Cook Serve Forever Launches with a Banger Soundtrack and Celebrity Voice Actors
Nicholas Kraak, Narrative Lead/Writer, Vertigo Gaming
Cook Serve Forever is a brand new, story-rich cooking adventure from the creators of Cook, Serve, Delicious.
You play as Nori Kaga, a food cart chef who dreams of making it big like her role model, the Culinary Queen, Chef Rhubarb. Nori leads a pretty simple life, serving food to the locals of her small town, Moraine. But when she finds out the once-in-a-decade cooking event, the Couteau d’Or, is happening in the neighbouring city of Helianthus, Nori sets out on a quest for greatness. Her idol Chef Rhubarb might be the only three-star chef in history, but maybe Nori could be the second?
As you travel from your small hometown of Moraine to the futuristic solarpunk city of Helianthus, you’ll cook over 80 foods and skilfully master more than 400 recipes.
Your quest for culinary greatness will take you and your food cart to over 50 locations throughout the city of Helianthus. Each location has its own menu and set of cooking objectives. For instance, you’ll serve pizza to burnt-out game developers at a video game studio, and old-timey eats at the city’s historic district. Some locations will force you to prioritize speed, others accuracy, and some locations will see you apprehend criminals (no, really). After all, if you want to be the best chef of all time, you’re going to need a wide range of skills.
Throughout the game, you’ll encounter friends and foes. Cook Serve Forever features a fully voiced narrative and includes voice work by Elspeth Eastman (League of Legends), SungWon Cho (ProZD) and Broden Kelly (Aunty Donna).
The game also includes over two hours of original music by award winning composer Jonathan Geer. The soundtrack hooks into the game’s narrative in some interesting ways. For instance, your partner Brie is a musician, and throughout the game you get to hear her composing a song, with the song growing and changing throughout the story. Jonathan was adamant on using a range of real instruments for Cook Serve Forever, and in total a dozen different musicians contributed to the game’s soundtrack.
Vaulting ambition and perfection are big themes of the game’s narrative and gameplay. In each location you have two goals – an easier one and a harder one – and completing them sees you earn stickers. During the testing process, we found players became obsessed with collecting all the stickers, so we created a cookbook to show off your progress.
The cookbook is also a way to show off your Blitz challenge-mode medals and other achievements.
But That’s Not All…
Over 80 Foods and 400 recipes.
Easy to learn, hard to master gameplay, perfect for casual and hardcore players alike.
An emotionally rich story full of mystery, love and ambition.
A sticker collection to track your progress and tease your inner perfectionist.
We’re so excited to see Xbox players explore the wonderful world of food in Cook Serve Forever. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get cooking!
Chop, stir, and sauté your way through the bustling solarpunk city of Helianthus. You play as Nori Kaga, a food cart chef aspiring to make it big like her role model, the Culinary Queen, Chef Rhubarb.
“Cook Serve Forever” is a brand new, story-rich cooking adventure from the creators of “Cook, Serve, Delicious!”
Features Include:
• Over 80 Foods and 400 recipes!
• 50 locations to master!
• 30 fully-voiced characters to meet – some friends, some foes!
• Easy to learn, hard to master gameplay, perfect for casual and expert players alike!
• An amazing soundtrack by award-winning composer Jonathan Geer!
• An emotionally rich story full of mystery, love and ambition!
Battlefield 6 has made its debut, with Electronic Arts providing the first big look at its sprawling first-person shooter, including hands-on with its often-enormous multiplayer mode. I engaged the enemy across four of the nine maps Battlefield 6 will include at launch, which took us through a range of battles: from the vehicle-filled All-Out Warfare modes, to smaller, close-quarters battles.
The franchise heads back to its roots with Battlefield 6, serving as a sort of spiritual successor to Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4. It uses a modern setting of 2027 and, like the games it draws inspiration from, sees the return of character classes to the series—but with new twists on the old formulas.
Battlefield 6 hits PS5 on October 10, but you don’t have to wait that long—there are also open beta weekends this August so you can try out the game’s new tricks yourself.
Here’s everything from my boots-on-the-ground experience in Battlefield 6.
Character classes
Battlefield 6 brings back the class system that players know and love, but with adjustments that let you further dial in your specialty. The new Training system is Battlefield 6’s take on subclasses, expanding on the Specializations of Battlefield 3 and Field Upgrades of Battlefield 4.
Classes also get buffs as you “level up” through a match by supporting teammates, defeating opponents, and playing objectives, which further amp up the things that make them unique. Eventually, they can charge up a special ability that’s specific to their Training.
