Bomb Busters Just Won Germany’s Board Game of the Year Award and Now You Can’t Buy It Anywhere

Bomb Busters was recently awarded the highest honor for board games as it was named the 2025 Spiel des Jahres in Germany, beating out Flip 7 and Krakel Orakel for the top honors this year.

The Spiel des Jahres may not be a household name in the U.S., but it’s the most prestigious and influential board game award in the world, similar to winning an Oscar for film. The Spiel des Jahres (literally “Game of the Year”) has been awarded to the best overall board game by an independent jury in Germany since 1979.

This year’s winner, Bomb Busters, is a strategic cooperative game for up to five players that requires everyone to work together to defuse a bomb by cutting the correct wires. It’s basically the tabletop equivalent of the video game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.

This is a great game for families as it’s not too difficult to learn and includes 66 unique scenarios to conquer together. Typical games take around 30 minutes, making it a quick board game to get to the table and play.

Following the news of its big win, Bomb Busters is currently out of stock in the U.S. at Amazon and at the Pegasus Spiele North America store with no anticipated restock date.

Despite not having a big ceremony, winning the Spiel des Jahres is still a massive achievement and helps many board games achieve worldwide recognition. Historically, some of the best modern board games have been awarded the Spiel des Jahres, including Azul, Cascadia, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, and Codenames, just to name a few.

In 1989, a second award was added, the Kinderspiel des Jahres, that recognized the best children’s game of the year. The most recent award, the Kennerspiel des Jahres, was added in 2011 to recognize the best “connoisseur,” or expert, game of the year.

This year, the cake-building game Topp die Torte! won the Kinderspiel des Jahres and the cooperative ocean exploration game Endeavor: Deep Sea won the Kennerspiel des Jahres.

For more board game coverage, check out our roundups of the best strategy board games, the best classic board games, and the best board games for adults to play in 2025.

Matthew Adler has written for IGN since 2019 covering all things gaming, tech, tabletop games, and more. You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

The Biggest Pokémon Card Crashers And Climbers This Week – July 14

Scarlet and Violet base set prices have been anything but steady lately, with some Illustration Rares climbing fast while SIRs cool off just as quickly. I’ve been tracking a handful of cards that stood out this month, with some pulling in surprising gains and others dropping harder than expected. Here’s a quick look at which Pokémon TCG cards are crashing and climbing ahead of the final Scarlet and Violet sets release in Black Bolt and White Flare.

Pokémon TCG Crashers

I’ve been keeping an eye on Scarlet and Violet base set prices lately, and the Psychic-type Illustration Rares seem to be the ones pulling ahead. Ralts 211/198 has been quietly climbing. It’s sitting around $38.99 now, which is up about 28% this month. For a Basic card with simple art and a single Psyshot attack, that’s not something I saw coming. Same goes for Kirlia 212/198. It’s up to $27.99, mirroring Ralts’s percentage jump. That evolution line seems to be gaining popularity as a set, more than just individual play value.

Speaking of evolutions, Gardevoir ex 245/198 is definitely riding that same wave. It’s hit $54.99 recently, up from $41.19 just a month back. I don’t play Gardevoir myself, but the Psychic Embrace ability keeps showing up in deck lists, so the price hike makes sense when you look at both collector and competitive demand feeding into each other. Miraidon ex 244/198 and Koraidon ex 247/198 are seeing their own upticks, both sitting around $23.99 now. Not massive jumps compared to Gardevoir, but steady enough to notice if you’ve been following these since launch. Miraidon especially, thanks to that Tandem Unit ability, looks like it’s still holding value in Lightning-heavy builds.

Pokémon TCG Climbers

On the other end of things, some cards are definitely cooling off. Fidough 213/198 took a 15% hit, now hovering around $13.74. Cute card, but it doesn’t exactly have a standout ability or attack, so this feels more like a natural correction. Armarouge 203/198 dipped too, though only about 11%. I could see it regaining some ground later if Fire decks make a comeback, but for now, it’s sliding. Pachirisu 208/198’s price drop caught my attention more, which is currently down 19%. I feel like that’s tied to Lightning deck meta shifting around; its no-Paralysis ability isn’t moving the needle price-wise anymore.

