George R.R. Martin has revealed that not only has he seen a rough cut of the first episode of HBO's upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, but that he has loved what he's seen so far.

Martin shared the news on his Not A Blog website in an entry titled "Most Anticipated," and revealed that he was "chuffed to read that the most anticipated new show, according to IMDB, was... (drum roll, please)... HOUSE OF THE DRAGON!"

He continued to say that, in a year that will also see "Amazon's new Tolkein series," "Neil Gaiman's Sandman," "Marvel shows," and "Star Wars shows," he's very proud to see House of the Dragon recognized as "that's one hell of a list to be at the top of."

Sure, Martin wrote the A Song of Fire and Ice novels that were then adapted into the Emmy Award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones so he is "hardly objective," but he admits that he's eagerly anticipating this series like many of us are. Furthermore, he teased that he's already seen a bit of it in action and has loved what he's seen.

"I am anticipating HOUSE OF THE DRAGON pretty eagerly myself, for what it’s worth," Martin wrote. "Okay, I am hardly objective. And I know a lot of what you will be seeing. (I, um, wrote the book). Also … mum’s the word now, don’t tell anyone… I’ve seen a rough cut of the first episode. And loved it. It’s dark, it’s powerful, it’s visceral… just the way I like my epic fantasy."

He concluded by saying the team behind House of the Dragon - which is based on Martin's own novel Fire & Blood - is doing "an amazing job" and that fans have a lot to look forward to.

"Ryan and Miguel have done an amazing job, and the cast… just as with GAME OF THRONES, most viewers will only have heard of a few of the actors, but I think you are going to fall in love with a lot of them," Martin wrote. "(Only to have your heart broken later when… but no, that would be telling). I think the Targaryens are in very good hands. Anticipate away. I do not think you will be disappointed."

House of the Dragon will premiere on HBO in 2022 and is set 200 years before Game of Thrones. It looks to tell the story of the House Targaryen - the line of kings that ruled Westeros before Robert Baratheon took the throne and kicked off the events of the original series.

House of the Dragon is only one of several Game of Thrones series in the works - including multiple live action series and an animated spin-off - and it is part of a larger deal between Martin and HBO.

For more, be sure to check out our explainer on House of the Dragon and learn a bit more about what we can expect from the ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

George R.R. Martin has revealed that not only has he seen a rough cut of the first episode of HBO's upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, but that he has loved what he's seen so far.

Martin shared the news on his Not A Blog website in an entry titled "Most Anticipated," and revealed that he was "chuffed to read that the most anticipated new show, according to IMDB, was... (drum roll, please)... HOUSE OF THE DRAGON!"

He continued to say that, in a year that will also see "Amazon's new Tolkein series," "Neil Gaiman's Sandman," "Marvel shows," and "Star Wars shows," he's very proud to see House of the Dragon recognized as "that's one hell of a list to be at the top of."

Sure, Martin wrote the A Song of Fire and Ice novels that were then adapted into the Emmy Award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones so he is "hardly objective," but he admits that he's eagerly anticipating this series like many of us are. Furthermore, he teased that he's already seen a bit of it in action and has loved what he's seen.

"I am anticipating HOUSE OF THE DRAGON pretty eagerly myself, for what it’s worth," Martin wrote. "Okay, I am hardly objective. And I know a lot of what you will be seeing. (I, um, wrote the book). Also … mum’s the word now, don’t tell anyone… I’ve seen a rough cut of the first episode. And loved it. It’s dark, it’s powerful, it’s visceral… just the way I like my epic fantasy."

He concluded by saying the team behind House of the Dragon - which is based on Martin's own novel Fire & Blood - is doing "an amazing job" and that fans have a lot to look forward to.

"Ryan and Miguel have done an amazing job, and the cast… just as with GAME OF THRONES, most viewers will only have heard of a few of the actors, but I think you are going to fall in love with a lot of them," Martin wrote. "(Only to have your heart broken later when… but no, that would be telling). I think the Targaryens are in very good hands. Anticipate away. I do not think you will be disappointed."

House of the Dragon will premiere on HBO in 2022 and is set 200 years before Game of Thrones. It looks to tell the story of the House Targaryen - the line of kings that ruled Westeros before Robert Baratheon took the throne and kicked off the events of the original series.

House of the Dragon is only one of several Game of Thrones series in the works - including multiple live action series and an animated spin-off - and it is part of a larger deal between Martin and HBO.

For more, be sure to check out our explainer on House of the Dragon and learn a bit more about what we can expect from the ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

As 2021 and the holiday season come to a close, the Epic Games Store has one more treat up its sleeve. Until January 6, Tomb Raider: Game of the Year Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will all available for free to anyone with an Epic Games account.

