Category: Video Gaming

The director of Yakuza 3 Kiwami + Dark Ties has broken his silence on Ryo Ga Gotoku Studio’s controversial hiring of Teruyuki Kagawa to play Goh Hamazaki, saying they needed someone who would make audiences think, “This guy’s a creep.”

This comes from an interview with Horii conducted by Japanese outlet GAME Watch, and independently translated by IGN. In the interview, Horii is asked directly about the decision to recast certain characters in Kiwami from their original Japanese actors. His general response as to why he recast both Hamazaki and Rikiya Shimabukuro is that while it would “certainly be safer not to recast them and avoid online criticism,” the studio “felt there was no use being afraid.”

Horii goes on to say that they based their decision on who they most wanted to see perform. When asked directly about Kagawa playing Hamazaki, this is what Horii had to say:

Hamazaki is a sleazy, persistent, and militant yakuza, right? Since he isn’t an explosive character like Kanda, when we tried to think of someone who makes you go, “This guy’s a creep,” naturally it was Kagawa – that was the main factor. Kagawa’s acting is fun to watch. Even when he’s chopping a pig’s feet off with a chef’s knife, it has a slimy feel. That feeling permeates his performance, so it brings a freshness to the scene and made it feel really fun.

Kagawa’s casting as Hamazaki has been met with anger from Yakuza fans due to the actor having been accused by multiple women of sexual assault, with one woman coming forward with what seems to be photographic evidence of the incident. In 2022, Kagawa admitted to and apologized for one of the incidents, but another of his accusers has said she received no apology.

Following the announcement of Kagawa’s casting, Yakuza fans reacted in anger on social media, getting #REMOVEKAGAWA trending on multiple networks and creating a Change.org petition that at the time of this writing has nearly 10,000 signatures. Fans have accused RGG Studio of suppressing the #REMOVEKAGAWA hashtag and deleting comments referencing the issue on its official Instagram page. And a number of them have pointed out that Sega has recast actors for offenses in the past – Pierre Taki was recast in Judgment back in 2019 after he was arrested for cocaine possesssion.

Up to this point, neither RGG Studio nor Sega has offered official comment on Kagawa’s casting, nor the accusations – Horii’s answer is the first statement that’s been offered on the subject. However, Sega did publish a trailer on its official YouTube after the wave of criticism, which introduced the Japanese voice cast and opened on a longer clip of Hamazaki. IGN reached out to Sega for additional comment ahead of this story, but did not hear back in time for publication.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

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Hey, everybody! Sid, Tim, Brett, and I are back this week to talk about the newest game announced this week, Horizon Hunters Gathering, take a look at what’s new in MLB The Show 26, and go down the rabbit hole of games based on 80s action.

Stuff We Talked About

• Next week’s release highlights:
  • Crisol: Theater of Idols | PS5
  • Romeo is a Dead Man | PS5
  • BlazBlue Entropy Effect X | PS5
  • Ride 6 | PS5
  • Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties | PS5, PS4
  • High On Life 2 | PS5
  • Reanimal | PS5
• MLB The Show 26 gameplay reveal — Check out updated gameplay along with new modes and features like 11 new colleges, bear down pitching, new Trade Hub, and more.
• John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando gameplay features — See how the game elevates the co-op zombie-shooting genre with vehicle combat and management, combined with run-and-gun tactics, all set against an 80s action-horror aesthetic.
• Horizon Hunters Gathering reveal — a new co-op action game from Guerrilla, where up to three players can team up to take down dangerous machines, both big and small, where tactics and teamwork will be essential.

The Cast

Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

This week saw the early access launch of turn-based tactics game Menace, created by the piss-swigging misanthropes behind Battle Brothers. Julian has been having a wonderful time playing it and learning about the importance of spare ammo and adequate reconnaissance. It could have been worse, Julian. Your antivirus software could have deleted some of the game’s files. This being one of the currently known issues listed in the patch notes for the game’s first proper update.

(more…)

Last week, we asked you to slow things down and enjoy the rustic life using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here’s are this week’s highlights:

jobolts_ shares Atsu playing her shamisen at a camp with the Ainu tribe in Ghost of Yōtei.

WildmindVP shares Layla’s cabin in the present day of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

RhodWulfLeon shares a one-eyed owl in a tavern in Star Wars Outlaws.

RazinZamee shares Ellie and baby JJ sitting on a tractor in The Last of Us Part II.

call_me_xavii shares Aloy standing outside an encampment in Horizon Forbidden West.

