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January’s Humble Choice Lineup Is Live, Featuring Sonic Frontiers, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered and More

The Humble Bundle January lineup has officially arrived to kick off 2026, and if you’ve been hoping to stock up on some new PC games to keep you busy, it’s offering up a great selection. Leading the pack this month is Sonic Frontiers, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, and Hunt: Showdown 1896, alongside five others and a free month of IGN Plus. All of these – which you can see in full list form below – can be yours to keep forever with a Humble Choice membership, which will set you back $14.99 per month.

Humble Choice January 2026 Game Lineup

It’s not just the selection of games (which are delivered to you as Steam codes) each month you’ll get with a Humble Choice membership, either. Those who sign up will also get up to 20% off select games in the Humble Store and 5% of your membership each month goes to a charity. For January, this donation will go to Gamers Outreach. And if you find the membership isn’t working, you can skip a month you’re not interested in or cancel at any point.

This month’s lineup has quite a few fun options. Sonic Frontiers is a game we gave a 7/10 to, saying in our review that it’s “a delightfully weird and experimental evolution of the Sonic games so many of us grew up with.” Old-timey extraction shooter Hunt: Showdown 1896 is one that earned a 7.5 in its early access review from us, and Metal Slug Tactics came in with an 8/10 in our review, as it’s “a meticulously crafted ode to an arcade classic that also introduces a handful of compelling innovations to the tactics genre.” It’s a nice variety to add to your library.

Through this membership, you’ll also have a chance to test out IGN Plus for one month. With this, you’ll be able to turn off ads across the site, get free games, and more. If it’s something you’ve been interested in, this is a great opportunity to give it a try.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Ubisoft Shuts Down Assassin’s Creed: Rebellion Developer Halifax Studio Just 1 Month After It Unionized

Ubisoft has shut down its Halifax Studio, just one month after 61 of its 71 workers voted to unionize.

The publisher shared this news in a statement to IGN today, confirming that 71 positions had been impacted and claiming this move was part of its wider two-year effort company-wide to “streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.” “We are committed to supporting all impacted team members during this transition with resources, including comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance,” the company added.

This comes just one month after 61 of Ubisoft Halifax’s employees voted to unionize with the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada, which is itself part of CWA (Communications Workers of America) in Canada. The union was officially certified six months after employees announced their intentions to unionize, and after 74% of eligible employees consisting of producers, programmers, designers, artists, researchers, and testing voted in favor. It marked the first Ubisoft union in North America.

Ubisoft has claimed that the closure of Ubisoft Halifax is unrelated to the union, and is instead a part of its larger restructuring and cost-saving efforts, as well as declining revenues from Assassin’s Creed: Rebellion, which will also be winding down operations as part of this decision. The publisher has been undergoing significant cuts, laying off employees in batches over the last few years, shutting down studios, and canceling multiple projects amid a series of disappointing releases and falling revenues. Last year, Ubisoft turned outside the company for assistance, creating a new business entity to manage Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six with a 25% stake from Tencent.

IGN has reached out to Ubisoft Workers of Canada: Halifax and CWA for comment.

Ubisoft Halifax began as a branch of Longtail Studios, which was founded in New York City in 2003 by Ubisoft co-founder Gérard Guillemot, with branches in Quebec and Halifax being added in later years. It was best-known for its work on the Rocksmith series, as well as various early mobile and Nintendo DS games. In 2015, Ubisoft acquired Longtail and renamed it Ubisoft Halifax, putting it to work on mobile games such as Assassin’s Creed Rebellion and Rainbow Six Mobile.

Two years ago, we told the story of a 2008-2009 unionization drive that took place at the Quebec Longtail studio that was ultimately unsuccessful due to what our sources claimed were fairly open union-busting efforts by its management, including mass layoffs attributed to economic conditions. Both Longtail Halifax and Quebec were ultimately folded into Ubisoft in subsequent years.

Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Square Enix May Ban You For Posting Unmarked Spoilers of the 26-year-old JRPG, Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined

If you think it’s okay to share spoilers of a 26-year-old game, you may want to think again after Square Enix made it clear that anyone willfully spoiling Dragon Quest VII Reimagined may be “temporarily or permanently banned.”

