Palworld has just pushed out a significant new patch, bringing a collab with Ultrakill and a ton of improvements as developer Pocketpair continues work to prepare for the launch of Palworld 1.0, the game’s eagerly-anticipated full release.
John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager, teased that this update, dubbed Home Sweet Home, “puts a lot of groundwork in as we work towards our MASSIVE 1.0 release in 2026, but we have lots of little surprises in this update so check it out!”
As part of the Ultrakill collaboration, you’ll find several “iconic weapons and armor,” as well as a V1’s infamous coin toss, while the Home Sweet Home update — as the name suggests — makes it a little more intuitive to put down roots and make your own cozy base.
Pocketpair said it had been “blown away by all the incredible builds that you guys have been sending us,” and knows we’ve “been eagerly waiting for more freedom in how you design your base.” That’s why this update brings a number of new building parts, including the ability to change the color of building pieces and the “much-requested triangular pieces.” The building menu UI has also been redesigned and reformatted into a list.
But that’s not all. Melee combat has been improved to make it “more viable and fun,” and now, when summoning a raid boss at the Summoning Altar, players can choose to either fight at their base as before, or take on the raid boss in a special Raid Area.
“These Raid Areas allow you to fight with all your might, without risking any damage to your base,” the team explained. “You can build temporary structures and take items into these special Raid Areas.” Which is just as well, as a new raid boss will also pop up after the update.
“2025 has been an incredible year for Palworld, and we’re excited to end the year with v0.7, Home Sweet Home!” Pocketpair exclaimed. “The purpose of this update is to begin improving existing features, and while this update may not be as content-rich as previous ones, we hope players understand that it’s necessary for us to begin laying the groundwork now as we work on the development of Palworld 1.0.”
Last but definitely not least, PvP! Though the studio admits PvP has been a topic of discussion in the Palworld community for a “long time,” and it’s “hard to fully integrate PvP into the game,” it is trying to make the dream a reality, albeit with some careful parameters.
“We are releasing all the necessary tools for players to set up their own PvP rules on their own terms,” Pocketpair said. “Show off your skills and compete with other Pal Tamers! Please note that PvP is experimental, and as such, there may be some balancing issues.”
Palworld v0.7 patch notes:
ULTRAKILL Collab!
Added V1 and V2 armor sets! Terrorize the Palpagos Islands as your favorite blood-fueled robot!
Added a pair of iconic weapons from ULTRAKILL!
Unique Mechanic – Coin Toss
Throw coins while using the Marksman Revolver to perform a Ricoshot! Bullets will ricochet off the thrown coin and deal devastating damage to nearby targets!
Base Building Improvements
Added 48 new building parts, including triangular pieces!
Added the ability to change the color of some buildings and foundations!
Changed the building UI to a list-based system.
Raid Boss Improvements
Added a new raid boss!
Added a new battlefield for raid bosses. Players can now choose to challenge raid bosses in their base or in a new separate battlefield.
Melee Combat Improvements
Improved the melee gameplay for swords, katanas and beam swords. Pressing left click (right trigger) will perform a new consecutive combo attack.
Special attacks have been added to the katana and beam sword. Holding either left or right click (left or right trigger) will activate these abilities.
New Features
Added PvP functionality (Experimental!).
[PC – Steam Only] Added Steam Workshop, allowing players to download and use mods.
Mechanic Adjustments
When placing a building, an arrow indicating the building’s orientation will now be displayed.
When placing a building, buildings with a set work location will now display a Cattiva icon indicating the work location.
Adjusted the Palbox so it can be aligned with foundations and roofs.
[Keyboard & Mouse Controls] Building controls have been made more intuitive, and continuous building has been changed to the default setting.
Balance Adjustments
Added new implants to the surgery table:
Implant: Mine Foreman
Implant: Logging Foreman
Implant: Fine Furs
Implant: Sleek Stroke
Implant: Work Slave
You can now get a Little Kinship Peach from a Pal when freeing them from an enemy camp.
The last hit done to an enemy while using mercy will now display “”MERCY HIT”” to indicate that no damage was done.
Changed specifications so that all Pals will no longer lose SAN when taking damage.
Reduced the impact of bad status effects:
Hungry… Attack, Defense, Work Speed -20% → -10%
Starving… Attack, Defense, Work Speed -50% → -20%
Cold… Work Speed -10% → -5%
Sprain… Movement Speed -10% → -5%
Overfull… Increased hunger loss rate by 100% → +50%
Ulcer… Work Speed -20%, Movement Speed -10% → Work Speed -10%, Movement Speed -5%
Fracture… Work Speed -10%, Movement Speed -20% → Work Speed -5%, Movement Speed -10%
Weakened… Work Speed -20%, Movement Speed -30% → Work Speed -10%, Movement Speed -20%
Depressed… -30% Work Speed, -20% Movement Speed → -20% Work Speed, -10% Movement Speed
Changed the attribute of the Broncherry’s unique skill “”Body Smash”” from neutral to the grass.
Changed the attribute of Rushoar’s unique skill “Heavy Charge” from neutral to earth.
Added “Item Decay Speed Multiplier” to the Options Settings.
・[Dedicated Servers] Police NPCs targeting players who have committed crimes will now only deal damage to the target player and their guild.
・The appearance of the work aptitude icon has been changed.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where Flopie would not collect dropped items in the field while her partner skill “Helper Bunny” was active.
