost.
As mentioned before, this isn’t the only video game deal to cross our radar over at Amazon. The retailer has had quite a few surprises up its sleeve recently, including a very big discount on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Astro Bot. Outside of Amazon, Walmart’s even offering a great deal at the moment on Battlefield 6, if you’ve been waiting for a good time to add that to your library. For even more discounts on games, have a look at our roundup of the best deals of the day.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
The Fortnite South Park trailer is (officially) here, revealing an all-new short as Butters, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny all drop in for five-player battle royale matches – a.k.a. Quints.
Epic Games published the full trailer for its South Park crossover content following a leak that wormed its way online earlier today. While the low-quality, unofficial version of the footage did show the Fortnite content in its entirety, there were a few key details saved while players wait for the event to launch this Friday, January 9.
Epic’s official trailer comes in at about two-and-a-half minutes longer than the leaked trailer, with the vast majority of that runtime filled with fresh scenes set in that iconic animated South Park style. The short sees the show’s main quartet back at their computers to play some video games while leaving Butters to sit alone in a lobby, all because he “lowkey” sucks at Fortnite.
“Actually, you just suck at Fortnite,” Cartman quips. “It’s not even lowkey.”
Butters, donning his tinfoil Professor Chaos costume, then uses the power of the Stick of Truth to transform the South Park school bus into a proper Battle Bus that whisks the group away into the world of Fortnite (and Cartmanland). It’s here the group is forced to add Butters to their squad, making for a pretty natural segway for Epic to introduce its big new feature: Quints.
As the fourth graders have proper battle royale mech suit skins built around them, Epic has used the trailer’s description to confirm that Quints is a five-player playlist for players to enjoy until the event concludes February 5. It’s an update that finally brings bigger party sizes to Fortnite after years of calls for increases, though additional details currently remain under wraps.
As for other changes the Fortnite x South Park event brings to the table, the studio has confirmed the crossover’s Born in Chaos pass will be free. This departure from previous mini passes, which typically cost players and included new skins, will now not include the new South Park outfits, instead allowing players to purchase them in the Shop.
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).
Kirby has been a steadfast Nintendo mascot for 34 years, ever since the character debuted in 1992’s Kirby’s Dream Land for Game Boy. In addition to being a Smash Bros. staple, Kirby and his ever-evolving powers of inhalation have starred in over two dozen games, culminating in the series’ best-selling game to date, Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
With Kirby Air Riders kicking off a new wave of Switch 2 exclusives, we’ve compiled a list of every Kirby game on the Switch as well as new Kirby games coming to the Switch 2.
How Many Kirby Games Are on Switch?
Seven Kirby games have been released on Nintendo Switch, while 11 more retro Kirby games are playable with Nintendo Switch Online. The franchise debuted on Switch in 2018 with Kirby Star Allies; its latest release, Kirby Air Riders, arrived in 2025.
Every Kirby Game on Switch (in Release Order)
Kirby Star Allies (2018)
Kirby’s Switch debut came in 2018 with Kirby Star Allies. The action-platformer is played with a party of four (multiplayer or local AI) and sees Kirby combine abilities with allies to solve puzzles and enhance combat.
Super Kirby Clash (2019)
Series developer HAL Laboratories and Nintendo brought the pink puff back the following year for the free-to-play Super Kirby Clash. Like Star Allies, Clash is played with a team of four that can be controlled by other human players or AI. Unlike Star Allies, this is not a platformer but rather a standalone boss rush mode; it features a hub world for changing equipment and selecting quests, though the heart of the game is the series of boss fights that serve as those quests.
Kirby Fighters 2 (2020)
A sequel to the 3DS game Kirby Fighters Deluxe (an expanded version of the subgame Kirby Fighters found in Kirby: Triple Deluxe), Kirby Fighters 2 is exactly what it sounds like: a fighting game starring Kirby. It supports up to four players and features Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee, Gooey, and Magolor as playable characters.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022)
The series’ standout game on Switch, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a post-apocalyptic adventure in which Kirby gets sucked into a wormhole that appears above Dream Land. The Forgotten Land is the series’ first fully 3D platformer, complete with puzzles and Kirby’s signature ability-based combat. It’s the series’ best-selling game to date, selling more than 7.5 million copies by the end of March 2024. A Switch 2 version of the game released in late 2025 , introducing the Star Crossed World expansion.
