Call of Duty Socials Accidentally Post Placeholder Marketing Image for Modern Warfare 4, Fans Suspect AI Usage

The Call of Duty socials team accidentally posted an internal marketing image for Modern Warfare 4, and fans suspect it may be AI-generated.

Earlier today, the Call of Duty Twitter account posted a render of a soldier walking toward the camera while promoting the game's appearance at Gamescom. Eagle-eyed fans examined the image and noticed that the soldier's gun appeared to be warped in an odd way, possibly suggesting the image was AI-generated. The graphic was eventually taken down, and the Call of Duty team stated that it was posted by mistake.

NEW MW4 IMAGE pic.twitter.com/SBIuhXIkYY

— Forward (@ForwardLeaks) August 18, 2026

"Earlier today, an image was mistakenly posted to one of the Call of Duty accounts," said a Call of Duty rep on social media. "It included a temporary render from a marketing style guide. The image was a placeholder and not taken from in-game. We’ve taken it down."

Fans have now begun speculating that Activision has been using AI to generate concepts for marketing material. This probably won't come as a surprise to many Call of Duty fans, as Activision has admitted to using AI to make assets for Call of Duty. On the game's Steam page, there is a disclosure that confirms the usage of generative AI tools to develop assets for the game. Some of these assets include things like calling cards in Black Ops 7.

Following backlash to Black Ops 7's usage of AI in November 2025, Activision issued the following statement: "Like so many around the world, we use a variety of digital tools, including AI tools, to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players. Our creative process continues to be led by the talented individuals in our studios."

Nearly a year later, players are still frustrated by Activision's usage of generative AI, with some casting doubt over claims that the artwork was merely a placeholder.

"Activision? Using AI slop for Call of Duty!? Surely there’s been some mistake; they would never," joked one fan. "From a Style guide? How much AI was used in development and art?" asked another fan.

Whether or not there will be any obvious examples of AI-generated content in Modern Warfare 4's beta this weekend remains to be seen. If not, fans will certainly be keeping their eyes open for it when the game launches in October.

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.

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GTA 6 Gameplay and Map Appear to Leak Online, Group Reportedly Responsible Threatens Rockstar Over All-Digital Future

Grand Theft Auto 6 appears to have suffered yet another significant leak after what looks like legitimate gameplay videos and an image of the full map appeared online.

Two videos showing GTA 6 gameplay have emerged: one featuring protagonist Jason playing basketball outside his home, the other showing Jason driving a car and attacking an NPC. An image reportedly of the complete map has also hit the internet.

While it is currently unclear how these assets emerged or how old they are, they all point to a cryptocurrency and a website that reportedly belong to a group called 'CyberLeek.' The website contains three demands of Rockstar Games and other video game publishers, seemingly in response to the all-digital future suggested by digital preorders, “fake” single-player DLC, and the removal of single-player content consumers have paid for.

Contained within the manifesto is criticism of the lack of a physical disc for GTA 6, as well as The Crew, which was at the heart of the Stop Killing Games consumer movement after Ubisoft made it unplayable even by those who bought the game. CyberLeek goes on to threaten other video game publishers, presumably with gameplay leaks such as this one suffered by GTA 6.

“Publishers should beware,” the manifesto concludes. “If CyberLeek can reach Rockstar, no one is safe. This is a message to all big corpo: behave, or be the next target.”

The authenticity of the gameplay and map image remains unconfirmed, but it appears that Rockstar and parent company Take-Two are working to remove video uploads from across social media. Meanwhile, the memecoin advertised by the assets now has a huge amount of attention on it, although there is some concern online that it is part of a cryptocurrency scam. IGN has asked both Rockstar and Take-Two for comment.

Assuming the leak is legitimate, it comes just days before the release of Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look, which is a timed Netflix exclusive. That’s due Thursday, August 27, and will remain exclusive on Netflix for six hours before it makes its way to other platforms such as YouTube.

