Bandai Namco will finally roll up another mainline Katamari game with Once Upon a Katamari when it launches for PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on its October 24, 2025, release date.
News about the first fresh Katamari game in 14 years arrived during today’s July 2025 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. It came with a full-on gameplay trailer, below, revealing the return of The King of All Cosmos and plenty of that classic Katamari, ball-rolling gameplay fans have come to love the series for. You can see it all — and catch some new music — in the Once Upon a Katamari gameplay trailer below.
As if there was ever any concern, players can expect Once Upon a Katamari to let them roll up the universe yet again when it launches this fall. It’ll be more than a carbon copy of the games it follows, though, with Bandai Namco announcing a planet-sized amount of new features to enjoy.
Included in the lineup of additions of customization options for the Prince and 68 available Cousins, as well as multiplayer support for up to four players. It’s chaos that will be backed by an all-new soundtrack to listen to as players roll throughout history and rebuild the sky.
“The King of All Cosmos and his family accidentally destroyed the Earth, the moon, and countless stars floating in the universe,” an official description from Nintendo says. “Travel through the Jurassic Period, Ice Age, historic Japan, and other eras to roll up objects with your trusty katamari and rebuild the starry sky. With all-new stages, a new soundtrack, character customization, a new four-player multiplayer mode that lets players compete online or battle CPU rivals offline and more, the quirky Katamari Damacy series returns when Once Upon A Katamari launches on Nintendo Switch October 24.”
Once Upon a Katamari on Switch will be up for pre-order through the Nintendo eShop later today. Those with save data from Katamari Damacy REROLL or We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie will also be able to unlock a special playable Young King at launch. A proper Nintendo Switch 2 version has yet to be announced.
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).
At Gen Con 2025, Disney Lorcana celebrated its two-year anniversary in a big way by revealing A Goofy Movie and Iconic Mickey and Minnie cards headed to the Fabled expansion, details on Whispers in the Well, Winterspell, and Toy Story cards, and even a brand-new set of Disney Lorcana puzzles.
There’s a lot to look forward to in the ever-expanding world of Disney Lorcana, and you can check out all the latest news and cards below!
Fabled’s Iconic Mickey and Minnie Cards Are the Stars of This Expansion Alongside A Goofy Movie
Fabled is set to be released at local card shops on August 25 and everywhere else on September 5, and one of the biggest new additions it brings to Disney Lorcana is Iconic cards. These are even rarer than Enchanted and feature full alternate artwork, unique foil pattern, and foil hot-stamped text and stats. Kicking off this new rarity will be Minnie Mouse – Sweetheart Princess and Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Prince.
These cards not only look great, but they also complete a picture when placed together. Furthermore, Minnie’s Royal Favor adds Support to any Mickey Mouse cards, meaning their love for each other will also help you in-game!
Another new rarity being added with Fabled will be Epic, which are rarer than Legendary but more common than Enchanted, and one of these new cards will be A Goofy Movie’s Stand Out. A Goofy Movie’s arrival in Lorcana was long-requested, and Stand Out will celebrate this moment alongside Powerline – World’s Greatest Rock Star and I2I.
Dumbo is also getting some love in the new Fabled set, as Dumbo – The Flying Elephant, and Timothy T. Mouse – Flight Instructor will be just two of the card players that will be able to seek out.
There will also be a handful of promo cards to look out for in Fabled, including Alice – Accidentally Adrift (Buy a Box Promo), Cursed Merfolk – Usula’s Handiwork (Weekly Play Promo), Sisu – Daring Visitor (Weekly Play Promo), Strength of Raging Fire (Weekly Play Promo), and The Queen – Conceited Ruler (Pre-Release Promo).
Lastly, Maleficent in her dragon form will be featured as Fabled’s Set Championship, meaning there will be cards and play mats available to those who can win at tournaments held throughout the year.
The Collection Starter Set and Elsa Gift Box Are Made for Collectors and Newcomers
For those looking for even more ways to celebrate their love of Disney Lorcana or jump in for the first time, the Collection Starter Set and Elsa Gift Box will be worth a look when they launch on October 3, 2025.
The Collection Starter Set will cost $29.99 and will include a 4-pocket card portfolio featuring Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Tailor artwork, which had previously only been used at Disney Lorcana Challenge. There will also be a “Glimmer Foil” Tinker Bell – Giant Fairy promo card, four Fabled booster packs, and a Collector’s Guide.
The Elsa Gift Box, on the other hand, will also cost $29.99, and it will come with five Booster packs, one “Glimmer Foil” Elsa – The Fifth Spirit promo card, one storage box, and three punch-out card dividers.
Whispers in the Well Will Feature Zootopia’s Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde
Whispers in the Well is the next set after Fabled and will have its pre-release on November 7 and official release on November 14. For Disney Lorcana lore hunters, this set will introduce Whispers, which are partially-formed Glimmers that we’ll encounter in the “depths of the Great illuminary.” To find these Whispers, certain detective Glimmers like Mickey Mouse, Judy Hopps, and Nick Wilde will need to lend their expertise to the cause.
