In case you missed it, Nintendo recently opened a Museum in Japan and it’s filled with all sorts of displays featuring the company’s classic titles. For anyone who has been wondering how exactly Nintendo is showcasing these retro games in its museum, it seems it might be making use of emulation on Windows PC.
As highlighted by PC Gamer, an ‘X’ user known as ‘ChrisMack32’ shared a video of a Super Nintendo controller being disconnected (via USB) during a game of Super Mario World at the Museum, and you can reportedly hear the Windows USB disconnection sound play in the background.
Microsoft announced on Monday that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available on Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) for Game Pass Ultimate members at launch, along with two other Call of Duty titles later this month.
Per Microsoft’s blog post, Black Ops 6 will begin rolling out on Xbox Cloud Gaming at 10am PT on October 25, the same day that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone will get cloud support for Game Pass Ultimate members. Microsoft points out in the blog post that it’s “a first for the Call of Duty franchise,” marking the first time a Call of Duty title has been available on Xbox Cloud Gaming at launch following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Interestingly, Microsoft sold cloud gaming rights for Activision games to Ubisoft as a key measure to get the acquisition through the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Therefore, it wasn’t a guarantee that Black Ops 6 would be available on Xbox Cloud Gaming. Other big Activision Blizzard King titles, including Diablo 4, still aren’t on Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Those looking to play the three Call of Duty games via the cloud will need to a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, and they’ll be available on consoles, PCs, mobile devices, select Samsung TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Meta Quest devices. “This opens up even more ways to play Black Ops 6 starting on day one at launch,” Ashley McKissick, Corporate Vice President, Gaming Experiences & Platforms at Microsoft, writes in the blog post.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S when it releases on October 25, and will be the first mainline Call of Duty game to hit Game Pass on Day One. In the meantime, check out our breakdown of all the big changes coming to multiplayer based on feedback to the beta.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Microsoft has announced its latest Xbox Partner Preview – what the company calls its “no-fluff, all-games broadcast” – for this coming Thursday, October 17.
Per Microsoft’s blog post on Monday, the broadcast will show off games from Remedy Entertainment, Sega, 505 Games, and more. It’ll include a mix of new and upcoming games, featuring more than a dozen fresh trailers and clocking in at around 25 minutes.
Delving into more specifics, the broadcast will also feature a look at Alan Wake II’s next expansion, The Lake House, aheads of its release sometime this month. Other highlights include “an action-packed new trailer for Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a peek at multiple bosses in dark-fantasy action game Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, multiple world premieres, and other great titles coming to Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and Game Pass.”
The stream will kick off at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK and, per usual, will be available to watch on Xbox’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
Microsoft has been holding Partner Previews here and there, with the last one taking place back in March. That broadcast spent roughly 30 minutes showing off games like Capcom’s Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Creatures of Ava, Frontpunk 2, and more, along with a number of announcements. Microsoft also featured plenty of third-party games during its big Xbox Showcase in June.
In other Xbox-related news, it was announced on Monday that Rare boss Craig Duncan will be the new head of Xbox Games Studios, replacing Alan Hartman after he retires in November.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
The Stone of Madness, the upcoming RTS adventure from Teku Studios and The Game Kitchen, has already bagged a release date.
The Spanish monastery-set stealth adventure was re-revealed at Gamescom 2024, four years after Teku Studios originally announced the title. But now the game is set to launch on Switch and other consoles on 28th January 2024.
Cast your mind back ten years. Done? Good, you survived the hideous form of time travel known as long-term memory. Now, do you see a horrendous first-person shooter anywhere back there, full of memes and intentionally terrible font choices? Congratulations, you may have remembered 420BlazeIt, a freakish eyesore of a game developed during a 7-day game jam by one of the people behind Crossy Road, of all things. It briefly did the YouTuber rounds, back when YouTube was not yet the anxiety-inducing ad factory it is today.
Now I’m going to ask you to come back to the present. But prepare for a bit of a shock – there’s a sequel coming to that bong huffing shooter. 420BlazeIt 2 has been announced for some months, but now there’s a demo you can play too.
We’re thrilled to announce the next Xbox Partner Preview – our no-fluff, all-games broadcast – is coming this Thursday, October 17. In the latest installment, we’ll feature a mix of new and upcoming games for you from incredible partners like Remedy Entertainment, Sega, 505 Games, and many more, with over a dozen new trailers over the course of around 25 minutes.
