Graham McTavish, best known for his roles in “The Hobbit” and “Outlander,” is set to star in “Gunn,” an action-horror film directed by Neil Marshall (“Game of Thrones,” “Dog Soldiers”). “Gunn,” written by Doug Rao, is a survival horror set against the savage isolation of a North Sea oil rig overtaken by a pagan sect. […]
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Monopoly Go! Star Wars Crossover Brings Limited-Time Event to Players Today
Scopely has partnered with Disney for a Star Wars collaboration that brings characters and locations from across The Skywalker Saga and The Mandalorian to Monopoly Go!.
The two media giants detailed their crossover event further with a trailer this morning, explaining that Monopoly Go! players can unlock and enjoy Star Wars content for the next two months starting today. Scopely says the event is “rooted in a deep and compelling narrative” that follows local robot Peg-E after she visits Mr. Monopoly’s movie theater.
“Captivated by the cinematic magic of Star Wars, her daydreams take flight, reimagining the MONOPOLY GO! universe within the Star Wars galaxy,” an official description says. “In the ensuing adventure, players will be transported into timeless tales of good and evil, Jedi and Sith, and the light and dark side — kickstarting a series of action-packed in-game events, collectibles and surprises.”
With the Monopoly Go! Star Wars crossover comes a limited-time 22-sticker album that ties to the Star Wars universe. May the 4th, specifically, will see players gifted an exclusive token, with a variety of other themed additions available to nab throughout the duration of the collaboration. You can see a list of highlights included, as outlined by Scopely, below.
Monopoly Go! x Star Wars Crossover Event
- ‘Pod’ and ‘Rebel’ Racers: Race iconic Star Wars vehicles through the Mos Espa Grand Arena and the frozen wasteland of Hoth in a twist on MONOPOLY GO!’s high-stakes multiplayer event, Tycoon Racers.
- ‘Star Wars’, ‘Jedi’ and ‘Hyperspace’ Partners Events: Team up with friends to construct larger-than-life Star Wars-themed statues of iconic characters and starships from the Star Wars galaxy, and reap fantastic rewards together.
- ‘Tatooine’, ‘Jawa’ and ‘Tusken’ Treasures: Journey to the Outer Rim planet Tatooine in three special dig-themed events, uncovering relics and treasures inspired by the Star Wars canon.
- Exclusive Collectibles: Collect themed tokens, emojis, signature dice, and shields by completing sticker albums and event challenges, bringing galactic flair to the MONOPOLY GO! experience.
The launch of the Monopoly Go! and Star Wars crossover follows its official reveal as the latest Scopely collaboration last month. Its full debut today gives players until July 2 to enjoy what it has to offer. For more, you can read up on how Scopely made headlines in March when it confirmed it would purchase Pokémon Go-maker Niantic Inc. for $3.5 billion.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Cards a ‘Little Disheartening,’ The Thing: Remastered Dev Says
The Nintendo Switch 2 is approaching, and for at least some of its launch catalog, companies are opting for Game-Key Cards rather than fully on-cart physical games. This has understandably not been thrilling for people trying to collect physical game collections, and that includes those trying to preserve games in the long-term.
When Nintendo pulled back the curtain on Switch 2, it confirmed that several new Switch 2 game cards won’t always carry an actual game, but instead contain a key for a game download. Nintendo later clarified that Switch 2 Edition games contain both the game and the upgrade on the cartridge itself.
Switch 2 Game-Key Cards are physical cards that only contain a key to download your chosen game. That means there’s no actual game data on the card you insert into your Switch 2, so you’ll need to download it once the card is inserted. Every Game-Key Card case is appropriately labeled on the lower portion of the front of the box, so if you’re concerned about what exactly you’re purchasing, you should have a heads-up right away.
Games like Street Fighter 6 and the Bravely Default remaster do indeed feature this game-key card disclaimer. Others, such as Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, do not. The beefy Cyberpunk 2077, which weighs in at 64 GB on Nintendo Switch 2, comes on a cart.
In a feature over on GamesIndustry.biz, the outlet spoke with several games preservationists about Nintendo’s Game-Key Cards, and what a digital, download-focused approach does for their work. Nightdive Studios CEO Stephen Kick addressed the issue fairly head-on.
“Seeing Nintendo do this is a little disheartening,” said Kick. “You would hope that a company that big, that has such a storied history, would take preservation a little more seriously.”
As pointed out later in the piece by John-Paul Dyson, director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games at The Strong Museum, some games are difficult to document due to the volatility of online distribution. He highlighted mobile games as one particular challenge, as their versions change with time. The Strong Museum’s solution, it sounds like, is to preserve several versions of a game throughout its lifetime.
Storing and accessing games also becomes an issue, as does any DRM checks on the software. Moving everything onto digital downloads could have an impact on archiving, regardless of whether physical or digital is more popular for sales.
On the upside, as was pointed out by GI.biz’s piece, companies like Square Enix, Capcom, Sega, and Taito have committed to archiving past development materials. Even the scope of what should be saved is unclear though. Should it just be the game, or should there be presentations, notes, and everything else involved, to preserve as much history as possible?
Game-Key Cards have already drawn some controversy over the continued move towards digital versus physical collections. It’s interesting to hear how these affect not just our buying options now, though, but the people trying to ensure we keep our current era preserved for future generations.
Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.
The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook Is the Coziest Gift You Can Get for Under $20
I’ve put way too many hours into Stardew Valley building my own cozy little farm. And although taking care of a farm is its own full-time job, I always try to find time to make every character’s favorite foods. The recipes in Stardew Valley can be pretty simple but the final pixelated result always looks appetizing to me. I’ve definitely imagined what each dish tastes like as I whip it up in the game, but I never really thought about making the recipes in real life until I came across the Stardew Valley cookbook.