Assault — The run-and-gun class wields an assault rifle and combat stims, and with the Frontliner training, gains faster health regeneration, more stimulants, and more accuracy while moving.
Recon — Best known for long-range shots and spotting enemy movement. The Sniper training marks enemies seen through your scope more quickly and for longer, while sniper shots stop enemy healing. Meanwhile, headshots drop enemies with a single round, without the possibility of being revived by a teammate.
Engineer — The only class that can repair vehicles can also be a real menace to them, as well as to other infantry. The Anti-Armor training lets you wreck vehicles with extra rockets that also reduce their repair effectiveness.
Support — The classic defensive class is a little more than a revive machine in Battlefield 6. Specializing in light machine guns, you can also place temporary cover and drop ammo for your teammates. The Combat Medic training also lets you dish out health for allies and regenerates health while you’re reviving teammates.
Closed and open weapons — Classes get a signature weapon and specific gadgets, but whether weapons are open or closed depends on the playlist you’re playing. On closed playlists, you can only use certain weapons with certain classes. But on open playlists, you can swap to anything that works for you.
Tactical destruction
Map destruction is one of Battlefield’s defining features, but in Battlefield 6, destroying chunks of the map is part of your strategy and a weapon to use against the enemy.
Blast a path — Thin obstacles like doors or windows can be crashed through or blasted apart to open a line of fire. You can also level walls with grenades or a handy sledgehammer.
Emphasis on “tactical” — Thomas Andersson, Creative Director of the Battlefield Franchise, explained that destruction in Battlefield 6 is meant to be somewhat predictable so you can make use of it in firefights. Destroying the floor beneath your opponents or bringing a building down on their heads are viable strategies that are satisfying to pull off.
Bring down the house — Standing in a building that’s coming down around you is shockingly loud and intense, but I couldn’t look away from Battlefield 6’s beautiful devastation. The best part, though, is finding cover in the rubble to continue the fight as the map changes around you.
Kinesthetic combat
Battlefield 6 makes firefights more dynamic and adaptive with the addition of the Kinesthetic Combat System.
Peek and lean — Walk up to any corner in Battlefield 6 and you’ll get a contextual prompt that lets you hold R1 to lean out and fire, and lean back into cover when you let go, providing new tactical options in close-quarters engagements.
No one left behind — Reviving comrades isn’t just a matter of holding down the Square button and hoping nobody shoots you. Now you can drag a downed teammate out of the line of fire while you revive them. As a dedicated medic fan, being able to pull a buddy out of danger saved my own life a few times, too.
Hitch a ride — Vehicles never seem to have enough seats, but you can grab onto the outside of tanks or trucks to hitch a ride and stick with your squad.
Fight the recoil — Battlefield developers said they know a lot of players don’t really know how to compensate for the recoil of most guns, but it’s a skill that can win firefights. Kinesthetic Combat telegraphs information about recoil by tilting your gun in the direction it moves as it fires, so you can learn to keep your shots on target—possibly without even realizing the game was teaching you.
Maps
The four maps I fought through gave a sense of Battlefield 6’s scale, as well as the intensity of its smaller locales. Battlefield 6’s more massive maps include locations within them called Combat Zones, which are smaller, carefully designed engagement areas that can also function as maps on their own for the game’s different modes.
Liberation Peak — An enormous mountainside battlefield that’s great for vehicles of all kinds and excellent for snipers, especially once you start leveling buildings to create new, tough-to-spot positions.
Siege of Cairo — A dense city where the fighting is fierce, and buildings are constantly at risk of being reduced to rubble. Siege of Cairo is big enough for tanks and vehicles, but also packs a Combat Zone where you’ll need to check your corners and keep on the move.
Empire State — This infantry-only map takes the fighting to the streets of Brooklyn, pushing squads into open streets and tight alleyways. A shotgun is excellent for tight interiors, but make sure you’re checking the floors above you.
Iberian Offensive — Gibraltar is home to some winding streets and quaint shops that make for hardscrabble advances through tight pathways, but with plenty of walls to wreck to expose the enemy.
Modes
The modes I played were broken up across Battlefield’s classic All-Out Warfare modes and two modes designed for smaller maps.
Squad Deathmatch — Four squads compete in close-quarters combat on smaller maps in this revival of the mode from Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Working together, balancing your classes, and staying in constant communication are essential.
Domination — Infantry battle over three control points, making for a series of push-and-pull firefights in close quarters.
