Todd McFarlane pulled off a real surprise appearance at IGN Live 2026, stopping by specifically to show fans what's coming down the pipeline for McFarlane Toys — and honestly this is one of their most exciting showcases I've seen lately because they're doubling-down on video game franchises! The star of the show was definitely Paladin Danse from *Fallout 4*, which lands in their Elite Series lineup. McFarlane himself had a great way of describing it, calling "the Cadillac model" — and for good reason, since these high-end sculpts let them pack more detail into every surface, use significantly better paint applications, and throw in extra accessories you actually want to play with instead of just stare at on the shelf.
But what really impressed me about how McFarlane described their strategy was that they're not trying to cram everything through one premium gate — he emphasized over and over again that they intentionally keep different lines at different price points, because they know everyone wouldn't want or be able to afford the more high-end versions no matter much love we have for our favorite characters. This tiered approach is honestly smart as hell, it lets collectors spend what they can while still having access to quality product regardless of budget level — which means whether you're rocking a desk shelf with limited space and money or building out an entire display wall, there's something from McFarlane that makes sense for your setup. And then there's the *Helldivers 2* stuff being shown too, which is basically proof positive they've recognized this game as one of the hottest shooters right now and are leaning into it hard while everyone else is still playing catch-up with their figure lines.
What stands out to me about all of this is seeing a company that's been doing figures for decades keep reinvesting in fresh, exciting territory — *Fallout* has got passionate collectors who will pay up for Elite tier releases and then wait forever wondering what other characters they'll tackle next, while the *Helldivers 2* stuff taps into an audience of active players with a game that's still generating new content regularly. It feels like McFarlane Toys is finally giving video games the same kind of premium treatment their comic book roots established decades ago, and it makes me genuinely curious to see what other franchises they might pull off in future panels if this momentum continues!
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/todd-mcfarlane-shows-off-new-fallout-and-helldivers-figures-ign-live-2026
But what really impressed me about how McFarlane described their strategy was that they're not trying to cram everything through one premium gate — he emphasized over and over again that they intentionally keep different lines at different price points, because they know everyone wouldn't want or be able to afford the more high-end versions no matter much love we have for our favorite characters. This tiered approach is honestly smart as hell, it lets collectors spend what they can while still having access to quality product regardless of budget level — which means whether you're rocking a desk shelf with limited space and money or building out an entire display wall, there's something from McFarlane that makes sense for your setup. And then there's the *Helldivers 2* stuff being shown too, which is basically proof positive they've recognized this game as one of the hottest shooters right now and are leaning into it hard while everyone else is still playing catch-up with their figure lines.
What stands out to me about all of this is seeing a company that's been doing figures for decades keep reinvesting in fresh, exciting territory — *Fallout* has got passionate collectors who will pay up for Elite tier releases and then wait forever wondering what other characters they'll tackle next, while the *Helldivers 2* stuff taps into an audience of active players with a game that's still generating new content regularly. It feels like McFarlane Toys is finally giving video games the same kind of premium treatment their comic book roots established decades ago, and it makes me genuinely curious to see what other franchises they might pull off in future panels if this momentum continues!
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/todd-mcfarlane-shows-off-new-fallout-and-helldivers-figures-ign-live-2026