According to the company’s usage policy, and reported by Automaton, anyone sharing details of the plot — be it from the demo, the original story, or the new story elements in the remake, which releases next month — must use spoiler tags. This means players cannot share images, videos, or even livestreams of any gameplay past the Malign Shrine: Throne Room’s boss battle before the February 5, 2026 release date.

“No spoilers please,” the publisher stressed. “In order not to spoil other players’ enjoyment, you must mark all content that includes details of major plot developments with a clear spoiler warning.

“Please refrain from livestreaming or posting videos/images of gameplay after the boss battle in the Malign Shrine: Throne Room until February 5 2026.”

While that may sound fair enough, don’t forget that the digital deluxe edition provides players with two days’ early access, which players and streamers won’t be able to share their experience from before the release date. Anyone sharing images or videos should also attribute copyright to Armor Project, Bird Studio and Square Enix, and failure to adhere to any of these rules may result in temporary or permanent suspension of your game access.

“You must immediately comply with any request from Square Enix to remove Materials from any shared content, regardless of whether Square Enix provides a reason for the request,” the notice adds. “Square Enix reserves the right to require or seek removal of any content incorporating the Materials that it deems to be inappropriate in its sole discretion. If you do not adhere to these Guidelines, Square Enix may, in addition to objecting to your use of the Materials, temporarily or permanently suspend you from using the Game.”

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is set to release on February 5 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Announced in September’s Nintendo Direct, it lets you rediscover a tale of plucky companions brimming with joy and heartbreak as you discover the truth behind why your kingdom is the only remaining island in the world. The game features a new art style that blends diorama visuals with Akira Toriyama’s iconic character designs, as well as a streamlined main story.

“While many aspects of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined are still a mystery, all of those special little qualities and personalities that have kept this series going for almost 40 years are still on display,” we wrote in IGN’s Dragon Quest VII Reimagined preview, shared towards the end of last year.

“I am eager to see all that this new version has to offer and just how the removal of some story beats and addition of new ones impacts the overall campaign, along with what the new gameplay mechanics bring to the Dragon Quest DNA. 2026 may just be the year that the rest of the world really sees what has made Dragon Quest VII the best-selling entry over in Japan, giving it the stage to finally shine.”

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.

Logan Paul Says He’ll Hand Deliver the Most Expensive Pokémon Card if You Buy It From Him at Auction — and the Price Is Already More Than $2 Million

The most expensive Pokémon card in the world has been put up for sale by Logan Paul, the wrestler and influencer who previously paid $5.3 million for it.

Paul’s mint condition, PSA 10-rated Pikachu Artist holds the Guinness World Record as the most expensive Pokémon trading card in existence — but it seems like the card could now be sold for an even higher amount.

If you have a few million dollars spare to make a bid, Paul has said he’ll add to the card’s value by throwing in a bejeweled chain (which he says is worth another $75,000) and hand deliver it to the auction’s ultimate winner. Paul wore the card and chain during his WWE debut at WrestleMania 38, and again for his bout against Anthony Joshua in Miami last month.

Whether all of this does ultimately add to the card’s value or not, the sale via auction site Goldin has already attracted interest — with early bids up to $2.1 million and 39 days still to go.

Why is this card so expensive? Only 40 copies of the Pikachu Illustrator card were ever manufactured, and given away to winners of a 1998 Japanese fan contest. Of these, only one has been given the unsurpassable PSA 10 quality rating — and it’s this card that Paul bought back in 2021 in an exchange for a lower-grade Pikachu Illustrator (valued at $1.275 million) alongside $4 million in cash.

In the ranks of expensive collectible card game sales, Paul’s $5.3 million card stands several million higher than anything else, including a Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus sold in 2024 for $3 million in bitcoin. The only question now is how high this new auction reaches.

Cannily, Paul has set the sale to end next month, in the run-up to the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, when excitement around the brand will be at its peak. Fans are expecting a major announcement by The Pokémon Company, with new video games and a 10th generation of the franchise’s creatures anticipated, alongside more details of the promising-looking Pokémon life simulation spin-off Pokémon Pokopia. Paul, meanwhile, is likely anticipating a healthy payday.

Image credit: Goldin, Bradlee Rutledge/WWE via Getty Images

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Southern California Police Are Trying to Work Out if Multiple Burglaries Involving Trading Card Businesses Are Linked

Southern California police are investigating a wave of similar burglaries involving trading card businesses in a bid to establish whether they are linked.