The Epic Games Store giving out free games is nothing new as it does so every week, but this final gift in 2021 is something special as it offers the complete Tomb Raider reboot trilogy to anyone with an Epic Games Account. No strings attached.

By looking at the current prices listed on the Epic Games Store for these games, you are looking at a savings of $90 by adding these to your collection this way.

The offer ends on January 6 at 11am, so head to the store before then if you wish to try out the highly regarded trilogy that brought Lara Croft back to modern consoles beginning in 2013.

In our Tomb Raider review, we said that it "is a superb action game that brings a new emotional dimension to one of gaming's most enduring icons, and repositions her alongside Nathan Drake at the top of gaming's action-hero heirarchy."

In our Rise of the Tomb Raider review, we said, "once again it’s Lara herself, however, who steals the show, her complex ambitions and hardened resolve showing new sides to a character who has well and truly grown from survivor to the most fascinating action hero in video games today."

In our Shadow of the Tomb Raider review, we said, "with a story that manages to satisfactorily tread the line between high-concept fun and grounded character exploration, Shadow of the Tomb Raider meaningfully wraps up the journey Lara began in 2013 and convincingly leaves her in a place resembling where she was when we were first introduced to her more than 20 years ago."

If you have yet to play them, this will also give you a chance to catch up before Crystal Dynamics' next, currently unannounced Tomb Raider game that will see the studio "working to unify" the timelines of Core Design's original games and its own reboot trilogy that began in 2013.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

As 2021 and the holiday season come to a close, the Epic Games Store has one more treat up its sleeve. Until January 6, Tomb Raider: Game of the Year Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will all available for free to anyone with an Epic Games account.

The Epic Games Store giving out free games is nothing new as it does so every week, but this final gift in 2021 is something special as it offers the complete Tomb Raider reboot trilogy to anyone with an Epic Games Account. No strings attached.

By looking at the current prices listed on the Epic Games Store for these games, you are looking at a savings of $90 by adding these to your collection this way.

The offer ends on January 6 at 11am, so head to the store before then if you wish to try out the highly regarded trilogy that brought Lara Croft back to modern consoles beginning in 2013.

In our Tomb Raider review, we said that it "is a superb action game that brings a new emotional dimension to one of gaming's most enduring icons, and repositions her alongside Nathan Drake at the top of gaming's action-hero heirarchy."

In our Rise of the Tomb Raider review, we said, "once again it’s Lara herself, however, who steals the show, her complex ambitions and hardened resolve showing new sides to a character who has well and truly grown from survivor to the most fascinating action hero in video games today."

In our Shadow of the Tomb Raider review, we said, "with a story that manages to satisfactorily tread the line between high-concept fun and grounded character exploration, Shadow of the Tomb Raider meaningfully wraps up the journey Lara began in 2013 and convincingly leaves her in a place resembling where she was when we were first introduced to her more than 20 years ago."

If you have yet to play them, this will also give you a chance to catch up before Crystal Dynamics' next, currently unannounced Tomb Raider game that will see the studio "working to unify" the timelines of Core Design's original games and its own reboot trilogy that began in 2013.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Joe Ziegler, who was part of the Valorant team for eight years and served as game director, has left his role to work on a new, secret project at Riot Games.

Ziegler shared the announcement on Valorant's website, saying that, "it is with a heart full of gratitude and a deep excitement that I come to you today with news."

"After 8 years of working on VALORANT, building it from the ground up with a team of dedicated and passionate developers who’ve worked tirelessly to serve you all with the respect and admiration that you deserve, I am giving up the mantle of game director of the VALORANT tac-shooter to my good friend, Andy Ho," Ziegler said.

Ho had the position of Senior Director, Game Direction since June 2017 and Ziegler promises that this transition will keep Valorant in great hands.

"Andy is someone who I am proud to say has put many years of his own into VALORANT, and whose personal dedication to deliver to the highest standards inspires all who work with him," Ziegler said. "He has my full faith and trust that he will continue to grow and evolve VALORANT year-over-year to become even better than what I could imagine it to be.

He then gave a bit of a tease as to what he will be working on next - a new, secret project at Riot Games.

"As for me, I’ll be starting something new (*wink, secrets…) in the hopes that we can even scratch the surface of the amazing impact VALORANT has already had so far," Ziegler said.

We already know Riot Games is working on a fighting game called Project L, a League of Legends MMO, and a mysterious LoL social game called Project F. Ziegler's words could be taken as he is working on a new project, but it also could be related to one of these already announced ones.

While he may be leaving the Valorant team, he won't be far away and will always support the game he helped create.

"That said, I’ll not be far from the game and the team and they’ll always have my support," Ziegler concluded." Thank you to everyone who has supported and continues to support VALORANT, and a special shout out to all who've supported me and my work. You’ve made my time as your game director a truly joyous and memorable experience. Much <3."

