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Pokemon Champions, Game Freak’s Leaked Multiplayer Game, Officially Revealed

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

After half a year of rumors and leaks, we’ve finally gotten our first look at Pokemon Champions, a brand new multiplayer battle-focused Pokemon game being developed in a collaboration between Game Freak and The Pokemon Works, a recent joint venture between The Pokemon Company and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl developer ILCA.

Pokemon Champions is a game focused on Pokemon battles, which features the series “core-style battles” and allows players to battle online with one another. From the trailer, we’ve seen it will definitely include both Mega Evolution and Terastalization, and the reveal suggested it will canvas all different types and eras of Pokemon battles.

Additionally, Pokemon Champions will connect with Pokemon Home, allowing players to transfer Pokemon from all other games to battle in it and finally giving fans something to do with the hundreds of Pokemon just sitting in their boxes from past generations.

Pokemon Champions is “now in development” for both Nintendo Switch and mobile, but did not get a release date. It will be playable in Latin American Spanish at launch in addition to other languages previously available in Pokemon games.

Pokemon Champions appears to be the same as Pokemon Synapse, a game that first leaked last year as part of the larger “Freak Leak” that saw tons of internal Game Freak info drop online, including unreleased games, meeting notes, Pokemon designs, and more. At the time, the most firm details we had were that it was being co-developed by Game Freak and ILCA, while everything else seemed to be a work-in-progress and a bit speculative. Those who looked into the leak suggested it was a multiplayer game of some kind and some compared it to Splatoon, but that comparison seems to have been slightly off.

You can catch up on everything else we saw at today’s Pokemon Presents right here.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

James Patterson’s Murder Thriller ‘The Commuter’ Starring Lizzy Caplan, Richard Schiff, Thomas Lennon Premieres on Audible

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, Variety

“The Commuter,” an Audible original starring Lizzy Caplan as an ex-FBI agent who is unexpectedly entangled in a bizarre murder plot, has made its debut on the audio service. The series, co-starring Richard Schiff and Thomas Lennon, is written by James Patterson and Aaron Tracy, who also directs. It premieres Feb. 27 exclusively on Audible […]

Mubi Buys Paolo Sorrentino’s New Movie ‘La Grazia’ Starring Toni Servillo for Worldwide Rights Outside of Italy (EXCLUSIVE)

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, Variety

“The Substance” distributor Mubi is pursuing its buying spree with another anticipated film from an internationally celebrated auteur, Paolo Sorrentino (“Parthenope,” “The Great Beauty”). The global distributor, streaming service and production company has bought Sorrrentino’s next movie “La Grazia” for worldwide rights excluding Italy and will retain all rights in North America, Latin America, the […]

Pokémon Day Deal: Catch a Pokémon Go $50 Gift Card For 15% Off

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

If you play Pokémon Go even semi-regularly, you already know that PokéCoins are basically essential. Whether you’re raiding, grinding XP, or hoarding Incense like a dragon hoards gold, you’re going to need a steady supply of these things. And while you could buy them directly through the game, that would be a rookie mistake because Best Buy has a way better deal right now.

Pokémon Go $50 Gift Card (7,000 PokéCoins)

For $42.50, you can get a $50 Pokémon Go gift card, which gives you 7,000 PokéCoins instead of the usual 6,700 $50 would get you in-app. That’s an extra 300 coins for free, and you’re saving $7.50 on top of that. More PokéCoins, less money spent.

Now, if you’re sitting on 7,000 PokéCoins, you might be wondering what to spend them on. Should you hoard them for future boxes? Blow them all on Remote Raid Passes? Maybe finally invest in that Pokémon Storage upgrade so you don’t have to suffer through constant “Your Pokémon Box is full” notifications? Decisions, decisions.

What can you buy with 7,000 PokéCoins?

To make things easy, here’s a breakdown of what 7,000 PokéCoins can get you in Pokémon GO right now:

Pokémon Go Shop Boxes

Box NamePrice (PokéCoins)What’s InsideSpecial Offer?
Explorer Box 5,250 20x Super Incubator, 30x Egg Incubator 39% off
Voyager Box 6,500 100x Lucky Eggs, 50x Star Pieces 50% off
Starter Box 100 10x Pinap Berry, 1x Lucky Egg, 30x Poké Ball –
Beginner Box 150 15x Poké Ball, 5x Great Ball, 1x Lucky Egg, 1x Super Incubator One-time only

Pokémon GO Individual Items

ItemPrice (PokéCoins)What It Does
Remote Raid Pass (x3) 525 Join Raid Battles remotely
Premium Battle Pass (x3) 250 Raid or get premium Go Battle League rewards
Super Incubator 200 Hatches eggs 33% faster
Egg Incubator 150 Hatches eggs (3 uses)
Lure Module (x8) 680 Attracts more Pokémon to a PokéStop
Incense (x8) 250 Lures wild Pokémon to your location
Item Bag Upgrade 200 Increases storage by 50
Pokémon Storage Upgrade 200 Increases max Pokémon capacity by 50

Pokémon GO Upgrades

UpgradePrice (PokéCoins)What It Does
Item Bag 200 Increases max item storage by 50
Pokémon Storage 200 Increases max Pokémon capacity by 50
Postcard Pages 100 Increases max saved Postcards by 50
Team Medallion 1,000 Lets you change teams (once per year)

If I had 7,000 PokéCoins burning a hole in my trainer bag, I’d probably go straight for the Voyager Box at 6,500 coins. It’s a ridiculous deal with 100 Lucky Eggs and 50 Star Pieces at 50% off, meaning I’d be set on XP boosts and Stardust bonuses for months.

