Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Squid Game crossover is in its second week and dredging up familiar, thorny questions around the series’ microtransactions.
As players run around the virtual battlefield of Black Ops 6 and Warzone dressed as not only Squid Game contestants but the masked-up soldiers who keep them in line, the Call of Duty community is questioning Activision’s aggressive monetization of its hugely popular money-spinner.
Fans had already hit out at the Squid Game event pass, which includes a paid premium track. Call of Duty has never locked event rewards behind a paywall before, and this 1,100 CP ($9.99) battle pass within a battle pass has certainly proven controversial.
Now, the first Squid Game premium bundle is on sale, and as expected, it’s expensive. The 2,800 CP ($24) bundle includes three new skins (the triangle, circle, and square Squid Game workers), two weapon skins, and other digital gubbins. 2,800 CP is in-line with some of the most expensive bundles Call of Duty already offers, but there’s more than the up-front cost here that’s upsetting fans.
The three Squid Game operators included are all restricted to the same “side.” This means that in Black Ops 6 Multiplayer, you only use them if you’re on the Crimson One team. So, it may be the case that you have a run of games in which you can’t use the skin you’ve paid for.
While this makes sense on one hand (having these skins available for use on both sides would probably create visual confusion), Call of Duty players have expressed frustration at the restriction. “2,800 COD Points for operators on the same faction… Can’t even use more than one at a time,” redditor mrdounut101 complained.
I’ve seen many familiar counter arguments pop up in response to this complaint. Just don’t buy Call of Duty skins, some say. If you do, you’re part of the problem. Some can’t understand why anyone would buy a Call of Duty soldier skin in the first place, given the game is first-person.
Unlike, for example, Fortnite, which is third-person and thus lets you see your character during gameplay, Call of Duty only lets you see your character skin’s hands and forearms as you’re fighting, or in their entirety during executions. Black Ops 6’s Winner’s Circle, itself the focus of some frustration within the community, shows off your skins in all their glory after the end of a Multiplayer match. Activision certainly knows what it’s doing here.
Players are also complaining that Black Ops 6 is currently packed with players wearing Squid Game skins, but that was inevitable. For a start, one of the skins made available as part of this event is free to all players, so that was always going to prove a popular option, especially given the internet’s obsession with Squid Game itself. Squid Game has overrun Call of Duty, yes, but it will pass.
Inevitably we arrive at the endpoint of the Call of Duty microtransaction debate: Activision monetizes the game like it’s free-to-play, like it’s Fortnite, and while that’s true for Warzone players, it very much is not for Black Ops 6 players, most of whom have forked out at least $70 just to start playing Multiplayer or Zombies.
This gets to the issue at the heart of Call of Duty and why it continues to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars through microtransactions alongside the huge amount of money generated by sales of the game itself. Activision has created this cross-progression monetization system that means the free-to-play Warzone has the same microtransactions as the $70 Black Ops 6. But players do not necessarily play both games. If you play Black Ops 6 Multiplayer only, for example, a cosmetics bundle that costs a third of the full price of the game is probably going to feel unfairly expensive. But if you play Warzone only, then you probably feel like the price is justified.
And then there’s all the positions in-between. Perhaps you play both games. How do you feel about the monetization then? Perhaps you play Black Ops 6 via your Game Pass subscription. Are the microtransactions good value for you now? Did you pay extra for the BlackCell version of the premium battle pass? If so, perhaps you feel all the Squid Game event pass rewards should be yours without having to hand over even more cash.
It really does feel like Activision is pushing the boundary of what it can get away with when it comes to the cost of Call of Duty cosmetics. In truth, the mega publisher has added new types of battle passes and bundles multiple times over the years. But now Call of Duty is in the hands of Microsoft and the pressure is on Phil Spencer to deliver a return on that huge $69 billion acquisition, fans will likely find themselves having to contend with even more new and potentially controversial types of monetization as they struggle to improve their K/D ratio. The Squid Game event pass is probably just the beginning.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
WWE 2K23 servers close today less than two years after the game came out.
The official WWE tie-in wrestling title launched on March 14, 2023. As noted by Eurogamer, WWE 2K23 goes dark today, January 6, 2025, when the servers are discontinued.
This includes all online functions, such as online matches and Community Creations. Players will no longer be able to access any online game mode after this point. However if you already own the game you will be able to continue to play offline modes. The game itself and all VC (Virtual Currency), as well as DLC/Add-Ons, were pulled from sale in November.
This also means WWE 2K23’s PS5 and PS4 Platinum Trophy is unobtainable, the latest to fizzle out of existence with a server shutdown. Gamers have long called on the platform holders to mandate achievement and trophy changes upon a server shutdown so customers can still complete those challenges.
IGN’s WWE 2K23 review returned an 8/10. We said: “Though the Showcase mode isn’t as super as its subject, John Cena, the sharp focus on refinement instead of reinvention helps keep WWE 2K23 as the gold standard of wrestling sims.”
WWE 2K23’s server shutdown leaves last year’s WWE 2K24 as the only game in the series with online functionality. The expectation is WWE 2K25 launches around March this year, but some fans are now debating the value in investing time in these games if they fail to last even a couple of years.
Publisher 2K has form when it comes to shutting down its sports games in the immediate years after release. 2022’s NBA 2K23, for example, shut down in December 2024. Rival sports video game maker EA tends to keep the online portion of its games running longer than 2K, with FIFA and Madden servers often up and running years after launch.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Shift Up, the South Korean company behind PlayStation 5 exclusive action game Stellar Blade, has gifted all its staff a PlayStation 5 Pro as well as a cash bonus of 5 million won (around. $3,400).
