Joining the fight on Switch platforms later this year.
Marvel’s been involved with some pretty exciting games in recent times, and hopefully, this trend continues with its upcoming arcade-style beat ’em up MARVEL Cosmic Invasion.
Ahead of the game’s launch on the Switch and Switch 2 later this year, Dotemu has today revealed another two playable characters joining the roster. This time we get a brief look at ‘Beta Ray Bill’ and ‘Silver Surfer’ who join the fight against the immortal super villain Annihilus.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion, the promising looking beat ‘em-up from the developer of the well-received Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, announced two new playable characters as well as some big names for its voice cast during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025.
First up, we have The Silver Surfer, which is an appropriately timed character announcement given the release of MCU movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps. “Imbued with the Power Cosmic, the Surfer can stun any adversary,” publisher Dotemu and developer Tribute Games said. “Easily gliding in the skies or close to the ground, insectoid invaders can’t escape Galactus’ former herald.”
The second reveal is perhaps more of a surprise as a playable character: Beta Ray Bill. “A fan-favorite recognized by the mighty Thor as a proven ally, and wielder of his own devastating hammer known as Stormbreaker,” Dotemu said. “Half-cyborg, half Korbinite, Bill’s strength can squash any bug battalion standing in his way.”
The Silver Surfer and Beta Ray Bill join Captain America, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Storm, Phyla-Vell, Venom, Nova, She-Hulk, and Rocket Raccoon on the playable roster of characters. The game launches with 15 playable characters, which means four are still to be announced.
As for the voice cast, Matt Mercer from Critical Role is set to play Nova and Annihilus.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion voice cast (so far):
Brian Bloom (Captain America, Silver Surfer)
Steve Blum (Venom, Beta Ray Bill)
Trevor Devall (Rocket Raccoon)
Cal Dodd (Wolverine)
Josh Keaton (Spider-Man)
Matt Mercer (Nova, Annihilus)
Aileen Mythen (Phyla-Vell)
Elysia Rotaru (She-Hulk)
Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm)
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is due out later this year on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5 and Xbox. Here’s the official blurb:
In Marvel Cosmic Invasion, the immortal Super Villain Annihilus has launched an unprecedented attack across the galaxy, threatening all life as we know it. Super Heroes both Earth-born and cosmic must now join forces in a star-spanning adventure against the deadly Annihilation Wave. Brawl through the streets of New York City all the way to the depths of the Negative Zone to foil Annihilus’ vow to spread death across the cosmos in classically inspired side-scrolling combat.
Choose and control your own team of two characters while tagging between them mid-fight with the innovative Cosmic Swap system, capitalizing on distinct superpowers and special attacks to create unique team-ups and dish out devastating damage. Unlock stellar powerups and rewards while experimenting with different duos and bash through a fantastic collection of locales and nemeses from the Marvel universe. Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s action includes a range of accessibility features, empowering the whole family to be Super Heroes (or villains), and supports four-player drop-in/drop-out local and online co-op with crossplay.
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.
The cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps recently gathered to try out Marvel Rivals for the first time, and the actors’ reaction to Invisible Woman’s skimpy Malice skin has the internet in tears.
Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm), and Joseph Quinn (Human Torch) recently gathered to play NetEase Games’ popular hero shooter with YouTuber Loserfruit. The resulting video is quite funny, showing the new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) family as they fumble through a few matches as their in-game counterparts.
Meet the family! ✨Marvel Studios The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast’s genuine reactions as they try out Marvel Rivals! 😄 pic.twitter.com/sq8lwMh7pp
It’s goofy and occasionally hard to watch as Pascal flails his stretchy arms at enemies, but the highlight is no doubt the Fantastic Four cast’s reaction to Invisible Woman’s infamous Marvel Rivals Malice skin. Fans of the game had already taken the time to see everything the shockingly revealing outfit had to offer when it made its debut with Season 1 in January. On the eve of the new Fantastic Four movie’s premiere, though, the cast is only just seeing it for the first time.
