McDonald's is making Happy Meals cool for all ages this October with a new menu item, and yes, the boxed meals come with toys.

The restaurant chain announced a partnership (via NPR) with Cactus Plant Flea Market for a new meal deal for the month of October. Cactus Plant Flea Market is a fashion label that focuses on creating original streetwear.

From October 3 to October 30, you can order the Cactus Plant Flea Market Meal Box, that comes with a meal and one of four toys: the Hamburglar, Birdie, Grimace, and Cactus Buddy.

You may recognize the first three names from Mickey D's classic stable of characters, while Cactus Buddy is the mascot for Cactus Plant Flea Market. The McDonald's characters look a little strange, though, with four eyes a piece. The meal comes packaged in a box designed with CPFM's style in mind.

Some CPFM x McDonald's merch will also be available as part of this new promotion beginning on October 3.

Some of McDonald's' other marketing ploys over the years have included the Rick and Morty sauce, and a fakeout of a 5G cell phone announcement. If you're lovin' all this McDonald's news, check out the leaked design for the McDonald's PS5 controller, or the huge lawsuit over the restaurant's broken ice cream machines.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Venom and Uncharted director Ruben Fleischer will helm Now You See Me 3. The upcoming film will continue the Now You See Me franchise, which stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, and Mark Ruffalo.

“There are three things in this world I absolutely love… Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and magic,” said Fleischer. “To have the chance to work with these two talented actors, as well as the rest of the incredible cast of the Now You See Me movies is a dream come true.”

Fleischer has worked with Eisenberg and Harrelson previously, on his debut movie Zombieland. Earning just $100 million at the box office, it was nevertheless considered a success – debuting at number 1 with the second-highest opening weekend for a zombie film since the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake.

Although Venom managed an impressive $856 million, it was received poorly.

The Marvel-adjacent superhero film holds a 30% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 362 reviews, so it’s safe to say that critics didn’t exactly love it. IGN’s own review said: “Tom Hardy’s committed performance can’t overcome a painful script and indecisive direction, resulting in a film with a personality that’s as split as its titular character. There are occasional moments of brilliance in the dynamic between Eddie and Venom that give a hint of what the film could have been in steadier hands, but ultimately, that only makes the finished product a more frustrating viewing experience.”

It's much the same for Uncharted, too – with 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and $401 million at the box office. Commercially successful? Sure… but not exactly well-received.

Nevertheless, Lionsgate president Nathan Kahane said Fleischer has a "special talent with character-driven blockbuster entertainment" in the release announcing the hiring.

“Ruben has proven time and again that he has a special talent with character-driven blockbuster entertainment,” said Lionsgate president Nathan Kahane. “He delivers big excitement while ultimately keeping the focus on the characters audiences care about. We feel like we’ve assembled a dream team to get this movie off the ground. For everyone we’ve kept in suspense, the wait is almost over.”

That certainly sounds as though we’ll be getting more details soon… and perhaps we’ll find out whether Ruffalo will be back as Dylan Rhodes after the events of Now You See Me 2.

“I am a lifelong fan of heist movies,” added Fleischer. “I love getting drawn in by the twists and the mystery where nothing is what it seems. And that’s even more true when the thieves are magicians – the opportunities are endless. Eric was able to unlock a fresh and exciting way into a new movie and fun new characters, so I’m excited to dig in even further.”

IGN’s Now You See Me review gave it 6.3/10 and said: “Now You See Me seemed so promising, but it squanders its cool cast and nifty premise on smarmy, shallow characters and a flimsy, nonsensical plot.”

Fleischer will oversee a new draft of the film’s screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith, while an earlier draft was written by Eric Warren Singer. Bobby Cohen and Alex Kurtzman will produce the film with Meredith Wieck and Chisom Ude overseeing the project for Lionsgate.

Want to read more about Now You See Me? See where it sits among the biggest summer blockbuster flops and check out our review of Now You See Me 2.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Marvel's Armor Wars series for Disney+ is being turned into a full-length feature film, THR reports.

Armor Wars' creators were reportedly informed of the change today. The series was still early in development, with no directors and a 2023 start date for production. The change was reportedly undertaken in order to tell the story "the right way," sources told THR.