As spotted by VGC, South Korean publication Naver reported that the eye-catching bonuses were designed to encourage the company’s staff. As of the third quarter of last year, 311 people were working at Shift Up.
Shift Up had an impressive 2024. The Sony Interactive Entertainment-published Stellar Blade launched exclusively on PS5 in April and sold more than one million copies in two months. IGN’s Stellar Blade review returned a 7/10. We said: “Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its RPG mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre.” Since then, Shift Up has continued to update the game and even added crossover DLC with other video game franchises, most notably Nier: Automata.
In July, Shift Up raised 435 billion won (around. $320 million) in its first day of trade after an initial public offering. According to Bloomberg, that was the largest in the country for a gaming company since 2021, when PUBG maker Krafton Inc. raised $3.8 billion from its own IPO.
In a recent financial report, Shift Up said that after Stellar Blade’s launch “sales continued at a stabilized level,” although it failed to provide an updated sales figure. It did, however, provide revenue directly attributed to the game: 25.8 billion won (approx. $18.5 million) during the quarter Stellar Blade came out (April to June), and 22.5 billion won (approx. $16.1 million) during the company’s third quarter (July to September). That’s a total of 48.4 billion won (around $34.6 million) as of the end of September. For context, Shift Up’s other game, mobile action RPG Goddess of Victory: Nikke, makes more money than Stellar Blade (approx. $51.9 million during the same two quarters).
There’s more to come, too. The developer has confirmed plans to release Stellar Blade on PC in 2025, and pointed to Black Myth: Wukong’s incredible success on Steam in predicting more sales on PC than on PS5.
Shift Up has an unannounced multiplatform game codenamed Project Witches, which it plans to launch after 2027. Given the success of Stellar Blade, it seems likely Shift Up is also considering a sequel.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Minecraft creator Markus Persson has said he “basically announced Minecraft 2” after polling his social media followers on what game they’d like him to make next.
Two options were listed in the poll: a roguelike mixed with a tile-based first-person dungeon crawler, and a a spiritual successor to Minecraft, which in the poll was called “Minecraft 2.” At the time of this article’s publication, 81% had picked Minecraft 2 after 282,968 votes.
Honest and legitimate request for feedback for once:
The new game I’m passionately working on is currently set to be a traditional roguelike (i.e. ADOM, nethack, etc) mixed with a tile based first person dungeon crawler (ie Legend of Grimrock (esp 2), Eye of the Beholder)
In a subsequent tweet, Notch admitted he “basically announced Minecraft 2,” and insisted he was “100% serious” about the poll.
“I thought that maybe people ACTUALLY do want me to make another game that’s super similar to the first one, and I’m loving working on games again,” he continued.
“I don’t super duper care exactly which game I make first (or even if I make more), but I do know I’m making one, so I figured I’d absolutely be willing to give it an honest shot in the form of a spiritual successor to Minecraft and put up a poll about it.
“My intentions are to be clear and honest about it, saying that spiritual successors are usually kind of… you know… washed up. Tragic. The things I’m fearing my next game is going to be anyway and try to push myself to avoid. So why not do the thing that people DO want and are willing to give me, somehow, even MORE cash for.
“I intend for the money to the [sic] spent for good, but my god have I learned I fail a lot. Winning is failing until you make yourself succeed.
“Oh and I also very much value being a man of my word, so I also intend to do this in a way that in no way tried [sic] to sneakily infringe on the incredible work the Mojang team is doing and that Microsoft is successfully doing the Microsoft shittification about.
“And I respect them for doing that. It’s their job. And they, from what I understand, let the studio do things their way, which seems very fair to me.”
Based on that, then, Notch is indeed setting out to work on a spiritual successor to Minecraft a decade after selling Mojang to Microsoft for $2.5 billion. Mojang continues to work on the eternally popular Minecraft, of course, putting out multiple updates each year across all the platforms the sandbox game is available on. Minecraft is officially the best-selling video game of all time, with an incredible 300 million copies sold. Microsoft has made no indication that it intends to release a Minecraft 2, which comes as no surprise given how popular Minecraft remains. Perhaps that leaves the door open for Notch to fill a gap from the original creator.
As Notch noted himself, it remains to be seen whether this ‘Minecraft 2’ ever sees the light of day. Since selling to Microsoft, the Swedish developer has started and stopped a number of games, including space sandbox game 0x10c (pronounced “Ten to the C”). However, in another tweet, Notch said the odds of him finishing projects now are higher than they were because he has employees he feels responsible for.
In later tweets, Notch answered questions from followers on social media about this Minecraft 2, and insisted he doesn’t want to use anything “too similar to the stuff I sold,” in this new game. He also said his Minecraft 2 wouldn’t be a story game, suggesting a new sandbox of some kind. “I’d make a similar game [to Minecraft] based on what I think the audience that says they want that game might enjoy,” he explained. “Probably do early access to make sure we’re on track.”
I mean best I’ve got at the moment is Adventureland, so yeah no idea
Notch even went on to say that if Minecraft ever wanted him to make an official Minecraft 2 and both parties agreed on terms, “I’d absolutely be willing to to that.”
“I’d even give them a much bigger share than I’d feel obliged to just to make it clear I’m not doing it with ill intent,” he continued, before adding: “But I’ll be a bitch to work with.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The first weekend of 2025 is here, which makes today a great time to check out the latest deals! Here are the best deals for Sunday, January 5.
Save on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is on sale for $49.99 at Amazon. In our 8/10 review, we stated, “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a terrific third-person shooter with a compelling story, loads of weapons that are a blast to use, and a healthy variety of enemies to use them on.”