Kirby is the first to joke about the skin: “Thank you. This is my favorite bit of her as well,” she says of the video game version of her Fantastic Four character. “This is my favorite bit. Guys, watch out, like I said, for the sequel. You better watch it.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, of course, has yet to receive the green light for a proper MCU sequel, though we do know at least some of its major characters will make an appearance in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Invisible Woman’s evil black-and-red Malice skin probably won’t make it into the MCU, but the slack-jawed Pascal still shared some of his thoughts.
“Here we go,” Pascal said. “Costume designer, take notes.”
Loserfruit’s video also includes the Fantastic Four cast’s reaction to other Marvel Rivals cosmetics, including Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman’s The Life Fantastic wedding skins. Of course, it’s how all four actors reacted to the Malice skin that has started to achieve viral status. You can see the group’s reaction at 4:40 in Loserfruit’s video and then see how it’s spread to the internet below.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps officially lands in theaters tomorrow, July 25, and will introduce the first new live-action take on Marvel’s First Family in a decade. Meanwhile, a crossover featuring movie tie-in skins will arrive in Marvel Rivals starting tomorrow.
Screenshot via I Play Marvel Rivals with the Fantastic Four Cast by Loserfruit.
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).
In a surprising turn of events, Indiegogo, one of the largest global crowdfunding platforms second only to Kickstarter, has been acquired by board game crowdfunding site Gamefound.
In a joint announcement, Gamefound revealed it will be integrating its technology to enhance the Indiegogo platform, offering creators and backers more powerful tools than ever before. These include over 20 payment options, a full-featured mobile app, built-in marketing tools, and more robust pledge management. Indiegogo will also adopt Gamefound’s flat 5% fee structure, putting more money in creators’ pockets.
“It’s time for crowdfunding to be a forward-facing industry again,” said Julie dePontbriand, CEO of Indiegogo in the official release. “Gamefound’s technology is unrivaled, and we’re thrilled to bring it to Indiegogo’s diverse community. Together, we’re making crowdfunding more innovative, creator-friendly, and exciting than ever before.”
The two sites will continue operating independently for now, with Gamefound remaining focused on tabletop games and Indiegogo continuing to promote tech, film, and other creative projects. In the near future, Gamefound campaigns will also be discoverable through Indiegogo, opening the door to a much broader audience.
Indiegogo is one of the original crowdfunding pioneers, having launched over 17 years ago. In that time, it has amassed 38 million members and raised more than $3 billion for projects across the globe. By combining Indiegogo’s global reach with Gamefound’s cutting-edge infrastructure, the partnership might finally give Kickstarter a run for its money.
What does this mean for the board game industry?
Overall, this acquisition is a massive win for the board game industry. Gamefound will soon be cross-promoting its tabletop campaigns through Indiegogo, allowing creators to get in front of millions of new customers.
With fewer fees and more native tools to help promote projects, creators may finally start shifting away from Kickstarter for new campaigns. Since Gamefound doesn’t have a paid promotion feature like Kickstarter Boost, it levels the playing field for smaller creators, too.
Matthew Adler has written for IGN since 2019 covering all things gaming, tech, tabletop games, and more. You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.
Invincible VS will feature Battle Beast as a playable character.
Confirmation comes direct from Invincible creator Robert Kirkman’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, where a new trailer, below, showing Battle Beast in action was revealed.
Invincible VS is the upcoming 3v3 tag fighting game set in the Invincible universe. It’s developed by Skybound Entertainment’s first in-house game studio, Quarter Up. Already confirmed Invincible VS characters include Mark Grayson (Invincible), Atom Eve, Thula, Bulletproof, and Rex Splode. Check out IGN’s Invincible VS preview from June for more.
