Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Super Premium Collection in stock and listed at $208.31 right now. That’s a big jump from its original MSRP of $89.99, and while still cheaper than the $259.99 it peaked at recently, it’s clear this set is being treated as a premium collector’s item rather than a typical retail product.

Microsoft has reportedly canceled long in development Rare game, Everwild, as layoffs confirmed today sweep across Xbox.

IGN reported on the cuts, revealed a memo sent to staff by Xbox boss Phil Spencer and reviewed by IGN. Reports indicate over 9,000 staff across Microsoft may be hit, with Candy Crush developer King and Bethesda both hit hard.

VGC was first to report the Everwild news, which IGN sources have corroborated. IGN has asked Microsoft for comment.

In the memo, Spencer failed to confirm specifics, telling staff “any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.”

The following message from Phil Spencer was shared to all gaming staff today:

Today we are sharing decisions that will impact colleagues across our organization. To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft’s lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness. Out of respect for those impacted today, the specifics of today’s notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.

I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger. The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously. We must make choices now for continued success in future years and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate effort on areas with the greatest potential, while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.

Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that does not lessen the significance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved. Our momentum is not accidental — it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams.

HR is working directly with impacted employees to provide severance plan benefits (aligned with local laws), including pay, healthcare coverage, and job placement resources to support their transition. Employees whose roles were eliminated are encouraged to explore open positions across Microsoft Gaming, where their applications will be given priority review.

Thank you to everyone who has shaped our culture, our products, and our community. We will move forward with deep appreciation and respect for all who have contributed to this journey.

Phil

In February, Spencer issued an update on Everwild following repeated no-shows at various Xbox livestreams since its 2019 announcement.

In an interview with XboxEra, Spencer listed Everwild as one of the games yet to come out that he was excited for, adding he’d recently visited Rare, which runs live service pirate adventure game Sea of Thieves, to get a look at Everwild and the progress the developers were making.

“Yeah, State of Decay is just one of the franchises I love back from the original one, so that one stays on the board. I do think the work that Double Fine’s doing and how Tim [Schafer] kind of solicits feedback from the team. And the other one, I’ll say because I was recently out at Rare. It’s nice to see the team with Everwild and the progress that they’re making.”

Spencer said Microsoft had been able to give the developers of those games (State of Decay, the next game from Double Fine, and Everwild) time while still having a packed schedule of releases (bolstered, obviously, by the acquisitions of Bethesda and Activision Blizzard).

“We can give those teams time,” Spencer said. “And next week I’m going to be up in Vancouver with the Coalition [Gears of War developer] — and how fun is that?”

Everwild had faced concern amid reboot reports and the exit of creative director Simon Woodroffe in 2020. Rare filled the director’s chair with veteran designer Gregg Mayles, who previously worked on Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Pinata, and Sea of Thieves.

What was Everwilds? Reports indicated it was a third-person adventure game with god game elements, but given how long it was in development, that may have changed. The last Everwilds trailer, released in July 2020, carried the following description: “Everwild is a brand new IP from Rare. A unique and unforgettable experience await in a natural and magical world.”

Microsoft has made a huge number of cuts to its gaming business since acquiring Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. It laid off 1,900 staff in January 2024, then made further cuts just a few months later when it closed Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks. In September 2024, Microsoft cut a further 650 staff from its gaming business. And in May this year, Microsoft cut an eye-watering 6,000 staff, or 3% of its entire workforce. Today’s round of layoffs is the fourth to hit Microsoft’s gaming business in 18 months.

Speaking to IGN in June 2024, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said: “I have to run a sustainable business inside the company and grow, and that means sometimes I have to make hard decisions that frankly are not decisions I love, but decisions that somebody needs to go make.”

The cuts come hot on the heels of Microsoft’s confirmation that it plans to release next-gen Xbox consoles, and has a strong presence at video game show gamescom.

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.

Microsoft has today made significant layoffs to its gaming division, per a memo sent to staff by Xbox boss Phil Spencer and reviewed by IGN.

A source told IGN that Candy Crush developer King was hit hard, but the cuts affect other parts of the gaming business. IGN understands parts of Microsoft-owned Bethesda, including its London office, were also affected by the cuts.

In the memo, Spencer failed to confirm specifics, telling staff “any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.”

The following message was shared to all gaming staff today:

Today we are sharing decisions that will impact colleagues across our organization. To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft’s lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness. Out of respect for those impacted today, the specifics of today’s notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.

I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger. The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously. We must make choices now for continued success in future years and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate effort on areas with the greatest potential, while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.

Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that does not lessen the significance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved. Our momentum is not accidental — it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams.

HR is working directly with impacted employees to provide severance plan benefits (aligned with local laws), including pay, healthcare coverage, and job placement resources to support their transition. Employees whose roles were eliminated are encouraged to explore open positions across Microsoft Gaming, where their applications will be given priority review.

Thank you to everyone who has shaped our culture, our products, and our community. We will move forward with deep appreciation and respect for all who have contributed to this journey.

Phil

Developing…

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.

Age verification will be coming into force for European and British modders using Nexus Mods.

Last month, Nexus Mods founder Robin “Dark0ne” Scott said that for both “my and the community’s best interest,” the “time has come to step back from the day-to-day running of the site.”

However, these changes do not come at the behest of the new owners, but are part of the company’s legal obligation to comply with the UK government’s new Online Safety Act and the EU’s Digital Services Act.

“Due to the Online Safety Act and Digital Services Act, we are required as a UK-based company to ensure we continue to remove illegal content and add additional restrictions to children’s access to certain adult content,” the company explained.

“As a business, this leaves us with a choice: remove adult content for all UK and EU-based users, or make adjustments to our policy, including adding age verification for some adult content.

“Adult content is a core part of what makes Nexus Mods what it is; we don’t consider removing it a viable option. We are aware that some users may find the changes irritating; however, we are obligated to do this to ensure we can continue to host adult content legally.”

We can expect more information when the finalized Adult Content Guidelines are ready, but the team said that in the meantime, it would be updating its terms of service “to include a clearer, more detailed definition of what counts as illegal content under UK law and how we protect children from harm whilst on the site.”

“While this kind of content was already not allowed on the site, we’re tightening the language to be absolutely clear,” Nexus said. “All users will be notified when the Terms of Service are updated.”

Nexus will also be introducing automated detection for illegal or abusive content, with “any content of this nature immediately removed, and the user responsible will be banned and reported to the National Crime Agency.”

We can also expect revised tags for adult content, an improved block and mute system, and better spam detections. Eventually, there’ll be age verification checks for “the majority of adult content hosted on the site” for all UK and EU users, while users outside of Europe will “not be subject to age verification.”

“The current approach to verifying you are above 18 years of age will remain the same unless we are legally required to change this to operate in your country,” the team added.

In related news, Stellar Blade director and producer Kim Hyung Tae reportedly “fully supports” mods, which is just as well, really, as there are almost 600 of them listed on Nexus, covering everything from new skins to reshaders and VR to nail polish. There are also dozens more hidden from public display and categorized as “adult.” Let’s leave it at that, shall we?

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.