If raiding is more your thing, stacking up on Remote Raid Passes (525 coins for three) is a solid move if you want to farm Legendaries without leaving your couch. And for anyone who’s perpetually running out of space (guilty), throwing a couple of Pokémon Storage and Item Bag upgrades into the mix would make life way easier.

Claim three free Pokémon in Pokémon Go

If you’re grabbing this PokéCoin deal, you might as well snag some free Pokémon while you’re at it. Right now, Pokémon GO is offering a triple code reward that gives you Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus at no cost. To claim them, log in to your Pokémon GO account on the Pokémon GO Live website and enter the following codes:

  • Tornadus: 4RD3GGA4ZMEGP
  • Thundurus: 4Q4UZLY6MUH9K
  • Landorus: 9PTA874LYDAJH

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

The Andor Season 2 Trailer Promises the Return of a Major Villain… and She’s a Mom

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

There’s a lot going on in the minute and 35 seconds of the Andor Season 2 trailer that dropped this week, with characters from the first season and new faces alike popping up, stormtroopers blasting away, explosions, spaceships, and onscreen accolades from critics, all set to the tune of Steve Earle’s folk-rock song “The Revolution Starts Now.” But the most exciting moment in the trailer is when Syril Karn’s mother shows up. She’s in just one shot for barely a second, but oh boy, is that henpecking, guilt-laying, banality-of-evil-inspiring mama back. And man, did I miss her.

In case you need a quick refresher on Mother Karn – her full name is Eedy Karn and she’s played by Kathryn Hunter – we first met her in “Aldhani,” the fourth episode of Season 1. After Syril (Kyle Soller) had washed out of his job doing security for the Preox-Morlana Corporation, he returned home to Coruscant, disgraced, to… move back in with his mom. Is his room in her basement? Has he ever touched a girl? Hard to say.

Next episode, as she’s pouring cereal and blue milk for him, Eedy says to her son, “Syril, you’re slouching. Is that how you’ve been presenting yourself to the world?” And then, “You might as well wear a sign that says, ‘I promise to disappoint you.’” Yeah, she’s one of those parents.

All in all, the relationship between the two continues this way every time we see her in Season 1 – it’s all very strained, awful even. Syril seems to have no affection for his mother, and really, Eedy seems to feel the same way. And there’s no need for promises, because Eedy is already disappointed in Syril. While working on Season 1, Soller and Hunter agreed upon a backstory on how their characters wound up in the emotionally-stunted place that they’re in, and it can be traced back to Syril’s father.

Eedy and Syril are just examples of the messed-up, damaged, but actually incredibly pedestrian family- and interpersonal-dynamics in the show.

“We had kind of figured out the same thing, that he had left really early on, in a real acrimonious, horrible way,” Soller told SlashFilm in 2022. “That was a real launchpad for how Eedy then parents Syril, which is by being wronged. And her anger, and grief, and disappointment, and frustration of him leaving just got filtered into Syril. Growing up without a father is … that absence definitely drives Syril as much as the over-dominating maternal influence.”

The thing about Eedy, and Syril, is that they are just examples of the messed-up, damaged, but actually incredibly pedestrian family- and interpersonal-dynamics in the show that contribute on the ground level, and then up the chain, to the Empire being, well, the Empire. Syril wants nothing more than to serve and be recognized for that service, no matter if what he’s doing is truly right or wrong. Mon Mothma’s (Genevieve O’Reilly) husband Perrin (Alastair Mackenzie) is a carousing do-nothing who doesn’t mind hanging out with awful people as long as the champagne… uh, Chandrilan Squig is good. The Rebel Arvel Skeen (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and his sob story about his dead brother turns out to be a bunch of malarkey, as Arvel’s rebellion is actually him against everyone else, as he says, and all he really wants is the money he and Andor helped steal on Aldhani. And so on.

What Andor winds up being about is simply the story of how regular people can choose, if you’ll forgive the term, the light side or the dark side. And sometimes they don’t even know they’re making that choice. For every Arvel who doesn’t care about the bigger world, there’s an Eedy Karn. Surely Eedy (who is wonderfully realized in Kathryn Hunter’s performance in what is really just a handful of scenes throughout the first season) thinks she’s doing the best for her son, even as she helps to mold and warp him into his full form as the perfect Imperial lackey.

“I knew they’d recognize your promise,” she beams near the end of the season when she hears Syril’s gotten a promotion. He’s going places, you know.

