Warhammer 40,000's Most Famous Player, Henry Cavill, Presented With a Gift Fit for the Emperor Himself While Filming Highlander in Poland

No matter where Henry Cavill goes, Warhammer 40,000 seems to follow. The former Superman actor, who is a huge fan of Games Workshop’s tabletop wargame and is set to star in the Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe for Amazon, was chatting with fans during a break from filming Highlander in Poland, when he was presented with a special gift from a local store owner: a Custodes box.

For the uninitiated, the Adeptus Custodes are a popular faction within Warhammer 40,000. In the lore, they are the Emperor’s bodyguard, more powerful even than the genetically enhanced Space Marines, resplendent in their gold armor and devoted to protecting the leader of the Imperium of Man. Cavill has spoken of his love of the Custodes before, posting clips on his social media showing off his painting skills — and even leaving books for the Horus Heresy tabletop game strewn about on his table for a photo showing his recovery from a leg injury sustained while filming Highlander.

And so a Custodes box (specifically, the Warhammer Horus Heresy: Legio Custodes Battle Group box) madce for a fitting gift for Cavill, given to him by a games store owner in Lodz, Poland. In a reddit post, store owner BenzOC called it was “a great experience,” and said he wanted Cavill “to have some nice Warhammer memories from our city.” According to BenzOC, Cavill was “very pleased with the present,” and based on the actor’s smile captured in the photo, below, that’s quite the understatement.

Henry Cavill is filming in euro city, guys from LFG paid him a visit and gave him box set of Custodes for autographs
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“Hope he will come back to shoot some Warhammer material here also!” BenzOC added, referencing the Warhammer 40,000 live-action work Cavill is set to kick into gear at some point in the future.

Speaking of which, back in January, Games Workshop addressed the long wait for Cavill’s Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe, insisting that Amazon was in control of the delivery of the adaptation. Games Workshop itself has cautioned fans not to expect to see anything of it for some time, even now, over three years after the deal was announced.

Fans have spent the last few years in a state of enduring excitement about the prospect of finally seeing Warhammer 40,000 brought to life in live-action form across films and TV shows — and with Cavill steering the ship, they’re confident it will be done right.

Hopefully we'll get some details, including who Cavill himself will play, soon. In June last year, Cavill touched on the “complexity” and “trickiness” of adapting the Warhammer 40,000 IP. But, he insisted, he was loving the challenge. Bringing Warhammer to life "is a dream come true," Cavill said, "but it's different from what I've done before, in the sense I haven't had my hand on the tiller of things before. It's wonderful doing that. It is a tricky IP, and a very complex IP, and that's what I love about it. The challenges that come with putting this on the page in a way that is doing justice to that complexity, that trickiness, and that nuance, is a challenge I'm enjoying enormously."

But Warhammer 40,000 wasn’t the only thing Cavill is famous for that followed him all the way to the Highlander shoot in Poland. Another fan said that he was given a script of a The Witcher spinoff book, too.

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Cavill, of course, played Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher, and is a huge fan of the games. The Witcher began life in Poland as a series of fantasy novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski, so this was another fitting gift.

As for Highlander, it’s still without a release date, but production is in full swing, and there are plenty of set photos out there that give us an idea of what to expect from the “John Wick with guns” reboot.

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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Forza Horizon 6 Dev Explains Why Shrines, Temples, and Cherry Blossom Trees Are Indestructible

Forza Horizon 6 finally brings the racing series to Japan. Players can cruise around a highly detailed, stylized and condensed version of the country, taking in everything from downtown Tokyo, famous landmarks, and scenic country roads in all seasons as they test their mettle against other racers.

The game also rewards you with experience points for letting out that road rage by smashing your car into other vehicles or your surroundings. However, The Japan Times’ recent interview with design director Torben Ellert revealed that while you can destroy most things in Forza 6 by crashing into them (whether on purpose or because you understeered on a hairpin bend), culturally important things like shrines, temples, and cherry trees are indestructible.

“Almost all trees in the game are smashable to ensure that traversing the world map is both fun and rewarding,” Ellert explains. “However, several tree types are not — for example, the cherry blossom trees — because they’re an iconic element of Japanese culture. Certain temples or other cultural elements are also excluded so that players aren’t tempted to drive through shrines or locations of cultural importance.”

Cherry blossoms are historically and culturally important in Japan, often appearing as a key symbol in Japanese literature, art, and poetry. Their pink blossoms are a sign of rebirth and the coming of spring, but also a reminder of how fleeting life is. In ancient times, farmers made offerings and held feasts underneath the cherry trees in the hope that the spirits of the fields would bring a good harvest. In the 800s, the emperor and nobles also kicked off a tradition of holding parties to admire the cherry blossoms. These traditions have evolved into modern day hanami — cherry blossom viewing parties where people have picnics under the trees and enjoy the blossoms.

