The Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis has nothing but great things to say about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The legendary actor was part of the award-winning cast in the 2025 Game of the Year winner, and he's extremely proud of how the game turned out. In an interview with Variety, Serkis talked about his experience with being pitched the role and went on to awe over how the gaming industry has matured.

"What a video game, and I'm so thrilled with how it turned out for these guys because I love the idea of it, but I love the visuals of it. I thought it was beautiful. I am so thrilled for their success. [...] It's such an emotional story for a video game, and it just looks extraordinary, and the music in it is so powerful."

Serkis went on to talk about how games are starting to finally get the respect they deserve, and about how actors used to show disinterest in starring in games, but now up-and-coming actors have a goal of starring in one. Serkis also explained how video game engines are now a vital piece of the filmmaking process, as they are used to help pre-visualize big action sequences and give cinematographers an opportunity to figure out their shots and place light sources.

"There has always been that snobbery that video games not being anywhere near filmmaking, but that's all changing and certainly looking into the future when we have more immersive storytelling, which is what's happening," he said.

Andy Serkis has been part of a handful of video games over the years, such as various Lord of the Rings games, but he was also heavily involved with Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword. Not only did he star in the game, but he also served as a writer and the game's motion capture director. Serkis made a name for himself as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films, which made him a strong advocate for performance capture. He went on to play Caesar in the most recent trilogy of Planet of the Apes films, where he further showcased the power of performance capture and digital performances.

Serkis' comments align with the times as the likes of Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba, and a number of high profile actors have played prominent roles in video games. Hideo Kojima leans pretty heavily on this for games he directs, Death Stranding in particular with Norman Reedus and Lea Seydoux, lending A-list talent to Kojima Productions' style of storytelling. Now, it seems more and more like gaming is becoming an increasingly common avenue for actors in a broader sense.

Video games have also become a vital source for films and television, with The Last of Us and Fallout becoming award-winning TV series for HBO and Amazon, respectively. Clair Obscur is also getting a film, and actors like Charlie Cox (who provided the voice for Gustave in the game) want in on the action.

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.

Magic: The Gathering has gone back to Strixhaven just a few months after its trip to Lorwyn, and I couldn’t be happier.

For reference, I’m a relatively new Magic player: I got started around 2022, and when Lord of the Rings hit shelves, my friendship group bought in. And, despite Wizards of the Coast’s controversial leaning into IP, our Commander pod has grabbed fresh players ever since.

In 2026, we’ve already had a crossover with TMNT, we’re getting The Hobbit, more Marvel, and Star Trek, but Secret of Strixhaven has me absolutely spellbound. I wasn’t playing in 2021 when we got our first go-round of the magic schools contained within, but I’m now more in love with this wonderful game than ever.

There’s something quite special about the multiple cycles included within Secrets of Strixhaven. Yes, there are Elder Dragons (all of which are pretty great), and we’ll come to Emeriti in a moment, but the set includes reprints of powerful Magic cards of yore under the heading of the Mystical Archive.

Now, to be clear, this was part of the last Strixhaven set, but this means you can open cards like Akroma’s Will, Living End, Jeska’s Will, and plenty more. Yes, some of these have been reprinted a lot, and many seem to find their way into a Commander precon or two a year, but this is, without a doubt, a great way to play catch-up.

With one in every pack (including Play Boosters), there’s a good chance that even if you don’t get a super powerful card, you’ll get at least something you can make use of in a deck you’re brewing, or just enjoy some awesome art.

Collector Boosters do seem to hold much pricier cards, and that remains a bone of contention given the steep MSRP, but when my friend and I play a prerelease and end up with half a dozen bangers to use later on, that’s a win in my book.

Another very cool part of the new set is the Prepare mechanic (which we’ve gone deeper into as part of our ‘study guide’). By stapling some of Magic’s most sought-after spells to creatures, Wizards has created a unique opportunity to slip, say, a Demonic Tutor into your deck while also having it be part of a new creature.

Cards like Eijango Dynastorian, which can cast Replenish to return enchantments from your graveyard to the battlefield, are the kind of perfect fit for deckbuilders to begin with - and that’s not even including the fact that it’s a 2/3 with vigilance, too.

Nowhere is this felt more keenly than in the Emeriti cycle of cards, with one included for each color of Magic. Emeritus of Woe in Black includes Demonic Tutor, while its Blue counterpart, Emeritus of Ideation, includes Ancestral Recall.

Then there’s Emeritus of Conflict with Lightning Bolt (Red), Emeritus of Truce with Swords to Plowshares (White), and Emeritus of Abundance with Regrowth (Green).

I primarily play the Commander format with friends, but I enjoyed Secrets of Strixhaven’s prerelease so much I’m considering building a standard deck, too.

Still, Commander remains my ‘home’, and I’m so pleased that all five of the included precons are pretty great. We’ve got a full ranking, but suffice it to say that they all lean into a game plan and have some consistency. Even the (very fun) Final Fantasy quartet had some muddled end goals, and while Prismari Performance comes in last, taking these apart will give you some excellent reprints to play with.

Depending on which deck you pick up, you’ll get reprints of cards like Faerie Mastermind, Land Tax, Gyome, Master Chef, Butterthorn, Wave of Reckoning, and more.

In short, Secrets of Strixhaven has become one of my favorite sets since I began playing a few years ago, and has reinvigorated my love for the game after I struggled to get too excited about TMNT (outside of the excellent Turtle Power precon).

Will it be remembered as fondly as some iconic sets? Time will tell, but I’ve got my sights set on some more draft nights yet.

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.

New Xbox boss Asha Sharma is reportedly “treading carefully” as she works out what to do with exclusive games.

Sharma, who replaced Phil Spencer as boss of Xbox earlier this year, has spent her first few months in the job making a number of significant changes as Microsoft works to win back the hearts and minds of its core gaming fans. Among them was the end of the controversial ‘This is an Xbox’ marketing campaign, quickfire new Xbox console features, and a Game Pass price cut.

Perhaps most significant of all, Microsoft has said it will “reevaluate our approach to exclusivity,” a tantalizing tease particularly for core fans who feel Xbox consoles have been devalued amid the company’s multiplatform push in recent years.

But what does this actually mean? Microsoft has a number of first-party titles due out this year already earmarked for PlayStation 5. Indeed, Microsoft has indicated all future Halo games will be released on Sony’s console. Could Microsoft pull back from this approach in a significant way, despite how successful some of its games have been on PlayStation?

The Verge’s Tom Warren reports that Sharma “has been evaluating a range of options for Xbox exclusive games, but is treading carefully here and isn’t yet ready to commit to any major changes.”

Perhaps Microsoft could go for timed Xbox exclusivity, rather than day one releases on PlayStation. Playground’s Forza Horizon 6, due out later this month on Xbox and PC, is set for PS5 at some point in 2026. Forza Horizon 5 is a huge hit on PlayStation, generating significant revenue for Playground and its parent company. Surely Microsoft won’t leave all that money on the table by pulling the PS5 version of Forza Horizon 6.

Gears of War E-Day, though, is an interesting one. So far it’s confirmed only for Xbox and PC. Could it skip PS5 entirely?

Sharma has some big decisions to make as she battles to turn Xbox around. Last month, she acknowledged the ongoing financial struggles of Microsoft’s gaming business amid the repositioning of the brand around its core fans.

All this comes with Microsoft’s next-generation console, Project Helix, looming over the horizon. While details are vague, we know it will play PC as well as console games, and it’s looking like a premium device that will command a premium price. Today, Microsoft said it will reveal more on Project Helix later this year.

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.