FlamingHobo666 shares a wizard picnicking near a pumpkin patch in Hogwarts Legacy.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Romantic
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on February 11, 2026

Next week, show some love. Share romantic settings and characters from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.  

HoYoverse just wrapped up a big Honkai: Star Rail Special Program. We’ve been waiting for this one for a couple of weeks now thanks to a delay, but the developer has finally delivered all the news on Version 4.0, which will arrive February 13.

The upcoming major release is dubbed No Aha at Full Moon for a very good reason. Aha’s Planarcadia is the big new world headlining Version 4.0.

Planarcadia is a place whose description sounds a bit like a Warhammer 40,000 Eldar homeworld, and is quite open about its cyberpunk inspirations. In-universe, however, it was born out of the pages of an art canvas, and it’s a world where pleasure is king.

The squad’s host in this chapter is Madam Pearl, who will oversee the the Astral Express’ return to the place where they first began their journey. Duomension City is where you’re going to land, and meet the creatures that dwell in this world.

The imagenae of Planarcadia require attention to survive, and they feed off people’s Wishpower. If they don’t get any attention, they perish, which does tie into the general themes of the place. Duomension City has other interesting locations that you’re going to visit, such as the Graphia Academy art school, the commercial district of Dovebrook, and a few other places hidden behind mysterious entrances.

The Phantasmoon Games is another highlight of Planarcadia, a competitive spectacle where you’ll have a chance to compete to become Aeon for a Minute. If you make it to the final stages, you may earn an audience with The Laughter.

Much like the world where the games take place, the whole point of the competition is to attract the most attention, so rules are a bit loose as to how you manage to do that. The event will bring together several of the game’s factions, though not everyone is there for the competition.

As you explore Planarcadia, if you have characters on your team who are on the newly-playable Path of Elation, you’ll earn Punchlines. The more you accumulate, the closer you get to catching Aha’s attention, which triggers Aha Instant.

Version 4.0 introduces two new 5-Star characters to Honkai: Star Rail. General Yao Guang (Madam Yao) is one, a Seer Strategist from the Xianzhou Alliance’s Yuque. If you’ve been playing the game, you may already be familiar with her voice, as she’s previously been in touch with our heroes via radio link. But V4.0 marks her first on-screen appearance, as well as her playable debut.

General Yao Guang is a Physical character on the Path of Elation whose specialty is using Weal and Woe Lots in battle, which she uses to increase Elation for allies, and grant everyone Punchline any time she uses a Skill. If an Aha Instant is triggered, she casts Woe Lots, which debuff enemies, causing them to take increased damage, all while regenerating Skill Points for the rest of the team.

Her aptly named Certified Banger buff adds one extra instance of Elation to teammates’ attacks. And her Ultimate grants the team Punchline, and triggers an extra Aha Instant.

The other new arrival is likewise a Path of Elation devotee. Sparxie is a suspiciously familiar streamer who uses her influencer skills in combat. When she fights, she turns the fight into a battle for attention, as she forces enemies to engage in a race for upvotes.

When you consume Skill Points, Sparxie will get gifts, which in turn cause her to regenerate Skill Points and Punchlines for the team. You can continue doing this to increase your damage. When Aha Instant is triggered, Sparxie unleashes a lucky draw that deals damage to enemies with each bounce.

She also benefits from the Certified Banger state, which causes the gifs she receives to deal more Elation damage to a random enemy target. Her Ultimate also deals more Elation damage.

Version 4.0 will see a few re-runs, too. Black Swan, Evernight, and Hysilens will be part of the first half’s Warp events. The second half will see the return of Sparkle, Cerydra, and Rappa — that’s right, HoYoverse have finally remembered Rappa exists, after one of the longest rerun waits in the game’s history! Both Black Swan and Sparkle are getting a few tweaks to their kit with this version, too, so the timing works.

If you log in after launch, you’ll get 20 free pulls and a new free outfit for Ruan Mei. If you play while the Yao Guang fortune event is active, you could earn 1,600 Stellar Jades. You can also expect a free 5-Star character selector to arrive at some point after launch, giving you a free choice between popular (but admittedly a bit old for the meta these days) limited-banner characters Jing Yuan, Kafka, Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae, Jingliu, Sparkle, Acheron, and Aventurine.

Finally, the other major news is a Fortnite collaboration. Starting February 26, Kafka and Blade will join Epic’s battle royale shooter. On that day, you’ll find skins of the two Stellaron Hunters in the Fortnite Item Shop, and the new outfits are even compatible with Fortnite’s LEGO styles. You can also expect other customisation bits like Back Bling, Pickaxe, and more to be part of the package.