Dondozo 207/198 and Starly 221/198 both saw the sharpest drops, each now at $9.99. Dondozo lost 30% this month, and Starly even more at 37%. I never really saw much hype for either of these beyond early Scarlet and Violet excitement, so the fall-off doesn’t surprise me. It feels like folks are figuring out what’s actually playable or collectible long-term.

Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Preorders

This is it, the beggining of a new expansion for Pokémon TCG. Best Buy have gone live with their preorder allocation for Mega Evolutions today, which mean Target and Walmart won’t be far behind. Here’s all the links you need and good luck trainers!

Pokémon TCG Price Updates

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but Amazon has quite a bit of sealed Pokémon TCG product for under market value. Whilst that unfortunately means it’s still way above MSRP, some of these sets are at the best prices they’ve been in the last month.

Last Weeks Crashers and Climbers

As newer Pokémon TCG sets grab the spotlight, Paradox Rift is seeing its high-rarity SIR ex cards drop in value while several Illustration Rares quietly climb due to shifting collector interest and low inventory. Cards like Altaria ex, Gholdengo ex, and Steelix have dropped between 16% and 25%, while Illustration Rares including Morpeko, Plusle, Minun, Groudon, and Iron Valiant ex are climbing fast, with Morpeko leading at a 43% increase. This mirrors earlier trends where less flashy cards gain traction as availability tightens.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

Woot Is Having a Post-Prime Day Sale on Puzzles and Board Games

Amazon’s Prime Day sale this year was pretty good overall for casual board game and puzzle enthusiasts. There were discounts on quite a few popular games and many popular jigsaw puzzle brands had all-time low prices. But if you happened to have miss all of those deals, Woot is currently having a small sale of its own that gives you a second chance at savings.

There aren’t a ton of options in this sale, but there are enough to make it noteworthy. Some of the best deals available here are on 3D puzzles and some lesser known board games, so I’d suggest checking those out first. The popular LEGO board game that was on sale during Prime Day was also included, but has already sold out.

Puzzles and Board Games on Sale Today

Woot has a landing page for all of the discounts currently offered in its sale, and I recommend you just peruse it yourself to see if there’s anything of interest to you. Like I mentioned above, there aren’t that many things available in this sale. The board game side of the discounts are especially lacking in some of our favorite options, but there are still some family games worth picking up in here. The overall best deals are on 3D puzzle builds that are collaborations with popular franchises like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Marvel, and Star Wars. These types of puzzles are excellent LEGO alternatives that were already fairly affordable before getting extra discounted here.

What is Woot?

If you aren’t familiar with Woot, the easiest way to learn more about it is through the about page on its website. In a nutshell, Woot is a daily deals site that was founded back in 2004 and later purchased by Amazon. They offer deals on just about everything that many other retailers don’t often have. The products themselves are always high-quality and backed by Amazon, so it’s legit. Prime members even get free standard shipping on anything they buy on Woot, so you don’t need to worry about hitting a minimum price or total shipping costs if you already have Prime.

ZeniMax Union Responds to Microsoft Canceling Unannounced MMO: ‘A Future Has Been Stolen From Us’

Following a wave of mass layoffs that impacted an estimated 9,100 employees at Microsoft, many of whom were in its Xbox gaming division, the union of employees at Xbox subsidiary ZeniMax have responded with a statement explaining the current employment status of its members.

Today, ZeniMax Online Studios United (ZOSU), which represents employees on both The Elder Scrolls Online and the cancelled unannounced MMO, issued a lengthy statement addressing the layoffs and project cancellations. Critically, ZOSU confirmed that as of today, its members are all still employed by Microsoft and receiving pay and benefits, though this is likely not to be the case forever.

Per the statement, worker representatives of the union are currently bargaining with the company over how the workers will move forward following the shuttering of the MMO. While the union acknowledges that layoffs may be in the future for some members, “as a result of our organizing, we are able to ensure that those impacted will be able to depart with dignity.”

ZOSU was formed just last December, consisting at the time of its organizing of 461 employees across ZeniMax Online Studios. This number included web developers, designers, engineers, and graphic artists at ZeniMax Online Studios working on The Elder Scrolls Online and the unannounced MMO. While ZOSU still has yet to reach a contract agreement with Microsoft, its sibling union ZeniMax Workers United, which represents ZeniMax QA workers, reached an agreement at the end of May.