We were given a look at a few of the Zootopia cards that will be part of Whispers in the Well, including Judy Hopps – Uncovering Clues, Nick WIlde – Persistent Investigator, and Putting It All Together. The Deck and Booster Pack art was also revealed, and they feature such characters as Daisy, Demona, Gaston, Simba, Megara, Judy Hopps, and Robin Hood.
Winterspell Promises ‘Flurries of Fun’ With Stitch, Angel, and More
In Q1 2026, Disney Lorcana will be releasing Winterspell, a new expansion that promises “Flurries of Fun.” We don’t know too much about this set yet, but the art you can see above features Stitch and Angel, and they appear to be in a tropical setting that is covered in snow!
Toy Story to Arrive in Disney Lorcana in Q2 2026
As one final surprise, the team at Disney Lorcana revealed Toy Story characters will be joining the TCG in Q2 2026. The only info we have is from a piece of artwork that features both Woody and Buzz on a seemingly alien planet. More details will be shared in the future.
Disney Lorcana Puzzles From Ravensburger Feature Original Art from the TCG
Disney Lorcana is venturing into the world of puzzles as it will be presenting six 1,000-piece puzzles from Ravensburger – one for each Ink color, that will feature original art from the TCG and each will even come with a Disney Mickey Mouse – True Friend promo card. These puzzles will cost $29.99 each in the US and Canada and will be released on September 1, 2025.
You can check out the Amber, Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire puzzles in the slideshow above, and there are still two – Amethyst and Steel – that have yet to be revealed. Furthermore, those last two will be exclusive to Disney in its stores and online.
As PopCap announces a “definitive” new version of its beloved original Plants vs Zombies, the studio has reflected on the evolution of its garden tower defense franchise — and revealed why now is the right time for it to go back to the series’ PC and console roots, after a pair of sequels focused on smartphones.
Speaking to IGN, PopCap studio general manager Nick Reinhart said the freshly-announced Plants vs Zombies: Replanted was an opportunity to “reestablish” what fans loved about the series, while making it accessible on modern consoles, with polished-up 4K graphics.
Plants vs Zombies: Replanted will arrive on October 23, 2025 priced at $19.99, for PC (via EA app, Epic Games Store and Steam) and on consoles for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
New features include local co-op and PVP options, two additional game modes (a roguelike permadeath offering named Rest in Peace, and Cloudy Day mode, which ups the difficulty by limiting sunlight), plus an art gallery showing previously-unreleased concepts.
Describing the package as “the definitive PvZ remaster,” executive producer Jake Neri said it was PopCap’s way to “preserve the magic of the original while also giving it a freshness that allows it to live for another 20-odd years.”
“We’ve heard for quite a while now that that people would love a remaster of this game,” Neri continued, when asked why Replanted was surfacing now. “Timing is important.”
“PopCap just celebrated [PvZ’s] Sweet 16, which may seem like a little bit of a strange one but, at PopCap, we are strange,” added Reinhart. “It certainly has been swirling around sort of for a little bit, as we’ve been talking about getting things pulled together.”
“My official answer here is that I don’t have anything to say about PvZ 3 at the moment,” Reinhart said when asked for an update on the MIA threequel’s status. For 2025, at least, the franchise’s focus appears to be Replanted — though there are “no plans” for Replanted to also launch on smartphones, something that would leave the runway clear for PvZ to return there at some point.
“Is it a reset?” Reinhart said, when asked if Replanted’s launch was the franchise resetting to its origins, after various spin-offs and sequels. “I think that’s an interesting way to sort of frame the question. What I would say is that I think it’s more of a reacknowledgement of what our roots are, and what sort of games we should be thinking about and what we should be making.”
“Has the brand ever gone away? No,” Reinhart continued. “A reset, to me, almost implies ‘well, it’s been dead on the vine,’ and we’re, like, trying to bring it back or something like that. I don’t think it’s there. I do think that it’s an opportunity for us to reestablish that this is a brand that people love, that there are still a lot of Neighborville stories that we can and should tell, and that we have to author that, to some extent, with our fan base in mind, and that we have to be able to acknowledge what we’ve done there.”
Naturally, PopCap has arrived on its decision to relaunch the original Plants vs Zombies after seeing the reaction to its more recent games in the series. 2013’s smartphone-only Plants vs Zombies 2 was popular and long-lasting, though included touchscreen power-ups and microtransactions that grated with some players. More recent years have seen the franchise’s console focus transform into a 3D shooter, via the Garden Warfare spin-off franchise — though for now, 2019 entry Battle for Neighborville appears to be the last.
Even PopCap itself, previously a prolific creator of bizarre but compulsive game ideas (Feeding Frenzy! Zuma! Bookworm!) has consolidated its focus in recent years. Bejeweled Stars will be a decade old next year, while Peggle 2 is 12 years old already, with no sign of a third entry on the horizon.
“I would say that the passion of the community is an important thing that has to be galvanized and recognized,” Reinhart said, discussing why PopCap has gone back to PvZ’s roots now. “So much of what inspires our design decisions is, how we make sure that we are keeping something that is familiar, that doesn’t entirely break the compact we have made with the player base, but that we can also then begin to iterate and move it forward as well.”