If you download the game on the Epic Games Store, and take part in Honkai: Star Rail-themed activities, you’ll also get the Blade character outfit in Fortnite for free. Event schedule and timing will be announced at a later date.

Dear Trailblazers, the Honkai: Star Rail development team sends their long-awaited regards! We are thrilled to announce that a brand-new world known as Planarcadia will officially be unveiled in Version 4.0 No Aha at Full Moon. This prosperous world, renowned for its entertainment culture, is currently celebrating its unique Phantasmoon Games.

This is not only Himeko’s homeland but also the starting point for the Astral Express to set sail once again. This story of The Elation will likewise span an entire year, and the stage will not be limited to Planarcadia—the IPC’s key stronghold, Astropolis, will also make its debut later. Let us witness the convergence of The Past and Future, and join new companions Yao Guang and Sparxie in the Euphoria party of The Elation.

An arcadia where clout is king and people are amusing themselves to death

Following the journey to Amphoreus, and at Himeko’s suggestion, the Express charted a course for Planarcadia, kingdom of the Elation, to resupply and explore. Planarcadia was once a 2D World in Canvas, but under the IPC’s management, it has been revived from the flatness of a painting to become a vital territory. It is now overseen by Pearl, one of the Ten Stonehearts of the Strategic Investment Department. Today, all manner of local entertainment products have sprung up like mushrooms, with their fame spreading across the entire cosmos.

For the first stop on their journey, the Express Crew will arrive at Duomension City, situated in the heart of the arcadia. Unlike the solemn elegance of the Amphorean city-states, Duomension City is a vibrant metropolis defined by its sleek, modern aesthetic. By day, the streets are teeming with people, dazzling the eye with ubiquitous electronic screens and memetic projections. As nightfall descends, the waters of Dovebrook reflect the neon spectacle and bustling nightlife under the bright moonlight. Somewhere within the Dovebrook District lies the fabled World’s End, a tavern that serves as a vital social hub for the Masked Fools, though its exact location remains elusive. 

Furthermore, you will encounter all manner of bizarre creatures and objects active throughout the streets and alleys. Don’t be surprised, these are the local residents known as imagenae, beings born from painting and imagination. Whether it’s the towering, cool mechatron, the Meowton Station Master handling ground crew duties, or the thundercoil perched atop high towers amplifying the city’s network signals, they have long since integrated into the city’s daily life, becoming companions who live side-by-side with humanity.

Speaking of Duomension City, one highlight you can’t miss is Interplanar Jump! There are mysterious entrances scattered all over the place—just dive in to reach the marvelous Duomension. Inside, the art style of people and imagenae changes, letting you pull off moves impossible in reality, like double-jumping or walking on water. Once you enter the Duomension, you’ll transform into different forms of Trailblazemon, free to explore all the unique and fun content hidden in every corner of the city.

In Planarcadia, all conflicts and struggles are resolved through games, the most sensational of which is the Phantasmoon Games. Rumor has it that Aha personally established these games. The victor not only wins an audience with them, but also gains the authority of the Aeon of Elation for one minute. However, the games have no fixed rules—whoever catches Aha’s eye takes the lead. Thus, victory depends entirely on the participants’ capabilities and wit. A mask serves as the entry ticket for all participants, but only eight exist. 

The ferocity of the competition can be imagined. Not only are the locals of the arcadia, the Xianzhou Alliance, the Masked Fools, and the IPC getting involved, but even the Stellaron Hunters have arrived with their own agenda. Silver Wolf and Blade seem to have already made their move… Are they here for the Phantasmoon Games too? Who will obtain this incredibly precious invitation? Under the facade of Elation, is there some hidden conspiracy? It’s up to you to explore and find the answers.

Get a Charming Partner in the form of Aha Instants

In Planarcadia, even combat falls under the gaze of The Laughter. When characters of The Elation Path join the team, or when fighting special enemies, you will accumulate Punchlines. As Punchlines stack up and Aha’s excitement peaks, they will personally take the stage, triggering an Aha Instant. During this phase, Aha will lead the team’s Elation characters to unleash Elation Skills one by one. The more Punchlines you have, the stronger the skill effects. After the Aha Instant concludes, all Elation Path characters will receive their unique Certified Banger buffs, adding layers of strategy to your combat.

In the new version, Trailblazers will welcome two powerful new 5-star characters to their roster. First up is the Seer Strategist of the Xianzhou Alliance’s Yuque ship: General Yao Guang. Previously a voice without a face in the storyline, she is finally making her official debut. As the senior soror to the familiar Master Diviner Fu Xuan, Yao Guang serves as a vital strategic advisor to the Alliance during dire straits. To the people of the Xianzhou, she is affectionately known as Madam Yao, a goddess of fortune capable of averting crises and divining weal through her calculations. 