ZOSU’s statement is published in full below:

Earlier this month, Microsoft indefinitely shelved an unannounced MMORPG at ZeniMax Online Studios, a shock to the 222 ZOSU-CWA developers working on the project. It has been heartening and validating to see our game mentioned in the press and by players that would have loved to see the results of our work.

Undoubtedly, a future has been stolen from many of us and our community will never experience an amazing game. However, despite discussions regarding the status of our employment, the fact is: we have not yet been laid off.

While we understand that for most of us something like a layoff is inevitable, last December both the teams behind The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) and the unannounced project voted overwhelmingly to form a union and establish ZeniMax Online Studios United-CWA (ZOSU-CWA). Worker-volunteers elected to represent the interests of our union are currently bargaining with Microsoft for the benefit of our impacted teammates.

While Microsoft and ZOSU-CWA bargain over how we move forward following the project closure, the developers behind the unannounced project remain employees of ZeniMax Online Studios with full pay and benefits.

On July 2nd, our lives were upended without prior notice or communication from Microsoft leadership and without clear understanding about the status of our employment. In light of this, our union came together with urgency, gathering and distributing information and resources to our affected members.

Where Microsoft has failed to support the talented craftspeople who have generated billions in revenue, our union has stepped up to provide clarity and support.

It is true that a layoff may be in the future for some of our members. However, as a result of our organizing, we are able to ensure that those impacted will be able to depart with dignity.

More importantly, the work of ZOSU-CWA will continue so that our remaining teammates — the stalwart developers of ESO — can follow in the footsteps of our colleagues across other departments and studios at Microsoft, including our union siblings at ZeniMax Workers United (ZWU-CWA). We look forward to other units who will soon ratify fair contracts that will guarantee the rights we all deserve.

The impact of the massive Microsoft layoffs earlier this month on Xbox specifically was wide, and remains not fully understood. We’ve since learned that Everwild and Perfect Dark are no longer being developed, and The Initiative has shut down.

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.

Nintendo Is ‘Aware Performance May Drop Slightly’ In Donkey Kong Bananza But Says The Team Prioritized ‘Fun and Playability’ During Development

The director of the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza has acknowledged some “performance” issues, while saying the team prioritized “fun and playability” during development.

In an interview with La Vanguardia, director Kazuya Takahashi responded to performance issues noticed by a journalist whilst previewing the game.

“There are several factors to consider,” Takahashi said when asked about the issues. “First, we intentionally used effects like hit-stop and slow motion to emphasize impacts. Second, because we use voxel technology, there are times when there are major changes and destruction in the environment.

“We’re aware that performance may drop slightly at these times,” Takahashi added. “However, as [the journalist says], overall the game is smooth, and at points where large-scale changes occur, we prioritized fun and playability.”

“I think Bananza is on track to be one of the most gorgeous Nintendo games I’ve seen,” we wrote in IGN’s Donkey Kong Bananza preview. “It really does take advantage of Switch 2’s hardware – the environments are beautiful and DK’s animations are wonderfully expressive, and I left feeling like the next generation of first-party Nintendo games had truly arrived.”

Donkey Kong Bananza is out later this week on July 17 for $69.99 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2. If you’re looking to stay spoiler-free, now may be a good time to mute words on social media, as Donkey Kong Bananza spoilers are being spread online after early copies of the game have turned up in the hands of several fans.

For more, we have a selection of stories in which we spoke to the development team about a number of topics related to Bananza, including how the game was first conceived and the necessity of releasing on the Nintendo Switch 2. You can read our entire interview in full right here.

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.

Mafia: The Old Country – Exclusive Hands-On Preview | IGN First

Before I sat down to play about three hours of Mafia: The Old Country, Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes repeatedly mentioned his team’s desire for players to finish this prequel’s story. And so with that goal in mind, the latest Mafia game turns back the clock both chronologically – it’s set in the early 1900s in Sicily – and in game design as well. Mafia 3, though very good, went full open-world, and the developers seemed to feel similarly about it in hindsight as players did: it just didn’t fit Mafia well. The first two Mafias were gorgeous, narrative-driven, linear games set against the backdrop of a stunning and highly detailed world that, while explorable, really only existed as a beautiful backdrop for your main mission, rather than trying to keep you busy with menial tasks and sidequests. In fact, Baynes seemed to suggest that the positive reception to 2020’s remake of the first game (Mafia: Definitive Edition) served as something of an inspiration to and north star for this fourth entry in the mainline series.