M2 MacBook Air for $799
Amazon has this 2022 Apple MacBook Air on sale for $799 this weekend. This model includes the M2 chip, which supports Apple Intelligence, as well as 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and a 13.6-inch display. If you’ve been holding out on upgrading your MacBook this can be an excellent option.
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for $34
You can score Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for only $34 today at Amazon. This collection packs in seven different titles, including the beloved Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. At last, you can play these classic titles on modern platforms.
EPOMAKER Shadow-X Gasket Mechanical Keyboard for $42.99
This EPOMAKER Shadow-X keyboard is perfect to switch up your setup with some color. The keyboard can be used either wirelessly or wired, with a 3,000mAh battery to support hours of use. Additionally, there’s even a color screen that displays settings, specs, and more at just a glance.
Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Charger Stand for $65.99
If you own an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a pair of Apple AirPods, this is the ultimate accessory for you. The Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Charger Stand can charge all of your devices wirelessly with one device. It’s perfect for placing on your nightstand, or even for bringing with you during a trip away from home. Say goodbye to the days of one cord per device.
Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition for $23.82
Featuring 240 pages of artwork from Akira Toriyama, Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition is the ultimate gift for any fan of the iconic RPG series. This book features over 500 different illustrations from Toriyama, stretching from Dragon Quest all the way to Dragon Quest XI.
Apple Watch Series 10 for $359
Amazon has the Apple Watch Series 10 on sale for $359 this weekend, which nets you $70 off this extremely popular device. Series 10 marked Apple’s first wide-angle OLED display on Apple Watch, with the device itself being the thinnest watch yet. If you’re not an Apple Watch owner or someone who has an older model, this is the perfect time to score an upgrade.
Persona 5 Royal for $14.88
Walmart has digital Nintendo Switch copies of Persona 5 Royal available on sale for only $14.88. Acting as the definitive version of P5, Persona 5 Royal is one of the must-play RPG experiences of the last generation. This game offers well over 100 hours of content, making this an excellent deal.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 4K UHD Blu-ray for $12.99
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a very beloved movie for many, and you can pick up the 4K Blu-ray this weekend for only $12.99. This package includes a 4K UHD disc, a Blu-ray disc, and a digital copy. We gave the movie an 8/10 in 2010, with the beat-em-up game receiving an 8/10 as well.
The first weekend of 20245 is here, which makes today a great time to check out the latest deals! Here are the best deals for Saturday, January 4.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak for $41.99
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is on sale this weekend at Amazon for $41.99. This entry in the long-running Trails series is a solid place to start, especially with Daybreak II due out next month. If you’re searching for your next RPG, this is a great option!
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for $34
You can score Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for only $34 today at Amazon. This collection packs in seven different titles, including the beloved Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. At last, you can play these classic titles on modern platforms.
EPOMAKER Shadow-X Gasket Mechanical Keyboard for $42.99
This EPOMAKER Shadow-X keyboard is perfect to switch up your setup with some color. The keyboard can be used either wirelessly or wired, with a 3,000mAh battery to support hours of use. Additionally, there’s even a color screen that displays settings, specs, and more at just a glance.
Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Charger Stand for $65.99
If you own an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a pair of Apple AirPods, this is the ultimate accessory for you. The Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Charger Stand can charge all of your devices wirelessly with one device. It’s perfect for placing on your nightstand, or even for bringing with you during a trip away from home. Say goodbye to the days of one cord per device.
Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition for $23.82
Featuring 240 pages of artwork from Akira Toriyama, Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition is the ultimate gift for any fan of the iconic RPG series. This book features over 500 different illustrations from Toriyama, stretching from Dragon Quest all the way to Dragon Quest XI.
Samsung 98″ TV for $1997.99
This Samsung 98-Inch Class 4K Crystal DU9000 Series TV has hit an all-time low this weekend, priced at $1997.99. Not everyone has room for a massive 98″ TV, but if you do, this is a solid option, especially for the price.
Apple Watch Series 10 for $359
Amazon has the Apple Watch Series 10 on sale for $359 this weekend, which nets you $70 off this extremely popular device. Series 10 marked Apple’s first wide-angle OLED display on Apple Watch, with the device itself being the thinnest watch yet. If you’re not an Apple Watch owner or someone who has an older model, this is the perfect time to score an upgrade.
Persona 5 Royal for $14.88
Walmart has digital Nintendo Switch copies of Persona 5 Royal available on sale for only $14.88. Acting as the definitive version of P5, Persona 5 Royal is one of the must-play RPG experiences of the last generation. This game offers well over 100 hours of content, making this an excellent deal.
With 2025 looming, Star Wars fans have a whole new year’s worth of content to look forward to. Unfortunately, 2025 isn’t shaping up to be the franchise’s biggest year. With no new movies on the docket and only one live-action series confirmed for release, the pickings are looking a little slim.
But that’s not to say there’s nothing exciting on the horizon. The release of Andor Season 2 alone is reason for Star Wars fans to celebrate like the Rebels dancing on Endor. Let’s take a closer look at what is coming in 2025, and the many Star Wars projects we hope to learn more about in the next 12 months.
Andor Returns for Season 2
This is the big one. The Star Wars slate may be a little sparse in 2025, but it’s hard to complain too much when we’re getting a sequel to what is widely regarded as the best Star Wars project Disney has released so far. That’s right, Andor Season 2 is finally dropping in April 2025.
Season 2 chronicles the second half of this deep, introspective origin story for Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor. If Season 1 was the story of how a young Cassian became radicalized and joined the fledgling Rebel Alliance, then Season 2 will show us the dangerous missions he undertook leading up to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Fittingly, with the series moving closer to the time period of Rogue One, we’ll see more familiar faces from that movie pop up in Season 2. Most notably, Alan Tudyk will reprise the role of K-2SO, as we learn how Cassian first met this eccentric Imperial assassin droid. We’re also looking forward to seeing Ben Mendelsohn don his cape once more as Death Star project manager Director Orson Krennic.