Improved Pal pathfinding AI to make it easier to reach the target location within the base.
Fixed an issue where summoned Pals would attack visitors when set to “attack aggressively.”
Fixed an issue where attacking visitors in your base would not result in the correct attacking state.
Many other minor bug fixes.
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.
Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios has confirmed the end of new content development for the game, following layoffs at the company this summer.
Released in 2023, the latest and (for now) final entry in the Forza Motorsport series was launched as a reboot of Xbox’s veteran sim racing franchise, with years of new content expected. But the game launched to a mixed response, and around half of Turn 10 Studios’ staff were made redundant in July. (The studio remains open, with support for the more popular Forza Horizon brand now a key focus.)
Word that Forza Motorsport will not receive any further big updates is unsurprising, then, though a fresh statement in a blog post from the studio has now laid it out in black and white.
“As our team shifts its focus toward delivering the best possible experience with Forza Horizon 6 in 2026, we do not plan to introduce new cars, tracks, features, or regular bug fixes for Forza Motorsport,” Turn 10 Studios wrote.
“However, we will continue supporting the game by keeping online servers active, hosting special events and competitions, and reintroducing previously released Featured Tours and reward cars on a monthly basis, until all content is available for you to enjoy anytime.”
Turn 10 is now a co-development partner for Forza Horizon 6, which is primarily being made at British studio Playground Games. The latest entry in the series will be set in Japan, and launch at some point in 2026.
Microsoft has not officially detailed its cuts to Turn 10 Studios this summer, but one former employee stated at the time that around “120 people” were “gone from FM side” of the studio. “Turn 10 Studios has shuttered the Forza Motorsport space and the team is no more,” wrote a second former employee amid the layoffs. “A very sad day for one of the best car racing video games. I loved my time there.”
The first Forza Motorsport from Turn 10 Studios launched for the original Xbox in 2005, and established the racing franchise as one of Microsoft’s key gaming brands, as well as a serious rival to PlayStation’s Gran Turismo. Seven Forza Motorsport sequels launched since, across every Xbox console generation.
Is Forza Motorsport gone for good? In October, Xbox gaming boss Phil Spencer offered this comment to Famitsu on the franchise’s status, which seems to suggest that while not fully scrapped, it’s at least currently parked with the engine off.
“As for Forza Motorsport, we sometimes have to shift our focus to games that will be released earlier,” Spencer said. “And I also understand that many people reacted when the scale of Turn 10 Studios was reduced. As far as we are concerned, there are many games that we would like to support carefully, and sometimes we give the development team a little more time so that they do not continue to be in a state of tension.”
“Forza Motorsport is brimming with new features across the board, from its muscular new multiplayer to its much-improved handling, but its new RPG-inspired upgrade system feels like a step down,” IGN wrote in our Forza Motorsport review, handing the game an 8/10.
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 team behind the reimagining of the original Lara Croft adventure, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, have opened up on how they’re approaching the 1996 game’s difficulty and instakills, acknowledging it will have to be adjusted for “modern player tastes.”
Speaking at a press event and captured by GamesRadar+, Crystal Dynamics’ game director Will Kerslake said: “part of reimagining a game right is adjusting that game evolving for modern player tastes.”
He also hinted at what kind of gameplay we can expect to see, insisting “it is core to the Tomb Raider experience that there are puzzles in combat and traversal and death-defying action.” However, Kerslake stressed that the things we remember from the original game will remain, adding: “you’ll see big rolling balls, and you know, the things that you expect in a Tomb Raider game are going to be there in spades.”
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is due out at some point in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam. Alix Wilton Regan will now play Lara Croft in both Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and 2027’s Tomb Raider: Catalyst, with Camilla Luddington, who portrayed Lara Croft in the Survivor Trilogy, issuing a heartfelt goodbye to the character this week.
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.
The Commodore 64 Ultimate is the most astonishing retro product I have ever reviewed. I was expecting it to be a straightforward, modern take on the all-time best-selling personal computer. I imagined it would be a newer version of the C64 Mini or C64 “Maxi,” with a selection of games and software built in and accessible through a bespoke menu system. Seriously, I would have been totally fine with a modern C64 that hooks to modern 4K displays and televisions and let me experience the C64 ecosystem on the big screen. And it does that, extremely well.
But it also does so much more, more than I could have ever imagined it would. Better still, it does all those things amazingly well. From the spot-on design of the packaging down to the perfection of the keyboard in every way, the Commodore 64 Ultimate is the kind of modern take on retro hardware that all future endeavors in the space should aspire to. They won’t. But they should.
What’s In the Box
The Commodore 64 Ultimate packaging looks the part of its predecessor, although dimensionally they differ. The original C64 box is a little taller and a little less wide, but otherwise the modern take evokes the exact same feeling as the original right from the packaging. It’s an excellent combination of both old and new, listing the modern capabilities of the device while using old-school images of people using the original on CRT displays.
The Commodore 64 Ultimate is what all future retro endeavors in should aspire to.
Right on the copy printed on the box, the Commodore 64 Ultimate positions itself as an antidote to the modern computing experience, which I’m completely into. As someone who’s been using the Internet since before Netscape was even a thing, I often think back wistfully to how much simpler it was when a computer was a tool you used to create things, not a device that serves you ads. The tagline on the back says “Classic Form. Ultimate Function. Distraction Free.”