Kirby’s Dream Buffet (2022)
Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a dessert-themed multiplayer game released in 2022. It features three four-player game modes: race, minigame, and battle royale. The modes can be played separately or together as part of Dream Buffet’s Gourmet Grand Prix.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe (2023)
The series’ latest game, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a remake of the 2011 Wii game Kirby’s Return to Dream Land. The action-platformer came to Switch with improved visuals, a new easy mode (Helper Magolor), three new abilities (Sand, Mecha, and Festival), and an all-new two-hour adventure called Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler.
Return to Dream Land Deluxe supports local co-op for up to four players, with each player taking control of either Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, or Bandana Waddle Dee.
Kirby Air Riders (2025) *Switch 2 Exclusive
Kirby Air Riders was officially announced during the April 2025 Nintendo Direct as a follow-up to the 2003 Kirby Air Ride racing game on GameCube. Masahiro Sakurai, creator of both the Kirby series and Super Smash Bros., returns as director of the new game, and has described it as having a similar feel to Mario Kart. IGN’s own review argues that once you learn some funky controls, “you’re in for a chaotic action racing game that’s a great time with friends and offers a ton to do on your own.”
Kirby Games Available with Nintendo Switch Online
There are 11 Kirby games available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Those with a regular subscription can play nine Kirby games from NES, SNES, and Game Boy, while those with the more expensive Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription get access to two additional games: Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (GBA) and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64).
Here’s the list of Kirby games playable with Nintendo Switch Online, ordered by initial release date:
A new GameCube library will also be available in the NSO + Expansion Pack membership on Switch 2, which may include Kirby Air Ride.
What’s Next for Kirby on the Switch 2?
Last year was a solid one for Kirby fans, with the release of both Kirby Air Riders and the Switch 2 edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land with a new expansion. We don’t have any news about what’s next for the pink puffball, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as that changes.
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
Arc Raiders players hoping for a new game update may not have to wait much longer, as developer Embark Studios says it is “looking into” balance changes for some of its most controversial weapons.
In a public message posted to the official Arc Raiders Discord, an Embark community manager known as Birdie teased the next patch “shouldn’t take too long” to launch “now that the team is back from the holidays.”
There’s no word on when exactly the new Arc Raiders update will be published, but any amount of communication suggesting a short wait is enough to get fans excited. Fans have spent the time since the December 16 launch of update 1.7.0 (a.k.a. Cold Snap) theorizing about what the new year may hold while sharing any new concerns with Embark. Although The Goalie Raider Deck helped tide players over late last month, the lack of a firm 2026 roadmap has left some fans curious about what’s to come.
One player tapped into some of their more pressing issues and shared them with Embark yesterday. They specifically take issue with what they believe is a “lack of urgency” at the studio, calling for communication and tweaks for Stella Montis, cheaters, the skill tree, Trigger Nades, and more. Birdie replied, and while not every point was addressed, it seems Embark has plans to tackle balance changes sooner rather than later – and a Trigger Nade nerf may be on the docket.
“The holidays delayed things a bit, but the dev team want you to know that they are looking into balance, for example, the stitcher, kettle, and trigger nade,” the community manager explained. “Rest assured that we hear you and work on delivering a good gaming experience, things are just not immediate.”
The shape these nerfs will take remains unclear for now, leaving some players concerned that they’ll do more harm than good before actually evening the playing field. It’s also unclear if the next Arc Raiders update will feature some of these teased balance adjustments, but it’s least being looked into as Embark gets back into the swing of things.
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).
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has asked a judge to grant the fired GTA 6 developers interim relief at a preliminary employment tribunal hearing held in the UK this week. Rockstar Games, which also attended the hearing, has issued a response to the claims, denying a number of points made by the union.
Rockstar has insisted the employees it fired late last year were dismissed because they leaked game features for upcoming and unannounced titles in Discord, not because they were trying to unionize. 34 members of staff at Rockstar were dismissed, 31 in the UK and three in Canada, sparking protests outside the office of GTA 6 developer Rockstar North in Edinburgh, Scotland, and outside parent company Take-Two’s office in London.
