After months of teasing, Disney's Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will receive a major update in 2026 and could connect to the ongoing events in Fortnite. According to insider Drew Smith, the new mission will feature The Mandalorian and Grogu, giving guests a fresh adventure inside the Star Wars universe.

CONFIRMED: Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run’s new Mandalorian and Grogu mission will connect to the Disney games and entertainment universe coming to Fortnite.
The mission will leverage Epic Games’ Unreal Engine for “seamless, cross-platform storytelling.”
Disney says that… pic.twitter.com/5anYpmW6Re

— Drew Smith (@DrewDisneyDude) November 2, 2025

Disney's partnership with Epic Games aims to bring advanced technology and interactive storytelling to theme parks. While the collaboration between Disney and Epic is official, Smith reports that the connection between the upcoming Disney x Fortnite universe will create "seamless, cross-platform storytelling" between parks, games, and other entertainment.

However, Disney and Epic have not yet made a public statement confirming how this connection will work. Earlier reports and leaks have hinted that Disney’s $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games is funding a large-scale online world where progress from park attractions could influence gameplay in Fortnite. For example, guests who complete the new Smugglers Run mission might earn in-game rewards or status in the Disney x Fortnite experience--but this has not yet been officially detailed.

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The Battle Bus dropped off Peely, Jonesy, Meowscles, and a couple of other Fortnite characters on to The Simpsons for the long-running show's opening couch gag. The crossover starts harmless enough. But then, things go awry for the Fortnite clan--especially the cute-looking banana.

Peely slips trying to run away from the Simpsons, who pull out weapons to get the Fortnite characters to leave their couch. That misstep leads to a terrible fate for poor Peely. The Simpsons turn the character into a banana split, bringing a horrifying new meaning to Fortnite skin. The official Simpsons account on X shared a clip of the opening sequence from last night, November 2.

Enjoy dessert with a side of Fortnite. pic.twitter.com/xC2GIKSqi6

— The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) November 3, 2025

The crossover is a reciprocation of Fortnite's recently launched Simpsons season. This is a huge collaboration that has replaced the game's normal island with a Springfield-inspired map that's cel-shadded and features locations like Moe's Tavern as well as the Qwik-E-Mart. There's even a Simpsons-specific Battle Pass. Players can earn skins based on Homer, Marge, and even Flounders.

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Plans are underway to resurrect Saints Row, as the design director for the first game, Chris Stockman, has revealed that he's working on a pitch for a new entry in the open-world franchise that will see it return to its roots.

On the Saints Row Reddit, Stockman said that he had been approached to work on a proposal, which if successful, could be a prequel. "I've been asked to create a pitch for a Saints Row prequel. I can't say anything more than that, but my dreams for this game just became a little more than just dreams," Stockman said, while adding that it won't be a VR game that's being pitched.

In a follow-up with PCGamesN, Stockman added that he's "attempting to get the band back together" to work on the game. "I want to bring the Saints Row franchise back to its roots. As you know, I directed Saints Row, and I feel the series has strayed way too far away from that. I completely understand why they went that way, but in the end, they kind of painted themselves into a corner they couldn't get out of," Stockman said.

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Plans are underway to resurrect Saints Row, as the design director for the first game, Chris Stockman, has revealed that he's working on a pitch for a new entry in the open-world franchise that will see it return to its roots.

On the Saints Row Reddit, Stockman said that he had been approached to work on a proposal, which if successful, could be a prequel. "I've been asked to create a pitch for a Saints Row prequel. I can't say anything more than that, but my dreams for this game just became a little more than just dreams," Stockman said, while adding that it won't be a VR game that's being pitched.

In a follow-up with PCGamesN, Stockman added that he's "attempting to get the band back together" to work on the game. "I want to bring the Saints Row franchise back to its roots. As you know, I directed Saints Row, and I feel the series has strayed way too far away from that. I completely understand why they went that way, but in the end, they kind of painted themselves into a corner they couldn't get out of," Stockman said.

