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Nintendo Insists AI-Generated Images Were Not Used in the Development of Mario Kart World After In-Game Billboards Sparked Speculation

Nintendo has disputed accusations it used AI-generated images to create billboards in Mario Kart World.

Rumors began to swirl when a Nintendo Treehouse livestream gave us a closer peek at the upcoming racer a few weeks back. Eagle-eyed fans pointed out that a handful of in-game advertising boards looked a little strange, with images of a construction site, a bridge, and a peculiarly tall car all raising eyebrows.

Of course, many pre-release titles include placeholder graphics that won’t be included in the final product, but Nintendo refuted claims that anything, even in its pre-release game, was AI-generated, saying in a statement to Eurogamer: “AI-generated images were not used in the development of Mario Kart World.”

Generative AI is one of the hottest topics in the creative industries right now and a burning issue within video game development itself. Apart from ethical and copyright issues, labor unions have expressed concern about the potential for generative AI to replace jobs, and video game performers have called for increased protections against its use.

In September last year, Nintendo developer legend Shigeru Miyamoto said the company would rather go in a “different direction” than the rest of the video game industry when it comes to AI. For example, EA CEO Andrew Wilson has said AI is “the very core of our business” — a comment IGN subsequently explored in more detail. But according to Miyamoto, Nintendo has a different outlook.

In an interview with The New York Times, Miyamoto brought up AI himself as an example of something where Nintendo would rather do things differently than its peers.

“It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction, but it really is trying to find what makes Nintendo special,” Miyamoto said.

“There is a lot of talk about A.I., for example,” he continued. “When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction.”

Miyamoto’s comments followed those made by Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa in July, who said generative AI can be used “in creative ways,” but its use “also raise issues with intellectual property rights.”

“We have decades of know-how in creating the best gaming experiences for our players,” Furukawa added. “While we are open to utilizing technological developments, we will work to continue delivering value that is unique to Nintendo and cannot be created by technology alone.”

The highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 — for which Mario Kart World is a console exclusive — is set to debut on June 5. Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders went live on April 24, with the price still fixed at $449.99 — and they went about as well as you’d expect. Check out IGN’s Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order guide for more.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Dev Opens Game Up to Modders, Who Now Plan to Add Tau and Necrons and a Whole Lot More — but first… a Fishing Mini-Game?!

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 fans are rejoicing after the developer handed modders the keys to its internal editor, sparking hope it could ‘do a Skyrim’ and last for years with user-generated content.

Game director Dmitry Grigorenko took to the Space Marine 2 modding Discord to announce what he described as “our biggest milestone yet in supporting the modding community.”

Developer Saber Interactive has released the official Integration Studio for public use. This is the same editor the developers use internally for all gameplay development. This first release lets modders work with everything from level scenarios to game modes, tinker with AI behavior, abilities and melee combo logic, user interface and HUD elements, and make much of the general modding work with Space Marine 2 faster and easier.

“Not long ago, I promised we would support the modding scene — and we meant it,” Grigorenko said. “Watching this community grow, push boundaries, and create incredible experiences has been both inspiring and humbling. We’re excited to see what you build next — whether it’s a cinematic campaign, wild new game mode, or something we never saw coming.”

To get the ball rolling, Grigorenko released jokey concept art for a “Fishing With Daddy Calgar” mini-game, below, which is technically possible now with these tools. Calgar is Marneus Calgar, the leader of the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines.

To find out what the Space Marine 2 modding community plans to do with this editor, I had a quick chat with Tom, aka Warhammer Workshop, the modder behind Space Marine 2’s excellent Astartes Overhaul. Fresh from releasing a mod that enables 12-player co-op in Space Marine 2, Tom told me that he now has access to all the scripting tools that control what happens in any particular mission, as well as for all the different game components like weapons and abilities.

This means modders could, for example, create a Space Marine 2 roguelite mode where modders spawn in one of the swarm sequences from the campaign with nothing but a combat knife, and progressively spawn bigger and tougher enemies, with percentage chances to spawn weapons, ammo, and health on death. “Killing a Carnifex might grant you a Heavy Bolter,” Tom suggested.

As for a brand new cinematic campaign, Tom said that while a Chaos campaign would “definitely” be doable, cutscenes are trickier because modders so far do not have access to the animation tools necessary.

However, Tom is currently planning on adding new factions to Space Marine 2, including the Tau and Necrons, as the modders have the rigs that will fit those. Meanwhile, the Space Marine 2 modding community is racing to actually make the Fishing With Daddy Calgar mini-game mod Grigorenko challenged them to.