The official cookbook for the game was written in collaboration with the game’s creator ConcernedApe (Eric Barone). As someone who loves Stardew Valley and cooking, I’ve put this video game cookbook at the top of my gift wishlist for 2025.
The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook – On Sale Now
The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook came out back in May 2024, so it’s been almost an entire year of me not knowing it existed. Thanks to all of that time, however, it is currently down to its lowest price ever on Amazon. At just under $20, it’s one of the cheapest gifts you could get for Stardew fan (other than the actual game).
The cookbook itself contains 50 recipes that are based on the actual in-game meals. Similar to the game, it’s ordered by season so you can follow along and make each recipe when the ingredients are most likely to be at their freshest. Included are a ton of original illustrations as well as recipes written in the voice of various characters from the game. You can check out a quick preview of what to expect in the slideshow below.
See more video game cookbooks
Altough the Stardew Valley cookbook is my favorite one of these, there are actually quite a few other video game cookbooks you can buy right now. There are options from Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, Fallout, and even Minecraft. You can preorder cookbooks made for Pac-Man (sure, why not) and Borderlands, both of which are coming out in 2025. This is a whole genre that is absolutely thriving.
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Leaves Netflix, Now Streaming on Disney+
Despite several ongoing Spider-Man movie franchises, the Spider-Verse movies still managed to take the world by storm. They’re perhaps best known for the animation itself, which features a mix of art styles and hand-crafted visual textures. The Spider-Verse movies also feature solid writing, particularly surrounding Miles and his family, as well as great soundtracks. Across the Spider-Verse in particular is a movie I can pretty much watch on a loop without getting bored.
The only bad thing I have to say about these movies? They’ve been a pain in the butt to find on streaming. As someone who canceled my Netflix subscription for the new Disney+ and Hulu bundle, I ended up getting both of these movies on Blu-ray. Well, turns out I could have just waited a little longer.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse left Netflix on April 26, and starting today, May 1, it has a new streaming home on Disney+.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Now Streaming on Disney+
The Spider-Man movie’s transition to the Disney-owned streaming service doesn’t come as a surprise. Sony movies make their way to Netflix for 18 months after their initial run in theaters, known as a Pay-1 window, before moving to Disney+ for the Pay-2 window. As reported by Variety, the deal covers theatrical releases from 2022-2026. As far as we know, Across the Spider-Verse should be sticking around on Disney+ for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, a third and theoretically final Spider-Verse movie continues to be in development. After a couple of delays, Beyond the Spider-Verse is currently set to release in June 2027.
What About Into the Spider-Verse?
The first Spider-Verse movie released before Sony’s deal with Netflix and Disney, so Into the Spider-Verse is still tied to a cable licensing agreement. You can find the movie on live TV subscriptions like Hulu + Live TV, or otherwise through digital marketplaces like Prime Video. There’s also the physical release, seen below.
What Else Is Coming to Disney+ in May?
Star Wars Day is around the corner, and the home of all things Star Wars is naturally part of the celebrations. Andor will be wrapping up Season 2 this month, while all six episodes of Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld Season 1 drop on May 4. Disney+ will also get “walkthroughs” of the Galaxy’s Edge and Rise of the Resistance attractions from the Disneyland Resorts, continuing to consolidate the Disney brand.
Where to Buy Xbox Series X and S Consoles Before the Price Hike
Microsoft has announced a price hike for Xbox consoles, controllers, and eventually games. The recommended retail price on hardware goes into effect immediately, while the $79.99 price on new first-party games is set to hit this holiday season. That means if you’ve been thinking of picking up a new Xbox Series X|S or controller, you’ll want to do it sooner than later. The new, higher prices are already live from Xbox’s official store. However, you can still get the old prices at some retailers – at least for now.
Xbox Series X
Xbox Series X – $499 (Going Up to $599 Soon)
- Get it at Amazon
- Get it at GameStop
- Get it at Walmart (third-party seller)
Xbox Series X 1TB Digital Edition – $449 (Going Up to $549 Soon)
- Get it at Amazon
- Get it at GameStop
- Get it at Target
- Get it at Walmart (third-party seller)
The Xbox Series X is the flagship Xbox, with enough power to run games at 4K resolution. It’s a beast, and I love mine even more than my PS5. I also like being able to buy and play physical games, so I have the standard model listed up top above. But if you can live with going all-digital in terms of games, you can grab the digital edition instead and save $50.
Xbox Series S
Xbox Series S
Xbox Series S 512GB – $299 (Going Up to $379 Soon)
Xbox Series S 1TB – $349 (Going Up to $429 Soon)
For those who don’t mind embracing an all-digital gaming future, the Series S may be the one to get. However, it does have a big drawback in terms of raw power. The Series S is designed to run games at 1440p resolution instead of 4K. If that works for you, this is a terrific console to get. It comes in 512GB or 1TB models. Personally, I’d get the 1TB model, because games take up a ton of space these days, and Xbox storage is expensive.
Xbox Wireless Controllers
Some Xbox controllers are also getting a bump in price. There are a lot of different kinds of Xbox controllers, and they’re not all getting the same price hike. In fact, some aren’t getting a price hike at all. And pricing on these has been more fluid than Xbox consoles, so the price hike probably won’t be as visible here than it is on the consoles above. That said, here are the price changes on Xbox controllers going forward:
- Xbox Wireless Controller (Core) – $64.99
- Xbox Wireless Controller (Color) – $69.99
- Xbox Wireless Controller – Special Edition – $79.99
- Xbox Wireless Controller – Limited Edition – $89.99 (up from $79.99)
- Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Core) – $149.99 (up from $139.99)
- Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Full) – $199.99 (up from $179.99)
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
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