Cherry blossom trees in real life can be easily damaged. Tampering with or shaking the branches of cherry blossom trees in public parks is punishable by fines in Japan. Furthermore, some of the countries’ oldest trees are over 1,000 years old and protected as natural treasures by the government (like Uozumi Zakura in Gifu). Consideration for their cultural importance explains why UK studio Playground Games decided to make cherry trees invincible in Forza Horizon 6.

As for shrines and temples, last year, Assassins Creed Shadows received heavy pre-release backlash in Japan due to a preview that showed that players could smash up shrines. Ubisoft addressed this in a day-one patch that made shrine objects indestructible and prevented unarmed NPCs from bleeding when attacked (thus preventing bloodshed on sacred grounds). Forza Horizon 6’s devs have opted to be culturally sensitive regarding what the player can do to religious and cultural sites.

“Japan has been on our shortlist for several games now,” Ellert told The Guardian. “But we just didn’t feel like we were ready to take on the challenge of building it.” The team conducted in-depth research for the game, right down to the smallest details, hiring experts including cultural consultant and former Porsche ambassador Kyoko Yamashita to advise on their depiction of Japan and its racing scene. “Because it’s a culture we see a lot, there’s a temptation to think you know it better than you do, which is why we tried really hard to get people to course correct us if we were drifting,” added Ellert.

While those who pre-ordered the premium edition of Forza Horizon 6 are already burning rubber, the game officially releases on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 19. While you wait, check out IGN's Forza Horizon 6 review.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.

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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Director 'Very Aware' Square Enix Needs to Figure Out How to Get the Next-Generation of Fans Into the Franchise

The director of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, Naoki Hamaguchi, recognizes that there is challenge with getting younger players interested in the franchise. The Final Fantasy series has been around since the late 80s, and as a result, the audience who plays it tends to skew older than some other franchises. To a younger player who isn't familiar with Final Fantasy, they may see the large roman numerals in the title and assume they are behind on the story, not realizing that most of these games standalone. Not only that, but there are large gaps between releases, meaning Final Fantasy lacks a certain amount of relevancy for other audiences.

In an interview with Nintenderos, Hamaguchi stated that he is aware of a challenge when it comes to providing fans with the depth they deserve and expanding the franchise to a new group of players.

"We are constantly updating our vision on what kind of experiences we can offer next. As the Final Fantasy 7 remake project nears completion, I want to meet the expectations of fans who desire even more depth in this world and its characters. At the same time, I am very aware of the need to consider how we can expand the potential of the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole for the next generation."

He continued: "... as the creator of these works, if there is a demand for new and unique experiences that differ from what we have done so far, I am also eager to face those challenges."

Mat Piscatella, senior director at analyst firm Circana, stated earlier this year that 70% of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth players were over 30 years old. Although Final Fantasy remains very successful in these age groups, some players may begin to age out as time goes on, and it'll be important for Square Enix to lure in a younger audience.

Final Fantasy 15, 16, and the 7 remake trilogy were worthwhile attempts as the series embraced real-time combat instead of turn-based, something that makes the gameplay more appealing to a newer generation of players. 16 also took a big swing with its M-rating, but didn't make the commercial splash that Square Enix hoped for.

It remains unclear what's next for Final Fantasy after the remake trilogy concludes. Final Fantasy 17 is likely being cooked up right now, but it's hard to say how far away it might be or what it may do to interest players who have never engaged with the series.

In March, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida, known to fans as Yoshi-P, admitted that long development cycles right across the Final Fantasy series make it "harder" for new players or younger generations "to engage with" the franchise.

Reflecting on the issue in a video interview promoting spinoff Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, Yoshida discussed how young people might have struggled to "connect" with the Final Fantasy franchise simply because it takes so long to release mainline entries.

"I'm 53 now, and I've been playing since Final Fantasy 1 in real time... But for younger generations — people who grew up naturally accustomed to action-based combat and online competitive play — the recent entries in the series may have been harder to engage with," Yoshi-P said.

"Part of that is simply because I'm sorry to say... the release intervals for new titles have gotten longer, so some players haven't really had the chance to connect with the series the way older fans did."

In 2024, Yoshi-P, who produced Final Fantasy 16, said it might be time for a younger generation to lead the franchise and helm Final Fantasy 17, but we haven't heard anything about a potential sequel as Square Enix focuses on getting Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 out the door.

