For more than 230 years, the United States Mint has produced coins and medals that reflect America’s values, commemorate defining moments, and honor influential figures in our nation’s history. In recent years, that tradition expanded in a historic new direction: recognizing comic art as a uniquely American artform and the values it has conveyed through visual storytelling for generations.

In 2025, the U.S. Mint entered a landmark partnership with DC, launching a collectible coin and medal series that celebrates comic book art and its lasting cultural impact. This collaboration marked the first time the Mint formally featured superheroes from American popular culture, acknowledging comic art’s role in expressing ideals such as justice, freedom, courage, responsibility, and hope.

The series features nine iconic DC Super Heroes, depicted in original, comic-inspired designs on 24-karat gold coins, .999 fine silver medals, and non-precious metal (clad) medals. The series debuted in summer 2025 with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and continues with six additional characters scheduled for release across 2026 and 2027.

This initiative represents the first public–private partnership of its kind and scale in U.S. Mint history. All obverses (heads side) are designed and sculpted by United States Mint Chief Engraver, Joseph Menna, while each reverse (tails side) is created by one of the Mint’s Medallic Artists under his artistic direction. Together, these designs reflect the Mint’s commitment to craftsmanship while honoring comic art as an enduring visual medium.

The Mint selected DC for this series in recognition of its foundational role in the comic art industry and the natural alignment of its characters with American values. Founded in 1934 as National Allied Publications, DC is among the world’s oldest comic book publishers and has helped shape generations of storytelling across comics, film, and television. Through characters that stand for truth, justice, courage, and the belief that individuals can make a difference, DC’s comic art has long reflected ideals that resonate deeply with American culture.

This ongoing collaboration marks a new chapter in the U.S. Mint’s history – one that bridges American craftsmanship, popular culture, and artistic expression. By celebrating comic art through coins and medals, the Mint acknowledges its lasting influence on storytelling, creativity, and shared values. 

Visit usmint.gov/dc to learn more.
 

Source for this information: https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/mint-warner-bros-discovery-global-consumer-products-announce-coin-medal-series-launch-survey

Ashes of Creation is a self-proclaimed "old-school take" on the modern MMORPG, and is the product of a hugely successful $3.27 million Kickstarter back in 2017. After spending extended time in Alpha, the game surprise-launched into Early Access in December, and now, less than two months later, it seems developer Intrepid Studios, Inc. is shutting down.

Over the weekend, PCGamesN noticed the Ashes of Creation website was updated to include a letter from the director, curiously signed off by "The Ashes of Creation Team" rather than the game's director, Steven Sharif. It turns out, Sharif resigned from Intrepid recently, posting in the game's Discord, "I can make a limited statement in my personal capacity and not on behalf of the company, regarding the situation," adding that "Control of the company shifted away from me, and the Board began directing actions that I could not ethically agree with or carry out." 

"As a result, I chose to resign in protest rather than lend my name or authority to decisions I could not ethically support," Sharif wrote in the Discord post, according to PCGamesN. "I cannot responsibly speak to further details at this time due to ongoing legal and governance matters. What I can say is that the developers and staff acted in good faith and deserved better than the uncertainty they are now facing. I am incredibly dismayed by the situation." 

Around the same time, over the weekend, Intrepid's director of communications, Margaret Krohn, revealed on LinkedIn that her time at the studio had come to an end. Following that, it appears various other developers at Intrepid were laid off as a result of a "studio wide shut-down," which is how former Ashes of Creation environment artist Alyvia Plummer described the situation in her LinkedIn post. In another LinkedIn post, Intrepid sound designer Kevin Stiles writes, "Hi everyone, with the recent closure of Intrepid Studios, I'm now actively seeking new opportunities in game audio," seemingly confirming Plummer's description of the situation as a complete studio closure, as reported by Game Developer. 

 

Intrepid Studios hasn't said anything about a closure in official communications – the most recent communication is the posting of the aforementioned letter from the director, which addresses fans' concerns about the game and issues impacting the player experience. Notably, that letter states a full development update for the game will arrive via a Twitch livestream on February 13; given the various LinkedIn posts stating the studio has closed, it remains to be seen if this update will actually happen. 

Game Informer will continue to monitor the game's status and update the story accordingly. 

In the meantime, be sure to check out Game Informer's cover story on the upcoming Midnight expansion for the uber-popular MMO, World of Warcraft. 

[Sources: PCGamesN, Game Developer]

Have you played Ashes of Creation? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release: February 5, 2026
Rating: Everyone 10+

With both the original PlayStation version and the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VII largely inaccessible due to outdated hardware and digital storefront closures, the timing of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined couldn’t be any better. This second remake of the classic Japanese RPG game has been streamlined to be an approachable experience. While its new art direction and mechanics make gameplay more engaging than ever before, the lack of challenge may put off veteran players. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is smooth sailing, but this ship’s edges are sanded off a bit too much.

The game starts off with our main protagonist, who's been given an ancient map fragment, indicating that a long time ago, there were multiple islands aside from their own small home of Estard. Looking for a way to travel back in time to explore these islands, he and his friends actually manage to find it. By solving various issues plaguing these islands in the past, the cast’s meddling manages to restore them in the present. It’s a nostalgic story that’s reminiscent of the games released in the early Y2K era like Kingdom Hearts, and one that’s also aged gracefully. It retains the whimsical, childlike wonder while balancing apocalyptic stakes that make players feel heroic.