During Xbox Partner Preview, you’ll get a first look at gameplay from Alan Wake II’s next expansion, The Lake House, an action-packed new trailer for Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a peek at multiple bosses in dark-fantasy action game Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, multiple world premieres, and other great titles coming to Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and Game Pass.
As always, Xbox Partner Preview is all about sharing exciting games news from our talented partners across the globe: you’ll get new game reveals, release date announcements, and fresh new gameplay from upcoming games. And to sweeten the deal, during the broadcast, Xbox Wire will post exclusive behind-the-scenes stories about select titles shown.
This event will be broadcast digitally on Thursday, October 17, at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK across our Xbox channels on YouTube and Twitch. Read on for all the details you need to know in advance:
Q&A
What time does Xbox Partner Preview begin? Thursday, October 17, at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK.
How do I watch? Xbox Partner Preview will be available through a variety of outlets:
Please note, YouTube.com/Xbox will be in 4K at 60fps, while all other channels will be 1080p / 60fps.
Is the event available in languages other than English? We will be providing live subtitle support in the following languages: Arabic (MSA), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Czech, French, Canadian French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish and Turkish.
Aside from going directly to a regional Xbox channel, you’ll be able to find 30+ languages at YouTube.com/Xbox in the days following the show. Just click the gear icon in the lower righthand corner of the primary stream to choose the language of your choice.
Is the show going to be Accessible to those with low/no hearing or low/no vision? There will be a version of the show with Audio Descriptions (AD) in English on the Xbox YouTube channel, and American Sign Language (ASL) on Xbox’s YouTube channel and the /XboxASL Twitch channel. The /XboxOn YouTube channel will also carry a British Sign Language (BSL) feed.
I’m not going to be able to watch, where can I find out what was announced? A full show recap will go live immediately following the end of Xbox Partner Preview. As announcements roll out during the broadcast, the Xbox Wire team will be publishing exclusive blog posts about select titles right here on Xbox Wire (including localized versions in Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, LATAM Spanish, and Japanese).
Co-streamer and content creator notes for the Xbox Partner Preview: We at Xbox greatly appreciate any co-stream efforts and aim to ensure you have a smooth experience if you choose to do so. However, due to forces beyond our control, we cannot guarantee that glitches or disruptions by bots and other automated software won’t interfere with your co-stream. For those planning to create post-show breakdowns of Xbox Partner Preview in the form of Video on Demand (VOD) coverage, we recommend you do not use any audio containing copyrighted music to avoid any action by automated bots, and to also consult the terms of service for your service provider.
We can’t wait for you to join us on Thursday for the next Xbox Partner Preview! See you soon.
The long-rumored Destiny mobile game is finally a reality, with an announcement that brings a debut trailer and word of a closed-alpha test on November 1.
Destiny: Rising is a free-to-play mobile sci-fi RPG shooter set within the Destiny universe Bungie has spent the last decade building. But this new mobile Destiny game isn’t developed or even published by Bungie itself. It’s developed and published by NetEase Games, the Chinese megacorp behind the likes of Diablo Immortal, Once Human, and the upcoming Marvel Rivals, under an official license granted by Bungie.
In 2018, NetEase invested over $100 million into Bungie to build a new game. The investment gave NetEase a minority stake in Bungie and a seat on its board of directors, but all that changed when Sony bought Bungie for $3.7 billion back in 2022.
Now, two years after the Sony buyout and six years after NetEase’s investment, Destiny: Rising is a reality. And while NetEase is the developer and publisher of Destiny: Rising, Bungie is “providing oversight and approvals of the game’s development.”
In terms of gameplay, Destiny: Rising has both first-person and third-person options, with the player able to switch between them at will. Destiny: Rising supports touchscreen controls and supports PlayStation and Xbox controllers, as well as mobile-specific controllers.
While Destiny: Rising is set within the Destiny universe, its events take place in an alternate Destiny timeline. It explores a story in the post-Dark Age era (the era that took place after the Collapse of Destiny’s Golden Age). Here’s the official blurb:
As a genesis of new possibilities in the Destiny Universe, Destiny: Rising delves into an unseen era where burgeoning hope blooms once again after a terrifying collapse of civilization and the dangers of the resulting Dark Age. With the help of legendary Iron Lords, humanity has broken free the shackles of tyranny and began to rally together against the alien forces intent on its extinction. Amidst the chaos of this early age for The City, a new generation of Lightbearers, resurrected by mysterious entities known as Ghosts, set out to restore humanity’s prominence and secure its future.