For those of you who weren’t born before 1980, the original Commodore 64 was not only the most successful 8-bit computer of the 1980s, it’s the best-selling personal computer of all time. So many Gen-Xers grew up with a Commodore 64 as their first home computer, and if they didn’t have one (like me), they knew someone who did. It debuted at $595 in 1982, but within a year, competition had cut the price in half. In the 1984 Sears Holiday Wishbook catalog it’s listed at $229.99, while the Coleco Adam just a few pages later is $700.
The C64 was affordable, well supported, handled business and productivity applications while also having a huge library of games. You could load software from 5.25″ floppies, cassette tapes, or cartridges. It was versatile, compact, extremely affordable and available everywhere. It also had a custom sound chip that let the C64 sing, literally, giving it a huge edge. The C64 produced an iconic sound modern chiptune artists like 8-bit Weapon still use.
Inside the box is the Commodore 64 Ultimate itself, which is actually available in three different versions. There’s the classic beige, a fully transparent and LED-lit model, and a special edition gold translucent version only available for those who backed the device early on. I’m going to get into the design later, but as soon as I opened the box I was struck by just how perfect this is in terms of replicating the look of the original.
There’s also not one, but two, small, double-sided sheets of Commodore-branded vinyl stickers. The stickers are great. They’re high-quality, not garbage paper ones like I would have expected, and it’s just another delightful part of the experience. There are a few for the logo, one for the classic “READY” prompt, a tiny tape drive and floppy drive sticker, and more. It’s great. I’m going to stick these things everywhere (except for the C64 Ultimate itself, of course).
There’s a transparent plastic AC adapter with different interchangeable plug styles for your region, and a generous 2.5 meter HDMI cable in a Commodore branded bag. The cable itself is not branded, however, which is maybe the only thing I can point to with the C64 Ultimate and say “I wish this were different.” The cable itself supports Ethernet over HDMI, for reasons I don’t understand, as well as 4K resolution.
Underneath it all, nestled in a protective cocoon of bubble wrap, is probably my favorite addition to the C64 Ultimate box: an honest-to-goodness spiral-bound instruction manual just like the original. And it’s an ACTUAL instruction manual, too. It’s not just a 4-page quick start guide translated into 16 different languages to pad it out. This is an almost 250-page tome of goodness we just don’t see anymore. It’s more than just a passing resemblance between the new and the old. Yes, there’s a quick start guide, but beyond that, the manual teaches you how to use the Commodore 64 Ultimate in the same way the original manual taught you to use the C64. There’s a section on BASIC, the computer programming language so many oldheads like me first learned, as well as Advanced BASIC.
The C64 Ultimate comes with an honest-to-goodness spiral-bound instruction manual.
This is probably my favorite thing about the C64 Ultimate: the fact it’s a modern version of the old hardware on which I love writing BASIC programs. If you’re not familiar with the language, its primary purpose was to make computer programming easier for beginners. In fact, the name BASIC is an acronym for “Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.” No one uses it anymore, not for anything serious. Ask anyone now and they’ll tell you to start with Python.
Well I’m here to say those people are wrong, and BASIC is the perfect place to start. One of the greatest things about having a hardware-indentical version of the original Commodore 64 is all those old magazines and books with page upon page of BASIC code will still work exactly as they were intended. You’ve probably seen engagement-farming social media accounts talking about how “back in the day” people would copy programs from magazines, by hand, into their computers line by line. Can confirm, we really did. And with the C64 Ultimate we can use those same programs, or just copy and paste them and load them in via USB. I think that’s cheating but I’m also not above it.
I haven’t delved deeply into the world of programming the C64 Ultimate, at least not yet, so I can’t speak authoritatively on whether or not there’s some string of code somewhere that won’t work on the Ultimate. Knowing what little I know about FPGA, I don’t think that will ever be a problem I’ll come across. The beauty of FPGA versus software emulation is the hardware works exactly like the original. Sure, someone out there writing in assembly might find some peculiarity with the system that wasn’t present in the original, but for me? Hell nah, let’s get some BASIC code going baby!
Back in the day people would copy programs from magazines, by hand.
The fact you’re taught BASIC in the manual, and then taught advanced BASIC, as well as sprite and sound manipulation, makes the manual even more of a valuable resource. This is exactly the kind of thing I love, and exactly the way computers used to be. You didn’t just buy a computer to passively entertain yourself, you bought one to do rudimentary spreadsheets, play some games, and create your own experiences. I love it. The best thing about learning any computer language is the fundamentals are all pretty much the same. Once you understand if-then statements, or “for” loops in BASIC, you’ll understand them in JavaScript, or C#, or pretty much any other language.
Peripherals, Modern and Classic
What was maybe the most surprising revelation to me about the Commodore 64 Ultimate was its support for the original Commodore peripherals. Things like the cassette deck and iconic 1501 floppy disc drive will work with the C64. I don’t have the cassette deck, unfortunately, and while I have the floppy drive I don’t actually have any floppies with which to test it. The big batch of floppies I picked up earlier this year were all unreadable, so sadly I can’t speak to that, at least until I luck my way into another cache, one that hopefully works.
