Finding Yeezus is a new documentary series centered on solving the mystery of Kanye Quest 3030, an unlicensed fan RPG that hid a secret ending – and which led some to believe it was part of a recruitment drive for a cult.

Beginning on September 26, and airing weekly on Grouse House (a webseries channel set up by Australian comedy group Aunty Donna), the show is hosted by comedians Alexei Toliopoulos and Cameron James. In their Finding Drago and Finding Desperado podcasts, the pair have previously delved into mysteries about unsanctioned Rocky sequels and lost, world-record holding movies, but this will be the first time they take on a gaming subject.

"There’s something so exciting about a video game mystery," Toliopoulos tells me over email, "it just feels so present tense to us. In the realm of video games, it feels less like trying to look back and more like uncovering an urban legend that’s forming right now."

It's a legend that began being told almost a decade ago. Toliopoulos explains how he and James found out about the mystery, and what drew them to solving it:

"Uploaded to the internet virtually anonymously back in 2013, Kanye Quest 3030 was a simple Pokemon-style RPG where you play as Kanye West battle-rapping other famous rappers. Due to its humor and premise, it became a bit of a mildly viral sensation. Then it disappeared as these things do… that was until 2 years later, a hidden level in the game was discovered.

"If you prove yourself worthy (by solving some cryptic puzzles) the game admits that everything you have experienced up 'til that point had been a front. With the promise of 'Ascension' the game reaches out to you in real life. This has lead many to believe the game was a recruitment tool for a new-age cult called Ascensionism. It’s such a fascinating mystery! I remember playing the game years ago, but didn’t find out about the mystery until the end of 2020 when we had just finished making Finding Desperado and started feeling the itch to challenge ourselves with something even bigger to unravel."

It quickly became a much bigger mystery than the pair's previous work – thus their evolution from investigative podcasters to on-screen hosts. The effort has seemingly been worth it – there have been numerous investigations into Kanye Quest over the years, but Toliopoulos and James open the first episode by saying the mystery has never been truly solved – until now.

"The true story of Kanye Quest and the cult of Ascensionism will be revealed in the final episode of Finding Yeezus," Toliopoulos tells me. "We’ve become quite good investigators since our early days as journalism degree dropouts."

But key to Finding Yeezus and the previous podcasts from the hosts is that it's as much a comedy as an investigation. Toliopoulos and James tend to pick mysteries on the sillier, stranger side of things, but they make clear that the comedy in the show is built around the real investigation – you're not seeing them construct something for laughs over answers:

"We’re obsessive researchers and uncovering the story is a real organic process," explains Toliopoulos. "For us, it’s all about the joy of discovery and finding the emotional connection that fuels curiosity. With documentaries, you have to plan so much before you start shooting, but the excitement comes from the surprise of the final product being almost completely different to what we anticipated. It’s hard to anticipate real life! It’s all about finding the narrative in reality and for us, it’s also about building in the comedy."

Having seen the first two episodes myself, Finding Yeezus is already proving as funny as it is intriguing, with a higher twist-per-minute ratio than I could have realistically expected. There's a real joy behind it, too – amid a culture of documentary filmmaking that so often reveals the darkest parts of modern life, it's nice to find something that just wants to revel in how weird and interesting people can be. At least... so far.

Finding Yeezus begins exclusively on the Grouse House YouTube channel next Monday, September 26. There will be six episodes in total, dropping weekly on Mondays until a finale on Tuesday October 25.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. He thinks Finding Drago is very possibly the finest podcast ever made, and that you should listen to it. Follow him on Twitter.

Finding Yeezus is a new documentary series centered on solving the mystery of Kanye Quest 3030, an unlicensed fan RPG that hid a secret ending – and which led some to believe it was part of a recruitment drive for a cult.

Beginning on September 26, and airing weekly on Grouse House (a webseries channel set up by Australian comedy group Aunty Donna), the show is hosted by comedians Alexei Toliopoulos and Cameron James. In their Finding Drago and Finding Desperado podcasts, the pair have previously delved into mysteries about unsanctioned Rocky sequels and lost, world-record holding movies, but this will be the first time they take on a gaming subject.

"There’s something so exciting about a video game mystery," Toliopoulos tells me over email, "it just feels so present tense to us. In the realm of video games, it feels less like trying to look back and more like uncovering an urban legend that’s forming right now."

It's a legend that began being told almost a decade ago. Toliopoulos explains how he and James found out about the mystery, and what drew them to solving it:

"Uploaded to the internet virtually anonymously back in 2013, Kanye Quest 3030 was a simple Pokemon-style RPG where you play as Kanye West battle-rapping other famous rappers. Due to its humor and premise, it became a bit of a mildly viral sensation. Then it disappeared as these things do… that was until 2 years later, a hidden level in the game was discovered.