I’m pleased to report that after playing through Chapters 3, 4, and 5 of The Old Country, the development team has seemingly succeeded in returning Mafia to its gameplay roots. This is, like Mafia 1 and 2, a story-first, not-open-world action-adventure. And interestingly, your primary, upgradeable weapon isn’t a gun – though they are certainly here – but rather, your knife. Stealth is fully supported, and even better, it’s only going to be $50 at launch, or as I like to call it, the Reverse Randy Pitchford price tag.

That Old Familiar Feeling

When I first picked up the controller – playing on a high-end PC, which is where the footage you’re seeing in the video at the top of this page and directly above came from – it’s the early 1900s and late-teenager Enzo Favara has recently escaped the sulfur mines he spent his childhood laboring in and started to become his own free man while working in the vineyard of Don Torrisi, a Sicilian mafioso who protects the people and property of the region from the thieving bandits that lurk in the hills – in exchange for monthly protection payments, of course. I really like how The Old Country tries to depict Enzo’s progression from a very innocent kid into a bound-by-blood, fully vetted member of the Torrisi outfit who’s got the green light to do anything he thinks needs to be done for the good of the family. We see this play out in Chapter 3, where Enzo’s first taste of life outside the vineyard with the Torrisis comes when he’s brought along on a series of collections by Luca, the Don’s right hand man, and Cesare, another made member of the family.

Luca and Cesare are essentially the mafioso version of an angel and devil on your shoulders.

Luca and Cesare are essentially the mafioso version of an angel and devil on your shoulders, where Luca preaches patience and using violence only as a last resort, while Cesare is more of a “shoot first and ask questions later” kind of guy. For example, on our first collection stop, we visited Marco, an olive farmer. Marco always pays on time, but on this occasion, he’s late. Luca gives me an unloaded gun to be used only as an intimidation tactic to get Marco to pay up, but Cesare told me, “An extra pair of hands helps jog their memory” about the late payment. Side note: I think I saw more fruit in three hours of playing Mafia: The Old Country than I’ve seen in any game ever. We might need a new Game Awards category for this. Ultimately, no bullets were fired nor punches thrown, and I got the Don’s money from Marco’s safe after finding the combination nearby. I appreciate that Hangar 13 put thought into Enzo’s journey into the Torrisi crime family here and didn’t just instantly let you become a murdering psychopath.

Things escalated slightly on our second stop, though, after we rode our horses across the Sicilian countryside to the farm of Mr. Bangalino, whose workers, led by a man named Manuele, are on strike. “We can’t have strikes around here, Manuele,” Luca told the not-working men. “You and your friends need to get back to work. This is bad for business.”

By the way, I can’t emphasize enough how much I enjoyed staring at the countryside while riding to each destination on this mission. Mafia: The Old Country ditches the proprietary engine it’s used in all three previous Mafia games and moves to Unreal Engine 5 for this installment. To be fair, the previous engine was no slouch; Mafia 2 in particular was a strikingly good-looking game at the time it came out, and Unreal maintains the series’ reputation for delivering lovely locations. The perfect blue skybox and pillowy clouds that set atop the rolling green hills and farmlands did a great job of establishing The Old Country’s Sicilian setting. I can’t wait to see more of this world in the rest of the campaign.

Anyway, Manuele pulled a knife, introducing me to what is, as I mentioned earlier, perhaps the weapon that Mafia: The Old Country puts the most importance on. You can unlock and earn new knives, and each has unique modifying properties, giving you a reason beyond the cosmetic appearance of each blade to choose a specific one that suits your combat preferences. You’ve got a lot of moves in a knife fight: thrusts, slashes, parries, and dodges (like in the Batman: Arkham games, heavy attacks can’t be parried and must instead be dodged).

