Few games have given us as many iconic one-liners as NetherRealm’s fighting franchise, Mortal Kombat, but this week we’ve learned that the voice behind one of the most famous — “Toasty!” — is leaving the studio.
Audio director Dan Forden worked at Midway and its successor NetherRealm Studios since 1989, most famously on the Mortal Kombat franchise. It’s his voice we hear cry “Toasty!” in falsetto when we pull off an impressive uppercut. First appearing in 1993’s Mortal Kombat II, Toasty went on to become one of the most recognizable lines of dialogue in all video games.
Now, however, Forden is leaving NetherRealm, writing in a heartfelt message on social media that he was “really proud of what [the studio] accomplished.”
“Wednesday was my last day at NetherRealm. We made a lot of fun stuff over the years. I’m really proud of what we accomplished as well as how much fun we had making that stuff,” Forden wrote on Instagram. “There are so many smart, talented people there — look for more great things to emerge over the next several years. I love the little touches that people left around the studio like this little Toasty homage on the bathroom mirror.
“I wouldn’t have lasted 37 years in the industry if fans weren’t out there playing the games we made. Thanks to all of you for supporting what we’ve done. Live long and… Toasty!”
Asked in the comments why he was leaving now, Forden explained: “I figured I’d been around long enough. Want to reclaim that time for my own interests.”
In August, development chief Ed Boon said Mortal Kombat 1 had sold over 6.2 million copies. Its predecessor, Mortal Kombat 11, became the best-selling game in the franchise by passing Mortal Kombat X’s nearly 11 million units sold worldwide soon after launch. By 2022, Mortal Kombat 11 had sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. Clearly, Mortal Kombat 1 has underperformed compared to previous games in the series.
NetherRealm has said it shifted to “focus to the next project in order to make it as great as we possibly can,” but it has yet to say what it is. Current speculation points to Injustice 3, a continuation of NetherRealm’s DC fighting game series.
As for what else is happening in the Mortal Kombat world? Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Atari, launches at the end of October. Movie sequel Mortal Kombat IIhas been delayed from October 24, 2025, to May 15, 2026. It’s thought Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema believe the movie — which stars Karl Urban alongside Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, and more — will perform better at the summer box office given the wild fan response to the trailer.
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.
Rock Band 4 is being delisted from both the Xbox and PlayStation digital stores this weekend due to expiring lusic licenses, developer Harmonix has confirmed.
The news was posted across the game’s official Discord channel and its subreddit. The warning has come with just days to act, and arrives on the eve of the game’s 10th anniversary.
“On Sunday, October 5, 2025, Rock Band 4 turns 10,” reads the team’s statement. “What a ride it’s been.”
“With this milestone comes one big change: the original licenses for the core soundtrack are expiring. Because of that, Rock Band 4 will be removed from the PlayStation and Xbox digital stores. If you already own the game, nothing changes — you’ll keep full access and still be able to download the game and songs to any new, compatible devices. The same applies to Downloadable Content (DLC): songs will come down as they hit the 10-year mark, but anything you’ve purchased will remain in your library.
“We’re so grateful for the passion this community has shown. From the team, it’s been a special experience to serve you with Rivals challenges, a super deep DLC library and a best in class band sim. If you’ve been meaning to grab a few last songs, now’s the time.”
As of Sunday, Rock Band 4 and the Rock Band 4 DLC songs that were specifically released on its launch day will no longer be available to purchase. It has been clarified on Discord that DLC tracks from prior Rock Band games (released before Rock Band 4) are not being delisted “yet”, but the team “will be figuring those out over the coming months.”
Rock Band’s unique approach to DLC has resulted in the ability for owners to carry their libraries of songs (plus exports of the tracklists of past Rock Band games) across three generations of console hardware. The approach has seen thousands of pieces of bespoke DLC released for the series since 2007, almost all of which can be played within Rock Band 4.
The last DLC of the Rock Band 4 era was released in January 2024, after eight years of weekly content. The news that the axe is now looming for all Rock Band content, however, marks a sad moment in the history of the 18-year-old series.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.
OpenAI’s Sora 2 generative video app has gone live, and immediately it’s been used to create countless videos featuring licensed characters, such as Mario, Pikachu and an array of other Pokémon.
While videos featuring Pikachu in Saving Private Ryan, or Mario in Star Wars, might look surprising, a statement from OpenAI earlier this week suggested the company knew exactly what people would be getting up to when Sora 2 arrived — and what the company’s own algorithms had apparently been trained on.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, OpenAI has already begun contacting movie studios and other intellectual property owners to discuss next steps — and offer them the chance to retroactively opt out of their fictional characters being available within Sora 2’s AI videos.
But, for now, it’s open season on Pikachu and his pals, as these initial results from Sora 2 demonstrate (thanks, Nintendo Life):
Ever wondered what Pikachu would sound like if he could actually chat away in human speech (and wasn’t secretly Ryan Reynolds)? Well, wonder no longer — though you may regret listening to this.
While characters are fair game, OpenAI has previously said that real-life people, whether that’s users of the app or the those seeking to use the likeness of celebrities, will need to have manually opted in to having their appearances generated. Of course, OpenAI boss Sam Altman has allowed for his likeness to be used — so here he is having a lightsaber battle with Pikachu:
Alongside Pokémon, Nintendo’s own Mario characters have been getting plenty of use. And then there’s the final clip below, which mashes together Valve’s Portal and Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (and also Twin Peaks).
This is my favorite Sora 2 generation I’ve made so far.
It can seamlessly combine the disparate gameplay elements of Portal and Tony Hawk Pro Skater and then slip in a Twin Peaks reference… and generate in 1.5 minutes. Unreal. pic.twitter.com/C3XUEzgHsH
— 🌟twinstar🌟 ଘ(✿˵•́ ᴗ •̀˵)੭🧁 (@1ketaminepatch) October 1, 2025
Is any of this legal? “In short, we don’t have a definitive answer yet,” business lawyer and creator of the Virtual Legality podcast Richard Hoeg told IGN today. “There are indications in some quarters that training on protected materials is likely going to be deemed legal so long as the materials themselves were acquired for some lawful purpose (and not pirated). But on the output side, the Disney/Dreamworks lawsuit makes some good arguments for why/how the law should expect these platforms to police prompts for infringing requests, especially if they are already policing for something else (porn, bigotry, etc.). But all of those are still just arguments, not settled law..
