A bunch of alleged concept art for the Fable reboot has reportedly been unearthed via a developer’s portfolio, ahead of the RPG’s appearance at this week’s Xbox showcase. As of writing, there’s no indication as to what stage of developement the apparent game art could be from. However, if it’s genuine, it does seem to point towards a location from Fable 2 making a return in the reboot.
Coming to Switch consoles this year.
Wishfully Studios’ sublime debut, Planet of Lana, brought some top-notch puzzle/platforming action to Switch back in April 2024. Indeed, we went so far as to give this beautiful-looking cinematic adventure a rather splendid 8/10 back at launch.
Now, its Swedish dev, alongside publisher Thunderful Games (now majority owned by Atari), has dropped a full 10 minutes of unedited gameplay footage from the game’s soon-to-be-released sequel, the cunningly titled Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf. Oh yes.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Destiny developer Bungie has finally confirmed the previously leaked launch date for Marathon, which is indeed March 5, 2026, and followed up the news with a rundown of who we can expect to hear in the English voice cast.
The bumper cast includes many, many familiar voices, such as Jennifer English (who won Best Performance at 2025’s The Game Awards for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and has had notable roles in Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3, in which she plays Shadowheart), Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, Final Fantasy 14), Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption 2), and Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion, Resident Evil 3 Remake). As one commenter responded: “That’s… stacked lol.”
Here’s the full list, along with an idea of where you may have heard their voices before:
What we don’t know yet is what characters the actors will portray, of course, but with the list essentially in alphabetical order besides front-runners English, Starr, Clark, Toufexis, Futterman, Lindbeck, Guthrie, Knight, Tadena, Gorrondona, Hughes, De Paul, Shorten, Fennoy, Wiles, and Tatasciore, that may suggest those particular actors will be portraying the characters we’ll get to know best when playing Marathon.
Following various delays, Marathon’s launch is now less than two months away — and pre-orders are open now. The pressure is on for Marathon to succeed amid Destiny 2’s high-profile struggles and Marathon’s troubled development. At the end of last year, parent company Sony said Bungie had failed to meet its sales and user engagement targets, resulting in a $200 million impairment charge, and Bungie found itself battling yet more accusations of plagiarism back in May after an artist accused the studio of lifting aspects of her artwork for Marathon.
Last June Marathon was delayed into 2026 as Bungie worked to respond to feedback from playtests. Things went dark until Marathon re-emerged in October, when Bungie announced the extraction shooter was ready for a limited, invite-only playtest for players in North America and Europe across PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and Steam.
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.
A mod providing VR support for Cyberpunk 2077 is no more, after CD Projekt issued a takedown notice they claim hinged on them not being happy that the mod’s creator had stuck it behind a paywall. In response, modder Luke Ross has accused the company of being all about making money.
CD Projekt has confirmed it issued a DMCA strike on a paid Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod, after its creator refused to make it free for everyone upon the studio’s request.
The R.E.A.L. VR mod for Cyberpunk 2077 was created by Luke Ross, who, according to a 2022 report by The Verge, makes $20,000 a month modding PC games to run in VR headsets. His mods are locked behind a Patreon, which sparked CD Projekt’s concern.
In a tweet, Jan Rosner, VP, Business Development at CD Projekt Red, said the company issued the DMCA strike because Cyberpunk VR was a paid mod, which violates its fan content guidelines.
“We never allow monetization of our IP without our direct permission and/or an agreement in place,” Rosner said. “We were in touch with Luke last week and informed him that he needs to make it free for everyone (with optional donations) or remove it.
“We are big fans of mods to our games — some of the work out there has been nothing short of amazing, including Luke’s mod for Cyberpunk 2077. We’d be happy to see it return as a free release. However, making a profit from our IP, in any form, always requires permission from CD Projekt Red.”
Ross responded to Rosner’s tweet to take issue with his work being characterized as fan content. Rather, Ross insisted, it is independent software and thus does not infringe on CD Projekt’s IP rights.
