Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Lara Croft’s Acrobatics Were So Important to Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis That Actress Alix Wilton Regan Started Rock-Climbing to Get Into Character

In a new episode of their mini-docuseries, the minds at Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog explained why bringing back Lara Croft’s iconic acrobatics and movement was so important to Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and fans couldn’t be happier about it.

Legacy of Atlantis is the latest reimagining of Lara Croft’s debut adventure, marking a stark contrast from the gritty realism of the reboot trilogy.

Amazon Game Studios’ fresh take on the original 1996 Tomb Raider brings back Lara’s high-flying movement, both in traversal and combat. As told by game director Raul Siqueira, “This is a moment where a normal person would step to the side. Lara Croft doesn’t step to the side; she cartwheels to the side, because she’s fast, because she’s agile, because she can do all of those things.”

In a July 21 episode of the game’s behind-the-scenes mini-doc, the team made it clear that they’re bringing back old-school Lara Croft for the new generation — and that includes all of her badass abilities like handstands and swan dives.

“She’s moving confidently, with all these acrobatics, climbing and jumping,” principal technical game designer Grzegorz Grzywacz said. “That’s what makes Lara, Lara.”

“All of those things were the biggest issue for us. Because a regular jump isn’t a Lara Croft regular jump, right?” creative director Michal Kuk added.

In fact, Lara’s physicality was so integral to the game that her actress, Alix Wilton Regan, trained extensively in several different disciplines to get into character.

“I did a lot — I still do a lot — of weight training, running, yoga, rock-climbing. I freakin’ love rock climbing, that is my jam,” she said.

In previous episodes of the docuseries, Regan was shown in full mocap getup, solving ‘puzzles,’ exploring treacherous terrain, and getting into standoffs with as-yet unrevealed enemies on set.

“She is very, very strong. She is very, very capable. …I really wanted to bring that confidence to Lara,” Regan said.

Fans are ecstatic about the developers’ dedication to Lara’s classic moves, which the team confirmed players will be able to practice to their hearts’ content before setting off to explore new areas of the game.

“This is the NUMBER ONE thing for me — I’m so grateful the devs are focusing on Lara’s movement and advertising it as a major factor in defining her,” one player wrote on YouTube.

“Her acrobatics are a part of her character. Literally no one else has or ever done it like her. Thank you for bringing it back to life!” another said.

“I'm so happy the handstand and swan dive are back. Iconic Lara abilities,” yet another praised.

Speaking at IGN Live 2026, Regan said she recorded for three weeks at a time, joking that, “You get a bit hot and sweaty and extremely intimate with your costars doing ten hours in a mocap suit."

IGN got the chance to preview the game at Summer Game Fest 2026, with Simon Cardy saying it "makes a 30-year-old adventure feel brand-new."

Initially slated for a 2026 release, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis now launches on February 12, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

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.



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Monday, July 20, 2026

Inde Navarrette Stunned After Fan Gifts Her a Rare Sealed Copy of Modern Warfare 2

Inde Navarrette is going viral for her reaction after a fan gifted the Obsession star a sealed copy of Modern Warfare 2.

The internet’s obsession (ha, get it?) with Inde Navarrette is reaching a fever pitch, especially after it was discovered that she’s a massive gamer who even has her own Twitch channel.

Clips from her streams have gone viral across social media, earning her admiration from the gaming community — one member of which parted ways with an extremely valuable copy of Modern Warfare 2 just to show their appreciation for the actress.

Over the weekend, fans gathered at the Javits Center in New York for Fanatics Fest, where Navarrette participated in a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 panel alongside Kevin Durant. As she walked out of the venue, she spotted a fan holding out a sealed copy of Modern Warfare 2 still in its display case.

“Oh my god!” Navarrette gasped, excitedly snatching the game out of the fan’s hands. “This is the 2009 version!”

“One recently sold for $1,000,” the fan explained. “Can you believe that?”

A quick browse on eBay shows that sealed copies of the game for the Xbox 360 are listed for eye-popping amounts, with some as high as $20,000 — but Navarrette made it clear that isn't interested in parting ways with the copy for quick cash.

