The first teaser trailer for The Witcher 4 confirmed what fans had long suspected by depicting Ciri as the game's new lead character. Through the first three games, voice actor Doug Cockle portrayed the previous main character, Geralt of Rivia, and he will reprise his role in the sequel as well. But Cockle is far from disappointed about taking a backseat this time, and he's eager to see Ciri get the spotlight.

"I'm really excited," Cockle told IGN. "I think it's a really good move. I mean, I always thought that continuing the saga, but shifting to Ciri would be a really, really interesting move for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because of things that happen in the books, which I don't want to give away because... I want people to go read. So yeah, I think it's really exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what they've done."

Cockle also related that CD Projekt Red gently admonished him for sharing his theories about Geralt's presence in the game.

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Thus far, the Nintendo Switch 2 is the biggest gaming story of 2025, and there's barely been any definitive word on the subject aside from the announcement video earlier this month. Nintendo hasn't even disclosed any upcoming games besides an apparent Mario Kart sequel. Now, online retailer Newegg has kicked off another round of speculation by listing new Mario and Zelda games coming this year as well.

Newegg is selling Nintendo eShop gift cards, which includes a brief list of some of Nintendo's upcoming titles. Some of the games--including Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, and Pokemon Legends: Z-A--were already confirmed and announced. However, putting titles down like "New 3D Mario, New Mario Kart, [and] a Legend of Zelda remake/remaster" is going to attract attention.

Nintendo hasn't confirmed that a new Mario game or a Zelda remake/remaster are on the way, and it's likely their inclusion here was either a mistake or guesswork. Super Mario Odyssey was one of the first big games on Switch, and it seems very probable that Nintendo will have the next AAA Mario game for Switch 2. It also stands to reason that another Legend of Zelda won't be far behind. Whether either or both projects are real and ready to arrive this year remains to be seen.

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It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since Star Wars: The Phantom Menace first hit theaters. If that li'l reminder has you feeling nostalgic (and old), you'll be happy to know that four games based off the 1999 film are coming to PC and select consoles in a new bundle.

The Star Wars: Prequel Pack features four action-packed Star Wars games. The pack includes Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Star Wars Republic Commando, and Star Wars Episode I: Racer. The bundle will be available to purchase tomorrow, February 23, on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

Perhaps the most notable of these four games is Star Wars Episode I: Racer, which was released on Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and Game Boy Color back in 1999. The sci-fi racing game allows players to play as Anakin or any one of the game's 22 Podracers, and travel at speeds of up to 600 mph as they traverse tracks set across eight iconic Star Wars worlds.

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Captain Blood, a pirate-themed action-adventure game that was supposed to launch in 2010 but has been stuck in development hell since then, will finally come out on May 6.

Captain Blood is an Xbox 360-era action-adventure game through and through, following a pirate captain on a quest to save a damsel in distress after other, more evil, pirates kidnap her. To accomplish that, the titular antihero needs to punch, slash, and shoot his way through anyone who gets in their way, completing the occasional quick-time event or fighting powerful enemy bosses. It looks like a throwback to action games on consoles like PS2 and Xbox 360, which makes sense as that's the era of gaming Captain Blood is actually from.

Development on Captain Blood reportedly began as far back as 2003, as Russian developer Akella planned to make a game based on a novel by author Rafael Sabatini. A game titled Captain Blood was first teased at E3 2004, but it switched teams and restarted development multiple times before the project settled with publisher 1C Company around 2008. GameSpot even went hands-on with Captain Blood around this time, already lamenting that it had "been in development for several years now." While a release was supposed to happen by 2010, it kept getting delayed and ended up never releasing due to parties involved with the game going bankrupt and other legal challenges surrounding the game.

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Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a cozy experience teeming with items to find, quests to complete, and decorations to place. But perhaps most of all, it's overflowing with adorable pals to befriend as you explore the island and grow your in-game social circle. As with similar games in the cozy life sim genre, you'll need to give gifts to those pals to improve the level of your friendships, earning yourself some new goodies for doing so.

Gifting basics

You can gift up to three gifts to each character per day. Afterward, you'll need to wait for the next day to begin handing gifts out again, unless...

There are two items that can reset how many gifts you can give in a day:

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World of Warcraft will introduce a way for players to earn their very own in-game apartment as part of the game's upcoming Undermine(d) update, offering a taste of what might be in store when WoW's full-on player housing arrives as part of its Midnight expansion. Minor spoilers ahead.

