Category: IGN

Auto Added by WPeMatico

Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct: Everything Announced

Blizzard just wrapped up its Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct, a nearly hour-long presentation featuring numerous updates from across the Warcraft franchise – almost like a miniature BlizzCon. We heard about World of Warcraft’s next major update, a tease for its next expansion, new updates for World of Warcraft Classic, some long-awaited remasters, and planned updates for both Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble.

If you missed the Direct, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything Blizzard showed at its Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct today:

World of Warcraft: The War Within next major update unveiled

First up, retail World of Warcraft, which is currently near the end of the first major story beat of the expansion The War Within. Today, we got a look at the first major patch of the expansion, entitled “Undermine(d)”, which will take players into the underground goblin capital of Undermine for the first time ever.

The patch, which is planned for early next year, will include a new customizable vehicle, new story, a new arena map, a new dungeon, two new delves, a new raid, and a number of other updates. You can read more about everything planned for 11.1, Undermine(d), right here.

World of Warcraft: Midnight will feature player housing at last

At the very end of the presentation, Blizzard gave us a surprising “one more thing” tease of its next planned expansion: Midnight. Though Midnight is still a long ways away, today we learned that it will include a long-requested feature: player housing. No details were provided on this in today’s presentation, but we’re expecting to hear more late next summer when Blizzard fully unveils Midnight to the world.

World of Warcraft: Classic is headed to Pandaria

As expected, World of Warcraft Classic continues apace through the expansions, with Blizzard announcing that it will be moving to Mists of Pandaria in 2025. But for those who might be frustrated with Classic seemingly racing to catch up with retail through World of Warcraft’s expansion history, Blizzard is also dropping new “vanilla” Classic realms on November 21. The realms will include fresh PvE, PvP, and Hardcore servers, all of which will slowly progress through Classic’s cadence of updates, with the Molten Core raid opening a few weeks after their launch. In addition, the PvE and PvP realms (sorry, Hardcore) will eventually move into The Burning Crusade Classic, starting the expansion progression all over again.

Warcraft I and II are being remastered

To kick off today’s presentation, Blizzard announced it would be shadow-dropping remasters of both Warcraft I and II today. They’re remasters, not remakes, and will include fully remastered graphics as well as a number of quality of life features. Warcraft II specifically will include multiplayer, and all legacy custom maps will be compatible and playable.

In addition, Blizzard is releasing a new patch for Warcraft III: Reforged that includes a graphics overhaul and various other quality of life changes that will hopefully improve the experience. And all three games will be available as part of a Battle Chest, with flexible pricing based on which games you already have in your library.

Hearthstone is getting a crossover with…Starcraft?!

Over in the tavern, we got a look at Hearthstone’s upcoming roadmap for 2025. And Hearthstone is starting the new year with a crossover with another Blizzard property: Starcraft.

2025 will start with a mini set themed around StarCraft, featuring themes and powers unique to all three StarCraft factions: Protoss, Zerg, and Terran. This will be followed by the first 2025 expansion, themed around the Emerald Dream, followed by a return to Un’Goro Crater for The Shrouded City expansion. Hearthstone will wrap up the year in a time-themed expansion called The Heroes of Time, featuring everyone’s favorite time traveler, Chromie.

Warcraft Rumble is coming to PC

Warcraft Rumble will soon introduce new split faction leaders in a new update. These leaders belong to two families simultaneously, instead of just one. Newly-added split faction leaders will include Orgrim Doomhammer, Malfurion Stormrage, and Anub’arak, while other characters such as Sylvanas will gain a second faction in addition to their current one.

But most importantly, mobile game Warcraft Rumble is celebrating its first birthday by breaking free of the confines of our phones. Blizzard announced today that it’s coming to PC soon, with a beta launching on December 10th.

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.

World of Warcraft: Classic Heads to Mists of Pandaria Next Year

During today’s Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct, Blizzard announced its next big plans for World of Warcraft: Classic. Shocking no one, it’s planning to move onto the next expansion in 2025: Mists of Pandaria.

As with other Classic expansions, Mists of Pandaria will launch with “some changes” to its original form, but will largely retain the same content and features from when it first released in 2012. Among other new features, Mists of Pandaria introduced the continent of Pandaria, the playable Pandaran race that could join either the Alliance or the Horde, the Monk class, pet battles, Scenarios, and flexible raiding.

