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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is set to arrive on Xbox Game Pass tomorrow, July 24.
As detailed by Xbox Wire, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be available on Game Pass for Console, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate on July 24, and it includes the entire package – campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies.
Developing…
Every time I think I’ve seen Magic: The Gathering’s most unexpected crossover yet – be that Hatsune Miku or the board game Clue – Wizards of the Coast figures out some way to surprise me yet again. This time it’s with a selection of cards set in the world of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Split across two Secret Lair drops, the latest Universes Beyond tie-in will have eight reprints and one token reskinned with references and jokes from the classic 1975 film. One drop will have five cards total, one of which is double-faced so you can choose if it’s either an African or European swallow, while the other will have three cards and a token.
You can flip through the gallery below to see all the cards in both Monty Python drops:
To find out how the heck a crossover like this even comes about, I spoke with Secret Lair Senior Product Designer Daniel Nguyen, who said the first step for many of their Universes Beyond projects is to simply reach out to the representatives for lots of different properties and see who might be interested in working together.
“This was a really fun one to get,” Nguyen says. ”It’s kind of a funny pairing. They seem like such different ideas, but I think the cards came together really nicely and it’s just very quaint to see on Magic cards.” He also explains that the business folk their outreach team initially gets in touch with don’t always know what Magic even is, but that it’s “fun if someone on the other side actually is a Magic fan, which does happen quite often.”
While this isn’t the first old movie to get a crossover drop, with The Evil Dead and The Princess Bride both getting Secret Lairs of their own, the jokes within it do feel tailored toward both Holy Grail and Magic in a particularly satisfying way. That’s both in seeing iconic scenes from the movie represented by notable cards that align perfectly (such as, the card Dismember depicting the Black Knight), but also in a few Magic jokes that use the language of Monty Python instead.
For example, John Cleese’s Tim the Enchanter is represented by the card Prodigal Sorcerer, which is lovingly referred to as “Tim” by much of the Magic community. “That’s just the top line on the document, right? You gotta have that one,” says Nguyen, who jokes “if we don’t do that we’re all fired, clearly.”
While the designs and thought behind the cards in these drops is impressive, the fact that Vol. 1 has five cards (one of which is double-faced) while Vol 2. only has three cards and token did make me curious about how Wizards of the Coast decides on the contents of each Secret Lair. Nguyen tells me that these decisions are generally more art than science, taking into account a card’s desirability in the playerbase, the bandwidth they have for coordinating artists and other resources, what each individual drop might call for thematically, and more.
“I take it very seriously,” Nguyen assures me. “We think deeply about everything that goes into these drops. Every aspect you can consider, I’m thinking about that all day long and losing sleep over it sometimes.” He says one part of that is hitting staple cards people are using a lot already, but also balancing that with some tastemaking picks that go off the beaten path when it makes sense, even if the appeal of the latter may be narrower as a result. “Every drop should [have] someone’s favorite card.”
The Monty Python and the Holy Grail drops will be available in both foil and non-foil starting on July 29 as part of the next Superdrop. A limited number of foil drops will also be available to purchase in person at the Hasbro Pulse booth at San Diego Comic-Con this week.
Tom Marks is IGN’s Executive Reviews Editor. He loves card games, puzzles, platformers, puzzle-platformers, and lots more.
Some brand new amiibo are joining Nintendo’s collection. Right now, you can preorder two-packs of Callie and Marie and Pearl and Marina from Splatoon. These cost $30 each and will officially be released on September 5, so you don’t have too long of a wait for them. Like many amiibo, though, stock likely won’t stick around for long. So, if you really want to add these models to your amiibo collection, now’s your time to place an order.
If you’re looking for even more Nintendo items to add to your shopping list, have a look at our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch deals today. There’s a wide variety of discounts that are worth checking out at the moment, including some great game deals, SD card deals, and there’s even a nice deal at the moment on a Nintendo Switch Lite Animal Crossing bundle at Walmart. Alongside those incredible discounts, we’ve also detailed where you can preorder the shiny new Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition console that’s releasing alongside The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom in September.