Hoeg continued: “The law moves slowly, far slower than technology, which is why you see these tech companies racing ahead of it a bit. My best guess is that OpenAI is probably going to be okay long term on the training sets they used (assuming they weren’t pirated), and that the ‘opt out of training’ option therefore won’t do much of anything. Where they really need to concern themselves is on the output side and/or if they are marketing their software’s abilities with protected content themselves.”
IGN has contacted Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for comment.
Last week, the famously litigious The Pokémon Company formally responded to the use of Pokémon TV hero Ash Ketchum and the series’ theme tune by the Department of Homeland Security, as part of a video showing people being arrested and handcuffed by law enforcement agents. “Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content,” a spokesperson told IGN, “and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property.”
I enjoy a good bout in a fighting game from time to time, with Bandai Namco’s Tekken being my favorite 3D fighter out there. Conveniently enough, I am also a fan of board games, so when these two passions of mine mingle with one another, such as with the Guilty Gear Strive or Street Fighter V board games, I make sure to check them out. Now, thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign over on Gamefound, it’s time for the King of Iron Fists to enter the cardboard ring with Tekken: The Board Game.
The game is made by Go On Board, the publisher of The Witcher: Old World and Cyberpunk 2077- The Board Game among others. I’ve had a chance to get some rounds in with a prototype of Tekken: The Board Game, graciously sent to me by the developer, and I have to say, it may have nailed the feeling of “reading your opponent” in a fighting video game better than any other board game I’ve played.
In Tekken, two players (the final release will include a solo mode and optional tournament expansion for up to eight) pick from their favorite fighters and duke it out until one player’s life is gone. Characters I got to try out and that will be included in the base game are Jin, Kazuya, Paul, King, Nina, Asuka, Yoshimitsu, and Jack-8, each coming with detailed minis featuring the character and a pretty nifty colorful accent.
Playing a match of Tekken feels a bit like a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, and is fairly quick to pick up and learn. Matches are short, too, taking 10 to 15 minutes. Attacks are dictated by cards that you play in front of you, which show not only the area they are targeting, either high, mid, or low, but also the effects and damage the attack will do, indicated by icons.
At any given time, only one person is on the offense, laying out cards and trying to dish out damage. The idea behind this system is born out of the need to keep Tekken feeling fast and dynamic, Go On Board told IGN. “To truly capture the dynamic feeling of the video game, we needed a mechanic that keeps the fight fast-paced and full of tension. In Tekken, reading your opponent’s intentions and reacting at the perfect moment is crucial – blocking a key attack can break a combo and turn the tide of battle. The ‘guess the right card’ mechanic embodies that essence. It’s simple and intuitive, like pressing a button on a controller, but mastery comes from deeply understanding your opponent and predicting their moves. It’s all about timing, reading, and skill – just like in the original game.”
For the defending player, your only goal is to read the opponent and try to guess which area the attacker’s card is going to target, indicated by a card played face down in front of them. Guessing correctly will stop the attack in its tracks, and the defending player becomes the attacker, with their first attack being unblockable. Guessing wrong, however, not only will let the attack go through and connect, but the player who played the card continues their assault and is able to play another card, extending their combo and potentially triggering added bonuses based on their character’s specific combos or how lanes on cards may line up with the next.
Only three attacks can happen before roles reverse, with the exception of a once-per-game HEAT action that each player can take, which allows one additional attack to be played, or lets the player continue attacking after a correct guess by the defensive player.
This element of trying to read your opponent to guess what they are going to do next is an intrinsic part of fighting video games. Having it condensed in such a way to a one-in-three chance to guess correctly works shockingly well. The actions that an attack can trigger are also rather straightforward: you can deal damage, move your character, push an opponent, or sweep an opponent, causing them to fall down, letting you deal extra damage. Your character’s special Rage attack is a bit more complicated, but my friends and I never felt overwhelmed.
Tekken also uses mechanics that make it feel like you’re playing, well, Tekken. Pushing an opponent into the wall causes a wall bounce, dealing damage. You can break through stage walls or floors into other areas and dish out that extra hurt on the ground. Even the small arenas you fight on feel very Tekken-like, giving you enough space to move around, but not so much that it turns reaching your opponent into a chore.
Tekken has never been about playing keep-away and hurling fireballs at one another; instead it’s about getting in close and letting loose devastating punch-and-kick combos, and I think Go On Board has captured that spirit perfectly. “Each fighter in Tekken: The Board Game feels truly unique thanks to a combination of design elements. Each character has a distinct deck composition, combo structure, and a Rage ability that reflects their iconic playstyle from the video game. Some characters also feature unique components or mechanics that set them apart even further.”
When the game comes out, fighters will have a variety of ways to check out Tekken and prove themselves. The core box contains eight fighters (Jin, Kazuya, King, Paul, Jack-8, Yoshimitsu, Asuka, and Nina) and four stages (Sanctum, Urban Square, Descent into Subconscious, and Into the Stratosphere). Or, if you just want a taste, a starter set featuring Jin and Kazuya and the Descent into Subconscious will also be available.
But any Tekken fan knows that one of the defining aspects of the series is its characters, and Go On Board is bringing many of them over through various expansion sets that you can purchase separately, too. These include the following.
Expansion 1
Fighters: Jun, Leroy, Xiaoyu, Panda
Stage: Yakushima
Expansion 2
Fighters: Heihachi, Reina, Lee, Kuma
Stage: Secluded Training Ground
Expansion 3
Fighters: Azucena, Leo, Lili, Shaheen
Stage: Ortiz Farm
Expansion 4
Fighters: Lidia, Eddy, Victor, Raven
Stage: Seaside Resort
Expansion 5
Fighters: Lars, Alisa, Claudio, Zafina
Stage: Rebel Hanger
Expansion 6
Fighters: Hwoarang, Law, Steve Fox, Feng
Stage: Arena
Expansion 7
Fighters: Dragunov, Bryan
Stage: Midnight Siege
“Legendary” Expansion
Fighters: True Ogre, Mokujin
Stage: Tekken 3 Stage “Carnival”
When asked about what went into deciding the character pairings, the design team not only wanted to make sets that played well together, but also ones that made sense from a narrative standpoint. “When creating the character packs, we took into account several key aspects. We wanted each box to include characters that work well together mechanically, but also share meaningful narrative connections. For example, the pack featuring Jun, Xiaoyu, Panda, and Leroy with the Yakushima board was designed this way because Yakushima is Jun’s stage. Xiaoyu once fought off the Jacks units attempting to reach the Sanctum near Yakushima, while Panda is Xiaoyu’s close friend, and Leroy served as her mentor.”