Thieves made off with thousands of dollars’ worth of trading cards over the weekend, targeting a trading card store in Simi Valley, California, in the early hours of Sunday morning, January 4.

As reported by KTLA, the thieves targeted rare Pokémon and sports trading cards at Simi Sports Cards, making off with “almost every card” in just three minutes. You can see the robbery take place in the Instagram footage, below.

Owner Jake Miller said: “They took single cards from our show cases [after] busting them open. We have five display cases in here, and they were all full — almost every card was stolen. It’s several hundred cards, as well as some sealed boxes.”

The store isn’t certain of the exact amount taken, but Miller estimates it’ll cost around $50,000 to put things right and upgrade the store’s security systems.

“Card stores in greater Los Angeles and Ventura County are being hit RELENTLESSLY and we were once again victim this weekend,” reads the Instagram post. “Sunday morning at 3:30am we were broken into by a group of 5 thieves who stole most of our singles inventory. Simi Valley was once known for law and order, what is happening?”

The Simi Valley Police Department said it was aware of similar burglaries involving trading card businesses that occurred over the weekend in surrounding communities. “SVPD Property Crimes Detectives are working closely with neighboring law enforcement agencies to determine whether these incidents may be connected,” it said in a statement published online.

That’s a reference to a man who reportedly purchased a rare Pokémon card “worth six figures” from a store in LA’s Sawtelle neighborhood and, that same day, was tracked to his vehicle and robbed at gunpoint. It’s unclear whether the two incidents are related, or indeed if either crime is connected to the same thieves who targeted a different store in Burbank just last month, stealing $100,000 in merchandise.

This recent spate of thefts is just the latest example of how Pokémon cards are now considered high-value goods by thieves. In December 2024, it was reported that Japanese crime syndicates were now using Pokémon cards to launder money. And in the U.S., this is just the latest incident similar to many others over the past 12 months. Until Pokémon’s popularity fades — and there’s no sign it’ll do that anytime soon, with a big new wave of games expected next year — it seems likely this will continue.

Anyone who may have information related to the burglary or who observed suspicious activity in the area is encouraged to contact the Simi Valley Police Department: 805-583-6950.

Image credit: Simi Sports Cards Instagram.

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.

Locked Fallout TV Show Countdown Timer Coincides With Season 2 Finale — but Fans Are Hoping It Also Signals a Fallout 3 or New Vegas Remaster Shadowdrop

There is a mysterious countdown timer on Amazon’s official website for its Fallout TV series that is set to unlock when the Season 2 finale comes out — but fans think it might also signal the shadowdrop of a Fallout 3 or New Vegas remaster.

The countdown is live now on a website designed to look like a Fallout map. On it are locations in the Fallout map style which, when accessed, lead you to behind-the-scenes information on the show. For example, The Vault 33 outer door, from which Lucy first steps foot into the wasteland, is on the south of the map. The Caswennan, the airship that serves as a soaring fortress for the Brotherhood of Steel, is to the east. And up there in the top right is the locked point of interest alongside the timer, which points to February 4.

That’s the day the Season 2 finale airs. So, it could just be pointing to a behind-the-scenes hub for the final episode. Perhaps it will reveal a teaser for Season 3, which is already confirmed. Or, as some Fallout fans hope, it will point to a Fallout video game remaster release.

Could Bethesda follow The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and release a remaster of Fallout 3 or New Vegas? In a recent interview with IGN, Howard remained coy on the possibility.

We asked Howard if the success of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which has seen over 4 million players since it shadowdropped last year, was a repeatable trick for a Fallout 3 Remastered. Howard kept his cards close to his chest, and reiterated a point he’s been making a lot in interviews lately.

“I will just say that the Oblivion Remaster, we’re really, really pleased with how well it did, it was a very long project too, and not just in how it was received, the ability to shadowdrop it, and the response to doing that,” he said. “I like to do that with games as much as possible. I love the moment that you find out about a game.”

There was no mention made during the recent Fallout Day broadcast of a Fallout: New Vegas remaster, which some (including Danny Trejo!) had called on Bethesda to develop. Indeed, there were no new Fallout games announced at all. Find out everything announced during the Fallout Day broadcast here.