As detailed by Wowhead via WoW's public test realm, earning the apartment requires completing a side quest chain that sees players overthrowing a corrupt landlord who has partnered with a local biker gang to terrorize tenants and keep them desperate. After battling through bikers and stealing the deed to the apartment complex for one of the disgruntled tenants, players are then granted their own penthouse apartment to use as a reward, no rent required.

As for the apartment itself, it's a goblin-esque themed room with a balcony players can use to quickly return to the city of Undermine. There aren't any customizations to be had, but one feature it does include that seems likely to return when Blizzard introduces player housing proper is a way for players to set their Hearthstone to their new home.

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Now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has shipped and BioWare is free to pour its resources into the fifth entry in the Mass Effect series, players are naturally getting excited. But according to former executive producer Mark Darrah, it'll take some time for BioWare to really get the game development wheels turning.

"Mass Effect isn't ready to suddenly have a team of 250, 300 people working on it," Darrah said in a newly released video documenting the production of Veilguard. "In the past when BioWare was toying with being on just one project, like on Anthem or The Veilguard, that project was up and running at full speed so it was able to suck in every available resource. It had enough existing infrastructure that it was able to absorb everything."

"That's not exactly what's happening [with Mass Effect 5]," Darrah continued. "You see this when you go on to people's social media profiles. People who worked on The Veilguard, some of them are going onto [work on] Mass Effect, but some of them are moving into other parts of the EA organisation because Mass Effect isn't ready for them."

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PowerA Eeveelution Wireless Switch Controller

$55 | Releases January 31

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The Pokemon Trading Card Game just launched its latest expansion, Prismatic Evolutions, on January 17, offering up a whole slew of cards for collectors to enjoy. Getting your hands on the new set has proven to be difficult, however, as it’s undoubtedly one of the biggest Pokemon TCG releases in years. And if you’re one of the many folks struggling to find the Eevee-themed set in stock, consider turning your gaze to the upcoming PowerA Eeveelution Wireless Switch Controller. Like Prismatic Evolutions, this controller is all about Eevee--and it's available to preorder now for $55 ahead of its January 31 release.

PowerA Eeveelution Wireless Switch Controller $55 | Releases January 31

This design is part of the PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller lineup--which earned a spot on our best Nintendo Switch controller roundup. Featuring Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, up to 30 hours of battery life, and impressive ergonomics for long game sessions, it’s a fantastic alternative to the Switch Pro Controller.

Toss in two remappable back buttons for added customization, responsive thumbsticks with embedded anti-friction rings for better control, and a striking design featuring Eevee and its many evolutions, and it’s one of the best-looking Pokemon controllers on the market.

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The PowerA Eeveelution Wireless Switch Controller is still available for preorder, but if the launch of Prismatic Evolutions has taught us anything, it’s that the popularity of Eevee can’t be overstated. So if you want to ensure you have the controller in your game room in the coming weeks, placing a preorder is a wise decision.

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Diablo 4 Season 7, Season of Witchcraft, has arrived, bringing Diablo 3 Witch Doctor powers to the dungeon crawler. The new seasonal content features Headrotten enemies, which you will need to work with The Coven to defeat, increasing your standing with the faction. This means you'll need to partake in the revamped Tree of Whispers activities tied to the seasonal content. Completing these objectives will grant you battle pass XP and loot for each chapter completed. The final chapter includes Dorian, a pet raven.

Your progress on objectives in chapters you haven't reached does track, but your progress in each chapter won't be reflected until that chapter has been reached.

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In 1994, Ted Price founded the company that would become Insomniac Games, the studio behind the Spyro the Dragon trilogy, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, and Marvel's Spider-Man. In addition to running the company, Price was the e was creative director on Spyro, Ratchet, and Resistance. Now, Price has revealed his plans to step down as Insomniac's CEO and retire from the video game industry. In his place, Insomniac has promoted three studio veterans to take the reins of the company.

As announced on the PlayStation blog, Ryan Schneider, Jen Huang, and Chad Dezern are the new co-studio heads of Insomniac. Schneider was Insomniac's first community director whose tenure with the company goes back to the PS2 era. Huang has only been with Insomniac for eight years, but he has also served as the company's CFO and Head of Finance in that time. Of the three, Dezern has been at Insomniac the longest--he joined in 1998--and has been the Head of Creative since 2017.

In a statement shared through Insomniac's parent company, Sony, Price revealed that he made the decision to step down last year.