What I can say is the C64 Ultimate will work with a classic CRT monitor, and that just makes me all kinds of delighted. Is it more convenient to use it on a modern display? Yes, a thousand percent. Is it more fun? Not even close. Thankfully I have several CRT monitors compatible with the Commodore, including an original Commodore CM-141 monitor I drove two hours into the wilderness of Maine’s coast to acquire. Weirdly, the default settings were in PAL and so I had to go in to change them, but once I did, I was absolutely delighted by the CRT-goodness. I don’t have the correct cable to use the CM-141, but I do have one that let me hook it to an old Magnavox monitor that has a setting to output in a faux phosphor-green. Can’t complain about that!
I wish more retro-revival hardware had the option for analog video. I’m sure the people who want such a thing make up a very tiny percentage of the population, but for something as specialized as the Commodore 64 Ultimate, it is a perfect fit. The modern Commodore company sells the proper cables on its website, so I’m probably going to buy some just so I can plink away at my next BASIC program in front of the warm glow of a humming, 13″ color CRT TV.
Another odd peripheral I have is a Commodore 1670 modem, though the Commodore 64 Ultimate lacks the User Port from the original where it hooks up. Instead, the Ultimate has modern connectivity like Wi-Fi and an Ethernet jack. It’s probably for the best anyway – I’ve messed around with slow, retro modems on old hardware before and it’s fun, but 1200 baud makes even BBSes slow to use. And besides, if I do want that old-school experience, there’s modem emulation built into the system anyway.
While having Wi-Fi rules, at first I couldn’t get the Wi-Fi to work. I entered in my Wi-Fi password and waited for a while, tried it again, rebooted and tried one more time and it never showed the “Link Up” message on the Wi-Fi configuration page. It wasn’t until after I hooked it to a wired connection that it decided to come to life, after which I was able to disconnect from the Ethernet cable and have it maintain its wireless connection. Not sure if that was just a coincidence or a weird bug, but it gave me a brief jolt of disappointment.
I’m also sadly lacking in C64 game cartridges, which is a bummer since the Commodore 64 Ultimate can play those, natively, through the expansion port in the back of the computer. But since it can run those carts, it can easily run ROM files, ones that you of course own legally or are provided from reputable, legal sources.
Spot-On Design
The Commodore 64 Ultimate is indistinguishable from the original at first glance. Everything about it looks and feels exactly the same as the original. The beige case and brown keyboard is fantastically reproduced from the original, for better or for worse. It’s not until you take a closer look do you start to notice the differences, with the modern ports, a transparent window on the side and a much smaller port for the AC adapter.
The Commodore 64 logo badge on the top? Perfect. The red LED power light? Flawless. The keyboard? OK, like I said before, absolute perfection – for better or for worse. Let me explain myself.
Typing on the Commodore 64 Ultimate gives you the exact same tactile feel of the original. The key travel is perfect, the “clunk” of the switches, even the subtle texture of the plastic feels exactly like the original. It’s just fantastic. I think my love of modern mechanical keyboards can be directly traced back to this era of computing, and the feel is wonderful.
Keeping with the original in every possible way, however, is going to require you to unlearn some of the modern keyboard placements you’ve been using since things settled down to a standard layout. This isn’t a fault with the design, it’s unfortunately a byproduct of keeping things so perfectly retro. I find myself struggling with some of the key placement, like where the double-quotes are (they’re over the 2-key, by the way).
If the C64 is the computer you grew up on, your muscle memory might come back to you easily. But otherwise, there’s a little more hunting-and-pecking here than I’ve done in years. It’s not a fault of the design at all, and it can’t be avoided, but it’s just something that you’ll definitely experience when you shift from the modern keyboard layout burned into your brain. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.
One major, positive design change is the power supply. The original C64 power supply was a brick almost literally, and pretty much every original C64 power supply is waiting to someday blast the original hardware with an overvoltage that will run it. The new one is cased in transparent plastic and doesn’t take up half your desk like the original monster.
It plugs in right next to the multifunction button, a rocker-style switch that turns the Commodore 64 Ultimate on and off and lets you switch to the special configuration menu. It took a little more effort than I was expecting, and it’s just a touch too small for my large hands. Turning off the Commodore 64 Ultimate requires you to push down and hold for 4 seconds, and I don’t like that. More than once, I thought I’d activated the button, but was instead standing there like an idiot with the button 90% pressed for 10 seconds. Given the change of configuration of slots and peripherals, I would have liked a two-position switch for power and a momentary switch to go between C64 and configuration modes.
Software
In keeping with the retro-modernity of the Commodore 64 Ultimate, there’s a USB stick in the shape of a cassette tape, complete with cassette case, included in each box. You plug it into a very modern USB port in the back and then access it via the configuration menu in a very old school, hierarchical file system type of way.
The software on the drive is generous, to say the least. There is so much here, it’s overwhelming. Rather than go through every single included piece of software (which I wouldn’t mind doing, honestly), I’m going to touch on some of the more notable programs.
But before I do that, I’m going to shout out a feature they didn’t need to include, but they did anyway: when you start up a program from the file browser, the Commodore 64 Ultimate starts whirring and clicking, with the occasional buzz for good measure. It’s making the sounds you would expect from a program loading from a floppy disc and it’s absolutely wonderful. When I was a kid using computers, I loved the feedback of those mechanical drives. I always felt like I was listening to the computer “think.” This little feature adds so much to the experience, in a way I didn’t expect at all.