Conquest — Battlefield’s iconic All-Out Warfare mode finds two teams fighting to control points across the map, with huge armies and all available vehicles. Things can get chaotic and overwhelming, but just remember: Play the objective.
Breakthrough — Attackers try to push forward across Battlefield 6’s big maps in this All-Out Warfare mode, dominating it sector by sector, while defenders do everything they can to stop them.
With Battlefield 6, Battlefield Studios and EA are revitalizing some of the best elements of the series, while dialing up the devastation to levels it’s never reached before. You really haven’t played Battlefield until you’ve watched a tank shell collapse a building while you’re standing in it.
But you can experience it all for yourself, and soon. You can join Battlefield 6’s open beta on two weekends this month: August 9-10 and August 14-17. The full game launches on October 10.
If you’ve ever fired up Baldur’s Gate 3 and wondering why the likes of Shadowheart or Lae’zel’s portrait shows them glaring at you like they’ve been summoned into some kind of video call, I bring good news. Larian’s rectified this and one other infamous issue as part of the game’s latest hotfix.
Don’t get too excited, though. The devs are so keen to make sure no one gets their hopes up for any more major additions to the RPG now that its final patch is out of the way that they’ve dubbed this a “room temperature fix”.
If you’re a survival horror fan, you’ve probably been keeping an eye on Cronos: The New Dawn, a brand new sci-fi third-person shooter where you jump between 1980’s Poland and a dystopian future. Previews for the game dropped earlier this week for other platforms, and they seem solid across the board.
Luckily, Switch 2 owners don’t need to miss out on the scares, as the game was confirmed to be coming to the new Nintendo console on the same day as other platforms; 5th September 2025.
To understand Mafia: The Old Country, you have to understand that this is a project concerned with looking back. It looks back, with deep research, at the very birth of the idea of the Mafia itself. It looks back, with real reverence, at the series it’s a part of. Hell, even its setting – the areas surrounding San Celeste, a Sicilian town at the turn of the 20th Century – is a callback to the opening mission of Mafia 2. But it takes those nostalgic ideas, and gives us a look forward at what Mafia can be in a modern gaming landscape.
Having played three hours of the game, it’s a fascinating exercise in marrying what players expect from a modern third-person narrative action game with what they loved about a series that began more than two decades ago. Key to that is, yes, there is a gorgeously realized Sicilian countryside for players to immerse themselves in, but this is not an open world game as we’ve come to expect it.
“The formula we’ve chosen to follow for Mafia: The Old Country is much more similar to that of Mafia 1 and Mafia 2,” explains Game Director, Alex Cox. “There is a world to explore, but it’s a backdrop to the story, it’s not the focus. It’s not an open world game in a conventional sense. The world is there to kind of provide an immersive environment for the story to take place.
“But we wanted something new and fresh as well. For us this game is the start of a new generation of Mafia games. We’re not in hock to nostalgia, we’re not bound by the rules of the past.”
You’ll feel that right away. In your typical game, gameplay leads story – you’ll know the familiar feeling of walking into a room that feels suspiciously like a shooting gallery, or up to a device that definitely contains a puzzle. But in Mafia: The Old Country, story always takes the lead. In my time with the game, I never walked into a firefight, stealth section, car race, or horse ride that didn’t have a reason to be there.
It all serves a story that follows the same balance of old and new. Taken in one sense, this is a deeply nostalgic mob tale – we follow our main character, Enzo, over the course of years, dipping into the key moments of his transformation from a miner to a made man, meeting the unpredictable Don Torrisi, his noble enforcer Luca, and his wayward nephew Cesare.
But there’s much here that isn’t familiar – the Mafia was treated more like a secret society than a criminal business at this time in history, and that plays out fascinatingly as you wander the Sicilian countryside to collect protection money, take down camps of brigands, and indulge in the pleasures the accompanying loot brings you.
Even more unusually, there’s also a true love story built into the mix. Enzo falls for the Don’s daughter, Isabella, and we see their forbidden romance bloom in a way few games would make space for.
“There are topics that I don’t think [have been covered] in a video game before,” enthuses Cox. “Real stuff that affects real people everyday, not in video games. We used cinema and prestige TV as a benchmark for us in terms of the quality of where we want to get to from terms of our storytelling.”
The premium that Hangar 13 have placed on storytelling means that this is truly Enzo’s tale, not a straightforward player fantasy. Yes, there’s a gorgeous, Unreal Engine-powered Sicily arrayed around you and, yes, you can explore it between missions – but this game wants to make the way you travel through that world feel believable. When Enzo has a goal, you’re not able to deviate in a way that wouldn’t be true to life.