As a Physical character following the Path of Elation, Yao Guang specializes in manipulating the tide of battle with Weal and Woe Lots. Drawing a Weal Lot boosts the team’s Elation and grants Punchline stacks when she uses her Skill. Conversely, during an Aha Instant, she casts a Woe Lot, increasing the DMG taken by enemies while recovering Skill Points for the team. 

Yao Guang’s Certified Banger buff allows teammates to deal additional Elation DMG with their attacks—and if those attacks consume Skill Points, the DMG is further increased. Furthermore, her Ultimate not only provides Punchline stacks to the team but also immediately triggers an extra Aha Instant, boosting All-Type RES PEN for all allies.

Another mysterious 5-star character following the Path of Elation is Sparxie. Bearing a striking resemblance to the Masked Fool players know as Sparkle, she’s the hottest streamer in Planarcadia. In the storyline, Sparxie and Sparkle will appear together to bring the Trailblazer a unique surprise. During combat, Sparxie taps into her streamer persona, opening a livestream room to engage in a PK upvote battle against enemies. 

Players can continuously consume Skill Points to send random Gifts to Sparxie, regenerating varying amounts of Skill Points or Punchlines for the team. The more Skill Points consumed, the more Punchlines the team gains, resulting in higher final DMG. During an Aha Instant, Sparxie initiates a chaotic lucky draw, dealing massive DMG to all enemies with multiple bounce attacks. Under the Certified Banger state, every time a Gift appears during the PK, Additional Elation DMG is dealt to a random single enemy target during settlement. Additionally, Sparxie’s Ultimate also deals extra Elation DMG.

It’s worth mentioning that the limited 5-star characters Black Swan, Evernight, and Hysilens will be featured in the Warp events during the first half of Version 4.0, while Sparkle, Cerydra, and Rappa will appear in the second half. Furthermore, the old partners Black Swan and Sparkle will be receiving buffs. They’ll continue to be your reliable allies in the upcoming journey to Planarcadia.

New events galore

Alongside the massive Main Story update, Version 4.0’s new events are just as hyped. When taking a break from exploring the arcadia, Trailblazers can invite friends to join the lighthearted Cosmicon Collective battle formidable foes through card duels and strive for the pinnacle of cosmic combat power! Another unmissable event is the operation of Furbobo Weekly.  In this event, you’ll experience the busy yet fun life of a magazine editor-in-chief and get a taste of a whole new walk of life. Furthermore, Currency Wars is expanding for the first time, adding new characters and mechanics. The Divergent Universe has also been updated — look forward to the extra fun they’ll bring.

​​

Gaming experience optimization

Finally, this update will optimize daily system functions for all Trailblazers: Assignments will no longer be restricted by fixed times or characters, allowing Trailblazers to claim rewards and dispatch characters at any time. Additionally, the Relic and Team Lineup systems will also be optimized and upgraded to provide a more convenient gaming experience.

After the version update, simply log in and check in to receive 20 Warps, plus claim a free new Outfit for Ruan Mei and a 5-star character of your choice! At the same time, Yao Guang’s Weal Sign event will bring everyone a bonus of 1600 Stellar Jades may the Blessings of Good Fortune be with every Trailblazer on their journey in the new version! In addition, new Trailblaze Attire including a new Outfit and headwear for the Trailblazer will also be unveiled, which is sure to make your journey even more spectacular. Stay tuned for more game details.

It sounds like Koei Tecmo’s decision to finally release a Nioh game on PC day-and-date with PlayStation has paid off. The highly-anticipated Nioh 3 has gone live across both platforms, a first for a series that typically spends its initial release months as a console exclusive.

On Steam, and despite having only been available for just a few hours, the game has broken series records, and it continues to climb.

At the time of writing, Nioh 3 has peaked at 42,822 concurrent players on Steam (via SteamDB), and the number keeps going up. Because it’s in the middle of day in Europe and everyone is at work, it’s entirely possible – if not likely – that this figure will get much higher. A weekend bump is also possible, as we’ve seen with several recent releases.

As it stands, the current peak concurrent is enough to get the game in Steam’s top 20 most played games.

This already puts it ahead of all other Nioh games on Steam. The original Nioh peaked at 10,649 when it released in November, 2017. Nioh 2 fared much better, peaking at 41,325 concurrent players in February, 2021.