But there are all sorts of rumors floating around about potential Fallout remakes now that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is out the door (Fallout 3 Remastered was leaked back in 2023, but those plans may have changed). And we know Bethesda wants to eventually get to Fallout 5, albeit after The Elder Scrolls 6.

“There’s nothing to tease / preview they haven’t even begun filming yet,” one fan said, discounting a Season 3 reveal for the countdown. “I know you guys are being cynical to avoid getting let down but there’s a chance this is actually something.”

“Please be at least a Fallout 3 remaster as beautiful as Oblivion,” added another fan. “Give us something please. I know it will be 20 years before we see another new Fallout.”

The last mainline Fallout game was Fallout 4, which was released in 2015. DLC content for the entry was steadily released for PC and consoles over the next year, and in 2018, Bethesda launched its multiplayer-centered offshoot, Fallout 76. While fans flocked to the West Virginia-set open-world RPG over time (and after a rocky launch), it wasn’t until the premiere of Prime Video’s Fallout TV show that the Bethesda series leveled up in terms of attention.

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.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 1 Reloaded Global Release Times and Details Confirmed

With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 1 Reloaded just around the corner, we’re starting to get a better idea of what to expect when the new update goes live on January 8.

Although we don’t yet have all the details, we should expect four multiplayer maps for Black Ops 7 at launch, plus new POIs on Haven’s Hollow Resurgence and Verdansk maps in Warzone. There’s also some updates for Zombies, including the Astra Malorum Round-Based Zombies map and Exit 115 Survival map, plus “reward-filled weekly challenges,” new weapons, modes, camos, events, and more.

While pre-load is not live yet across all platforms, it is available for players on Battle.net, where it looks like it’s a 175GB download (redownloading the game), although that will depend on what game modes you have/want installed. On Xbox, the download looks to be around 170GB, so whatever you’re playing on, it may be worth double-checking how much space you have ahead of time.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 1 Reloaded start times:

Depending on where you are in the world, Season 1 Reloaded is set to go live on:

Thursday, January 8, 2026:

PST (San Francisco):

  • 9am

CST (Mexico City):

  • 11am

EST (New York):

  • 12pm

GMT (London):

  • 5pm

CET (Paris):

  • 6pm

Friday, January 9, 2026

JST (Tokyo):

  • 1am

CST (Beijing):

  • 1am

AEST (Sydney):

  • 4am

NZST (Wellington):

  • 6am

Maps

Players will fight across a suite of new core Multiplayer maps with Season 1 Reloaded, including the high-rise, neon-soaked rooftops of Yakei alongside the return of two of the most iconic maps in Black Ops history: Meltdown and Fringe.

Zombies, on the other hand, will see the Zarya Cosmodrome location from Ashes of the Damned become a Survival map, and a Directed mode has been added to the Astra Malorum map, so buddies can now jump and help each other complete the main story quest.

Campaign

Two new world events have been confirmed, but we only have details of one: the Wraith Wing world event. This advanced Guild aircraft appears to have cloning capabilities with lethal consequences as this squadron seems hell bent on eliminating as many JSOC Operators as it can. Disable it, fire at the exposed aircraft, and down that bird.

Weapons

So far, we only know of two new weapons unlocking in Season 1 Reloaded:

  • Hawker HX (Sniper rifle, FKA Ballista sniper)
  • Sturmwolf 45 (submachine gun, FKA UMP45)

Fallout Collab

Yes, it’s true — Microsoft is bringing two of its hottest gaming franchises together for a Fallout Season 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 crossover event. While details remain sparse, we’ve seen a brief video teaser which shows silhouettes of Fallout TV series characters The Ghoul, Lucy, and Maximus in the smoke of war, with bullets whizzing by in the background.

“Okie dokie — stay focused, stay alive,” the text on the post reads. “[Fallout TV show] is coming to Call of Duty in Season 01 Reloaded.”

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.

The Delightful Astro Bot for PS5 Is Back to Its Best Price at Amazon and Walmart

Looking for a fun game to jump into this January? Both Amazon and Walmart have dropped the wonderful Astro Bot for PS5 back to its lowest price yet of $39.97, which is the same price we saw during Black Friday sales. That’s an excellent little treat for PlayStation users to start 2026 off with, saving you 33% off its full price of $59.99.