Notably, though, this will be a different experience than the one offered during the recent Mists of Pandaria: Remix event, which allowed players to speed level through Pandaria with new spells and abilities, new items, and other twists on its original gameplay.

The addition of Mists of Pandaria furthers World of Warcraft: Classic’s steady march to catch up with existing World of Warcraft content. However, recently some Classic players have begun to criticize the direction of the game and lament how far away it’s gotten from the original Classic feel as expansions have been added. While Blizzard has done some things to address this, such as add new Classic modes like Hardcore and Season of Discovery, players are increasingly asking for more opportunities to replay the oldest content.

For those players, Blizzard announced that it will be adding new “vanilla” Classic realms on November 21. This will include new PvP, PvE, and new “hardcore mode” realms, which will go through the same steady cadence of patch updates as past Classic realms, with the Molten Core raid launching a few weeks after launch. These new realms (minus the Hardcore realms) will eventually progress to The Burning Crusade Classic, giving players the opportunity to start all over once more and progress through early WoW content.

World of Warcraft: Classic’s Mists of Pandaria update will launch sometime in 2025. You can catch up with everything announced from today’s Warcraft Direct right here, including remasters of Warcraft I and II, the next patch for The War Within, and teases of the next WoW retail expansion.

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.

The Pokémon Card Deals I Want to See for Black Friday

We all want to be the very best Pokémon TCG player and collector, like no was ever was. We also all know the value of a bargain on booster boxes, big box premium collections, elite trainer boxes, and more. Black Friday 2024 should be loaded with Pokédeals, making it the best time of year to invest in some sealed products to rip open or hold on to.

Pokémon Card Deal Predictions for Black Friday

Grading Pokémon cards is also becoming more popular than ever before. Trainers won’t find cards in better condition than being pack fresh, but opening packs rather than buying singles can rack up a Gollum of cash. I’m a Pokémon Master, and the following products are on my radar for Black Friday 2024. Let’s get into it:

Big Box Deals

Pokémon TCG collectors worldwide know how good premium collections and other big box deals can be. We’re talking booster packs for less, epic promos thrown in, and other goodies such as pins and card sleeves. I think Black Friday 2024 at retailers like Amazon and Walmart will be packed with all kinds of big box deals, and here are the ones I think will make the cut:

Pokémon Tin Deals

Tins are a great way to collect some cool promos with a handful of boosters from various sets, especially at their often lower pricepoint when compared to high-end premium collections. They’re also an epic way to store bulk, dice, Pokécoins, and more. Here are the tins I think will be making the Black Friday rounds this year:

Booster Bundles

Need to complete a set sooner rather than later? Booster bundles are the offordable way to get multiple boosters to rip open in one sitting. Yes, booster boxes are ideal for collectors, but they’re mostly touching or well above $100. Booster bundles have six boosters per box for just north of $20, with Black Friday bringing price points down further. Here’s what I’m betting on:

Pokémon TCG Elite Trainer Boxes

Next to full-on booster boxes, elite trainer boxes are one of the best Pokémon TCG products to grab on a Black Friday deal. Containing eight or nine boosters, depending on the retailer and set, trainers get everything they need to battle, including unique dice, sleeves, card dividers, and a pack of energies. The main draw for ETBs is the promo card bundled in – they’re super collectable. Here are the ETBs I won’t need to flip a coin on when Black Friday hits:

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Stellar Crown Build & Battle

These stamped promo cards are usually distributed at pre-release events, but this is a chance for trainers to get ahold of one out of four from a new set. The box also contains four boosters and a 40-card readymade deck to battle opponents on the fly. This is one for promotional card collectors, so here are the ones I think will be showing up for Black Friday:

Pokémon Iono Premium Tournament Collection Box

Deck Box? Check! Sleeves? Check! Four foil supporter cards (one being full art) and everything you need for a Pokémon Card battle? Check! These themed tournament collection boxes are a trainer card fan boys dream and a cheap way to get some exclusive swag for your themed deck. Here’s what I’m expecting on Black Friday:

Booster Packs and Boxes

Here’s where the Pokémagic happens! A Black Friday Pokémon TCG deal isn’t much without booster packs. Single sleeved boosters are fine, but what about 36 packs for a bargain? There’s no better time to invest in your collection, so here’s what I have on the cards for Black Friday:

Amazon Prime Members Can Save 10% on PlayStation and Xbox Gift Cards Before Black Friday

Amazon Prime members can now take advantage of a 10% discount on gaming gift cards, including those for PlayStation and Xbox. The offer comes as retailers gear up for the Black Friday sales season, providing an opportunity for digital gamers to prepare for upcoming deals.