Reaction from Space Marine 2 fans is hugely positive, and with good reason. While Space Marine 2 is well-received and has gone down as one of the best-selling Warhammer video games of all time, it is relatively limited in terms of its official offering. That is to say, it contains three factions only: Space Marines, Chaos (a mix of Chaos Marines and some Tzeentch Daemons), and the Tyrannids. Players had hoped for DLC that might extend the faction roster (the Space Marine 2 campaign teased the Necrons), but can now take matters into their own hands.

“This is how you keep a game alive for years like Skyrim,” said redditor Mortwight.

It’s a particularly interesting development in the context of Saber and publisher Focus Entertainment’s announcement that Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 is in development. Some Space Marine 2 fans have expressed concern about what this means for potential DLC, although both Saber and Focus have insisted they’re not abandoning the game. Still, Space Marine 2 is in a much better position now modders have the editor in hand.

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.

Tech Experts Say The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered’s Camera Breaks the Longer You Play and Eventually Crashes When Loading a Save, Call for Emergency Patch

Tech experts say The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has significant performance problems across all consoles as fans wait for a much-needed patch.

Oblivion Remastered has enjoyed a hugely successful launch, with over 4 million players and a ‘very positive’ user review rating on Steam. However, if there’s one issue that continues to crop up, it’s performance problems.

Digital Foundry has run an extensive analysis on Oblivion Remastered on all console platforms and found the game to have significant problems across the board. DF’s Thomas Morgan said of Virtuos’ Unreal Engine 5 overhaul:

No platform is spared of issues: whether it’s PS5, PS5 Pro, or either Xbox Series machine, all struggle with traversal hitches while roaming the open world. Secondly, there’s major sub-60fps frame-rates, where I’ve also discovered that performance slowly degrades with more playing time – quite possibly down to a memory leak. And finally, software freezes are the icing on the cake, with all PlayStation and Xbox platforms crashing to the system menu on loading a save one too many times.

How does this manifest itself in-game? According to DF, a “charged” playthrough with more continuous play time behind it performs worse than a fresh boot. Cycling through saves also introduces bugs in the charged play through, Morgan revealed. And this is particularly curious: this also leads to the camera position being too high while riding horseback. You can fix this by resetting the game.

The discovery of performance degrading over time as a result of a potential memory leak is of particular concern. The crashes on loading a save too many times is a significant issue, too.

The hope of course is that Bethesda addresses these problems sooner rather than later, especially as players spend more time with the expansive fantasy role-playing game and are more likely to run into these performance problems.

“It’s a dire position for any remaster to be in and developer Virtuos needs to address the game’s stability – the crashes – as a priority,” Morgan continued.

Digital Foundry asks some tough questions in its analysis, suggesting Oblivion Remastered was “rushed to market.” There also seems to be a discrepancy between versions, with a hotfix released for Xbox Series X so far unavailable for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro.

That’s a damning assessment of Oblivion on console, but what about PC? DF had already issued its analysis of the PC version, calling its performance “dire.” It’s worth checking out DF’s analysis in full for more.

Despite the performance issues, Oblivion Remastered is a hit. It became the third best-selling game of 2025 in the U.S. after just one week on sale, having shadow-dropped on April 22. Oblivion Remastered trails only Monster Hunter: Wilds and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows at the top of the 2025 sales chart.

Oblivion Remastered, developed by remake specialist Virtuos using Unreal Engine 5, has a long list of visual and feature improvements. It runs at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, as you’d expect, but other changes are more meaningful. Everything from the leveling systems to character creation, and combat animations to in-game menus have been improved. Meanwhile, there’s lots of new dialogue, a proper third-person view, and new lip sync technology. The changes are going down well with fans, some of whom believe Oblivion Remastered would be more accurately described as a remake. Bethesda, however, has explained why it went down the remaster route.

Now the game is out in the wild, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered players are warning newcomers to do Kvatch before the level scaling makes it an absolute nightmare. We’ve also got a report on a player who managed to escape the confines of Cyrodiil to explore Valenwood, Skyrim, and even Hammerfell, the rumored setting of The Elder Scrolls VI.

And be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, every PC Cheat Code, and much more.

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.