It gives a sense of cinematic pace to what can be a very freeform genre. There are times during my playthrough where I’m simply on a pleasant horseback ride with Isabella – no emergent shootouts, no distractions, other than the landscape stretching to the sea. You’re playing a story, not a sandbox.
But when the action does become earned, there’s a lot to play with here. Don’t mistake The Old Country’s restraint for a lack of ambition – there’s a lot of classic gameplay thinking here, it’s more that the delivery feels different to what we’ve come to expect.
The game oscillates smoothly from character building to energetic bursts of pure gameplay. In an early mission, as Enzo learns the ropes, I’m sent to recover a seized shipment of whiskey, and it transforms into a stealth game as I creep through a police station storehouse, distracting guards, stashing knocked-out threats in hiding places, and making out without raising the alarm.
In a later mission, Enzo and Cesare take a joyride in a car around Roman ruins, before Isabella’s kidnapped and a full firefight breaks out – and the game suddenly becomes a surprisingly exacting cover shooter, and subsequently becomes a car chase, then a horse chase, and then an infiltration of the kidnappers’ camp.
Most impressive is when it combines multiple ideas in a single sequence. Eventually, Enzo is trusted enough to take the lead when a local businessman needs to be… made an example of. First, I’m able to visit the Don’s weapons dealer, and introduced to an extensive variety of weapon types and optional combat systems (take it from me, being able to use a throwing knife for stealth takedowns is great). From there, I need to pick my own way into a mansion’s grounds, taking a more lethal approach to stealth than previously – until I overreach and it seamlessly becomes an all-out gunfight, and then an on-foot chase scene back through the grounds when my target escapes.
But all of the above ties directly back to the story of Enzo himself – we learn about the character through what he does, and each scene has repercussions on those around him. None of this feels throwaway.
It’s a style that Hangar 13 believes in enough to say that this isn’t an experiment, it’s a full-blown direction for the series. “We’re putting a marker out there as to where the quality of our narrative and cinematic presentation sit – and that is something which is kind of a new benchmark for the series,” says Cox. The plan, from here, is to use this style to tell more epic stories from across the Mafia timeline – all still standalone enough to feel fresh, but with events rippling from one game to another, rewarding fans for returning.
Unlike most developers, for Hangar 13 it’s less about finding new gameplay mechanics and more about finding new stories that can stand as proudly as this one. “When we think about these epic, multi-generational crime narratives [from film and literature] – that’s how we want the franchise to be,” concludes Cox. “The feeling that there’s many stories told within this universe that overlap with one another. If we can make that the experience of playing Mafia games, I think we’ll be successful in the future.”
Mafia: The Old Country comes to Xbox Series X|S on Friday, August 8.Game Pass Ultimate members who purchase the game will be able to stream it with cloud gaming on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC and compatible smart TVs.
Pre-order Mafia: The Old Country Standard Edition or Deluxe Edition to receive the Soldato Pack featuring distinctive cosmetics and a helpful Charm.*
Mafia: The Old Country Deluxe Edition lets you descend into Sicily’s criminal underworld in true mafioso style with a variety of bonus items for your collection.
Deluxe Edition includes:
• Full base game
• Padrino Pack
– “Lupara Speciale” Shotgun
– “Vendetti Speciale” Pistol
– “Immortale” Charm
– “Padrino” Outfit
– “Stiletto Speciale” Knife
– “Eckhart Speciale” Limousine
– “Cosimo” Horse and Accessories
• Gatto Nero Pack
– “Bodeo Nero” Pistol
– “Velocità” Charm
– “Gatto Nero” Outfit
– “Carozella Nero” Race Car
• Bonus materials
– Digital Art Book
– Original Score
Uncover the origins of organized crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily. Fight to survive as Enzo Favara and prove your worth to the Family in this immersive third-person action-adventure set during a dangerous, unforgiving era.
Enzo will do anything for a better life. After a brutal childhood of forced labor, he’s ready to risk everything to become a man of honor in the Torrisi crime family.
His oath to the Mafia, with all the power, temptation, and hardship it entails, is a burning reminder of this simple truth:
Family Takes Sacrifice.
This thrilling narrative is brought to life by stunning visuals, cinematic storytelling, and the authentic realism that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for. Enzo’s story unfolds in a time when skill with a stiletto blade was a deadly asset, a lupara sawed-off shotgun was a go-to firearm, murderous vendettas raged for decades, and mafiosi patrolled their protection rackets on foot, horseback, or behind the wheel of turn-of-the-century motorcars.