Little is known about the the upcoming MCU series, in which Don Cheadle is set to reprise his role as Colonel James Rhodes, better-known as War Machine. First announced back in 2020, Armor Wars is based on a seven-issue Iron Man story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton.

The original story was focused around the idea of various armor suits falling into the wrong hands. The series was set to address the aftermath of Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame.

Armor Wars was a no-show at Comic-Con, leading to writer Yassir Lester assuring fans that it wasn't canceled. Lester will remain onboard as the lead writer as the series transitions to a movie.

The Armor Wars movie does not yet have a release date. It will presumably be set during the recently-announced Phase 6, but Marvel has not yet listed a time period for the film.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

The version of Joker from Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Mark Hamill, might make its way into MultiVersus, Warner Bros’ crossover fighting game. A new datamine reveals voiced lines of the character.

Originally posted by Twitter user Laisul, audio of the Joker’s lines was posted and they sound very similar to Hamill’s portrayal of the character from Batman: The Animated Series. In context, the script also sounds like something you’d hear in a fighting game as well, such as “Points to the blue bozos!” and “That’s a point for the red rejects!” This most likely references MultiVersus’s tag team structure where opposing sides are colored red and blue.

Joker Announcer Pack voicelines#MultiVersus pic.twitter.com/BWH43CRp0l

— Laisul (@LaisulMV) September 27, 2022

Back in March, there was a datamine that revealed some of the potential characters that could be joining MultVersus, including Samurai Jack, Ben 10, and Joker. LeBron James was on the list too, and he officially joined the game back in July. Other characters from that leaked list like Rick and Morty, as well as Gizmo, have all been confirmed for the game too. With the new voice lines dug up, this means that Mark Hamill’s Joker has a real possibility of making it into MultiVersus.

MultiVersus is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. In IGN’s MultiVersus review, we said, “MultiVersus may not be a must-play at social gatherings, but its refreshing team-based battles make it a great platform fighter online.”

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

The latest World of Warcraft expansion, Dragonflight, launches on November 28.

Activision Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft Dragonflight will be available from 3 pm PT on November 28… and it comes with lots of new content.

“Dragonflight was crafted with our incredible community in mind and with the desire to return to what we all love most dearly: the splendor of Azeroth and its characters, with our players cast as heroes,” said World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale. “We invite everyone into this new adventure where we will bask in the landscape of dragons, become a part of their ancient legacy, and watch the secrets of this land unfold together.”

World of Warcraft Dragonflight will launch with 8 new dungeons as well as four new zones – the Dragon Isles – each themed around the ancient dragon aspects.

“As the Dragon Isles awaken, so too do long-forgotten secrets, and players will traverse land and sky as they explore what the Dragon Isles has to offer,” said the official press release.

Dragonflight also unlocks the Drachtyr race – a draconic race that can switch between humanoid and dragon forms at will. They also come with a unique Evoker class which can specialize in ranged damage-dealing or aiding their allies as a healer by harnessing the mystical gifts of dragonkind.

The Drachtyr will become playable in a pre-expansion patch to those who pre-ordered Dragonflight.

There’s also the all-new skill-based Dragonriding – allowing players to soar through the skies on the back of a Dragon Isles Drake. The drakes themselves come in millions of different combinations, so it should be easy to make your new companion your own.

World of Warcraft Dragonflight also introduces the new talent system as well as an updated professions system.

Of the new dungeons, four of these can be tackled with friends as you journey towards level 70. The remaining four will unlock once you’ve reached the new level cap, and the first Dragonflight raid will become available on December 18.

Dragonflight is available to pe-purchase as a base edition ($49.99), a Heroic edition ($69.99), and an Epic edition ($89.99). Each edition includes one or more digital items to help celebrate the launch:

• Base: Includes Drakks pet.
• Heroic: Includes Drakks pet, the new Murkastrasza pet, a Dragonflight-level character boost (level 60), and a new Tangled Dreamweaver flying mount.
• Epic: Includes all Base and Heroic items as well as the Timewalker’s Hearthstone effect, the Diadem of the Spell-keeper head-slot transmog, the Wings of Awakening back-slot transmog in five color variants, and 30 days of game time.