With so many characters, including my personal favorites Leo, Steve, and Hwoarang all making appearances, it has my blood pumping, and I can’t wait to see how they play. Even in the core box, I could already tell that care was being put into highlighting qualities of the characters to make them feel different from one another, such as King’s ability to throw opponents around or Yoshimitsu’s special wheel that lets you bid life to spin for a potential big payoff. I can’t wait to see how all the other characters feel.
From the different stage hazards, the quick-to-learn systems, and highly detailed miniatures, Tekken: The Board Game has quickly shot up my list as one of my most anticipated board games next year. My biggest worry is that, with just how many characters they’re promising, some will run the risk of feeling samey. Time will tell how successfully the team is able to avoid that potential pitfall, but considering that by taking the expansion approach with the characters, not to dissimilar to something like Unmatched, means fans can pick and choose from those packs they want, and aren’t required to buy them all. Even the core box offers a good bit of variety on its own. You can have a perfectly good time with that alone.
While Tekken’s initial campaign is over, late pledges will be starting soon with an expected delivery date of April 2026, but if you want to try it out for yourself, head over to Board Game Arena right now, or check out the WIP rules.
Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.
It’s all well and good to grab ridiculously expensive Pokémon TCG cards regardless of the climate, and I’m absolutely writhing in jealousy at those who can.
But imagine going back in time and pulling one of those epic chase cards straight off the shelf? Of course, you could today if you hate your bank account that much, but what about the most expensive Pokémon cards in packs right now?
Just to note, the chances of pulling these cards are extremely slim, so if you plan on spending massive amounts of money on Booster Bundles, Booster Boxes, and ETBs, bear in mind that the actual value of the card itself is usually cheaper than ripping packs. Unless you’re mega lucky, of course.
10. Mega Lucario ex – 179/132
This new Special Illustration Rare of Mega Lucario ex currently fetches about $280, and it’s easy to see why.
With Aura Jab accelerating Fighting Energy and Mega Brave hitting for a massive 270, Lucario slots perfectly into aggressive decks.
The art, by 5ban Graphics, depicts Lucario mid-leap with fierce energy bursts against a Mega Venusaur, a dynamic visual that mirrors its high-impact playstyle.
9. Mega Gardevoir ex – 178/132
Both sitting as the one of the highest-priced cards in Mega Evolution, and being the most popular, it’s not difficult to understand why this Mega Gardevoir ex is the biggest chase card in the set.
Gardevoir’s Overflowing Wishes accelerates Psychic Energy across your bench, while Mega Symphonia scales into massive damage with enough Energy in play.
Takuya’s art envelops the card in a symphony of pinks and whites, making it as enchanting as it is powerful in Psychic archetypes.
8. Pikachu ex – 238/191
Pikachu ex SIR is partially to blame for the Pokémon TCG boom that kicked off this time last year, and is still rocking on today. After peaking at $485 at the end of 2024, it’s finally stabalized at a much for reasonable $300 at the time of writing.
It’s a good time to snap it up, if you’ve got the cash, but the amount of nostalgia and detailed yet soft artwork on this card will make it climb back up as the Scarlet and Violet era moves into the rearview mirror.
7. Greninja ex – 214/167
Greninja ex SIR is my favorite in this article as I have it graded in a 10 and I’m being completely bias. Joking aside (I’m not) but this is one of the best artworks outside of Prismatic Evolutions in the Scarlet and Violet era.
Twilight Masquerade was a slept on set in my opinion, but the chances of pulling this are stacked. If you have the money upfront, i’d put it into this card instead of trying to rip packs. But I also obviously hate having fun, so the choice is yours.
6. Sylveon ex – 156/131
It’s such a shame Fairy typing didn’t come back for Sylveon ex SIR, because I can’t think of a more Fairy type Pokémon card ever. It’s another stunner with a cute stance and a pastel color pallete that just makes it. There’s that much pink it just works, a fantastic card and its easy to see why it’s over $400, especially as it’s one of the most popular Eeveelutions.
5. Zekrom ex & Reshiram ex – 172/086 / 173/086
The new Black White Rare versions of Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex combine the strong movesets of their Special Illustration Rare counterparts with a prestige look worthy of their legendary status. Zekrom ex uses Slash for [CC] as an easy setup, while Voltage Burst for [LLC] scales with your opponent’s Prize cards, offsetting its 30 recoil thanks to 230 HP and synergy with Flaaffy or Miraidon ex.
Reshiram ex mirrors this on the Fire side, with Slash for [2] into Blaze Burst at [1RR], hitting 130 plus 50 per Prize card taken while discarding just one Energy. Both serve as late-game swing attackers that slot neatly into Lightning or Fire builds.
What sets them apart is the new Black White Rare treatment. The monochrome foil gives a trophy-like finish that makes them true chase pulls, striking a balance between collector prestige and competitive play. They’re the rare kind of cards you can sleeve up to win games or showcase as centerpiece collectibles.
4. Victini – 171/086 / 172/086
Victini as a Black White Rare feels special because it combines flashy collector appeal with real deck potential. At just 80 HP it’s fragile, but V-Force hits for 120 damage with only [RR] if you keep your Bench full, making it a sneaky closer in fast Fire builds that flood the field early.
The monochrome foil treatment looks incredible and gives Victini a prestige feel that stands out, while still being a card you’ll want to try competitively just for the thrill of pulling off big trades with such a tiny attacker. The alternate 172/086 version from the White Flare half of the set is essentially the same card, with a similar price value as well.
3. Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – 231/182
What a beast of a card! Mewtwo ex SIR captured that Mewtwo’s Revenge energy so hard, immense amounts of nostalgia in this card for me. It looks like everyone agrees considering it’s currently around $450. Destined Rivals cards are up and down day after day, so no doubt we’ll see this settle at a cheaper pricepoint before it crossed the vintage checkpoint in years to come.
2. Mega Lucario ex & Mega Gardevoir ex – 187/132 / 188/132
According to TCGPlayer’s Mega Evolution pull rate data, these “Mega Hyper Rare” cards (what a bizarre rarity name by way) on average only appear one in every 1 out of every 1260 packs of Mega Evolution.
That’s around 35 booster boxes, before you find even potentially find a single one of these cards. Holy bankruptcy, Batman!
The gold finish, courtesy of 5ban Graphics, turns these cards into a gleaming centrepiece. Competitive players want it, collectors covet it, and together they’ve pushed it to the very peak.
The golden Mega Hyper Rare Mega Lucario ex card is topping Pokemon TCG listings charts at a staggering $600 market value, with some listings reaching $1000 or more.
Just like its gold-finished Mega Lucario counterpart, this painfully elusive Mega Gardevoir ex is also sitting at around a $500 market price, with some listings even reaching $1200 right now as well.
1. Umbreon ex – 161/131
Even after Destined Rivals, Black Bolt/White Flare, AND Mega Evolution, this is still the undisputed champ of rare cards. We always knew it was going to be insanely priced, and we needed a cheaper Umbreon chase card after Umbreon VMAX (Moonbreon).
Granted, it’s still a mental market price, and still sitting around $1,000 right now. But it won’t get cheaper solely because it’s Umbreon and almost anything linked to this dark type Eeveelution holds its value, trust me on this. If you’re brave enough to drop $1,000 on Prismatic Eeveelutions boosters, or even this card standalone, I salute your efforts, and your bank account.
Honorable Mentions: Destined Rivals & More
Look here’s the thing, Pokémon cards are expensive. And it can be hard for us to hit absolutely everything that’s worth chasing right now. We only have so much time in the day! But, I still thought it would be worth mentioning several other highly sought after and valuable cards that just missed out on the top ten list.
With new sets coming out every few months, this list can get shaken up a lot, so it’s worth bookmarking and even checking back in every so often to see what else is skyrocketing in value right now.
We also can’t finish up without a brief mention of Prismatic Evolutions’ Eeveelutions. The money in these chase cards is insane, and it always will be, which is why these need a dedicated section to themselves.
One of my favorite cards across the whole TCG is Jolteon ex SIR from Prismatic Evolutions. There’s been some banger Jolteon Cards in the past, for me that would be Jolteon from the Brilliant Stars Trainer Gallery and the Jolteon V Sword and Shield Promo Card, but this one has unlimited energy. Just look at how expressive this card is, perfectly showcasing Jolteons speed and agility with one of the coolest backgrounds i’ve seen in a Pokémon card.
Another beautiful pastel artwork with Espeon ex SIR. On top of Espeon being a fan favorite, it’s easy to see why this card is now over $300. I’ve never seen that many shades of purple in such a small space before, such a stunning piece of art, imagine pulling this, getting a 10 then getting it in your slabbed collection? Stuff of dreams.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
This article includes contributions from Robert Anderson and Ben Williams.
Starbreeze has canceled Project Baxter, its co-op Dungeons & Dragons game, laid off a significant portion of its development team, and announced plans to double down on its Payday franchise.
Project Baxter was announced in December 2023 as an Unreal Engine 5 D&D game that would “carry the signature Starbreeze cornerstones of co-operative multiplayer, lifetime commitment through a Games as a Service-model, community engagement and a larger than life experience.”
The plan then was to launch Project Baxter on all major platforms in 2026 with crossplay. But news has been scarce, with a social media post showing off a single in-engine image in September 2024.
In November last year, Starbreeze said it was still hiring for Project Baxter, with work on the game continuing “at full speed.” “Internally, we have weekly playtests of Baxter, and active discussions with a number of industry-leading players regarding potential collaborations around Baxter’s development and launch,” the studio said at the time. As of November 2024, Starbreeze had 191 total employees, most of which were based at its head office in Stockholm, Sweden.
The decision to cancel Project Baxter has cost the Swedish company SEK 255 million (approx. $27.2 million) in a write-down of development costs.
CEO Adolf Kristjansson called it a “difficult but necessary decision,” but failed to mention any particular issues with the development of Project Baxter that might have factored in.
“Our strategy is clear: Payday is one of the most iconic IPs in gaming, with unmatched reach and potential,” Kristjansson said in a prepared statement. “By focusing our investment and talent here, we can accelerate delivery, engage players with more content, and reinforce Starbreeze’s position as the clear leader in the heisting genre. This is about sharpening our focus to create the strongest long-term value for our players, our people, and our shareholders.”
“Part” of the Baxter team will be redeployed across Starbreeze’s projects, mostly within Payday, but around 44 full-time employees across staff and contractors will lose their jobs.
“We are doubling down on what our players love – and what we do best – owning the heisting genre,” Kristjansson continued. “Payday is more than a game — it’s a genre we created and continue to lead. By redeploying talent and capital, we can bring innovation to heisting gameplay faster, while also laying the foundation for the future expansion of the genre.”
Starbreeze said Payday has had more than 50 million players worldwide and generated close to SEK 4 billion (approx. $427 million) in lifetime gross revenue.
“With increased focus and resources, Starbreeze will accelerate its roadmap, delivering more frequent updates, new content drops, and continuous live-engagement,” the company said. “The discontinuation of Baxter, combined with an increased focus on the Payday franchise, will enable Starbreeze to become cash-flow positive in 2026.”
Kristjansson added: “I want to sincerely thank the Baxter team for their passion and creativity, and express appreciation to Wizards of the Coast for their support. Though we have made the decision to not continue forward with this project, we are proud of what was achieved in Baxter, and those contributions will carry forward into Payday and the future of Starbreeze. By concentrating our efforts on Payday we give Starbreeze and all our employees the best chance to succeed.”
So, what does the future hold for Starbreeze? The 12-year-old Payday 2 still has significantly more players than Payday 3 on Steam, but the developer insisted Payday 3 “is being developed into a scalable live-engagement platform to engage millions of players worldwide.” The Payday 3 team will grow to about 50 employees before the end of the year “and continue to grow in line with increased player engagement.”