“I’m sorry but I don’t believe you are within your rights in demanding that my software needs to be free,” Ross said. “It is not ‘derivative work’ or ‘fan content’: it supports a large number of games which were built upon different engines, and it contains absolutely zero code or assets from your IP. Saying that it infringes your IP rights is equivalent to maintaining for example that RivaTuner violates game publishers’ copyrights because it intercepts the images the game is drawing on screen and it processes them in order to overlay its statistics.”
Ross went on to say he wants to find a “win-win solution,” and suggested CD Projekt make his Cyberpunk VR mod official, “or at least sanctioned by your company.” He added: “I think the current state of affairs is not the best way to resolve this misunderstanding.”
As it stands, Ross has left his Cyberpunk VR mod behind (in a post on Patreon, Ross said, “So long, and thanks for all the fish,”), and he has pulled support for the game. Ross’ tweet here has sparked a debate about the legal implications of his mod, a point he expanded on in a post on Patreon:
“As usual they stretch the concept of ‘derivative work’ until it’s paper-thin, as though a system that allows visualizing 40+ games in fully immersive 3D VR was somehow built making use of their intellectual property,” he said. “And as usual they give absolutely zero f***s about how playing their game in VR made people happy, and they cannot just be grateful about the extra copies of the title they sold because of that — without ever having to pour money into producing an official conversion (no, they’re not planning to release their own VR port, in case you were wondering).
“The bottom line is all that matters, and gamers be damned.
“Am I a little bitter about all of this? Yeah, you bet I am. Especially in the same week when Meta pulls the plug on three major VR studios. Especially after four years during which I (together with other modders) spent so much time keeping our mods alive in spite of CDPR’s constant breaking updates. Especially when they never even knew or cared during all this time that the VR conversion was there, and are only knee-jerk reacting now because somebody reported to them that it existed and it was not free.”
This is not the first time Ross has been hit by a DMCA strike. In July 2022, Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two issued a DMCA notice against Ross for his GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 VR mods, among others. He made a similar argument against the decision back then, insisting “none of my modifications are built using software belonging to Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc, and the modifications are not intended to replace their games, nor are they a means of exploiting Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc’s proprietary IP or assets.”
Cyberpunk is just one of a number of games for which Ross has released VR mods, and he sounds undeterred by CD Projekt’s action here. Ross already has VR mods for the likes of Sony’s Days Gone, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, and Ubisoft’s Far Cry 5 games. Now he’s turning his attention to Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3.
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.
Realising the “simple concept” with limited resources wasn’t easy.
Although Pokémon has become a global powerhouse over the past 30 years, the series’ beginnings didn’t necessarily happen overnight.
In a special video message during the New York Game Awards recently (where Pokémon received the prestigious ‘Andrew Yoon Legend Award’ for industry impact), The Pokémon Company president and CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara reflected on the origins of the series and the challenges the team faced during the development of the original Pokémon games.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
And it might be one of the last significant ones.
Kirby Air Riders on the Switch 2 is content complete, but it’s not done with game updates just yet. Although fans were informed the team would be disbanding soon, game director and video game legend Masahiro Sakurai mentioned in December how there might be one more round of adjustments.
Nintendo’s Japanese customer support page on social media has now revealed new update data for Kirby Air Riders will be arriving soon. As for what riders can expect, there’ll apparently be various bug fixes and balance adjustments.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
What happened to humanity’s lost interstellar expedition, and why are the UESC trying to keep Runners out? You can start unraveling the mysteries of Tau Ceti IV when Marathon releases on March 6.
Marathon is the upcoming PvPvE survival extraction FPS from the creators of Halo and Destiny. Play as a bio-cybernetic Runner and team up in crews of three or run solo as you take on hostile security forces, rival Runners, and unpredictable environments. Scavenge derelict facilities and rugged landscapes for valuables, weapons, and information about what happened to the lost colony lightyears from Earth.*
The new trailer is narrated by Gantry, the faction agent for the anti-establishment group MIDA. Each of Marathon’s six factions offers unique contracts for you to complete. Survive their life-threatening missions to unlock storytelling and new rewards through six unique faction upgrade trees.
