I am going to level with you. My awareness of Lort up until this point has been non-existent. Never heard of it before today, it’s early access release day! But when you see a game called Lort, well, you at least need to take a little look. And as astronomically silly as the name is, it looks like a pretty neat, silly time, so, my predilection towards the inane has clearly worked out in my favour this time.
Disney Lorcana has seemingly gone from strength to strength since its debut, with Winterspell marking its eleventh set when it arrives in February.
Ravensburger has been pulling from just about everywhere in the Disney pantheon of heroes and villains, and this one will give us some Christmas-themed cards… a little too late for the event itself (but still cute, nonetheless).
While Ravensburger has confirmed some new products coming this year, the second half of 2026 still remains something of a mystery. Here’s all we know coming to Disney Lorcana in the coming months, and we’ll update this as we hear more.
Winterspell, as we mentioned, has the unenviable task of offering cards related to Christmas almost two months late (or ten months early, if you’re an optimist). The set launches on February 20, with a prerelease on February 13, and will introduce snowy variants of characters.
Alongside the sweet snowy designs on the covers, if you’re curious what comes with each of these items, here’s the breakdown: the booster pack sets you up with 12 cards, including six Common cards, three Uncommon cards, two cards of either Rare, Super Rare, or Legendary rarity, and one random foil card. Preorders are now live, with Amazon being the best place to buy right now.
If you’re hoping to have a bit more than just the booster pack on hand, the booster pack display comes with 24 packs. And for a little bit of everything, the Illumineer’s Trove comes with a card storage box, six card dividers, eight booster packs, six damage-counter dice, and a lore counter.
Expect Mickey Mouse, Snowboard Ace, to bump shoulders with Jiminy Cricket, Willie the Giant, and Lonely Resting Place pulling double duty as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Get ready for more card reveals in the coming weeks ahead of launch. TCGPlayer also has listings for individual cards, booster packs and boxes, and the new Illumineer’s Trove.
While not tied to a fresh set, there are two new releases on March 13 which Collectors will want to be aware of. The first is the Scrooge McDuck Gift Box. It’s not up for preorder right now, but will include an exclusive Scrooge McDuck, S.H.U.S.H. Agent in Glimmer Foil, and five random booster packs.
The curious thing to note is that those packs are from prior sets, so you could get five from Winterspell, or you could end up with some classics. Up next, the Collection Starter Set has a portfolio adorned with Stitch, Rock Star, a Glimmer Foil variant of Stitch, Carefree Snowboarder, and four booster packs.
With all due respect to Winterspell, this is the set that’s likely to take up a lot of the oxygen in Disney Lorcana’s 2026 release schedule. It’ll lean into cowboy fantasies, and who better to lead that charge than Woody himself, alongside Buzz Lightyear. Wild Unkowns marks a significant change for Lorcana releases, as the TCG leans more into Disney’s Pixar characters, starting with The Incredibles and Toy Story.
This will also add new Prelease Kits to the Lorcana product pool, each including a promo card, dice, six booster packs from the latest set, and a deck box. Honestly, Ravensburger, you had me at Toy Story, but I’m excited to see the game grow.
I’ve also long lauded Gateway as a great starter product for new Lorcana players, but in May we’ll get also new 2-Player Starter Set with preconstructed decks, lore trackers, tokens, and some playmats, also as part of Wilds Unknown. This one launches on May 15, as recently confirmed, with prerelease from May 8.
Looking further ahead, we don’t know a great deal about what’s coming later, but a few details have already been confirmed by the Lorcana team. Attack of the Vine, featuring characters from Monsters Inc and Turning Red, will launch sometime in Q3 2026.
Then, towards then end of the year, Coco is set to make its first Lorcana appearance, but we know little more than that. Disney’s possibilities are seemingly endless, though, and while Star Wars and Marvel each have cardboard appearances in Unlimited and Magic: The Gathering to prepare for, don’t be surprised to see the House of Mouse and Ravensburger pull out some even more deep cuts in 2026, and beyond.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
Given its lengthy, troubled development period, it will probably not come as any surprise to you that Ubisoft have announced today that their Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake has been cancelled. This comes as part of a broader restructure at the company, which will apparently focus on what they call five “specialised creative houses” to “reclaim creative leadership and restore sustainable growth.”