Meanwhile, Starbreeze said it has new heist games in the works, too, including spinoffs and narrative-driven projects, and plans to expand Payday into new platforms. Meanwhile, it’s offering its services as a work-for-hire studio.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The long-awaited Mega Evolution era has finally arrived in Pokémon TCG following the Japanese releases of Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia in August 2025. With their towering HP values, spectacular full-art designs, and that notorious 3-Prize rule when a Mega ex is knocked out, these cards are already shaking up both the collector market and early deck-building experiments in Japan, and we expect the same to happen worldwide, too.
Like every major set, certain chase cards have risen to the top. That’s whether for playability, stunning artwork, or simply the popularity of their featured trainer or Pokémon. Below, we’ve ranked ten of the most expensive Mega Evolution cards in today’s market on our favourite dedicated marketplace, TCGPlayer, starting from the lowest on the chart and working up to the crown jewel.
The original Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia expansions have already delivered some of the most eye-catching and valuable cards of the year, with the 10 most valuable of which from the combined Mega Evolution set can be found below, for those who don’t feel like scrolling through the whole larger list.
However, with the set only just being released, TCGPlayer’s exact most valuable card rankings are changing rapidly, due to continuous market price changes. So, be sure to also check out the live page showing the most expensive Mega Evolution Pokémon cards on TCGPlayer right now.
Still, as for our top 15 picks, from dazzling behemoths like Mega Venusaur ex and Mega Gardevoir ex, to nostalgic Special Art Rares of fan-favourite trainers like Lillie’s Determination, collectors are still scrambling to secure them before prices climb higher. Here’s a proper look at fifteen of the most expensive cards currently dominating the Mega Evolution market.
15. Mega Venusaur ex – 155/132 (Ultra Rare)
Mega Venusaur ex cards in general thrive on endurance, and Mega Evolution’s is no different. Solar Transfer lets you freely move Grass Energy around, while Jungle Dump delivers 240 damage and heals 30, making it tough to topple.
5ban Graphics’ artwork reinforces that bulk, with Mega Venusaur ex crouched under vibrant petals in a pose that radiates raw power. Both a sturdy option in Grass decks and a visually commanding card, it’s a sought-after Ultra Rare.
14. Vulpix – 138/132 (Illustration Rare)
Gameplay-wise, Vulpix won’t shake the meta with Stampede and Combustion, which are serviceable but underpowered. What makes this card stand out is its Illustration Rare art by saino misaki, showing the fox Pokémon curled up by a fireplace in a warmly lit, rustic room.
It’s a cosy-looking slice-of-life card that collectors are eager to chase, proving once again that atmosphere and nostalgia can lift even a low-power card into a high-value slot.
13. Bulbasaur – 133/132 (Illustration Rare)
Already a major seller amongst Pokémon TCG collectors on TCG player, this Mega Evolution Bulbasaur’s Bind Down is a deceptively disruptive move, trapping your opponent’s Active Pokémon in place while chipping away at their board state.
This utility, combined with Bulbasaur’s nostalgic allure as the original Grass starter, gives it both competitive and casual appeal. Artist mashu delivers bold, swirling colours that make Bulbasaur appear almost dreamlike, enhancing its chase factor. Along with being playable, it’s one of the most visually striking cards in the set.
12. Ivysaur – 134/132 (Illustration Rare)
Razor Leaf offers a reliable 60 damage for two Grass Energy, positioning Ivysaur as a useful bridge to Mega Venusaur in dedicated Grass decks. The artwork, again by mashu, captures Ivysaur leaping forward with fierce determination against a backdrop of glowing foliage and vibrant petals.
As part of the full Kanto starter line, collectors are eager to build the evolutionary trio, and its combination of steady damage and stunning visuals cements its rising market value.
11. Lillie’s Determination – 169/132 (Ultra Rare)
Although not as dazzling as its more artistic counterpart below, this UR of Lillie’s Determination is already one of the hottest chase cards of the Pokémon TCG’s Mega Evolution set. Atsushi Furusawa’s stunning full-art design captures Lillie with delicate, vibrant detail, and the card effect remains a flexible draw option.
While it may not dominate the competitive scene, it is almost guaranteed to headline binders and display cases. It can be easy for newcomers to underestimate Lillie’s immense popularity, but that doesn’t stop its position near the very top of the set’s value list.
10. Marshadow – 146/132 (Illustration Rare)
Marshadow is one of the more competitively promising Illustration Rares. Shadowy Side Kick deals respectable damage, and its effect of blanking damage to Marshadow on the following turn if it takes a KO can stall opponents effectively. Altogether, this card straddles the line between competitive tech and collector gem.
9. Mega Kangaskhan ex – 182/132
Mega Kangaskhan ex is a surprise standout in the most valuable card lists, and currently sits at around $90 market price.
It’s another beautiful art set by 5ban Graphics, and features Mega Kangaskhan and its wee bab breaking out into their “Rapid Fire Combo” .
8. Mega Absol ex – 161/132 (Ultra Rare)
Absol has always had a cult following since its debut in Gen III , and this new Mega form captures that same aura of menace. Mega Absol Ex’s Ultra Rare gives us an eye-catching, almost gothic rendering, making it look like it has stepped out of a noir film, with its mix of black and yellow tones.
Competitively, its Terminal Period attack is an intriguing win-condition attack, knocking out foes that line up perfectly on damage counters, while Claw of Darkness offers raw power plus disruption. Though it’s a little clunky in the current fast-paced meta, Absol’s fan appeal ensures this one holds value.
Few Trainers hold the same sway in the secondary market as Lillie. Not only does the floral artwork of Lillie’s Determination by Atsushi Furusawa give off endless warmth and nostalgia, the actual effect of this Trainer card is great as well: refreshing your hand with six new cards or even eight when behind, presenting real utility in control and comeback strategies.
On top, Lillie’s sheer popularity, though seems to be additionally driving the price tag into the around-$200 stratosphere, just as we’ve seen with her earlier Sun & Moon prints.
6. Mega Latias ex – 181/132 (Special Illustration Rare)
At approximately $200, Mega Latias ex offers versatility in combat to go with its striking visuals, immediately showing why it’s one of the Pokémon TCG’s most in-demand cards from Mega Evolution.