Back to the software, there are dozens of demos on the USB drive, and not the ones we’re all used to. The demo scene, while still around, is a pale reflection of its former self. Basically, programmers and hackers would flex their skills by creating demonstrations of their programming prowess. They would push machines to do things that didn’t seem possible with custom animations and music, and you can see some of them here. One of the most notable and well-known demos is Bad Apple, presented here as Bad Apple 64. The Commodore 64 Christmas Demo is also on the USB, which is delightful. I’m nothing if not full of holiday cheer.
There’s also a huge selection of games on the USB, but maybe my favorite addition here is GEOS, a graphical user interface designed specifically for the Commodore 64. While I don’t see myself switching from macOS to GEOS any time soon, it’s so cool to see this rudimentary GUI running on original hardware. Unfortunately I can’t locate my compatible Commodore 64 mouse, but there are still dedicated hobbyists out there making them in our modern times, and Commodore sells compatible devices on its own site.
It’s so cool to see a rudimentary GUI running on original hardware.
I’m a little surprised you can’t use a modern USB mouse, which would have been much easier for the end-user. I don’t think it would have taken anything away from the experience, either. In fact I’d argue it would enhance it, given most people own at least one USB mouse but very few people own compatible Commodore mice. I dug through the various menus and didn’t find any options, but if there’s a way, please let me know.
I’m mildly obsessed with different GUIs, and will take any opportunity to try them out, so I’ll probably scour eBay for a mouse, especially because it also has a whole suite of GEOS software. If I really wanted to (and I do), I have the option to hook up a Commodore printer and print off my own beautiful GEOSPaint creations, or I can use the Virtual Printer and save generated files to the USB as .pngs. From there I can just open it on a modern computer and print it from there. And friends, best believe I’m going to be doing that once I get a compatible mouse.
Sucker Punch co-founder Brian Fleming is stepping down n the new year after three decades at the studio behind Ghost of Tsushima, Sly Cooper, and Infamous.
According to a post from Sony, on January 1, Jason Connell and Adrian Bentley will step into Fleming’s former role as co-studio heads, with Nate Fox continuing his role as co-creative director alongside Connell and Adrian also serving as technical director.
Our deepest thanks and gratitude to Sucker Punch Productions Co-Founder Brian Fleming, who is handing over the leadership reins as the studio begins a new chapter. Starting Jan 1, longtime creative and technical leaders Jason Connell and Adrian Bentley will step into new roles… pic.twitter.com/RvPzJfWHGl
Fleming first founded the studio in 1997 alongside Bruce Oberg, Darrell Plank, Tom and Cathy Saxton, and Chris Zimmerman following a stint at Microsoft. The group went on to start the Sly Cooper franchise, which Sony published. The two companies continued their publishing relationship into the Infamous series in 2009, and after the sequel Infamous 2 in 2011, Sony acquired Sucker Punch. Under Sony, the studio created Ghost of Tsushima in 2020, and most recently followed up with a sequel, Ghost of Yōtei, this past October. With Fleming’s departure, only Oberg and Zimmerman of the co-founders remain with the studio.
Connell and Bentley are long-time Sucker Punch veterans. Connell joined the studio in 2010 as a lighting artist and worked his way up to lighting director and eventually creative and art director, and recently co-creative director on the Ghost franchise. Bentley came to Sucker Punch as a programmer in 2004 fresh out of DigiPen Institute of Technology, and has worked there his entire career, moving up to become an engine programmer and later technical director.
Fleming hands off Sucker Punch in what seems from the outside to be a pretty positive state. The studio’s had multiple successful games both critically and commercially, with Ghost of Yōtei recently reviewing well (including our own 8/10 score) and selling 3.3 million copies as of November 2. An added New Game Plus mode just released a few weeks ago. It’s unclear what Sucker Punch will work on next under Connell and Bentley, or if the Ghost franchise will continue or something new is on the horizon for the studio.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
This morning, the news broke that Larian Studios, developer of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the upcoming, just-announced Divinity, is apparently using generative AI behind the scenes for things like concept art and placeholder text. The backlash has been swift and loud from the gaming community, and now Larian founder and game director Swen Vincke is responding to clarify his remarks, affirming that Larian is “neither releasing a game with any AI components, nor are we looking at trimming down teams to replace them with AI,” and that AI is “something we are constantly discussing internally through the lens of making everyone’s working day better, not worse.”
The original news comes from a Bloomberg interview with Vincke. In it, Vincke admits that Larian is “pushing hard” [Bloomberg’s phrasing] on generative AI, even though it hasn’t led to big gains in efficiency. Specifically, the studio is using the technology to “explore ideas, flesh out PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art and write placeholder text.” [Bloomberg’s phrasing].
Vincke reassures that there won’t be any AI-generated content in the final version of Divinity. “Everything is human actors; we’re writing everything ourselves.” But it sounds like this approach isn’t going over smoothly with everyone. Bloomberg’s piece acknowledges that some internally at Larian have pushed back, though Vincke says, “I think at this point everyone at the company is more or less OK with the way we’re using it.”
This news hasn’t gone over super well with the community, though. On Bluesky, Larian is being lambasted by a number of individuals across the game development community, including some former Larian employees. “consider my feedback: i loved working at @larianstudios.com until AI,” writes Selena Tobin, an environment artist and former Larian employees. “reconsider and change your direction, like, yesterday. show your employees some respect. they are world-class & do not need AI assistance to come up with amazing ideas.”