The promotion includes significant savings, such as $25 off a $250 PlayStation gift card and $10 off a $100 card. These discounts are particularly valuable for those planning to purchase digital games, downloadable content, or subscriptions during the holiday sales period.

Think about it this way: There’s a 100% certainty of digital games sales over the Black Friday period, and these gift card discounts mean you can save even more. Or you could actually gift them, if you want? There are also discounts on Fortnite V-Bucks, Xbox Game Pass Core, and Roblox Digital Gift Cards if you’re so inclined.

With Nintendo already revealing its Black Friday plans, similar announcements from PlayStation and Xbox are expected in the coming days. For now, these gift card offers provide a timely chance to save ahead of the main sales event. Not a Prime member? Consider taking out a 30-day free trial and cover yourself for the whole Black Friday sales season.

What About PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass?

Black Friday often delivers discounts on gaming memberships like Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, so the first tip is to be patient. Additionally, these digital gift cards can be used to purchase subscriptions, making them a handy option if digital deals on memberships are announced soon. Otherwise, there’s a pretty great deal on Xbox Game Pass UItimate at Woot right now if you’re keen to grab a deal today.

When Is Black Friday 2024?

The actual date of Black Friday in 2024 falls on November 29 this year, but the deals have already kicked off. Leading up to the big event, retailers have begun to open deals online. Each day leading up to the event will slowly roll out more deals, which ultimately leads to massive discounts on Black Friday. Retailers will not reveal their biggest Black Friday deals until the big day, but most general deals will be available well in advance, such as this excellent discount on gift cards.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Arcs Board Game Review

Space conquest games are ten a penny, including some of the best war board games around, like Twilight Imperium and Eclipse. But for all their glory, they tend to follow a formula known as 4X: explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. That means capturing resources, climbing up a tech tree and fighting your neighbors, with all the potential for turtling and table talk that that involves. Arcs, by innovative designer Cole Wehrle, looks very much like its genre peers, but it promises to be something different: a sci-fi subjugation game that puts strategy front and center, while weaving the inbuilt instability of growing empires into the mix.

What’s in the Box

For a genre that traditionally comes with a ton of plastic and cardboard, Arcs arrives in a disarmingly small box that’s packed to the brim with goodies. It features wooden pieces rather than plastic, but its single spaceship design cutouts and agent pieces still look great on your table. Your other units, cities and spaceports, are represented by cardboard triangles. It’s all functional, and thematically austere, and you won’t miss the plastic at all.

One reason why such relatively plain components look so good is the instantly-recognizable art style of Kyle Ferrin which adorns the pieces, cards and board. It initially appears sketchy and amateurish until you see how much detail, character and consistency goes into his portrayals. Better known for his fantasy work on other titles from Leder Games such as Root and Oath, his transition to sci-fi is seamless and elevates the game’s appearance to the next level. The card art in particular, split across several decks, is a delight.

Genre veterans may be slightly surprised by the board, which is compact and features various administrative tracks alongside a circular map outlined in more Ferrin art. But like everything else in the box, it does exactly what it needs to do while looking surprisingly stylish, with neon tones standing out against a classic black space background. Some resource tokens, player mats and a hefty selection of custom combat dice round out the contents.

Rules and How it Plays

You might be surprised to find that a mutated derivative of classic playing card trick-taking, where one player leads a card suit and others have to follow, is at the heart of a 4x game. But that’s what we’ve got here, representing the player’s inability to perfectly control their forces. It’s a typical left-field move from Wehrle, whose creativity can make his games feel hard to grasp. Arcs is no exception, but the good news is that it’s both simpler and more familiar than most of his oeuvre, and you should have everything down quite comfortably by the end of your first session.