Fans can expect Season 2 to cover a lot of ground, with multiple time jumps unfolding over the course of the season and the final batch of episodes set in the days leading up to Rogue One. In other words, don’t expect a Season 3. But do expect a Star Wars story that continues to explore the ordinary men and women who lit the spark of rebellion in a time of great darkness.
More Star Wars: Visions
More Andor is great, but what about the animated side of things? With The Bad Batch wrapping up in 2024, the one Star Wars animated series confirmed to return in 2025 is Star Wars: Visions. Once again, fans will be treated to an anthology of animated shorts featuring various animation studios interpreting the mythology of Star Wars through their own, unique lens.
Season 3 is said to bring Visions back to its roots as an anime anthology, whereas Season 2 took more of a global approach. The studios involved in Season 3 include Cyberpunk Edgerunners’ Studio Trigger and Attack on Titan’s WIT Studio, along with David Production, Kamikaze Douga, ANIMA, Kinema Citrus Co., Polygon Pictures, Production I.G, and Project Studio Q.
Will There Be More Star Wars TV?
However much we’re looking forward to more of Star Wars: Andor and Star Wars: Visions, there’s no getting around the fact that 2025 is looking pretty thin on the Star Wars TV front compared to previous years. In 2024 alone we got two live-action shows in The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew and two animated series in The Bad Batch: Season 3 and Tales of the Empire. But in 2025, we only have one confirmed live-action series and one animated series, plus the final two episodes of Skeleton Crew.
Is there a chance Disney has more shows planned we don’t know about? Possibly, at least on the animated front. Don’t forget that we only learned about the existence of Tales of the Empire a month before it dropped on Disney+ in May 2024. It’s entirely possible that they could pull the same trick again in 2025, announcing another “Tales of” anthology series to follow up Tales of the Empire and Tales of the Jedi.
There’s also the question of whether Disney has any long-form Star Wars animated projects in development right now. With The Bad Batch wrapping up last year, we have to imagine that Dave Filoni and others have been hard at work crafting the next great Star Wars animated saga. We probably won’t see that series release in 2025, but it’s possible we’ll at least get an announcement and maybe even see some early footage. That could be one of the big announcements at Star Wars Celebration Japan in April.
But on the live-action front, don’t expect any big surprises in 2025. The Acolyte was officially canceled, and with The Mandalorian saga continuing on the big screen, we don’t even know if The Mandalorian: Season 4 is ever happening. That just leaves Ahsoka: Season 2, and that series isn’t returning until 2026 at least.
The End of the High Republic
If things are looking a little barren on the live-action Star Wars front right now, the same certainly can’t be said for the publishing side of things. Fans of the Star Wars books and comics will be eating very well in 2025, particularly those following Lucasfilm Publishing’s High Republic saga. For the past several years, these books and comics have been exploring the triumphs and tribulations of the Jedi hundreds of years before the Star Wars movies, and it all comes to an end soon.
Look for several major High Republic novels to be released in 2025, including Charles Soule’s The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi, Claudia Gray’s The High Republic: Into the Light, and Justina Ireland’s The High Republic: A Valiant Vow. Of these, Trials of the Jedi is the one most worth keeping an eye on, as it serves as the climax of the entire High Republic initiative. This novel will chronicle the final battle between the Jedi and the Nihil and the Nameless. Look for Trials of the Jedi to be released on June 17.
Not to be outdone, Marvel Comics has quite an ambitious Star Wars lineup planned for 2025. In 2024, most of Marvel’s ongoing Star Wars comics were exploring the period between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Now that those books have ended, Marvel is casting a wider net and branching out to multiple Star Wars eras in 2025.
Kicking things off, look for Marvel to wrap up the limited series Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku in January. This series has been busy fleshing out the final major battle between the dying Empire and the New Republic two years after Return of the Jedi, and we’ll see the climax unfold in writer Alex Segura and artist Jethro Morales and Leonard Kirk’s The Battle of Jakku: Last Stand.
From there, Marvel is veering in two wildly different directions with its newest ongoing Star Wars comics. First, writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Madibek Musabekov are heading to the Prequel era in Star Wars: Jedi Knights. Set before the events of The Phantom Menace, the series will follow numerous members of the Jedi Order, including Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Mace Windu, and Shaak Ti. The series even focuses on Count Dooku before his defection from the Jedi Order.
Elsewhere, Marvel is venturing deep into the era of the Sequel Trilogy for Charles Soule and Luke Ross’ Star Wars: Legacy of Vader. Set in between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, the series explores Kylo Ren’s struggle as the newly crowned Supreme Leader of the First Order and his quest to recommit himself to the Dark Side following his battles with Rey and Luke Skywalker. Soule previously fleshed out Ben Solo’s Dark Side origins in 2020’s Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, so consider this a sequel of sorts.
We have to assume these aren’t the only new Star Wars comics Marvel will be launching in 2025, as the publisher has tended to publish four or five ongoing titles at any given time. Will Doctor Aphra get another solo series? Will we see other books fleshing out the blank canvas that is the post-Return of the Jedi era? Only time will tell on that front.
The Future of Star Wars Games
If 2025 is shaping up to be a relatively quiet year on the movie and TV front, it’s not looking any better in terms of video game releases. In fact, there are no Star Wars games confirmed for release in 2024.