GTA 6 has suffered a number of leaks over the years. In 2022, more than 90 videos and images from an early version of GTA 6 were leaked online by hackers in what was one of gaming's biggest security breaches. "We take leaks very seriously indeed and they disappoint all of us, it's really frustrating and upsetting to the team," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said in response. The British teenager responsible was recently released from indefinite imprisonment at a secure hospital and is now awaiting a retrial.

In December 2023, the first GTA 6 trailer leaked on X/Twitter less than 24 hours before its scheduled premiere, leading to Rockstar officially posting the trailer on YouTube early. Rockstar developers took to social media to express their frustration at the leak, which Zelnick later called "disappointing." "In terms of the leak, that's always disappointing for the team, but ultimately, I don't think it hurt us," he said.

In April this year, Rockstar confirmed company information was accessed as part of a third-party data breach, but it insisted the incident had “no impact on our organization or our players.”

GTA 6 is due out on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S on November 19, 2026.

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.

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Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Developer Reveals the Game Had Dynamic Difficulty to Stop Players From Finishing It Too Quickly

A former Naughty Dog developer has revealed that Uncharted: Drake's Fortune featured dynamic scaling difficulty in order to make the game longer.

In a new interview with FRVR, ex-Naughty Dog designer Benson Russell opened up about how Uncharted: Drake's Fortune had a somewhat difficult and complicated development process. For instance, he noted that the team designed environments without accounting for how combat would operate within them and had to find ways to make it work. However, their biggest challenge was that, after everything was set in place, the game was very short.

Russell joked that there was no way they could sell a five-hour-long game with no multiplayer for $60, so they came up with a strategic solution: dynamic difficulty. The game's difficulty scales, and it's partially to slow the player down and extend their overall playtime.

“We ended up putting a dynamic difficulty system in, but its key thing was to slow the player down if they were too good," he said. "That’s one of the big ones. That’s one of reasons why Uncharted 1 gets so hard. If you’re doing really good for the difficulty level you have it set on — it’s all time-based! We would do a bunch of focus tests and we would grab the average times per encounter… if you beat a combat encounter faster than the average that we had, we would start cranking the difficulty.”

The dynamic difficulty system was featured in all three of the original Uncharted games, but it was tuned more carefully to match your skill level rather than to control the pacing of the game itself. So, if you ever felt like the difficulty dramatically spiked in the first Uncharted title, you're not crazy. Naughty Dog simply thought you were playing the game too fast and put some obstacles in your way to slow you down.

Russell also recently spoke about how he is uninterested in a remake of the first Uncharted game. He believes the games largely hold up and that a remake would require Naughty Dog to make big changes that risk altering what fans love about them. Whether a remake of the first game ever happens remains to be seen, but it wouldn't be shocking, given studios are mining their old titles for new releases.

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.

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Fortnite Goes 32-Bit to Reveal New Gaming Legend Season With Legally Distinct Mario Kart, Mortal Kombat Parodies, Plus Actual Sonic the Hedgehog

Fortnite has shown off its character roster for Overdrive, the battle royale's upcoming season themed around legendary video games.

Players will have already seen numerous franchises confirmed to be getting crossovers, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Crash Bandicoot, Kingdom Hearts, Persona, Tetris, Pac-Man, Mega Man and 99 Nights in the Forest. Indeed, teases for many of these popped up briefly in the game's latest live event this past weekend (more on that later).

Today, Fortnite maker Epic Games has highlighted the skins set to be available in the Overdrive battle pass, which feature a string of legally distinct video game parodies (plus the actual Sonic the Hedgehog, sort of).

There's been plenty of discussion over the weekend among fans that the actual video game collaborations seem to have mainly been left out of the next Fortnite battle pass, to be sold separately via the game's shop. On the one hand, this is nothing unusual — Fortnite typically only features one or two licensed characters in its battle pass lineup. On the other, fans had been operating under the impression that the lineup would likely feature more of the famous faces used to tease the season so far.

Instead, today's admittedly excellent 32-bit trailer features Fortnite hero Jonesy scooping up a series of original characters from various video game realities. There's a Link look-alike named Bastion, a Mario Kart racer named K1TTYW1NS, a blocky Minecraft-like character named Wrixel, and a Lara Croft-esque soldier named Grace Crowne.