Use every tool at your disposal—including faction upgrades, weapons, mods, Runner shells, and game-changing implants—to reach greater heights, like the end-game zone Cryo Archive.
Unlocking in Season 1, Cryo Archive is the first deck on the UESC Marathon ship, where you’ll solve security measures to unseal frozen vaults… and ultimately challenge an entity onboard that even the UESC fears.
Today, we’re sharing the first look at a new Marathon-inspired limited edition DualSense controller to bring into every high-stakes run. The limited edition design was created in close collaboration with the team at Bungie, who shared the following about the design process:
“We were excited for the opportunity to commemorate Marathon’s launch with a limited edition design that would excite our fans and our team, and feel like a true part of the world we’re building, something that could exist naturally alongside other objects in the game and feel functional, grounded, and authentic to the universe of Marathon.
We set out to create a design that paid homage to the bold graphic design, vibrant color and visual art direction of the game and its industrial design, architecture and environmental surfaces and equipment. The result is a design that reflects the world’s balance of form and function, where clean lines, purposeful markings, and vivid accents come together to feel both futuristic and believable.”
Win fights and exfil with the DualSense wireless controller – Marathon Limited Edition, wrapped in bold graphics and fractured shapes inspired by Marathon’s futuristic world. The controller launches starting on March 6, 2026 and will be available in limited quantities for SGD 119 / MYR 419 / THB 2,890 / IDR 1,549,000 / PHP 4,890 / VND 2,399,000.** Pre-orders will begin on January 29, 2026 at participating retailers. Launch date and availability may vary by country/region.
Marathon releases on March 6, 2026 and is available as a Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes the Midnight Decay weapon and Runner shell cosmetic bundle, plus additional rewards.
Pre-orders are available now. Pre-ordering Marathon unlocks additional rewards, including weapon cosmetics and additional rewards for Destiny 2 linked to your Bungie.net account.
Bungie also revealed Marathon’s Collector’s Edition, featuring a premium unboxing experience inspired by Sekiguchi Genetics’ shell-weaving process. Unboxing the Collector’s Edition reveals a 1/6-scale Thief Runner Shell statue, collectible miniature WEAVEworm, digital rewards, and more.
Pre-order reward Zero Step 004 CE Tactical Sidearm Style , Zero RC Weapon Charm, and Zero Step Shift Weapon Sticker
Deluxe Edition pre-order reward – Midnight Decay Destroyer Shell Style, Midnight Decay Vandal Shell Style
Deluxe Edition pre-order reward – Midnight Decay Assassin Shell Style, Midnight Decay Thief Shell Style
Deluxe Edition pre-order reward – Midnight Decay Destroyer Shell Style, Midnight Decay Thief Shell Style
A new Marathon Welcome Hub background goes live tomorrow on PS5 consoles. Learn how to enable it here.
Marathon launches March 6 on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Xbox Series X|S. You can keep up with the latest news from the team at Bungie, including more information about launch, Marathon’s roadmap, and when you’ll be able to try Marathon, by pre-ordering or wishlisting Marathon for PlayStation here.
To join the discussion and chat with the Marathon development team, head over to the Marathon Official Discord. The team would love to hear your stories, get your feedback, and share sneak peeks of what’s next for Marathon.
*Bungie.net account and internet connection required. Paid for PlayStation Plus membership (sold separately) required on PS5.
PlayStation Plus membership subject to recurring subscription fee taken automatically until cancellation. Age restrictions apply. Full terms: play.st/psplus-usageterms.
**Actual retailer prices and availability may vary.
Now, how about Spirit Tracks?