Monster Hunter: The Board Game Buying Guide and Expansions

The Monster Hunter franchise is a phenomenon, accumulating critical and commercial acclaim and spanning dozens of main titles and spinoffs. The secret to its success is an addictive gameplay loop, where you battle huge and terrifying monsters to gain loot that, in turn, lets you acquire better gear and hunt bigger, badder beasties. It’s an easy loop to replicate on the tabletop and that’s exactly what Monster Hunter World: The Board Game does. Just like its parent franchise, however, it comes in a variety of flavors, so here’s what you need to find your feet in this video game board game.

Featured in this article

If you’re not one for blurbs, you can scroll through all the items in this article right here. However, if you’d like to know more about what’s available and what comes in each box, read on for the goods.

Core Boxes

Each of the core boxes is a standalone game, containing four hunters and four monsters for them to hunt. However, they can also be combined, allowing you to mix and match characters and their prey from different sets. The majority of the components in each box are specific to the hunters and monsters unique to that set, but there is some overlap, and each set contains a few extra cards that are only used if you’re combining with its opposite number.

As such, you’re probably best off with a single core box to start with and, if you get into the game, you can start by adding some of the smaller expansions, listed below, doubling up on a second core set in the event that you develop a passion for the series.

There’s not really any difference between the core sets in terms of quality. Both feature the same ruleset, the same compulsive loop and the same stratospheric levels of production quality, with gigantic monster miniatures that tower above the hunters for an awesome sense of scale. But the look and feel of each is quite different, so you’re best off just going whichever one appeals most aesthetically, or ties in with fond memories from the video game series.

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Ancient Forest

As you might expect from the title, the setting for this collection is a primeval forest. The game boards are a lush green and brown and the monsters are clearly inspired by dinosaurs and tropical animals. There’s the lizard-like Great Jagras, the furred and scaled Tobi-Kadachi, the fearsome tyrannosaur Anjanath and the huge dragon Rathalos. Setting out to take them down are the classically-armed hunters Great Sword, Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, and Bow.

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Wildspire Waste

Wildspire Waste is a little more esoterically-named but the monsters and boards make clear that it’s a badlands-type setting, with a mixture of rocky outcrops, desert and swamp. The included creatures are the heavily-armored Barroth, monstrous swamp-fish Jyurados, the bird-like Pukei-Pukei, and underground behemoth Diablos which bears more than a passing resemblance to its demonic namesake. The hunters in this set are a little more bizarre, wielding Charge Blade, Switch Axe, Heavy Bowgun and Insect Glaive respectively.

Retail Expansions

As is often the case with Kickstarter-driven games, there were a slew of expansions available to pre-order at the same time. Most of these are still available at retail, however Nergigante is very hard to find and Teostra is exclusive to the publisher, Steamforged games – both of them are currently available directly from their website.

Nergigante, Kushala Daora and Teostra are all Elder Dragons, a new type of monster for you to hunt. They come with additional quest content for the base game, but perhaps most appealing of all they offer an extra, five-star difficulty level that’s a grade above any of the base game monsters, and the included miniature is a whole level bigger than any of their core box counterparts, too. That gives you an extra, mega-boss challenge to overcome and extends your campaign.

While getting to fight an ultimate boss in a longer campaign might sound like the ideal way to extend your base game content, all these expansions are expensive, and many have features that only work with one core box or the other. For example, Daora has one special crafting weapon that fits a hunter from the Ancient Forest, and another for a hunter from the Wildspire Wastes. As such, picking up the second core set might well be your best first stop if you want additional content for your game.

Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Hunter’s Arsenal Expansion

This offers six new hunters, as usual named after their weapons, which are a mixture of the traditional and peculiar. You can choose from the Light Bowgun, the Long Sword (which is very long indeed), the Gunlance, the Hammer, the Lance and the Hunting Horn (which looks nothing like a horn). While cool dragons and other monsters are obviously appealing, in terms of adding variety to your games, this box gives you the biggest bang for your buck as you get six different new toys to play with, and six new upgrade paths to explore, rather than just one beastie. However, you’ll need both core sets to be able to fully utilize all six.

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Nergigante Expansion

If you do want one single dragon to add to your campaign, this might be your best bet because it allows you to craft additional weapons for all the currently available characters, including all those from the core sets and the Hunter’s Arsenal. He’s also delightfully odd, a spiny colossus who grows vicious spikes to impale the hunters wherever he’s damaged.

Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Kushala Daora Expansion

Kushala Daora is a wind dragon, who buffets the hunters with powerful storms and he’s also got the biggest miniature in the range, with a foot-wide wingspan. As if beating such a behemoth wasn’t a tough enough fight in the first place, you’ll also have to fight through strong winds and tornado blasts just to even close with your quarry.

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game – Teostra Expansion

Of all the dragons, Teostra might be the most familiar simply because it’s the classic fire dragon everyone knows and either loves or fears, possibly in equal measure. As you might expect that means a lot of ranged punishment from blasts and fireballs for anyone that dares trespass onto the dragon’s lair.

Exclusive Expansion

This was originally only available as part of the Kickstarter campaign for the game. Expect to pay a hefty premium if you want to pick one up second-hand. However, there’s currently another chance to snag one thanks to the more recent Kickstarter campaign for the new Iceborne boxes, detailed below.

Monster Hunter World – Kulu-Ya-Ku Expansion

This bizarre creature can pick things up in its dextrous claws, such as rocks to throw at intrepid hunters. In mechanical terms this not only gives it a missile attack but its ability to use tools makes it unpredictable, ensuring you’ve got to pick the right spot from round to round in order to score maximum damage. It looks a lot like an ornithomimosaur – an ostrich-mimic dinosaur – so looks right at home in the Ancient Forest although it can be used with either core box.

Upcoming Content

Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game

Following the success of the initial lineup detailed above, publisher Steamforged Games ran a second Kickstarter for a new iteration of the basic design called Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. While it features the same core mechanics it has a range of new concepts, so it’s only partially compatible with the original boxes: you can port monsters and hunters from one to the other in arena games, but you can’t shunt a campaign from one setting to a different one.

The Iceborne content follows a similar, but slightly different path to the original campaign. There’s just one core box this time, Hoarfrost Reach, again with four monsters and four hunters. Also as before there are Elder Dragons and a Hunter’s Arsenal expansion to add. But instead of another core box there are three monster expansions with four new monsters each, Absolute Power, Seething Anger and Overpowering Hunger. Plus a smattering of extras unlocked during the campaign.

While the campaign has closed, the game has not yet shipped and you can still order items from the offered range via Gamfound.

For more, check out our Arkham Horror buying guide if you’re into horror board games, or take a look at our Dominion buying guide if you’re more a fan of deck-building games.

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelance writer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.

As the Move to $80 Video Games Kicks In, Gamers Point to Mafia: The Old Country and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hope the $50 Trend Succeeds

Mafia: The Old Country was in ‘managing expectations mode’ this week, announcing a cheaper than expected $49.99 price point, and confirming that it is absolutely not an open-world game, rather a linear, narrative-driven game.

The Hangar 13-developed gangster shooter showed off new gameplay in the trailer, below, and it is impressive indeed. But this is no GTA 6. Indeed, it is no Mafia III. Tellingly, 2K President David Ismailer said of Mafia: The Old Country: “We think there’s a large audience for compelling stories that don’t require massive time commitments.” It felt like a PSA more than a promo.

Based on these comments, Mafia: The Old Country will be a relatively short affair. There is no multiplayer mode, so the story is the entire package. How long will it be? Some are speculating anything from five to 15 hours.

Yes, there are some complaints in the reaction across the internet, mostly from those who were hoping for a Mafia game more along the lines of a GTA than a, say, shorter Uncharted-style game. But The Old Country was never going to be that sort of game.

In December, I interviewed Hangar 13 President Nick Baynes and game director Alex Cox about all things Mafia: The Old Country, and the prospect of running up against GTA 6, which was still due out fall 2025 at the time.

In the interview, the pair dismissed comparisons to GTA 6, insisting Mafia: The Old Country shouldn’t be considered an open-world game at all.

Rather, the pair explained, Mafia: The Old Country is more like Mafia 1 and 2 than it is the open-world Mafia 3. It is a “linear, narrative-driven” game, a “focused package” that offers a “cinematic experience.” You might find yourself driving around an authentic representation of 1900s Sicily in Mafia: The Old Country, or even riding around on horseback a bit like that other Rockstar game, Red Dead Redemption 2, but the similarities to Rockstar games stop there.

So, while there are the perhaps inevitable complaints about the scope of The Old Country, I’ve seen positivity about the experience on offer. Many are saying they’re more interested in a high quality, cheaper, shorter story-driven Mafia game than a bloated open-world game filled with repetitive mechanics.

Indeed, there seems to be a growing call for more of these cheaper, manageable games, with Sandfall’s well-received Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has sold an impressive 2 million copies despite being available day-one on Game Pass, held up as a potential trend-setter.