And there was still one final collection errand to run in Chapter 3, and as you may have guessed by now, the cannoli hit the fan on this one. A visit to a farmer named Fichera sees him yell at us, in a reversal, because his new water pump was stolen by bandits and the protection he pays Don Torrisi handsomely for didn’t protect his valuable property. It’s finally here that the patient Luca tells Enzo that he’s got free reign to put live ammo in his gun and not be afraid to pull the trigger, as these lawless bandits were effectively putting their hands in the Don’s pocket by stealing from Fichera. This leads to a hunt up the hillside through two separate bandit camps before we finally squared off with – and shot many bullets into – the dozen or so wayward thieves that stood between us and the water pump they stole. The familiar third-person cover-based shooting gameplay will be instantly recognizable not just to Mafia series regulars but also anyone who’s played a good third-person action game in the past decade. The Old Country isn’t breaking the mold here, but the gameplay systems are comfortable, effective, and fun. Less comfortable – at least for me – was the cutscene that followed the death of the last of the bandits, when Cesare cuts off the finger of one of the bandits, takes his gold ring as a bonus payment for his troubles, and tosses the detached digit into the well.

Forbidden Love

With all of your onboarding completed in Chapter 3, the next section of Mafia: The Old Country saw one massive mission play out, involving the Don’s daughter Isabella, who Enzo clearly has reciprocated feelings for, and Gennaro, the son of Baron Fontanella, who’s arguably an even bigger fish in the Sicilian mafioso sea than Don Torrisi is. Gennaro wants to show off his fancy new car – and he also wants to woo Isabella – so he sets up a picnic date in the nearby ruins. It starts with Enzo having to babysit the gathering and ends with a kidnapping, a car chase involving you on a horse, a trail of bodies left in Enzo’s wake, a stabbed double-crossing business partner, a happy Don Torrisi, and an even-more-smitten-with-Enzo Isabella.

It started quietly, with Gennaro driving Cesare in his car to the ruins, and Isabella insisting on riding there on horseback alongside Enzo. Yes, you’ll be able to choose and ride your own horse in Mafia: The Old Country, with each steed even having its own personality and characteristics. Based on what I played, it didn’t necessarily seem like your choice of horse would materially affect gameplay, but it was a welcome way to add a bit of life and meaning to the narrative nevertheless.

A pit stop en route showed off the camera you can take pictures of scenic spots with; unfortunately it was the only opportunity I had to use it in the three hours I played, but hopefully you get to use it semi-regularly over the course of the campaign. You’re also introduced to the driving mechanics of The Old Country after you rendezvous with Cesare and Isabella in the form of a low-stakes race around the ruins – perhaps a nod to one of Mafia 1’s most infamous missions.

There was no bringing a knife (let alone stealth chokeouts) to a gunfight here…

But while Cesare and Enzo are messing around with Gennaro’s car during his date with Isabella, bandits – I won’t spoil their identity here – swooped in with guns blazing and kidnapped them both. They were really only after Gennaro, and having to take Isabella as well proved to be…well, as you can imagine it ended up severely complicating things for the kidnappers. I got to wield a shotgun in this segment and found that it packed a satisfying punch. There was no bringing a knife (let alone stealth chokeouts) to a gunfight here; I brought Enzo in with an itchy trigger finger.

After the aforementioned chase, I was able to run down their wagon – and gun down plenty of the kidnapping cadre – and rescue Isabella, who rewarded Enzo with a kiss (don’t tell the Don!). But while Cesare brought Isabella back home, Enzo still had to get Gennaro back, because returning without either one would leave Enzo equally dead from either father. It’s this section that allowed me to really unleash my inner Sam Fisher, as it was set up for stealth rather nicely in an open area, letting me pick my path and remain undetected. If you give me a stealth option in a game I am going to take it nine times out of ten, and Mafia: The Old Country was no different. The developers told me that they don’t expect most players to make it through the entire area – which was admittedly quite large and stocked with a ton of bad guys – without alerting anyone. I took this as a personal challenge, and while I held out for quite a while, eventually I did get spotted and had to start shooting.

But while you are in The Old Country’s stealth segments, basic Splinter Cell rules are in effect. You crouch to make less noise, throw coins (or picked-up objects like bottles) to distract bad guys, and can either knife them quickly or try to strangle them unconscious, which triggers a button-mashing QTE you’ve got to be quick about, lest they slip out of your grasp. There are even conveniently placed empty containers around that you can hide the bodies in so that they’re not discovered. The Old Country doesn’t break any new ground here, but in my experience, it does familiar stealth gameplay reasonably well. I do appreciate that there are upgradeable bead slots on your rosary that affect gameplay, like one that dampens the sound of your footsteps.