About all fans have to look forward to at the moment is new DLC for Star Wars Outlaws. According to Ubisoft’s DLC roadmap, fans can expect a new story campaign called “A Pirate’s Fortune” to release in Spring 2025. This campaign focuses on fan-favorite pirate villain (or perhaps he’s more of an anti-hero) Hondo Ohnaka as he bumps into Kay Vess.
Ubisoft has yet to reveal what, if any, new Outlaws content is planned beyond “A Pirate’s Fortune.” Are there even more adventures planned for Kay and her motley crew, or do the lukewarm sales numbers spell doom for Outlaws’ ongoing future? We’ll have to wait for future announcements to learn more.
Beyond that, all we can do is hope that 2025 brings with it news about other upcoming Star Wars games. We know EA is developing a third game in the Star Wars Jedi series. But with there being four years between the release of 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and 2023’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, it’s probably too much to hope the new game will actually release in 2025. At best, we might see early footage of the game and get a better idea of when in the Star Wars timeline it takes place.
We’re also crossing our fingers for news on the oft-delayed remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch confirmed in 2024 that the game is still in active development, despite rumors to the contrary. But what state is the game in right now, and when will we see footage of the remake in action? Hopefully, 2025 brings with it some good news on the KOTOR front.
And let’s not forget Quantic Dream’s Star Wars: Eclipse, another title that was announced and then seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. Will 2025 be the year Eclipse finally rears its head again, or will it go the way of so many other canceled Star Wars projects?
What About the Star Wars Movies?
2025 won’t deliver any new Star Wars theatrical releases, which at this point is nothing new. On the theatrical side, the franchise has been dormant since the release of The Rise of Skywalker back in 2019. But that’s not to say Lucasfilm hasn’t announced plenty of new Star Wars movies in recent years. It’s worth looking at what’s currently in the pipeline and how likely we are to get an update in 2025.
The Mandalorian & Grogu
First, there’s the lone Star Wars movie that’s actually in production right now, The Mandalorian & Grogu. This big-screen spinoff of The Mandalorian continues the shared story of the two heroes after the events of The Mandalorian: Season 3. Co-creator Jon Favreau is directing the film, which is currently slated for release on May 22, 2026. With any luck, we should see a teaser trailer for the film at some point in 2025, possibly as early as Star Wars Celebration Japan.
Dave Filoni’s Mando-Verse Movie
Not to be outdone, Favreau’s partner Dave Filoni is directing his own live-action movie, one expected to tie together characters and threads from The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and other projects from that era. Don’t expect much news on this movie in the foreseeable future, however, as Filoni has to focus on Ahsoka: Season 2 first.
James Mangold’s Star Wars Movie
Logan director James Mangold is helming a movie set in the distant past of the Star Wars universe, revealing the origins of the Jedi Order and reportedly featuring a “Biblical” scope. Lucasfilm may announce a writer for the movie in 2025, but don’t expect more updates than that.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order Movie
Daisy Ridley is reprising the role of Rey Skywalker in a new movie set 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Ms. Marvel’s Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is directing. Hopefully, we’ll see some updates about the film in 2025, but it’s unclear where in the pipeline it currently falls.
Simon Kinberg’s Star Wars Trilogy
X-Men producer Simon Kinberg has been tapped to oversee a new trilogy of Star Wars movies. Despite early rumors the trilogy will directly continue the Skywalker Saga, IGN was able to confirm it’s instead meant to focus on a new storyline. It’s still early days on this project, so we’re not expecting to hear much about Kinberg’s trilogy in 2025.
Taika Waititi’s Star Wars Movie
Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi is apparently still set to venture into the Star Wars universe, though it’s been years since we’ve gotten any substantive updates on this mysterious project. Will that finally change in 2025?
And that’s what you can expect from the Star Wars franchise in 2025. It’s a relatively quiet year, but there are still some very cool projects for fans to look forward to in the new year. What Star Wars story are you most excited to experience in 2025? Let us know by voting in our poll and posting down in the comments.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket byfollowing @jschedeen on BlueSky.
At last, it’s time for the most exciting live competitive event of the year. No, I don’t mean the Super Bowl – it’s time for Awesome Games Done Quick, the annual charity speedrunning marathon that features a week of talented gamers showing off the wildest things they can do with video games.
Games Done Quick (GDQ) has been running for 15 years now, since 2010. The event is a live broadcast speedrunning marathon, during which speedrunners take turns showing off beating video games as fast as possible, and often in wacky and especially impressive ways. In recent years, the events have shown off increasingly ambitious performances, including blindfolded or one-handed runs, two players using a single controller, showcases of tricky arcade games, and even speedruns performed by dogs.
The annual event is held to raise money for the Prevent Cancer foundation, having previously raised a record high of $3,442,033 in 2022, and $2,539,832 just last year. And this year’s marathon has some pretty ridiculous runs on the docket. There’s a run of Crazy Taxi backed by a live band, someone playing Elden Ring with a saxophone, new Super Mario Bros. Wii run while simultaneously playing piano, a two-players-one-controller run of Breath of the Wild, loads of randomizer races, and it all wraps up with a Map Randomizer Race between some of the best Super Metroid runners out there. If you’ve never watched GDQ before, it’s really worth tuning in.
AGDQ 2025 kicks off at 9:00 AM PT on Sunday, January 5 with a run of Pikmin on Nintendo Switch, followed by Portal 2. In fact, Sunday’s full of bangers: Kirby’s Air Ride follows, there’s an Astro Bot run, then The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, a run infamous for appearing at GDQ every years and getting shorter each time as the community discovers new, run-changing skips.
If I keep going I’ll just list every single run in the entire event, so here’s a quick list of highlights you should definitely check out. Definitely peak at the official website for a look at the full schedule, because there’s tons of great runs I didn’t list here, and the timing will be subject to change constantly throughout the week.