Its Strafe attack enables clever switching plays, while Illusory Impulse deals a blistering 300 damage at the cost of discarding Energy.
Akira Egawa’s colourful, swirling art makes the Dragon-type legend look like it’s bursting straight out of the card. It’s as playable as it is collectable, and it earns its spot as the set’s tenth hottest seller.
5. Mega Venusaur ex – 177/132 (Special Illustration Rare)
Our third-most valuable card in the Pokémon Trading Card Game’s new Mega Evolution set, Mega Venusaur ex is a true battlefield tank, with Solar Transfer enabling seamless Energy redistribution and Jungle Dump delivering 240 damage while healing itself.
In terms of gameplay, this makes it one of the most flexible and durable attackers in the set. The SAR artwork by mashu is extraordinary, depicting a lush, chaotic jungle scene bursting with colour, where Venusaur looms as a dominant presence. The synergy of competitive utility and jaw-dropping art is what has pushed this card into the top tier of value.
4. Mega Lucario ex – 179/132 (Special Illustration Rare)
This Special Illustration Rare of Mega Lucario ex currently fetches about $280, even though its market price is currently $75 lower, and it’s easy to see why.
With Aura Jab accelerating Fighting Energy and Mega Brave hitting for a massive 270, Lucario slots perfectly into aggressive decks.
The art, by 5ban Graphics, depicts Lucario mid-leap with fierce energy bursts against a Mega Venusaur, a dynamic visual that mirrors its high-impact playstyle.
3. Mega Gardevoir ex – 178/132 (Special Illustration Rare)
Priced at over $500 at the time of writing, Mega Gardevoir ex stands as the Pokémon TCG’s crown jewel of the Mega Evolution set. Whilst Overflowing Wishes accelerates Psychic Energy across your Bench, Mega Symphonia converts that fuel into devastating damage.
Raita Kazama’s museum-quality artwork, full of pastel tones and floral elegance, perfectly matches the card’s grace and strength. It’s this union of competitive power and striking style that cements this beautiful piece of cardboard as the set’s most coveted prize.
2. Mega Gardevoir ex – 187/132 (Hyper Mega Rare)
Just like its gold-finished Mega Lucario counterpart, this painfully elusive Mega Gardevoir ex is sitting at around a $500 market price, with some listings even reaching $1200 right now as well.
According to TCGPlayer’s Mega Evolution pull rate data, these “Mega Hyper Rare” cards (what a bizarre rarity name by way) on average only appear one in every 1 out of every 1260 packs of Mega Evolution. That’s around 35 booster boxes, before you find even potentially find a single one of these cards. Holy bankruptcy, Batman!
1. Mega Lucario ex – 188/132 (Hyper Mega Rare)
The golden Mega Hyper Rare Mega Lucario ex card is topping Pokemon TCG listings charts at a staggering $600 market value, with some listings reaching $1000 or more.
With Aura Jab enabling Energy recovery and Mega Brave delivering 270 damage like its other versions, this card exemplifies the high-risk, high-reward nature of Mega ex.
The gold finish, courtesy of 5ban Graphics, turns Lucario into a gleaming centrepiece. Competitive players want it, collectors covet it, and together they’ve pushed it to the very peak. If you have one of the cheaper versions of Mega Lucario ex, it’s better to keep this one safe in your binder rather than put in your deck.
Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.
This article contains contributions from Robert Anderson.
Phil Spencer has been the head of Xbox (now officially the CEO of Microsoft Gaming) for over a decade now. And up until very recently, I’d argue that under his watch, the brand really did put players first, even if Xbox has continued to lose market share to PlayStation. As a reminder: Phil immediately unbundled the Kinect from the Xbox One, removing the $100 albatross weighing the console down. His first big initiative as boss was championing backwards compatibility, which is inarguably a huge success. FPS Boost on Xbox Series later made many of those old games run even better. He dragged Sony kicking and screaming into normalizing cross-play. The Xbox One X one-upped the PS4 Pro by offering true, native 4K. And Xbox gaming has undeniably become more inclusive in the Phil Spencer Era thanks to the Xbox Adaptive Controller as well as laudable ASL features in multiple first-party games. Finally, there’s Xbox Game Pass, whose mystery economics continue to make it controversial amongst both gamers and developers alike, but has nevertheless been a tremendous value for subscribers.
Until now, at least. On IGN’s Unlocked podcast, I (far too) often make reference to that Simpsons gif where Sideshow Bob keeps stepping on the rakes he’s surrounded by. And the reason I do that is because Xbox always seems to find a way to ruin any momentum it builds up, typically through no fault of anyone but itself. Take the month of October, for instance. Microsoft is shipping not one or two but three really exciting new games in the next 30 days: the very–awesome-so-far Ninja Gaiden 4, which revives the beloved fast-action franchise after a dormant decade; Double Fine’s promising Keeper, the studio’s next project after its Game Awards Game of the Year-nominated Psychonauts 2; and ever-reliable Obsidian Entertainment’s RPG/shooter sequel The Outer Worlds 2, which we’ve loved every time we’ve seen or played it. That’s a potentially huge month for Xbox – particularly when so many Xbox fans remember how it wasn’t long ago when we’d be lucky to get three ultra-promising first-party releases in an entire year, let alone a single month.
All three will drop onto Xbox Game Pass on day one – but this is the part where Xbox starts stepping on all those rakes. Effective immediately, you’ll need to pay a whopping 50% more for that privilege. Microsoft has raised Game Pass prices for the third year in a row, with the give-me-all-the-day-one-releases tier now setting players back $30 per month. Fourteen months ago, by the way, Game Pass Ultimate was $17. That’s how high and how fast the price has risen.
Fourteen months ago, Game Pass Ultimate was $17. Now it’s $30. That’s how high and how fast the price has risen.
In fairness to Microsoft, the company has added more to Ultimate: Ubisoft+ Classics, Fortnite Crew, and higher-resolution cloud gaming. It’s also worth mentioning that multiple likely Game of the Year candidates hit Game Pass Ultimate on day one this year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Blue Prince. But we all know that the biggest appeal of Game Pass are those day-one benefits for Xbox-published games, and this price increase feels directly targeted at that. (For the record, PC Game Pass is going from $12 to $16.49 per month.)