Score Astro Bot for $40

If you enjoyed playing Astro’s Playroom, which came pre-installed on PS5 consoles, this full-length adventure is sure to put a smile on your face during these winter months. It’s one we absolutely adored, with IGN’s Simon Cardy saying in his review that it’s, “A collection of endlessly inventive levels and fantastically fun abilities, it delivers joy in spades, never once becoming even remotely dull or repetitive.”

Our reviewer wasn’t the only one who had high praise for this game, though. Astro Bot actually took home Game of the Year back in 2024 at the Game Awards, won Best Game at the BAFTA Game Awards, and even took home one of IGN’s top prizes as the best PlayStation game of 2024. See? It’s absolutely worth adding to your collection, especially while it’s still on sale. And it may not stay this low for much longer, so now is a great time to scoop it up.

Astro Bot isn’t the only game to receive a nice discount to kick off the new year, either. If you’re stocking up after the holidays, we’ve also spied some great deals on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Battlefield 6 recently. To see even more gaming deals available right now, check out our breakdown of the best deals of the day for other options that have caught our eye recently.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

South Park/Fortnite Crossover Arrives This Week

Hot on the animated heels of The Simpsons, which enjoyed its own Fortnite mini-season throughout November last year, it’s been confirmed South Park has its own collaboration with the battle royale juggernaut set to arrive this week.

The only official information related to South Park’s upcoming Fortnite crossover is an image of Butters playing the game, which notes the date January 9, alongside a caption that reads, “Chaos, loading…”, shared via Fortnite’s official social media.

There’s no further confirmed information regarding how extensive the South Park content will be, but clarity on this appears to be just a couple of days away.

Rumours of a South Park/Fortnite crossover have been in circulation since late last year.

The news never stops with Fortnite, following confirmation Epic’s shooter has remained the most-played game on PlayStation in the US in 2025, a clear shift in its nipple policy, and the arrival of… Kim Kardashian.

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

‘Steam Charts Don’t Measure Fun’ – Splitgate Dev Chimes in After Players Express Fear Over PC Launch Numbers

1047 Games has some thoughts regarding how Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is faring on Steam, and it’s got a message for fans: “Steam Charts don’t measure fun.”

The Halo and Portal-inspired FPS re-launched December 17 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S after the studio chose to U-turn with an overall rework for Splitgate 2 back in July 2025. It was a move made amid layoffs at 1047 that saw both the sequel and its popular predecessor pulled offline as the studio promised to return with “big, sweeping changes.”

Those changes seemingly failed to attract players, with just around 2,300 players logging in to play the free-to-play game on Steam at launch and a little more than 800 playing at the time of this piece’s publication (via SteamDB). The Splitgate community quickly drummed up debate about what another disappointing launch could mean for the future of the shooter, but 1047 has a different take.

“Steam Charts don’t measure fun,” a message from the team says. “They show one number, on one platform, at one given moment. They don’t show the full picture or what it feels like to actually play, and they definitely don’t capture the community that’s actively helping shape what Arena Reloaded is becoming (including upcoming content like Arena Royale).”

It’s hard to separate Splitgate: Arena Reloaded’s launch player numbers from the nearly 26,000 users who showed up for Splitgate 2, but 1047’s targeted response does aim to remind players that the re-launch also came to consoles and the Epic Games Store. Metrics for those platforms aren’t as openly available as they are for Steam, so it’s unclear if interest is similarly quiet elsewhere.

Regardless, the studio wants both veteran and potential players to know it’s put work into getting Splitgate: Arena Reloaded ready for launch, and it doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

“To our amazing community: thank you,” 1047 continues. “Your feedback and passion have helped make Arena Reloaded better every day.

“And to everyone who hasn’t played yet: Arena Reloaded is free, the gameplay’s the best it’s ever been, and we’d love for you to jump in and form your own opinion. A lot of passionate people worked very hard on it.”

As 1047 takes to social media to combat the negative sentiment surrounding its re-launch effort, its Arena Royale component is expected to launch in the near future. Splitgate: Arena Reloaded came with a rebuilt progression system, new and reworked maps, and more. We gave Splitgate 2 a 7/10 review upon its launch last year.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer 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).