“I’m not selling this one!” the actress replied, hugging the game to her chest.

When asked where she would store the game, a smiling Navarrette happily answered in a sing-song voice, “In my house. In my room.”

Navarrette has a long history with the Call of Duty franchise. Speaking with GQ, the actress revealed that she first started gaming as a kid on the PlayStation 2, playing Shrek games in Big Head mode with her mom and older brother.

She later branched off into shooters like CoD and Halo before biting into story-focused games like Red Dead Redemption, Outlast, and The Last of Us, which she famously streamed on Twitch to make ends meet after filming Obsession.

“So for me, it was like, ‘Oh, why not?’ If I'm not working on a show and I love playing video games by myself and I love playing with friends, then why not stream? It became a lot of fun,” she told the outlet.

Following Obsession’s massive success at the box office, Inde confirmed that she met with Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier, saying that she would be open to playing a character in the MCU. There’s still no word on whether that particular conversation will bear any fruit, but fans are already excited to see what's next for the star as her popularity 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.



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Woot Has the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Gaming Console Bundle for Just $439

Woot, which is owned by Amazon, just launched one of the best deals I've seen this year for a Nintendo Switch 2 console. For a limited time, you can pick up a Grade "A" Refurbished Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Console Bundle for just $439. Amazon Prime members get free shipping, but even if you don't have a membership the shipping is only $5. This is a pretty excellent deal especially considering the fact that the Switch 2 console will go up in price starting September 1.

The refurbished Switch 2 console with 90-day Woot warranty. According to Woot, "this item has been inspected and guaranteed to have minimal cosmetic damage & has successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality & removal of any prior-user's personal information. Bundle includes OEM accessories and retail box." According to this forum post by a Woot staffer, "the [Mario Kart World] code was either not used by the original customer and is still in the box or a new game code has been added to the box."

Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Bundle for $439

Several major Switch 2 video games have been released: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Kirby Air Riders, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Pokemon Pokopia, and much more. Several high-profile titles have been announced, like the Star Fox remake and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. Triple-A ports are also making their way to the Switch 2 console, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, making the Switch 2 a veritable competitor to pricier handheld gaming PCs. The Switch 2 hardware is powerful enough to run these games at a very playable clip, a feat that's impossible on the original Switch's increasingly outdated hardware.

The Switch 2 will go up in price starting September 1

Nintendo officially announced that the Switch 2 console will go up in price starting September 1. This means that the console sans game will cost $499.99 instead of $449.99. The time to upgrade from your Switch console is now.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.



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'Please Play Us When GTA 6 Comes Out': Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Developer Teases Post-Game Support

The director of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has told fans to keep playing — even when GTA 6 launches.

Of course, the hugely-anticipated GTA 6 arrives on November 19, and is expected to gobble up gaming time and attention away from pretty much every major release — so much so that many other developers are steering well clear and launching their games en masse in September and early October.

But what about post-launch support for games that have already released, such as Resynced? Asked about the contents of future updates for the newly-launched remake, game director Richard Knight played coy, though mentioned the upcoming New Game Plus mode that publisher Ubisoft previously confirmed.

What might follow that remains to be seen. Still, the suggestion that support will continue through GTA 6's November release date is interesting to consider.

"I mean, I can't say anything officially, but you know, it doesn't feel like a crazy bet," Knight said, speaking to Assassin's Creed fan YouTuber JorRaptor.

"I mean, we definitely need to support the game... We need to, you know, fix bugs. Sorry for anyone running into bugs. They hurt. They're painful for us, too. And we do want to add some quality-of-life stuff. So, I mean, it's a pretty reasonable guess. Also, please play us when GTA 6 comes out.”

Ubisoft confirmed last week that a New Game Plus option was coming to Resynced, alongside a celebration of the game hitting 3 million copies sold. "Guess we'll have to keep the adventures going with New Game Plus later on, mates," Ubisoft wrote.

"We're working on that right now," Knight said of New Game Plus. "For sure. It's one of the first things. Partly because [Assassin's Creed] 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."

What else might follow? Perhaps a challenge mode, similar to the option recently added to Assassin's Creed Mirage? This lets fans replay story missions with new, additional objectives, racking up points to unlock additional in-game items and cosmetic options.