And I appreciated those dampened footsteps until I reached the last man standing for the kidnappers: Messina, whose real story you’ll learn when you play the game yourself. Enzo challenged him to a knife fight, which Messina accepted by dropping his gun and engaging Enzo on his terms. I was having trouble timing my parries just right in the ensuing battle, but I kept enough blood in Enzo’s body for him to emerge as the victor in the fight. (Side note: I died a couple of times during my three hours while playing on Normal, but there are multiple difficulty levels to choose from if you want to ratchet things up or down.) And after returning to the vineyard, Don Torrisi, after hearing of Isabella’s kidnapping, tells Enzo he wants Messina alive. Whoops. Um, yeah, about that…But ultimately, I did good, the boss said. And Isabella made her feelings quite clear with the smile on her face directed at Enzo.

Home Invasion

Chapter 5 – the final one I got to play – let me again flex my stealth muscles by tasking me with infiltrating the home of the man ultimately responsible for calling for the Gennaro (and by collateral damage, Isabella) kidnapping and dragging him out of his house and back to my boss. Or, put another way, to kidnap the kidnapper. This mission could truly have been pulled straight from a Splinter Cell game, as I had my choice of ways up the hillside to the large villa at the top. I kept it quiet, stabbing my way through the human obstacles in front of me before eventually getting into the house and to my target.

I wouldn’t be so lucky on the way out, though, as by the time I walked out with my target in tow, everyone still left standing knew what was going on, and I had to shoot my way out. As to what happened to that man I brought to the Don? Well, you’ll find out.

The Old Country, the New Anticipation

I left my extended hands-on session with Mafia: The Old Country with very few concerns. In roughly three hours I played three chapters, but how many chapters are there? Whatever the number is, it didn’t feel like a story that was going to be wrapped up in a tidy six hours. I don’t know how long The Old Country ultimately is, but when factoring in the studio president’s comment about wanting everyone to see the end credits roll – as well as the $50 price tag – it’s safe to presume that this won’t be a 40- or even 30-hour game. But for my money, that’s fine. I’m a dad with a job; I’m good with Mafia: The Old Country being a game I can get through in a weekend or two.

And more importantly, I’m now quite confident I’m going to have a lot of fun playing through this one, however long it lasts. The gameplay mechanics are all solid if familiar, with enjoyable stealth, shooting, knife combat, and driving. And perhaps the most important ingredient in a Mafia game – the story – had me engaged and eager to see where it was going to go. It’ll be good to get back to a Mafia 1 and 2 vibe again. It’s been a long time.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 Developer Says It’s Pulling an Odd Reference to Guitar Hero, and ‘Investigating’ How It Got in the Game

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 developer Iron Galaxy says it is “investigating” a curious “Easter egg” that some fans believe references an Activision series resigned to the trash. Literally.

Shortly after the highly-anticipated Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake went live for all players last week, players noted a familiar-looking — if “legally distinct” — box in a trash bin on the new Waterpark level. While not everyone may make the connection, you can see what appears to be a boxed copy of Guitar Hero — or ‘Banjo Champion’ as it’s been rebadged as here, albeit with all the Guitar Hero branding — stuffed into the can.

It’s a particularly curious addition given the developer of the Guitar Hero series from Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock to 2010’s Warriors of Rock was Neversoft… which also just-so-happened to have developed the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series.

As fans debated whether or not it was an Easter egg, a joke, or even dig — at Neversoft, or publisher Activision — THPS 3+4 developer Iron Galaxy promptly distanced itself, writing: “We have the utmost respect for anyone who makes games, we’re investigating how that got in there in the first place. Thank you to the community for bringing this to our attention and we’ll be removing that from the environment art in the next update.”

Some players have told Iron Galaxy not to worry as the “benign joke” was “nothing serious,” and others say it’s “edgy, like the older THPS games,” the truth is the ‘joke’ has been around for years, as ‘Banjo Champion’ references popped up in THPS 1+2, too, five years ago.

We thought the long-anticipated remake was great, slapping it with a 8 and writing in the IGN’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 proves yet again the series’ over-the-top skateboarding formula is totally timeless, even if some of the changes to THPS4 miss the mark and the soundtrack has been fumbled.”