If you’re curious to see what’s going on for other platforms, we’ve got roundups of the best Xbox deals today and the best PlayStation deals today that are worth checking out. In these, you can find a wide variety of offers on everything from games to storage to headsets, but if you want an overall look at the best deals of the moment, check out our breakdown of the best video game deals today. This piece highlights the latest and greatest deals for each platform, including PC, so you can get a good look at the discounts that have stood out the most to us.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
Ahead of the 2024 Pokémon World Championships this August, we’ve got an exclusive first look at the special plush, deck boxes, and more that will only be available at Worlds. Each year, the Pokémon World Championships are held in a different city, and with it comes a Pokémon Center pop-up with exclusive merch themed after it. This year, the Pokémon World Championships are taking place at the Hawai’i Convention Center in Honolulu, so of course, the product line is tropical, colorful, and beachy.
“This year’s unique items and motifs draw from the vibrant marine life and lush flora of Hawai’i, embodying the spirit and beauty of the islands,” explained Cindy Ruppenthal, senior director of Pokémon Center and e-commerce at The Pokémon Company International. “The pop-up store’s design as well as the Worlds product line reminds fans to make the most of this amazing location—whether they’re lounging on the beach in Waikiki, hiking the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail, or catching waves on the North Shore.”
Check out a large selection of what will be available at the 2024 Pokémon World Championships in the slideshow above.
Ruppenthal expects a strong demand for the Hawaiian-themed Pokémon ukulele, which appears to be the most exclusive and unique item in the lineup. The ukulele’s MSRP is $59.99 USD. Ruppenthal also expects there to be a demand for other location-inspired products due to the Hawaiian theme, such as the Pokémon Aloha shirt.
Previously, The Pokémon Company International revealed a sneak peek of the Worlds-exclusive Pikachu plush in snorkeling gear and custom Pokémon Aloha shirt in a partnership with Reyn Spooner, a local Hawaiian company known for making top-quality Aloha wear since 1956. Ruppenthal said that makes the collaboration very special.
Everything revealed here will only be available August 14-18 at the Pokémon World Championships Pokémon Center pop up. Even if you have an event badge, you won’t be able to just walk-in—you must make a reservation to visit the 2024 Worlds Pokémon Center Store.
Casey DeFreitas is a deputy editor of guides at IGN. Catch her at the 2024 Pokémon World Championships, or on Twitter @ShinyCaseyD.
The Ubisoft development team working on Assassin’s Creed Shadows has posted a public message to Japanese fans on X/Twitter, which explains the project’s stance on historical authenticity and also apologises for promotional materials that “have caused concern” among the community.
The four-page message, posted in both English and Japanese, explains that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not intended to be a factual representation of history. Instead, it is described as “a compelling, historical fiction set in Feudal Japan”, and the developers hope that it will “spark curiosity” in players who will then hopefully research the historical period the game is inspired by.
The Assassin’s Creed Shadows team has a message for our Japanese community. pic.twitter.com/AIyWNU9YhG
— Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) July 23, 2024
Ubisoft emphasises that Shadows has been made in collaboration with external consultants and historians, but recognises that it has made a mistake. “Despite these sustained efforts, we acknowledge that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community. For this, we sincerely apologize.”
While the post offers very limited detail about what Ubisoft is apologising for, it’s likely that the “promotional materials” in question is a piece of concept art that features the flag of a Japanese historical re-enactment group. The flag, which is a modern-day creation and not historical, was used without permission from the Sekigahara Teppo-tai group. While Ubisoft has since apologised for using the flag’s design, it will still be printed in the physical art book featured in the collector’s edition of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
The new message from the team notes that the game “will keep evolving until launch.”
“Based on the constructive criticism we have received, we will continue our efforts until we put this game into your hands – and beyond,” it explains.
In addition to the apology regarding the marketing materials, the message also discusses Yasuke, one of Shadows’ two protagonists: “While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we acknowledge that this is a matter of debate and discussion. We have woven this carefully into our narrative and with our other lead character, the Japanese shinobi Naoe, who is equally important in the game, our dual protagonists provide players with different gameplay styles.”