This comes immediately on the heels of the company jacking up Xbox console prices for the second time in the past four months, with the top-end Xbox Series X now carrying an eye-watering price tag of $800. But that $800 almost sounds like a damn bargain next to the much-hyped ROG Xbox Ally X handheld gaming PC, which weighs in at NINE-HUNDRED AND NINETY-NINE U.S. DOLLARS. Sure, there’s a less powerful, more affordable version for $599, but nobody knows if that one’s worth a damn, because Microsoft has only ever let media and influencers get their hands on the more powerful Ally X. Hopefully it proves useful, as the Series S has for the non-hardcore gamer part of the market.
Heck, the only thing the Xbox folks haven’t raised prices on are first-party games. Oh, they tried with The Outer Worlds 2, to be clear – and they inevitably will next year when Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, Forza Horizon 6, etc. drop – but the Xbox community wasn’t having any of that, and Microsoft relented.
I realize we live in crazy times, and that Sony and Nintendo are not exactly blameless here either after each of them raised prices on their own aging hardware in the past year (with Nintendo also aggressively raising software prices for the Switch 2 generation as well). Blame the Trump tariffs if you want to (heck, Microsoft does), but I’m sorry: at the end of the day, the buck stops with Microsoft. This is a company with a market cap of nearly $4 trillion, who has done layoff after layoff, after spending upwards of $80 million on studio and publisher acquisitions. And it’s fair to wonder if those naysayers who question the sustainability of Game Pass and its business model are being proven right with this latest, deepest round of price hikes.
We’ve reached a sad point where gaming is becoming less accessible to new players rather than more.
What’s worse is that, in the bigger picture, we’ve reached a sad point where gaming is becoming less accessible to new players rather than more. Historically, console prices go down and the size and quality of the game library goes up over the course of a generation, leading to more units sold and a healthier ecosystem for everyone inside it. And while again, the blame for the absence of that this generation does not rest squarely on Microsoft’s shoulders, the actions of Team Xbox are of a company that isn’t showing a lot of empathy towards its customers as the cost of groceries, gas, and other bare essentials keeps going up. Again, these larger economic issues aren’t Microsoft’s fault, and it has to contend with rising development costs too, but they are choosing profit over players.
As such, while I recognize that this Xbox console generation isn’t over yet, it’s almost certainly going to be remembered first and foremost for Microsoft’s greed: two hardware price increases (and counting), three Xbox Game Pass price increases (and counting), one software price increase (so far), and tens of thousands of layoffs as well as multiple studio closures.
It’s kind of a monkey’s paw situation, really: all Xbox gamers have wanted since the start of the catastrophic Xbox One generation was a steady supply of great first-party games. Well, in 2025 we’re finally getting that – and as I’ve already mentioned, 2026 is shaping up to be a banger too – but it’s coming at the cost of, well…practically everything else. But it’s not our fault. Instead, Microsoft’s greed is to blame.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
Hell Clock is a Roguelike Action RPG developed by the Brazilian indie studio Rogue Snail and published by Mad Mushroom. Drawing inspiration from the ARPG greats like Diablo, Path of Exile, and Grim Dawn while packaging everything in a highly replayable roguelike formula, Gell Clock provides a great middle ground for people who want to experience the power fantasy of an ARPG without having to grind for hundreds of hours every season.
Patch 1.1, the Clockmaker’s Tools, is Hell Clock’s largest update yet. This patch brings crafting to Hell Clock, allowing you to modify the affixes on your Relics, craft powerful new Imbuements and corrupt Relics (the ultimate risk and reward).
Tool of Tinkering randomizes 1 primary or secondary affix on the Relic. Use this to reroll unwanted modifiers.
Tool of Enhancement upgrades a Common Relic to Magic.
Tool of Greater Enhancement upgrades a Magic Relic to Rare adding a new Rare Affix.
Tool of Locksmithing locks a primary or secondary affix, preventing other tools from modifying it
Imbued Tool of Fury adds an imbued implicit. Fury implicits include bonuses for Melee damage, Fire damage, physical damage, and Life.
Imbued Tool of Faith adds an imbued implicit. Faith implicits bolster Lightning damage, Mana, and Spellcasting.
Imbued Tool of Discipline adds an imbued implicit. Discipline implicits include bonuses to Plague damage, Marksman skills, and Projectiles.
Items can only have 1 imbued implicit at a time.
The Divine Tool randomizes the numerical values of your modifiers with the potential to push them beyond their normal maximum.
A Corrupted Tool unpredictably changes your Relic, it could randomize primary or secondary affixes, add a powerful corrupted implicit, or do nothing at all.
In addition, there has been a complete balance rework with the goal of providing smoother progression and greater overall game viability. Take a look at IGN’s post on the Hell Clock 1.1 Update for more information.
Maxroll Hell Clock Beginner’s Guide
Maxroll’s comprehensive Hell Clock Beginner’s Guide gets into the details of Hell Clock’s core systems and mechanics with links to more detailed guides where you can learn more. Start by exploring the campaign, progressing through each act, and challenging bosses. Next, learn more about the game’s progression and metaprogression systems. These include Skills, Blessings, Gear, Passives, Relics, and Constellations, all of which combine to make a variety of builds. Then learn about what awaits you in the endgame with Abyss, Oblivion, and Ascension.
Getting Started in Hell Clock
After getting started with the Beginner’s Guide, continue your journey with Maxroll’s new player resources. First up, the Campaign Guide has information on all of the Survival Encounters and Bosses you find when progressing through Hell Clock’s 3 Act story.
Note: As part of the endgame, you fight the Campaign bosses again. When you do, keep an eye out for enhanced move sets and new mechanics!
Skills
Skills are the core of your build in Hell Clock. Some Skills, like Split Shot, are easy to spam and often act as your primary damage. Others, such as Spectral Knives, have a longer cooldown and often take a secondary role. As you progress through the Acts and defeat bosses, you can access new skills (via the Skill Book), but you must spend 100 Soul Stones to unlock them. Check out Maxroll’s Skills Guide to learn more or browse all of the game’s Skills in the database.
