Amazon Has a Sale on Magic: The Gathering Booster Boxes Even Before Black Friday Kicks Off

Has Magic: The Gathering ever been as popular as it is right now? It feels like the long-running card game is having a bit of a moment in terms of bringing fresh players in via its ever-growing roster of Universes Beyond crossover properties.

Rightly or wrongly, that means there are more people looking to build collections, whether they’re playing or collecting the cards, and it just so happens that Amazon has rolled out some price cuts on Play Booster Boxes - including the Star Trek one at 26% off just weeks before it even launches.

It’s worth reminding you that these are Play Booster Boxes, as opposed to Collector Booster ones. Aside from a massive difference in price, Collector Boosters are where you’ll find the most valuable cards in each set. With that caveat out of the way, here are the best Play Booster Box deals we’ve found so far.

Save On Magic: The Gathering Play Booster Boxes

Sure, that Star Trek deal is great, but it’s not the only Universes Beyond property seeing a price cut. In fact, you can find discounts on both Marvel sets, The Hobbit, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

If you’re desperate for the new Darkhold Destiny set announced for next year, then good news: You can save on both the Marvel Spider-Man and Super Heroes Play Booster Boxes.

The former, while not a great set, does have some cool cards, and while it would have cost you $209.70 around this time last year, it’s down to $134.95 for 30 packs. Meanwhile, the much better Super Heroes set from June of this year has dropped from the same MSRP to $149.99.

Sticking with 2026 sets, The Hobbit Play Booster Box has dropped down to $161.93, which marks a 23% discount. Whether you’re looking for Smaug, Gollum, Bilbo, or any of the dwarves from the set, this is a great way to build out a collection - and you get a box topper included, too.

Rounding out our Universes Beyond sale offerings is Avatar: The Last Airbender. This set was a very pleasant surprise, and you can grab a box of 30 packs for $139.99 right now.

For Universes Within, you’ve got a few options to build out your collection and deck-building options. Play Booster Boxes for Lorwyn Eclipsed, Secrets of Strixhaven, and even the current set, Reality Fracture, are currently discounted.

Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Boosters are down to $118 per box, but we’d recommend hanging fire for a little while. The same product was around $11 cheaper recently, and we can see this being ripe for a Black Friday saving.

Secrets of Strixhaven is still my favorite set of 2026, and if you missed all the fun, then you can catch up with a 21% discount on a Play Booster Box. 30 packs for $129.99? Don’t mind if I do.

Reality Fracture is a little different, because it’s being sold by a third-party seller. Still, it’s the current set and is sitting at $153.98, so you’re saving around $10 from the MSRP. Not huge, sure, but it’s an awesome set.

For more on Magic: The Gathering, be sure to check out all we know about next year’s sets so far, including some in-universe returns and another Marvel set.

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Saber Interactive CEO Says Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is Performing 'Extremely Well on PC and Consoles' with More to Come

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival has been a smash hit, says Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch in a post on LinkedIn, and it’s the first of a “series” of releases from the studio that will improve how it makes games in the future.

Hellraiser: Revival has proven to be a smashing success, in spite of — or, perhaps because of — its super-spicy content. The game doesn’t skirt around the sex, blood, and gore that defined the source material, causing some content creators to get permanently banned despite taking pains to censor their playthroughs.

In an October 19 LinkedIn post, Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch praised the Hellraiser development team, revealing the title has been performing “extremely well on PC and console” since its October 8 release.

He also speculated that AAA titles with massive budgets and lengthy development timelines won’t be sustainable in the industry for much longer (if, indeed, they are right now), instead positing that AA games based on established IPs with smaller budgets are likely a more realistic path forward.

“The game is testament to the notion that an established IP and solid AA development with controlled costs can produce great results and high user scores,” he wrote. “I believe a greater focus on these middle-market IP-driven products, rather than AAA behemoths, is the future to maintaining growth and momentum in the game industry.

“While I believe there will always be a place for the properly-developed and budgeted AAA experience, a AA game that provides a great immersive experience for a lower price is less risky and can provide much greater returns on average.”

Karch went on to say that Hellraiser: Revival is “the first in a series of releases by Saber that will continue to prove out our methodology,” teasing that there’s “more to come in just a few short weeks.”

While IGN scored the game a six out of ten, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival boasts a “very positive” player score on Steam, and has earned no small amount of praise from content creators who showed up in droves to broadcast the game on release.