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Microsoft has embraced the ex-boxer meme for its latest Xbox advert, as the company continues with its "this is an Xbox" marketing campaign. Featuring a self-proclaimed ex-boxer, the bizarre advert also spotlighted the new dedicated hardware that recently joined the Xbox family, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X.

This year has seen Microsoft focus more on the idea of an Xbox ecosystem--rather than on the idea of dedicated Xbox hardware--as it continues work on its next-gen plans for the brand. Recently, Next Generation at Xbox VP Jason Ronald spoke about how Microsoft is looking to evolve the Xbox ecosystem across multiple devices in the future, hinting at multiple devices and options.

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Rockstar Games' former VP of creative, Dan Houser, left the company in 2020, but he's still a wellspring of knowledge about Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, both of which he was a lead writer on. Houser recently shared his insights into both game series as well as a few of Rockstar's unrealized projects.

During a nearly three-hour interview with Lex Fridman on YouTube, Houser touched on GTA 5's uncompleted DLC that would have featured Trevor as a secret agent.

"It never quite came together, and it was never finished," recalled Houser. "It was about half done when it got abandoned. But I think if that had come out, [we] probably wouldn't have gotten to make Red Dead 2. So, there's always compromises ... I like making the stories. For me, I love the model of GTA 4 when you had the extra stories coming afterwards or Red Dead 1 when you had the zombie pack coming afterwards. I like just doing these extra things. So, I would've personally liked to have done more of that in that company."

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Back in 2005, rumors swirled of a Halo MMO in development with Age of Empires developer Ensemble Studios. The project came to an abrupt end in 2008 when Microsoft shuttered the studio, however one of the developers on the MMO has spilled the beans on the lost game--and why it was cancelled.

Sandy Peterson, known for his work on the Call of Cthulu TTRPG and Doom before he moved to Ensemble, has posted a thread on X with his recollections about the doomed Halo MMO, which was codenamed Titan. He says that he was in charge of the universe-building for the project, which was going to be set in the far past before the Halos destroyed all sentient life in the galaxy.

"The lowest estimate we & Microsoft had for the game's total income was $1.1 billion," Peterson claims. Earlier reports about the cancelled MMO backed up Microsoft's early commitment to the ambitious project, saying that Titan had been allocated a massive $90 million budget.

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Fortnite's latest update brought a major Simpsons collab to the popular battle royale game, however dataminers have found clues to future collabs hidden in the game files. Multiple leakers suggest that SpongeBob and Harry Potter will be coming to Fortnite--with fans already voicing objections to the latter due to creator JK Rowling's transphobic actions.

Prominent Fortnite leaker SamLeakss posted news that both collabs will reportedly be arriving in Chapter 7. Fortnite creator Shiina confirmed the SpongeBob collab, including details of potential cosmetics including Plankton Wheels, Jellyfish Boost, and Flowers Drift Trail.

SPONGEBOB COLLAB HAS MULTIPLE COSMETICS
- Plankton Wheels
- Jellyfish Boost
- Flowers Drift Trail
- Even more other cosmetics
CONFIRMED BY GAME FILES pic.twitter.com/ODdqDS1PZM

— Shiina (@ShiinaBR) November 1, 2025

The files that have been unearthed by dataminers at this point are likely to be early, unfinished concepts, so without an official announcement from Epic it's hard to tell exactly what any future collab is going to look like. Fortnite's many and varied cross-franchise collaborations happen at different scales, from small themed cosmetic packs all the way up to mini seasons like the current Simpsons crossover.

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Not long after Battlefield Studios patched XP farms out of Battlefield 6's Portal mode, the studio has announced a new official "casual" mode that allows players to earn progression in games with more bots than players.

The new mode, Casual Breakthrough, will include just 16 real players per lobby, who will be accompanied by 32 bots--giving eight players and 16 bots per team. Described in a Battlefield Comms X post as "a more relaxed way to play while still earning progression and completing challenges," the mode will allow players to accrue Career XP, Weapon XP and Battle Pass XP, as well as counting towards challenges. "

The mode still comes with some restrictions, meaning players won't be able to earn Dogtags or Accolades through Casual Breakthrough, and the mode also won't be reflected in career stats. XP gain will be weighted, with player actions granting full XP, and bot actions only granting reduced XP.

