Nightsoil is a sombre little top-down narrative adventure about a gong farmer – that is, a collector of human waste – in 1854 London, at the height of the cholera epidemic. Gong farmers were, I understand, required to work after sunset, to avoid causing revulsion among the decent folk. In this case, you’re a gong farmer at the end his tenure, working his final shift alongside his trusty carthorse Ol’ Boy, while reminiscing about his bygone youth and the happier days that might have been.
Amazon’s sale on a selection of digital Nintendo Switch games has been great for those hoping to stock up on new options for their digital library. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is one of the many deals from this sale that stood out to us, but not just for the fact its Switch version is on sale for $39.99. If you’ve been hoping to add it to your Switch 2 library, this Amazon deal can actually save you cash there, too.
Buying the digital Switch 2 edition of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition from the Nintendo eShop will cost you $64.99. However, if you buy the digital edition for the original Switch through this Amazon deal and then purchase the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack from the eShop for $4.99, that’ll set you back about $45 instead. That’s roughly $20 in savings, so why not take this opportunity to upgrade for less if you’ve wanted Xenoblade Chronicles X for Nintendo’s latest console?
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is a game that’s worthy of a spot in your gaming library. Our review from George Yang had high praise for it, saying “Xenoblade Chronicles X was already one of the Wii U’s best games, and this Definitive Edition has escaped the destruction of its old home like the White Whale and settled down nicely on Switch.”
Yang continued on to say that, “The quality-of-life improvements here are enough to justify another trip to Mira alone for veteran players, and it’s the perfect opportunity for newcomers to explore its beautiful landscapes for themselves.” If its one that’s been sitting on your must-play list, this is a great time to pick it up, especially because the Switch 2 upgrade lets you play at up to 4k resolution and with smoother frame rates.
Alongside Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, Amazon has plenty more digital Switch game deals to explore right now. Our rundown of Amazon’s digital Nintendo Switch game sale highlights some of our top picks, including Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, Princess Peach: Showtime, and more.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
The thing you need to understand about Fogpiercer is that this deckbuilding roguelike, in which you control a train battling Mad Max-style road bandits, knows the secret joy of artillery. It is one of the few games that recognises that while it’s satisfying to hit an enemy with a shell from a howitzer, it’s even more satisfying to target the space next to them and use the force of the blast to give them a sideways shove into a wall.
It’s a mechanic that puts Fogpiercer into the same fine company as Into The Breach.
Virtual insanity?
Only Nintendo could get its fans excited about a re-release of one of its most dramatic commercial flops, and, as somebody who is old and grey enough to recall the disaster that was the Virtual Boy the first time around, I find it endlessly amusing that its resurrection as a Switch accessory has caused such interest.
But then again, this is a platform that arguably deserves a second look, despite its well-documented shortcomings.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
CAPCOM CO., LTD.
CAPCOM CO., LTD.
Resident Evil Requiem – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
A new era of survival horror arrives with Resident Evil Requiem, the latest and most immersive entry yet in the iconic Resident Evil series. Experience terrifying survival horror with FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, and dive into pulse-pounding action with legendary agent Leon S. Kennedy. Both of their journeys and unique gameplay styles intertwine into a heart-stopping, emotional experience that will chill you to your core.
Xbox Game Studios
Towerborne – February 26
Game Pass / Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere
Towerborne is an exciting side-scrolling action RPG brawler. Rise again as an Ace, an immortal warrior reborn to defend the Belfry against the darkness beyond its walls. Journey across a crumbling world, uncover the mystery of the fallen City of Numbers, and push back the corruption threatening humanity’s survival.
Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
Tales of Berseria Remastered – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Engage in the ultimate quest for self-discovery, remastered for the first time. The sacred kingdom awaits the arrival of its savior, and a lone woman named Velvet is marked by traumatic deceit. Join Velvet on her journey for vengeance, along with her cast of eccentric companions, as they sail through the archipelago which comprises the kingdom of Midgand.
Atari, Infogrames
Bread & Fred – February 24
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Bread & Fred is a challenging co-op platformer where two players must cooperate to jump and climb to the top of a snowy mountain. Play as both Bread and Fred in their exasperating and sometimes maddening climb that requires precision with every jump. Each time you land you’ll be closer to the peak and one step closer to mastering the platforming, but your fall down the mountain will be even farther.