Of course, given its content, it’s no surprise that some streamers got the ban hammer — but, according to its developers, that’s exactly what they were aiming for when they made it.

"It was an unofficial goal of the team to be banned, unrated, or restricted at least somewhere in the world as one barometer of whether we’d done our jobs right,” narrative director Antony De Fault told IGN in an exclusive interview.

Even Clive Barker himself was impressed, saying he was “fearful at one point that the game would be overly censored but I’m genuinely astonished by how far they’ve been able to push it.”

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Valve Developer Mistakenly Mentions Rumored Half-Life 3 Codename

A Valve developer mistakenly slipped up and made mention of Half-Life 3's long-rumored codename during a recent conference.

For years, fans have wondered if we'll ever see Half-Life 3. During the 2010s, hope for the threequel was kept firmly alive by die-hard fans... but it was later revealed that the project had been quietly killed by Valve. However, hope was reignited when Valve released Half-Life: Alyx, which ended with a massive cliffhanger that seemed to directly set up Gordon Freeman's next adventure. Ever since then, there have been rumors of a third game, with various dataminers discovering references to a project known as "HLX" in various Valve-related files. It has been believed for years that HLX is indeed Half-Life 3, as no one has been able to link it to any other existing Valve project. (And, of course, the acronym all but screaming that it's Half-Life related.)

Now, Valve has acknowleged the project itself, though not on purpose. During a recent Q&A panel at GameSoundCon, a conference for video game audio, Valve's music designer, Mike Morasky, was explaining how the developer handled certain sound systems and noted that Deadlock uses a particular type of high dynamic range audio... and HLX uses its own kind of HDR.

We have the first mention of HLX by a Valve employee.

HLX files today. I'm working as quickly as I can. https://t.co/LhFBNOP1CU

— Tyler "Hype Merchant" McVicker (@Tyler_McV) October 22, 2026

Once the words HLX came out of Morasky's mouth, he pretty much stopped talking. Whether that's because he had finished his thought or if he realized he should stop talking is up in the air. A colleague sitting next to Morasky then quietly said "nice work," which some fans have read into as a passive-agressive retort to Morasky's slip up. Fans went buckwild with this small, but notable mistake. Some ran with it, feeling like all of their theories and copium has been vindicated after this mention.

Regardless, this does seem to confirm that HLX is a project that is still actively in development at Valve. We can only hope that it is the long-rumored Half-Life 3, but who knows how far away it could be from being announced, let alone released. Half-Life: Alyx had an exceptionally fast turn around time for being announced and released, so it's possible that a similar pattern would emerge here. If that's the case, maybe we can hope to see it at The Game Awards, but that's still probably a longshot.

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EA Confirms DICE and Respawn Are Collaborating on a New Project Amidst Star Wars: Battlefront 3 Rumors

EA has confirmed that DICE and Respawn are working on a new project together, adding more fuel to rumors about Star Wars: Battlefront 3.

As part of a larger letter about the future of EA, the publisher confirmed that it is working on new Battlefield games. It also noted that in addition to Battlefield, DICE and Respawn are working together on a "future project" that they hope will unlock growth in their shooter portfolio. This follows rumors from earlier this week that the two companies are working together to make Star Wars: Battlefront 3.

"In addition to our future Battlefield titles, we’ll be bringing together our Respawn and DICE studios to collaborate on a future project that will help us achieve that ambition," said EA. "We can’t wait to share more when the time comes."

Variety also corroborated the Battlefront 3 rumors via sources, though nothing was shared on what the game will look like or when it might release. Other rumors recently suggested that Bungie was in the mix to work on Battlefront 3 or perhaps another project in the Star Wars universe, though nothing has been confirmed on that front. Star Wars: Battlefront 3 has been one of the most demanded titles over the last decade.

DICE's second crack at the Star Wars shooter franchise was controversial at launch due to issues with its monetization strategy, but the game itself was praised up and down by fans. It has remained a respected title among Star Wars lovers, and they've frequently rallied together to demand a sequel. Now, it seems like it will happen, though this time with the assistance of Respawn.

The Titanfall and Apex Legends studio has its own experience working on Star Wars through the Jedi games and the recently-released Star Wars Zero Company. Respawn also worked on a canceled Star Wars shooter, rumored to be a Mandalorian game, leaving fans to wonder what could've been. Only time will tell what this new Respawn and DICE game really is, but if it's Battlefront 3, it has serious potential to be something special.