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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Manga Box Set (Hardcover)

$47.89 (was $80)

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Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Box Set is on sale for an excellent price at Amazon. Normally $80, the 1,104-page, slipcased collection is discounted to only $47.89. Nausicaa is Miyazaki's only manga series, and the hardcover box set collects the complete story arc. Amazon's current price essentially matches the best deal we've seen all year ($47.61)--and that deal didn't stick around for long. Amazon estimates orders placed today will ship within one to three weeks.

Viz Media originally printed the Nausicaa manga box set in 2012, and the publisher has kept it in print ever since. That said, the box set has been out of stock at Amazon more often than not this year. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Box Set would make an awesome gift for a Studio Ghibli fan this holiday. For a lower-priced gift, check out Miyazaki's illustrated novel Shuna's Journey, which is on sale for 50% off at Amazon.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Manga Box Set (Hardcover) $47.89 (was $80)

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Box Set compiles all seven volumes of Miyazaki's beautifully written and illustrated manga into two premium hardcover books totaling 1,104 pages. Each oversized volume has lovely watercolor cover art and endpapers painted by Miyazaki. The books are packaged in a decorative slipcase featuring original artwork by the author. In addition to the books, the box set includes a fold-out, watercolor poster of Nausicaa, the princess of the Valley of the Wind.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is best known as an animated feature film written directed by Miyazaki. The movie premiered in 1984, two years after the manga debuted in Japan. The manga was still in its early days when Miyazaki penned the script for the movie. As a result, the roughly two-hour feature film is a condensed interpretation of Volume 1 with some plot points and themes from Volume 2.

The manga concluded in 1994, a full decade after the movie's release. So if you've only watched the movie, you have roughly 1,000 pages of story to experience for the first time. Viz Media first printed the English translation in 1990, and the full story has now been available for English readers to enjoy for nearly 30 years.

The series is also available in trade paperback, but all seven volumes would cost you roughly $86 right now.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Manga

• Complete Hardcover Box Set -- $47.89 ($80)
• Nausicaa Trade Paperbacks -- ~$86 for Vol. 1-7
  • Volume 1 -- $15.25 ($17)
  • Volume 2 -- $8.55 ($13)
  • Volume 3 -- $12.18 ($13)
  • Volume 4 -- $12.91 ($13)
  • Volume 5 -- $12 ($13)
  • Volume 6 -- $13
  • Volume 7 -- $12.08 ($13)

See at Amazon Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Box Set Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Anime - Steelbook Edition (Blu-ray) $18.89 (was $27)

If you don't own the film adaptation, you can pick up Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind's Steelbook Edition for $18.89 (was $27) at Amazon. The Steelbook is actually cheaper than the standard edition right now. If you don't care about steelbook cases, Walmart has a Studio Ghibli 2-Film Box Set with Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke for $20. All of the Blu-ray editions of Studio Ghibli movies come with a DVD, too.

• Steelbook Blu-ray + DVD) -- $18.89 ($27)
• Nausicaa / Mononoke 2-Film Blu-ray + DVD Set -- $20 ($25)
• Standard Blu-ray + DVD -- $20 ($30)
• DVD -- $11

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind technically isn't a Studio Ghibli movie, as it premiered one year prior to the formation of the studio. But while Castle in the Sky is Studio Ghibli's first official movie, Nausicaa is widely viewed as a Ghibli movie these days. All of the Blu-ray and DVD releases are marketed with Studio Ghibli's name attached.

The manga and adaptation are set in a distant future where humanity has turned the world into a toxic wasteland, forcing survivors to live in domed cities that can protect them from the poisonous air and the giant mutant insects outside. Enter Nausicaa, a princess on a quest to stop a militaristic faction from gaining control of an ancient weapon that could spell the end of everything.

It's a story with quite a few similarities to Princess Mononoke--another Studio Ghibli film with a strong message regarding mankind's attempts to dominate nature constantly--and like that beautiful fantasy movie, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind has gorgeous visuals and fantastic character designs. So it makes perfect sense why the two are paired together in the Walmart-exclusive 2-Film Set.