Here’s the official blurb on Battle Beast:
Battle Beast enters the arena with all the rage, strength and brutality fans know and love. His insatiable bloodlust has led him across the arena, using massive attack range and Super Armor to overpower opponents. Though slower in speed, his sheer power makes him a dominant “anchor” fighter capable of turning the tide of battle.
Warning! Spoilers for Invincible Season 3 follow:
In the Season 3 of Invincible, Battle Beast survives a brutal battle against a Viltrumite in space after a prison break. In the season finale he is found frozen and adrift by a ship from the Coalition of Planets and revived, setting the stage for his potential involvement in the Viltrumite War. He wants “more!”
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.
“His talent gave life to some of our most beloved characters”.
The Pokémon Company has shared a tribute on social media following the passing of long-time voice actor James Carter Cathcart, who passed away last week at the age of 71.
Accompanying the short tribute video of the voice actor’s many roles in the Pokémon anime — where Carter played Professor Oak, Gary Oak, Meowth, and Team Rocket’s James — along with the below message:
As someone who has loved dragons for longer than I can remember, including rocking dragon button-up shirts in high school as my “style” and theming my son’s bedroom around the scaled creatures, I was happy as a wyrm and his hoard when Wizards revealed they were releasing Dragon Delves: Adventure Anthology for Dungeons & Dragons. This collection puts front and center one of the namesakes of the TTRPG, featuring 10 adventures, while also highlighting the legacy of the creatures in this long-running franchise. After peeling back the pages and seeing what it has to offer, I find this book to be a fine addition to my shelf, but I wish it went further to really give these mythical creatures the celebration they deserve.
Dragon Delves is a collection of 10 short adventures, each one focused around chromatic (Green, Red, Blue, White, Black) or Metallic (Gold, Silver, Brass, Bronze, Copper) dragons that can be dropped into your existing campaigns or played back-to-back in a campaign that takes players from novice level 1 heroes up to level 12. It would have been nice if the designers offered some manner or tips, or recommendations for GMs to adjust the included quests for higher levels, but worst case, you could always just choose higher level enemies of a similar style, young dragons instead of wyrmlings, for example, to raise the challenge. There is a good variety of quests in this anthology, from solving mysteries behind corruption, sentient bags of holding, or uncovering forgotten verses of a song, but all of them will, at some point, have you and your party cross paths with a dragon.
All but one really hit for me. The one that didn’t is the Gold Dragon’s adventure, “Baker’s Doesn’t,” which involves a golden dragon named Briochebane that bakes bread, and has the party dealing with animated candy creations and visiting places like Candied Apple Orchards and Taffy Factories. Outlandish and silly in TTRPGs isn’t an automatic turn-off for me. Hell, in my own homebrew campaign, the party encountered an island of sentient vegetables and took a cauliflower puppy back with them. But in the scheme of Dragon Delves, this quest just doesn’t feel like it belongs among quests like “Death at Sunset” or “Shivering Death”. That said, its whimsical nature could be perfect for a little jaunt in the Feywild or to add a bit of levity to your campaign after an emotionally-packed couple of sessions.
This book’s real strength is how easy it makes it to drop the adventures into a campaign. Each of the 10 stories has been designed to last only one or two sessions, with the first page of each one providing simple and clear directions on where these can be dropped in, the level of characters it is for, the general plot points, how to prepare, and what state blocks you will need.
This book’s real strength is how easy it makes it to drop the adventures into a campaign.
For example, the Silver Dragon’s “The Will of Orcus” adventure states, “It can take place anywhere there are mountains and settlements,” and is for level 4 characters. All of those important bits of information you need can be gleaned from just a quick glance. As a GM, the faster I can get the info, the better, and I think the layout and design are wonderfully done here in Dragon Delves (and honestly, all of the updated 2025 5th edition books).