The Divinity and Baldur’s Gate 3 communities have a somewhat more divided reaction, with some defending its use for concepting, though there’s still a significant amount of backlash. A few commenters have pointed out that games such as The Alters suffered from significant fan anger over discovered generative AI use, but are willing to forgive Larian for the same offense.
In response to this backlash, Vincke has issued IGN a lengthy follow-up response, which we’ve published here in full:
We’ve been continuously increasing our pool of concept artists , writers and story-tellers, are actively putting together writer rooms, casting and recording performances from actors and hiring translators.
Since concept art is being called out explicitly – we have 23 concept artists and have job openings for more. These artists are creating concept art day in day out for ideation and production use.
Everything we do is incremental and aimed at having people spend more time creating.
Any ML tool used well is additive to a creative team or individual’s workflow, not a replacement for their skill or craft.
We are researching and understanding the cutting edge of ML as a toolset for creatives to use and see how it can make their day-to-day lives easier, which will let us make better games.
We are neither releasing a game with any AI components, nor are we looking at trimming down teams to replace them with AI.
While I understand it’s a subject that invokes a lot of emotion, it’s something we are constantly discussing internally through the lens of making everyone’s working day better, not worse.
The past few years have felt like an embarrassment of riches when it comes to RPGs, and so expectations were high going into 2025. Thankfully, the last 12 months certainly lived up to such a bar. While that’s good for gamers, it made things more than a little tough when whittling down our list of the best role-playing games of the year, especially because we had a wide variety of RPG styles that satisfied different tastes.
Avowed gave us some of that Obsidian magic in a fantasy world that was tighter and more focused than many of its contemporaries, resulting in a game that didn’t feel as overwhelming as typical open-world RPGs. Deltarune’s new chapters elevated the ongoing Undertale-adjacent saga to new heights with increasingly clever gameplay twists and sharper narrative chops. And if you had 100-plus hours to spare, Octopath Traveler 0 offered a stunning conclusion for an unforgettable journey to cap off the year.
The definition of RPG is fairly free-flowing these days, so you’ll see games with elements of the genre in our other award categories. But we made careful considerations for games with RPG mechanics at the forefront of their gameplay, along with deep stories, for this particular list. However, there can only be five games and one winner, so the IGN team voted and deliberated on which games would make up this year’s list. We believe the genre is in good hands with the games we picked, and the game we’ve chosen as the Best RPGs of 2025 is something very special.
Runner-Up – Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter
The Trails series, part of the larger Legend of Heroes franchise, has been gaining more and more traction over recent years. But it’s tricky to recommend as it now numbers 13 entries, all of which are part of a continuous timeline. Remake Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter helps rememdy that problem, as it went right back to the beginning to create one of strongest and sharpest games in the series – and now, it’s the easiest one to recommend.
Trails revolves around a deeply developed world with captivating geopolitical drama at its heart. 1st Chapter does such a good job of painting that broad picture, which is seen in detail through the eyes of its two leads, Estelle and Joshua. As budding Bracers (a peacekeeping guild) whose father is a legend in the guild, they’re perfect conduits to provide a pretty intimate understanding of the world’s various regions and how they feed into the larger story. The turn-based battles feature a fantastic blend of action combat and the series’ unique positioning system, which creates a gameplay flow that ushers you through this expanded version of this classic RPG. The true magic of Trails lies in the multifaceted stories from multiple perspectives, but it all starts here in Trails in the Sky, and this remake is a terrific representation of that.
Runner-Up – Dragon Quest 1&2 HD-2D Remake
Square Enix has done excellent work in revitalizing the Dragon Quest games of yore, and Dragon Quest 1&2 HD-2D Remake is the best example yet. The high-definition pixel art makeover is more than just a sensible way to pretty-up these classics, it also lets them stay true to the spirit of their original look without the weird pixel smoothing effect of past remasters. These Remakes also retain the turn-based combat system and characters without sacrificing the distinct spirit of the original games from all those years ago (frustrating difficulty spikes and all), but even then, quality of life improvements make sure they’re still enjoyable in a modern sense. Combined with the DQ3 HD-2D remake, these games complete the “Erdrick trilogy” of Dragon Quest games, and you can see how the series pioneered the genre, especially with the second entry’s emphasis on characters and storytelling. This package is one of the best examples of modernized nostalgia – faithful to the originals and approachable in today’s gaming landscape. And it’s some of the best role-playing we experienced this year.
Runner-Up – The Outer Worlds 2
When it comes to RPGs and letting players dictate how they interact with the world, Obsidian is one of the best studios to do it. The Outer Worlds 2 improves on the first game in almost every way, from punchier gunplay to much deeper role-playing systems. The options you have to build your character and make pivotal choices have a larger impact on what you can do in combat, but also create specific avenues for how quests play out. We keep pointing to the Flaws system, which was present in the original, but has been expanded in unpredictable, creative ways by giving you some serious pros/cons to consider based on your playing habits. However, the much more expansive areas, smarter level design, and dynamic combat encounters make sure the actual gameplay experience is a significant leap over the first game. And you can’t have an RPG of this style without choice and consequence at the heart of the story, and Obsidian reminds us with The Outer Worlds 2 that it still has the chops, even in a post-Fallout: New Vegas era.