For even more on Nausicaa, check out the official art book for the movie and the collection of watercolors illustrated by Miyazaki while working on the manga and adaptation. There's also a 214-page picture book adaptation for middle grade readers.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Companion Books

For even more on Nausicaa, check out the official art book for the movie and the collection of watercolors illustrated by Miyazaki while he developed the manga and adaptation. There's also a 214-page picture book adaptation for middle grade readers and the a collection of the original storyboards for the movie. The picture book is in English, but the storyboards are in Japanese.

• Watercolor Impressions (Hardcover) -- $27 ($35)
• Official Art Book (Hardcover) -- $26 ($35)
• Picture Book (Hardcover) -- $25.49 ($30)
• Original Storyboards (Paperback, Japanese) -- $40

See at Amazon See Nausicaa books at Amazon Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki (Hardcover) $13.81 (was $28)

Nausicaa is Miyazaki's only manga series, but he has authored a small number of other original stories, including Shuna's Journey. The illustrated novel was published in Japanese in 1983 and translated to English in 2022. You can buy a hardcover edition of Shuna's Journey for $13.81 (was $28) at Amazon. Miyazaki wrote and created the watercolor illustrations for this book. If you love Ghibli films, chances are you'll love Shuna's Journey.

See at Amazon Studio Ghibli Books

We've rounded up more notable books written by Miyazaki as well as some of the best companion books for Studio Ghibli fans below.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition

$65 | Releases January 15, 2026

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch Edition

$53.90 (was $60) | Upgrade to Switch 2 Edition for $5

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons, one of the defining games of the Nintendo Switch era, is getting a Switch 2 Edition with upgraded performance and new content on January 15, 2026. Up until now, Switch 2 upgrades for first-party games have retailed for $10-$20, but New Horizons is only a $5 upgrade. Nintendo is also releasing a new physical edition of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Switch 2. Like all first-party titles, the full game file is stored on the Switch 2 card. You can preorder New Horizons for Nintendo Switch 2 for $65 at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and GameStop.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition $65 | Releases January 15, 2026

The Switch 2 edition of Animal Crossing: New Horizons features an enhanced resolution and faster loading times. The game will also take advantage of Switch 2 hardware, as it supports mouse controls with the right Joy-Con to help you express your creativity more fluidly, and you can also use CameraPlay and GameChat to interact with fellow islanders. Another new feature is the megaphone, as by using the Switch 2 microphone, you can call out to nearby residents and have them respond to you in kind.

Online support is also being expanded from eight to 12 players, and a free update will add the Resort Hotel, Slumber Island, and even Lego furniture to the game. Players will also be able to visit a resort hotel run by Kapp'n and his family, and by helping out, you can acquire retro Nintendo hardware and toys to decorate your home with. Just like in the GameCube iteration of Animal Crossing, you will be able to play retro games inside your villager's home--if you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership. Nintendo has confirmed support for Game Boy, NES, and SNES Switch Online games.

Preorder at Best Buy Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch Edition $53.90 (was $60) | Upgrade to Switch 2 Edition for $5

Like all first-party Switch games with Nintendo Switch 2 Editions, owners of the original physical or digital version of New Horizons can upgrade to Switch 2 for a fee on the eShop. You could buy a physical copy for $54 at Amazon and then purchase the $5 Upgrade Pack. At the moment, this method saves you about $6, but your game box won't match your other Switch 2 games.

See at Amazon Animal Crossing: New Horizons: The Official Complete Guide $55

It's worth noting that the official Animal Crossing: New Horizons strategy guide is still in print. Published by Future Press in June 2023, this 688-page hardcover guidebook is the most comprehensive resource available for Nintendo's idyllic island life sim. While it naturally doesn't include the new content from the upcoming 3.0 update, it does cover everything in the game at this time, including the Happy Home Paradise expansion. Just make sure you buy The Official Complete Guide, not the original Companion Guide from 2020. The newer guide includes roughly 250 pages of fresh information and updates throughout.