“This game has given us an opportunity to go and dive in and try to figure out exactly what it is that people love about PvZ,” Neri added. “And there’s a lot of learning that we’ve done about the zaniness of the IP and how it appeals to people in that way, and that helps guide us and help us be true to what the the expectation is.”
This desire to keep within fan expectations helped informed PopCap’s choice of new modes for Replanted, Neri continued, as while the developer had plenty of ideas and could have gone in “all different directions,” Replanted’s team instead aimed for what they thought fans would actually want.
“We’re very thoughtful about how much innovation we bring into it,” Reinhart agreed, “and not just trying to alienate the core overall experience for players… As we look to the future, we’re looking at the brand more holistically and saying, what else is there? And what would it mean for us to reinvestigate some of that? There are no formal plans for right now, but it’s something we are spending a lot of time looking at. But for this year, for the current stanza of where PopCap is, it is back at tower defense, and we’re excited about that.”
“We’ve done a ton of exploration around what people loved about all the different versions of PvZ and trying to bring it back into this version,” Neri added. “As we go forward, I definitely hope that Replanted will be an anchor for for us, that people can look to and understand — because the original PvZ still lives in people’s hearts and minds.”
So what of the future? Does a return to the more grounded original Plants vs Zombies in Replanted offer a clue as to where the franchise could go next? Or could it spark the re-release of other PopCap classics?
“We’ve absolutely been having conversations about — if this is fruitful, if this meets the fans expectations… is this a template?” Reinhart said. “I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm about that. Now, whether or not there are actually plans ongoing yet, we can’t say that, but I would say we’re very interested to see how this goes and what it would maybe mean for other properties to sort of maybe follow a similar route.
“PvZ is incredibly enduring,” Reinhart concluded, “and being able to bring that to a new audience, to reawaken people’s nostalgia and their feelings about it as well, especially in a time where I think the world could use a little bit of joy and wackiness, it just feels like the right time for that.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Can I reminisce for a second, gang? Is that cool? Almost four years ago, I reviewed Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles for IGN. It was my first IGN review. Now, with exactly 25 more IGN reviews under my belt, I’m back to review its sequel. Time flies, and a lot has changed in the last four years, including within this series. The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is a bigger, better version of its predecessor that adds new ways to play while maintaining what worked and tweaking what didn’t, even if it’s not exactly out here discovering new forms of demon slaying.
Let’s start from the beginning. If you’re unfamiliar with Demon Slayer from its manga or anime, it follows Tanjiro and Nezuko Kamado after demons murder their family and transform Nezuko into a demon herself. Determined to avenge their family, the two set out to slay demons and figure out a way to make Nezuko human again. The original Hinokami Chronicles went through the end of the Mugen Train Arc, and The Hinokami Chronicles 2 picks up from there. There’s some effort to play catch up if you missed the original game, with a bit of narration from Tanjiro in the Story Mode explaining what’s going on and who characters like Inosuke and Zenitsu are, but for the most part The Hinokami Chronicles 2 kind of expects you to have a familiarity with what’s going on. This is a sequel, after all.
If you don’t, you can hop into Path of the Demon Slayer, which allows you to replay a truncated version of the original story. And when I say “truncated,” I mean it, as it’s comprised of just six one-on-one fights. That’s it. It was still a useful way for me to refresh on the story so far, but none of the big, flashy fights against the massive bosses from the original game are here, and even some of the smaller fights are missing. Worse, the ones that are here are based on the playable, versus mode versions of the bosses you fought, which means they’re essentially just glorified Vs CPU matches. Don’t get me wrong; I am grateful The Path of the Demon Slayer is here at all, but it feels like there should have been more to it. As it is, you can knock the whole thing out in maybe half an hour.
For most folks, I imagine the appeal will be Story Mode, which allows you to play through the Entertainment District, Swordsmith Village, and Hashira Training Arcs. The story compelled me less than last time, though I remained interested even if it is a little goofy. Characters (especially the usually-cowardly-but-brave-when-it-counts Zenitsu) yell a lot, but it’s usually pretty funny in context, and Tanjiro is a goody-goody’s goody-goody, but at least his heart’s in the right place. This is a CyberConnect2 joint, so everything is absolutely beautifully animated and just about every sequence looks remarkable. There are a lot of cutscenes in the Story Mode, so maybe make some popcorn, but things are generally well-presented. Do characters talk too much and have too much internal monologue about how they can’t believe the other guy is doing some crazy stuff? Yup. Lots of yelling? Yup. Still fairly interesting anyway? Yup. It’s an anime game, y’all. Just, you know… don’t take a shot every time someone yells about something. You’ll be dead before the Entertainment District Arc is over.
This is a CyberConnect2 joint, so everything is absolutely beautifully animated and just about every sequence looks remarkable.
Between cutscenes, you’ll walk around and explore the world, talk to other characters, find items, and hunt down demons or clues to their whereabouts using Tanjiro’s incredible nose, Zenitsu’s super hearing, Inosuke’s spatial awareness, and so on. All of these essentially boil down to the Demon Slayer version of Detective Vision. Turn it on, follow the path, profit. As you explore, you’ll also be able to collect Memory Fragments, which are short movies that combine voiceovers and stills from the anime series, and Kimetsu Points, which can be used to unlock rewards like characters, system voices, alternate costumes, quotes, stamps, various art and decorations to customize your profile, and songs from the soundtrack, a lot of which you’ll also find scattered around the environments. I’m particularly fond of finding some momento that causes characters to pause and remember times past; it makes the world feel more lived in, and is a good reminder of how we got here.