One thing of note, while this anthology contains the details of the adventures, it does not have any stat blocks for the creatures, so whoever is running these will also need the Monster Manual (see it at Amazon) – either 5th Edition book will suffice. The fact that this book doesn’t contain any unique stat blocks is a bit of a bummer. I would have loved to have blocks for each of the 10 dragons that are the focus of each one, which would give them something slightly unique or tweaked from their stock counterparts in the Monster Manual. Also, where are my updated gem dragons at, Wizards?!
In addition to the quests, this book also showcases how the visuals and designs of each dragon have evolved over the course of Dungeons & Dragons’ nearly five-decade-long lifespan. I appreciate the two-page spread of artwork, but when I heard that this book would also showcase the history of the dragon types, I expected more. I would have loved to see blurbs from Wizards’ designers on how, if any, the approach and gameplay design of the various types have shifted or changed over the years. How has Wizards approached its stat blocks, or despite “dragons” being in the franchise’s name, why is the team as reserved in showcasing or highlighting them? Much of this art I could obtain simply by searching Google; give me the information or material that has been hoarded away in the Wizards’ vaults.
Whether they are spewing acid, lightning, or breathing the more traditional fire, dragons have been, and always will be, really, really cool. There is a reason that these scaled creatures have become so closely ingrained and intertwined with the fantasy genre. Dragon Delves: Adventure Anthology gives players some relatively quick outings to enjoy and drop into their story whenever parties have a hankering for some dragon goodness. That said, this book never reached the heights of excitement I had imagined when I first heard about it. The fact that it relies solely on the basic stat blocks from the Monster Manual and there aren’t any fun adventures for higher-level parties is a bit disappointing. The fact that Tiamat, arguably the most recognizable dragon in Dungeons & Dragons, is absent is also a strange omission.
Dragon Devles comes off more as a great introductory package for dragons, and for newer or younger players just learning how to play D&D, it’s a fun collection of quick stories. But for more experienced players, or those hoping for setups for big confrontations with some ancient dragons, you may want to look elsewhere. Personally, I was hoping for and expecting more, but hopefully this anthology just marks the beginning of more dragon-centric books and campaigns to come.
Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.
It’s a race to the top, no wait, the botto…no wait, the core!
We’ve been absolutely addicted to Donkey Kong Bananza over the past week or so and various members of the team are, as expected, at different points along the way in the adventure. Some, like this writer, are still fairly early on in DK’s latest outing, whilst others, such as our very own Liam Doolan, are already done with the thing. No messing around there!
Now, very mild spoilers ahead, but by way of some of the old ‘water-cooler’ banter (proving once and for all that such a thing can even exist betwixt online colleagues), Liam shared with us that he’d actually managed to complete the game without unlocking one of Donkey Kong’s transformations.
The Asphalt series is kicking off its 20 year anniversary, and celebrating two decades of spectacular races with a season full of surprises!
Since its first start on the track with Asphalt GT, back in 2005, the Asphalt series has been constantly at the frontline of arcade racing for 20 years! Over the course of 9 main line titles, including 12 spin-offs and adaptations, we’ve helped define the meaning of speed alongside our fans, who have gone behind the wheels of over 1,000 cars through the series.
It’s been a wild ride and, this year, we want to take some time to celebrate 20 years of racing alongside our fans and across the entire franchise, including both Asphalt Legends and Asphalt 8: Airborne!
Asphalt Legends will be the first to kick off the celebrations and is gearing up for a whole season of celebration, including devising some special surprises that will both bring nostalgia and something radically new to the racetrack.
Anniversary Track
Our first new track of the year will teleport you through time, as we visit some iconic locations for our series’ long-time fans – all contained within a single race.
Coming straight from memory lane, we’ll warm things up with an updated version of San Diego Harbor. Our fans will definitely be able to recognize its layout as it is one of the main tracks of Asphalt 8! We’ve brought it back to life and taken advantage of our more powerful engine to also give it a more cinematic feel, as you’ll now find yourself riding down a rained down and overcast San Diego.