For more on Valorant, which was one of Twitch's most-watched games in 2021, be sure to check out seven Valorant Champions moments we think are neat, how Sentinels imploded at Valorant champions, and Riot devs reacting to unreal Valorant kills and fails.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Joe Ziegler, who was part of the Valorant team for eight years and served as game director, has left his role to work on a new, secret project at Riot Games.

Ziegler shared the announcement on Valorant's website, saying that, "it is with a heart full of gratitude and a deep excitement that I come to you today with news."

"After 8 years of working on VALORANT, building it from the ground up with a team of dedicated and passionate developers who’ve worked tirelessly to serve you all with the respect and admiration that you deserve, I am giving up the mantle of game director of the VALORANT tac-shooter to my good friend, Andy Ho," Ziegler said.

Ho had the position of Senior Director, Game Direction since June 2017 and Ziegler promises that this transition will keep Valorant in great hands.

"Andy is someone who I am proud to say has put many years of his own into VALORANT, and whose personal dedication to deliver to the highest standards inspires all who work with him," Ziegler said. "He has my full faith and trust that he will continue to grow and evolve VALORANT year-over-year to become even better than what I could imagine it to be.

He then gave a bit of a tease as to what he will be working on next - a new, secret project at Riot Games.

"As for me, I’ll be starting something new (*wink, secrets…) in the hopes that we can even scratch the surface of the amazing impact VALORANT has already had so far," Ziegler said.

We already know Riot Games is working on a fighting game called Project L, a League of Legends MMO, and a mysterious LoL social game called Project F. Ziegler's words could be taken as he is working on a new project, but it also could be related to one of these already announced ones.

While he may be leaving the Valorant team, he won't be far away and will always support the game he helped create.

"That said, I’ll not be far from the game and the team and they’ll always have my support," Ziegler concluded." Thank you to everyone who has supported and continues to support VALORANT, and a special shout out to all who've supported me and my work. You’ve made my time as your game director a truly joyous and memorable experience. Much <3."

For more on Valorant, which was one of Twitch's most-watched games in 2021, be sure to check out seven Valorant Champions moments we think are neat, how Sentinels imploded at Valorant champions, and Riot devs reacting to unreal Valorant kills and fails.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Nintendo Switch has been a wonderful home for Indie Games of all shapes and sizes, and 2021 was no different. In celebration of the year that was, Nintendo has shared which of these creative and special indie games were the best-selling on its latest console.

Nintendo shared this list of best-selling Indie Games as part of its latest Indie World video presentation, and there are some truly wonderful choices, including Spelunky 2, Unpacking, Axiom Verge 2, Cyber Shadow, Tetris Effect: Connected, and many more.

The games themselves are not ranked, so we don't know which of the 15 indie games sold the best, but it does give players around the world a glimpse as to what resonated the most with Switch owners in 2022.

The full list of the best-selling indie games of 2021 on Nintendo Switch are as follows;

• Axiom Verge 2
• Curse of the Dead Gods
• Cyber Shadow
• Doki Doki Literature Club
• Eastward
• Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
• Islanders: Console Edition
• Littlewood
• Road 96
• Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition
• Spelunky 2
• Stick Fight: The Game
• Subnautica + Subnautica: Below Zero
• Tetris Effect: Connected
• Unpacking

We already have an idea of some of the games that will be up for this honor in 2022, as December 2021's Indie World Showcase gave a preview of some of the experiences arriving on Switch next year, inclduing Sea of Stars, River City Girls, Omori, AfterLove EP, OlliOlli World, and more.

For more, feel free to check out 16 amazing indie games you may have missed from E3 2021, our awards for the best games of 2021, and what else you can expect from Nintendo in 2022.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Nintendo Switch has been a wonderful home for Indie Games of all shapes and sizes, and 2021 was no different. In celebration of the year that was, Nintendo has shared which of these creative and special indie games were the best-selling on its latest console.

Nintendo shared this list of best-selling Indie Games as part of its latest Indie World video presentation, and there are some truly wonderful choices, including Spelunky 2, Unpacking, Axiom Verge 2, Cyber Shadow, Tetris Effect: Connected, and many more.

The games themselves are not ranked, so we don't know which of the 15 indie games sold the best, but it does give players around the world a glimpse as to what resonated the most with Switch owners in 2022.