Afil Games
Capy Spa – February 24
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Grab your towels because the chillest capybara in gaming is ready for a soak! In Capy Spa, you help Pipa, a relaxation-loving capybara, push herb buckets into hot springs to prepare the perfect bath. With 30 carefully crafted levels, two charming biomes (Savanna River and Forest Onsen), and a soothing soundtrack that blends with the rising steam, every stage invites calm and thoughtful moves.
GamePoc LTD
Dark Farts: Parody Smell Edition – February 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
Emotional Damage Incoming! The most ridiculously epic Souls-like parody ever created meets outrageous humor in this absolutely insane action-RPG! You’re no chosen one – just a blacksmith with questionable bean-eating habits who accidentally gained ancient dragon powers. Now, you’re humanity’s last hope, and it’s time to show these evil corporations what REAL power smells like!
Valkyrie Initiative LLP
Deep Space Shooter – February 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Again you are alone against the hordes of hostile spacecrafts where you can only rely on yourself. It is the victory or the death! An automatic station deep in space has sent an alarm signal and then the connection is disrupted. Your spaceship set off there to carry out reconnaissance. But all of the sudden you encounter huge forces of an unknown enemy. Now there’s no way back – you either defeat them or die. This game is a vertical scroll-shooter with numerous enemies and a gradually increasing level of complexity.
Nuntius Games
Ghetto Zombies: Graffiti Squad – February 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
A squad of mutant kids from the hood is humanity’s last hope in this colorful, humor-packed zombie apocalypse. Blast freaky zombies with ridiculous guns, spray wild graffiti across the city, and face a monstrous Zombie Boss at the end of every mission. Each hero in the squad offers a unique playstyle: choose yours, dig the weirdest guns out of dumpsters, and enjoy the insane headshot animations.
Xitilon
Journey of Johann: Castle Crusade – February 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Journey of Johann is an action-adventure platformer with puzzle elements. Make your way through levels and a boss with different challenges and obstacles. Collect goblets and secrets and beat time trials. Use your weapons as tools such as climbing, blocking hits, and defeating enemies. The game was designed with speedrunning in mind.
Xitilon
One-Button Games 5-in-1 Vol. 4 – February 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Challenge yourself with these 5 fast-paced one-button games: Ball Bombs, Baroll, Bamboo, Two Faced, and Light Dark.
Eastasiasoft Limited
Pogui – February 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
Safely guide a lovable pup through crazy platforming stages so he can get back to his naptime! Pogui is just a little dog who wants to take a nap, but crazy stuff keeps happening around him! Guide the lovable pug through dreamlike worlds and help him get to bed. Pogui is a side-scrolling precision platformer presented in retro pixel art style. Run, jump and dash your way through colorful but hazardous levels!
JanduSoft
UFOphilia – February 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere
UFOphilia is a first-person psychological horror game where you explore areas marked by alien phenomena. Use specialized equipment to detect, identify, and photograph aliens, but do so at your own risk… They are watching you too. Equipped with advanced tools, your mission is to detect, identify, and photograph extraterrestrials, each encounter involving unique behaviors and unpredictable dangers.
Stamina Zero LLC
ChildStory – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
A small town in the far north goes about its life: preparing for the Festival of the New Star, decorating streets, celebrating. The festival is inseparable from a cycle that repeats month after month. And Sonya stands at its center. She’s part of a story she’s still trying to understand. A kind girl with a sharp mind and countless questions, she searches for answers among snow and lights. Sonya helps friends, makes new ones, explores hidden corners, fights spirits, and solves puzzles. She acts, hoping her actions will lead to understanding.
Ultimate Games S.A.
Corner Kitchen Fast Food Simulator – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Buy cooking equipment, prepare delicious meals, and serve hungry customers. Upgrade your setup, read customer reviews, and expand your business to become the top fast-food joint in the city.
Mameshiba Games
Golfing Over It with Alva Majo – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Golfing Over It with Alva Majo is a discouraging game about climbing a surreal mountain with a golf ball, a different take on 2017’s hit Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy. Experience the challenge of climbing an unyielding mountain without infuriating controls being part of that challenge. Bennett Foddy has played this game and granted it his blessing.
DANGEN Entertainment
Hunt the Night is a retro-style action-RPG that blends fast, skillful combat with dark fantasy lore. Play as Vesper, a member of the Stalkers, and traverse the ruined world of Medhram on a mission to save humanity from a deadly cycle of annihilation. Endure nightmarish overworlds, slash through horrific dungeons, face brutal bosses, and wield an arsenal of powers in a relentless struggle against the Night itself.