My new horizon.
Remember when Nintendo called Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 2.0 update the final major free update to the game? It turns out, a lot can change in four years. And here I am again, back on my tropical island paradise, playing through another big free addition – and a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of one of my favourite Switch games.
But wait, what does this mean for Animal Crossing’s future? We’re almost six years into New Horizons’ life with no sign of a new game in the series to come. The announcement back in October 2025 filled me with a mix of excitement and worry, just like Jim, because, yay, more Animal Crossing to lose my life to! But also, oh no, when is the next Animal Crossing coming?
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
As you’re set to bolster the Imperium’s ranks next week, Space Marines, we wanted to reward your ultimate commitment with exclusive details about our upcoming new playable class, the Techmarine.
Set to release with our Patch 12 “Techmarine Update” in just a few weeks, it’ll join its Tactical, Assault, Sniper, Vanguard, Bulwark and Heavy Battle-Brothers as the game’s seventh playable class. Of course, it’ll come with its own unique brand of Xenos and Heretic purging, and that’s what we’re here to discover!
Before we do, let’s go over some basics if you are looking to jump into the grim darkness of the far future for the first time next week: The new Techmarine class will be available for Space Marine 2’s PvE and PvP modes (i.e., Operations, Stratagems, Siege and Eternal War), where you get to customize and play as your very own Space Marines. Even better, it’s free for everyone! No DLC or in-game purchases required.
Operations, Stratagems and Siege modes will have you team up with up to 2 players to fight as loyalist Space Marines and defeat the enemies of the Imperium. Eternal War however, also allows you to play as a Chaos Space Marine as it pits you against other players in ferocious 6v6 PvP matches where the Imperium faces off against its Chaos archenemy.
The new Techmarine class will be available across all of these modes, with the only exception being the Narrative Campaign, as it centers around the story of Ultramarines Lieutenant Demetrian Titus himself.
Now, let us tease how the Techmarine actually PLAYS!
At their core, Techmarines in Space Marine 2 are specialists in crowd control and area defense. They’ll shine with their combat prowess as much as they do with the technology they bring to the fight.
In melee, they’re able to take on large groups of enemies with wide swipes of their Omnissian Axe — an upcoming Patch 12 weapon available to them only — while their arsenal and armor augmentations grant them solid efficiency in ranged combat, especially at short and medium distances.
Like all classes, the Techmarine comes with a unique Combat Skill (an “ult,” so to speak) and his own perk tree with 25 levels to unlock. But more than anything, what makes him special are the mechanical arms and automatic turret bolted directly onto his Power Pack.
While you’re busy swinging and smashing opponents around with your mechanical arm, your Combat Skill will put your turret to good use: Activate it with the Y button to unleash the Techmarine’s mounted Servo-Gun and rain divine retribution onto your enemies with a barrage of heavy fire. No need to aim: just watch as Tyranids and Thousand Sons get vaporized before your very eyes.
Another feature of the automatic Servo-Gun is that it frees you up by executing Gun Strikes for you! When other classes must do it themselves following Perfect Dodges or Parries, Techmarine players will be free to continue aiming at other targets while their turrets stagger or kill their most pressing assailants.
And that’s not even everything! With Techmarines being master engineers and technicians within their Chapter ranks comes a unique ability to locate and service Tarantula Sentry turrets during missions. Though they can’t be carried or placed freely, these can provide much welcome support to your Combat Squad by attacking your enemies automatically until they either run out of ammunition or get destroyed.
Will you be running it?
You know, the Techmarine and his Omnissian Axe are far from being the only gameplay additions to come with Patch 12! We’re working on adding a 12th mission to Operations and Stratagems modes, a new mission pick-up type, 3 new Hero weapon variants and new customization options for Space Marine helmetless heads! We’ll reveal more as we get closer to release, so stay tuned to our channels if you don’t want to miss it.
