It looks like Marathon won’t be left behind anytime soon, as Bungie has confirmed it has plans to evolve its story over at least "the next few years."

Creative director Julia Nardin teased the next steps for the former Halo developer's shiny new extraction shooter during an interview with GamesRadar. Although the multiplayer reboot is just shy of two months old, she said the team is confident enough to have at least a loose idea of what direction to take its narrative in the coming years.

"We know where we want to take the story over the next few years," Nardin said, "but I don't want to say it’s completely 'locked in' because it's important to us that our players be able to help shape it."

Bungie plopped players into the world of Tau Ceti IV when Marathon for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S March 5. Its intention to build it alongside its community for the months and, ideally, years ahead is a long-term strategy it experimented with during the development of its Destiny titles, though not everyone was in love with the idea of being dropped late into stories that were years in the making.

Updates have already started to carve out the future, but Nardin said those who have yet to go on their first run have nothing to fear. This time around, she said it's important for Bungie that players can "jump into Marathon at any time."

"They'll always be able to uncover the mysteries of Tau Ceti's past while experiencing its present," Nardin added. "We want every season to be a new entry point, and for new players to be able to understand what’s going on regardless of how long we've all been running."

Recent Marathon updates have seen Bungie continuing to listen to fan feedback by increasing the amount of armor and healing consumables Runners can carry and making it easier to participate in the Cryo Archive. With Season 2 expected to launch sometime in June, seems a flow of updates will continue to roll out after reports shared that the project allegedly had around a $200 million budget and is not in immediate threat of being shut down.

We gave Marathon a 9/10 review upon its launch in March. At the time, we called it "a ruthless and unforgiving extraction shooter that’s worth every ounce of hell it puts you through."

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer 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).

Developer Arc System Works has confirmed that Hulk and Black Panther have joined the roster of playable fighters in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls.

The studio confirmed the news at Evo Japan 2026, revealing a first look at the two new legendary comic book characters set to throw down when its Marvel fighting game launches this August. Appearing as Savage Hulk and Shuri's Black Panther, the two will fight as part of the group known as the Fighting Avengers, but they won't be coming alone.

As described in a follow-up PlayStation.Blog post, the Marvel Tokon trailer also highlighted Wakanda as a new stage, as well as the inclusion of the mysterious character known as The Champion. Described as a "cosmic conqueror," The Champion looms over Earth on his quest to search for worthy opponents.

Marvel Tokon is primed to give players a healthy selection of heroes and villains later this summer, but it seems like Arc System Works isn't done announcing new playable fighters. The last moments of the new trailer feature what sounds like the familiar snarl of one of the many Symbiotes Spider-Man has encountered in the past. The audio itself gives fans little to cling to, but some fans are already starting to piece together additional clues that suggest the bloodthirsty Carnage will join the roster next.

As the Symbiote-like snarl plays, a few frames of footage distort the screen. Pausing at just the right moment reveals that Spider-Man's face has been scratched out and, perhaps more interestingly, there are a series of numbers tucked away in the bottom left corner. The easiest number to make out is "361," which, as some fans online have pointed out, is potentially a reference to the first full appearance of Carnage in The Amazing Spider-Man #361.

So, while some were quick to assume the always-popular Venom may show up for Marvel Tokon, the evidence suggests that, if any Symbiote will be playable, it will be Carnage. Although it's hard to deny that Arc System Works is teasing something at the end of the Fighting Avengers trailer, it's probably best not to get your hopes up for a playable Carnage until official confirmation arrives.

Marvel Tokon will let players take control of Savage Hulk, Shuri's Black Panther, and a roster of other classic comic book characters when its August 6, 2026, release date for PC and PlayStation 5 arrives. Demos for the superhero fighting game will be available starting May 22 at Combo Breaker 2026 and May 29 at Hong Kong Comic Con 2026.

For more, you can check out the X-Men reveals – including a closer look at characters like Wolverine and Storm – that players got earlier this year. You can also read up on the leak that may have revealed the final roster count before Arc System Works increases it with DLC in the future.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer 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).

Some of the Invincible VS DLC roster appears to have leaked online, pointing to the potential inclusion of fan-favorite characters and even an unexpected Spider-Man reference.

As players flocked to try out the Invincible fighting game upon its launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S April 30, 2026, others were more excited to dig into its files to see what might be coming next. Post-launch leaks following a release like this feels like par for the course for games like this, but the supposed leaks tied to Invincible VS might have revealed what developer Quarter Up has planned when it comes to DLC in the months ahead.

A post from X/Twitter user @multiversusie contains what appears to be uncovered files related to characters who have yet to be added to the game. Two of the names in question are the previously confirmed Immortal and Universa, with the others including the Mauler Twins, Damien Darkblood, Oliver, Angstrom, Dinosaurus, and Volcanikka.

Each voice line seemingly reveals not only that Quarter Up appears to have plans to add the new characters, but how some of their interactions with the base roster will play out in Invincible VS, too. One of the more exciting inclusions is Agent Spider, whose related character interactions can be heard at about 1:30 in the above post.

Agent Spider is the Prime Video Invincible show's legally distinct version of Spider-Man. He first appeared in the animated series in Season 2 as a sort of stand-in for the beloved Marvel hero, who has crossed over with the comic book the series is based on in the past.

Mark Grayson's interactions with Agent Spider are cute on their own, but it's the character's conversations with Omni-Man that really drive the Spider-Man references home. Invincible VS brought back TV show actor J.K. Simmons, who also famously played J. Jonah Jameson in more than a few Spider-Man projects, to voice Mark's dad for the game. Just like the Daily Bugle editor-in-chief, it seems Omni-Man has some very specific feelings about spider-like superheroes.

Omni-Man can be heard saying "You're a criminal, a vigilante, a public menace – what are you doing in my universe?" Right down to the "public menace" reference, fans will recognize the line as exactly the kind of thing J. Jonah Jameson has said when talking about Spider-Man in the past. We may not know if the leak is accurate for months, but if it is, then Quarter Up certainly seems to be making the most of Simmons' return in Invincible VS.

Since the character interaction leaks emerged earlier this week, even more evidence of DLC characters in Invincible VS seems to have been uncovered. In addition to supposed character models shared by @astragalu3, @multiversusie has posted footage of what appears to be a near-finished, playable version of Angstrom.

Invincible VS launched last week for PC and consoles. In our 7/10 review, we said that its "hard hitting and fast paced 3v3 tag fighting is a gust of fresh air, especially for those who miss the two-way interactable combo system of Killer Instinct."

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer 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).