One key request from fans would likely be the original Black Flag's well-received DLC, Freedom Cry, that features a fresh story for first mate Adewale. But this would likely be a major undertaking for Ubisoft, and to date there's been no suggestion this will happen.

Until then, there's plenty to keep fans happy in the base game, which IGN gave a 9/10 in our Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced review. "More than just a shinier version of the same game you remember," we wrote, "Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced brings what was already one of the best games in the series up to today’s standards."

Before you dive into the Golden Age of Piracy, check out our guides on things to do first and tips and tricks to help Edward Kenway's journey be a smooth one. As you explore the Caribbean, make sure you don't miss a single collectible, especially the shanties to keep you and your crew entertained on the high seas. Blow other ships to smithereens with our naval combat guide and save Reales for your next Jackdaw upgrade to be the mightiest pirate you can be.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social



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Sunday, July 19, 2026

Call of Duty Ambience Website Lets You Fall Asleep to Nostalgic Black Ops and MW2 Lobbies

Have you ever wanted to fall asleep to the sound of Call of Duty players screaming through a $5 mic and into your ear? No? Well, Call of Duty Ambience is here anyway.

Erected by app-maker Mike Wing, Call of Duty Ambience is a new website that, for some reason, allows you to tap back into multiplayer lobbies like it's 2010 all over again. Fit with an Xbox 360 theme, cringy gamertags, and other classic visuals, the site allows anyone to log in and get some shuteye while strangers argue in the background.

Three Call of Duty games are supported at the moment: Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops, and Black Ops 2. If you ever played a few games of team deathmatch for any of these first-person shooter classics, you should immediately feel right at home.

"Most people fall asleep to white noise," Wing said in an X/Twitter post. "I fall asleep to grown men arguing in CoD lobbies. So I made a website that plays Call of Duty voice chat 24/7."

Most old-school Call of Duty fans might remember "CoD lobbies" more than the games themselves. In the early days of multiplayer for the Infinity Ward and Treyarch titles, players would stick around between matches to chat amongst themselves. These almost always devolved into trash-talking shouting matches that would go on without any real rhyme or reason. It was terrible – but for some, it was peaceful in its own way, too.

CoD lobbies added a social element to the games that's largely been done away with in recent installments. The recently released Black Ops 1 and 2 ports for PS4 and PS5 helped bring back the glory days in their own way, but Call of Duty Ambience feels like an especially nostalgic – and loud – nod, too.

For more, you can read about how Activision is combating exploits in its new ports. You can also learn about how crossplay works here.

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).



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World of Warcraft and RuneScape Fans Want Official Jimothy Support After Game Devs Show Love for Viral Raccoon

The internet has fallen in love with a viral raccoon named Jimothy, and so has the gaming industry.

In case you've somehow dodged this adorable little friend on social media, Jimothy is a small raccoon in Seattle who has scurried his way through X/Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and just about every other online platform you can think of. His unique size, seemingly caused by what many believe is a rare condition called Short Spine Syndrome, has made him hard to miss, and almost impossible to forget.

Locals seem to have taken notice of this specific masked critter before, but it wasn't until Instagram user Kiana Hall captured a video that he became the latest internet-famous animal. She told The Seattle Times that she came up with his name because he simply "looked like a Jimothy." The millions of social media impressions, hundreds of fan edits, and countless stories he's racked up since came naturally.

The internet embraced Jimothy the raccoon so quickly that he's become inescapable in less than a week since Hall's original post. Most recently, some game developers have started to show the love with more than just a simple post or two.

For example, you probably shouldn't be surprised to hear Dee Dee Creations, the studio behind 2024's Squirrel With a Gun, put together a Jimothy skin tribute for their game. This is a miraculous 43-second video that arms the viral raccoon, making him more powerful than ever before.

Perhaps the most popular take on Jimothy in the gaming world comes from Blizzard Entertainment, which created a render for what the stout creature would look like in World of Warcraft. Old School RuneScape then followed suit with a rough (but still very cute) upload.