I complained about all the walking around in my review of the original game, but I’m feeling it a bit more here for three reasons: first, the areas are smaller and more “big area where you run around and find stuff” rather than “travel this exceptionally linear path.” Secondly, you can run this time around, at least when you’re outside. Thank God, y’all. Thirdly, there’s side quests now, which break things up nicely, whether that means helping a shy servant confess his love to one of the women he serves or joining forces with a Hashira to take down a demon. These are fun, and they add variety. Plus, you usually get one of the aforementioned rewards. There’s even some amusing minigames, like Demon Slayer’s version of Guitar Hero, too!
When you’re not walking around, you’ll be throwing down with one demon or another. Like the first game, the fights are pretty sick, whether you’re fighting another member of the cast or engaging in one of the more elaborate fights against characters you’d never see in a versus match, like a giant demon fishman or a demon made of sashes or a 3 on 1 brawl. Even ones that you’ll fight multiple times, like Daki and Gyutaro, are compelling because you’ll use different characters each time, or fight under unique conditions, like having one of your characters be poisoned or using an alternate version than you’re used to. The boss fights are flashy and engaging throughout The Hinokami Chronicles 2, and easily the highlight of the story mode.
Locking Swords with Demons
When it comes to the actual battle system, this sequel doesn’t make a ton of changes. Attacks are on one button and specials another. You can vary things up by pushing the stick in a direction while pressing one of those buttons to either perform different specials or one of three unique combos: one that launches, one that keeps foes on the ground, and one that knocks them down.
Each fighter can also throw, dash (particularly useful to follow up a launcher for an air combo), perform an Ultimate Art, use heavy attacks, and activate two special power ups: Boost and Surge. Boost powers up your attacks and adds an extra combo route, while Surge gives your character unlimited meter for a short time. The controls are simple, but there’s a lot of depth to this combat if you’re into that, and I enjoyed learning how to build combos with each character, figuring out advanced techniques like Quick Dodge so I could keep my attacks from becoming predictable and keep my combo gauge going a bit longer, and identifying the best way to parry certain characters.
I’ll also sing the praises of the few changes CyberConnect 2 has implemented. First, heavy attacks are no longer bound to forward plus the attack button. Instead, you’ll hold guard and press attack. No more accidental regular attacks when you want a heavy strike to lay on the hurt. Secondly, while the combo gauge is still here (and still, I think, a smart addition for a game like this), I haven’t noticed characters falling out of combos if you run out of gauge during multihit attacks like the original game. These are both very, very good changes.
While you’ll sometimes fight solo in Story Mode, The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is meant to be a tag game. In two-on-two battles, you can call in your tag partner for an assist that utilizes one of their special moves for half of your assist gauge, or spend all of it to have them save you from a mid-combo beatdown. You can also fully swap between your characters provided you have the gauge for it, and since health is shared between them, you’ll never have to fly solo, even when things are looking bad for the home team. In a new twist, some characters are so strong they don’t get assists at all, like Nezuko in her Advanced Demon Form, while others, like Hinatsuru, Makio, and Suma, come as a pre-built tag team. Certain teams even have unique Dual Ultimate Arts, which incentivizes you to pair characters like Tanjiro and Nezuko, who already have a bond in The Lore.
As before, the real strength of this system is movement and positioning. Finding the sweet spot between being far enough away from an attack to dodge it and close enough to punish when you do is as compelling as landing that huge combo, especially when you cash out with a particularly flashy Ultimate Art.
The best Story Mode bosses force you to learn their patterns, pick your spots, and execute when you find your moment.
The best Story Mode bosses force you to learn their patterns, pick your spots, and execute when you find your moment. Last time, I complained that bosses could knock you back at will, even when you’re laying the smacketh down, and that their Boost Modes are so powerful that you’ll spend a lot of time playing defense once they activate them. Both are still true, and while they can be annoying, it doesn’t feel quite as bad this time. Maybe I’m used to it, or maybe the dance feels more natural. For whatever reason, I’m less bothered. And when you finish that fight and transition into a flashy quick-time event called the Final Clash to cap off the brawl? Still cinema. And like last time, it’s nice that you can replay the encounters without doing the map sections that accompany them once you’ve beaten them.
But Wait, There’s More!
Once you’re done with the Story Mode, you still have some options as a solo player. The most interesting one is probably Hashira Training, a roguelike where you guide your team down a board, choosing fights with unique win conditions (switch a character, win with X amount of health remaining, and so on) or rewards and healing items. Your health won’t regenerate between fights unless you choose to head to a square that offers it, but you’ll get boosts that can buff you up for the next fight. Your goal? Make it to the Hashira you’re training with, and take them down. It’s a simple mode, but an engaging one, and just like Story Mode, it’s a good way to earn new goodies for the Archive and up your Character Mastery, which… also earns you new stuff for the Archive. There’s a ton of stuff to unlock here, so if that’s your bag, The Hinokami Chronicles 2 has the juice to keep you here for the long haul.