If you own the Season Pass 2 of course, you’re also set to receive a brand-new Assault Champion skin celebrating the Raven Guard and a unique Cosmetic Pack for the Carcharodons, a first for this Chapter! But that may be a story for another day…
Looking forward to seeing all of you on the battlefield, Techmarines. The Emperor protects.
Heed the call of war on January 29, 2026 when Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 releases on Xbox Game Pass, with Xbox Play Anywhere support.
The post Techmarine: Dive Into Space Marine 2’s Upcoming New Class appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Remastering Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water and Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse was just the beginning. When Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja began crafting a full remake of the survival horror classic Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, the mission was clear: keep what made the PlayStation 2 original so popular, while elevating it for a modern audience.
Directors Hidehiko Nakajima (action gameplay) and Makoto Shibata (story) took us through their journey of reconstructing Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly’s haunting atmosphere, its new features, and some of the challenges they faced ahead of the game’s March 12 launch on PlayStation 5.
What elements of the original game do you feel made it such a fan favorite?
Shibata: I think it was because it evolved what was introduced in the first Fatal Frame game while placing greater emphasis on the story. By creating an experience that was frightening yet compelling enough to make players want to see what comes next, I felt that many players were able to enjoy its beautiful yet terrifying world through to the end.
In what ways did the power of the PS2 contribute toward the original Fatal Frame 2 design and visuals?
Shibata: We took advantage of the hardware’s specs and rendering capabilities to help depict spirits as semi-transparent and distorted. In addition, being able to apply screen-wide filters — adjusting noise, contrast, and color tones — at a low processing cost was extremely useful for creating visuals reminiscent of old film stock.
What were the essentials of the original that you needed to retain in this remake?
Shibata: Our main focus was the protagonist’s actions and Camera Obscura combat. Since the world and story are maintained, we focused on how players interact with that world.
From a visual standpoint, atmosphere is key. By carefully adjusting lighting, shadows, fog, and effects, we create a humid, unsettling environment where it feels as though spirits could appear at any moment. Exploring within that atmosphere is central to the series. And of course, the background music, filled with sounds that are barely audible or ambiguous, is also a crucial element.
Nakajima: At its core, this is an experience of fighting and exploring by photographing with the Camera Obscura. While we’ve added new features and adjusted rules in combat, the fundamental idea of facing fear directly and defeating it by photographing it, remains unchanged. The simple controls of photographing what you see remains, but players are no longer limited to waiting for enemy attacks; they can now fight more proactively and utilize advanced photography techniques. The same applies to exploration, we’ve designed it so players naturally want to look around and take photographs.
Can you share any new examples of how its gameplay systems are being modernized?
Nakajima: We’ve implemented various improvements to make the game more intuitive and comfortable to play. In the original version, players controlled the character from a fixed camera perspective. In this remake, the camera is positioned closer to the player character, allowing you to freely look around and move throughout Minakami Village. This closer perspective significantly enhances the immersive feel of the game. Of course, we didn’t simply change the camera and controls—we also restructured the gameplay itself to suit these updates.
Shibata: The series has previously received feedback that the controls weren’t so good, so since this title is developed by Team Ninja, we decided from the outset to make major improvements. One particularly time-consuming element was motion matching. It was a trial-and-error process where we refined responsiveness while giving character movement greater variety and believability.
Can you tell us more details about the added Camera Obscura features?
Nakajima: To make the Camera Obscura feel more like you’re using an actual “camera” or gadget, we introduced new mechanics such as focus, zoom, and filters. Focus and zoom function much like they do on a normal camera, while filters change the Camera Obscura’s offensive properties when switched.
For example, during combat, the Paraceptual Filter offers a longer attack range and allows players to obscure the enemy’s vision, while the Exposure Filter enables faster shots and can slow enemy movement. During exploration, the Camera Obscura can also be used to follow the shadows of missing people or restore things that have disappeared.
How does the new Willpower system work?
Shibata: Willpower decreases when the player runs during combat, or comes into contact or is attacked by spirits. When Willpower runs out, the protagonist collapses, and spirits swarm over her, creating a critical situation. So you can recover it by holding hands with Mayu or by using items.
What are some ways characters can now interact with the environment?