Leading is a significant advantage because it allows you to control the tempo of the entire turn. The suit of the card you play determines what actions you can take, such as building, moving or attacking other players, and the number of pips tells you how many of those actions you’re allowed. If you’re going first, you can also declare the ambition printed on the card, which is essentially deciding which facet of the game is going to be worth points on this round, such as having most of a particular resource, or destroying the most enemy pieces in battle, although doing so sets the numeric value of the card to zero.

Players following the leader have difficult decisions to make. If they can match the suit and play a higher value card – easy if the leader went with the ambition – then they can also take the named actions up the number of pips, plus they get to lead next round. Otherwise, their card only gets them a single action, either of the lead type or the type they played, with an option to discard another card to gain that precious lead slot.

Immediately, this snares everyone is a series of strategic traps. Leading is powerful, but if you declare an ambition, you’ll likely lose the initiative, yet if you don’t someone else may later pick a scoring opportunity that’s unfavorable to you. If you’re following, and you can’t beat the lead card, you need to consider whether the high, high price of discarding a card, leaving you out of later rounds completely, is worth it to grab the initiative. And that’s before we even get to what you’re actually going to do with your cards and actions.

Initially, this can feel suffocating, robbing you of choice and demanding pounds of flesh to get the initiative. But with experience you’ll learn there’s nuance here, a surprising amount of strategy around card-counting and timing. And much of the rest of Arcs is dedicated to ensuring you’ve got options, even in the most barren hands of cards imaginable, although there is, as always, a cost for exercising that flexibility.

One method is to sacrifice resources to gain actions. Giving up a fuel allows you to move, for example, or a material to build or repair. Doing so, however, puts you at a disadvantage for ambitions based on that resource, and you’ll need some of that resource in the first place. You gain resources via the tax action on cities, and the planet they’re on determines which resource you get. You start with two cities, so to gain access to new resource types you need to move a fleet there, either battle to take control or build to found a new city, then tax to get your token. It’s no small undertaking, with a whole series of strategic trade-offs to get there.

The other ameliorating factor are guild cards. There are always a selection of four available, and they provide various new powers and resources. Mining Interest will get you a material resource, for example, while Lattice Spies can be discarded to seize the initiative. Getting a card requires two actions: influence, which lets you place agent pieces on an unclaimed card, and secure, which allows you to take a card on which you have a majority of agents. As always, there’s a sting: if another player claims a card on which you have agents, they capture them. This not only deprives you of their use, but the tally of captured agents is another point-scoring opportunity.

Hopefully you can begin to sell the wheels within wheels within wheels of planning a turn in Arcs. Everything is deviously and brilliantly reliant on everything else. Nothing can be achieved without risk or sacrifice. The game hands you all the tools you need to manage this fraught state of affairs but tells you nothing about how to use them: some of the aspects don’t even look like tools at first, just infuriating bits of chaos or mechanical straitjackets that exist only to annoy until you encounter the circumstance in which you can leverage them, and comprehension dawns like an alien sun rising over an extraterrestrial world. But even as you gain experience, trying to make everything join up, to push all the buttons to your advantage, is a fascinating, difficult, multi-faceted challenge that doesn’t get old.

And I haven’t even got to the fact that all the other players will be trying their best to sabotage your plans. Nothing stops players negotiating or making deals so, atop that solid mechanical core, this is a red-blooded game of dynamic aggression, where both dynamic and aggression are the operative words. The movement system and circular board makes it very hard to defend yourself, or to turtle in corners. You might get one speedbump to slow an enemy fleet en route to your major systems, but that’s it. This ensures every turn when battle actions are available ramp up the tension, as everyone tries to be first to take the fight to the enemy.

When fights do erupt, they’re governed by a fascinating, novel dice mechanic. For each ship they have, the attack can choose a type of dice to roll. Skirmish dice have a 50-50 chance of inflicting minor damage. Assault dice are far more punishing, but they carry a risk of damaging your own ships. Raid dice are the most dangerous for the attacker, but they allow you to steal resources from your opponent. The risk versus reward ratio is very much on you, but pieces can take two hits each and the attacker gets to allocate all damage. So Arcs rewards aggression, since the attacking player can eliminate enemy pieces while distributing damage among their own.