If you’re just getting started, check out our Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 walkthrough, where we take you through all nine levels, showing you how to get every collectible, goal, gold medal, and panda plushie en route to unlocking everything available before reaching Pro Goals in THPS 3.

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.

Grow a Garden Pet Mutation Update – Everything New In IGN’s Guide

IGN’s Grow a Garden wiki guide has been updated to cover everything new in the Pet Mutation Update. Each week, GaG releases new content, and Saturday July 12, 2025 was no exception. This time, the Pet Mutation Event launched, so if your pet hits 50+, you can throw it in the mutation machine and see it returned to you with a new ability from 12 possible variations!

Pet Mutations

With the new Pet Mutation machine, it’s not just plants that can receive mutations now. Where mutations and multipliers increase the value of your crops in Grow a Garden, pet mutations can give them new abilities. These range from the Golden mutation, which can boost a pet’s passive ability, to Mega, which increases a pet’s hunger, but also means they earn XP faster.

Our Pet Mutation Update page lists all the 12 possible mutations, as well as the chances for your pet to get them. Spoiler! Some traits like Ascended have just a 0.32% chance of being applied.

Primal Egg

With an update focused on pets, it’s no surprise that there’s a new Pet Egg for us to earn. Following the release of the Animal Update, we’ve regularly seen new Pet Eggs added to GaG. This time, it’s the Primal Egg. There are 3 Legendary, 2 Mythical, and 1 Divine Pet up for grabs in this egg. Be sure to visit our guide to see all the chances for a Pet to appear in the Primal Egg, as well as each of the new abilities and traits that the Primal Egg Pets have.

Prehistoric Event Expansion

The previous update to Grow a Garden launched the Prehistoric Event, which came with a set of daily Dino Quests and rewards. The final reward in this series of quests, is the Bone Blossom. You can still get it as the Prehistoric Event has been expanded, so be sure to complete 21 quests to get your hands on it before it’s too late! If you missed out on the Candy Blossom, you won’t want to miss out on this one.

New Gear

With the requirement that pets need to reach 50+ before you can throw them in the Mutation Machine, it makes sense that we’d see the addition of new gear to help you level up your pets. Some of this new gear, like the Levelup Lollipop can be purchased in the shop, which you’ll find listed in our Gear Guide. Other items, which give a boost to XP and passive abilities for pets, you’ll find in the recipe list at the Crafting/Cosmetics Stall instead.

New Seeds

Rounding off the Pet Mutation update, it wouldn’t be Grow a Garden without new seeds for us to plant. There are five new seeds, but only one of these can be purchased from the Seed Stall. This is the Giant Pinecone. To get hold of the others including the Horsetail Seed and Amber Spine, you’ll need to craft them.

For more Grow a Garden help, or if you’re just getting started with this farming experience on Roblox, visit our wiki. We upload all the patch notes as soon as they’re released, and we have guides on everything from Weather Events to in-game events and updates. You’ll also find useful how-to guides including:

Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.

Subnautica 2 Drama Gets Even Messier As Krafton Confirms Internal Document Leak Is Real

Amid an increasingly bitter row over a $250 million bonus, Krafton has now chosen to confirm a leaked Subnautica 2 development document purportedly criticizing the highly-anticipated sequel is, in fact, real.

But first, some context. Krafton acquired Unknown Worlds in October 2021 and at the time, said the Subnautica studio would continue to operate as an independent outfit. Last week, however, former Striking Distance CEO, Steve Papoutsis, joined Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds as CEO. The shock announcement confirmed that the previous leadership team — Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire — were replaced “effective immediately.” In a subsequent statement, co-founder Cleveland responded to what he called the “shock” decision to replace the leadership team, saying that “after all these years, to find that I’m no longer able to work at the company I started stings.” The statement also intimated that while the former leadership team considered the game ready for early access release, Krafton did not.

Then, last week, reports came to light that Subnautica 2 had been delayed to 2026 just months before Krafton was due to pay a $250 million bonus to the development team. Bloomberg said the delay was “against the wishes of the studio’s former leadership,” and that the $250 million bonus would have kicked in if Unknown Worlds hit certain revenue targets by the end of 2025. Now, without Subnautica 2 coming out this year, that bonus wouldn’t be paid out.