Rounding out the pass are Mortal Kombat-esque fighter Mali and Call of Duty-style soldier Phantom. These will be joined by a Sega-sanctioned Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as a new skin for Fortnite's ultimate Big Bad, Geno.

A fun note here on Sonic the Hedgehog, for Sonic lore fans. The version of the character in Fortnite has been confirmed to be not the actual Sonic the Hedgehog, so don't worry about him shooting guns or dancing the Griddy. An official Fortnite and Sonic crossover comic not only confirms that Geno is working Dr. Robotnik, but that the version of Sonic (and Knuckles, and Shadow) playable in Fortnite will be a more humanoid-sized android imbued with the actual Sonic and crew's bio-data.

Why is all this happening? It's a good question. Well, in last weekend's live event, bad guy Geno and the heroic Seven fought for control of reality — resulting in it essentially being rebooted with video game cheat codes. For Fortnite lore fans, the story drop actually clarified some questions about how Fortnite's reality loop operates (the conceit of its battle royale is basically a programmed layer on top of the "real world"). Conveniently, it also saw the game "hacked" with various retro gaming franchises, and the Zero Point macguffin replaced with a giant video game cartridge. (Physical media lives!)

To play with Robo-Sonic and crew yourself, Fortnite: Overdrive kicks off later this week on August 20, meaning you have just a couple of days left to level up your existing battle pass and collect any remaining Sprites a whole new generation rolls around.

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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Halo, Forza and World of Warcraft In-Game Rewards Coming to McDonald's, Celebrating Xbox 25th Anniversary

McDonald's is partnering with Xbox to offer in-game rewards for the console brand's six most recognizable gaming franchises, including Halo, Fallout, Forza and World of Warcraft.

Whether you play Candy Crush Saga or Overwatch, McDonald's is offering digital items to customers in the UK and Ireland as part of a new set of Side Missions, which will feature menu items inspired the foods and flavors of Xbox gaming.

Thankfully there's no red hot cooking rings of death here. Instead, you'll be able to unlock delicious additions such as the Sugar Bomb Bundle for Fallout 76, or World of Warcraft's fan-favorite Red Hot Portable Bakery.

"Gaming is all about imagination and the worlds we love to get lost in," said Tim Kenward, SVP, chief marketing officer for McDonald's UK and Ireland. "What excites me about this partnership is that we're bringing parts of these iconic gaming worlds to life, giving fans the chance to experience food they have only ever seen on screen. As a huge Fallout fan, I'm most excited for the Blamco Cheesy Potato Bites."

Keep an eye on the McDonald's app for more details on the promotion's rollout, as well as daily deals to make your next trip taste even sweeter. The full list of rewards for each game lies below:

• Halo: Campaign Evolved — Master Chief Armour
• Forza Horizon 6 — Car Voucher
• Fallout 76 — Sugar Bomb Bundle
• Candy Crush Saga — Booster Bundle
• World of Warcraft — Red Hot Portable Bakery
• Overwatch — Kiriko Donut Break Emote

"Halo: Campaign Evolved speaks to the series' timelessness and adds a decent set of new missions, but it's a mostly a lean retread that's more of a test run for its future with Unreal Engine," IGN wrote in our Halo: Campaign Evolved review, scoring the game with a 7/10.

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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Halloween: The Game Will Actually Be Available in New Zealand After All

In the wake of Halloween: The Game being refused classification in Australia last week, and the subsequent confirmation that the game would not be available in Australia and New Zealand as a result, IGN reached out to IllFonic to clarify why the New Zealand release was affected. For example, Hotline Miami 2 is a game that was refused classification in Australia (and has remained so, unlike most high-profile RC cases, where developers typically make small changes to skirt the country’s classification guidelines). However, while Hotline Miami 2 is not available on storefronts in Australia, it is still very much available digitally in New Zealand. So the news of Halloween: The Game needing to be unavailable in New Zealand didn’t quite add up.

