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.
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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.
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Magic: The Gathering had some great sets in 2025 (we see you, Edge of Eternities), but it also became clear some of the fanbase is suffering from, uh, 'non-franchise fatigue'. As crossovers became more prevalent, many felt it just wasn't the same game anymore.
That’s not to say Universes Beyond was a total bust. Final Fantasy brought in record-breaking numbers of players, and Avatar: The Last Airbender was a return to some semblance of form after the disappointment of Spider-Man.
Still, cardboard waits for no Planeswalker, and there are more sets in 2026 - seven, in total. That’s before we even get into the myriad of Secret Lair drops, and perhaps most worryingly, four of those sets are Universes Beyond.
Will they end up being closer to Final Fantasy or Spider-Man? And will the in-universe sets live up to the high bar set by Tarkir: Dragonstorm or Edge of Eternities? Here’s everything coming to Magic: The Gathering in 2026.
Lorwyn Eclipsed - Released January 23, 2026
If you’ve been yearning for a return to Lorwyn, the first set of 2026 can get things started. The set is a Universes Within to kick off the year, and marks the debut of the Draft Night Box.
Wizards of the Coast revealed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Comic-Con New York, with Universes Beyond going back to The Big Apple for the second time in a few months.
Still, expect colorful new art of the Heroes in a Half Shell, their assorted rogues gallery, and the debut of a Turtle Team Up co-op game mode.
We’ve already seen cards for Iron Man, Black Panther, Fantastic Four, and more, and the set will lean on comic book versions of the Marvel universe’s characters. Will it be better than the underwhelming Spider-Man set, though? We’re at least hoping the increased roster of heroes and (hopefully) villains will make this more exciting. You can now buy all of the Marvel Super Heroes boosters and bundles following of their June 26 release date, with four Commander Precons and a new Beginner Box in the lineup.
The Hobbit - August 14, 2026
We’re going back to Middle-earth! Universes Beyond: Lord of the Rings was a colossal win for Magic: The Gathering, and the fact its fantasy theming fit so well with the card game means it feels a lot less jarring than other crossovers.
Preorders are up, including new Scene Box products and those "precious" Collector Booster packs, but the set won't have any Commander decks.
Reality Fracture - October 2, 2026
The last in-universe set of 2026 is Reality Fracture, and it’ll feature callbacks to Tarkir: Dragonstorm and Outlaws of Thunder Junction, offering a 'What If?' style set with the classic Planeswalkers in new colors. Blue Chandra, anyone?
Preorders are up, too.
Foundations - October 2, 2026
If you thought Foundations was done after its arrival in 2024, think again. The set, which was primarily focused on the Standard format, is back for Commander players.
No packs for this one, but it'll launch alongside Reality Fracture with mono colored Commander decks, and preorders are up.
Star Trek - November 13, 2026
If you felt Wizards had got the sci-fi out of their system with the (excellent) Edge of Eternities, think again.
November 13, 2026 will see the arrival of a Star Trek set to celebrate that franchise’s 60th Anniversary, and it’ll incorporate everything from the original series to Strange New Worlds. It even got a trailer.
Magic's 2025 Sets - At a Glance
It’s also good idea to take stock of 2025’s sets, because it was definitely a year that divided opinion.
Innistrad: Remastered - January 24
Aetherdrift - February 14
Tarkir: Dragonstorm - April 11
Final Fantasy - June 13
Edge of Eternities - August 1
Marvel’s Spider-Man - September 16
Avatar: The Last Airbender - November 21
That’s seven sets in total, with three of those being Universes Beyond collaborations with the likes of Square Enix, Marvel, and Nickelodeon. And, from looking at the 2026 schedule, it looks as though Wizards is looking to stick to that ratio.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.
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On November 13, Magic: The Gathering goes where no Planeswalker has gone before... to the Star Trek Universe. As the last mainline set and Universes Beyond crossover of 2026, the commemorative set caps off Magic's year and celebrates 60 years of the iconic science fiction franchise. Preorders on Amazon are now live, and you can expect plenty of the same sealed product as previous sets to pick from like booster boxes and preconstructed Commander decks.