To get the Zelda 40th anniversary celebrations underway, Nintendo Music has this week added The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass soundtrack.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Free-to-play dark fantasy action RPG Dark December from developer Needs Games has officially launched on PC, Android, and iOS with crossplay and cross-progression. It marks a return to the world of Undecember, this time with more streamlined gameplay built around three core character classes.
If you’re not already familiar with the series or need a little refresher, Undecember was a quarter-view hack-and-slash game with no classes. It introduced a world created by 12 beings who shared their powers and brought peace and prosperity to the land. In time, they came to be worshipped as gods. But then a 13th being arose, who introduced evil to the world and corrupted mankind.
Dark December brings you back to that world, but many years before the events of Undecember and in an alternate timeline. The camera can now be moved freely, and it also marks a departure from the complex progression systems of its predecessor, instead focusing on timing, skill use, and streamlined growth in three character classes: Berserker, Raven, and Morgana. The system is designed to be more approachable, so players new to the series can feel comfortable jumping into this prequel without missing anything.
Berserker is your classic melee-based physical attacker that uses a two-handed greatsword to unleash powerful strikes. It has very high HP and defense, so it’s meant to rush headlong into enemy hordes and take out large groups with its heavy strikes. Their unique ability sends them into a berserk state, which speeds up their attacks and makes them capable of dishing out big damage very quickly.
Raven is an archer class that can use multiple different arrow types to take advantage of enemy weaknesses. It’s quick and agile, so it’s designed to constantly stay on the move while keeping enemies at arms’ length and picking them off with precise strikes. Where Berserker is meant to soak up damage, Raven is meant to avoid it altogether.
That leaves Morgana, a spellcasting class that wields a staff and can summon spirits. It uses the staff to unleash poison and fire spells, while summons are infused with elemental energy and can be used for a variety of things. Some deal damage matching its elemental type, while others apply debuffs. So Morgana is all about strategy and versatility, combining their abilities to deliver steady, continuous damage.
As you’d expect, each of these classes unlock unique skills as they level up, and these can be further powered up through skill upgrades and the Support Rune system. Each skill has two Support Rune slots, where you can equip Support Runes that provide all kinds of different bonuses. Each skill also has its own type and attribute, and Support Runes can only be equipped in slots that are compatible with that type and attribute.
Offensive runes provide bonuses like increasing damage, crit rate, or expanding AoE range. Defensive runes can do things like shielding you or reducing damage. And utility runes can enhance status effects, reduce cooldowns, or increase skill usage count. These are just a few examples of each type, there are plenty more options to choose from. And you can freely swap out Support Runes at any time, giving you the chance to test out lots of different builds or change things up strategically for particular fights or situations.
While progression has been simplified and combat has been streamlined, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s not about memorizing one ability loop you can simply use over and over to decimate everything. You need to learn what works in what situations, adapt to new things being thrown at you, and use your abilities at the right time.
The central narrative of Dark December will take you through several different locations, and a waypoint system allows you to teleport between those areas quickly as well as return to a central hub area. There are also other gameplay modes you can play if you want to take a break from the main story.
The Abyss of Chaos is a dungeon that allows you to choose what region it’s based on, which alters its level and the rewards you can get from it. It also houses a randomly occurring event called the Realm of Chaos, which spawns powerful bosses that drop rare materials and resources.
The Hall of Oblivion is a challenge mode where you can choose the difficulty level and fight bosses from around the world. And Dimensional Rift: Veles is a defense mode where you and up to three other players can team up to see how long you can survive against neverending waves of enemies.
The monetization system is mostly focused on cosmetic items such as costumes and wings, and the game is designed so players who choose not to spend money are not at a disadvantage. Some stat-increasing items are also available through alternative routes, such as crafting or obtaining them directly through gameplay. This approach is intended to let players who prefer not to spend still enjoy the game without feeling pressured to pay.
Dark December is available to download now on PC, Android, and iOS. To keep up with the latest news and info, you can follow the game on Discord, YouTube, or TikTok.