Runner-Up – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an investment that pays back multiple times over in its 120-hour runtime. It’s a commitment – a slow-burn game you have to want to live in. But it’s also an action-packed cinematic adventure that proves to have an emotional range that the original didn’t. You might be just “some guy” as Henry, yet that role often lets you see the world for what it is, whether you’re doing seemingly mundane activities or the pivotal story quests where your choices matter. What this game does better than most, though, is first-person melee combat, a tough thing that even the mighty Elder Scrolls franchise has struggled with for so long. It is intricate, skill-based, and stays engaging even as you get deeper into the furthest corners the campaign. Although developer Warhorse Studios arguably tries to bite off more than it can chew at times, you’ll find the quality writing and great combat leads you to a satisfying conclusion. This sequel might pick off where the first ended, but jumping into Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 regardless of your experience will open you up to a rare RPG that deserves its flowers, 2025 or otherwise.
Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Suprise, surprise – the Best RPG of 2025 is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and for good reason. The folks at development team Sandfall Interactive drew direct inspiration from Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy 10 and Persona 5 (their words, not ours), and made the kind of game they wanted to play. We know there’s still a huge appetite for good turn-based RPGs, and Clair Obscur is further proof of that, but it’s the mechanics built into the combat system that makes it stand out. The active timing inputs keep you engaged in each fight, and recognizing attack patterns so that you may parry and inflict damage on an enemy turn is some of the most satisfying stuff we’ve experienced in a turn-based system. Each party member plays uniquely and has their own unique gameplay gimmick, as to represent a Job or Class, but there’s then the Picto/Lumina system that lets you stack on perks and wild buffs – at some point it feels like you’re breaking the game. However, the toughest challenges ensure the game pushes back on you to really test your mastery and understanding of its more intricate mechanics. It’s one of the best combat systems we’ve seen in a good long while, and it keeps that momentum throughout its story and optional content.
But Expedition 33 wouldn’t be a true homage to JRPGs without a melodramatic and heartwrenching story. While it immediately hits you with the theme of time wiping away swathes of people – friends and loved ones disintegrating before your eyes – it grows into a meditation on grief and how it changes people, seen through the eyes of fully formed characters who change alongside each other. Whether or not you want intricate systems, fun combat, or deep stories from your RPGs, Clair Obscur delivered all of that in a way that won the hearts of us here at IGN.
For more of our end-of-the-year celebrations, be sure to check out our list of awards and nominees, which is being updated daily in the lead-up to our official Best Game of 2025 announcement.
Michael is the tech reviews editor at IGN, but regularly contributes to games coverage with reviews, features, and news.
Nintendo recorded more than 30 minutes of extra conversations featuring Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s chatty companion characters that don’t currently appear in the game.
The voice lines have now been datamined and uploaded to YouTube (thanks, VGC) where fans can listen in to long stretches of cut Metroid Prime 4 banter, recorded for the Galactic Federation troops Samus encounters.
Specifically, these conversations would have played out at Base Camp, between much-maligned mechanic Miles MacKenzie, and later NPCs such as the robot VUE-995, Private Armstrong, Sergeant Duke and Corporal Tokabi.
Listening in to the conversations, these are all non-essential chats that add to each character’s backstory and personality. Most are designed to be humorous, such as the chats between hulking mech VUE-995 and Private Armstrong talking about working out, getting a tattoo-like custom paint scheme, and Armstrong’s love of dogs. Armstrong even discusses her pet pooch back home, named Bowser.
Speaking with Sergeant Duke, VUE-995 is told he needs greasing up, as the other troops are complaining that he’s squeaking. As a group, the team also discusses eating jerky. (There are no voice lines featuring Samus, for obvious reasons.)
It remains to be seen whether this dialogue is ever used for anything, or made available in-game via a future update. (Perhaps it’s being saved for the launch of a New Game Plus mode?) Alternatively, the fact the dialogue has been cut could be a sign that Nintendo knew its cheery marines might come across as an odd fit in Metroid Prime — a series known for its themes of isolation, with a famously silent protagonist and little to no other dialogue.
“It doesn’t take psychic powers to see the ideal vision Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was aiming for,” IGN wrote in our Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review. “It tries to mix the excellent Prime formula with a character-focused story and a large hub world to explore. It doesn’t quite reach that ambitious goal, with an outdated open desert area that mostly feels like padding and a cast of characters that provide both a handful of memorable moments and too much chatter at times.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
For the Animal Crossing fans looking for new dialogue or major overhauls to what exists in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you may not want to hold your breath for the 3.0 Update or the Nintendo Switch 2 version. The announcement for anything new for the five-year-old game was already a delightful surprise (especially after Nintendo previously said they were done with major updates years ago), but there don’t seem to be many secrets or surprises beyond what was shown in the reveal trailer. IGN was invited by Nintendo to get a hands-off look at what’s coming to ACNH on January 15, 2026, and the roughly 25-minute demo confirmed certain ACNH fan factions’ excitement and disappointment: namely, this one is for the decorators. That being said, as someone who does love decorating in Animal Crossing, this update is an exciting reason for me to play more regularly again.