The IWGB, which is representing the affected staff in the UK, has refuted Rockstar’s claim, saying that the workers “only communicated in private and legally-protected trade union channels.”
On Monday, January 5, a preliminary hearing at the Glasgow Tribunals Centre in Scotland saw the IWGB represent the fired Rockstar workers and make a case for why they should be granted interim relief.
Interim relief is a legal mechanism that can provide workers with support while they wait for a full hearing. This week’s tribunal will decide whether or not the workers will receive the interim relief while awaiting a date for a full trial. If the interim relief is granted, the workers will be put back on Rockstar’s payroll and have their work visas reinstated where necessary.
The IWGB told IGN today that it is hopeful the judge will see it their way, but insisted that if the interim relief is not granted, that doesn’t mean Rockstar will not be found guilty of breaking the law if and when the case goes to trial.
“We hope this week’s tribunal will grant urgently needed relief to the workers whose lives were turned upside down by Rockstar’s brutal union-busting, leaving them and their families without incomes, without secure futures, and in some cases without even the right to remain in the country they have made their home,” the IWGB said in a statement issued to IGN.
“However, no matter the outcome of this interim hearing, we remain confident in the strength of the case we have brought against Rockstar Games. We reiterate our firm belief that Rockstar broke the law when it summarily dismissed 31 of our members, and we look forward now to the day we face them in court for a full and substantive tribunal hearing.
“Rockstar hoped to quickly and quietly wipe out a group of workers who were organising for better conditions. Instead, their dismissal of 31 union members captured the world’s attention and ignited an unprecedented uprising of global solidarity. This case is not just about the suffering of the 31 people who lost their livelihoods in the blink of an eye. This is about the arrogance of a company like Rockstar thinking that its size and profitability grant it an unlimited licence to abuse its workers, and to do so with impunity.
“Whether or not interim relief is granted this week, we will continue fighting in the courts and on the streets until we see justice, for the fired Rockstar workers and for workers everywhere fighting for a fairer future.”
A Rockstar Games spokesperson issued IGN with the following statement on this week’s hearing. In it, the company addressed many of the union’s claims, and claimed the organization lacks any evidence to justify emergency interim relief.
“Rockstar categorically denies the claim being heard in today’s hearing,” the Rockstar spokesperson said.
“We have consistently made clear that we took necessary action against a group of individuals across the UK and Canada who discussed highly confidential information, including relating to game features from upcoming and unannounced titles, in an insecure and public social channel. This was a breach of long-standing and well-understood confidentiality policies.
“This channel contained at least 25 non-Rockstar employees, including employees of competitor game developers, a video games industry journalist, as well as dozens of anonymous, unidentifiable members.
“Meanwhile, employees who posted union-supportive messages, but who did not breach confidentiality policies, were not dismissed.
“We regret that these dismissals were necessary; however, confidentiality is fundamental to everything Rockstar Games does. Global interest in our games is unparalleled. Even the smallest leak of any information relating to our products and practices can cause major commercial and creative damage — as we have seen in the past — and damage the experience of our loyal players and dedicated team. This was never about union membership. We have always taken a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorized releases of information — and we always will.”
Rockstar has indicated to IGN that it believes the IWGB’s claim of “union-busting” is baseless, and that the union has no evidence to support its statements. Rockstar has also denied having a “blacklist” of union members, stressing that at the time of the dismissals, the company did not know whether the claimants were union members, so could not have targeted them.
And, as it has said before, Rockstar employees themselves raised concerns to the company and granted representatives access to the “social” channel, not the Discord channel used for official union organizing. It maintains that this social Discord channel was not private or for employees only, and indeed contained hundreds of users, including employees of competitor game developers, a video games industry journalist, and dozens of anonymous, unidentifiable members. As IGN has also reported, Rockstar has claimed that the union channel mods didn’t know who was in the channel, and that it posed a leak risk.
What about this alleged leaked information? Rockstar believes it to be significant and related to game features around GTA 6. This includes specific game features, comments on the progress of GTA 6 development, and timelines to launch.
Rockstar believes that if the comments in question were leaked they would have been big gaming news and might even have affected Take-Two’s share price. When Rockstar officially announced that GTA 6 would be delayed by six months to November 19, 2026, the market value of Take-Two plummeted $3.75 billion in a single day.