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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Arc Raiders Will Only Get Two Major Updates a Year Going Forward and Fans Aren't Happy

Arc Raiders has announced that it will only have two big content updates every year, much to the dismay of players. In a new blog post, Embark Studios revealed that it will release the next big Arc Raiders update, Frozen Trail, in October. This will not only add new locations to explore, but also new enemies, new expansions to the story and lore, and updates to the game's progression systems. It's clear that Embark's ambition is to deliver something expansive and deep in one burst as opposed to drip feeding content throughout the year.

The studio confirmed that it will be on a bi-annual schedule for future content updates.

"Going forward, we've made the decision to release major updates twice a year – larger in scale, more impactful, with the goal to genuinely change how you play the game," reads the blog post. "Don’t worry, a dedicated live service team will continue running ARC Raiders day-to-day: regular live updates, plus balance fixes, bug fixes, store updates, and player events aren't going anywhere.

"This additional development space also allows us to invest more deeply in the health of ARC Raiders, from progression and economy balancing to fair play and anti-cheat efforts. We know these are foundational to the experience, especially in a game where every encounter and extraction matters."

Although the thought process is understandable, some fans think this is the wrong idea. Given how quickly attention can shift to other games or media, some feel that Arc Raiders won't be able to sustain its player base's attention with infrequent updates.

"'Fortnite killer' they said, they really think a live service game can survive with only 2 big updates per year," said one user. "They had a massive hit, the only consistent complaint is lack of follow on content and their response is to basically drop it?" asked another user.

Live service games are all battling for the attention of players and it's extremely difficult. Fortnite had regular updates that not only add new content, but can even radically overhaul the gameplay with new mechanics and abilities. That frequency of change has ensured Fortnite has stayed relevant for almost a decade. Other games, like Battlefield 6, have also been criticized for lackluster and infrequent content updates, but things may be turning around for that game as Season 5 plans to add three maps instead of the usual two.

Arc Raiders still has a strong player base backing it, but the numbers aren't as high as they were when the game launched. When the game launched on Steam, the game consistently had several hundred thousand concurrent players or more. This number has fallen to hover at around 100k or less since the start of spring. It'll be interesting to see how these numbers change with longer gaps between big content drops or if these major updates can meet expectations.

Still, Arc Raiders will continue to get smaller updates to improve the game in-between the bi-annual content drops. Next week, Arc Raiders will get a brand new trader that offers weekly rotating unique and rare rewards. The trader will be available starting at level 25.

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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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment for Nintendo Switch 2 Is $20 Off at Best Buy

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a Switch 2-exclusive that was released in November of last year. Up until now, the price has stayed fixed at $69.99. Even today, retailers like Amazon, Gamestop, and Nintendo eShop haven't budged. That's not the case for Best Buy, however.

Best Buy has dropped the price of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment by 30%, down to $49.99, with free shipping for a physical copy. In fact, if you're a My Best Buy Plus member, you can get it for $39.99, saving up to 43%.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment on Sale at Best Buy

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is developed by Koei Tecmo. It's the third game in the series (although the first to be exclusive to the Switch 2) and a spinoff of Koei Tecmo's popular Dynasty Warriors franchise. The premise is the same: you're an OP character that can take down hundreds, nay, thousands of minions with one of nineteen Hyrulean champions, including Zelda, Calamo, Mineru, and Rauru. It's a total power trip kind of game and I absolutely love it.

Logan Plant gave Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment an 8/10 score in his review. You can also watch the video below to see some gameplay.

Preorder Star Fox for Switch 2 and Save $10

If you're looking for more Switch 2-exclusive titles to justify that $500 console purchase, check out Star Fox, which comes out next month. The space fox has become a lot more popular recently thanks to his extended cameo in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and now he reprises his role once again in this remake of the original 1997 game.

The launch price is set at $59.99, but preordering it on Amazon lets you get it for $49.99, a savings of $10. Amazon's preorder guarantee means that even if the price goes back up, you'll pay the lowest possible price between now and when the game actually ships.

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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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Star Fox, Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Leaks Are a 'Worst-Case Scenario' for Nintendo, Former Staff Say

Former Nintendo staff have branded the recent leak of upcoming Switch 2 game details as a "worst-case scenario" for the company, and its frequent aim of surprising fans.

Speaking via their podcast, ex-Nintendo Minute presenters Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang addressed the recent high-profile leak of Nintendo's supposed upcoming Switch 2 release slate by prolific internet tipster NatetheHate — a leak that just received further proof of its legitimacy with Nintendo's unveiling of Star Fox.