This comes as game prices are becoming more expensive, with both Nintendo and Microsoft hitting $80. In a market when Mario Kart World costs $80, a $50 Mafia: The Old Country looks like a bargain.

“I think setting the price at $50 is the move,” said IGN reader BabyGroot1 in response to the Mafia news. “Look at Clair Obscur sales.”

“Yea, I think there could be a lot of fence-sitters that see $70-80 and wait for a game to be on sale around $30,” added Automating_The_Game. “But at $50 they’re like f*** it, getting it now.”

It’s a similar sentiment across social media and reddit. “I hate putting things on a number scale, but if this is one of those games that are like a good 10-12 hour, 8/10 experience I feel like we have to support it as best as possible,” said 99DGE of Mafia. “$50 when publishers are pushing for $80 is so fascinating that we need to reward and vote with our wallets if it’s worth it (that is of course, we can afford it given the economic climate).”

“I was probably going to pass on this as I just don’t have it in me for most open world games anymore, but hearing that it’s linear, story focused, and priced at $50? I’m on board day one now,” said ElJacko170.

“I’d rather have a short Mafia game for $50 than one with a needlessly empty open world with almost nothing to do in them like all the previous Mafia games,” said everythingsc0mputer.

“If they’re not gonna add side quests or side activities for you to do like the previous Mafia games, then might as well keep it short and linear.”

For all this positivity online, for publisher 2K and developer Hangar 13 it will be sales of Mafia: The Old Country that determine its and the franchise’s future. The game will have a sales target it needs to hit in order for the project to be declared successful, and social media and forum posts do not generate revenue. Hard sales do.

All eyes will be on Mafia: The Old Country to see if the success of Clair Obscur really is the start of something sustainable for the video game industry.

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.

Pokémon TCG: Black Bolt and White Flare Preorders: Where To Find In Stock

Preorders for Pokémon TCG’s new Scarlet & Violet expansions, Black Bolt and White Flare, are expected to go live at major retailers like Best Buy and Amazon from May 8 onwards in the US.

Select sets, like the White Flare Elite Trainer Box, dropped on May 9, 8am PT via Best Buy’s app. Look for the “Drops” tab in the app to secure your preorder.

So what’s the latest? While the Pokémon Center and Best Buy drops have come and gone, we’re also expecting Amazon and Target preorders to go live soon.

Amazon’s listings are up but not live yet, so bookmark each so you’re ready to lock in your preorder ASAP when each set goes live.

You can also see our full list of trusted retailers just below that will likely host preorders between now and release on July 18.

Best Buy is also putting restrictions in place for those looking to preorder, so make sure to check the following on your Best Buy account, as well as every other retailer:

  • Make sure you have an account set up and logged in.
  • Confirm your location and address for store pickup or shipping.
  • Add the item to your cart as soon as you can for account verification and inventory checks.
  • Make sure to follow on-screen prompts and not refresh or close your browser window.
  • Don’t try and use multiple devices to secure stock, retailers usually track your IP Address (Sometimes bypassing VPNS).
  • Complete the purchase as soon as possible when adding to basket.

Where To Preorder: Pokémon TCG Black Bolt

Like previous sets, Black Bolt and White Flare will likely sell out incredibly quickly, so it’ll be a massive task to find the expansions in stock.

I’ll be keeping track on retailers and updating this article as preorders go live, as I’ll be looking to pick up a few sealed boosters myself.

The everything below also be found at The Pokémon Center, although its currently out of stock, and its queue system when new stock is added can take a rather long time with no guarantees.

Black Bolt ETB

Black Bolt Binder Collection

Black Bolt Booster Bundle

Black Bolt Tech Sticker Collection

Where To Preorder: Pokémon TCG White Flare

White Flare ETB

White Flare Binder Collection

White Flare Booster Bundle

White Flare Tech Sticker Collection

Release Date: Black Bolt and White Flare

Pokémon TCG’s release schedule is looking chock full over the next few months, alongside the split explansion set Black Bolt and White Flare, there’s also Destined Rivals releasing on May 30.

Black Bolt and White Flare will have a staggered release between July 18 – August 22, and you can find all the relevant dates to note down just below.