There’s single-player, co-op, and competitive multiplayer gameplay, NetEase Games said, including “beloved” game modes familiar to Destiny players, and all-new modes. There are campaign missions and six-player co-op strikes that are “iconic” to the Destiny franchise. Perhaps we’ll get something along the lines of the Cerberus Vae III strike from Destiny 1, whether we wanted it or not.
As for characters, expect “familiar” faces from Destiny as well as brand new characters. There is clan support, “fun and casual” party modes, and customizable shared spaces.
Environments include the sanctuary of Haven (a refuge for the Lightbearers and survivors), the icy, ancient metro of Jiangshi, and the arid expanse of the Red Sea Rift. As you’d expect, Destiny: Rising as exotic weapons, the franchises’ signature guns.
“For over a decade, we have built this universe to contain many unique and wonderful stories, and we are excited to see mobile gamers be able to experience this new take on the Destiny universe from the creative team at NetEase,” commented Terry Redfield, creative lead at Bungie.
The announcement of Destiny: Rising comes at a troubling time for Bungie and the Destiny franchise after mass layoffs hit the legendary studio earlier this year. In September, Bungie unveiled what it called “major changes” to Destiny 2 designed to win back players. Bungie has reportedly struggled to meet key financial targets, with Destiny 2 significantly underperforming last year. The Final Shape expansion, released in June, reportedly sold less at launch than 2023’s critically panned Lightfall.’
We are excited to see mobile gamers be able to experience this new take on the Destiny universe.
In a LinkedIn post, Don McGowan, the former general counsel at Bungie, reacted to the Destiny 2 changes to say he was pleased with parent company Sony’s apparent influence in the decision making, which, he said, meant the studio was finally “running the game like a business.”
Bungie reportedly has no plans for Destiny 3 and has canceled a Destiny spinoff project known as Payback. Development on its Marathon revival is said to still be ongoing.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Neva is the Sophomore effort from Nomada Studio, who you may remember from their beautiful, dreamy platformer Gris. Neva is not a literal sequel to Gris, but it certainly seems to be one in a spiritual sense, as it, too, is a floaty hand-illustrated platformer fond of metaphor. Neva introduces some drama, with combat and a health system (if not actual stakes because of near-instant restarts), and although neither the platforming nor combat are precise enough to be neat bedfellows, I think we should be willing to forgive most of the mess.
The Witcher is getting a wholesome, family friendly comic book adaptation called The Little Witcher, CD Projekt Red has announced.
In collaboration with Dey Rey Books and Penguin Random House, the hardback book arrives May 13, 2025 and is available to preorder now for $16 at Amazon, and via the myriad outlets listed on the Penguin website. It tells stories of a young Ciri as she trains to be a witcher under Geralt of Rivia, and also stars the likes of Yennefer of Vengerberg and Vesemir.
“Young Ciri’s extensive training at Kaer Morhen, the witchers’ stronghold, includes everything she needs to learn to survive the many threats in her world, as well as all the antics and fun of a little girl bonding with her adoptive dad and family,” the synopsis reads.
We’re happy to announce THE LITTLE WITCHER, a heartwarming comic collection from @DelReyBooks & @penguinrandom that is perfect for parents and all Witcher lovers. Follow Geralt of Rivia as he tackles life as a monster-slaying dad raising young Ciri. 🐺✨
“With help from Geralt and Ciri’s closest companions — including the motherly magic of Yennefer of Vengerberg and the wisdom of uncle Vesemir — these adorable tales of a non-traditional family will make you laugh, make you sigh, and make you realize that raising a little witcher is not that different from raising any other kid.
“Sure, bedtime stories might include warnings of monsters who fart when surprised, and Geralt might invoke the Witcher Code to get Ciri to brush her teeth or clean her room, but even the formidable White Wolf knows to surrender when it comes to bedtime battles or afternoon tea with the toys.”
The book is described as being perfect for Witcher fans raising their own children, readers who believe in the power of chosen families, families who like cute, magical comics, The Witcher fans who want to spend more time at Kaer Morhen, and players looking for a light hearted twist on their favorite game.