If there’s one thing I don’t like about Story Mode and Hashira Training, it’s the addition of gear. Why does everything need to be an RPG? I’ll never know, but here we are. You can equip up to three pieces of gear in three slots. Each has its own slot requirement and does different things, like boost your attack or recover your health if certain conditions are met in combat. It’s… fine, I guess? I just don’t see the point and wish it wasn’t here, because it’s just another menu I have to mess with when I want to be fighting in my fighting game.
Thankfully, you can turn gear off in versus mode, though it’s there if you want it. As expected, there is online and local versus, as well as a practice mode to help you get to grips with how every character works and an endurance mode for testing your skills against enemy after relentless enemy. The original Hinokami Chronicles was hamstrung by its relatively small roster – only 18 characters at launch, several of which were just Academy versions of characters you already had, with jokey Ultimate Arts. The Hinokami Chronicles 2 has more than 40, greatly upping the multiplayer value and offering far more variety. It’s a huge win. I wasn’t able to test out the online play pre-release this time, but given that I had stable matches cross-country in the original, I’m not overly concerned, and the moment-to-moment gameplay is just as compelling.
My only real complaint regarding modes is the lack of a decent tutorial. Yeah, there’s text-based tips and tricks, but what’s here in the Story Mode is sparse and doesn’t hit on the more advanced stuff. On some level, I get it. This is a sequel. You’re kind of expected to know how things work. But when the text-based tutorials tell me what parrying is without telling me how to do it, that’s kind of an issue, right? Good teaching tools are a must in a fighting game, even an arena fighter, and The Hinokami Chronicles 2 doesn’t really have any. It’s a shame.
Hideo Kojima may be the creator of the seminal stealth series, Metal Gear, but that doesn’t mean he’ll play Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater — the remake of Metal Gear Solid 3.
In an interview with Ssense, when asked if he would be playing Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater when it releases later this summer, he laughed and replied: “No, I won’t.”
Asked why he chose to develop a sequel for Death Stranding rather than pursue a new project, Kojima told the interviewer, “it’s my IP,” and acknowledged his decision to expand into other media like film and anime came from his “business side.” It’s also why he developed his stealth series Metal Gear into a franchise.
“Even during [my days at] Konami, I was thinking about the business side as well. That’s one of the reasons I continued Metal Gear. But this time I have a whole studio and staff behind me, so I had more responsibility.”
More recently, Metal Gear Solid publisher Konami is back with a bang, and to prove it, it hosted a livestream showcase on June 12 called Konami Press Start Live. The half-hour-long livestream featured game updates and appearances from Konami developers and producers, introducing us to the “creative minds behind some of Konami’s most iconic franchises,” as well as giving us an extended look at Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Silent Hill f, and more. Here’s everything that was announced at Konami Press Start Live June 2025.
“But just speaking for myself, personally, I’d like nothing better than to work with Mr. Kojima and the rest of the team again,” Okamura said. “If that could happen, that would be the dream.
“But people have moved on to new things and new commitments, and that’s just our current reality. We can’t just take it for granted that everyone would work with us again, or let ourselves be completely dependent on them.”
Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Kojima Productions.
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.
It is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Warhammer 40,000 universe — at least, it was. Via a new codex, Games Workshop has finally revealed the true nature of the much-debated Terminus Decree — and some Warhammer 40,000 lore fans really wish it hadn’t.
The Terminus Decree, for the uninitiated, is the final order issued to the Grey Knights, perhaps the most mysterious chapter of Space Marines in the setting, before the Emperor was placed within the Golden Throne following his mortal wounding by the Warmaster Horus at the end of the Horus Heresy.
(For more on the Emperor’s current… situation, check out this article here.)
The idea is that only the Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights can open The Terminus Decree and discover what, exactly, this final order entails. Essentially, it’s a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ Pandora’s box — and Warhammer 40,000 fans have wondered what was inside for years.
Now, with the release of the new Grey Knights codex (a book packed with background lore, pictures of miniatures for use on the tabletop game, and fresh rules to play around with), Games Workshop has for the first time revealed what The Terminus Decree actually involves.
Warning! Spoilers for Warhammer 40,000 lore follow:
A single passage in the new Grey Knights codex has lit up Warhammer 40,000 lore fans, as it reveals the ultimate duty of the Grey Knights is to either kill or re-entomb the Emperor within the Golden Throne, should he ever attempt to leave, be reborn, or ascend to godhood. This is The Terminus Decree: an ultra-secret doomsday device, a contingency box left by the Emperor himself that would have the Grey Knights force him back onto the Golden throne, should he ever recover and dare to leave it.
New Grey Knights Codex “explains” The Terminus Decree …what? WHAT!? HOW! WHEN!? H O W!? pic.twitter.com/87h9wjeQPB
Interestingly, the passage reveals The Terminus Decree offers no guidance for how the Grey Knights should do this, if they ever have to, and that they might have to cut through the Adeptus Custodes to do it. The Custodes are the Emperor’s super powerful bodyguard — even more powerful than the Space Marines — so good luck with that!