While Yasuke has often been presented as a samurai in popular media, both in Japan and beyond, his depiction in Shadows has given rise to debate regarding the historical truth. Due to limited historical evidence, there is no conclusive proof as to if Yasuke was a samurai, a ‘retainer’, or another role entirely. The argument has lived side by side with criticism over Ubisoft’s decision to feature a Black man as a lead protagonist in a Japan-set Assassin’s Creed game – a backlash that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot alluded to while condemning “malicious and personal online attacks.”
The message notes that the Assassin’s Creed series has always taken “creative license and incorporated fantasy elements” into its historically-inspired settings. “The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this. His unique and mysterious life made him an ideal candidate to tell an Assassin’s Creed story with the setting of Feudal Japan as a backdrop.”
Since the series began, all Assassin’s Creed games have featured a disclaimer before the main menu: “Inspired by historical events and characters, this work of fiction was designed, developed, and produced by a multicultural trem of various beliefs, sexual orientations and gender identities.”
Ubisoft’s message to its Japanese community concludes by asking that fans continue to share feedback and thoughts “respectfully”.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches November 12, 2024 for those buying the Gold, Ultimate, Deluxe Editions, or Collector’s Editions, while the Standard Edition is available on November 15, 2024. You can learn more about its goals in our extensive interview with the development team, as well as our list of 50 key details.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.
Nintendo games can be pricey, but Switch fans can still find fantastic deals. Throughout the year, there are numerous sales on games, Switch consoles, and accessories that are worth exploring. We’ve gathered the top deals currently available below, including Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for Switch for $24.99 (50% off), the Timmy & Tommy’s Aloha Edition Nintendo Switch Lite bundle for $159 at Walmart, and more. Check out our favorite deals at the moment below, and for more updates on the latest discounts, follow @IGNDeals on Twitter or Threads.
Announced alongside The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom during June’s Nintendo Direct, the Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition handheld console is officially up for preorder. Best Buy is offering preorders for $209.99 with orders shipping out on September 26. That’s $10 more than a stock Switch Lite, but that’s more than justified by the fact that this edition includes a 12 month Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.
Walmart still has this excellent deal available, which is worth taking advantage of if you’ve been hoping to get your hands on a Switch console. Right now, you can grab a Nintendo Switch Lite (Timmy & Tommy’s Aloha Edition) bundle with Animal Crossing for 20% off, marking it down to $159.
There are quite a few different Switch games on sale at the moment that are worth picking up for your collection. Some of our favorites right now are Super Mario Maker 2 for $39.99, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for $44.95, Super Mario RPG for $38.95, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, which is 50% off to just $24.99. You can see even more of our favorite Switch game deals below.
More Switch Video Game Deals
The best Switch SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, especially with the Switch successor on the horizon. Therefore, you’re going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That’s a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we’ve left our top suggestions and deals just above and below for your convenience (like this excellent deal on a Lexar 1TB PLAY microSDXC Memory Card for $73.99). To see even more SD card deals, make sure to check out our roundup of the best SD card deals.
More Switch Micro SD Card Deals
Whether you’re looking for a new controller or a little bag to carry your Switch in, there are quite a few different deals on Nintendo Switch accessories that are worth checking out right now as well. Here, we’ve listed just a few of our favorite discounts at a variety of retailers that are worth picking up right now.
The short answer is that you should buy a Nintendo Switch whenever there’s any kind of sale, regardless of the time of year. Amazon will likely offer the same console bundles on any other sale as it will on Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day, so there’s no real reason to wait if you’re in need of a Nintendo Switch.
That being said, there are sometimes some unique bundles and promotions during Black Friday that you won’t find any other time of the year. They usually includes additional games (like the infamous Mario Kart 8 bundle) or Switch accessories for free, but quantities tend to be limited. As always, do your research into the seller before you make a purchase and keep in mind that the Nintendo Switch 2 is coming out next year.
Where to Buy a Nintendo Switch in 2024
With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as PlayStation and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand-new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Before the award-winning RPGs or live-action show, there was The Witcher book series. Andrzej Sapkowski’s original story of Geralt of Rivia was heavily inspired by Slavic mythology as well as classic fantasy series like Lord of the Rings. Whether you already enjoyed Netflix or CD Projekt’s The Witcher adaptations or are just looking for a great book series, this wild world is worth diving into.
