Call of Duty Movie to Take Place in the Modern Warfare Universe, Director Confirms

Paramount Pictures and Activision have confirmed the upcoming Call of Duty movie will take place in its long-running Modern Warfare universe.

The crew behind the upcoming video game-to-movie adaptation revealed the update as part of a Call of Duty in Culture Panel at Fanatics Fest in New York City today (via Variety). Call of Duty movie director and co-writer Peter Berg made an appearance at the event to share the news.

Berg and co-writer Taylor Sheridan's choice to set their Call of Duty movie in the Modern Warfare universe may come as much of a surprise for some fans, but it might finally give us some clues about its yet-to-be-detailed plot. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the first in Activision's first-person shooter series to introduce players to a, well, more modern take on the franchise when it launched in 2007. As it left behind the mid-1900s battlefields established by previous games, it also brought along new characters, such as Soap, Ghost, Captain Price, and series villain Vladimir Makarov.

Director Peter Berg revealed today at @FanaticsFest the @CallOfDutyMovie is set in the Modern Warfare universe.

In theaters June 30, 2028. pic.twitter.com/CpdFX7kI9z

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) July 18, 2026

On the gaming side of things, Modern Warfare has spent the last two decades attempting to reinvent itself across six mainline entries, and even a few remasters. The first three games, which arrived throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, primarily followed Task Force 141 as they embarked on globe-trotting missions, while gaining (and losing) teammates along the way.

Activision and developer Infinity Ward took a break from the somewhat more grounded settings of Modern Warfare through the mid-2010s before delivering a full-fledged reboot with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019. It's expanded on this chapter with returning characters and new stories, with its next entry, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, set to launch for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X | S October 23, 2026.

Why Paramount and Activision opted to kick off its Call of Duty film ambitions with Modern Warfare instead of something like the Black Ops series, which recently celebrated the release of PlayStation ports for Black Ops 1 and 2, is unclear. Berg also neglected to mention whether his adaptation will retread events players may remember from the games or carve out its own corner of the universe.

The Call of Duty movie has a release date of June 30, 2028. Its plot and cast remain a mystery, for now.

Developing…

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

from IGN Video Games https://ift.tt/zXflY3J
via IFTTT

Disco Elysium Dev ZA/UM Announces Layoffs Affecting Up to 32 Staff

Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM has announced layoffs affecting up to 32 staff just two months after launching Zero Parades: For Dead Spies.

The UK-based studio published a statement regarding the changes on its X/Twitter account. It says that, despite releasing its latest game in May to "critical acclaim, its commercial performance has not enabled us to sustain a studio of our current size."

"We have served redundancy or at-risk notices impacting up to 32 of our colleagues across all departments at ZA/UM Studio," the message said. "Their work has made a lasting difference and left its mark on Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, and the studio as a whole."

pic.twitter.com/h1JqIYywR5

— ZA/UM Studio (@studiozaum) July 17, 2026

ZA/UM said it will continue to "consult and work with" members of its Workers' Alliance union throughout the "difficult process." The message added that the layoffs will change "the shape of ZA/UM, but not its purpose."

"Our artistic standards remain unchanged: we will persist," it continued. "To anyone currently hiring, please consider the colleagues leaving ZA/UM.

The 2020s have been rough for ZA/UM. Trouble truly began in early October 2022, when multiple key developers – including writer and designer Robert Kurvitz, writer Helen Hindpere, and art and design lead Aleksander Rostov – were said to have left the studio involuntarily. Just weeks later, it was revealed that Kurvitz had launched a lawsuit against the company, with both he and Rostov alleging Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel of Tütreke OÜ had obtained control of ZA/UM "by fraud." ZA/UM denied these claims while launching their own accusations in a statement sent to Gamesindustry.biz.

As things unwound behind the scenes, a series of spinoff studios made up of former ZA/UM developers have emerged. Dark Math Games and Longdue Games announced their projects, XXX Nightshift and Hopetown, in October 2024, with Summer Eternal revealing itself shortly after.

With years of controversy under its belt, today's layoffs aren't ZA/UM's first. In 2024, it was reported that around 24 employees had been impacted by layoffs. The same update brought word that a standalone Disco Elysium expansion had been canceled.

Disco Elysium won ZA/UM multiple categories at The Game Awards 2019 and earned a 9.6/10 review from IGN at the time of its launch. While Zero Parades: For Dead Spies didn't seem to live up to the high bar set by its predecessor, it still boasts an 83 from critics on Metacritic following its May 21, 2026, launch for PC and PS5. For more on ZA/UM, you can read IGN's breakdown for the full wild story behind what's happened at the studio.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

from IGN Video Games https://ift.tt/KvS5woc
via IFTTT

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced New Game Plus Confirmed as Ubisoft Marks 3 Million Copies Sold

Ubisoft has confirmed plans to bring New Game Plus to Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced as its remake crosses 3 million copies sold.