And Rockstar has pointed to its well-established zero tolerance approach to leaks, highlighting that it dismissed a Rockstar employee in Lincoln, UK in April 2025, who it alleged disclosed confidential information about GTA 6 to a third party who published the information to social media, and dismissed an employee in the U.S. in November 2023 and another in India in November 2025 for two separate acts of information leaking.
The hearing comes after UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the case “deeply concerning,” and pledged that ministers would investigate. The layoffs were raised by Rockstar North’s local MP Chris Murray in the UK’s Parliament during a session of Prime Minister’s Questions that took place late last year.
“The video games company Rockstar in my constituency last month fired 31 employees without providing evidence or union representation,” Murray told the Prime Minister. “The [Independent Workers Union of Great Britain] IWGB alleges union busting. Having met Rockstar they failed to reassure me they are following employment law and I share concerns about union busting.
“Given this government is responsible for the biggest increase in workers rights in a generation,” Murray continued, “does the Prime Minister agree all companies regardless of profit size must follow UK employment law and all workers have the right to join a union?”
“It’s a deeply concerning case,” Starmer replied. “Every worker has the right to join a trade union and we’re determined to strengthen workers rights and ensure they don’t face unfair consequences for being part of a union. Our ministers will look into the particular case that he [Murray] raises and will keep him updated.”
Union busting has consequences! UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the government will look into @RockstarGames‘s dismissal of 31 union members. pic.twitter.com/4EEM9NvcR7
In a statement sent to IGN at the time, MP Chris Murray shared detail of his attempts to discuss the matter with Rockstar itself, including a joint meeting alongside fellow Edinburgh MPs Tracy Gilbert and Scott Arthur at Rockstar North’s offices, which began with a standoff over the need to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
“The meeting began with us as MPs refused entry unless an NDA was signed, a request they eventually withdrew after being made clear this would not be signed,” Murray said.
He continued: “The meeting only entrenched my concerns about the process Rockstar used to dismiss so many of their staff members. I was not assured their process paid robust attention to UK employment law, I was not convinced that this course of action was necessary, and alarmingly, I did not leave informed on exactly what these 31 people had done to warrant their immediate dismissal.”
IGN recently questioned Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick on the matter, who answered by defending the company’s culture and saying that Take-Two was “incredibly proud of our labor relations.”
Photo by Lesley Martin/PA Images via Getty Images.
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.
The Humble Bundle January lineup has officially arrived to kick off 2026, and if you’ve been hoping to stock up on some new PC games to keep you busy, it’s offering up a great selection. Leading the pack this month is Sonic Frontiers, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, and Hunt: Showdown 1896, alongside five others and a free month of IGN Plus. All of these – which you can see in full list form below – can be yours to keep forever with a Humble Choice membership, which will set you back $14.99 per month.
It’s not just the selection of games (which are delivered to you as Steam codes) each month you’ll get with a Humble Choice membership, either. Those who sign up will also get up to 20% off select games in the Humble Store and 5% of your membership each month goes to a charity. For January, this donation will go to Gamers Outreach. And if you find the membership isn’t working, you can skip a month you’re not interested in or cancel at any point.
This month’s lineup has quite a few fun options. Sonic Frontiers is a game we gave a 7/10 to, saying in our review that it’s “a delightfully weird and experimental evolution of the Sonic games so many of us grew up with.” Old-timey extraction shooter Hunt: Showdown 1896 is one that earned a 7.5 in its early access review from us, and Metal Slug Tactics came in with an 8/10 in our review, as it’s “a meticulously crafted ode to an arcade classic that also introduces a handful of compelling innovations to the tactics genre.” It’s a nice variety to add to your library.
Through this membership, you’ll also have a chance to test out IGN Plus for one month. With this, you’ll be able to turn off ads across the site, get free games, and more. If it’s something you’ve been interested in, this is a great opportunity to give it a try.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Ubisoft has shut down its Halifax Studio, just one month after 61 of its 71 workers voted to unionize.
The publisher shared this news in a statement to IGN today, confirming that 71 positions had been impacted and claiming this move was part of its wider two-year effort company-wide to “streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.” “We are committed to supporting all impacted team members during this transition with resources, including comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance,” the company added.