Then, we’ll take a further step back in time and race down the LA river, which was also featured in Asphalt 6 & 7. A brand new re-imagining of Sunny LA, bringing all the level of detail (and water effects!) that we could only dream of creating back in the day. It’s definitely a more niche call-out for our fans, but it really comes to show how far we’ve come!
And of course, we’d be remiss not to include one of our players’ favorite tracks from Asphalt Legends: Cairo! We’ve also slightly altered the time of day on this one from our usual version, to give it a slightly different air and feel, and it’s the perfect capstone for our travel through time.
A unique challenge for the team, not only did we have to rebuild all three of these tracks from scratch to take advantage of Asphalt Legends’ more powerful engine, but we also had to devise the technology which allows us to switch between such drastically different environments mid-race. This one-of-a-kind track will offer a medley of fan-favorites, as racers will teleport seamlessly from track to track while chasing their own nostalgia.
Season of Celebration
The entire season will be a celebration of Asphalt’s legacy, and will be jam-packed with amazing events, such as an all-new Drive Syndicate! It’s our star event of the year, as it offers a new chapter in the story of the Drive Syndicate, and features the most powerful cars of the year! This edition will feature the new Arash Imperium, whose speed will do more than just turn heads.
We’re really pulling all the stops for this one – our team created a fantastically intricate series of events that will feature 20 cars for players to chase after and collect for their garages, featuring some powerful new additions alongside some fan-favorite classics. And don’t miss out on joining our community celebrations either, as we’ll have special editions of our ACE Challenges, pitting the best of the best against one another in some live races and rewards, and daily redeemable codes that will feature free goodies for you to claim during the anniversary!
Get the Best with Game Pass
Of course, you can complete the victory lap by claiming even more rewards with your Game Pass!
Just make sure to link your Asphalt account to your Xbox account with an active Game Pass subscription and you’ll be able to claim the following rewards from July 30 to August 28:
Unlock the Acura NSX GT3 Evo for free.
10 Card packs.
500,000 Credits.
You can easily link accounts directly in-game, by heading over to the “CONNECT” section of the settings menu and making sure you’re logged in to your active Xbox account. This will work for Game Pass members on console or PC and give you a nice boost to get you started – or to help you continue upgrading your favorite cars!
Don’t miss out on the celebrations and race to the track with Asphalt Legends Unite!
Spark your competitive soul with Asphalt Legends UNITE and feel the collective heartbeat of the road! Join forces with other players to speed through intense arcade races, perform jaw-dropping stunts, and charge towards victory while driving the finest hypercars!
Take On the World
Gear up and dive into the international arena of Asphalt Legends UNITE’s online multiplayer mode. Challenge up to 7 opponents from every corner of the world across platforms in thrilling cross-play races. Engage in split-screen competitions with friends (up to 4 players). Get ready to group together, dominate, and leave your mark on the asphalt!
Join Global Racing Legends
Embrace the global racing community where camaraderie fuels the pursuit of victory. Connect with friends through the friend list, create private lobbies for personalized races and rally with Asphalt titans! Join or establish racing Clubs, unlocking exclusive rewards as you climb the leaderboards. Experience a new cooperative multiplayer mode where you can be a Security agent chasing down Syndicate members or one of the outlaws evading capture.
Pick Your Ride and Dominate the Competition
Harness the power of the pack: Over 250 hypercars await, from elite manufacturers such as Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini, each meticulously crafted to push the boundaries of speed and performance. Conquer tracks inspired by iconic locations across the world, cherished by racers worldwide.
Feel the Rush of Absolute Control
Feel one with the beat of the track as you and your teammates dive into electrifying races, perform gravity-defying stunts, and power to victory with adrenaline-fueled boosts. With precise manual control or streamlined TouchDrive, Asphalt Legends UNITE puts you in the driver’s seat, ready to steal the show!
Arcade Racing at Its Finest
Dive into the thrilling world of high-speed racing, where detailed vehicles, stunning effects, and vibrant dynamic lighting await.