The update puts the sales up 1 million copies one week after announcing it had managed to reach 2 million copies sold in just 24 hours. It's yet another sign that Ubisoft is happy with its July 9 launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X | S, even after laying off some members of the development team just days later.

As mentioned in IGN's previous coverage, Ubisoft has typically only shares player numbers – not sales – when new Assassin's Creed games arrive. That's suddenly changed for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, suggesting the publisher is pleased as punch by how things have gone thus far. Whether it will continue to be so forthcoming about these figures remains to be seen.

Yo Ho Ho! More than 3 million copies sold across the seas... 🏴‍☠️

Special thanks to all of you for playing and sharing tall tales about your Caribbean adventures.
Guess we'll have to keep the adventures going with New Game+ later on, mates. 👀#AssassinsCreed pic.twitter.com/xhlAhBojxP

— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) July 17, 2026

Meanwhile, Ubisoft celebrated the 3 million milestone by confirming a New Game Plus mode is on the way. It said the team's work on post-launch support, including things like quality-of-life updates and bug fixes, has helped it maintain a "Very Positive" rating from English reviews on Steam (note: reviews in all languages are currently "Mostly Positive"). Details about New Game Plus were not shared, but the mode is promised to "further enhance replayability."

Game director Richard Knight had also teased the mode was in development during a conversation with YouTuber JorRaptor earlier this week (via GamesRadar). Although he was unable to share specifically how Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced New Game Plus would operate, he explained that its existence in 2025's Assassin's Creed Shadows helped set the stage.

"Well, this is the one thing I can say: Yes, we're working on that right now," Knight said. "For sure. It's one of the first things. Partly because Shadows has already built their version, so it's considered a low-risk feature for us. We're still doing the work, so I can't promise exactly a day or anything, but we're definitely working on this one. It's just such a natural thing."

Regarding a potential release date, he said, "I really can't promise anything. It's at the top of the list of things. There's a lot of things – some are harder than others – but it's something we definitely want to get done."

IGN gave Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced a 9/10. In our review, we said, "More than just a shinier version of the same game you remember, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced brings what was already one of the best games in the series up to today’s standards."

For more, you can read about the backlash to its microtransactions, which still reportedly earned $1 million on Steam after a few days. You can also check out what Knight had to say regarding the lack of blade combat in the remake.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

from IGN Video Games https://ift.tt/RzY6BmK
via IFTTT

Stardew Valley Arrives in Magic The Gathering With Superdrop of the Midnight Jellies

Stardew Valley is coming to Magic the Gathering, with three Secret Lair drops inbound later this month.

Announced at MagicCon: Amsterdam on July 17, this Superdrop includes three drops bringing the wolrd of the Ferngill Republic to the iconic trading card game.

Affectionately dubbed ‘The Superdrop of the Moonlight Jellies,’ this cozy collab arrives on July 27, 2026, at 9am PT on the Secret Lair website. Non-foil editions Secret Lair x Stardew Valley are set to drop at WPN game stores at a later date.

Wizards of the Coast featured two of these collaborative cards ahead of the drop in an official blog post. The first is ‘Stardew Valley,’ a land card boasting artwork from the game’s creator himself, ConcernedApe.

In keeping with the farm sim’s gameplay, this card allows you to tap a creature you control, create a food token, choose a target permanent under your control, and give another player control of that permanent. It’s a lovely tribute to Stardew’s gift-giving system and an excellent way to forge bonds across the table.

Additionally, select bundles will include ‘Puca's Mischief,’ a Lucky Purple Memento foil card that allows you to exchange a nonland permanent with another player, so long as it’s of equal or lesser mana value.