The Switch 2 version’s three main features aren’t all that interesting, though the speed and graphical updates are pleasing. In the demo, I saw and had it confirmed that the Switch 2 exclusive Megaphone tool is limited to calling residents who can actually hear. So, it won’t impact anyone inside a building, which makes it less useful for tracking down a particular character. Then, the final major benefit to playing on Switch 2 is being able to play with up to 12 people total in multiplayer, though that hinges on everyone in the session playing on a Switch 2. I feel lucky I know even three people still playing, leaving this update as the least impactful.
The hotel is by far the biggest change out of everything. It was explained that, like other facilities in ACNH, the hotel is something you’ll unlock. Since it’s tied to the pier, it cannot be moved and getting it is not optional. I didn’t see what’s involved in building the hotel, but once it’s there, it’ll receive season-appropriate decor like other facilities. Inside is the welcoming site of Kapp’n’s family. The main activity you’ll do in the hotel is decorating rooms similar to the Happy Home Paradise DLC, with the key difference being that you have a list of room themes to choose from (such as Ranch Room, Skyscraper Room, and plenty more) and are free to do what you will with it… or skip using a theme entirely and freestyle the design.
If you use a theme, you’re provided a selection of items that match. Though unlike HHP, you’re not required to use any specific items even if you do opt to use a theme. Then, when you’re done, you’ll receive a reward of the new hotel currency, tickets, once per day. You can keep decorating the eight guest rooms, but you won’t receive any extra currency. Tickets can then be spent at the hotel gift shop that has hotel-related items along with new furniture, most of which I did not get to see. The other way to earn tickets is by crafting requested items for Kapp’n. The new bulk crafting feature wasn’t shown in my demo either.
Tourists who stay in the hotel can roam your island in the customizable outfits displayed in the hotel, which helps to clearly identify them. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much interaction with tourists in my demo. The one conversation with a tourist didn’t make it clear whether or not they can be invited to stay on the island, though it was mentioned in the demo that if the visitor is convinced, they could potentially become a resident.
The four new characters coming to ACNH with 3.0 (two from Splatoon, two from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) weren’t present in the demo, though the items that get added to ACNH after scanning one of their respective series amiibo were. It was clarified that to get one of the new Splatoon or Legends of Zelda characters and the associated special items, all you need to do is scan any one amiibo from their respective franchise, rather than any specific amiibo. The items looked great peppered around the item, and it seems most of the items are interactive.
For those looking for even more decorating, Slumber Islands await. We unfortunately again didn’t see much of the special Slumber Island space beyond what was shown in the reveal trailer. This feature requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. With that, you’ll get access to three island save spots and can create a small, medium, or large island, with the large size being close to being the size of the normal island. The Animal Crossing community has come up with some amazing island designs over the years, and the Slumber Islands feature is primed to encourage even more of that. Whatever you’ve collected will be available on the Slumber Islands, and anything you do or use in the dreams won’t impact your main island. It was confirmed during the demo that there won’t be any new additional custom design save slots, though, so players will need to get creative with what’s already available if custom designs are a key part of their island design process.
Our demo didn’t show Resetti’s new suite of cleanup services, all the new items coming with the hotel, or how much it costs to upgrade storage. There wasn’t a chance to ask the developers questions either, so it’s still unclear whether we should expect any other ACNH updates beyond this. I’m eager to see the patch notes whenever Nintendo releases them to see if there are any secret small quality of life updates or item updates for holidays (will we get a 2026 balloon arch for the New Year’s event?), but, as I mentioned earlier, I’m skeptical we’ll see any major changes other than what’s been announced. Even still, I’m enjoying having a reason to return to my island and get it cleaned up for future tourists.
Miranda Sanchez is the executive editor of guides at IGN and a member of Unlocked. She’s a big fan of stationery, reading, and bouncing between forever games. You can sometimes find her on Bluesky.
Valve has outlined what’s new in Dota 2 patch 7.40 and provided a rundown of its latest hero, Largo.
“Dota is an ensemble cast, but keen observers looking through the collection of rogues, wizards, druids, and knights (not to mention two characters named ‘ranger’) may have noticed the absence of that most maligned of hero classes: the bard. At least, up until now,” Valve teased, before introducing Largo himself.
Largo is the shamanic head of the bardmonk order, and unlike bards that “sing about current events and chord changes,” he “tailors every song to his exact circumstances, raising his allies’ spirits or, if necessary, their foot speed as they run toward battle (or away). As a frog, his prehensile tongue has, shall we say, all kinds of tricks.”
One such trick is his Catchy Lick, in which he targets someone, licks them, pulls them back a short distance, and applies a basic dispel. If they’re an ally, he pulls them out of harm’s way, and if they’re an enemy, his tongue deals damage. By dispelling an effect from a target, Largo gets a brief health regen, too. He can also fire froglings that stomp the ground every second, dealing damage and ministuns, and minimize ally mana costs with his Croak of Genius skill.
His ultimate skill is Amphibian Rhapsody. To be honest, with a name as incredible as that, I don’t even care what it does, but for those wondering, it’s essentially a mini-rhythm game.
“Largo gets ready to groove,” Valve explains. “He is disarmed and his ability bar switches to three song abilities, each with different effects. Songs are only effective if strummed on the beat.
“Every time he strums successfully, he gains a stack of Groovin’. Each stack gives him bonus armor and reduces the mana cost of every song, but he loses a stack if he misses a beat. Stacks linger for a short duration when Largo’s song ends.”
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.