Star Trek is a main Universes Beyond set that will both introduce new mechanics and bring back plenty of old ones. One of the most prominent is the Spacecraft artifact subtype, making its return on cards like U.S.S. Enterprise-D, Galaxy-Class. But one of the most interesting aspects of Magic's Star Trek set is the new Autograph cards. These are incredibly rare alternate art of creature cards of Captain Kirk, Captain Janeway, and more, which feature actual handwritten autographs from the respective actor's. There will only be just over 200 of these worldwide and are only available in Collector booster packs, so best of luck on your pack-ripping hunts.
While this is the final set for 2026, we do have a helpful roadmap of Magic releases from throughout the year if you need a refresher on what dropped or if you missed out on other expansions.
Star Trek Play and Collector Boosters
The main way to bolster your Magic collection is by cracking open booster packs. Play boosters have cards from the entire main set and are comprised of 15 cards, while Collector booster packs feature the set's rare alternate art cards, foils, and the already-coveted Autograph cards.
Star Trek Commander Decks
Like many other previous Magic releases, Star Trek comes with four preconstructed Commander decks. The characters used as the face Commanders are Captain Picard, Spock, Klingon, and Borg, each using a three-color combination for their card pool. You can also get Collector's Editions of each deck, which include the full 100-card package all in Surge foil.
Star Trek Bundles
Bundles make their return with Star Trek as well. Regular bundles, like other sets, include nine play boosters and foil cards. But here, we get a new bundle: The Beam Me Up Bundle. You'll get everything included in a regular bundle, but it includes a Collector booster and two Beam Me Up foil promo cards.
Star Trek Scene Boxes
The Scene Boxes for Star Trek represent two important moments from throughout the franchise's long history. The Enterprise-Q Scene Box is taken from the classic episode, while the Divergent Timeline Scene Box depicts the crew as seen in J.J. Abrams' modern reboot.
Star Trek Beginner Box
If you or someone you know is new to Magic, or you know a Trekkie looking to sling some cardboard, the Beginner Box has everything you'll need to both start a collection and learn the basics of how a game of Magic is played.
Star Trek Draft Night
Draft Night is much faster alternative to a traditional draft. It's designed around the 4-player Pick Two Draft format, and includes 12 Play booster packs, one Collector booster, and 90 basic lands to play.
While the game itself has been warmly received, fans have been less impressed by its optional extra packs, which total a collective $85 — more than the game itself.
"Come on Ubisoft you just couldn't hold yourself huh?!" wrote one player via Steam. "Releasing a 70 euro game and on the DAY of the release you slap us with 85 euros worth of DLC packs that are just not cosmetic but give you a gameplay advantage this is why piracy exist and I will be refunding!"
Backlash at the offering has dragged down the game's Steam user review average, with many players upset at the principle of Ubisoft launching Resynced with a more expensive DLC collection than the cost of the base game, as well as the fact that Resynced also highlights these extra packs to players in-game via a pop-up message.
The cheapest of these extra packs, the $4.99 Map Pack, reportedly has a 6.34% Steam attach rate — meaning that around 1 in 15 of players purchased it. (The pack, a mainstay of Assassin's Creed releases, highlights in-game collectibles without the need to discover their locations manually.)
Fewer people purchased the game's various $9.99 cosmetic packs, with an attach rate for each around 2% — around 1 in 50 players. These provide premium skin packs for either Edward Kenway himself or his Jackdaw ship, though offer no real gameplay advantage. Still, for an extra $1m in revenue, you can see why Ubisoft keeps making them.