Wizards of the Coast included preview of all cards included in the Superdrop, as well as all available bundles:

Grandpa Would Be Proud Everything Bundle

• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Welcome to Stardew Valley
• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Life in Pelican Town
• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: A Flicker in the Deep
• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Welcome to Stardew Valley Foil Edition
• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Life in Pelican Town Foil Edition
• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: A Flicker in the Deep Foil Edition
• Price: $219.99 USD

Prismatic Shard Foil Bundle

• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Welcome to Stardew Valley Foil Edition
• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Life in Pelican Town Foil Edition
• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: A Flicker in the Deep Foil Edition
• Price: $129.97 USD

Traveling Cart Non-Foil Bundle

• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Welcome to Stardew Valley
• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Life in Pelican Town
• 1x Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: A Flicker in the Deep
• Price: $99.97 USD

Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Welcome to Stardew Valley

• 1x Stardew Valley
• 1x Wedding Ring as "Mermaid's Pendant"
• 1x Dawn's Truce as "Pierre's Truce"
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Rites of Flourishing
• 1x Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis as "The Welcoming Committee"
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Food Token
  • Price:
    • Non-foil: $39.99 USD
    • Foil: $49.99 USD

Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: Life in Pelican Town

• 1x Crop Rotation
• 1x Fountainport as "Community Center"
• 1x Homeward Path as "Pelican Town"
• 1x Command Tower as "Tower of Rasmodius"
• 1x Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth as "Valley Farmstead"
  • Price:
    • Non-foil: $29.99 USD
    • Foil: $39.99 USD

Secret Lair x Stardew Valley: A Flicker in the Deep

• 1x Atsushi, the Blazing Sky as "Royal Serpent"
• 1x Mitotic Slime as "Big Slime"
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Sword of Forge and Frontier as "Galaxy Sword"
• 1x Treasure Vault
• 1x Ooze Token
• 1x Treasure Token
  • Price:
    • Non-foil: $29.99 USD
    • Foil: $39.99 USD

This makes Stardew Valley the latest non-Magic property to join the franchise. For more, keep an eye on our hub of every Universe Beyond set as Magic's collaborations with other IPs and brands continues to grow.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

from IGN Video Games https://ift.tt/VfMuvJH
via IFTTT

New Saber Exec Moves to Reassure Fan Worried About Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 Monetization, Ends Up Suggesting a 2028 Launch Window That May Even Include the KOTOR Remake

Former Epic Games Store boss Steve Allison only joined Saber Interactive as its new Chief Business Officer this week, but he’s already caught gamers’ attention by commenting on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3, the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, and the company’s John Wick game.

Over on the Space Marine subreddit, Redditor its_treebeard posted a response from Allison — which Saber confirmed to IGN is legitimate — to a question about monetizing Space Marine 2 and future installments, including the in-development Space Marine 3. It's fair to say Allison's appointment at Saber had spooked some Space Marine fans who feared Allison would force more aggressive monetization of the game.

In his response, Allison assured its_treebeard that Saber intends to stick with its stance on monetization, which, in Space Marine 2’s case, has been well received apart from a backlash to a solitary voice pack DLC the developer eventually apologized for.

That’s great for Space Marine 2 fans who continue to play the hugely popular action game, and for those who are interested in Space Marine 3. But there was more to Allison’s response that caught our attention.

First off, here’s Allison’s comment in full:

My job isn’t to squeeze money from sabers products through tactics like that. We are preparing to do more self publishing and I’m here to organize the group in preparation of the lineup forming for 2028 (like when I came to telltale in 2010, also no mtx company) that includes space marine, wick, hopefully kotor remake and a few unannounced titles. As a company saber has never pursued mtx it’s not how we do our products. We sell the main game with a free dlc plan for the community and may do paid dlc (but can’t repeat the voice pack dlc issue on sm2, the team learned a lot on that and before I started here). I didn’t work on Fortnite or Rocket League, but I did fund and oversee the launch of Alan Wale Remaster and Alan Wake 2 through the traditional 3rd part publishing team what was part of my group (also no mtx). There’s not a lot more for me to say than to assure you that’s not Sabers approach, or how I’m personally oriented leading publishing etc..Space Marine 3 is going to be all the things you love about 2 plus more that leans into the things you call out that you love about it

And here’s the line I want to zero in on:

We are preparing to do more self publishing and I’m here to organize the group in preparation of the lineup forming for 2028 (like when I came to telltale in 2010, also no mtx company) that includes space marine, wick, hopefully kotor remake and a few unannounced titles.

Here, Allison is saying Saber’s 2028 slate of releases includes Space Marine 3, its John Wick game, “hopefully” the KOTOR remake, and more unannounced games. That’s an exciting 2028 for sure!

I asked Saber about Allison’s comment and it, as you’d expect, downplayed its significance. “Steve was responding to a player primarily asking about plans for microtransactions in future titles, and he was speaking broadly, not officially, about the future slate of Saber games, which he's incredibly excited about,” a Saber spokesperson said.

“We have not announced any release dates or confirmed launch windows for Saber's upcoming titles. Please stay tuned for more information on all of our games, like Turok: Origins and Hellraiser: Revival, launching October 8!”