Sunday
9:00 AM PT: Pikmin – All Parts
10:24 AM: Portal 2 – Single player No SLA
1:56 PM: Ori and the Blind Forest – Randomizer World Tour 11
3:30 PM: Astro Bot – Any%
6:19 PM: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Any%
9:14 PM: Alan Wake 2: Night Springs – All Episodes
10:01 PM: Alan Wake 2: The lake House – Any%
Monday
9:54 AM PT: UFO 50 – Various Games Showcase
10:51 AM: Super Meat Boy – Any%
11:37 AM: Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS – SMC Any% No Auto
3:00 PM: Metroid Prime – Any% Inbounds Race
4:42 PM: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Any% 2 Players 1 Controller
6:45 PM: Horizon: Forbidden Rest – NG+ Story
Tuesday
7:47 AM PT: Unicorn Overlord – Any% Story
8:26 AM: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana – All Story Bosses
1:43 PM: New Super Mario Bros. Wii – Any% While Playing Piano
3:30 PM: Donkey Kong Counry: Tropical Freeze – Any% Original Mode
5:07 PM: Fallout: New Vegas – All Romances
5:52 PM: Super Mario 64 – A-Button Challenge TAS Showcase
6:27 PM: Rocket League – Workshop Map Speedrun Showcase
7:24 PM: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Main Quest
At 8:24 PM PT, GDQ will kick off a block of games that have been affectionally referred to in past years as “Awful Games Done Quick” or the “Awful Block.” These are games that are silly, janky, broken, or otherwise of questionable quality, and always make for some hilarious speedruns. The first run, Superman 64, you’ve probably heard of before, but the rest you may have not. The Awful Block runs throughout the night on Wednesday into very early Thursday morning. Speaking from experience, I highly recommend having insomnia and staying up all night to watch it. The block concludes with Kevin Costner’s Waterworld at 3:11 AM on Thursday.
Thursday
10:55 AM PT: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – All Dungeons
3:00 PM: Lies of P – Any% Glitchless
5:02 PM: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Any%
6:55 PM: CHUNITHM LUMINOUS PLUS – Arcade Showcase
Friday
2:36 AM PT: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – Any% Easy
9:21 AM: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – Tightened Vice
3:00 PM: Tetris: The Grand Master – Multi Game Showcase
4:00 PM: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 48 Tracks (DLC) 200cc, No Items
5:45 PM: Kaizo Mario World 3 – 100%
6:52 PM: jubeat copious APPEND – Showcase
8:07 PM: Super Mario World – 96 Exit Race
Saturday
Seriously, just stop sleeping and watch the entire day Saturday. I want to list every game here. It starts with Peggle Extreme and Metal Gear Solid, for pete’s sake! There’s not a bad thing on the schedule! Fine, fine, my editor said I have to narrow it down:
6:57 AM PT: Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – Any% Race
10:32 AM: Elden Ring – DLC Lockout Bingo
12:52 PM: Elden Ring – Saxophone Controlled Boss Showcase
1:27 PM: Crazy Taxi with Live Backing Band – Crazy Box
2:30 PM: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – No Logic Randomizer
6:35 PM: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – Any%
7:55 PM: Super Metroid – Map Randomizer Race
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.
As we rang in the new year earlier this week, thousands of people seemed to be celebrating in an admittedly unusual way: by playing Valve’s 2018 TCG Artifact.
Then, as quickly as they started, the 12,000-ish individuals all stopped playing at once on January 3, leaving the game as empty as it had been at the end of 2024.
So why, then, is SteamDB suggesting that a free-to-play card game that is, by all accounts, close to dead, seeing wild spikes in users over very specific two-day periods?
As spotted by Forbes, Artifact Classic’s (the original, now free-to-play version of Artifact) player count suddenly spiked on December 31, jumping from a measly ~200 concurrent players up to the 5,000s, before spiking to a height of over 12,000. Artifact remained at around 11,000 concurrents through the second, before its playercount absolutely tanked back down to ~150 at midnight on January 3rd. What’s strange is that something almost exactly like this happened earlier this month, too: on December 14, player counts shot up to around 14,000, hung out there for about two days, and dive bombed again into the hundreds on the 17th.
So what’s really going on here? The actual answer is that no one really knows. The most prevalent community theory seems to be that it’s bots, though why someone would train bots to play Artifact isn’t exactly clear. One person suggested someone was training an AI to play the game “for shits and giggles” which is perhaps as good an explanation as any. Another person suggested the spikes were due to scam bots increasing playtime in random games in order to make their Steam accounts look legitimate for other purposes.
Another theory pointed out by multiple members of the Artifact subreddit is that the spike in players is due to pirates. Because certain video games require Steam authentication, in order to pirate those games, pirates will use the AppID/SDK of a different, free-to-play game to fool Steam into thinking they have a real copy. In this case, it’s being suggested they’re using Artifact. That said, this theory doesn’t entirely hold up, due to the extremely sudden spikes and then drops in activity at very precise times.
So the actual answer behind Artifact’s mysterious player numbers remains a mystery for now. We did reach out to Valve for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication. What is clear at least is that despite the numbers, Artifact itself doesn’t seem to be garnering any meaningful, real-world interest eight years after launch and four years after Valve effectively called it quits, even though the game itself was pretty fun at first. At least the bots, if they are indeed bots, in Artifact don’t seem to be bothering legitimate players, unlike the on-and-off situation over in Team Fortress 2.
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.
Conspicuous by its absence is mention of anti-cheat after a troubling period for Call of Duty that’s seen its hardcore community call on Activision to do more to prevent cheaters from impacting both Black Ops 6 and Warzone. Expect anti-cheat improvements from Season 2.