Of course, you could see that success coming a mile away. The game is currently number one worldwide in Steam’s list of top sellers. This is a jump of 46 positions, for a total of three weeks Nioh 3 has spent in that list.

There are many reasons as to why Nioh 3 has done as well as it has. Word of mouth coming off last year’s PS5-exclusive demo, and the more positive coverage that followed since are just two.

Just last week, Team Ninja released a pretty generous demo across both platforms, which has been well received by players, and likely contributed to sales, in no small part because progress in the demo carries over to the full game.

Critical reviews have been incredibly positive, too. We awarded the game four out of five stars, calling it “Team Ninja’s most accomplished action game, and the series’ most accessible.” It will be interesting to see what number the highest peak concurrent actually settles on over the weekend.

Until then, if you’re jumping in yourself, our Nioh 3 guides are essential reading. Start off with these useful and actually informative gameplay tips, and don’t start playing until you’ve changed these settings. Once you’re ready to get deeper, be sure to read up on how to play co-op with other players, and how to summon AI Acolytes to help you out.

Deadline reports that HBO is working on a Baldur’s Gate TV show that will continue the story of Baldur’s Gate 3, picking up where the acclaimed Larian RPG ends, though likely with a new party of adventurers taking center stage.

In charge of the show is Craig Mazin, co-creator of HBO’s The Last of Us show, who says he’s played “nearly 1,000 hours” of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Larian Studios’ multi-award-winning fantasy RPG, Baldur’s Gate 3, is set for its own TV series on HBO, and will be helmed by The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin.

As reported by Deadline, a television adaptation of the acclaimed game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe is in development at the network, and interestingly, will be a continuation of the story from the Baldur’s Gate 3 game. The television show will reportedly take place after the events of Larian’s RPG and follow the characters players grew to love over time as they grapple with the aftermath of its world-changing ending.

The series will be helmed by Craig Mazin, no stranger to adapting video games to live action, following his work co-creating HBO’s The Last of Us with Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann. A huge fan of Baldur’s Gate 3, Mazin told Deadline that “After putting nearly 1000 hours into the incredible world of Baldur’s Gate 3, it is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that Larian and Wizards of The Coast created”.

“I am a devoted fan of D&D and the brilliant way that Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it”, he continued. “I can’t wait to help bring Baldur’s Gate and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can, and I’m deeply grateful to Gabe Marano and his team at Hasbro for entrusting me with this incredibly important property.”

By taking on this project that has no ties to any other Baldur’s Gate game in the pipeline, Mazin will have free rein over what story he wishes to tell, but we do know that it will include both existing and brand new members of the BG3 cast. Shadowheart? Karlach? Astarion? Who are you most looking forward to seeing on your television screen? Mazin reportedly plans to reach out to the cast of the games to sound out how best to approach their roles in the TV show, and if they’d want to be involved, something The Last of Us did with Merle Dandridge reprising her role as Marlene, for example.

Of course, the ending of Larian’s multiple game of the year award-winning RPG can vary massively depending on how you chose to play the game, so it will be highly intriguing to see how Mazin and co. go about choosing which ending is canon for them.

It may well be a while yet before we see Baldur’s Gate arrive on the small screen, with Mazin still attached to complete production on The Last of Us, which is gearing up for its third, and maybe final, season.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

There is only so big a sigh I can let out at, well, everything that Ubisoft are doing currently. Last month, the company cancelled a number of its games, notably the Price of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, later proposing up to 200 job cuts at its Paris HQ, all of which led to a call for an international strike. Now, it sounds like Ubisoft have also cancelled an online Assassin’s Creed game.

This comes from French outlet Origami (as translated by IGN), who said sources they spoke to confirm the cancellation of a project codenamed AC League that was being developed by Ubisoft Annecy. Apparently the game was originally planned as a piece of DLC for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the Japan-set most recent entry in the series. It would have seen four assassins working together on a number of missions, supposedly concluding the story that would have unfolded over the game’s season pass.

It wouldn’t have just been a one off either, as the plan was to use this to build other multiplayer experiences in future games. But directors at Ubisoft Annecy felt uncertain about League being attached to Shadows, ultimately concerned over it taking too long to develop. This resulted in the decision to turn it into a standalone game using bits of Shadows’ map, with the intention to host an invite-only alpha as soon as May of this year. Except, well, as mentioned, it’s been canned, something Ubisoft Annecy was only told last week.

According to Origami, a few Annecy staffers have been tasked with using the technical advancements the team made to make it easier to add multiplayer modes in future games. However, those left with no project to work on currently feel unsure of what is next for them, given Ubisoft’s recent actions. As always, solidarity to those affected.