Epic And Roblox Sued For Allegedly Creating Deliberately Addictive Games

In 2011, J. J. Abrams directed his only original movie Kyle Chandler perfected the dad role in this overlooked sci-fi movie

Updated: Oct 23, 2026 11:31am UTCArchetype has shown off its updated character model for the male version of Exodus protagonist Jun Aslan. Prior to this, fans had complained about Jun’s “long” face, “beady eyes,” and “botox” cheeks. “He just looks uncannily plastic surgery filled who's constantly serving his best iPhone face,” said one person at the time. “He looks like chad version of Timothee Chalamet (derogatory),” said another. With his makeover complete, Jun has gone full twink mode, and looks a bit like Leon Kennedy’s younger brother. The rough edges have been sanded down and now he looks like he could front a space boy band. Dem cheekbones. Fans on Reddit seem much happier. “Not a huge fan of the default hair TBH but I can change that so all's good — the facial structure has really improved,” said one poster. “OHHHHH that is so much better. He looks like a dashing space hero instead of a bad go in the character creator, which is perfect,” said another. The timing of this new trailer is interesting. Players are looking at Exodus and Owlcat's The Expanse: Osiris Reborn as spiritual successors to the dormant Mass Effect series.

Wake up. There's Half-Life 3 chatter occurring again. This time because, about an hour into a panel about sounds in video games, a Valve composer has uttered three eyebrow-raising letters. HLX. In an industry rife with acronyms, what's so special about this one? Well, it's a rumoured codename for the next entry in the aforementioned series about a man with a crowbar, for one. "Basically, that's one of the three pieces that come together to make HDR that you can easily optimise," Valve music designer Mike Morasky said during a panel at GameSoundCon, answering a regular old question about the techincal ins and out of managing sound in games. The panel had been running for about an hour when he said this, so clearly nothing that'd get people out of their seats was in the offing.

It’s October 2001, and you’re standing in a dimly lit game store, where rows upon rows of boxes sit in anticipation as you glance across their titles, unsure exactly which among them you'll end up taking home. Unfortunately, you can only pick one. Your eyes are already darting between Devil May Cry, Silent Hill 2, and Ico, which all feel eerily attuned to those pre-Halloween vibes. Noticing your indecisiveness (and the look of impatience on your mother’s face), the store clerk strides over with an assist, placing in your hands a game you had never heard of until that very moment. The artwork’s nothing to write home about, just a collage of pictures in red, blue, and green hues, featuring obscure faces, a police chopper, and a car up in flames. Your instinct is to just go with your gut; Silent Hill 2 is what you came here for, after all. But something’s telling you otherwise. Maybe it’s the store clerk going on about its open-world premise, or the name itself that strikes a chord within you. Whatever reason incites it, you make the ultimate decision. Little did you know, you’d be walking home with one of the greatest achievements in video game history.

Updated: Oct 23, 2026 11:00am UTCThe Call of Duty matchmaking debate has raged on pretty much since the beginning of multiplayer. Should matches be comprised of evenly skilled players, if there’s an accurate enough way of ensuring that? Or should skill be stripped out of the equation, so you never know what to expect from the next match? Both sides of the argument have their valid reasons for their preference, but most recently, in 2025’s Black Ops 7, an option was presented that attempted to satisfy all. While the default matchmaking was set to skill-based, as has been the case since 2007’s game-changing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, open matchmaking playlists were also available to those who want the opportunity to get teamed up with, and against, anybody. This year’s Modern Warfare 4, though, has launched without that option, once again placing the matchmaking debate into the spotlight within the COD community. Is there any way to keep everyone happy, then? IGN spoke with Infinity Ward's Multiplayer creative director, Joe Cecot, who explained that match quality is the priority. “I don't know if there's perfecting it,” Cecot said of matchmaking.

Aimee Hart is an Entertainment and Gaming staff writer here at Polygon. After watching the original trilogy at five, she decided to make Star Wars her entire personality and hasn't let go of the franchise since. Aimee also has a great love for Dungeons & Dragons and everything Critical Role. She has been a games, entertainment, tech, and culture reporter and critic for 10 years, with bylines at Inverse, Fanbyte, Rolling Stone, and many more. And Lucasfilm and Disney aren't done yet