Nakajima: We’ve introduced physical behaviors and environmental interaction, so as the player moves through the environment, background objects may be touched, shaken, or even collapse, creating a more realistic and immersive experience. Spirits may also interact with and move objects.
How has the team used PS5 features to enhance the game’s atmosphere?
Shibata: In horror games it’s crucial that the feeling of tension is not interrupted. Fast data loading enabled by the SSD helps maintain the element of fear. In addition, in the Fatal Frame series each spirit emits unique sounds based on its position. The 7.1.4-channel 3D audio allows players to perceive spirit locations clearly while also conveying the unsettling atmosphere of Minakami Village through sounds such as rustling trees and the faint whisper of wind.
What other new information or clarifications do you want to make sure fans are aware of?
Nakajima: This remake doesn’t simply recreate the original—it expands upon it and goes even deeper with additional side stories and new areas. And as well as the original ending, a special new ending has been added which features a newly written song, “Utsushie,” composed by Tsukiko Amano.
New players will find the game approachable, while long-time fans can appreciate a fresh experience. We hope players enjoy discovering the new ending alongside everything else this remake has to offer.
You’ll be able to see the haunted Minakami Village through this new PS5 lens soon enough when Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly launches on March 12.
Random House Worlds is gearing up to release its latest Star Wars novel, author Mike Chen’s Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon. You might assume the book showcases an earlier adventure in the life of goldhearted smuggler Kay Vess, but you’d be wrong. Instead, the book focuses on one of the most surprising figures in the game, Jaylen Vrax. The book explores how Jaylen met the fearsome bodyguard droid ND-5 and made his way through the ranks of the criminal underworld.
Ahead of its February 3 release, IGN can exclusively debut a preview of Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon. This excerpt is set early in the book, just after Jaylen is rescued by ND-5 following an attack on his family’s compound. Check it out below:
“You killed them,” Jaylen said, adrenaline surging in him, helping him upward. He staggered to his feet, stiff pain in every muscle. “You killed them,” he repeated.
“I have already acknowledged that.”
Jaylen’s plan had worked. Which meant that it would have worked had Roisem and Nnytyl stopped arguing, stopped causing chaos so he could give the restraining bolt to A1-A1. He could have passed the hardware over, then come up with some distraction for the protocol droid to mount the restraining bolt.
But now, everyone was dead—because they just wouldn’t listen. And that notion burned Jaylen in a different way than when he thought about Sliro.
“No, you don’t understand. You killed them. They didn’t have to die. The Empire took everything from us. And now you’ve taken everything from me. Why? Why would you do this?”
ND-5 looked at Jaylen like he was asking for directions into town. “I executed orders according to my programming.”
“Oh, so that’s it? You’re just an assassin that kills whoever you tar get?” Jaylen threw a pointed finger at the droid, though doing so caused him to wince.
“Yes. That is how droids operate.”
Jaylen wanted to scream. If his body could support it, he probably would have. Some sort of primal release felt necessary at this point. In stead, he swayed on his feet, nausea rolling in his stomach. “What hap pens now?” he asked quietly. “I can barely move.”
“The shock wave struck you. I was able to protect you from only the shrapnel. The noise and pressure have likely given you a concussion. You have soft tissue damage from the impact as well.” ND-5 walked over and put out a long thin arm to support him. “You will need some time to heal. We will use this guest’s shuttle. They do not need it anymore.”
Even as Jaylen moved with ND-5’s help, he couldn’t stifle the laugh ter coming through. “This is madness. How do I know you’re not just going to kill me next?”
“This restraining bolt is telling me to serve you. That has the highest priority in my directive sequence.”
“It’s as simple as that, huh?” Jaylen replied in a dry voice. “You droids. You’re so binary.”
“It does not need to be any more complex than that.” In the distance, sirens clashed with the sound of oncoming thunder. “For now, I await further instructions from you.”
That was exactly what Jaylen meant by binary. “So I could just tell you to leap off a cliff and you would?”
“Yes.”
Jaylen believed the droid. He had no reason not to. He could tell ND-5 to do anything, including shutting himself down—hell, he’d blasted his own chest to follow Jaylen’s directive.