The 2.699GB patch (PS5) for the Call of Duty app, which must be downloaded whether you own Black Ops 6 or not, adds new Multiplayer and Zombies modes, the new High Roller Wildcard, and makes various balance changes to Scorestreaks. The patch notes in full are below.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6 update 1.065.000 patch notes:
GLOBAL
Movement
Increased all mantle speeds.
Doors can now be opened and closed while sprinting.
Weapons
New Cleaver Melee weapon now available via Event rewards.
Addressed an issue where the player’s view could become obstructed with specific weapons when using the Dark Practitioner Tracer Pack Bundle without an optic.
Addressed an issue where Gun Screens would not be visible on the Saug Mecha-Drake Mastercraft Blueprint.
Hawker Hybrid optic now correctly works with the Ginger Dread Blueprint.
UI
Improved AAR flow.
Added a Dismiss button to exit at any point and a timer.
Added a Summary at the end.
Improved readability when searching for a match.
Addressed an issue where Gun Screens could not be previewed.
NOTE: Some players may see their Operator selections and Operator customizations reset after this update.
MULTIPLAYER
Modes
Red Light, Green Light (NEW)
Young-hee is watching, so don’t misstep at the wrong time. Get on the pitch in the Red Card stadium and play three rounds of Red Light, Green Light, each two minutes long.
In Round 1, no one gets a weapon. In Rounds 2 and 3, you can pick up weapons on the ground and eliminate other competitors with melee attacks and Finishing Moves. There’s just one simple rule: When Young-hee says “Green Light,” the fight is on. Move a muscle after she says “Red Light” and you’re toast.
Pentathlon (NEW)
Prove that you have what it takes in the long run by competing in a series of Multiplayer modes to find out who reigns supreme! Play Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint along with two new mode variants: Piggy Bank Team Deathmatch and Roulette.
In Piggy Bank TDM, every elimination adds score to the Mega Piggy Bank; fight for possession of the huge payout when it drops part way through the match.
In Roulette, one-shot eliminations via the Roulette Handgun award double the points, though with each fired shot there’s a chance it’ll blow up in your hands!
Squid Game Moshpit (NEW)
Fire up the Squid Game Moshpit including Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Hardpoint with a twist as players gain access to three important Squid Game-themed features:
Red Light, Green Light Scorestreak: Is the fight getting too hectic for you? Stop the enemy in their tracks with this Scorestreak that calls “Red Light,” commanding all enemy players to stop moving or risk elimination.
Piggy Bank: Eliminated players have a chance of dropping a Piggy Bank that awards a small score boost when picked up. For a bigger payday, watch for the Mega Piggy Bank. Every elimination adds additional score to the Mega Piggy Bank, so once it drops, fight for it to acquire all the deposited score within.
Roulette Handgun: The epitome of high risk, high reward. The Roulette Handgun spawns in the center of the map; grab it to activate a permanent UAV effect while wielding it and land one-shot eliminations against enemies, earning more than double the normal score to help you obtain Scorestreaks more quickly. The catch? Your location will be marked for everyone to see, and every shot has a chance to blow up the weapon, taking you down with it.
Prop Hunt
Improved spatial audio on Prop whistles.
Addressed an issue where Prop UI could remain present when switching rounds to the Hunter team.
Addressed an issue where Props could block doors from opening when locked in place.
Wildcards
High Roller (NEW)
Allows players to equip up to four Scorestreaks.
Scorestreaks
RC-XD
Slightly reduced the RC-XD’s max damage.
Archangel Launcher
Addressed a rare issue where the next bullet fired from a weapon after using the Archangel Launcher could be an Archangel rocket.
Care Package
Care Packages will now contain the Scout Pulse Scorestreak less frequently.
LDBR
Decreased the damage the LDBR does to its owner.
Reduced score requirement from 950 to 800.
Sentry Turret
Increased Sentry Turret fire rate.
Increased Sentry Turret HP.
Reduced score requirement from 1000 to 950.
Hellstorm
Reduced score requirement from 1050 to 1000.
Watchdog Helo
Slightly increased the Watchdog Helo’s damage.
Increased Watchdog Helo accuracy when it acquires a new target.
Reduced score requirement from 1100 to 1050.
Strategic Bomber
Reduced score requirement from 1300 to 1100.
A.G.R. MK 1
Top speed increased.
Acceleration increased.
Addressed an issue where the A.G.R. MK 1 was deploying with less HP than intended.
Dreadnought
Slightly increased Dreadnought HP.
Reduced score requirement from 1800 to 1700.
UI
Addressed an issue where the wrong Finisher would sometimes be previewed.
Addressed various issues with overlapping text.
Correct Calling Cards now display during the Winner’s Circle in Free-For-All.
Audio
Reduced the range of Emote sound effects.
ZOMBIES
Maps
Citadelle des Morts
Elemental Sword Wonder Weapons
General
All swords can now hit up to two enemies per swing. The additional hit will do damage based on distance.
Additional hit damage is 100% at close-to-medium distance and 50% beyond that.
Players can now parry Amalgam grabs with Elemental Swords.
Addressed an issue where sword damage could be decreased when using the Void Sheath Augment for Aether Shroud.
Balmung
Ability procs more frequently while charged.
Reduced the required kills to charge from 40 to 25.
Decreased cooldown from 20 to 10 seconds.
Slightly lowered the chance to activate the passive effects to account for the decreased cooldown between activations.
Durandel
Increased special attack damage.
Increased Electric Beam special attack damage per tick from 40% to 65% of base zombie health.
Ability now procs more frequently while charged.
Decreased cooldown from 25 to 3 seconds.