JanduSoft
Manairons – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
Unleash chaos, control magic, and save the village… with a flute. Manairons is a 3D action platformer game inspired by the legends of little creatures living in the Pyrenees. Help Nai face off against the landowner who has taken control of a charming village using the power of the “canut,” with magic, flute, and plenty of chaos.
Afil Games
Mole Cart Mining – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Get ready for an underground adventure full of charm and strategy! In Mole Cart Mining, you guide a determined little mole riding a mine cart while rotating tracks on a hexagonal grid to create the perfect route. The goal is simple and satisfying: collect every mineral and reach the exit in style.
Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Iris has been abducted by aliens?! Finding herself on board a mysterious UFO and tasked with completing a bizarre escape game, Iris knows there’s one person who she can always count on for help: Kaname Date, Psyncer! As Date, conduct investigations, solve escape game puzzles, and Psync into the dreams of potential suspects to help Iris escape and unravel the mystery behind The Third Eye Game!
indie.io
Sands of Aura – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Sands of Aura is an open-world action adventure with a fantasy setting of a realm in its twilight–a world buried beneath a sea of sand. Sail across the sandseas to return life to a dying world in an unforgettable experience that is equal parts engaging story and unrelenting, souls-like combat.
RucKyGAMES
A total of 300 questions with easy, normal, and hard difficulties have been included. Complete problems to unlock background effects and BGM tracks. There are 3 background effects and 3 BGM tracks. Sudoku allows you to use your brain while also being soothed by the effects and BGM.
EpiXR Games
Trials of Olympus – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
The gods of Olympus seek a mortal champion to fight against a rising darkness. Only those who endure their trials may be chosen. In Trials of Olympus, you journey through the realms of Ares, Artemis, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Each god’s domain holds three great trials — vast platforming levels filled with traps, enemies, and divine essences to recover. You cannot fight, for no weapon is yet yours. Instead, rely on agility and wit.
althi Inc.
althi Inc.
WorldNeverland – Elnea Kingdom – February 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
What if you could freely choose another life? WorldNeverland – Elnea Kingdom is a sandbox life simulation game where you can move to a fictional kingdom you’ve always dreamed of and enjoy a carefree life. Why not weave a grand story spanning generations with your own hands?
Dolores Entertainment
Aquamarine: Explorer’s Edition – February 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere
Aquamarine is a turn-based playable comic book about surviving in an alien ocean. Inspired by the psychedelic sci-fi of the ’70s & ’80s, Aquamarine combines the mystery of old-school adventure games and challenging roguelikes with elements of survival, exploration, and puzzle solving. Journey across a water world reclaimed by nature. Overcome survival and navigational challenges as you discover the planet’s lost history. Master your pod’s controls, study the ocean wildlife, and solve environmental puzzles to help you find your way home.
Kimulator’s Films inc
“Buy the Game, I Have a Gun” -Sheesh-Man – February 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
This game is worth every penny, and you should buy it right now, why? Firstly because the whole story was written during a livestream, which makes the story totally nonsensical! If this doesn’t convince you remember that not only do I have a gun, I also know all your secrets. This is of course a joke, I do not know your secrets, yet.
EpiXR Games
Emoji Battlefield – Island Warfare – February 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
You’ve washed ashore on a mysterious island where ancient emojis have awakened — and they’re not happy to see you. This rogue-like first-person shooter throws you into wild, fast-paced combat against tiki emojis wearing carved masks and wielding primal powers. Before each run, customize your experience with crazy modifiers: make enemies bounce, wear funny hats, or unleash volcanic chaos for maximum challenge. Choose your arena — from overgrown jungles and hidden beach ruins to ancient temples filled with deadly traps — each location has its own hazards, secrets, and surprises.
PlayWay S.A.
Mini Racer Car Shop Simulator – February 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Manage your mini racer car shop, sell mini cars and spare parts, and unleash your creativity with custom builds. Test drive your creations on the racetrack before putting them up for sale. Transform your shop into a haven for mini car enthusiasts and build a thriving business in the process!
QubicGames S.A.
Shopping Mall Girl – February 27
Xbox Play Anywhere
Showcase your style and become a supermodel in one of the best shopping games! No matter what your fashion style may be, this shopping mall has exactly what you’re looking for! Get a fabulous new hairstyle at your favorite hair salon Chic Cuts, and dress up in the latest hot trends from our stylish shops! It’s Black Friday! The excitement is real as you race to grab the clothes you need before they vanish from the shelves! Dress up in shirts, skirts, shoes, and accessories, or get expert advice from your personal shopper!