This is a huge amount for any Warhammer 40,000 lore fan to take in. It is a major revelation, one that puts an end to years of debate at this point. Whether you take it as the Emperor being smart because he knew that if he were ever to return it simply wouldn’t be him but something else entirely (this development would potentially tap into ongoing The Dark King plotline), or Games Workshop planting seeds for something big they’re building towards (Chief Custodian Constantin Valdor looms large over the setting, and it does seem like the Emperor is… stirring), the inescapable truth is now we know, whether we like it or not.
And that’s a big issue for some Warhammer 40,000 lore fans, who have since expressed their frustration that Games Workshop has explained this mystery at all. Warhammer 40,000 is packed full of unexplained mysteries, hanging plot threads, and tantalizing puzzles that it may never get around to explaining. Take, for example, the mystery of the II and XI, the Forgotten and the Purged, the two lost primarchs and their two lost legions. Games Workshop has danced around revealing this part of Warhammer 40,000 lore for years, and many hope the truth is never revealed. Speculation is, after all, part of the fun. There is much to be said for leaving things to the imagination.
And that was the case with The Terminus Decree, until now. So what gives? Why reveal it now? Why take the speculation and imagination away from fans on this lore point in particular? There is much vehement reaction from the community. Here’s a snippet:
“I don’t really like this,” redditor aposi said. “It both spoils the mystery and changes the concept from a weapon of last resort in a doomsday scenario (which is cool to speculate about) to just trying to restore the status quo in the event one of those cool speculative things happens.”
There has never been a case where GW filled in lore that was better than just leaving it up the the players imagination.
But this is by far the most atrocious example. Not even close.
— Shadow of a Doubt (@Shadow_ofaDoubt) July 30, 2025
“Dislike… outright annoyed by it,” added Drxero1xero. “Huge mystery, leave it unknown or make a novel or three out of it… Nope throw it away in text box in a codex.
“GW are little by little sucking the fun out of warhammer’s settings, flat and colorless… no mystery, all little bites of lore…”
GW is lost, they’re just going to explain everything and take the mystery out of things aren’t they?
“I feel like this not only completely undermines the whole mystery, but it doesn’t even work. At all,” said TheVoidDragon.
“The cool thing about the lore was not quite knowing what it was, what it would do, or what it was even about. The mystery and speculation on what it could be was what made it intriguing for so many years. To now just outright define it takes all that way completely, it’s just plainly stated exactly what it is as if it doesn’t matter.”
Leaving mysteries is essential to the mystique of 40k. If a mystery must be revealed, it must be a magnificent piece of writing. In this case, they marble brained one of the most foreboding and cool things the grey knights had. FFS GW
The next obvious question is, will The Terminus Decree come into effect any time soon? Will we see, perhaps in a novel, another codex, or a blog post, the Grey Knights actually fight the Custodes because the Emperor has somehow revived himself? Or is this just an odd spike of activity in Warhammer 40,000 lore that causes a kerfuffle now, but won’t lead to anything for years to come?
Like the Warp itself, Games Workshop sometimes feels unknowable.
The God-Emperor, by John Blanche. Image credit: Games Workshop.
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 Land of Shu is full of dangers, and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers doesn’t always explain its mechanics. We’ve teamed up with the experts at Maxroll to bring you a beginner’s guide, builds to crush the game’s hardest bosses, additional resources and mechanical overviews, and much more.
Beginner’s Guide
Get started with Maxroll’s Beginner’s Guide. Combat in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is different from a lot of other Soulslikes, as your main resource Skyborn Might revolves around getting “perfect dodges” called Shimmers (think Sekiro but with hitting B instead of LB). You can then spend Skyborn Might to empower your weapon skills, or instantly execute a charged heavy attack. This is particularly useful because you can use charged heavy attacks to stagger foes, opening them up to a powerful Obliterate attack. Maxroll’s Beginner’s Guide also covers topics like leveling up using the Impetus Repository system, how the game’s unique Madness system works, and the various character progression systems including Temperance, Benedictions, Disciplines and more. Then, learn how to traverse the land of Shu, find hidden secrets and interact with Wuchang’s riddle doors.
Progression Systems
During Chapter 1 – Worship’s Rise, you’re introduced to several progression systems. Each system makes Wuchang a little stronger and by combining them you’re able to make some truly powerful builds that cut through the game’s hardest bosses with ease.
Weapons are the core of any build, the game offers five different weapon classes; Longsword, Spear, One-Handed Sword, Dual Blades, and Axe. Each weapon has a unique move set and a pool of customizable Disciplines. In addition, each weapon within a class has its own unique weapon skill.
Check out Maxroll’s Weapon guide to learn more about your options, or browse all of the available Weapons.
Weapons have unique skills, some of which can trivialize bosses. These Weapon Skills are powerful and can be further enhanced by expending Skyborn Might.
Each weapon offers several Disciplines, custom moves that can be used with L2/LT. Learn the best with Maxroll’s Discipline guide or browse all of them in the database.
Benedictions are gem-like enhancements socketed into your weapon. You can use one Oath type Benediction, one Wisdom and one Memory. Learn the best with Maxroll’s Benediction and Benediction Sets guide or browse the database to see all Benedictions and Benediction Sets.