Where to Buy

Despite Buying Activision Blizzard for $69 Billion Just Last Year, Microsoft Is Still Looking at Even More Video Game Acquisitions

Microsoft is still in the market for acquisitions despite having splashed out $69 billion for Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard just last year.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer said he’s up for buying more companies, although cautioned that nothing’s “imminent” and big deals are off the table for now.

So, if Microsoft does open its wallet once again, what might it spend its billions on? Deals that add “geographic diversity,” including in Asia, might be worthwhile, Spencer said.

Apparently Microsoft’s eyeing up buying another mobile company (Microsoft picked up Candy Crush maker King as part of the Activision Blizzard acquisition).

“We definitely want to be in the market, and when we can find teams and technology and capability that add to what we’re trying to do in gaming at Microsoft, absolutely we will keep our heads up,” Spencer said.

Microsoft is still busy absorbing Activision Blizzard employees, Spencer added, which is why very large deals are probably impossible right now. But that leaves the door open for major acquisitions in the future.

Spencer and co. will probably find future acquisitions easier to get over the line after Donald Trump becomes U.S. president in January. Microsoft faced a tough battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the Activision Blizzard deal — a battle it ultimately won. Wall Street is said to be foaming at the mouth with all the possible mergers and acquisitions that may now go through with Trump as president.

The focus, it seems, is fleshing out its mobile offering ahead of launching an app store of its own. But Microsoft’s App Store and Google Play rival has suffered a number of delays, with staff still trying to figure out a plan. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft still doesn’t have an effective way to get its own store on mobile phones, delaying the launch further.

Microsoft’s gaming aquisition ambitions continue despite cutting an eye-watering 2,550 staff just this year alone, with Xbox mobile game development teams recently hit hard.

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.

Microsoft Confirms Plans to Release an Xbox Handheld, but It’s Years Away

Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer has confirmed the company’s plan to release an Xbox handheld, but stressed it’s years away from release.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer said the “expectation is that we would do something” in the handheld game devices category, but such a device is a few years out.

Microsoft, Spencer said, is currently working on prototypes and considering what it might do, with its team developing its vision for a handheld based on what it learns from looking at the market.

Spencer has made no secret of his desire to enter the handheld console market with Xbox hardware, and practically confirmed the plan to IGN back in June following the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase.

“The future for us in hardware is pretty awesome,” Spencer said at the time. “The work that the team is doing around different form factors, different ways to play, I’m incredibly excited about.

“Today was about the games… but we will have a time to come out and talk more about platform, and we can’t wait to bring it to you.”

When asked if a hypothetical Xbox handheld would be a dedicated gaming platform where you can play games locally (like a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch), or a cloud-based handheld, Spencer responded: “I think being able to play games locally is really important.”

In an interview with Polygon in March, Spencer listed various features that would make a handheld console “feel like an Xbox,” including having access to all your games with associated save files: “What should we build that will find new players?” he said at the time. “That will allow people to play at times when they couldn’t go play [in the past]?”

Rumors were fueled by the trove of leaked Microsoft documents last fall, which revealed plans for an Xbox handheld. Spencer, however, would later come out to say those plans were outdated.

Xbox had hinted at new hardware in the near-ish future, with Microsoft announcing a multi-year roadmap in February that includes a next-generation Xbox console.

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.

Final Stalker 2 PC System Requirements Confirmed — and You’ll Need 160GB SSD Storage

Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World has confirmed the game’s final PC system requirements ahead of its release date of November 20, 2024.

“Examine the final system requirements carefully, and adjust your machinery for a trouble-free connection to the Noosphere,” GSC tweeted.

GSC provides four graphics presets here: low; medium; high; and epic, as well as a target resolution and FPS for each. The high graphics preset is what GSC calls recommended, and provides 60fps gameplay at 1440p.

For that high graphics preset, you’ll need a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti / RTX 4070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT GPU and 32GB of RAM. Low and medium require 16GB of RAM and less powerful GPUs.

All graphics presets, however, require 160GB of SSD storage, which is a significant footprint worth bearing in mind if you’re planning on playing.

Meanwhile, GSC confirmed Stalker 2 will feature upscaling options for DLSS and FSR. Specifically, Stalker 2 launches with DLSS 3 and Reflex, which means GeForce RTX 40 Series gamers can activate DLSS 3 with Frame Generation and Super Resolution from day-one, accelerating performance.