UNCOVER A MERCILESS WORLD OF ORGANIZED CRIME
The rough-hewn beauty of Sicily’s rugged countryside is a stark contrast to the grime of urban alleyways—but the treachery and violence of this gangland run just as deep. Rival families and their ruthless leaders wage unending turf wars in the shadows, hidden from the public eye. Trust is a fleeting rarity, and loyalties are worth killing for.
PLAY A CLASSIC MOB MOVIE
You’re the antihero of this thrilling 1900s story, living out every tense moment of Enzo’s descent into Sicily’s clandestine criminal underworld. Come face-to-face with a cast of unpredictable allies and cutthroat enemies in this classic crime drama, rich in period-authentic details that will immerse you in this treacherous Mediterranean setting.
FIGHT TO SURVIVE
Engage in life-or-death combat, be it up close with a blade or from afar with a variety of firearms. Ambush enemies for vicious stealth takedowns, or slice them up in close-quarters duels. If you prefer firearms, wield period-authentic handguns, rifles, and shotguns to overcome any odds and doggedly eliminate the Don’s enemies.
TRAVEL IN AUTHENTIC STYLE
Traverse a wide range of Sicilian environments, from underground crypts and crumbling ruins to bountiful vineyards and ornate opera houses. To reach your next target or make a hurried getaway, you’ll need to gallop on horseback across cobbled streets and open fields, or speed down dirt roads in authentic turn-of-the-century automobiles.
*Pre-order offer available for Mafia: The Old Country Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition until launch. Internet connection required to redeem bonus content. Items will be automatically entitled in-game at launch. Terms apply.
Purchase grants a license to the digital product subject to the Terms of Service (“ToS”) and Privacy Policy in game and at www.take2games.com/legal and www.take2games.com/privacy. Access to special/bonus/online features, content, services, or functions (“Special Features”), may require single-use serial code, additional fee, and/or online account registration (minimum age varies). Special Features may require internet connection, may not be available to all users or at all times, and may be terminated, modified, or offered under different terms in accordance with the ToS. See https://bit.ly/2K-Online-Services-Status for availability of certain Special Features. Violation of the ToS may result in restriction or termination of access to game or online account.
Pre-order Mafia: The Old Country Standard Edition or Deluxe Edition to receive the Soldato Pack featuring distinctive cosmetics and a helpful Charm.*
Uncover the origins of organized crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily. Fight to survive as Enzo Favara and prove your worth to the Family in this immersive third-person action-adventure set during a dangerous, unforgiving era.
Enzo will do anything for a better life. After a brutal childhood of forced labor, he’s ready to risk everything to become a man of honor in the Torrisi crime family.
His oath to the Mafia, with all the power, temptation, and hardship it entails, is a burning reminder of this simple truth:
Family Takes Sacrifice.
This thrilling narrative is brought to life by stunning visuals, cinematic storytelling, and the authentic realism that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for. Enzo’s story unfolds in a time when skill with a stiletto blade was a deadly asset, a lupara sawed-off shotgun was a go-to firearm, murderous vendettas raged for decades, and mafiosi patrolled their protection rackets on foot, horseback, or behind the wheel of turn-of-the-century motorcars.
UNCOVER A MERCILESS WORLD OF ORGANIZED CRIME
The rough-hewn beauty of Sicily’s rugged countryside is a stark contrast to the grime of urban alleyways—but the treachery and violence of this gangland run just as deep. Rival families and their ruthless leaders wage unending turf wars in the shadows, hidden from the public eye. Trust is a fleeting rarity, and loyalties are worth killing for.
PLAY A CLASSIC MOB MOVIE
You’re the antihero of this thrilling 1900s story, living out every tense moment of Enzo’s descent into Sicily’s clandestine criminal underworld. Come face-to-face with a cast of unpredictable allies and cutthroat enemies in this classic crime drama, rich in period-authentic details that will immerse you in this treacherous Mediterranean setting.
FIGHT TO SURVIVE
Engage in life-or-death combat, be it up close with a blade or from afar with a variety of firearms. Ambush enemies for vicious stealth takedowns, or slice them up in close-quarters duels. If you prefer firearms, wield period-authentic handguns, rifles, and shotguns to overcome any odds and doggedly eliminate the Don’s enemies.
TRAVEL IN AUTHENTIC STYLE
Traverse a wide range of Sicilian environments, from underground crypts and crumbling ruins to bountiful vineyards and ornate opera houses. To reach your next target or make a hurried getaway, you’ll need to gallop on horseback across cobbled streets and open fields, or speed down dirt roads in authentic turn-of-the-century automobiles.