Andrzej Sapkowski has technically published four short story collections and six Witcher books since he started writing the series back in the mid-’80s. Geralt of Rivia’s first appearance in print was in a short story called Wiedzmín — “The Witcher” — published in the fantasy magazine Fantastyka in 1985. It quickly became a hit, leading to countless more short stories that were published as a collection called Wiedzmin in 1990. This collection is now out of print and every story it contains except one — “The Road to No Return” — was included in 1993’s The Last Wish.
So, after getting those details out of the way, here are the two short story collections and six books we recommend (in order) on our The Witcher Reading Guide:
The Last Wish is your starting point in The Witcher, which is important to note because it was published a year after 1992’s Sword of Destiny. The Last Wish takes almost every single story from Wiedzmín and adds more, all of which feature events that occur before the previously published Sword of Destiny. It’s basically a prequel collection written to prep you for Sword of Destiny, the second collection of short stories that continue to expand on Geralt’s adventures and first introduces the character of Ciri. If you’re solely interested in covering what’s featured early on in the TV series, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny short story collections should be fine. However, if you want to know the ins and outs of the world and ensure that you’re a true Witcher connoisseur, you’ll want to dive deeper into the saga below.
Once you’ve read The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, you’re ready to move on to the saga. This saga comprises of five novels, all of which tell the stories of Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer, Triss, Dandelion, and other characters you may recognize from the games. These books also introduce a range of characters that don’t appear in CD Projekt Red’s adaptations, most of whom are great. The Witcher saga focuses largely on the relationship between Geralt and Ciri. This is where the bulk of Geralt’s stories unfold, and makes up the main constituent of The Witcher universe at large — at least in terms of Sapkowski’s conception of it. Here are the five novels in order:
The first book in the saga, Blood of Elves, introduces Nilfgaardian Emperor Emhyr var Emreis’ pursuit of Ciri, Geralt’s adopted daughter, in order to marry her and attain power over Cintra, the land that is hers by birthright. In an effort to thwart Emhyr’s plans, the Northern monarchs meet and decide to assassinate Ciri, but Geralt of Rivia watches over her in Kaer Morhen, the remote keep inhabited by Wolf School witchers. Meanwhile, a mysterious sorcerer is also trying to locate Ciri.
The Time of Contempt picks up where the previous novel finishes. The Northern Kings are still conspiring with one another in an effort to lure Nilfgaard into war, while Ciri is due to be enrolled at Aretuza in order to study magic. Ciri comes into contact with some of the most powerful sorceresses on The Continent. As war becomes inevitable, she finds herself on the run with a bandit group known simply as The Rats.
Geralt spends time in Brokilon forest recovering from events in the previous book, which is where he and Dandelion encounter an elven archer named Milva, who decides to join their group. People who have played the games will be glad to know that the dwarf Zoltan Chivay temporarily joins Geralt’s ragtag group too, as well as the vampire Regis. A Nilfgaardian knight named Cahir also tags along because he feels indebted to Ciri. Geralt officially receives his “of Rivia” title after an epic battle while Ciri begins to feel at home with The Rats.
Ciri is gravely injured after an encounter with Nilfgaardian bounty hunter Leo Bonhart, who was hired by the coroner Stefan Skellen to kill her. A kind old man nurses her back to health while Geralt’s party continues their search for Ciri and Geralt renounces his status as a witcher. The Lodge of Sorceresses attempt to gain control of a country called Kovir while Triss Merigold seeks information on Yennefer of Vengerberg. (Known as The Tower of Swallows in the U.S.)
Ciri encounters Arthurian knight Sir Galahad who believes she is the eponymous lady of the lake. The story cuts to a dream in which Geralt overhears Skellen and sets out to rescue Yennefer from a faraway castle. Ciri, meanwhile, tells Galahad about her time in the elven world of Aen Elle, home of the Wild Hunt. She begins to jump between worlds in order to escape them, but Eredin Breacc Glas persistently chases her, as she heads towards a final meeting with her surrogate parents Geralt and Yennefer.