This comes just one month after 61 of Ubisoft Halifax’s employees voted to unionize with the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada, which is itself part of CWA (Communications Workers of America) in Canada. The union was officially certified six months after employees announced their intentions to unionize, and after 74% of eligible employees consisting of producers, programmers, designers, artists, researchers, and testing voted in favor. It marked the first Ubisoft union in North America.
Ubisoft has claimed that the closure of Ubisoft Halifax is unrelated to the union, and is instead a part of its larger restructuring and cost-saving efforts, as well as declining revenues from Assassin’s Creed: Rebellion, which will also be winding down operations as part of this decision. The publisher has been undergoing significant cuts, laying off employees in batches over the last few years, shutting down studios, and canceling multiple projects amid a series of disappointing releases and falling revenues. Last year, Ubisoft turned outside the company for assistance, creating a new business entity to manage Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six with a 25% stake from Tencent.
IGN has reached out to Ubisoft Workers of Canada: Halifax and CWA for comment.
Ubisoft Halifax began as a branch of Longtail Studios, which was founded in New York City in 2003 by Ubisoft co-founder Gérard Guillemot, with branches in Quebec and Halifax being added in later years. It was best-known for its work on the Rocksmith series, as well as various early mobile and Nintendo DS games. In 2015, Ubisoft acquired Longtail and renamed it Ubisoft Halifax, putting it to work on mobile games such as Assassin’s Creed Rebellion and Rainbow Six Mobile.
Two years ago, we told the story of a 2008-2009 unionization drive that took place at the Quebec Longtail studio that was ultimately unsuccessful due to what our sources claimed were fairly open union-busting efforts by its management, including mass layoffs attributed to economic conditions. Both Longtail Halifax and Quebec were ultimately folded into Ubisoft in subsequent years.
Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
If you think it’s okay to share spoilers of a 26-year-old game, you may want to think again after Square Enix made it clear that anyone willfully spoiling Dragon Quest VII Reimagined may be “temporarily or permanently banned.”
According to the company’s usage policy, and reported by Automaton, anyone sharing details of the plot — be it from the demo, the original story, or the new story elements in the remake, which releases next month — must use spoiler tags. This means players cannot share images, videos, or even livestreams of any gameplay past the Malign Shrine: Throne Room’s boss battle before the February 5, 2026 release date.
“No spoilers please,” the publisher stressed. “In order not to spoil other players’ enjoyment, you must mark all content that includes details of major plot developments with a clear spoiler warning.
“Please refrain from livestreaming or posting videos/images of gameplay after the boss battle in the Malign Shrine: Throne Room until February 5 2026.”
While that may sound fair enough, don’t forget that the digital deluxe edition provides players with two days’ early access, which players and streamers won’t be able to share their experience from before the release date. Anyone sharing images or videos should also attribute copyright to Armor Project, Bird Studio and Square Enix, and failure to adhere to any of these rules may result in temporary or permanent suspension of your game access.
“You must immediately comply with any request from Square Enix to remove Materials from any shared content, regardless of whether Square Enix provides a reason for the request,” the notice adds. “Square Enix reserves the right to require or seek removal of any content incorporating the Materials that it deems to be inappropriate in its sole discretion. If you do not adhere to these Guidelines, Square Enix may, in addition to objecting to your use of the Materials, temporarily or permanently suspend you from using the Game.”
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is set to release on February 5 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Announced in September’s Nintendo Direct, it lets you rediscover a tale of plucky companions brimming with joy and heartbreak as you discover the truth behind why your kingdom is the only remaining island in the world. The game features a new art style that blends diorama visuals with Akira Toriyama’s iconic character designs, as well as a streamlined main story.
“While many aspects of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined are still a mystery, all of those special little qualities and personalities that have kept this series going for almost 40 years are still on display,” we wrote in IGN’s Dragon Quest VII Reimagined preview, shared towards the end of last year.
“I am eager to see all that this new version has to offer and just how the removal of some story beats and addition of new ones impacts the overall campaign, along with what the new gameplay mechanics bring to the Dragon Quest DNA. 2026 may just be the year that the rest of the world really sees what has made Dragon Quest VII the best-selling entry over in Japan, giving it the stage to finally shine.”
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.