2dragontails
Solar Machina – February 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Solar Machina is a vibrant 2D pixel art platformer where you control a robot on a colorful journey through tropical landscapes filled with traps and enemies. As you progress, your robotic suit evolves, granting new movement abilities that transform how you play. With smooth controls, distinct biomes, and a nostalgic chiptune soundtrack, Solar Machina offers a satisfying blend of challenge, rhythm, and exploration that keeps engagement from start to finish.
Ratalaika Games S.L.
Soulshard – February 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
In a realm between life and death, a confused soul seeks redemption and freedom from a past life filled with misguided choices. Playing alone or together via co-op multiplayer, command a soul in search of the exit from this dark and desolate realm. Use the environment to your advantage and avoid treacherous traps to clear 30 challenging levels of hauntingly morose pixel art.
MagicPro
Wild West Tycoon – February 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
Welcome to the untamed frontier! In Wild West Tycoon you are tasked with transforming the rugged Wild West into a thriving economic powerhouse. This low-poly style simulation game invites you to master the art of frontier entrepreneurship where every decision counts and every enterprise takes you one step closer to building a legendary empire.
The post Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 23 to 27 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
It was an understandably quiet January in the U.S. games market, with very few new releases and a bit of a comedown from a busy holiday season leaving Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 again the best-selling game of the month, and the PlayStation 5 on top for consoles.
The PS5 led hardware in both unit and dollar sales, with the Nintendo Switch 2 taking second in both, according to analysis shared by Circana senior director and analyst Mat Piscatella. Overall hardware spending was up 16% year-over-year, with an increase in Switch 2 spending (admittedly an increase over nothing, as the Switch 2 wasn’t out last year) offsetting declines in spending on PS5 (down 17%), Xbox Series (down 27%) and Switch 1 (down a whopping but understandable 79%). Accessories spending was down 5% to $185 million.
In content, spending up was up 3% year-over-year to $4.3 billion, largely driven by a 23% increase in subscription spending. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was once again the best-selling game of the month, followed by NBA 2K26 again in the No.2 spot, and Madden NFL 26 rising from No.4 last month to No.3 in January. Battlefield 6, last month’s No.3, dropped to No. 5 in January.
The only new game entering the top 20 for January was Code Vein II, which came in at No. 11. We did see Final Fantasy 7: Remake leap from No.225 last month to No.9 for January, thanks to its Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2 releases. Fallout 4 also made a big jump from No.68 to No.20, possibly thanks both to Season 2 of the Fallout TV show coinciding with a major drop in price on Steam at the end of the month.
Overall, total gaming spending reached $4.7 billion, up 3% year-over-year. Not exactly a thrilling start to 2026, but when has January ever been an explosive month for games?
* Indicates that some or all digital sales are not included in Circana’s data. Some publishers, including Nintendo, do not share certain digital data for this report.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Valve currently have three Steam Deck models on offer: you’ve got the standard 256GB LCD variant (basically no longer in production), the 512GB Steam Deck OLED, and a beasty 1TB edition of the latter. All of them are lovely handheld PCs, but whether you’ve got one of these or you invested earlier in a smaller model, you might still be itching for a little more capacity to make that 32-hour flight to New Zealand a lot more bearable. At this point you have two options: a microSD card, or for storage with more clout, one of the best Steam Deck SSDs.
Finji, publisher of beloved indie titles such as Night in the Woods and Tunic and the developer behind Overland and Usual June, says that TikTok has been using generative AI to modify its ads on the platform without permission and pushing those ads to its users without Finji’s knowledge, including one ad that was modified to include a racist, sexualized stereotype of one of Finji’s characters.
This was first brought up by Finji CEO and co-founder Rebekah Saltsman on Bluesky, where she shared a screencap of a social media post from another brand that appeared to be going through the same thing, and saying the following, “If you happen to see any Finji ads that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, send me a screencap.”
According to Saltsman speaking with IGN, Finji’s official account on TikTok does push ads for its games, but has “AI turned all the way off.” The team first learned that generative AI ads were being created without their knowledge thanks to social media comments on Finji’s actual, regular ads from users concerned about what they were seeing. Saltsman was able to get screenshots from audience members showing the offending ads, which prompted her to escalate the issue to TikTok support.
The original ads in question appear to be videos advertising Finji’s games, with one showing off several games and the other focused on Usual June. The AI-“enhanced” versions, which appear on TikTok as if posted directly from the official Finji account, seem to consist of slideshows rather than videos as indicated by a number of comments on both ads. Finji has sent IGN screenshots sent in by viewers who claim they saw the AI version of those ads. While several of the AI-“enhanced” images seem to be relatively unedited compared to their official counter parts, one image seen by IGN is noticeably modified.