Stalker 2 PC system requirements:

Low (1080p / 30fps):

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB / Intel Arc A750
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Storage: 160GB SSD

Medium (1080p / 60 fps):

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super / RTX 4060 / AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Storage: 160GB SSD

High (1440p / 60 fps):

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-11700 / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti / RTX 4070 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
  • RAM: 32GB
  • Storage: 160GB SSD

Epic (4K / 60+ fps):

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-13700KF / AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 / AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
  • RAM: 32GB
  • Storage: 160GB SSD

Stalker 2 has suffered a number of understandable delays, most recently in July when the game was due out in September. Ukrainian studio GSC said at the time that the extra two months would give the developers the chance to fix “unexpected anomalies”, aka bugs.

GSC has been vocal about the challenges the studio has faced getting the post-apocalyptic PC and Xbox Series X and S shooter up to scratch after a mixed reaction to its debut public showing last year.

At gamescom 2023, GSC addressed what some had called a “downgrade” sparked by Stalker 2’s then latest gameplay trailer. At the time, GSC told IGN it was still targeting a visual quality and level of polish suggested by Stalker 2’s eye-catching 2021 trailer despite the horrendous conditions suffered by the staff amid the war with Russia.

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.

Lego Horizon Adventures Recasts Late Lance Reddick With Star Trek Actor Tim Russ

Star Trek actor Tim Russ plays Sylens in Lego Horizon Adventures, IGN can confirm.

Russ, who famously plays Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager, assumes the role of Sylens after Horizon developer Guerrilla Games recast the character following the death of Lance Reddick in March 2023.

Sylens is the deuteragonist of Horizon Zero Dawn and a returning character in its sequel. He allies with protagonist Aloy to discover the truth behind the machines and the fate of the Old Ones. IGN’s Lego Horizons Adventures review returned a 7/10. We said: “Lego Horizon Adventures reimagines Horizon Zero Dawn with a playful Lego twist, simplifying the story while keeping the heart of its key moments and characters.”

Russ played Jetakka in 2022’s Horizon Forbidden West, so has a history with Guerrilla’s action adventure series.

Last month, Guerrilla Games’ senior world artist Lucas Bolt told IGN: “Lance Reddick tragically passed away in 2023, and he is deeply missed within Guerrilla and our community.

“He wonderfully portrayed the essential character of Sylens in Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West. The character of Sylens does appear in LEGO Horizon Adventures, and we will introduce the new actor at a later date. Hearing the voices of other original actors including Ashly Burch as Aloy, JB Blanc as Rost, John Macmillan as Varl and John Hopkins as Erend has really brought back the tone of comradery found in the original game.”

Recasting perhaps suggests Russ will play Sylens in future Horizon games, though nothing has been confirmed on this front yet. Guerrilla is working on a live service Horizon Online multiplayer game, with Horizon 3 potentially a ways off. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered came out at the end of October.

Reddick, who was also known for his roles in John Wick, Destiny, and The Wire, passed away suddenly from natural causes on March 17. The entertainment and video game industries paid tribute to the actor following his death, with many major names coming forward to share their love.

Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage.

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.

Stellar Blade Is Coming to PC in 2025 — and the Dev Expects More Sales on Steam Than on PS5

Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has confirmed plans to release the PS5 action game on PC in 2025.

In a financial report, the South Korean company pointed to Black Myth: Wukong’s incredible success on Steam, adding it expects to see more sales on PC than on PS5.

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 recently Nier: Automata.

In its 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 (approx $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).

“To enhance the IP value and maintain momentum, we have been consistently releasing content patches and updates, which has helped sustain the game’s popularity,” it said.

Shift Up plans to keep interest in Stellar Blade on PS5 going until the game launches on PC next year, what it calls the “platform expansion.”

“The release is being considered within 2025,” Shift Up confirmed. “Considering recent trends such as Steam’s expanding market share in the AAA game sector and the global success of Black Myth: Wukong, we expect the performance on PC to exceed that on consoles.”

In July, Shift Up raised 435 billion won ($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.

Shift Up has an unannounced multiplatform RPF codenamed Project witches in the works. It said it plans to launch it at some point after 2027, with more information due in the first half of next year. 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.