Kick-Start Your Racing Legacy
Take the wheel on your journey to racing greatness in Career mode. Maneuver through endless seasons and conquer diverse challenges at every turn. Feel the thrill of pulse-pounding events, with a constant stream of limited-time challenges and activities to keep you on the edge of your seat. This is your chance to carve out a legacy that echoes throughout the racetrack!
Customize Your Ride, Own the Road
Personalize your vehicle and show off your style to your rivals with unique body paint, rims, wheels, and body parts!
_____________________________________________
Please note that this game contains in-app purchases, including paid random items.
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Hi there. Square Glade Games here! We’re excited to share that we’re bringing Outbound, our cozy open-world exploration game, to PlayStation 5. Alone or with up to four players, Outbound starts you off with an empty camper van and sets you off on a journey to scavenge, craft, and build up your dream home as you adapt to the changing environment.
I’m Marc Volger, co-founder of our studio, and I’m here to introduce Outbound to our wonderful PlayStation community, giving a deeper look into what you can do in our title, along with help from my fellow co-founder, Tobi Schnackenberg, who will share a bit about the inspiration behind our upcoming game.
Outbound is a “cozyvival,” a term our team started using after Alpha testing when we stepped back and took a look at what players found enjoyable. We found that they fell in love with the satisfying survival mechanics, like managing energy, gathering materials, and growing food, paired with the cozy, low-pressure vibe of living in the van. Other titles tend to lean further into one end of the spectrum or the other, but we feel cozyvival perfectly expresses that balance our players enjoy — that’s the sweet spot where Outbound is found.
Chill solo adventure or cheery multiplayer road trip?
As a solo player, Outbound gives you a wonderful off-grid feeling, where you’re gathering resources and building up your camper van at your own pace. You’re the captain of your own ship, so to speak, and it gives you a sense of calm and empowerment. Outbound can also be played with up to three other friends; however, it changes the DNA of the experience in a significant way.
With others along for the ride, friendly cooperation can turn Outbound into more of a high-energy road trip, very much like when you go on road trips with friends in real life. We loved to see that energy change, so while not required, multiplayer is a key addition from our perspective. We also recognized, as we brought Outbound over to PS5, that we had an opportunity to take advantage of the PlayStation Portal, as the PlayStation ecosystem doesn’t require any optimization to be Portal ready. We absolutely love the idea of a group of friends sitting together with Portal devices, playing together. The ease of carrying it with you (on a road trip, maybe) is something we hope our players will cherish.
Grand fields of inspiration
“Part of the inspiration for Outbound came when I was on a road trip of my own from Germany to the Netherlands,” says Tobi. “And I saw a beautiful old-school camper van as it drove by a field of solar panels and windmills. We were in the prototyping stage at that point, and this moment sparked the idea of building it around an electric van with sustainability in mind.”
“Thus, sustainability is a huge theme that we’ve woven into the design,” Tobi continues. “The sun, wind, and rain are key sources of energy, and recycling litter earns you new blueprints for van upgrades. Those are merely a couple of ways Outbound shines a light on sustainability through gameplay, and we inject that energy aesthetically, as well, like how we show sailboats on the horizon as opposed to massive tankers and cargo ships.”
Pet that good pup
For the dog fans out there, you do have one with you on your Outbound journey, and, yes, you can pet the dog. This functional companion, which you adopt and name yourself, brings another layer to the cozyvival experience — players can teach them to fetch resources, carry them back to the vehicle, and more. They’re not there just to be an incredibly cute face.
Video games are often platforms that catapult us into far-reaching fantasies, dropping us into glorious worlds where we take on fantastic creatures with weapons and magic. Other adventures tap into fantasies that are a bit more grounded in our reality, and that is where Outbound lives. We’re looking forward to setting you all off on a glorious adventure when Outbound comes to PlayStation 5.
, Asphalt Legends UNITE puts you in the driver’s seat, ready to steal the show!