The offending image depicts an edited version of the official cover art, the original version of which is pictured above. In the seemingly AI-edited version, the main character June (center in the image above) is depicted alone, but the image extends down to her ankles. She is depicted with a bikini bottom, impossibly large hips and thighs, and boots that rise up over her knees, seemingly invoking a harmful stereotype. This is extremely distinct from June’s actual depiction in the game:
IGN has viewed a conversation between the official Finji account and TikTok customer support, including a part of the discussion where the customer support agent confirmed Finji did have TikTok’s “Smart Creative” option shut off. “Smart Creative” is essentially a TikTok function that uses generative AI to create multiple versions of user-created ads. So if a company makes Ad A with Image A and Text A, and Ad B with Image B and Text B, generative AI will mix and match these in different combinations to test which versions of the ads work best with users, and then surface the best ones more frequently. There’s also an “Automate Creative” feature that uses AI to “automatically optimize” assets, such as “improving” images, music, audio, and other things to make an ad allegedly more pleasing to an audience. Saltsman confirms that Finji has both of those options shut off, and showed screenshots of the TikTok backend for several of the ads in question to confirm this.
Finji also says it is unable to view or edit the AI-generated versions of its own ads, and is only aware of them via numerous comments on the ads as well as users in its official Discord reporting the problem and sharing screenshots. Saltsman says she suspects there is at least one other inappropriate generative AI ad circulating based on comments on some of the ads regarding another character in Usual June, Frankie, but is unable to see the modifications herself and thus cannot confirm.
In that same support conversation, the TikTok support agent was unable to find an immediate solution for Finji. At one point, the agent suggests that one of Finji’s ads was inadvertently using the Automate Create feature, to which Finji replies, “I have never turned that on,” and had the agent confirm that option was not on for the ads described above.
Later in the conversation, the agent said, “I am checking all the possible cause [sic] why this can happen but as per checking all the setup is clear and there should be no ai generated content included.” The agent offers to “raise a ticket” for further investigation, but ignored repeated requests from Finji to share a timeline for when the ticket might be responded to.
Since this incident took place, Finji staff have made efforts to follow up and get answers, only to be shut down by TikTok support repeatedly. Finji has sent IGN screenshots of all of the following messages to TikTok, and their responses.
The above conversation happened on February 3. On February 6, after a follow-up message to support from Finji asking for an update, TikTok Ads Support responded as follows:
After checking the creatives, we do not see any indication that AI-generated assets or slideshow formats are being used. Both ads are confirmed as video creatives sourced directly from your Creative Library / TikTok posts, and creatives appear unchanged at the ad level. There is no evidence that AI-generated content or auto-assembled slideshow assets were added by the system. [All emphasis TikTok’s.]
A Finji representative responded that same day with the screenshot of the offensive ad (which Finji had already sent during the initial support request) and asked for TikTok to escalate the issue, which prompted the following response from TikTok:
We acknowledge receipt of the evidence you’ve provided and understand the seriousness of your concerns. Based on the materials and context you’ve shared, we recognize that this situation raises significant issues, including the unauthorized use of AI, the sexualization and misrepresentation of your characters, and the resulting commercial and reputational harm to your studio.
We want to be clear that we are no longer disputing whether this occurred. We understand that you have provided documentation and that audience comments on the ads further corroborate your claims. This matter will be escalated immediately for further review at the highest appropriate level.
We are intiating an internal escalation to ensure this issue is investigated thoroughly, and we will work to connect you with a senior representative who has the authority to address the situation and discuss next steps toward resolution.
On February 10, having not received further responses nor been connected with a “senior representative”, Finji followed up again to ask where the ticket was at. It received a message containing the following:
I understand how surprising it was to see AI-generated or automatically created content appear in your ads, especially when you weren’t expecting any changes to your creatives.
Here’s what happened and why you saw those assets:
Your campaign recently included an ad that used a catalog ads format designed to demonstrate the performance benefits of combining carousel and video assets in Sales campaigns. This is part of an initiative aimed at helping advertises [sic] like you achieve better results with less effort. Campaigns that use these mixed assets typically see a 1.4x ROAS [return on ad spend] lift, and we wanted to ensure you had access to that potential improvement. [All emphasis TikTok’s].
The message from support went on to describe the claimed improvements gained from a catalog ads format, followed by an offer to request to be added to an “opt-out blocklist” for which approval “isn’t guaranteed.”