Now we’re up to seven out of eight books. The last text is also a novel, but it’s a bit difficult to place and depends on personal preference…
If you’re somebody who likes to know everything that happens as it happens, then you might want to read Season of Storms immediately after The Last Wish. Originally published in 2013 — 14 years after Sapkowski wrapped the saga — Season of Storms contains stories that take place between the stories in The Last Wish, which aren’t necessarily in strict proximity to one another. However, because it’s written after the saga was completed, Season of Storms contains slight hints about what’s to come, if not outright spoilers. If you’re dying to read the series in strictly chronological terms, it could be worth reading it right after The Last Wish. If you’re the type of person who worries about spoilers, though, save it for the end and enjoy it as a retrospective piece.
The Witcher book saga starts roughly 10 years before the games, with most of the books’ plotlines wrapped up by the time the first Witcher game starts. So, for those curious, playing the games first does mean you get some of the book series spoiled. That said, both the books and the video games are fantastic (we specifically called The Witcher 3 “Amazing” in our review), so whichever one you start with shouldn’t affect your overall enjoyment.
Between the books, video game franchise, and TV series, there’s a lot going on in the world of The Witcher. And if you assumed that just because it’s been 10 years since Season of Storms there would be no more Witcher books, you’d be wrong. In 2023, Sapkowski announced a new book in The Witcher series, releasing in early 2025 after an initial publication in Poland.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s live-action The Witcher is chugging toward it’s fourth season, which will be the first with Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia. The streaming giant is also developing a new animated film called The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.
Of course, the big question is when we’ll get another Witcher game. While CD Projekt has spent the past couple of years pretty focused on Cyberpunk 2077, they recently announced that the “bulk of its effort” is now going toward The Witcher 4 (codenamed “Polaris”). We don’t have a release date yet, but The Witcher 3’s active community is making the wait a little bit easier.
Dr. Reiner Knizia might not be a household name, but it’s one of the most recognizable monikers in board gaming, thanks to his astonishingly prolific career, peppered with highly acclaimed titles like auction classic Ra, heavyweight tile-layer Tigris & Euphrates and other great board games for adults. In recent years, the good doctor has slowed the pace of hits a little, but he still pops up with the goods from time to time, such as 2021’s Witchstone. Cascadero is his newest fare, and the big question is whether it’ll measure up to those big Knizia titles of yesteryear.
Cascadero comes in a worryingly slimline box, but the rich and vibrant cover art by Ian O’Toole, depicting a medieval messenger on a rearing horse, should allay any concerns about the quality of the contents. And once that lid slides off, any lingering doubts should vanish as the tray is packed with high-quality goodies.
There’s a bright fold-out, double-sided board with artwork to match the box cover, and a sheet of plain punch-out hex counters which is used on one of that board’s sides to play a variant. Some people might find the mix of vibrant player colors and muted background a little garish and others might find it affects readability a little, but these are minor complaints.
The rest of the components are wooden. Each of four player colors comes with a troop of little figures on horseback, and a bunting of flags to mark scoring achievements on the board. There’s also a bag of fake wax seals, resplendent in red and gold. Everything is neat, and nicely cut, and while it won’t win over folk who want legions of super-detailed miniatures on their tables, it’s great visual design in the European gaming tradition.
Like most Knizia titles, Cascadero has a theme that can rapidly be tossed aside to reveal an engaging semi-abstract design beneath. In this instance, you are placing messengers onto a hex grid studded with towns, trying to win the inhabitants over to the glorious reign of El Cascadero, the new ruler. But the townsfolk are suspicious, and will only listen to messengers who travel in groups. In game terms, this means that you get to score if you place a messenger piece next to a town, and it forms a group of at least two pieces of your color.
But there’s a catch. You can only score if it’s not only a group of two, but also if no other members of that group were adjacent to that town before. In other words, if you place one piece next to a town, it does nothing and if you then place a second piece next to the same town, it still does nothing. The initial piece of your group can’t be adjacent to the town you want to score.
