Category: IGN

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

— Tôryk BirdThrowa (@Torykbirdthrowa) July 29, 2025

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?

— Gage Davidson (@GageDavidson608) July 30, 2025

“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

— LazySternguard (@LazySternguard) July 30, 2025

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!

• How to Farm Red Mercury
• How to beat Commander – Honglan (with a full build)
• How to get Ethereal Form

Plus, check out these early-game guides from IGN. Blocking and “parrying” aren’t automatically built into Wuchang’s moveset:

• How to Block
• How to Parry

Builds

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.

• Dual Blades Blademaster
• Spellcaster Build
• Axe Rampage Build

Database

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.

By: IGN staff with help from Maxroll

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.

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.

Marvel Rivals is chugging forward as NetEase works to maintain the two-month seasonal release schedule it promised back in April. It means more characters will be added faster as the team continues to address player feedback with frequent updates.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 launches next week. While we wait for full patch notes, you can see how the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps reacted to the Invisible Woman’s infamous Malice skin.

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

— Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) July 29, 2025

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.

Prices for Scarlet and Violet 151 Pokémon cards have been moving fast this month. As more booster boxes get opened and singles flood the market, some of the set’s Illustration Rares have started to dip in value, especially the middle evolutions of the starter Pokémon. On the flip side, big Special Illustration Rares of fan favourite Kanto starter final evolutions are seeing steady climbs as collectors chase the best‑looking cards from the set.

Charizard ex, Blastoise ex and Venusaur ex are the top of the climbers hill this week with noticeable price jumps, while Zapdos ex and Alakazam ex are also gaining traction with collectors and competitive players. All five of these cards have strong artwork, great playability, or both, which is helping push prices higher.

The same can’t be said for some of the Illustration Rares of Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and their evolutions. These cards spiked when the set first dropped, but with more supply on the market, prices have started to settle. They’re still popular pulls, just not commanding the same premium they did in June.

Crashers

Riot Games has revealed that its League of Legends card game, Riftbound, will launch on October 31 in multiple regions.

The physical game (not to be confused with Legends of Runeterra) will be available to preorder from Riot’s Merch Store starting on August 4.

“One of the primary goals of the Riftbound team is making Riftbound as accessible as possible to League of Legends players and TCG players alike, as soon as possible,” a press release explains.

Riftbound Product List Revealed

Activision has finally dropped new details of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6‘s fifth season.

Set to launch on August 7, Activision wants you to “unleash your inner action hero” courtesy of six new modes, four new and/or remastered maps, and a smorgasbord of new weapons, updates, and enemies across Black Ops 6, Zombies, and Warzone.

“The Rogue Black Ops team is finally back in the good graces of the CIA, and that means access to all the weapons and firepower they could ask for,” the publisher teases. “It’s time to finish the job they started and crush the final Pantheon moles, putting their betrayal to rest once and for all.”

In terms of maps, you’ll find three new ones in Black Ops 6: Runway (6v6), Exchange (6v6, 2v2), the remastered World Motor Dynasty (WMD) (6v6), plus an in-season update is on the way for Jackpot (6v6). Warzone, on the other hand, gets a Stadium POI update in Verdansk.

New modes coming to Black Ops 6 are the headshot-tastic Aim High, Snipers Only, Cranked Moshpit, plus in-season updates to Cranked Demotion, Blueprint Gunfight, and Ransack. Warzone gets LTM modes Stadium Resurgence and Deadline.

Warzone gets new cosmetics, weapon attachments, bundles, and a number of limited-time events like 90 Action Heroes, Atomic Block Party, and Operation: Hell Ride “and more.”

“Recent intelligence indicates a massive disruption across Verdansk is imminent, as recon teams have confirmed the existence of a clandestine military base hidden within the sealed walls of the National Acropolis Arena,” Activision added. “The extent of the threat remains unclear, though a weapon capable of large-scale destruction is expected to be unearthed within the vicinity.