"If you prove yourself worthy (by solving some cryptic puzzles) the game admits that everything you have experienced up 'til that point had been a front. With the promise of 'Ascension' the game reaches out to you in real life. This has lead many to believe the game was a recruitment tool for a new-age cult called Ascensionism. It’s such a fascinating mystery! I remember playing the game years ago, but didn’t find out about the mystery until the end of 2020 when we had just finished making Finding Desperado and started feeling the itch to challenge ourselves with something even bigger to unravel."

It quickly became a much bigger mystery than the pair's previous work – thus their evolution from investigative podcasters to on-screen hosts. The effort has seemingly been worth it – there have been numerous investigations into Kanye Quest over the years, but Toliopoulos and James open the first episode by saying the mystery has never been truly solved – until now.

"The true story of Kanye Quest and the cult of Ascensionism will be revealed in the final episode of Finding Yeezus," Toliopoulos tells me. "We’ve become quite good investigators since our early days as journalism degree dropouts."

But key to Finding Yeezus and the previous podcasts from the hosts is that it's as much a comedy as an investigation. Toliopoulos and James tend to pick mysteries on the sillier, stranger side of things, but they make clear that the comedy in the show is built around the real investigation – you're not seeing them construct something for laughs over answers:

"We’re obsessive researchers and uncovering the story is a real organic process," explains Toliopoulos. "For us, it’s all about the joy of discovery and finding the emotional connection that fuels curiosity. With documentaries, you have to plan so much before you start shooting, but the excitement comes from the surprise of the final product being almost completely different to what we anticipated. It’s hard to anticipate real life! It’s all about finding the narrative in reality and for us, it’s also about building in the comedy."

Having seen the first two episodes myself, Finding Yeezus is already proving as funny as it is intriguing, with a higher twist-per-minute ratio than I could have realistically expected. There's a real joy behind it, too – amid a culture of documentary filmmaking that so often reveals the darkest parts of modern life, it's nice to find something that just wants to revel in how weird and interesting people can be. At least... so far.

Finding Yeezus begins exclusively on the Grouse House YouTube channel next Monday, September 26. There will be six episodes in total, dropping weekly on Mondays until a finale on Tuesday October 25.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. He thinks Finding Drago is very possibly the finest podcast ever made, and that you should listen to it. Follow him on Twitter.

Following the success of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Apple TV+ has nabbed the rights to creator Vince Gilligan’s next TV series, giving it a two-season straight-to-series order. What’s more, Gilligan has cast Saul’s Rhea Seehorn to lead his next show.

As reported by Deadline, Gilligan’s next show will be a “blended, grounded genre drama” that was previously described as something closer to The Twilight Zone than his Southwest crime dramas.

Seehorn, who played attorney Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, has been cast as the lead in Gilligan’s untitled series. Gilligan will also serve as showrunner and executive producer on the show.

Gilligan’s follow-up to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul was highly-anticipated according to Deadline with 8-9 networks lining up to hear the pitch. The series is set to have a high budget and have “significant genre elements,” though Gilligan did not share specifics about the project.

However, he did reveal that Seehorn will play a traditional hero. “After 15 years, I figured it was time to take a break from writing antiheroes… and who’s more heroic than the brilliant Rhea Seehorn?” Gilligan says. “It’s long past time she had her own show, and I feel lucky to get to work on it with her.”

Seehorn earned an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, a top lawyer who eventually gets tangled up with Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman which will end up altering both their lives forever.

You can find out about her fate on the show in our Better Call Saul finale review. No other details about Gilligan’s show regarding premise, or release window were announced.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Blogroll Credit: AMC, Sony Pictures Television

Following the success of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Apple TV+ has nabbed the rights to creator Vince Gilligan’s next TV series, giving it a two-season straight-to-series order. What’s more, Gilligan has cast Saul’s Rhea Seehorn to lead his next show.

As reported by Deadline, Gilligan’s next show will be a “blended, grounded genre drama” that was previously described as something closer to The Twilight Zone than his Southwest crime dramas.

Seehorn, who played attorney Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, has been cast as the lead in Gilligan’s untitled series. Gilligan will also serve as showrunner and executive producer on the show.

Gilligan’s follow-up to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul was highly-anticipated according to Deadline with 8-9 networks lining up to hear the pitch. The series is set to have a high budget and have “significant genre elements,” though Gilligan did not share specifics about the project.