One of the most notable aspects of this remake is the change in presentation. Instead of going for a HD-2D pixel sprite route like the recent Dragon Quest I, II, & III remakes, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined keeps the 3D graphics, but with doll-like and handcrafted character models. What really elevates the presentation is the brand new voice acting, which the original Dragon Quest VII games lacked. It adds a lot more charm and personality to the characters, like highlighting Sir Mervyn’s wisdom and conveying Prince Kiefer’s stubbornness.

This new art direction takes some time to get used to, but I ended up adoring it. Sure, the characters’ heads look a bit big, but they strike the perfect compromise between faithfully recreating the original 3D models and the more realistic proportions of recent entries like Dragon Quest XI.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined keeps the franchise’s classic turn-based combat, but the highlight is the new Moonlighting feature. It expands on the original’s job system, and now lets characters equip two Vocations instead of one. This opens the floodgates for so much creativity, flexibility, and customization. It’s really fun to mix and match the different Vocations to see which ones synergize the best. Want a character to handle both offensive and defensive magic? Equipping the Mage and Priest combo is the way to go. You can also choose which ultimate attack to unleash when you have two Vocations equipped, which lets you change strategies on the fly, adding layers of depth to battles. Additionally, if one of your equipped Vocations is maxed out, extra proficiency points earned from defeating enemies are instead transferred to your other Vocation. That way, it feels like I’m not letting my points go to waste.

But within that rub contains this game’s biggest flaw: It’s too easy. In particular, the Mage job gets access to the non-elemental multi-target spells, Bang and Boom, incredibly early. It makes normal battles an afterthought, as these spells pretty much function as auto-delete buttons against many enemies. Plus, you can avoid normal encounters altogether by toggling the setting to not have enemies chase you in the open field, removing much of the game’s friction.

Thankfully, boss battles still pack a punch, and require careful play so as to avoid getting steamrolled. There were moments where I barely achieved victory by the skin of my teeth, providing immense satisfaction.

 

Despite the general lack of challenge outside of boss battles, I do appreciate the variety of difficulty options that this remake provides. There are easy, normal, and hard mode presets, as well as the ability to toggle different parameters separately like EXP and damage modifiers to tailor your experience. Additionally, the much-appreciated objective marker makes story progression and finding map fragments less frustrating endeavors this time around.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has just as much heart as its previous iterations, but is now also much more welcoming and modernized. The presentation is endearing, and the new gameplay mechanics, as well as the plethora of modifiers, will help new players navigate uncharted territory. Even if the challenge isn’t always there, those who’ve set sail on this adventure before will find plenty to love in this latest expedition.

Score: 7.5

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The third season of HBO's The Last of Us could be its last, despite showrunner Craig Mazin alluding to needing at least four seasons to wrap up the story last year. That's according to HBO CEO and chairman Casey Bloys, who was asked by Deadline about speculation that The Last of Us's third season will be its last. 

"It certainly seems that way, but on decisions like that, we will defer to the showrunners," Bloys told the publication. "So you can ask them." 

Perhaps Bloys knows something everyone else doesn't, because last year, following the conclusion of season two of The Last of Us, Mazin said, "But certainly, there's no way to complete this narrative in a third season," adding, "Hopefully, we'll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth. That's the likely outcome." Maybe Bloys received word from Mazin that the third season will, in fact, be its last; otherwise, it's a bit odd to say, "It certainly seems that way." 

That said, Bloys then said HBO defers to the showrunners, so if Mazin is still set on a fourth season, it sounds like that is also just as likely. 

The third season of The Last of Us is due out on HBO sometime in 2027, though there's no word on exactly when. If it follows in the footsteps of the first two seasons, it could hit the streaming service in early 2027, but only time will tell. 

In the meantime, read about why my set visit to watch the cast and crew film the second season of The Last of Us was equal parts boring and intense, and then read this interview to learn more about The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann's thoughts on the creative process behind making this TV show. After that, read Game Informer's review of The Last of Us Part II. 

[Source: Deadline]

Do you think HBO can wrap up the story in one more season of The Last of Us? Let us know in the comments below!

It's a stacked episode of The Game Informer Show this week, so we've got our pal Jan Ochoa from Giant Bomb here to help break it all down. First up, Brian is back and ready to share all that he learned about 007 First Light on our latest cover story trip to IO Interactive.

Then, Jan and Wesley break down their impressions of Resident Evil Requiem after seeing the latest in Capcom's survival horror series. And lastly, Wes dives deep into Code Vein II, to unpack whether Bandai Namco's Souls-alike moves the genre forward.

The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Friday for chats about your favorite titles – past and present – alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry.

Watch the video version:

Listen to "007 First Light Cover + Resident Evil Requiem w/ Giant Bomb’s Jan Ochoa" on Spreaker.

Follow our hosts (and guest) on social media:

• Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)
• Brian Shea (@brianpshea)
• Wesley LeBlanc (@wesleyleblanc)
• Jan Ochoa (@janochoa)

Jump ahead to a specific segment:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 05:03 - 007 First Light Cover Story
• 37:36 - Resident Evil Requiem
• 58:39 - Code Vein 2