*Pre-order offer available for Mafia: The Old Country Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition until launch. Internet connection required to redeem bonus content. Items will be automatically entitled in-game at launch. Terms apply.
Purchase grants a license to the digital product subject to the Terms of Service (“ToS”) and Privacy Policy in game and at www.take2games.com/legal and www.take2games.com/privacy. Access to special/bonus/online features, content, services, or functions (“Special Features”), may require single-use serial code, additional fee, and/or online account registration (minimum age varies). Special Features may require internet connection, may not be available to all users or at all times, and may be terminated, modified, or offered under different terms in accordance with the ToS. See https://bit.ly/2K-Online-Services-Status for availability of certain Special Features. Violation of the ToS may result in restriction or termination of access to game or online account.
Bandai Namco will finally roll up another mainline Katamari game with Once Upon a Katamari when it launches for PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on its October 24, 2025, release date.
News about the first fresh Katamari game in 14 years arrived during today’s July 2025 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. It came with a full-on gameplay trailer, below, revealing the return of The King of All Cosmos and plenty of that classic Katamari, ball-rolling gameplay fans have come to love the series for. You can see it all — and catch some new music — in the Once Upon a Katamari gameplay trailer below.
As if there was ever any concern, players can expect Once Upon a Katamari to let them roll up the universe yet again when it launches this fall. It’ll be more than a carbon copy of the games it follows, though, with Bandai Namco announcing a planet-sized amount of new features to enjoy.
Included in the lineup of additions of customization options for the Prince and 68 available Cousins, as well as multiplayer support for up to four players. It’s chaos that will be backed by an all-new soundtrack to listen to as players roll throughout history and rebuild the sky.
“The King of All Cosmos and his family accidentally destroyed the Earth, the moon, and countless stars floating in the universe,” an official description from Nintendo says. “Travel through the Jurassic Period, Ice Age, historic Japan, and other eras to roll up objects with your trusty katamari and rebuild the starry sky. With all-new stages, a new soundtrack, character customization, a new four-player multiplayer mode that lets players compete online or battle CPU rivals offline and more, the quirky Katamari Damacy series returns when Once Upon A Katamari launches on Nintendo Switch October 24.”
Once Upon a Katamari on Switch will be up for pre-order through the Nintendo eShop later today. Those with save data from Katamari Damacy REROLL or We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie will also be able to unlock a special playable Young King at launch. A proper Nintendo Switch 2 version has yet to be announced.
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).
Punishing my tendency to never bother watching Nintendo Directs, Bandai Namco used today’s Switch 2-focused showcase to announce Once Upon a Katamari: the first mainline, non-remake Katamari game since 2011. It’ll be out on PC as well, come October 24th 2025, and while you’ll once again be rolling up entire societies around a swelling sticky ball, this one will span a range of time periods – so you’ll be able to knead whole new planets out of feudal Japan or ancient Greece.
At Gen Con 2025, Disney Lorcana celebrated its two-year anniversary in a big way by revealing A Goofy Movie and Iconic Mickey and Minnie cards headed to the Fabled expansion, details on Whispers in the Well, Winterspell, and Toy Story cards, and even a brand-new set of Disney Lorcana puzzles.
There’s a lot to look forward to in the ever-expanding world of Disney Lorcana, and you can check out all the latest news and cards below!
Fabled’s Iconic Mickey and Minnie Cards Are the Stars of This Expansion Alongside A Goofy Movie
Fabled is set to be released at local card shops on August 25 and everywhere else on September 5, and one of the biggest new additions it brings to Disney Lorcana is Iconic cards. These are even rarer than Enchanted and feature full alternate artwork, unique foil pattern, and foil hot-stamped text and stats. Kicking off this new rarity will be Minnie Mouse – Sweetheart Princess and Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Prince.
These cards not only look great, but they also complete a picture when placed together. Furthermore, Minnie’s Royal Favor adds Support to any Mickey Mouse cards, meaning their love for each other will also help you in-game!
Another new rarity being added with Fabled will be Epic, which are rarer than Legendary but more common than Enchanted, and one of these new cards will be A Goofy Movie’s Stand Out. A Goofy Movie’s arrival in Lorcana was long-requested, and Stand Out will celebrate this moment alongside Powerline – World’s Greatest Rock Star and I2I.