While there are obvious reasons for this – it’d be impossible to track whether you’d scored a town before, otherwise – it also offers the first deliciously painful edge to dig into your decision-making. That board is pretty cramped. Aside for a few edge hexes, it’s hard to put a piece down that’s not immediately adjacent to a town, and that in itself is inefficient as you can’t then score it, only use it as a launchpad for neighboring towns.
Why is this important? Because the towns come in different colors, and scoring one will advance your token on the matching scoring track. The number of spaces you climb depends on the situation. One space if it’s the first piece to make contact with the town, two if there are other messengers already adjacent to the town and three if the town contains a herald, marked on the board by a star icon. Four of the scoring tracks offer the same bonuses, while the fifth, white, has extra goodies to snaffle. The catch is that you need to advance the track that matches your player color to the top space in order to be in with a chance of winning.
Remember how that board is cramped? Well, now you have additional dilemmas in deciding where to place your one precious piece each turn. Because you get a bonus space on the scoring track if there’s already a messenger adjacent to the town, pieces you put down that don’t score yourself aren’t merely inefficient, they’re a positive boon to your opponents. Not only that, but all of you will be champing at the bit to claim scarce territory around those herald towns, and those of your own player color, and so it’s a race to get them, but it’s also a race where every step gifts your enemies with possible scoring opportunities, while you try and digest this endless stack of problems and your eyes turn to saucers just thinking about it.
Yet there’s more. Moving up a scoring track doesn’t necessarily score you any points. There are other bonuses to net on your climb, from extra turns, to extra spaces on the track, to moving one of your pieces to a new board space. You can also gain seals, which are extremely useful as they allow a single piece to count as two, meaning you can score a town with one placement. But you can only get these if you land exactly on the matching space, not if you skip up by two or three, adding another headache to deal with as you plot your moves.
You might imagine that the dynamic, interactive nature of play, where you’re all jostling for position while trying not to let each other score, would make this chiefly a game of tactics rather than a strategy board game. But thanks to those bonuses on the scoring track, that’s not the case. When you gain extra on-board moves or on-track spaces, if you’re well set up, it can trigger a cascade of scoring opportunities as one advancement earns a free one, which earns a free move, which earns another free advancement and so on. These chains can be absolutely devastating if you’ve planned and timed it right, letting you bag a majority of those precious seals, or score the big points by closing off an achievement.
That’s right: while you can earn points on the tracks, the bigger payouts are available for being the first to reach certain milestones, such as connecting all five colors of town with a single group, or being the first to the top of a given track. There are less high-pressure goals for connecting two matching color towns with a group, which anyone can earn at any time, with a fat ten points extra if you do this with all five colors. But remember: unless you reach the top of your own color scoring track, it doesn’t matter how many points you have as the victory will go to the high-scoring player who has, making denial of scoring opportunities a valid and punishing end game strategy.
All this goodness, and we haven’t even mentioned the included variants. The advanced version allows you to move those important heralds each time they’re scored, creating an even more pressured race environment as you look to corner those bonuses for yourself. And there’s the farmer variant, where you flip the board, replacing some cities with a random placement of farmer tiles that earn you similar rewards to the scoring tracks. This results in a much more varied and cerebral experience. The striking thing is that each of the three ways to play is clearly the same game, but each feels like it has its own style and approach, offering three distinct challenges to master.
San Diego Comic-Con is back in a big way. After last year’s strike-affected and somewhat muted celebration (which still saw popular headliners like Star Wars Outlaws, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, The Creator, and Spider-Man 2), 2024’s edition is shaping up to be a return to form for fans of movies, TV, games, comics, and collectibles.
Starting today, be sure to check out IGN for exclusive reveals and sneak peeks of what you can expect at this year’s convention.
IGN will be streaming live from San Diego Friday, July 26 and Saturday, July 27 with A-list celebrities, inside looks, in-depth discussions about SDCC’s biggest announcements, and much, much more. Our live show begins at 3pm PT each day and will be available across all IGN platforms.