Blessings
Check out Maxroll’s Hell Clock Blessing Guide to learn about the progression (and metaprogression) systems you interact with throughout a run. Blessing of Proficiency enhances your skills, Blessing of Foundation gives global character buffs, whereas Blessings of the Future and Legacy give you new Gear or Relics.
Gear
You can find gear within your run or purchase it from the Blessed Corner. The items you have equipped are carried over between runs, and you can only equip 1 item at a time within each slot (you can store the spares in your Blessed stash or recycle them into Soul Stones). Maxroll’s Gear Guide covers everything you need to know about Blessed Gear in Hell Clock. Alternatively, you can also browse all of them individually:
Last but not least are Relics. This is the most impactful metaprogression system as Rare Relics offer a lot of power, and Unique Relics completely transform skills. Relics in Hell Clock function a lot like gear in ARPGs like Path of Exile or Diablo, giving you tools to build around and make something that feels unique. In addition, Relics can be crafted with the Clockmaker’s Tools giving you more control over the affixes that you have available. Check out Maxroll’s Relic Guide to learn more about Relics in Hell Clock or browse the database for a complete list of Unique Relics.
More Maxroll Hell Clock Guides
In addition to the getting started resources, Maxroll has a variety of guides that provide a deeper dive into the game’s mechanics. This includes guides on the endgame activities, including Abyss & Oblivion and Ascension. Last but not least, learn the nuances of progressing the Blessings of Foundation to obtain the best Epic Blessings.
Maxroll’s development team has been working on a Hell Clock planner where you can theorycraft builds and share loadouts. This is currently a work in progress and likely to get updates in the future.
Planner Features
First, select the mode between Campaign, Endgame, and Ascension.
If you select Campaign, the Bell Tree transforms into The Old Bell.
Endgame covers Abyss, Oblivion, and Void, giving you access to the Oblivion Bell tree.
Ascension transforms your Bell tree to the Infernal Bell and allows you to select Penances in the Ascension Tree.
Next, start building your loadout by selecting Skills. If you want to set the build Public later, put your primary skill in the left-most slot to make it easier for people to identify your build.
After that, work on filling out Gear, Relics, and Constellations.
Both your Constellation and Passive Trees track the order in which you allocate nodes.
When it comes to Relics, you can select size, Rare Affix, Imbuement, Corrupted Implicit, and Prefix(es)/Suffix(es).
Common, Magic, Rare, and Unique Relics are supported.
Use the fields at the top to adjust Tier and Rank.
Use Variants to create step-by-step progression for Gear, Relics, Constellations, and Passive Trees.
Coming Soon
There are a few features that haven’t quite made it into the planner yet:
Blessing Recommendations – The ability to recommend (or banish) specific blessings for each skill
Relic Stats adjusting as you change a Relic’s Rank/Tier
Displaying Resistances to make it easier to tell when you’re going to be capped
Save importing
And more
Community Builds
Use theCommunity Builds section to share your build with other Hell Clock players. You can also browse for something new to play. Use the Skill filter at the top or look for builds based on game mode (Campaign, Endgame, Ascension) and tag.Here are a few examples of what you can do with the planner:
Check out theClockmaker’s Tools to learn more about crafting in Hell Clock.
Last but not least, if you’re going to play Ascension, first familiarize yourself with thePenances.
The Battle Continues
Patch 1.1 may be huge, but it isn’t the end of Rogue Snail’s content development plans. Rogue Snail has a detailed roadmap which includes two more major updates. Of course, like with all road maps the content and delivery date are subject to change. The next major patch is Movement 2.0, which will allow you to use all of your skills while moving. This is going to be particularly impactful for channeled skills like Repeaters. In addition the patch will bring a new character animation system and all 52 Constellations. The plan is to release this in November 2025.
After that the next major update is the Cursed War, slated for Q1 of 2026. This includes a free update with a full version of the Ascension endgame activity, 12 new biomes for endgame and improved random dungeon generation. This could include the Endless Nightmares system that has been teased in recent updates.
Along side the free update is a paid expansion, Hell Clock: The Cursed War, where Pajeu travels to a new location to fight the forces of hell. The expansion will add a 4th Act to the campaign, new biomes, new monsters, new bosses, Skills, Relics, and a “Cube Crafting System” which sounds suspiciously like the Kanai’s Cube mechanic from Diablo 3.
Capcom’s upcoming new IP, Pragmata, features a main antagonist that’s really a rogue AI on the moon making the life of a spaceman and his android buddy difficult. But as much as artificial intelligence is in the news lately, especially in gaming, the developers of Pragmata say they had absolutely no idea it would be such a hot topic when they started developing the game.
Speaking to me at Tokyo Game Show 2025, game director Cho Yonghee and producer Naoto Oyama tell me that the concept for Pragmata simply came from Yonghee thinking about the moon, and asking the team to brainstorm ideas for a game set on the moon. From there, developers pitched a “black and white world” on the moon, and the concept of the enemy being AI came later.
But none of the team, they said, knew they were about to release a game about an enemy AI at a time when real-life AI was such a fraught subject.
“We really couldn’t predict that AI would be this big from where we started from what you see now, but now that we have AI become this huge thing in the real world, we see like, ‘Oh, maybe we should have added this or that from what you see in the AI right now,'” Yonghee tells me. “So we are like, ‘We should have thought of that.'”
However, the pair confirm that the real-world shifts around AI didn’t impact the game’s story or direction. By the time it became a hot topic, the direction was already set.
“We have this sort of the idea of the AI in the game locked down very early in the development back when we released the concept trailer back a few years ago,” Oyama says. “And so we had that as what you see in the game basically. And then we really couldn’t predict that the AI would become this big right now.”
“Yeah,” Yonghee adds. “So the real life AI’s progression or development, it’s been so fast that it’s perhaps overtaken what do we have in the game right now. So what you see in the game might not look as amazing than what’d you compared to real life.”
I laughed a bit at this and remarked that I didn’t think we had Dianas running around in the real world just yet.
“We created to be in the near future, but the future has come closer,” Oyama replies.
“Yeah, just the word AI is getting a bit old right now,” Yonghee says. “So maybe by the time that we reach the age or the time where Pragmata takes place, people are not using the word AI even anymore.”
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.