Available July 18, 2025:

  • Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt or White Flare Elite Trainer Box, each containing nine booster packs, an illustration rare promo card featuring Thundurus or Tornadus, and gameplay accessories
  • Binder Collection, including five booster packs and a nine-pocket album featuring Zekrom or Reshiram
  • Unova Poster Collection, with two booster packs from each expansion, three promo cards featuring Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, and a full-size double-sided poster
  • Unova Mini Tin, including one booster pack from each expansion, one art card, and one sticker card

Available August 1, 2025:

  • Tech Sticker Collection, with three booster packs, a promo card featuring Reuniclus or Gothitelle, and a themed sticker sheet
  • Unova Victini Illustration Collection, with four booster packs, a foil promo card featuring Victini, a premium parallel Poké Ball version of Victini, and an oversized foil card

Available August 22, 2025:

  • Booster Bundle, including six booster packs from either Black Bolt or White Flare

Key Features: Black Bolt and White Flare

  • Six Pokémon ex
  • Eight ultra rare Pokémon and Supporter cards
  • One illustration rare or special illustration rare card for each Unova Pokémon
  • One special illustration rare Supporter card

A new card style, called Black White rare, will also debut. These cards will feature full artwork in either black or white monochrome, depending on the expansion.

Players will also be able to access Scarlet & Violet: Black Bolt and White Flare digitally starting July 17, 2025, through the Pokémon TCG Live app on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. The digital release allows players to collect and battle with new Unova-region cards and earn in-game login bonuses.

Pokémon TCG: Best Deals Today

If you’re trying to keep up with Pokémon TCG without getting ripped off or left behind, here’s where to start, including the latest update on what can be bought here and now from trusted retailers in the US.

Moreover, from our latest report on the biggest Pokémon TCG crashers and risers of the week, prices on cards like Magikarp 203/193 and Pikachu ex 238/191 have nosedived by over 30% this week and are well worth considering as single buys.

While Rayquaza VMAX and Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat are making moves in the opposite direction. Whether you’re hunting bargains or watching the next big spike, here’s what to buy and what to keep an eye on right now.

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

Additional contributions included by Robert Anderson.

Grab Every Mainline XCOM Game for $10 at Humble Bundle

XCOM is one of the most beloved strategy game series of all time, with many entries since the first game’s release in 1994. Right now, you can take home every single mainline XCOM game on Steam for just $10. This includes the mainline games from the 1990s and the rebooted series from 2012 onwards. With over 15,000 bundles already sold, don’t miss your chance to secure to entire XCOM collection for only $10 (if purchased separately at MSRP, the total would be $269).

XCOM Complete Bundle for May 2025

  • XCOM: Chimera Squad
  • XCOM 2
  • The Bureau: XCOM Declassified
  • XCOM: Enemy Unknown
  • X-COM: Enforcer
  • X-COM: Interceptor
  • X-COM: Apocalypse
  • X-COM: Terror From the Deep
  • X-COM: UFO Defense

These games are sent as Steam codes, which are yours to keep forever. You can play them on a desktop, laptop, Steam Deck, or even send them to a friend if you already have the game or want to gift one! In addition to the above games, you will also gain access to all major XCOM 2 DLC, including XCOM 2: War of the Chosen.

The XCOM Complete Bundle supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Founded in 2000, the MJFF is aimed at supporting those with Parkinson’s diseases and finding a cure for it. To this day, no cure is available for Parkinson’s, despite over six million people affected around the world. Each bundle purchase will help contribute toward the fight for a cure.

More Game Bundles Available Right Now:

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.

The Biggest Pokémon Card Crashers And Climbers This Week – May 9

Another week, another hectic shift in the Pokémon single card market whilst trainers are waiting for Destined Rivals to drop. At least the Black Bolt and White Flare Pokémon Center preorders avoided a hostile bot takeover this time around.

The most dramatic crash this week is Greninja ex 214/167, crashing by nearly half when compared the the start of this year. We’re also seeing some nice price drops across Obsidian Flames and the elusive 151 expansions. Meanwhile, Dragonite V from Evolving Skies is doing the opposite, nearly doubling in value compared to the start of this year, and the artwork alone always made this card undervalued.

Charizard V Alt Art is also a banger, depicting a Pokémon battle against Venusaur whilst slowly climbing up in value. But Rayquazza VMAX Alt Art is quite literally soaring high, scoring an extra $100 in value since the start of this year. Let’s dig into all the rest of the biggest Pokémon TCG climbers and crashers of the week.

Pokémon Card Crashes

Whilst we’re finally seeing a noticeable climb in Sword and Shield era Pokémon Cards, Scarlet and Violet series cards are settling back down into the realm of reality for the most part.