We kick off Friday with an epic line-up of major IPs and fan-favorite franchises. For movie fans, Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, and Keegan-Michael Key will be on hand to talk about the new animated feature Transformers One. Plus, the cast and director of Alien: Romulus will stop by to discuss the latest entry in the franchise. We’ll also swing by Moxxi’s Bar – a special pop-up presented by IGN, Lionsgate, and Ballantine’s Scotch whisky – to talk to the cast of Borderlands.
Plus, we’ll talk through all the details, surprises, and special appearances from Thursday’s special Deadpool and Wolverine Hall H panel.
On the TV and streaming side we’ll speak with the teams behind Rick and Morty: The Anime, Interview with the Vampire, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Director Roland Emmerich and the cast of Those About to Die will also come by for a deep dive into the new Peacock series. Plus, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride and more will be on hand to discuss The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, and Russell T Davies will also come by to talk all things Doctor Who.
Major games will be there as well, including the teams behind Star Wars Outlaws and Marvel Rivals. Ed Boon will be with us to talk about the future of Mortal Kombat.
Other guests will include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, Todd McFarlane, Bruce Campbell, and more.
Saturday brings even more excitement to the IGN live show. We’ll be inside Hall H as Marvel reveals what’s next for the MCU, bringing you all the breaking news live from our stage.
Prior to that, we’ll be talking with even more actors, directors, writers, and creators from some of the biggest titles at Comic-Con. We’ll go in depth with Keanu Reeves and talk about his comic book series BRZRKR. Plus, we’ll chat with the English dub voice cast of One Piece and the team behind Like a Dragon: Yakuza.
The entire cast of The Boys, including Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Claudia Doumit, Antony Starr, Chace Crawford, Susan Heyward, Jessie T. Usher, Valorie Curry, Nathan Mitchell, and showrinner Eric Kripke, will swing by to break down Season 4.
We’ll also welcome the casts of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Superman & Lois, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, and Dexter: Original Sin. Kaley Cuoco will also be there to talk about the upcoming season of Harley Quinn.
Plus, we’ll get a new look at Batman: Caped Crusader and discuss the upcoming film Speak No Evil with James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, and director James Watkins.
In addition to our live shows, IGN will be bringing even more sights, sounds, and inside looks from San Diego Comic-Con throughout the week across IGN.com, YouTube, and social platforms.
Be sure not to miss a look at Hellboy: The Crooked Man plus conversations with Katy O’Brien, Ronald D. Moore, Cruncyhroll’s LiSA, wrestlers from AEW and WOW – Women of Wrestling, and the casts of The Legend of Vox Machina, Family Guy, and Futurama.
To cap things off, IGN and HoYoverse will be hosting a party celebrating the release of Zenless Zone Zero and all things San Diego Comic-Con.
The event is shaping up to be jam-packed with panels, sneak peeks, and tons of surprises. So be sure to follow along all week so you don’t miss anything.
Larian Studios is pushing back the start date of the Baldur’s Gate Patch 7 closed beta as it wrestles with a host of bugs, including one in which “passive dice rolls literally stopped working.” Thankfully, it doesn’t seem the wait will be too long.
“We’re trying to figure out how we got here, so while we do that, we’ll be pushing the planned Closed Beta back to later this week,” Larian Studios wrote in a post on X/Twitter.
To tide fans over, Larian has released more highlights from Patch 7, including how it will improve the UI, Honour Mode, and more. In total, Larian says that Baldur’s Gate 3 will feature more than 1,000 fixes and improvements while adding evil endings, a mod manager, and revamped splitscreen gameplay. You can find the full list of highlights below.
In the meantime, fans can still sign up for the Patch 7 closed beta by registering on the Baldur’s Gate 3 store page on Steam. Those who register will be randomly selected to jump into the closed beta when it launches later this week.
Whenever Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 7 is ultimately released to the public, it won’t be the end. Larian is teasing yet more content for its massive RPG, including crossplay and a photo mode. Almost a year after its original release, Baldur’s Gate 3’s quest continues.
For more, check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 walkthrough as well as our full review.
HIGHLIGHTS
Honour Mode Combat
UI
Art
Gameplay
Animation
Writing and Flow
Scripting
Performance
Cinematics
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