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The NFL playoffs are here, which means Dak Prescott is enjoying his offseason with some golf or perhaps a family vacation. However, some NBA 2K25 players have noticed his virtual avatar is staying busy. A character model based on the quarterback was recently spotted in the audience of an NBA 2K25 game, and the topic went viral as a result, withTikToks and Reddit threads pointing out the familiar face in the stands. Some players speculated this may be a tease for 2K's rumored NFL game or games still in the works, but we can now confirm this isn't the case.

A statement from the face of the franchise, Ronnie2K, revealed to GameSpot that Prescott's presence is there to heighten the true-to-life atmosphere of the simulation game, and Prescott is one of several famous faces you might come across while you play NBA 2K25.

Here we gooooo!

"NBA 2K25 features a number of celebrities sitting courtside across multiple arenas to replicate the high-energy atmosphere of a real NBA game," Ronnie2K said. "In addition to Dak Prescott, players can also spot A-list NBA fans such as Jack Harlow, Diplo, Druski, and Mark Cuban cheering on their favorite teams. Details like this elevate the in-arena experience, making it feel as if players are truly part of the action and excitement of a live NBA game."

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Running for eight seasons and 177 episodes, House was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon. The medical drama aired from 2004 to 2012, racking up a wealth of Emmy nominations--including Outstanding Lead Actor for Hugh Laurie and Outstanding Drama Series. Now, more than ten years since its final episode premiered, House: The Complete Series is getting a Blu-ray release on January 28, and preorders are disocunted to $97 (was $110) at Amazon.

House: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) $97 (was $110) | Releases January 28

Originally slated for a December 2024 release but hit with a delay, you can now cash in on a slight discount ahead of its January 28 arrival. Featuring a staggering 39 discs and every episode from every season, it’s an easy recommendation to fans of the show. Along with a Blu-ray copy of the series, the bundle is packed with bonus features such as bloopers, alternate takes, and behind-the-scenes content.

Preorder at Amazon House: The Complete Series Bonus Features

If you’ve already seen every episode of House a dozen times, then you’ll want to dive right into all the bonus features in this collection. Here’s a closer look at what’s included:

• Bloopers
• Alternate takes
• An original short
• Episode commentaries with writers and producers
• Audition tapes
• A set tour
• Behind-the-scenes content
• Other bonus content

That’s a pretty impressive list of bonus features--and considering the Blu-ray is now discounted ahead of its release, it’s not a bad idea to snag a preorder. Preordering from Amazon locks in a preorder price guarantee, so if the Blu-ray is discounted between now and launch, you’re only on the hook for the lowest price. You also won’t be charged until the item has shipped.

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Big changes are taking place at Marvel's Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games, and with new leaders stepping in to take over the studio, the team is once again interested in bringing some of its video game properties to the big screen.

Speaking to Variety, Insomniac's new co-studio head Ryan Schneider looked back on the studio's first foray into Hollywood--2016's Ratchet and Clank--and how Insomniac got an "early start" on game-to-screen adaptations at the time.

"I think back to the Ratchet and Clank film from several years ago," Schneider said. "And we kind of got an early start on that. So, of course, we're interested in that kind of thing. We love Ratchet and Clank in particular."

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Insomniac Games is pressing ahead with its next games, but it will do so without longtime boss Ted Price, who is retiring in March. One of Insomniac's upcoming games is a new Wolverine title, and fans are very excited to see it and learn more. But it's not time for that yet.

One of the new Insomniac bosses, Chad Dezern, told Variety that the studio would "love to talk more about Wolverine," but it can't just yet. "We have to be like Logan today, and remain very stoic until it's time to pop the claws down the road," he said. "As much as we're as much as we have pent up excitement, we got to hold on to it. So that's about as much as we could say about our upcoming projects today."

Dezern also refused to confirm or deny if the new Wolverine game will release in 2025.

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Grand Theft Taking ages, a parody game meant to poke fun at the extended wait for Grand Theft Auto VI, was recently removed from the PlayStation Store. Now, it's resurfaced on Steam with some small changes.

Last month, the game appeared for sale on the PlayStation Store, via a product listing that featured a number of head-scratching features, fake accolades and a promised release date of 2025. So how did it end up on Steam after getting removed by Sony?

The two games share some hard-to-deny similarities.Gallery

According to the game's developers (via IGN), a title change (removing "VI"), an artstyle revamp, and a few other tweaks--including full disclosure of the amount of generative AI used in the game--allowed it to be listed on Steam. (The game now mainly uses AI for voiceovers.)

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The beginning of the year is typically awards season in Hollywood, as last year's films are nominated for the top prizes in the industry. Similarly, the worst films of the year aren't left out in the cold. The Golden Raspberry Awards--colloquially known as the Razzies--has shared its nominations for 2024, and the Borderlands movie is a strong contender to take home some of the dubious prizes.