Weapons are enhanced through the Impetus Repository, the unique level-up system in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. Learn more with Maxroll’s Impetus Repository guide, or browse all of the Impetus Repository skills in the database.
Temperance provides a powerful in-combat buff to Wuchang. She can insert various needles into her acupoints to change the element of the buff, or add unique effects. Learn more with Maxroll’s Temperance and Needle guide or browse the list of Bone and Stone needles.
Weapons aren’t the only item(s) you can equip in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. In addition, you have access to a variety of Armor Sets each of which has a unique appearance and provides slightly different stats. You can also use Jade Pendants that provide small bonuses, use consumable items (some of which are refilled when you rest at a Shrine), and equip powerful spells capable of unleashing devastation on bosses.
Learn more about Armor and Pendants with Maxroll’s dedicated guide, or browse the database to peruse all of the Armor and Jade Pendant options available.
Spend Skyborn Might to cast powerful spells, learn the best with Maxroll’s Magic and Spellcasting guide. Or simply browse through all of the Magic, Feathering and Utility spells.
Burning Questions
In addition to explaining the game’s mechanics and progression systems, here’s a short list of guides from Maxroll that answer some burning questions like “how do I beat Commander Honglan” or where to find the most powerful defensive spell in the game!
Each of the game’s five weapons has a unique playstyle. The Longsword is a balanced weapon that acts as a middle ground. Spears have great reach and excellent Disciplines, but have a weaker charged heavy attack animation. One-Handed Swords have long animations and low damage but provide Spell Damage, enabling a dedicated caster archetype. The Dual Blades reward all out aggression as you clash through enemy attacks and heal yourself. Axes hit hard, staggering foes and stopping them in their tracks, but they also tend to be slower and have higher stamina costs.
Use Maxroll’s Wuchang: Fallen Feathers database to learn more about all of the items in the game. This includes Weapon scaling at different upgrade levels, defensive stats on armor and spell scaling. You can also learn about the materials you need to upgrade your Weapons, Manna Flask and more. You can use the search feature to find exactly what you want or browse different categories to learn about your options. If you want more details, click through to an item’s page.
More to Come
That’s it for now, Maxroll is hard at work adding a Spear build, along with more resources. Check out their Wuchang: Fallen Feathers page for more.
Xbox just had a great Q2…and it might have PlayStation to thank. Or is it PlayStation that should be thanking Xbox?
Per data shared from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, six of the ten best-selling games on PlayStation consoles in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2025 (April through June) were published by Microsoft.
Most of those games were new. Forza Horizon 5 debuted at No.2 for the quarter (just behind Elden Ring Nightreign). The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Remastered was right behind it. Doom: The Dark Ages debuted at No. 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle came in at No.8.
They were joined by returning titles Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at No.4 and Minecraft at No.9.
Sony only had two first-party games in the top ten: MLB: The Show 25 at No.4, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach debuting at No.7.
This news comes as Xbox announces its Q2 earnings, which saw gaming revenue up 10% year-over-year and Xbox content and services revenue up 13%, driven by growth in first-party content and Xbox Game Pass (hardware revenue declined 22% year-over-year).
Notably, the top 10 games on Xbox last quarter look a bit different. Oblivion: Remastered still took a spot all the way up at No.2, followed by The Elder Scrolls: Online at No. 2 and Minecraft at No.4. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 showed up at No.9.
But Indiana Jones and Doom didn’t rank, likely due to both games launching into Game Pass (though Oblivion did as well). Forza Horizon 5 also wasn’t present, though this is more likely due to it releasing on Xbox back in 2021 initially, as compared to it appearing on PlayStation for the first time this past April.
Regardless, it’s no surprise why Xbox’s gaming content revenue was up this quarter, demonstrating that its strategy of multi-platform releases may work for it after all as long as it can keep the new games coming. That said, it may find that more difficult to do going forward, as the company has recently laid off hundreds of workers and canceled multiple projects, including Everwild and Perfect Dark.
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.
Developer NetEase Games has pulled back the curtain on Marvel Rivals Season 3.5, revealing a first look at Blade and many of the other additions coming in August.
The studio offered a breakdown for everything included in the mid-season refresh today, including how players will be able to use the legendary comic book Daywalker’s abilities to cut through the new content included in the upcoming August 8 update. It follows the launch of Season 3: The Abyss Awakens – and Jean Grey – just weeks ago and is a sign that NetEase intends to stick to its quick content release schedule.
Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Adds Blade and New Team-Ups Next Week
Blade’s introduction into Marvel Rivals as an actual playable character and not just a creative bit or world-building has been a long time coming. The infamous vampire-hunting hero first made his debut all the way back in Season 1, but has been sidelined as an NPC since.
Now, players finally have the chance to control Blade for themselves, and NetEase didn’t hold back. He’ll arrive next week as a Duelist, using his shotgun as a mid-to-close-range weapon before going in for the kill with his Ancestral Sword. Finally, players can use the Sword of Dracula for Blade’s ultimate ability, allowing him to tear through entire enemy teams with style.
“Almost a century ago, Eric Brooks was born of two worlds: the light of his mother’s embrace and the dark of the vampire that attacked her,” a description from NetEase says. “After embracing his existence as a dhampir, he became the Daywalker, the ultimate vampire hunter, combining unmatched combat skills and unwavering supernatural abilities.