However, he did reveal that Seehorn will play a traditional hero. “After 15 years, I figured it was time to take a break from writing antiheroes… and who’s more heroic than the brilliant Rhea Seehorn?” Gilligan says. “It’s long past time she had her own show, and I feel lucky to get to work on it with her.”

Seehorn earned an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, a top lawyer who eventually gets tangled up with Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman which will end up altering both their lives forever.

You can find out about her fate on the show in our Better Call Saul finale review. No other details about Gilligan’s show regarding premise, or release window were announced.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Blogroll Credit: AMC, Sony Pictures Television

Dark Souls 3's PC servers are back offline despite being restored by FromSoftware just four weeks ago.

The Dark Souls Twitter account announced the news (below), saying that the Steam servers were down once again. No explanation of what the issue is or how long it will be an issue were given, but the developer did say it was actively investigating and trying to solve the problem.

"At this time, there is a confirmed issue with Dark Souls 3 online play via the Steam platform," FromSoftware said. "We are investigating the source of the problem and will inform you as soon as more details become available."

At this time, there is a confirmed issue with DARK SOULS III online play via the Steam platform.

We are investigating the source of the problem and will inform you as soon as more details become available.

Thank you for your patience. #DarkSouls

— Dark Souls (@DarkSoulsGame) September 21, 2022

Fans were also thanked for their patience but, given the regularity of online problems encountered in the Dark Souls series, it's perhaps not surprising that the replies and retweets to FromSoftware's announcement were full of complaints.

Before being brought back online four weeks ago, the Dark Souls 3 servers had been down for eight months. The servers were first taken down after an exploit was discovered that allowed other players to take over the user's PC, and FromSoftware has been releasing incremental updates ever since as it worked to bring back its games' online features.

There's nothing to suggest that the current server issue is related to this exploit, but the original Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 are both still offline as a result of the same issue.

The exploit was discovered just a month before FromSoftware released Elden Ring, causing fans looking forward to the game to grow worried it would affect its multiplayer components. Thankfully, however, Elden Ring was able to launch without major issues and became an incredible success.

It did have to deal with a few hacking issues though, after an infamous Dark Souls hacker appeared in Elden Ring and forced illegal items into players' inventories, causing them to be banned. Even weirder, the game's secret underwear was also being used by trolls to get other players banned.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Dark Souls 3's PC servers are back offline despite being restored by FromSoftware just four weeks ago.

The Dark Souls Twitter account announced the news (below), saying that the Steam servers were down once again. No explanation of what the issue is or how long it will be an issue were given, but the developer did say it was actively investigating and trying to solve the problem.

"At this time, there is a confirmed issue with Dark Souls 3 online play via the Steam platform," FromSoftware said. "We are investigating the source of the problem and will inform you as soon as more details become available."

At this time, there is a confirmed issue with DARK SOULS III online play via the Steam platform.

We are investigating the source of the problem and will inform you as soon as more details become available.

Thank you for your patience. #DarkSouls

— Dark Souls (@DarkSoulsGame) September 21, 2022

Fans were also thanked for their patience but, given the regularity of online problems encountered in the Dark Souls series, it's perhaps not surprising that the replies and retweets to FromSoftware's announcement were full of complaints.

Before being brought back online four weeks ago, the Dark Souls 3 servers had been down for eight months. The servers were first taken down after an exploit was discovered that allowed other players to take over the user's PC, and FromSoftware has been releasing incremental updates ever since as it worked to bring back its games' online features.

There's nothing to suggest that the current server issue is related to this exploit, but the original Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 are both still offline as a result of the same issue.

The exploit was discovered just a month before FromSoftware released Elden Ring, causing fans looking forward to the game to grow worried it would affect its multiplayer components. Thankfully, however, Elden Ring was able to launch without major issues and became an incredible success.

It did have to deal with a few hacking issues though, after an infamous Dark Souls hacker appeared in Elden Ring and forced illegal items into players' inventories, causing them to be banned. Even weirder, the game's secret underwear was also being used by trolls to get other players banned.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

James Bond producers want the new 007 on board for at least a decade.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson explained what kind of commitment they want from the next James Bond.

“We’re not just casting someone for one film,” said Broccoli. “We’re casting someone, hopefully for a decade, at least. It’s a big decision to make, and we’re nowhere near making that decision.”

That’s right – the new 007 hasn’t been chosen. At least, not yet.

“When we get to a point, like we are now, we have to think about the trajectory of the Bond films and the storylines and where we want to take them,” she added. “So, that’s really the main focus at the beginning. Once we have a sense of where we want to go, then we’ll start thinking about casting.”