This news came alongside some doom and gloom. EA confirmed that it was canceling the next Mass Effect and shutting down veteran RPG studio BioWare. The news comes after about a decade of commercial and critical misfires from the studio with games like Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

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Umamusume Fans Distraught After Los Angeles Concerts Canceled Due to Visa Issues

Two Umamusume concerts in Los Angeles have been canceled after workers could not get their visas approved in time for the event, leaving American fans distraught.

On October 18, the official Umamusume: Pretty Derby Twitter/X account announced that staffers working the shows — scheduled for October 22 and 23 — were having difficulties securing their travel visas. At the time, it did not cancel the events, but warned concertgoers that this may impact the festivities.

The possibility that these concerts would be canceled sparked concern among the game’s fanbase, with many joking (or perhaps being fully serious) that this event might politically “radicalize” them, given the extremely long wait times for visas in the United States right now.

The next day, Cygames confirmed that the Los Angeles concerts had been officially canceled, offering refunds to fans who’d purchased both on-site viewing tickets and streaming tickets to watch the show remotely. Responses to fans who made travel plans are also in progress, though Cygames admitted that this may take “some time.”

“Although we have coordinated repeatedly with all parties concerned and explored every possible option in our efforts to make this event happen, we were unable to obtain the necessary visas for entry into the US, so we have come to the painful conclusion that holding the concerts is no longer possible,” the post reads.

“Once again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this causes to all the Trainers who were eagerly looking forward to the concerts, as well as to the Umamusume cast, partner company staff, and everyone involved who put tremendous effort into making this event happen.”

It is with heavy hearts that we must announce the cancellation of the Umamusume: Pretty Derby – 7th EVENT: THE STAGE in LOS ANGELES concerts planned for Oct 22–23, 2026.

Although we have coordinated repeatedly with all parties concerned and explored every possible option in our efforts to make this event happen, we were unable to obtain the necessary visas for entry into the US, so we have come to the painful conclusion that holding the concerts is no longer possible.

To all the Trainers who were eagerly looking forward to the show, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and concern this causes, and for announcing this so close to the event date.

Due to this cancellation, we will process refunds for the following:

・On-site viewing tickets

・Streaming tickets

In addition, we are looking into possible responses to Trainers who were planning to attend the concert in person. This will take some time, so we ask for your patience. Details will be announced on the 7th EVENT WORLD TOUR official website.

Once again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this causes to all the Trainers who were eagerly looking forward to the concerts, as well as to the Umamusume cast, partner company staff, and everyone involved who put tremendous effort into making this event happen.

Please see the link below for the official notice:

https://t.co/lrZyCDHwhh

— Umamusume: Pretty Derby (@umamusume_eng) October 20, 2026

It’s safe to say that Umamusume fans in the States are completely beside themselves over this news, with many who’d made travel arrangements feeling especially burnt by the situation — not at Cygames, but with the political issues that are making visa acquisitions especially arduous.

“I'm so sorry that this happened. I was excited to have a mini-concert at home and had many friends and acquaintances who were excited to go. I wish things could have worked out,” one fan replied.

“Thank you so very much for trying, it's heart-breaking but we know you tried until the very end,” another wrote.

“This is not the America I wanted to live in,” another said, while yet another joked that the country is currently experiencing an “anti-Uma administration.”

Knowing the power of the Umamusume fanbase, some netizens are genuinely convinced that this incident could result in real political activism; after all, these fans have made several real-world impacts over the years, with the community previously banding together to save a sick racehorse from a slaughterhouse, raising over $600,000 to rebuild stables for the horse Meisho Doto, and even inspiring a disabled fan to perform onstage for the very first time.

Umamusume concerts aren’t the only events getting impacted by long visa wait times; several other shows have also fallen victim to this issue, with the likes of Shinee’s Taemin being forced to cancel his entire North American tour due to being unable to secure visas for its staff and key personnel.

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Hideo Kojima Loved Whalefall, but It Ruined Eating Squid for Him

Whalefall, the movie that sees Austin Abrams attempt to fight his way out of the belly of a sperm whale, has a fan in Hideo Kojima. The Metal Gear Solid creator and serious movie buff shared his thoughts on the film over the weekend, revealing a love for whales that has been with him since school — but says Whalefall has, as a result, put him off snacking on squid.