Featuring high-quality pages and vibrant imagery, this book will help you make the most of your island getaway with tips, explainers, and fun diagrams. It's also a neat collectible and display piece for big Animal Crossing fans.

See at Amazon

Nintendo Switch 2 owners looking for games to play this holiday have multiple exciting recent and upcoming Nintendo exclusives to check out. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the latest Dynasty Warriors x The Legend of Zelda hack-and-slash game, releases November 6 exclusively on Switch 2. On November 20, Kirby Air Riders and the physical edition of Hades II--a timed Switch 2-console exclusive--arrive in stores. The big game for December is the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which will be available for both Switch and Switch 2.

Nintendo Switch 2 Games at Amazon

All new and upcoming Switch 1/2 games in one place.

See at Amazon

Switch and Switch 2 owners should also check out Nintendo's two major October releases, Pokemon Legends: Z-A and Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2.

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Lego Marvel: Iron Man Mark 3 Collector's Edition (1,297 Pieces)

$130 | Releases January 1, 2026

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Target Preorder at Lego

Lego has revealed the first batch of Marvel building sets for 2026. Six Lego Marvel sets launch January 1, and while Spider-Man is featured in four of them, the marquee product celebrates Iron Man. The Iron Man Mark 3 Collector's Edition is a 1,297-piece display model for adults, and it's priced lower than Lego Marvel fans might expect based on that description. You can preorder the large-scale Iron Man Lego figure for $130 at Amazon, Target, and the Lego Store.

Spidey fans can preorder Spider-Man vs. Mysterio: The Daily Bugle, a 781-piece playset, for $100 at the Lego Store. The four other upcoming Marvel sets, including two "Epic Battle" models featuring Hulkbuster vs. The Hulk and Spider-Man vs. Sandman, aren't available to preorder yet. The other two small playsets feature Spider-Man vs. Venomized Wolverine and Spider-Man vs. Ghost Rider and his motorcycle, which is pretty cool.

Lego Marvel: Iron Man Mark 3 Collector's Edition (1,297 Pieces) $130 | Releases January 1, 2026

Lego's latest Iron Man display model will seemingly usher in a new era for Marvel building sets designed for adults. The Iron Man Mark 3 figure will be the only Lego Marvel model with "Collector's Edition" in its official name. Lego has done this with some large Harry Potter sets, and Star Wars has the Ultimate Collector Series, so it makes sense that some Marvel sets would have a similar designation.

The Mark 3 figure is arguably Lego's best-looking Iron Man build yet; at the very least, it's the most realistic depiction of Tony Stark's iconic suit from the MCU. The Mark 3 holds an important place in MCU lore, as it was the primary armor worn by Robert Downey Jr. in 2008's Iron Man, the first movie in the Avengers: Infinity Saga arc. That distinction makes it a fitting debut for the Lego Marvel Collector's Edition series.

The highly detailed 1,297-piece figure is over 15 inches tall when connected to the buildable display stand. The model measures up to 8 inches wide and 4 inches deep, depending on the pose. It has multiple points of articulation, including the neck, shoulders, waist, wrists, and hands. Lego says the final step to the build is to connect the Arc Reactor. It could just be the pictures, but the gold-lacquered pieces look a bit better compared to the Lego Iron Man MK4 Bust that launched earlier this year.

The model comes with a name plate to attach to the stand and an Iron Man Lego minifigure wearing the Mark 3 Armor. The minifigure's helmet can be removed and has a retractable visor. The Tony Stark minifigure is a new design, too.

The Iron Man Mark 3 Collector's Edition will have support for the Lego Builder app's Build Together feature, which makes it easy for up to four Marvel fans to piece together the new Iron Man figure as a group.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Target Preorder at Lego Lego Marvel: Iron Man Mark 3 Collector's Edition 76344

Lego Marvel Deals at Amazon

Save big on new releases and models that are retiring soon.

See at Amazon

If the upcoming Iron Man Mark 3 is indeed the first in a series of Collector's Edition figures, it will be the second Lego Marvel model series in a row launched by the superhero. In June, Iron Man's Mark IV Armor kicked off Lego's series of Marvel busts. The 436-piece Iron Man MK4 Bust is on sale for $48 (was $60) at Amazon and Target. You can also save 20% on the Iron Spider-Man Bust that launched in August.