Dumbo is also getting some love in the new Fabled set, as Dumbo – The Flying Elephant, and Timothy T. Mouse – Flight Instructor will be just two of the card players that will be able to seek out.
There will also be a handful of promo cards to look out for in Fabled, including Alice – Accidentally Adrift (Buy a Box Promo), Cursed Merfolk – Usula’s Handiwork (Weekly Play Promo), Sisu – Daring Visitor (Weekly Play Promo), Strength of Raging Fire (Weekly Play Promo), and The Queen – Conceited Ruler (Pre-Release Promo).
Lastly, Maleficent in her dragon form will be featured as Fabled’s Set Championship, meaning there will be cards and play mats available to those who can win at tournaments held throughout the year.
The Collection Starter Set and Elsa Gift Box Are Made for Collectors and Newcomers
For those looking for even more ways to celebrate their love of Disney Lorcana or jump in for the first time, the Collection Starter Set and Elsa Gift Box will be worth a look when they launch on October 3, 2025.
The Collection Starter Set will cost $29.99 and will include a 4-pocket card portfolio featuring Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Tailor artwork, which had previously only been used at Disney Lorcana Challenge. There will also be a “Glimmer Foil” Tinker Bell – Giant Fairy promo card, four Fabled booster packs, and a Collector’s Guide.
The Elsa Gift Box, on the other hand, will also cost $29.99, and it will come with five Booster packs, one “Glimmer Foil” Elsa – The Fifth Spirit promo card, one storage box, and three punch-out card dividers.
Whispers in the Well Will Feature Zootopia’s Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde
Whispers in the Well is the next set after Fabled and will have its pre-release on November 7 and official release on November 14. For Disney Lorcana lore hunters, this set will introduce Whispers, which are partially-formed Glimmers that we’ll encounter in the “depths of the Great illuminary.” To find these Whispers, certain detective Glimmers like Mickey Mouse, Judy Hopps, and Nick Wilde will need to lend their expertise to the cause.
We were given a look at a few of the Zootopia cards that will be part of Whispers in the Well, including Judy Hopps – Uncovering Clues, Nick WIlde – Persistent Investigator, and Putting It All Together. The Deck and Booster Pack art was also revealed, and they feature such characters as Daisy, Demona, Gaston, Simba, Megara, Judy Hopps, and Robin Hood.
Winterspell Promises ‘Flurries of Fun’ With Stitch, Angel, and More
In Q1 2026, Disney Lorcana will be releasing Winterspell, a new expansion that promises “Flurries of Fun.” We don’t know too much about this set yet, but the art you can see above features Stitch and Angel, and they appear to be in a tropical setting that is covered in snow!
Toy Story to Arrive in Disney Lorcana in Q2 2026
As one final surprise, the team at Disney Lorcana revealed Toy Story characters will be joining the TCG in Q2 2026. The only info we have is from a piece of artwork that features both Woody and Buzz on a seemingly alien planet. More details will be shared in the future.
Disney Lorcana Puzzles From Ravensburger Feature Original Art from the TCG
Disney Lorcana is venturing into the world of puzzles as it will be presenting six 1,000-piece puzzles from Ravensburger – one for each Ink color, that will feature original art from the TCG and each will even come with a Disney Mickey Mouse – True Friend promo card. These puzzles will cost $29.99 each in the US and Canada and will be released on September 1, 2025.
You can check out the Amber, Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire puzzles in the slideshow above, and there are still two – Amethyst and Steel – that have yet to be revealed. Furthermore, those last two will be exclusive to Disney in its stores and online.
As PopCap announces a “definitive” new version of its beloved original Plants vs Zombies, the studio has reflected on the evolution of its garden tower defense franchise — and revealed why now is the right time for it to go back to the series’ PC and console roots, after a pair of sequels focused on smartphones.
Speaking to IGN, PopCap studio general manager Nick Reinhart said the freshly-announced Plants vs Zombies: Replanted was an opportunity to “reestablish” what fans loved about the series, while making it accessible on modern consoles, with polished-up 4K graphics.
Plants vs Zombies: Replanted will arrive on October 23, 2025 priced at $19.99, for PC (via EA app, Epic Games Store and Steam) and on consoles for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
New features include local co-op and PVP options, two additional game modes (a roguelike permadeath offering named Rest in Peace, and Cloudy Day mode, which ups the difficulty by limiting sunlight), plus an art gallery showing previously-unreleased concepts.
Describing the package as “the definitive PvZ remaster,” executive producer Jake Neri said it was PopCap’s way to “preserve the magic of the original while also giving it a freshness that allows it to live for another 20-odd years.”