We’re yet to receive a response from IllFonic, but the studio has since announced that Halloween: The Game will be available in New Zealand after all, albeit in digital format only.

“We are extremely thrilled to announce that after receiving additional guidance from the OFLC, Office of Film and Literature Classification in New Zealand, Halloween: The Game will be available for sale digitally in the territory,” the studio published in a statement on social media.

“When we partnered with physical distributors (as we do not handle) to sell packaged goods in Australia and New Zealand, we learned that the ACB [the Australian Classification Board] rating (used for physical) took precedence of the IARC rating (used for digital). When ACB [sic] refused us a rating, it meant the removal of both physical and digital versions in those territories.”

Classification decisions made by the Australian Classification Board (ACB) itself do override automated decisions applied by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) global rating tool (which spits out PEGI, ESRB, ACB, etc. ratings from a single, free online questionnaire). However, ‘refused classification’ (RC) determinations made by the Australian Classification Board are not automatically mirrored in NZ.

New Zealand’s classification system regarding video games is somewhat idiosyncratic. While the NZ classification system does, in fact, utilise some Australian and UK classification decisions as a shortcut to make its own classifications, this is applicable to unrestricted content. Content that has been specifically age-restricted in Australia or the UK, refused classification in Australia, or banned in the UK must otherwise be formally classified by NZ’s Office of Film and Literature Classification. In NZ, games are actually expressly exempt from labelling requirements and are not required to be submitted for local classification unless likely to be awarded an age-restricted rating – or have already been given an age-restricted rating (or RC/banned) in Australia or the UK. So, to be available on physical formats in NZ, Halloween: The Game was always going to need to be submitted to the NZ OFLC, because games with restricted content must be classified by the OFLC and carry a NZ label in order to be sold. No rating for Halloween: The Game appears in the NZ Register of Classification Decisions, making a physical release in NZ currently impossible, even if it had been successfully classified in Australia.

However, NZ’s Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 only really covers physical formats, which means games sold digitally don’t necessarily always have NZ classifications displayed.

As for Halloween: The Game’s RC status in Australia, which IllFonic’s claims it has made “every effort” to work past, IGN has specifically asked the developer if there is a reason the game can’t be altered to suit the classification guidelines. As the Australian Classification Board explained, “Halloween: The Game contains illicit drug use that is linked to an incentive or reward, in that use of the drug provides a gameplay advantage to the player.” While games can feature drug use in Australia, they can’t offer gameplay rewards or incentives. If they do, the Classification Board is obligated to give the game a ‘Refused Classification’ determination.

As we noted to IllFonic, developers typically skirt this one particular guideline in Australia with semantics. For instance, in 2013 State of Decay developer Undead Labs simply renamed the drugs in the game to vitamins in Australia to hurdle this whole issue. If the RC determination is indeed related to smoking marijuana as a perk to highlight the location of Michael Myers on the map, we’ve asked IllFonic for clarification on whether it’s been considered that this could just be referred to and regarded as tobacco in Australia.

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

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The Best Deals Today: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for Switch 2, Nioh 3, Project Hail Mary, and More

A new weekend has arrived, and today, you can save on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Resident Evil Requiem, Project Hail Mary, Civilization VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, select LEGO sets, AirPods Pro 3, and more. Check out our top picks for Sunday, August 16, below.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth with MTG Card for $34.99

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for Nintendo Switch 2 is on sale today for $34.99 at Amazon. This physical version of the game includes an exclusive Zack Fair Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy card, which is perfect for fans and collectors alike. If you've yet to experience this massive RPG, take a chance and pick up a copy this weekend at a discount. It's pretty great exploring beyond Midgar on the Switch 2, just saying.

Resident Evil Requiem for $53.99

Target has Resident Evil Requiem on sale this weekend for $53.99. If you've yet to play the latest RE game, this is a great time to do so. Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy join forces to defeat a sinister new threat in a game that combines tense horror with brutal action combat. DLC is planned to be released in the future, so you can catch up now before the next story is out.