You can also enjoy the Winds of Wisdom +50% experience buff beginning the week of October 4.

Want to read more about World of Warcraft? Check out our Dragonflight preview as well as a breakdown of the new expansion by World of Warcraft developers.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Saudi Arabia is investing around $13 billion to purchase a “leading game publisher”.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (via Axios), the country is gearing up to invest $37.8 billion in gaming as part of its controversial push to expand the country’s role in the industry.

“Savvy Games Group is one part of our ambitious strategy aiming to make Saudi Arabia the ultimate global hub for the games and esports sector by 2030,” said Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. “We are harnessing the untapped potential across the esports and games sector to diversify our economy, drive innovation in the sector, and further scale the entertainment and esports competition offerings across the Kingdom.”

Savvy Games Group is owned and operated by the Saudi Arabian government and seeks to expand its reach by paying $13 billion “for the acquisition and development of a leading game publisher to become a strategic development partner.”

Which one they have in their sights remains to be seen.

Aside from purchasing an existing games company, the Saudi government has also put aside another $18 billion for minority investments. Additionally, they’re aiming to create 250 game companies and 39,000 jobs.

Back in January, two of the world’s biggest esports companies, ESL and FACEIT, were acquired by Savvy Games Group as part of the country’s efforts. Just a few months later, the company bought a $1 billion share of the games publishing company, Embracer Group.

Clearly, Savvy Games Group isn’t messing around.

Savvy Games Group will also invest $4.8 billion into “mature industry partners” who are expected to add value to the company’s existing portfolio. A further $481 million is earmarked for investment in “industry disruptors to grow early-stage games”.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia purchased 5.01 percent of Nintendo via its Public Investment Fund, which has also purchased stock in Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Take-Two.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

A new Planet of the Apes film is on its way – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The upcoming Planet of the Apes sequel will star The Witcher actress Freya Allen and Owen Teague as the film’s lead ape.

Along with the upcoming film’s title and initial cast, it looks as though 20th Century Fox has also unveiled our first look at the film:

Production is said to be starting soon with director Wes Ball. Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison will write the script.

“Planet of the Apes is one of the most iconic and storied science fiction franchises in film history, as well as being an indelible part of our studio’s legacy,” said 20th Century Studios president, Steve Asbell. “With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we are privileged to continue the series’ tradition of imaginative, thought-provoking cinema, and can’t wait to share Wes’ extraordinary vision for this new chapter with audiences in 2024.”

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set many years after War for the Planet of the Apes – the final film of the franchise’s previous trilogy. Throughout this trilogy, actor Andy Serkis performed motion capture for Caesar – the now-iconic ape leader.

Unfortunately, there are no other details about the film’s plot at this time, and it’s unknown whether Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will directly connect to Caesar and his apes.

Freya Allen is perhaps best known for her breakout role as Ciri opposite Henry Cavill in The Witcher. Meanwhile, Owen Teague is known for the role of Harold Lauder in the CBS miniseries, The Stand.

Joe Hartwick Jr, Jaffa, Silver, and Jason Reed are producing, with Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping executive producing.

Want to read more about the Planet of the Apes? Check out our list of the 25 best sci-fi movies of all time, as well as details of Marvel’s upcoming Planet of the Apes comic book series.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Google has announced it is winding down its Stadia video game streaming service and will shut it down on January 18. 2023.

In a new blog, the search engine company revealed that Stadia "hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected," and as a result, the company has made the "difficult" decision to begin winding down the service. Google will be refunding users who purchased either hardware or games from Google and Stadia.

"We're grateful to the dedicated Stadia players that have been with us from the start. We will be refunding all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia Store."

Players will still be able to access their game library and play until January 18.

Stadia is Google's cloud gaming service where users are able to stream video games, including AAA titles like Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Cyberpunk 2077, directly through Google cloud service. Meaning there was no need to purchase physical hardware so long as someone had access to Google Chrome. There was a dedicated controller players could purchase, however.

Google says that the underlying technology that powers Stadia has proven to be powerful, and Google has already started offering Stadia as a white-label product, meaning other companies can use the technology without becoming a part of Stadia's ecosystem.