Ever since Daniel Craig stepped down as 007 following No Time to Die, fans have been busy speculating who will take up the mantle next. We’ve seen the likes of Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, and even Tom Hiddleston.

But Broccoli went on to explain why taking the role is a huge decision.

“Any actor that would be thinking about this has got to think about how it would change their life,” she explained. “Daniel certainly was reluctant when we first approached him and as I say about him, his life changed, but he did not change. He’s always been the same amazingly wonderful human being at the beginning as he is now.”

Craig first suited up for the 2006 Bond film, Casino Royale, and spent the next 16 years as the infamous British secret agent.

“You become an ambassador for the cinema and people recognize you as being associated with the character,” added Broccoli. “It’s got a lot of different elements to it. But the time commitment is certainly a long-term commitment, and not everybody is willing to do that — multiple pictures over many years. Daniel’s done 16 years time.”

Who will end up taking on the role remains to be seen. But it sounds as though the next Bond film will start by working out its villain.

“We always sit down with our writers, and we start by thinking about what is the world afraid of?” said Broccoli. “We start by thinking about, ‘Who’s the Bond villain?’ We try to focus on that as the sort of uber story, and then we want to also look at Bond’s emotional life, and what he’ll be facing personally that he hasn’t had to deal with before. So, he has two big issues in the films — one is the geopolitical one and the other is the personal one.”

Want to read more about James Bond? Find out why some 007 favorites might be too old to play James Bond, and why John Williams would love to score a Bond movie.

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

James Bond producers want the new 007 on board for at least a decade.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson explained what kind of commitment they want from the next James Bond.

“We’re not just casting someone for one film,” said Broccoli. “We’re casting someone, hopefully for a decade, at least. It’s a big decision to make, and we’re nowhere near making that decision.”

That’s right – the new 007 hasn’t been chosen. At least, not yet.

“When we get to a point, like we are now, we have to think about the trajectory of the Bond films and the storylines and where we want to take them,” she added. “So, that’s really the main focus at the beginning. Once we have a sense of where we want to go, then we’ll start thinking about casting.”

Ever since Daniel Craig stepped down as 007 following No Time to Die, fans have been busy speculating who will take up the mantle next. We’ve seen the likes of Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, and even Tom Hiddleston.

But Broccoli went on to explain why taking the role is a huge decision.

“Any actor that would be thinking about this has got to think about how it would change their life,” she explained. “Daniel certainly was reluctant when we first approached him and as I say about him, his life changed, but he did not change. He’s always been the same amazingly wonderful human being at the beginning as he is now.”

Craig first suited up for the 2006 Bond film, Casino Royale, and spent the next 16 years as the infamous British secret agent.

“You become an ambassador for the cinema and people recognize you as being associated with the character,” added Broccoli. “It’s got a lot of different elements to it. But the time commitment is certainly a long-term commitment, and not everybody is willing to do that — multiple pictures over many years. Daniel’s done 16 years time.”

Who will end up taking on the role remains to be seen. But it sounds as though the next Bond film will start by working out its villain.

“We always sit down with our writers, and we start by thinking about what is the world afraid of?” said Broccoli. “We start by thinking about, ‘Who’s the Bond villain?’ We try to focus on that as the sort of uber story, and then we want to also look at Bond’s emotional life, and what he’ll be facing personally that he hasn’t had to deal with before. So, he has two big issues in the films — one is the geopolitical one and the other is the personal one.”

Want to read more about James Bond? Find out why some 007 favorites might be too old to play James Bond, and why John Williams would love to score a Bond movie.

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

It's that time again—New York Comic Con is back! East Coast's largest pop culture convention is taking over Gotham City from Oct 6th to Oct 9th and will be filled once again with exciting announcements, cosplay, guest panels and so much more from your favorite franchises across anime, gaming, film, TV and comics.

Something you can expect to see during NYCC this year in the world of premieres is the new Super Mario movie trailer premiere, starring Chris Pratt. Announced on Twitter (below), the first teaser trailer for the film will premiere at the convention.

Join us October 6th at 4pm ET for the teaser trailer premiere of Nintendo & Illumination’s upcoming Super Mario Bros. film, releasing April 7, 2023. pic.twitter.com/1jEFnlvCnU

— New York Comic Con (@NY_Comic_Con) September 22, 2022

Originally announced back in 2018, Super Mario: The Movie is being produced by Nintendo and Illumination. The film would resurface again during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct, where Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto announced the film's cast.

When Does The Super Mario Bros. Trailer Drop?

It will be shown on October 6 at 1pm Pacific / 4pm Eastern / 9pm UK.