"It was a literary film that explored, in a somewhat metafictional way, the Steinbeck-like relationship between whales and humans as part of an ecosystem, alongside the familial bond between father and son. The visual effects were also outstanding. However, I don’t think I’ll be eating squid for a while," he wrote on Twitter/X.

I watched “Whalefall.” I had received a copy of Daniel Kraus’s novel, on which the film is based, quite some time ago, but hadn’t had the chance to read it yet. Kraus was also involved in writing the screenplay. It was a literary film that explored, in a somewhat metafictional way, the Steinbeck-like relationship between whales and humans as part of an ecosystem, alongside the familial bond between father and son. The visual effects were also outstanding. However, I don’t think I’ll be eating squid for a while 🦑. I love whales. They appear frequently in my games. When I was in the early years of elementary school, I researched whale ecology for a school project. Ever since then, I’ve been fascinated by their enormous size as mammals and their symbolic presence in the marine ecosystem. In MGS2, Raiden is swallowed, digested, and excreted by the enormous Arsenal Gear, a whale that swallows digital information. Whales also feature in MGSV and DEATH STRANDING. There are references to Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick” as well. It’s a shame they didn’t make a program for the film 🐳.

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) October 18, 2026

Director and writer Brian Duffield spoke to IGN for Fall Fan Fest 2026 about the making of the movie and revealed the unusual research he had to undertake when it came to whale guts.

"We would watch autopsies of beached sperm whales, and there's a bunch of endoscopies of beluga whales and dolphins that we would watch and then talk to the experts and see how much of that we could use and how much would be different with a sperm whale," he said.

"But yeah, it was a real weird time in my life where most everything I was watching was very graphic endoscopies and autopsies. My wife would walk into the room and I'd close my laptop lid, and she was just like - she knew I wasn't watching porn - she was just like, 'Just another autopsy?' I was like, 'Yes, it's my job.'"

Whalefall is in movie theaters now, and our review said it "pulls the viewer into an unthinkably frightening, incredibly gross, and panic-inducing environment that plays on primal human fears about being predator or prey." You can read more of that review here.

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PlayStation Shadowdrops Saros Zenith Update With Boss Rush, New Game+ and Fancy Golden Crown Powerups

A new update for Saros dropped today, adding some new features to the hectic Housemarque shooter. New Carcosan Modifiers allow players to further tweak the challenge, a boss rush mode lets you compete on leaderboards, and Arjun gets a golden glow.

Zenith adds 10 new Trial Modifiers to increase the challenge level. One example is “Hostile Regeneration,” which allows you to stun larger enemies, but you have to get in and finish them with a melee strike before they recover.

The update also adds New Game+, which adds mysterious new nodes to the Armor Matrix back at Passage. You use these to move through Eclipse Layers, which ramp up the challenge with new rules and deadlier enemies.

During Eclipse Layers, Arjun dons a golden crown and his armor glows. The more trials you have active, the more it glows and the flashier his gilded attire gets. Wearing the crown also grants access to new story and lore entries called Visions.

Then there’s Overlord Rush, accessed via the primary unit in Passage. This is a training simulation boss rush mode that lets you take down the fiercest Saros enemies and compete for a place on global leaderboards.

“Overlord Rush is divided into multiple Sets, each of which contains a different selection of Overlords,” the post on the PS Blog said. “The Incursion and Ascension Sets contain three Overlords each, and can be completed in 10 minutes, for a nice little Saros snack. The final Set is known as Totality. As the name implies, it lines up all eight Overlords from around Carcosa in one continuous gauntlet!”

Elsewhere, Housemarque has added a bunch of accessibility modifiers for people who are struggling with Saros, including the ability to slow projectiles down, giving you more time to dodge. “You have control over how much the game slows down, and can even choose if you want the setting to kick in automatically during combat, or if you want to manually toggle it on when things get hairy,” the blog said.

There’s also a new Auto Fire setting you can toggle on, which fires your weapon for you whenever you’re aiming at an enemy. You can also change the controls to aim with the motion sensor, for players who can’t get used to patting their head while rubbing their tummy and running on a treadmill at the same time.

“We here at Housemarque are super excited for everyone to get their hands on the new content Zenith adds,” Housemarque said. “I can’t wait to hear what players think about all the new control options, see your Crown-equipped Photo mode snaps, and compete (and likely lose) to your high scores in Overlord Rush.”

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