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The day has finally arrived--after months and months of leaks and rumors, Fortnite's Simpsons season launches today. Just not quite yet, because Fortnite is offline for maintenance following the "Welcome, Our Alien Overlords" event, during which players were treated to a Simpsons short film that explained how they ended up being a part of the Fortnite omniverse.

As is standard operating procedure for Epic, Fortnite goes offline when it's time for a major update. While this usually happens during the middle of the night on a weekday, this season launch is a special event, and as such, it'll kick off on a Saturday evening. That's why it's offline for maintenance now--Epic wants the launch of Fortnite x Simpsons to arrive during primetime on a Saturday night.

When is Fortnite Simpsons season expected to launch?

Epic is planning to bring Fortnite back online for The Simpsons season at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET, though that time is an estimate and not set in stone. In reality, Fortnite maintenance rarely ends on schedule, as it's simply done when it's done--which actually often means sooner than expected. Fortnite maintenance usually lasts between four and seven hours, and the planned start time here splits the difference exactly at 5.5 hours of downtime. So don't be surprised if the season starts a little before or a little after that time.

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The day has finally arrived--after months and months of leaks and rumors, Fortnite's Simpsons season launches today. Just not quite yet, because Fortnite is offline for maintenance following the "Welcome, Our Alien Overlords" event, during which players were treated to a Simpsons short film that explained how they ended up being a part of the Fortnite omniverse.

As is standard operating procedure for Epic, Fortnite goes offline when it's time for a major update. While this usually happens during the middle of the night on a weekday, this season launch is a special event, and as such, it'll kick off on a Saturday evening. That's why it's offline for maintenance now--Epic wants the launch of Fortnite x Simpsons to arrive during primetime on a Saturday night.

When is Fortnite Simpsons season expected to launch?

Epic is planning to bring Fortnite back online for The Simpsons season at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET, though that time is an estimate and not set in stone. In reality, Fortnite maintenance rarely ends on schedule, as it's simply done when it's done--which actually often means sooner than expected. Fortnite maintenance usually lasts between four and seven hours, and the planned start time here splits the difference exactly at 5.5 hours of downtime. So don't be surprised if the season starts a little before or a little after that time.

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Pokemon Go's Tales of Transformation season continues in October with a variety of different events happening over the next few weeks. In addition to new Spotlight Hours and raid bosses, the game will host a few autumn-themed activities this month like the Harvest Festival, which will introduce two new evolved forms of Applin.

On top of that, there's also Mega Rayquaza Raid Day to look forward to, as well as an event to celebrate the launch of the Pokemon series' latest title, Pokemon Legends: Z-A. And of course, October wouldn't be complete without the annual Halloween event, which will be split up into two parts this year and add a few new ghost and costumed Pokemon to catch.

You can read more about all of the biggest events happening in Pokemon Go for October 2025 below.

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Grand Theft Auto 6 is just over six months away, but there's something brewing at the game's developer, Rockstar Games. The studio fired between 30 and 40 staff members from offices in the United Kingdom and Canada earlier this week. The terminated employees were reportedly attempting to unionize when they were let go.

Bloomberg broke the story, and added that all of the fired employees were part of a private trade union chat group on Discord. According to a spokesperson for the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain, the group was a mix of members who had already joined the union and others who were trying to organize a union at Rockstar.

"Rockstar has just carried out one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry," said IWGB president Alex Marshall in a statement. "This flagrant contempt for the law and for the lives of the workers who bring in their billions is an insult to their fans and the global industry."

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Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller

$140 (was $200)

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Microsoft's Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller is discounted to $140 (was $200) at Amazon and Walmart. The $60 price cut is the best we've seen in 2025. If Amazon and Walmart sell out--and we wouldn't be surprised if that happened--the Elite Series 2 is available for $145 at Target and $150 at Best Buy.