The full list of the best-selling indie games of 2021 on Nintendo Switch are as follows;

• Axiom Verge 2
• Curse of the Dead Gods
• Cyber Shadow
• Doki Doki Literature Club
• Eastward
• Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
• Islanders: Console Edition
• Littlewood
• Road 96
• Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition
• Spelunky 2
• Stick Fight: The Game
• Subnautica + Subnautica: Below Zero
• Tetris Effect: Connected
• Unpacking

We already have an idea of some of the games that will be up for this honor in 2022, as December 2021's Indie World Showcase gave a preview of some of the experiences arriving on Switch next year, inclduing Sea of Stars, River City Girls, Omori, AfterLove EP, OlliOlli World, and more.

For more, feel free to check out 16 amazing indie games you may have missed from E3 2021, our awards for the best games of 2021, and what else you can expect from Nintendo in 2022.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Google has announced the biggest search trends on its platform this year, revealing the gaming, TV and movie searches that most interested users, among many other categories.

Revealed by Google Trends, each section shows off the top 10 search trends within a certain category, with some perhaps unexpected results. In gaming, for example, the top 10 looks more or less expected, aside from the number 1 spot, which went to meme clicker game PopCat.

Google's Biggest Gaming Searches 2021

1. PopCat
2. FIFA 22
3. Battlefield 2042
4. モンハン ライズ (Monster Hunter Rise)
5. Resident Evil Village
6. Genshin Impact
7. Call of Duty: Vanguard
8. Far Cry 6
9. Madden NFL 22
10. Metroid Dread

The movies category was a little more conventional, with three of the top 5 searches going to MCU movies. Curiously, Spider-Man: No Way Home (which saw one of the biggest movie openings of all time) doesn't appear, but that may be down to the fact that its name offers multiple ways to search for the same thing.

Google's Biggest Movie Searches 2021

1. Eternals
2. Black Widow
3. Dune
4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
5. Red Notice
6. Mortal Kombat
7. Cruella
8. Halloween Kills
9. Godzilla vs. Kong
10. Army of the Dead

As you might expect, the TV shows section is dominated by major streaming shows, with the top spot going to easily the most-discussed show of the year:

Google's Biggest TV Show Searches 2021

1. Squid Game
2. Bridgerton
3. WandaVision
4. Cobra Kai
5. Loki
6. Sweet Tooth
7. Lupin
8. Ginny and Georgia
9. True Beauty
10. BBB21

As for other categories, Alec Baldwin topped both the 'Actors' and 'People' categories after his involvement in the tragedy on the set of Rust, while rapper DMX topped the 'Passings' section after his death at the age of just 50.

Elsewhere, footballer Christian Eriksen topped 'Athletes' after his frightening collapse during the Euro 2020 tournament, Afghanistan was the most searched-for news term, and Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' was the biggest song of the year. And if you're looking for something to eat, the biggest food term on Google this year was 'birria tacos' – a filled taco dipped in stew – which became a major TikTok trend this year.

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.

Google has announced the biggest search trends on its platform this year, revealing the gaming, TV and movie searches that most interested users, among many other categories.

Revealed by Google Trends, each section shows off the top 10 search trends within a certain category, with some perhaps unexpected results. In gaming, for example, the top 10 looks more or less expected, aside from the number 1 spot, which went to meme clicker game PopCat.

Google's Biggest Gaming Searches 2021

1. PopCat
2. FIFA 22
3. Battlefield 2042
4. モンハン ライズ (Monster Hunter Rise)
5. Resident Evil Village
6. Genshin Impact
7. Call of Duty: Vanguard
8. Far Cry 6
9. Madden NFL 22
10. Metroid Dread

The movies category was a little more conventional, with three of the top 5 searches going to MCU movies. Curiously, Spider-Man: No Way Home (which saw one of the biggest movie openings of all time) doesn't appear, but that may be down to the fact that its name offers multiple ways to search for the same thing.

Google's Biggest Movie Searches 2021

1. Eternals
2. Black Widow
3. Dune
4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
5. Red Notice
6. Mortal Kombat
7. Cruella
8. Halloween Kills
9. Godzilla vs. Kong
10. Army of the Dead

As you might expect, the TV shows section is dominated by major streaming shows, with the top spot going to easily the most-discussed show of the year:

Google's Biggest TV Show Searches 2021

1. Squid Game
2. Bridgerton
3. WandaVision
4. Cobra Kai
5. Loki
6. Sweet Tooth
7. Lupin
8. Ginny and Georgia
9. True Beauty
10. BBB21

As for other categories, Alec Baldwin topped both the 'Actors' and 'People' categories after his involvement in the tragedy on the set of Rust, while rapper DMX topped the 'Passings' section after his death at the age of just 50.

Elsewhere, footballer Christian Eriksen topped 'Athletes' after his frightening collapse during the Euro 2020 tournament, Afghanistan was the most searched-for news term, and Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' was the biggest song of the year. And if you're looking for something to eat, the biggest food term on Google this year was 'birria tacos' – a filled taco dipped in stew – which became a major TikTok trend this year.

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.