Slightly lowered the chance to activate the passive effects to account for the decreased cooldown between activations.
Addressed an issue where Durandel’s charged attack would not be visible to other players.
Caliburn
Adjusted to activate Napalm Burst Augments when the sword procs, similar to Balmung and Durandal.
Solais
Slightly reduced effectiveness of Armor regeneration ability.
Slightly increased swing interrupt time for sword swing.
Lowered Armor regeneration percentage from 5% to 4% per swing.
Main Quest
Addressed an issue where players could sometimes be unable to pick up the Lightning Rod depending on where it dropped.
The Lightning Rod zombie will now return to the Dungeon if there are no players nearby.
Addressed an issue where activating the Time Out GobbleGum to progress a round during the Main Quest boss fight would respawn eliminated players in the starting area and down them.
Players will now respawn in the boss fight arena.
Addressed an issue where Special Round effects would not disable when entering the Main Quest boss fight.
Adjusted Deadshot ADS placement to be more accurate against the Main Quest boss.
Addressed an issue where Krafft could speak to the player before interacting with him in the Dungeon.
Addressed an issue where saving and quitting in a Solo match before speaking to Krafft would prevent Main Quest progression after loading the save.
Addressed an issue where the Light Ritual mirrors could not be interacted with after a player joins in progress.
Addressed an issue where wisps in the Light Challenge for the Mystic Orb would freeze visually but still count toward completion.
Addressed an issue where the Mystic Orb would not be visible to players joining in progress after the Knight’s Ceremony.
Addressed an issue where Main Quest progress was not saved when picking up the Mystic Orb after the Knight’s Ceremony and saving and quitting in a Solo match.Addressed an issue where the Durendal sword could be floating upon loading into a saved Solo match.
Addressed an issue where melee weapons would not be able to open one of the locks on the Pack-a-Punch container.
Closed an exploit where players would take no damage and be unable to move when failing the Sanctuary timed challenge.
Addressed some instances where a specific set of interactions could lead to blank objective text.
Addressed an issue where the Blood Aetherium Crystal could get stuck in a non-playable area.
Addressed some issues with visual effects spawning in non-intended locations.
Updated the model for the Mystic Orb.
Terminus
Addressed an issue where players respawned by progressing a round during the Main Quest boss fight with the Time Out GobbleGum would be unable to see the boss’s health bar.
Addressed an issue where the Workshop Lockdown Main Quest step would end early by placing a Shock Charge after starting.
Speed Boost option now properly functions during the Boat Race Side Quest.
Modes
Dead Light, Green Light (NEW)
Compete in an undead version of the stop-and-go game in Dead Light, Green Light. In the “Green Light” phase, players gain a bonus to earned Essence, so rack up the zombie eliminations. Once “Red Light” is called, Essence is drained from any player who moves, so spend big before this phase or hang tight to avoid throwing away your hard-earned currency. And it doesn’t end there. When the dreaded “Dead Light” phase begins, prepare for a tough fight as a meaner wave of enemies approach.
Available first in Citadelle des Morts, with Liberty Falls added after Week 1.
Directed Mode
Directed Mode now available for Citadelle des Morts with unique rewards.
NOTE: The deadline to earn the Main Quest early completion rewards for Citadelle des Morts via Standard Mode has been extended until the end of Season 01 to allow players additional time to complete the Main Quest.
Extended time between rounds and the delay between spawning zombies after five looped rounds at the round cap in Directed Mode.
Training Course
Addressed an issue that would prevent the “Getting New Weapons” station from progressing.
Weapons
Addressed an issue where players would lose the ability to equip a second weapon if the “Weapon Cycle” setting was enabled.
GobbleGums
Addressed an issue that left the player vulnerable briefly while teleporting from “Anywhere But Here!” or “Nowhere But There” GobbleGums.
Ammo Mods
Shadow Rift
Big Game
Big Game will no longer deal lethal damage to Elite enemies.
Field Upgrades
Aether Shroud
Void Sheath Augment
Addressed an issue where melee weapon damage would not be increased.
Scorestreaks
Mutant Injection
Addressed an issue where Mangler Cannon effects could be stuck on the screen after the Scorestreak has ended.
Chopper Gunner
Addressed an issue where the gun from the Chopper Gunner could be used after the Scorestreak has ended.
Sentry Turret
Addressed an issue that prevented a Sentry Turret from being placed after using the Balmung charged ability.
Power-Ups
Fire Sale
Addressed an issue where rarely Fire Sale would leave an extra Mystery Box on the map.
Enemies
Doppelghast
Addressed an issue where the needle blast from a Doppelghast affected by Brain Rot could harm the player.
Vermin
Addressed an issue where Vermin could sometimes hit twice with one attack.
Activities
Splitscreen
Addressed an issue where zombies would sometimes ignore the host player.
Challenges
Camo Challenges
Addressed an issue where Pack-a-Punched GS45s would not progress the Siamese Camo after Military Camo progression was complete.
Daily Challenges
Addressed an issue where the “Drink 3 Perk-a-Colas” Daily Challenge would not progress.
Calling Card Challenges
Prestige 3: Explosive Surprise
Addressed an issue where the Explosive Surprise Prestige 3 Calling Chard Challenge was not tracking properly.
Prestige 8: Close Call
Updated this Challenge to count kills from teleporting with the “Anywhere But Here!” GobbleGum.
Updated this Challenge to also include “Nowhere But There!” GobbleGums.
Addressed issues that prevented the following challenges from tracking properly:
Trophy Hunter: “Madness”
Prestige 6: “Gullible”
Prestige 7: “Old Faithful”
Prestige 10: “Stupify”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