AT&T for example used Stadia technology to offer Batman: Arkham Knight to users for free, and Google says the tech will be used to power other parts of Google including YouTube, Google Play, and Augmented Reality.

Stadia's closure is not a death-knell for video game streaming. Xbox and Nvidia offer cloud gaming as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and GeForce Now respectively. And Logitgech is making a dedicated cloud gaming handheld called the Logitech G.

While booting up a game instantly on Chrome or Chromecast could feel like magic, and Stadia's tech lowering latency and other streaming-based issues, the main issue with Stadia was always its catalog and promised features that never materialized. For our full impressions, read our Stadia review.

Developing...

Microsoft has announced October 2022’s Xbox Games With Gold, including Windbound and Bomber Crew Deluxe Edition.

As revealed at Xbox Wire, next month’s lineup is led by the shipwreck survival game, Windbound. Bomber Crew Deluxe Edition rounds out this month’s offerings – a strategic World War II bombing game that puts you in the cockpit.

The two new Games With Gold titles will be available throughout October for anyone with Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Beginning on October 1, Windbound will kick things off with a neat shipwreck survival experience.

Windbound is available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S – a delightfully challenging survival game that sees you play as Kara, shipwrecked on the Forbidden Islands with nothing except what she can scavenge and build.

Windbound is available throughout the month until October 31 and will task players with crafting weapons and tools to survive, as well as building a new boat to explore the Forbidden Islands for yourself.

Bomber Crew Deluxe Edition arrives halfway through the month, on October 16.

A strategic World War II bombing game, it’s available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and will see you taking to the skies to head off on strategic bombing runs. But it’s not just about where to drop your payload – you’ll manage fuel, ammo, and hydraulics all while trying to avoid enemy gunners. It’s available on Games With Gold until November 15.

IGN’s Bomber Crew review gave it 8/10 and said: “Bomber Crew is an exciting, in-depth management sim with a charming style that offsets the occasionally brutal difficulty of keeping your crew alive and trying to hit a target, all in real-time. A rewarding upgrade cycle makes some trial-and-error frustration worthwhile, and once you get into the groove you can lose hours to its enjoyable rhythm.”

As previously announced, Xbox Games With Gold will no longer include Xbox 360 games from October 2022, so now is your last chance to grab Portal 2 – available until tomorrow, September 30.

Be sure to check out what's headed to Xbox Game Pass in September.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Shenmue: The Animation, which debuted earlier this year, has seemingly been canceled.

The recent TV adaption of Sega’s cult classic has been canned ahead of a second season, and the first season now being withdrawn from streaming services. It’s thought that these removals are part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s continuing cost-cutting measures, which have led to many cancellations, most notably for streaming movie Batgirl.

Fans noticed that Shenmue, as well as Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Fena: Pirate Princess, Lazor Wulf, and Tigtone had been removed from the Adult Swim website. “Sorry guys. This happened,” said Warner Discovery SVP of Animation and Anime, Jason DeMarco, quote-tweeting the list. “You can still watch all of the anime on Crunchyroll and it will still be available as digital downloads."

DeMarco, who produced the Shenmue show, added: "And yes, it’s looking like no [season 2] of Shenmue, even though sadly- it did well enough that we were gearing up for S2. Maybe one day…”

Shenmue: The Animation was announced back in 2020 and eventually launched earlier this year, appearing on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll from February 5, 2022.

Now, it looks as though the English dubs are being pulled… and while the Japanese versions remain on Crunchyroll, it looks unlikely that we’ll see the English dubs appear there.

“I don’t think they’re interested in that,” said DeMarco. “And not sure if it would even be allowed.”

IGN’s review of the Shenmue: The Animation premiere gave it 7/10 and said its "inaugural episode makes a solid first impression, even for viewers who aren’t familiar with the Shenmue lore or characters. Though there’s a lot of ground to cover and, despite a few missteps, this installment does a great job of setting the scene, introducing the people that matter, and prepping them for an action-packed revenge epic.”

Want to read more about Shenmue? Check out what Shenmue 3 got right and what it got wrong as well as some of the funniest moments in serious games.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.