In a statement to IGN, Krafton insisted the decision had nothing to do with “any contractual or financial considerations.” Instead, Krafton claimed, the delay was about responding to feedback from playtests, and delay talks were already under discussion before Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill were outed. Shortly after this statement, the former leadership team revealed they were filing a lawsuit against Krafton.

And now the drama continues, with the leak of an internal review document that shares a less-than-stellar mid-cycle review. Rather than deny the leak, however, Krafton has authenticated it, saying: “Given these circumstances, Krafton has determined that transparent communication is necessary and has chosen to confirm the authenticity of the document.”

The leaked images themselves show two pages of a development review, and appear to be photographs of a PC monitor. They show the disconnect between where Krafton expected development to be versus the as-is position. While we don’t know who or which company authored the report, it’s clearly critical of Unknown Worlds, recommending Subnautica 2 should “launch with an MVP-level build that allows players to experience the core loop at a high level of quality,” but adding that, as it currently stood, the game “lacks the level of polish and market impact required to drive IP growth and expansion.”

“It is recommended to enhance the content volume and level of polish before launching so that it can appeal to a broader market from the [early access] release stage,” the report says. “While the game includes a variety of content, it currently lacks the freshness and volume expected of a sequel.

“In addition, it falls short of meeting the high expectations of the OWSC and the Asian market.”

It is currently unclear how the leaked document began circulating publicly online.

“Krafton is issuing the following statement in response to growing speculation surrounding the development of Subnautica 2,” Krafton said in a statement to Eurogamer. “This statement aims to offer clarity and context regarding the current situation.

“The document that has been circulating on social media and reported by various outlets is indeed part of an internal milestone review conducted as part of the Subnautica 2 project. Krafton has confirmed that portions of it have been leaked and are now being widely shared across online platforms and within the fan community. Krafton recognises the confusion this has caused.

“Given these circumstances, Krafton has determined that transparent communication is necessary and has chosen to confirm the authenticity of the document,” the publisher added. “Krafton believes that minimising speculation and ensuring accurate communication with players must take precedence.

“Milestone reviews are conducted regularly in collaboration with Krafton’s creative studios across all projects. These reviews help assess development progress, define clear objectives, and ensure that each project aligns with Krafton’s standards in both creativity and quality. This process is central to Krafton’s commitment to delivering polished, high-quality games at the right time.

“Krafton will continue working closely with Unknown Worlds to ensure that Subnautica 2 meets the expectations of players who have supported the franchise over the years,” the statement concluded.

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.

PSA: Donkey Kong Bananza Spoilers Have Hit the Internet, After Early Copies Land in Fans’ Hands

Donkey Kong Bananza spoilers are being spread online, after early copies of the game have turned up in the hands of several fans.

Story details that players will want to keep as a surprise for themselves are now circulating on the internet, as seen by IGN — though we will not be sharing them here.

Instead, we’d strongly advise Nintendo fans be careful where they click over the coming days, in the run-up to Donkey Kong Bananza’s official launch date this Thursday, July 17.

While it may seem odd to raise a note of caution over story spoilers for a Donkey Kong platformer, this new blockbuster title from key members of Nintendo’s Super Mario Odyssey development team is shaping up to be something special.

There has already been intense speculation over whether Bananza is some kind of Odyssey prequel, based on the inclusion of key character Pauline, and Nintendo’s unusual decision to detail her age in the new game.

Indeed, when IGN asked Bananza’s producer Kenta Motokura and director Kazuya Takahashi specifically about these points, the pair said that these were questions players should be considering as they played the game.

“Certainly because a lot of team members also worked on Super Mario Odyssey, there are some similarities in terms of how they think about the setting of the characters for both games,” Takahashi told IGN.

“But it’s something we really can’t explain all of for now because we need to leave something for people to consider as they’re playing the game,” he continued. It’s probably better you find out by playing it, then, rather than on a random internet forum!

We spoke to Motokura and Takahashi about a number of topics related to Bananza, including how the game was first conceived and the necessity of releasing on the Nintendo Switch 2. You can read our entire interview in full right here, and check out our hands-on preview of the game here.

And in other Donkey Kong news, a Nintendo copyright notice has been spotted for an unannounced Donkey Kong film — something which fans suspect may arrive as a spin-off from the blockbuster Super Mario Bros. Movie and its upcoming sequel.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social