“When Dracula reigned over New York City, it was none other than Blade who confronted him first. By then, however, it was too late. Dracula had mastered the almighty power of Chronovium, defeating the Daywalker and imprisoning him within the castle dungeon.
“After Dracula’s fall, Blade was sent to Wakanda to recover, but his story is far from over. Now recruited by Shuri to save all existence, Blade stands awake and at the ready against the dark forces of Hela and Knull.”
With the launch of the Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 update next week comes changes to the team-up abilities. Guardian Revival and Atlas Bond are both being removed from the experience, and Loki is being removed from Ragnarök Rebirth. In place of these adjustments come two new team-ups: Duality Dance and Vibrant Vitality. The former includes Adam Warlock and Luna Snow, while the latter brings Mantis together with either Groot or Loki. Existing team-ups are also expanding, with Iron Fist joining Chilling Assault, Star-Lord joining Rocket Network, and Blade joining Lunar Force.
NetEase Is Making a Splash With Marvel Rivals in August
Also set to join NetEase’s popular hero shooter come August 8 are adjustments to how players can help maintain a positive environment in their matches. In what the studio calls “Operation: Shield the Community,” players will be able to utilize a custom text chat filter, allowing users to mute specific words. NetEase says it will monitor popular muted words, which may then be added to its official list, while also saying that it’s been able to monitor all in-game voice chat conversations since July 24.
Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 will also introduce increased penalties for players who leave in the middle of Competitive game modes. Examples include longer bans from Competitive play and larger point deductions, with remaining players gifted point compensation at the end of affected matches. Leaver penalties will be handled on a case-by-case basis, with NetEase promising to speed up the appeals process for those looking to appeal a ban.
Finally, the new Resource Rumble game mode and its Throne of Knull map will arrive later in the month alongside an August 22 update. NetEase stops short of detailing exactly what makes these additions stand apart from other maps and modes but teases more with plans to premiere a gameplay deep dive soon. Expect to see Resource Rumble first launch in Quick Match before it joins Competitive at a later date.
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).
Monster Hunter Wilds got off to an incredible sales start when it launched in February. Unfortunately, it seems as though its success has fallen off one heck of a cliff since then – and Capcom appears to be trying to amend that by releasing an endgame content expansion much sooner than expected.
The sales data comes from Capcom’s quarterly earnings report, which includes a slide presentation showing sales data for the company’s top ten best-selling games from April 1 to June 30. The presentation shows that Monster Hunter Wilds sold 477k copies during that period, only just above the 389k copies sold of four-year-old game Monster Hunter Rise. Wilds was the 9th best-selling game of the quarter for Capcom, while Rise was the 10th.
To be clear, even though Rise is four years old, those aren’t exactly gangbusters sales figures either. In Capcom’s consolidated financial results, the company says, “Regarding catalog titles, although sales were soft for Monster Hunter Wilds, the latest title in the series released in February this year, Monster Hunter Rise, a previous title in the same series, continued to see sales growth.” This is technically true, in that Rise continues to sell copies, but calling it “growth” is a bit strong.
Last quarter, Monster Hunter Rise only sold 384k copies. In fact, sales of the game slowed down significantly throughout last year after the game sold 725k in Q1, 640k in Q2, and 691k in Q3. That’s not really shocking, especially once Wilds was announced – people were bound to hold off on buying Rise if there was a brand new game just around the corner.
What’s more interesting here is how much better Rise was selling throughout most of last year, several years after its release, than Wilds is selling now. Just a few months out from its launch, Wilds saw a steep, steep sales dropoff. After releasing during the first quarter to a Capcom record-setting 10.108 million copies sold, 8 million of which were in just three days, Wilds shot up to become the best-selling game in the U.S. year-to-date according to Circana. And while it’s still No.1 as of July 5 due to that initial spike, for the month of June, it didn’t even crack the top 20 best-selling games.
Why is Wilds having such a bad time of things? Well, despite reviewing well initially, its endgame content is sorely lacking compared to past games, so the many fans who play Monster Hunter over time, with friends, are struggling. It’s also suffering from severe performance issues on PC specifically that have yet to be fully resolved. Despite new content and seasons, fans remain unsatisfied with the state of the game, to the point where some players are taking things too far and apparently harassing and threatening individual Capcom team members over it.
An update on release date and content of update Ver.1.021
The expansion of endgame content which was originally planned as part of Title Update 3 in late September will now be released ahead of schedule as part of the Ver.1.021 update. To accommodate this change, this update… pic.twitter.com/aQF1oFMCFR
Which all perhaps explains why Capcom has bumped up a planned expansion of endgame content from the end of September to August 13. The planned expansion will include a new level of quest difficulty, a new rewards system, weapon balance adjustments, and other improvements. It’s unclear as of yet if this will solve the performance issues, but perhaps it will sate those frustrated at Wilds’ weaker endgame.
We’ll have to wait for more details to see if this is the start of a turnaround or if Wilds will go down as one of the more disappointing Monster Hunter titles long-term. In the meantime, perhaps a Rise Renaissance is on the horizon if fans gravitate back to older games.
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.