Project Hail Mary 4K Blu-ray for $24.95

Project Hail Mary was one of my favorite movies of the year, and today, you can take home the 4K Blu-ray for $24.95 at Amazon. Normally priced at $37.99, this is a very solid discount on a fun movie that looks absolutely gorgeous on any display, especially OLED. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, "Project Hail Mary is a rollicking sci-fi blockbuster celebrating how much we can accomplish when we work together… and how much meet-cute mileage you can get out of watching Ryan Gosling befriend a rock alien for two and a half hours."

Nioh 3 for $39.99

Nioh 3 released in early February, and you can save $30 off a PS5 copy today at Best Buy. In our 9/10 review, we wrote, "Nioh 3 delivers best-in-class combat that revitalizes the established formula with a fantastic split between Samurai and Ninja styles, as well as a triumphant move to an open-world structure."

Save on Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is the ultimate version of the first chapter in the Final Fantasy VII remake series, following Cloud Strife and the party from the very beginning through the escape from Midgar. You can score Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for $29.99 on the Nintendo Switch 2. If you want to prepare for Final Fantasy VII Revelation next year, this is where to start your journey.

Civilization VII for $19.99

Amazon has Civilization VII on sale for $19.99 this weekend, saving you $20 off a physical copy. In our 7/10 review, we wrote, "Civilization 7's improved warfare and added bits of narrative flair give me reasons to keep clicking one more turn late into the night, but the desire to streamline and simplify this legendary 4X series feels like it has also gone a bit too far, particularly when it comes to the interface."

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Blu-ray Back in Stock

Crunchyroll has the Crunchyroll Store-exclusive Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Blu-ray back in stock after disappearing for some time recently. In case you missed it, Crunchyroll is delisting hundreds of Blu-rays from its site as it plans to transition its store to be exclusive for members only. If you have not picked up Cyberpunk: Edgerunners or any of the (remaining) Aniplex Blu-rays, I would do so as fast as possible, as there is no guarantee these will be in print for much longer.

AirPods Pro 3 for $189

AirPods Pro 3 are a fantastic upgrade over the 2nd generation, bringing a built-in heart rate sensor, redesigned eartips for better noise cancellation, and improved sound quality. Right now, you can score a pair for only $189 at Amazon. I've had a pair since launch and have been incredibly happy with them, especially coming from the original AirPods Pro.

Back to the Future LEGO Set for $159.99

Back to the Future is one of the best sci-fi films ever, and the iconic DeLorean time machine is a huge part of the film's legacy today. If you're a fan of the BTTF trilogy, look no further than this LEGO Icons Time Machine set, featuring the DeLorean with parts for each movie, minifigures for Doc Brown and Marty McFly, and accessories like the hoverboard. You can save $40 this weekend on this set, which saves you 20% off MSRP.

Save 50% Off Rosalina's Storybook

As part of the Super Mario 40th Anniversary, Nintendo released a physical version of Rosalina's storybook. You can save 50% off this collectible at Amazon this weekend, as copies are available for only $12.49.

Pre-Order Spider-Man: Brand New Day on 4K Blu-ray

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the most popular movie of the Summer, with the film on track to easily become the highest grossing of the year so far. Pre-orders for the physical copies, including Steelbooks, have already gone live at retailers like Walmart, so now is the time to lock in your copy before they are sold out.

Fate Return to Avalon: Takashi Takeuchi Art Works for $40.42

Takashi Takeuchi has one of the most recongnizable art styles for good reason. The legendary artist pioneered Type-Moon's art for franchises like Fate and Tsukihime. Right now, you can pick up this fantastic hardcover collection of Takeuchi's Fate artwork for $40.42 at Amazon. Almost 300 pages are included, featuring art from games, promotional material, limited events, and much more. It's perfect for any Fate fan.

Lego Batman Forever Set for $74.99

The classic Batmobile from Batman Forever is here in Lego form, with a Lego DC Batman minifugure starring the suit used in the move. This weekend, you can save 25% off this 909-piece set, which is a great addition to any comic book fan's collection. The cockpit on the Batmobile opens up to reveal seats and a detailed interior, and you can easily put this vehicle on any shelf or table.

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.

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