“Breach the stadium in possibly the most impressively explosive way possible as you and other enemy squads attempt race to complete the multi-step Satellite Hijack Contract. Infiltrate the Stadium by any means necessary, confirming the nefarious operations and hidden compound within.”

As always, expect a plethora of rewards — charms, emblems, calling cards, stickers, and weapon skins — for those daring to step into ranked play, regards of whether you’re jumping into Black Ops 6’s multiplayer or Warzone’s battle royale.

Activision added that it has now completed the second phase of testing Warzone’s Casual Solos and Core Solos side-by-side, with results showing players are more than three times likely to step into Casual over Core. Consequently, as Season 5 rolls over, both Core and Casual will be available globally on day one, but within a couple of days, Core Solos will only remain an option for North American and European players — Casual will continue to be available for all.

“By tailoring playlists based on regional data, we’re ensuring that every Call of Duty: Warzone player gets the best possible experience, regardless of location,” the publisher said. “This is the next step in refining how we build playlists that serve all Call of Duty: Warzone players. We’ll continue to evaluate performance and feedback as Season 05 rolls out.”

Rounding out the update are some features for Zombies, including new map Reckoning and new Wonder Weapon Gorgofex, which combines fungal, floral, and insectile traits to “deliver precise impact damage and gravity-defying disruption in close quarters, glowing membranes on the weapon show hints of motion and circulation under the surface.” You can also expect new field upgrade Mister Peeks, enemies Uber Klaus and Kommando Klaus, as well as new grief arenas and a shiny new combat bow for stealthy takedowns.

Earlier today, we learned that Activision unshackled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 from the main Call of Duty HQ launcher. In a brief message posted to social media, publisher Activision confirmed people with either Modern Warfare 2 or 3 will be able to “access them directly” and without going into HQ first once they’ve redownloaded fresh installs of the shooter games.

Activision didn’t give a reason for the change, but it’s fair to suggest this is just a way of tidying up HQ ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7‘s release later this year.

And while we’re talking about the next Call of Duty game… Announced at the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 last month, we know it’ll feature the Skirmish and Overload multiplayer modes as well a 20v20 wingsuit option after details of a developer-only Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 playtest were accidentally released to all fans on the Call of Duty app last month.

That’s not the only CoD-flavored news we had last month, either. Activision ended up pulling controversial adverts placed inside Black Ops 6 and Warzone loadouts, insisting they were a “feature test” published “in error.”

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.

If you’ve put down your controller this year to go touch a very particular patch of grass, you might have noticed that something strange is going on at the world’s major film festivals. It started in May, when a film adaptation of virally-successful Japanese indie game Exit 8 premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival – the first videogame movie to do so. The film’s director, Genki Kawamura, gives his source material a compelling structural spin, appealing equally to the arthouse crowd and to game fans. But live-action adaptations of video games are, of course, nothing new.

That’s why Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Cinematic Cut is so interesting. It is not a live-action adaptation of developer Warhorse Studios’ critically-acclaimed RPG. Instead, it is an abridged and reformatted version of Act One of the game itself, presenting a newly-edited blend of the open-world game’s cutscenes and gameplay in a two-hour linear form. It was perhaps the strangest Special Presentation at this month’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic – a unique cross-format experiment. One that wasn’t Warhorse’s idea.

“It all happened at the official launch of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2,” explains KVIFF artistic director, Karel Och. “The first contact was made through a mutual friend, and Warhorse and KVIFF made each other understand that they wanted to collaborate at some point. During the following months, it was exciting to have a glimpse of what Warhorse represents – and I dare to say the same goes for our friends from the top of the gaming business.”