“We’ve heard for quite a while now that that people would love a remaster of this game,” Neri continued, when asked why Replanted was surfacing now. “Timing is important.”
“PopCap just celebrated [PvZ’s] Sweet 16, which may seem like a little bit of a strange one but, at PopCap, we are strange,” added Reinhart. “It certainly has been swirling around sort of for a little bit, as we’ve been talking about getting things pulled together.”
“My official answer here is that I don’t have anything to say about PvZ 3 at the moment,” Reinhart said when asked for an update on the MIA threequel’s status. For 2025, at least, the franchise’s focus appears to be Replanted — though there are “no plans” for Replanted to also launch on smartphones, something that would leave the runway clear for PvZ to return there at some point.
“Is it a reset?” Reinhart said, when asked if Replanted’s launch was the franchise resetting to its origins, after various spin-offs and sequels. “I think that’s an interesting way to sort of frame the question. What I would say is that I think it’s more of a reacknowledgement of what our roots are, and what sort of games we should be thinking about and what we should be making.”
“Has the brand ever gone away? No,” Reinhart continued. “A reset, to me, almost implies ‘well, it’s been dead on the vine,’ and we’re, like, trying to bring it back or something like that. I don’t think it’s there. I do think that it’s an opportunity for us to reestablish that this is a brand that people love, that there are still a lot of Neighborville stories that we can and should tell, and that we have to author that, to some extent, with our fan base in mind, and that we have to be able to acknowledge what we’ve done there.”
Naturally, PopCap has arrived on its decision to relaunch the original Plants vs Zombies after seeing the reaction to its more recent games in the series. 2013’s smartphone-only Plants vs Zombies 2 was popular and long-lasting, though included touchscreen power-ups and microtransactions that grated with some players. More recent years have seen the franchise’s console focus transform into a 3D shooter, via the Garden Warfare spin-off franchise — though for now, 2019 entry Battle for Neighborville appears to be the last.
Even PopCap itself, previously a prolific creator of bizarre but compulsive game ideas (Feeding Frenzy! Zuma! Bookworm!) has consolidated its focus in recent years. Bejeweled Stars will be a decade old next year, while Peggle 2 is 12 years old already, with no sign of a third entry on the horizon.
“I would say that the passion of the community is an important thing that has to be galvanized and recognized,” Reinhart said, discussing why PopCap has gone back to PvZ’s roots now. “So much of what inspires our design decisions is, how we make sure that we are keeping something that is familiar, that doesn’t entirely break the compact we have made with the player base, but that we can also then begin to iterate and move it forward as well.”
“This game has given us an opportunity to go and dive in and try to figure out exactly what it is that people love about PvZ,” Neri added. “And there’s a lot of learning that we’ve done about the zaniness of the IP and how it appeals to people in that way, and that helps guide us and help us be true to what the the expectation is.”
This desire to keep within fan expectations helped informed PopCap’s choice of new modes for Replanted, Neri continued, as while the developer had plenty of ideas and could have gone in “all different directions,” Replanted’s team instead aimed for what they thought fans would actually want.
“We’re very thoughtful about how much innovation we bring into it,” Reinhart agreed, “and not just trying to alienate the core overall experience for players… As we look to the future, we’re looking at the brand more holistically and saying, what else is there? And what would it mean for us to reinvestigate some of that? There are no formal plans for right now, but it’s something we are spending a lot of time looking at. But for this year, for the current stanza of where PopCap is, it is back at tower defense, and we’re excited about that.”
“We’ve done a ton of exploration around what people loved about all the different versions of PvZ and trying to bring it back into this version,” Neri added. “As we go forward, I definitely hope that Replanted will be an anchor for for us, that people can look to and understand — because the original PvZ still lives in people’s hearts and minds.”
So what of the future? Does a return to the more grounded original Plants vs Zombies in Replanted offer a clue as to where the franchise could go next? Or could it spark the re-release of other PopCap classics?
“We’ve absolutely been having conversations about — if this is fruitful, if this meets the fans expectations… is this a template?” Reinhart said. “I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm about that. Now, whether or not there are actually plans ongoing yet, we can’t say that, but I would say we’re very interested to see how this goes and what it would maybe mean for other properties to sort of maybe follow a similar route.
“PvZ is incredibly enduring,” Reinhart concluded, “and being able to bring that to a new audience, to reawaken people’s nostalgia and their feelings about it as well, especially in a time where I think the world could use a little bit of joy and wackiness, it just feels like the right time for that.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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