Despite being relatively high-effort posts, it doesn't look like Jimothy is actually available to download in any of the aforementioned games. Dee Dee, for example, admitted in a follow-up post that this was a quick mod for a pre-existing raccoon skin and not actually something available to all players.

Do players still want Jimothy in their games? Of course.

"Make him a battle pet, and a big Jim for a mount," one World of Warcraft player suggested.

"The people want a Jimothy Rocky transmog," a RuneScape player proclaimed.

"If they add him I hope they make him unattackable," another said with a sad face.

For now, Jimothy will just have to live on as another addition in the history book of viral memes. For more, you can read about how Tekken 8 tapped into a viral video of a man punching a kangaroo with its own crossover.

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).



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Xbox Says More Exclusives Are Coming But Tells Players Not to 'Overly Fixate on Single-Player' Games

Executives at Xbox have once again attempted to clarify the company's approach to exclusives, promising that "Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are not the only titles" it's planning.

Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball and chief content officer Matt Booty tried to further explain how Microsoft is handling exclusives during a conversation with GamesRadar. Their clarification arrived amid the company's renewed interest in the strategy, which kicked off just last month with confirmation that two of its biggest first-party games would not come to PlayStation consoles.

"I can assure you, Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are not the only titles we're planning," Ball promised. "To grow a platform like ours, you have to have exclusive games and services. These are not going to be the only two titles."

Microsoft shocked the industry at its Xbox Games Showcase last month when it declared The Coalition's Gears of War: E-Day would not be releasing on PS5 as many had expected. The announcement that inXile Entertainment's Clockwork Revolution would also be console exclusive arrived sooner after. Both were also confirmed to be pure console exclusives with no timed-exclusivity deals in place.

What's emerged in the weeks since is muddy messaging that's led to some confusion amongst fans. Just as rumors that Xbox had hastily decided to make the Gears prequel exclusive began to dissipate, theories were reignited when the company leaked an image for the game featuring a PS5 logo. Meanwhile, as games like Gears of War: Reloaded, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and Fable come to PS5, players have been left uncertain about how Microsoft will determine what is an exclusive and what isn't.

So, what does the future of Xbox exclusive games look like? For the most die-hard fans – and maybe even Microsoft itself – it's hard to say, for now. In June, Booty said the company will choose which titles get the exclusive treatment on a "case-by-case basis." Today, he's being a tad more direct, promising that, while "large live-service titles" will be multiplatform going forward, players shouldn't expect all single-player titles to be Xbox exclusive.

"I wouldn't overly fixate on single-player," he clarified. "I think that's a good rule of thumb, but it certainly isn't something that's carved in stone."

He continued: "We are the stewards of over 20 game franchises that have made a billion dollars in their lifetime. There are a lot of different games in our portfolio, and we have to think about how different games serve different purposes within it."

Ball said Microsoft does "have a framework for these selections, including how we evaluate them." He noted that it's a strategy that may not be "obvious to all of our players," saying the Xbox team is "committed to making this clearer."

As Xbox CEO Asha Sharma brings "energy" to the team, Booty said he's hoping they strike "the right balance between the work that the teams have invested and a strategy pivot." The new gaming boss said in June that exclusives are needed to build a platform. Ball echoed that thought in the new interview.

"There is scant evidence of any platform ever being built, let alone sustained, without having exclusive content," he said. "It doesn't matter whether we're talking about cable networks, streaming video channels, broadcast, terrestrial radio, a Hollywood studio, a music label – you need it."

We're still in the early days of Xbox's new strategy, so it's tough to say how it will change its troubled ecosystem in the months and years ahead. As the company attempts to clear the air when it comes to its new exclusive strategy, it's still trudging through the aftermath of layoffs that arrived alongside what Sharma called the "most significant restructure" in its history. The resustructure in question, which resulted in 1,600 laid off staff with another 1,600 arriving through the rest of the financial year, happened earlier this month.

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).



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Lara Croft’s Acrobatics Were So Important to Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis That Actress Alix Wilton Regan Started Rock-Climbing to Get Into Character

In a new episode of their mini-docuseries, the minds at Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog explained why bringing back Lara Croft’s iconic...