Warhorse’s communications director, Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, concurs. “They wanted to make the festival more modern and interesting – to offer something new”. The largest film festival in Eastern Europe, KVIFF attracts a younger, more adventurous audience than its contemporaries. The studio saw the film festival’s strange idea as a chance to give video games greater cultural relevancy in the broader mainstream. Besides – much of the game’s cinematics team were already speaking the festival’s language.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s cinematic director, Petr Pekař, studied film editing and directing with the intention of becoming a traditional filmmaker, but he found his calling in video games. “There are a lot of filmmakers in the Czech Republic, but the market is not that big, so it’s a bit overcrowded.” says Pekař. “Thankfully, there are multiple studios creating cutscenes, which are basically animated movies”. Pekar learned on the job creating cutscenes for Mafia 3, then joined Warhorse – first as a cinematic designer on the original Kingdom Come, then as director on its sequel.

Bringing Deliverance 2’s cutscenes to the big screen invites comparison with conventional cinema, an arena far from the cinematics’ original purpose. “If you’re a player, you’re mainly looking forward to playing the game,” says Pekař. “The cutscenes are more like dessert for the game – not necessary – but when it’s good and it clicks, it really helps the game, the story, and the overall feel”.

The Cinematic Cut opens, naturally, on the game’s first cutscene. As it happens, you can’t help but feel like you’re settling in for a YouTube video titled ‘Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – All Cutscenes’ (“I don’t think anybody actually watches those in full” Pekař quips). The team’s cinematic direction is confident, but familiar – steeped in high fantasy tropes. A fiery siege on the castle is highly reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy – a major influence on Warhorse’s stylistic approach. Transported to the cinema screen, the scene serves as a striking reminder of how video games have traded in pastiche since their inception, responding to our desire to live out the fantasy ourselves whenever we see something cool on screen. But, of course, Cinematic Cut doesn’t deliver on this pivotal fantasy like its source material does – it’s non-playable.

When the cutscene footage ends, something curious happens. Father Godwin readies his crossbow and the scene transitions into first-person. But this is no Let’s Play. Smart, quick cuts establish a new, more cinematic editing language for first-person gameplay. Godwin heads towards the stairs – cut – now he’s halfway up them – cut – now he’s atop the ramparts, plunging his sword into an enemy. It’s remarkably thrilling. “[The gameplay] was mostly recorded by Vítek Mičke, our marketing specialist,” explains Pekař. “He also made the trailers, and he’s got a good sense of timing and aesthetics. He knows how to control the camera with the controller to properly set the scene and set the mood – so it looks cool.”

A couple of awkward transitions disrupt this otherwise ‘cinematic’ tempo. A sudden cut to a ladder lowering, for example, has the distinct feel of a gameplay segment ending and a cutscene beginning, and reminds you of the objective-based game that birthed the footage. But these moments are few and far between, and they accentuate how much Warhorse has otherwise succeeded in their first attempt.

“I think this is an experiment that somebody can pick up and do better than we did – or maybe we can do it again in the future with our future projects, and learn from our mistakes.” reflects Pekař. “It’s a really interesting experience to see it on the big screen – and I was surprised that it held up. It’s odd, but it somewhat works. It’s not some kind of new cinematic media that will sit next to the movies, but for festivals and conventions, for fans – I think it’s a format that others will be doing as well”.

The team at KVIFF are equally pleased with the results. “Storytelling has many faces,” says Och. “We’re proud that a new chapter in the festival’s modern history was written in collaboration with people that we respect a great deal who follow the same goal.”

“I think this format builds a bridge,” concludes Pekař. “Gamers can come to appreciate aesthetics and cinematography, the color palettes and moods in games more, and – in the same way – movie fans can understand how movies have different functions when they’re working with interactivity. When these two mediums collaborate, sometimes it creates really strange and cool ideas. When people go out of their bubble to see something different, it helps us to understand each other’s mediums.”

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Cinematic Cut is available to watch on the KVIFF.TV website for a small fee (approx. $6) until July 31, 2027.

Blake Simons is a journalist with a taste for the self-reflexive, sentimental and surreal.