While slightly later than anticipated, Star Fox's Switch 2 debut had accurately been described as a classic experience for the franchise (it is a remake of Star Fox 64) due out within the next few months (it launches next month, on June 25).

Initially discussing whether Nintendo has deliberately moved Star Fox's unveiling back a week to derail Natethehate's predicted reveal timing, Ellis suggested this was unlikely due to ever-changing marketing timelines, and the need to work around Japan's annual Golden Week holiday. Rather than arrive before this, at the end of April, the announcement dropped immediately after, in the first week of May.

"I don't really buy that [it was intentionally delayed]," Ellis said. "It was just a slight shift to plans. And at some point, Nintendo can't... It's like: 'we don't negotiate with terrorists, we can't let someone dictate our plans'."

That said, the pair agreed that the leak had been hugely damaging to the company, and was likely further fuelling a change from releasing details in large-scale Nintendo Direct broadcasts, to more frequent, smaller reveals that were released without warning.

"Nintendo is shifting tactics in a world where leaks are more prevalent," Yang said.

"If you're Nintendo, you're obviously pulling your hair out at this," Ellis agreed. "This is a worst-case scenario. You're the company that banks on surprising people. The element of surprise is a major factor to why announcements are impactful and now that has been taken away, presumably, for a while."

"It messes with their expectation management," Yang continued. "There's a very strong focus on that element. [On the] one hand is the surprise and delight and the other is the expectation management. Both of these have been compromised now from the leaks."

The fact that many fans now expect a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake this Christmas now meant Nintendo had a harder job meeting expectations built up over months, with many fans now already forming opinions on how the game should be updated, and how it should look. Inevitably, not all of those fans will have their expectations met.

"[There's] the idea of this Nintendo Direct era being a bit antiquated because of these leaks and because of the way people receive information," Yang suggested. "They may just have to rethink the way they share information. The shadow-dropped Direct was a good idea. The Nintendo Today drops are fun little surprises — they did that with the Splatoon Raiders trailer.

"That hype is now very much dwindled, because you already knew all the things going in," Yang concluded. "We felt it too. We certainly felt it when everything about the Switch 2 leaked last year and we saw the first-look video. I was like, I already saw that. It looked exactly like what we saw. That is a human reaction to seeing something that is not new, you know? So I get it."

For its part, Nintendo has not directly addressed the leak, though has confirmed it has multiple unannounced Switch 2 games set for launch later this year.

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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Ex-Call of Duty: Black Ops Design Director David Vonderhaar Teases New Original FPS: 'If David Lynch Made Shooters'

Former Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer design director, David Vonderhaar, has teased his next game and it sounds nothing like Call of Duty. In an interview with Bloomberg, Vonderhaar confirmed that he is not making another military shooter like Call of Duty and instead described it as “if David Lynch made shooters.” It'll be a co-op game that isn't aiming to compete with Call of Duty, as players will be teaming up to face environmental challenges while combating other players. As of right now, the title for the game has yet to be revealed.

Vonderhaar left Treyarch in 2023, a year before the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. It was a shock for fans, as Vonderhaar was one of the key minds behind some of the greatest Call of Duty games, such as Black Ops 2. Shortly after his departure, he opened a new studio known as BulletFarm. The team had been working on its first game since 2024, but it seems like the game has been scrapped in favor of a different project.

It was confirmed today that BulletFarm has joined forces with GreaterThan Group, a new holding firm also backing Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. The firm was founded by an ex-NetEase executive named Simon Zhu. NetEase was previously backing both Bullet Farm and a project made by Fate of the Old Republic director Casey Hudson, but ultimately pulled funding, resulting in the demise of both games. However, Zhu formed his own company to try to make something with the talented people behind those projects.

The team at BulletFarm has yet to give firm details on their next game, but spoke confidently about it on X. "BulletFarm lives. Same name. Same DNA. Same commitment to the player experience," said the post. "We’re in the early stages of creating a completely new first-person multiplayer/co-operative experience under the GTG banner, with high-intensity action, systemic gameplay, and cinematic immersion at its core."

Vonderhaar told Bloomberg was disappointed to lose two years of work on the past game, but he has high ambitions for this next game. BulletFarm's game is aiming to release within three years and won't require hundreds of developers or a bloated budget. Currently, fewer than 50 people are working on the game. It'll likely be a while before we get a proper glimpse at the game, but hopefully, it'll be fresh and manage to convince a jaded market of gamers who aren't easily sold by any ol' shooter these days.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

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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