Borderlands was nominated for six Razzies, including Worst Picture, Worst Director for Eli Roth, Worst Actress for Cate Blanchett, and Worst Supporting Actor noms for both Jack Black and Kevin Hart. However, Black received a special shout out in the Worst Screen Combo category, which states that the nomination is for "any two obnoxious characters (but especially Jack Black)" who appeared in Borderlands.

Will Borderlands take home these "coveted" awards? Let's just say that the competition for the worst movies of 2024 is pretty fierce. In the Worst Picture category alone, Borderlands would have to defeat some spectacularly awful films including Joker: Folie à Deux, Madame Web, Megalopolis, and Reagan. With the exception of Borderlands, all of the movies in that category also shared a nomination for Worst Screenplay. Kraven the Hunter edged out Borderlands to get the final slot for that award. Black is also nominated for Worst Actor for his turn as Satan/Santa in Paramount+'s Dear Santa. The Razzies will be awarded on March 1.

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Hello Kitty Island Adventure Deluxe Edition (Switch)

$60 | Releases March 25

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Hello Kitty Island Adventure Standard Edition (Digital only)

$50 | Releases March 25

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After spending several years on Apple Arcade, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is making the jump to Nintendo Switch and PC on March 25, and a PlayStation version is expected to release later this year. Preorders are now open for the Switch and PC versions, with both digital and physical editions up for grabs, including a Deluxe Edition packed with additional gear to kickstart your adventure.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure Preorder Bonuses

There are currently no preorder bonuses for Hello Kitty Island Adventure. You can, however, get some in-game goodies by picking up the Deluxe Edition. But beyond that, don’t expect any exclusive rewards for reserving a copy of the game ahead of launch.

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Obsidian Entertainment has started a new series of animated YouTube videos to give Avowed players a refresher on Pillars of Eternity franchise lore. After watching Lore of Eora - Species, you will be familiar with every kind of Kith you'll encounter during your time with Avowed.

That’s because the first entry of this five-part series provides an overview of the human, aumauan, orlan, dwarven, and elven species that populate Avowed’s world. Lore of Eora - Species begins by explaining that Kith is the term used to refer to Eora’s people. While humans, dwarves, and elves are species of Kith fantasy fans should be familiar with, the aumaua and orlan species are unique to Eora.

The aumaua are the sea-faring species of Kith with “unparalleled strength and imposing size” and blue or green skin. Meanwhile, orlans are small, furry people with large ears and incredible mental prowess. No matter what species of Kith someone is, there is a chance they can be born as a godlike. Godlikes have “unusual physical characteristics and mystical powers” based on one of Eora’s gods, with the one featured in this video sporting antlers on her head. The player-created character in Avowed is a godlike, considered a rare sight in Living Lands of Eora where Avowed takes place.

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Conan The Barbarian joined the Mortal Kombat 1 roster earlier this week, but it seems he's not the only new fighter players should keep an eye out for. NetherRealm Studios has snuck a secret fight into the game against a pink ninja named Floyd--a direct reference to the iconic 1970s rock band Pink Floyd.

Teases for the rose-tinted ruffian began to appear in the Living Forest stage, with some players like YouTube creator Super reporting seeing the name Floyd in pink font after winning a match there. With Conan now released, players are now encountering Floyd on a brand-new empty-field stage.

Another YouTube creator named Dynasty has since released a video indicating that Floyd will randomly appear before matches to give a clue as to how to trigger his fight, with 37 different clues possible as found by dataminers highlighted in the video. Some of the clues are as follows:

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In a welcome update for Xbox owners, Microsoft has announced that its consoles will soon support external USB drives that are larger than 16TB in size. This feature is now available for members of the Xbox Insiders program to test--specifically, members who have unlocked the Alpha Skip-Ahead tier--and is expected to roll out to the general public in the weeks to come.

"We are enabling support for external USB drives larger than 16TB, so you can be sure your favorite games are always ready to play," Microsoft explained in a blog post. "Newly formatted drives that are larger than 16TB will be formatted with multiple partitions to utilize all available space for games and apps. These will appear as multiple devices in the storage devices list."

Anyone who already has an external hard drive larger than 16TB that has been formatted will be unaffected by this change, Microsoft added, noting that these storage devices will need to be reformatted to take advantage of the updated support. It's worth noting that games optimized for Xbox Series X|S consoles cannot be played from an external USB drive, but these can be used to store the game data and then moved onto the console's SSD or an NvME SSD expansion card.

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