For those attending NYCC in person, the convention's official website notes that the trailer will be shown at the Empire Stage.

IGN's NVC Podcast will be hosting a live celebration of Super Mario during this time and we will be reacting to the trailer when it's made available to the public!

IGN's NVC Podcast's Live Celebration of Super Mario at NYCC 2022

We’ll be hosting a livestream here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here’s the full list of places you can watch:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN's Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN's Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel
• IGN's TikTok
• IGN's iOS App
• IGN's Android App
• IGN's PlayStation 4 App
• IGN's Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV

Catch Up On Super Mario Movie News

Release Date

The film was originally set to release in December 2022. However, Universal Pictures announced earlier this year that the film's release date had been pushed back to April 7, 2023 in North America.

Voice Cast

• Chris Pratt as Mario
• Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach
• Charlie Day as Luigi
• Jack Black as Bowser
• Keegan-Michael Key as Toad
• Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
• Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
• Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong
• Sebastian Maniscalco as Foreman Spike

Charles Martinet will also have a series of featured cameos in the movie, known for his longtime voice acting of both Mario and Luigi in the Super Mario video game series since 1992!

Related News

• Is "The Morton Jankel Cut" any better than the 1993 theatrical version? Find out in our Super Mario Bros.The Movie Extended Edition Review.
• While you wait for the new Mario movie release, check out our list of upcoming video game movies.
• Who will be at NYCC 2022? You can see the entire guest list here. Some of the biggest names in the biz confirmed to be guests of honor include:
  • Oscar Isaac (Moon Knight)
  • Cassandra Peterson (Elvira Mistress of the Dark)
  • Brendan Fraser (Doom Patrol)
  • Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future)
  • Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future)
  • Sebastian Stan (Infinity War & Endgame)
  • Leigh Bardugo (Demon in the Wood, Shadow and Bone)

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Solium Infernum was a literally hellish multiplayer strategy game that became a cult classic in 2009 – and League of Geeks aims to bring it back next year in a reimagined form.

Announced as part of EGX, the new Solium Infernum takes the fundamentals of the indie original – a grand strategy game about warring, conniving archfiends in Hell – but builds in 3D visuals, more defined heroes (well, villains), adds accessibility and UI improvements, and more. The game is being described as a "reimagining", rather than a remake or remaster.

In a hands-off demo, League of Geeks co-founder Trent Kusters tells me that his team are huge fans of the original game (going so far as to say the studio's debut, Armello was inspired in part by it), and had gotten to know its solo developer, Vic Davis. Asked if he had plans for the game, Davis said no, and League of Geeks offered to buy the IP to create a new tribute to his original. The results will come to PC, with a release tentatively scheduled for 2023.

Solium Infernum is a strategy game set in a Milton-inspired take on Hell, in which Satan has disappeared and his most powerful minions scheme for control of the throne. It will feel familiar to players of the likes of Civilization or Crusader Kings, but comes with unique twists.

For a start, it's heavily focused on diplomacy, with Kusters explaining that, where games of Civilization are spent 80% on the map screen and 20% in diplomacy screens, Solium Infernum is something of the reverse. All player turns also resolve simultaneously, making for a more paranoid, less reactive style of play.

Players have many, many means on interacting with rivals, from sending them insults that can lead to war, to casting damaging ritual magic and using your skills in deceit to blame their effects on someone else. Win conditions can be based on both military domination or in-game reputation (and you can build stats in five categories to aid you in multiple ways) – but they can also be trickier, even letting players win by becoming the "Power Behind the Throne" and engineering a win for another player, then revealing themselves to be the true victor.

It's designed as a multiplayer experience, with up to six players able to take part in a match, even playing asynchronously. However, League of Geeks will ensure that single-player matches are possible, even promising "all-new single-player scenarios" as part of the package.

League of Geeks' major changes to the original come in a few forms. For a start, the game is now a fully 3D experience, along with animated art for cards and events, and 3D models for Archfiend characters. The Archfiends themselves are also altered – where the original had you construct a character from scratch, the new Solium Infernum will offer 8 distinct characters at launch, each of whom comes with specific styles of play, and even animations to reflect what's happening in the game.

A redesigned UI and more readable menus are also designed to make a complex game far more accessible to new players. As someone who hadn't played the original, in just 30 minutes of a demo I felt as though I had a grasp on the basics of a round, which bodes well. You can wishlist the game on Steam now.

League of Geeks is releasing Solium Infernum with the Kowloon Nights video game fund. It's not the developer's only project – it also has an unannounced new IP in the works with Private Division.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.