Hong Sangsoo’s ‘What Does That Nature Say to You’ Lands Distribution Deals Across Multiple Territories – Global Bulletin

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, Variety

FESTIVAL FAVORITE Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo‘s latest Berlinale competition entry “What Does That Nature Say to You” has secured distribution deals across multiple territories, Seoul-based sales agent Finecut has revealed. The film has been picked up by Arizona Films (France), Ama Films (Greece & Cyprus), Minerva Pictures (Italy), L’atalante Cinema (Spain), Cola Films (Taiwan) and […]

Francis Ford Coppola Leads Tributes to Gene Hackman After Oscar Winner Found Dead Alongside Wife: ‘Inspiring and Magnificent in His Work and Complexity’

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, Variety

Francis Ford Coppola has paid tribute to his “The Conversation” star Gene Hackman after the Oscar-winning actor was found dead at 95 alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday. “The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent […]

My Favorite Pokémon Day 2025 Deals Direct From Retailers

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

Trainers know the struggle with Pokémon TCG right now. A new set drops, you wait maybe 30 minutes too long to buy it, and suddenly every scalper on eBay is selling it for double MSRP with no remorse. But this week?

Things are different. Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart have restocked some of the most in-demand Pokémon TCG sets at retail price. No fighting over the last box at Costco, no sketchy third-party Amazon sellers charging a premium, just pure, untainted Pokémon goodness straight from the source.

Best Pokémon Day Deals 2025

One of the big catches here is Pokémon TCG 151 Booster Bundle, which comes with six booster packs from the Scarlet and Violet 151 set. I’m dying to fill my binder with some of the best cards from 151, like the gorgeous Special Illustration Rare Charizard or Venusaur ex, an absolute tank and playable. It’s been one of the hardest sets to find sealed at MSRP, and I don’t expect it to stay in stock long.

Another solid investment right now is Shrouded Fable. The Elite Trainer Box and Booster bundle are in stock at the time of writing and are both set to climb in value before the year is out. It’s overlooked by the community right now, but with it being a mini set much like 151, it’s a good idea to snap Shrouded Fable packs and boxes up now whilst it’s still available.

Pokémon: TCG Scarlet and Violet – 151 Booster Bundle

This set includes six booster packs from the Scarlet and Violet 151 expansion. Chasing the highly sought-after Special Illustration Rare Charizard ex or the beautifully illustrated Venusaur ex? This is one of the best ways to crack packs without breaking the bank. At the time of writing this is in stock, but this has been going in and out at Target for the past couple of weeks. Keep trying, they’re updating stock at random times.

Pokémon TCG: Collector Chest

This 2024 edition chest includes six Pokémon TCG booster packs, two foil cards featuring Scream Tail and Iron Valiant, and a couple of Pokémon coins. The extra bonus? It has four sticker sheets and a mini portfolio. Stock is going in and out right now, so keep checking back. The boosters inside are:

  • Two Twilight Masquerade
  • Two Temporal Forces
  • Two Paldea Evolved

Pokémon GO $50 Gift Card (7,000 PokéCoins)

Get 7,000 PokéCoins at a discount. This card saves you $7.50 over in-app purchases and lets you stock up on premium items like Incense, Lure Modules, and Poké Balls without paying full price.

Pokémon TCG: Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex Box

This collection features a promo Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex, two foil cards of Hoothoot and Noctowl, and four booster packs, including two from Surging Sparks. With Stellar Crown packs also included, this box is a great way to grab exclusive promos while adding to your collection.

Pokemon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box

This is the best artwork i’ve seen on a Pokémon TCG ETB, that goes for the 65 sleeves and card dividers too. The big sell here is Nine Shrouded Fable booster packs, but also comes with a lovely Noctowl Promo card, themes dice, status counters and a pack of energy cards for your bulk pile.

Pokémon – Trading Card Game: Azure Legends Tin

Each tin includes one foil promo card of either Kyogre ex, Xerneas ex, or Dialga ex, along with five booster packs. The boosters are two Surging Sparks, one Stellar Crown, one Temporal Forces, and one Obsidian Flames, giving you a solid spread of packs to open.

Pokemon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Booster Bundle

This bundle includes six Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable expansion booster packs. This is your best option if you want a more affordable way to hunt down chase cards from the set without committing to an ETB.

Beyond the TCG, there’s a bunch of Pokémon merch and accessories on sale. The Mega Pokémon Building Toys sets featuring Emolga, Bulbasaur, and Geodude are discounted and make for solid display pieces or gifts for younger fans. Into Pokémon GO? A $50 digital gift card for 7,000 PokéCoins is available for $42.50, which is a better deal than buying in-app.

Mega Pokémon Building Toys Set Emolga and Bulbasaur’s Charming Woods

This set includes 194 pieces and two poseable Pokémon figures, Emolga and Bulbasaur. With a crank mechanism that adds motion, it’s a fun build for Pokémon fans of all ages.

Mega Pokémon Building Toys Set – Mini Motion Geodude

A 343-piece Geodude model with a built-in punching motion. Standing five inches tall, it’s perfect for collectors or anyone who wants a rock-type Pokémon throwing hands on their shelf.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

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