The Elite Series 2 has numerous customizable features and swappable magnetic components not found on the standard Xbox Wireless Controller. Here's a quick look at the controller's key extra features and accessories:

• Four removable back paddles
• Metal analog sticks with adjustable tension
• Six swappable stick caps
  • standard (x2), classic (x2), wide dome, tall
• Two D-pads: Circular 8-way & standard 4-way
• Built-in trigger locks with three stopping points
• Three custom control profiles
• Charging dock
• Braided USB-C cable
• Hardshell case with accessory slots

Standard Xbox Wireless Controllers are also steeply discounted at multiple major retailers. Carbon Black and Robot White editions are on sale for only $40, and the recently released Breaker Special Editions are down to $60 (was $80). We included a full list of deals at the bottom of this story.

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Keyboards have more than 100 keys, but there are four that are most important to people who play video games: W, A, S, and D. There are games that use more than these keys, yes--StarCraft, League of Legends, and World of Warcraft use all sorts of combinations--but the majority of games rely on a small sampling of numbers and letters on the keyboard. There are practical reasons for this, to be sure: Computer games often require one hand on a mouse, the other on a keyboard. There are a ton of keys that are simply out of reach. If you've got two hands on the keyboard, you're probably not playing a video game. But you could be.

Typing games have existed for decades, once largely considered educational tools designed to help kids learn to use a keyboard. Millennials played games like Typer Shark and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing in their computer lab classrooms, before computers were commonplace in home offices. As computers, namely laptops, started to proliferate, computer labs started to disappear--and so did the need for educational typing games. But from the ashes of the computer lab, typing games have reemerged, pulling from the educational genres toolbox while putting a new spin on the niche genre.

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, released in 1987 and developed by Software Toolworks, is the quintessential typing game. It wasn't the first typing game, but it was among the first. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is certainly the most prominent; Mavis herself is the face of the typing genre, even today.

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Last month, Supergiant Games officially launched Hades 2 out of early access, and sent the princess of the underworld, Melinoe, on a quest to defeat the titan Chronos. The original ending of the game wasn't very well-received. But in Hades 2' first post-launch patch, the true ending may give fans a better conclusion than the previous finale.

There have been some sizable additions to build up to the true ending, including new events and voiceovers, as well as changes to the fated prophecy adjustments, and the ability to use a cauldron incarnation to take you back to an earlier point in the game. However, the true ending will require a higher number of Underworld clears than before. The game's epilogue isn't being changed.

The specific changes involving the special encounters have been marked as spoilers by Supergiant. Without giving any story points away, one character may appear less frequently, and one will appear more often.

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Lenovo LOQ 15.6" Gaming Laptop

$650 (was $1,100)

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If you're in the market for a budget-friendly gaming laptop this holiday season, Best Buy's early Black Friday sale includes an awesome deal on a recently released model from Lenovo. The Lenovo LOQ 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop is discounted to only $650 (was $1,100). It's the only gaming laptop in Best Buy's sale catalog so far, but there are a bunch of gaming desktop deals.

The $450 price cut on the Lenovo LOQ isn't categorized as a Doorbuster, so it's possible the deal will stick around beyond Sunday, November 2, but it's not guaranteed. Best Buy's "DoorBOOsters" are only available this weekend and include the Lenovo IdeaPad 1i for $300 (was $600).

See all deals at Best Buy Lenovo LOQ 15.6" Gaming Laptop $650 (was $1,100)

Specs:

• Display: 15.6" Full HD IPS LCD
• Refresh Rate: 144Hz
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050
• CPU: Intel Core i5-13450HX
• RAM: 16GB DDR5 (Expandable)
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
• Ports: USB-C 3.2, USB-A 3.2 (x3), HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm

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The Lenovo LOQ has a pretty solid display for a $1,100 gaming laptop and a very solid display for a $650 gaming laptop. The 15.6-inch LCD screen has a 144Hz refresh rate and Nvidia's G-Sync adaptive frame rate tech. It has a full 100% standard RGB color gamut, which often isn't the case with gaming laptops in this price range. It offers 300 nits brightness and has an anti-glare coating.

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