“Well,” Jaylen said slowly, “why shouldn’t I do just that?” He was only musing, but the thought soon rolled into a real, grounded question. He could choose to give the order. Or he could choose to stay quiet. “How would you assess the current situation?” he asked, as if he were chatting with A1-A1 in the garden cottage.
“Emergency vehicles will be here shortly. I can commandeer this shuttle. You will likely need seven to ten days for physical recovery. In addition, they will think you are dead.”
Jaylen paused, feeling the ground beneath his feet. In the distance, he saw that ND-5 was right: The lights of emergency shuttles finally hov ered above the compound. “Who is ‘they’?” he asked with a laugh.
ND-5 stood silent, though his head tilted ever so slightly. From the exposed innards of the droid’s upper body, Jaylen heard mechanisms and electronics struggling to work. “I do not know. That information must have resided in the part of my memory core that is now damaged.”
Part of Jaylen wanted ND-5 to dismantle himself in the most violent way possible. But he let that impulse pass for one simple reason:
A BX commando droid was valuable as a protector. And a servant.
Jaylen needed both right now. Someday, he might scrap him. But not now. Because everything about Jaylen’s personal galaxy had just reset. This thing, this droid, had taken everything from Jaylen. And now ND-5 would help give him a new life.
Reprinted from Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike Chen. © 2026 by Lucasfilm Ltd. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
For more on the future of the Star Wars franchise, find out what to expect from Star Wars in 2026 and see the one thing we need from Lucasfilm’s new Presidents.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
More and more as time goes on I feel that if I blink a whole two years will pass, and suddenly a game like Enshrouded, which is coming up to its second early access anniversary, will be gearing up for its proper 1.0 launch. While an exact date for the survival game’s full release hasn’t been locked in just yet, a new Road to Release video was shared by developer Keen Games detailing what you can expect leading up to said launch.
The British are coming. Specifically, IGN can exclusively reveal that action man Jason Statham – star of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Hobbs and Shaw and The Meg – is coming to Fortnite today. He lent his chiselled jawline and voice to the game to promote his new movie Shelter as part of a new in-game experience.
The Stath appears as his character from Shelter, Michael Mason. In the movie Mason is a former assassin who is forced to dust off his guns (aren’t they always?) to protect himself and a girl – Jessie – that he rescued from the sea surrounding the remote Scottish island he calls home. Players can fight alongside him on a new custom map inspired by the movie, taking on waves of enemies in order to protect Jessie. If that wasn’t enough, a huge storm is on the way, which is actually pretty accurate for the Scottish highlands.
The custom map comes with some additional game features to heighten the roguelike experience the creators are going for, with a combination of permanent upgrades, random weapon loadouts and a ‘Rebirth system’ that will give you permanent buffs for resetting your progress. It’s vital to mention that the weaponry is given out by a dog.
There’ll also be a community tournament featuring top streamers that will let viewers vote on the specific conditions for the matches, like weapon restrictions or inverted controls.
The experience was created by Sawhorse and Chartis Interactive, with contributions to the design of the map from Fortnite creators like Jayth, the guy behind Fortnite’s Zombie Escape Tag.
“It’s been exciting to combine the roguelike genre—one of Fortnite’s most popular modes—with a unique film like Shelter, especially with Jason Statham involved,” he said.
The Shelter experience is available in Fortnite now – Island Code 2883-8391-6703 – and the movie, also starring Bill Nighy, will be in theaters on January 30.
We interrupt our regular schedule of weaponising hamsters and grizzling about GTA 6 with a word from the world of film – a film being a curious subspecies of video game that plays itself, consists partly of human souls preserved in gelatin and silver halide, and can only be ‘failed’ by skipping the post-credits scene. Whatever will the mad labcoats dream up next?
More specifically, it’s time for an insight from Gore Verbinski, director of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. He thinks the much-gobflapped adoption of Epic’s Unreal Engine by visual effect teams is a blight upon the face of Hollywood. He thinks it’s an insult to the dignity of helicopters. OK, he doesn’t go quite that hard.