Finji responded, understandably pretty irate at this point, demanding to know why it had not been put in touch with a senior representative, why it isn’t addressing the “SEXUALIZED, RACIST, and SEXIST representation of [the] studio’s work” [emphasis Finji’s], why the company can’t track AI-generated versions of the ads, why it was opted into this without the company’s consent, and why TikTok cannot guarantee an opt out.
TikTok responded again, stating that the most recent response it sent was in fact from its escalation team, and that Finji would not be contacted by a “senior representative” because the person currently speaking was “the highest internal team available for this type of issue.” The representative went on to say the escalation team had already reviewed the situation and “their findings were included in the previous response” and that the feedback “had been taken seriously.” It said that Finji had been included in “a broader automated initiative” and concluded that the escalation team had “already provided their final findings and actions on this matter.”
After another reply from Finji, the TikTok representative promised to “re-escalate the issue internally,” but this was the final communication received as of publication time, even after another check-in from Finji on February 17. When reached out to by IGN, TikTok declined to provide comment on-record.
“I have to admit I am a bit shocked by TikTok’s complete lack of appropriate response to the mess they made,” said Saltsman in a statement to IGN today. “It’s one thing to have an algorithm that’s racist and sexist, and another thing to use AI to churn content of your paying business partners, and another thing to do it against their consent, and then to also NOT respond to any of those mistakes in a coherent way? Really?
“What really is utterly baffling is what appears to be a profound void where common sense and business sense usually reside. Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company and our game? Based on the wild response through the weeks of customer service correspondence we have received, I think this is their stance and take on their obvious offensive and racist technology and process and how they secretly use it on the assets of their paying clients without consent or knowledge.
“This is just simply embarrassing but not for me as an individual. For me- I am just super pissed off. This is my work, my team’s work and mine and my company’s reputation- which I have spent over a decade building. My expectation was a proper apology, systemic changes in how they use this technology for paying clients and a hard look at why their technology is so obviously racist and sexist. I am obviously not holding my breath for any of the above.”
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
The Stop Killing Games campaign‘s organisers are currently awaiting a chat with European Union politicians about server shutdowns rendering online-only games impossible to play. Said chat’s been set up by a petition which racked up just under 1.3 million verified signatures at its final count, with that being one of the alleys the group have gone down in pursuit of action against publishers being able to abandon games without leaving a way for them to be kept running.
Rather than simply adjusting their ties and googling nice places to visit on a trip to Brussels while they wait for their meeting, the group have announced some more action they’ll be taking to get their message out in the ling term. Two Stop Killing Games non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are going to be set up to cover Europe and the US.
Harry Potter movie star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed he was once pitched a bizarre Wizard of Oz adaptation that also featured his fellow Hogwarts co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
Describing it as “one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard,” the plan had apparently been for the Harry Potter trio to reunite in a fresh version of the classic story, for which Emma Watson would have played Kansas girl Dorothy.
Speaking via the Hot Ones show, Radcliffe said the offer came in while the trio were still making the Harry Potter movies, when he was aged either 14 or 15. Even then, though, Radcliffe said he was instantly aware that this was “a bad idea.”
“One of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard, during Potter, somebody came to us and I think asked… like they wanted to cast all three of us, me, Emma and Rupert, in a remake of Wizard of Oz,” Radcliffe revealed. “Emma was Dorothy, I can’t remember what Rupert was, and I just remember that I was going to be the lion, but also he knew karate?
“I was like a karate kicking cowardly lion,” he continued. “And I remember I was like 14 or 15, and I was like, ‘I don’t know a lot about the world, but this is a bad idea, this should not be made.”
For context, the timeline here would place Radcliffe and his co-stars as filming the fourth Harry Potter book, Goblet of Fire. So, had the Wizard of Oz remake progressed, the trio would still have been fairly young — though not too dissimilar to the age of 16-year-old Judy Garland in the story’s classic 1939 adaptation.
Numerous Wizard of Oz adaptations have surfaced over the years, including various spin-offs, prequels and sequels. These include the 2013 Sam Raimi-directed Oz the Great and Powerful, which starred James Franco, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis, and of course the two-part Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Earlier this week, Radcliffe discussed HBO’s upcoming new adaptation of Harry Potter, and issued a plea for the series’ new young cast to be allowed to get on with their work without the original movies’ cast becoming “spectral phantoms” in their lives. Maybe hold off from offering them a new Wizard of Oz adaptation, too?
Image credit: Scott Gries/NBC via Getty Images
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