Alakazam ex SIR from 151 is a georgous card, and it’s 34% lower in price than the beggining of March. There’s absolutley no reason for not having Uri Gellars Grandad claiming a spot in your binder this year.

Bulbasaur was my first starter Pokémon when I first loaded up Pokémon Blue way back when, so this Bulbasaur IR has a special place in my heart. This card has dropped by a massive 52% since mid-March, so there’s no reason to not catch this beautiful card.

Moving onto Obsidian Flames, Ninetales IR has always been one of the best cards of the set. If you agree then it’s time to snap this card up seeing as it’s crashed by 40% from Feburary so a reasonable $18.17.

People can complain about Obsidian Flames all they want, but it’s Charizard ex SIR so cool. Rocking a stained glass look in it’s Tera form, it’s a show stopper for sure. Granted it’s not come down too much since March, but $5 less is $5 saved.

Finally the biggest crasher this month is Greninja ex SIR, which at one point was set to become the most expensive Scarlet and Violet era card. Then Prismatic Evolutions came along and took the FOMO up 10 notches. It’s still a class card that’s holding it’s weight at $275, but imagine reading this and paying $411.62 at the end of Feburary. Oh dear.

Pokémon Card Climbers

Moving onto this weeks climbers, Rayquazza VMAX alt art is one of the main grails of the Sword and Shield era. It was already a $500+ card, but at $649.99 it shows no signs of slowing down. This could arguably hit the $1,000 mark in a few years, so i’d get one fi you can afford it.

There can’t be enough Kanto love in my book, and Charizard V Alt Art smashes it out of the park with this Venusaur battle. The angle is great and it feels like a moving card instead of a static body shot so many Pokémon cards are guilty of (Looking at you, WotC era). It’s earned another $40 since January, and there’s no reason why this card can’t get over $200 before the year is out.

Dragonite V Alt Art is one of the highlights of Evolving Skies. It’s a fan favorite Pokémon that can look cute as hell or ready to rip another mon’s face off. It’s a full package that looks nothing like it’s pre evolutions, but that’s ok because it’s Dragonite.

It’s cute side comes out in this artwork, and that’s exactly why it’s nearly doubled in value since the middle of January. It’s now rocking a solid $225, so make sure to grab yours before it flies any higher. Did you catch last week’s article? There are some bangers on there too.

Pokémon Card Sealed Boosters

If you’ve dedicated your life to pulling chase cards yourself, here’s what we can find in stock right now. Just watch out for pricing over MSRP, we’re in a wierd spot as Pokémon trainers right now, so don’t pay more than what you have too.

Here’s the Pokémon TCG full Release Schedule so far for this year too so you don’t miss anything. Buying singles is the cheapest way to collect right now, but don’t feel like you have to “Catch Em’ All!”.

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

Overwatch 2 Is Getting a Street Fighter 6 Crossover Event and Fans Have Thoughts About The Skin Choices

There have been some truly inspired collabs in gaming, but I never saw this one coming: Overwatch 2 is getting a Street Fighter 6 crossover event.

As revealed on X/Twitter — and leaked a few days ago by PlayStation Network — the event goes live on May 20, “taking your fighting skills to the next level when the legendary characters from Street Fighter 6 square off in Overwatch 2,” letting Overwatch fans “discover the martial artist in you.”

Though the teaser isn’t very long, it does give us a peek at the characters getting a fresh skin for the collab, including Zenyatta as Dhalsim, Winston as Blanka, Sigma as M. Bison, Hanzo as Ryu, Juno as the inimitable Chun Li, and Soldier: 76 as Guile. We also get to see Chun Li kick the crap out of a truck — never a bad thing — and some more familiar faces sure to make both Overwatch and Street Fighter fans very, very happy.

“Soldier 76 as Guile is sending me,” laughed one commenter, whereas another simply said: “Genuinely such a stacked collab.”

“A COLLAB WITH TWO OF MY FAVORITE FRANCHISES?!?” cried this player. “THIS HAS TO BE [Overwatch’s] BEST ONE YET!”

Not everyone is convinced, though, with some players questioning the skin choices.

“Glad to see Winston and Sig get anything, but not having any SF6 original characters in a SF6 collab feels weak,” suggested this commenter. “Manon was right there for Widow. Marisa Zarya. Jamie Weaver. Doomfist also should have probably been a lock for this, he’s the best character that fits the theme.”