So, nothing official yet, but it’s the first… anything KOTOR remake related in years, so you can understand the scrutiny Allison’s comment has received.

In March, Saber’s Chief Creative Officer, Tim Willits, gave us a short and simple answer when we asked about the KOTOR remake: “Yes, it is still in development. That's all I can say.”

The modern reimagining of BioWare’s sci-fi RPG masterpiece was first revealed way back in 2021, but nothing has been officially seen or heard of it in the five years since. A report in December 2025 from Game File revealed that Aspyr was no longer leading development on the remake, but that the reins had reportedly been handed over to Mad Head Games, the team behind the upcoming Hellraiser: Revival.

That same article also claimed that plans were not only in motion for the KOTOR remake, but a remake of its sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, had also been discussed.

As for Space Marine 3, Saber has remained similarly quiet on details, although fans expect a continuation of Titus’ journey, fresh from his promotion to Captain of the Ultramarines Second Company and Master of the Watch.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

from IGN Video Games https://ift.tt/4EUTynL
via IFTTT

Call of Duty: Black Ops Modder Highlights Major Exploits With New Port, Activision Is Investigating

Activision is investigating issues revolving around mods and hackers in Call of Duty: Black Ops on PS4 and PS5.

Last week, Activision dropped ports of Black Ops 1 and 2 on PS4 and PS5. Although they don't feature any significant improvements or upgrades, fans were extremely happy to see these games accessible on PlayStation. However, the fun was spoiled pretty quickly.

Earlier this week, modders and exploiters began compromising lobbies in the Black Ops 1 port, leading to some players calling the game "unplayable." These lobbies allow you to rank up rapidly and basically make the entire progression system irrelevant. Activision took action pretty quickly and removed certain playlists to address the matter; however, concerns remain.

YouTuber Tdawgsmitty interviewed one of the game's modders to try and figure out what's happening. As it turns out, the issue is partially rooted in the fact that the game has exploits left over from the PS3 version.

"Essentially, what you're doing is that it's like PS3 where you copy [a save file] to your USB, and there's a website that lets you unencrypt it," said the modder. "The site lets you use a jailbroken PS4/PS5, and it will decrypt it for you. The save data is the exact same as PS3. What sucks about this port is that Iron Galaxy and Activision didn't bother changing the encryption on the files, which is the whole reason why this is available right now. That's the only reason why."

The modder went on to note that there are people selling services that allow others to have their stats and game modded. Thankfully, there are no aimbots right now that allow people to easily kill other players with minimal effort. Things could definitely be worse, but it's unfortunate that the game is so easily manipulated.

I highly recommend watching the whole video to learn more about the situation. Activision confirmed to Tdawgsmitty that it is actively investigating these issues and looking to resolve things. Only time will tell how long that takes, but at least Activision isn't abandoning these ports after bringing in a boatload of cash.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

from IGN Video Games https://ift.tt/FP10rYZ
via IFTTT

Leon Kennedy's Voice Actor Says Capcom Cut His 'Favorite' Line From Resident Evil Requiem

Nick Apostolides, best known as the voice behind beloved Resident Evil protagonist Leon S. Kennedy, revealed a hilarious voice line he pitched for RE9 that got cut from final game.

Apostolides’ performance as Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem saw him lean into the character’s badass, '80s-action-flick persona that first blossomed in RE4, giving him a slew of lovably corny one-liners that he spouts off throughout the course of the game.

One of these quips was suggested by Apostolides’ during Leon’s fight with the Titan Spinner in Raccoon City — but unfortunately, it didn’t end up making the cut. And that’s a real bummer, because it’s priceless.

He revealed this information during a podcast episode with fellow voice actors Ben Starr and Alanah Pearce, where he said it would have been his “favorite” line in the game, had it been used in the final product.

“When you fight the spider, I wanted to say — and we recorded it — ‘You know, you’ve been a real itsy-bitsy pain in my ass,'” he said, delivering the line in Leon’s gruff, grizzled voice. “It would have been a banger.”

Pearce and Starr were in complete agreement, as were commenters across the net, with one writing on X, “This would have been freaking incredible.”

Instead, it seems Capcom went with a slightly different approach, with Leon saying, “You are a real pest, you know that?” and, “I don’t have time for pest control,” during the battle.

With Requiem in the books, fans are now looking forward to the Code Veronica remake, which is slated to release some time in 2027. Until then, there’s Zach Cregger’s film adaptation of the series coming to theaters this October, which has already been met with cautious excitement from longtime fans of the franchise.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.

from IGN Video Games https://ift.tt/BW5qkUO
via IFTTT