"We've seen your feedback since launch, and we're reading all of it," a Ubisoft community spokesperson said in a response to the DLC backlash last week. "Thank you for caring this much about Black Flag Resynced. We want to be clear on one point: the standard edition is the full, complete experience. Every mission, every island, the full story and the complete world are all there, with nothing held back. The additional packs are entirely optional extras for players who want them, never a requirement to enjoy or complete the game. We'll keep listening as you play!"
"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," IGN wrote in our Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced review, rating the game 9/10.
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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Summer Games Done Quick canceled its sponsored stream with SNK, citing ethical concerns regarding the developer’s majority ownership by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
The cancellation occurred just two hours into the org’s speedrun of Metal Slug in a partnered celebration of the classic run-and-gun action shooter’s 30th anniversary.
The broadcast was interrupted with an announcement from the run's host, Twitch streamer Ateatree, who informed the game's speedrunning duo that he’d received a notice from GDQ regarding the stream.
“Due to ongoing concerns and statements from people watching, we do plan to rain check the rest of the runs for tonight. We all thank you very much for watching. Please be good to yourselves and each other," he said before the stream returned to an interim screen of the show's schedule.
We're so excited to be working with SNK to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Metal Slug with a speedrunning showcase!!
Games Done Quick (GDQ) also published a statement to its official X account on July 12, explaining that this decision was made in part due to concerns from the speedrunning community regarding “human rights concerns tied to the Saudi government.”
GDQ also said it will neither accept funds from the sponsorship nor work with said sponsor again, arguing that the partnership “conflicted” with its values of “supporting human rights and inclusivity.”
The speedrunning charity group issued an apology to the community, saying it “failed to conduct the level of review our community should expect from us and that was an oversight we deeply regret and take full responsibility for.”
We have canceled our sponsored stream with SNK.
We have heard the concerns from our community regarding this partnership, specifically the company’s majority ownership by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and the human rights concerns tied to the Saudi government.
“We especially want to apologize to the runners and our host on this stream, who had nothing to do with this decision and whose runs were disrupted as a result. This isn't a reflection on them and we are grateful for their understanding.”
Finally, GDQ promised to bolster its review process in regards to sponsors and partnerships, “including closer examination of companies’ ownership, to make sure they're aligned with our values.”
Japanese game developer and publisher SNK notably came under majority ownership by the MiSK Foundation in November 2020, a nonprofit organization owned by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
In August 2021, MiSK Foundation CEO Badr bin Hamoud AlBadr was appointed as a director of SNK, and in the nearly six years since then, MiSK has gone on to acquire roughly 96% of the company.
SNK addressed concerns of Saudi involvement back in 2022, with producer and designer Yasuyuki Oda telling VideoGamesChronicle, “We're not a political company or anything like that, so it doesn't affect us in any way.”
"It has no – no – effect on our creative output. We have full freedom on what we want to create,” he added.
Summer Games Done Quick, the org’s annual charity speedrunning festival, ended on July 12, raising a grand total of $2,408,701 for Doctors Without Borders and bringing its 16th iteration to an end with a bang.
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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A fresh LEGO leak has revealed a $200 Donkey Kong Arcade Cabinet, reportedly due for release next month.
An image posted to the r/Legoleak reddit shows the detailed arcade machine set, complete with Donkey Kong, Jumpman (AKA Mario) and a captive Princess Peach, all in their familiar positions.
Several buttons and an arcade stick are present at the base of the machine, while its top is decorated with red "DONKEY KONG" letters. The set is listed as being for ages 18+ and containing 1,367 pieces, with an expected launch date of August 1.
While further images of the set are yet to surface, it does look like the creation will feature some form of interactivity — perhaps similar to the retro Super Mario NES set that allowed you to turn a crank and scroll through a classic Mario Bros. level. You could imagine dials or buttons here being used to make Jumpman, well, jump, or move barrels along levels.
The coming months are looking busy for fans of LEGO and Nintendo. A fresh wave of LEGO Pokémon sets are coming in October, including Munchlax, Arcanine and Rayquaza builds. Best of all, though, is the Poké Ball set that features minifigures for Red and Professor Oak.