“Genuine question. Juri is literally a spider — why is she not Widowmaker lol?” asked this player.

And if there was any doubt that developers do listen to their communities, sometimes it’s worth trying to manifest these things — this fan mocked up a Street Fighter x Overwatch crossover two years ago, and this one, also posted two years ago, took a stab at what “easy” crossover outfits could be available. (This fan really, really wants a Resident Evil crossover next.)

Last week, Blizzard unveiled its Overwatch 2 Stadium roadmap for 2025, teasing some of the heroes and features it plans to add in Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond.

Overwatch 2 brought Stadium to players when Season 16 launched at the end of April. It’s part of Blizzard’s ongoing initiative to reinvigorate the Overwatch 2 player base, which began with an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February. It’s led to the return of loot boxes and an improved Steam rating as players celebrate what some feel is the best Overwatch experience fans have seen in years.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Dead by Daylight Is Finally Getting a Five Nights at Freddy’s Killer – and He’s Voiced by Matthew Lillard

After nine years, Behaviour Interactive is finally bringing Five Nights at Freddy’s to Dead by Daylight – and Matthew Lillard is joining in on the fun.

It’s a collaboration that has been in the works for a while, but it wasn’t until today’s Dead by Daylight PAX East presentation that the studio was ready to reveal exactly how it will keep players scared as the asymmetrical multiplayer game approaches its ninth birthday. Freddy Fazbear and his animatronic-filled pizza emporium headline Behviour’s plans for this year’s anniversary chapter, which is expected to arrive in June.

Lillard, who starred as William Afton in 2023’s Five Nights at Freddy’s movie adaptation, has embodied the spirit of the role once again to lend his likeness and record new voice lines for Dead by Daylight’s latest Killer: Springtrap. This evil animatronic bunny, otherwise known as Yellow Rabbit or Spring Bonnie, will be available as a Legendary Outfit when the collection eventually arrives.

Behaviour calls Five Nights at Freddy’s the “most requested license in Dead by Daylight history,” so fans should be excited to hear that the content drop will also include a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza map that is said to be filled with a buffet of Easter Eggs and surprises to uncover. More news, including a specific release date, is expected to arrive in the near future.

Wind’s Howling

A Five Nights at Freddy’s Dead by Daylight crossover has been a long time coming, but it’s not the only gaming collaboration in the cards. Also revealed at PAX East was the news that CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher series is also set to make an appearance in Behviour’s hit horror experience.

The set will make its mark as a special Witcher Collection June 3 and includes outfits inspired by the popular fantasy RPG universe. This includes a Legendary piece inspired by the White Wolf himself, Geralt of Rivia, as well as Very Rare outfits for Yennefer, Ciri, Triss, and Eredin. As an added bonus, those who pick up the Geralt costume will notice that original voice actor Doug Cockle contributed new voice lines just for this very occasion.

“Our favorite of the Collection is, of course, Geralt’s Legendary Outfit for Vittorio Toscano,” Dead by Daylight Product Director Rose Li said in a statement. “Not only will it let players essentially take on the exact look of The White Wolf, but we’ve also added some really nice details as part of this Outfit. Geralt will have unique lobby animations, and best of all, brand-new voice lines recorded for our game by the original voice actor, Doug Cockle.”

Dragula, Shudder’s monster-themed drag reality competition series, is also doubling down on its relationship with Dead by Daylight. Players can look forward to picking up a Boulet Brothers Collection come July 8, which includes a Winter Warrior outfit for The Huntress and the Boulet Brothers Artist outfit for The Artist.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Also included in Behaviour’s PAX East showcase was the promise that the team will deliver fresh quality of life updates throughout 2025 and beyond. June highlights include a The Archives revamp and adjusted Gamma Settings, with the months ahead set to bring updates that add more spectators in Custom Matches, map and key item rebalancing, an MMR rework, and more balance tweaks.

Creative Director Dave Richard also teased something completely new: a Dead by Daylight Chapter entirely created by fans. It’s a move that will see Behaviour working with its community to create a Killer and Survivor from the ground up in what sounds like a choose-your-own-adventure-style narrative, meaning everything about each character will be voted on by the players. It’s due out in 2026, so we’ll have to wait a while to learn more.

Dead by Daylight launched in 2016 and has only grown since. Other crossover Collections include content based on Dungeons & Dragons, Resident Evil, and Tokyo Ghoul.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).