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Valor Mortis will see Ghostrunner's creators give Napoleonic era Europe the soulslike treatment in 2026
Game Updates

Valor Mortis will see Ghostrunner’s creators give Napoleonic era Europe the soulslike treatment in 2026

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Valor Mortis, a soulslike set during Napoleon’s 19th century conquest of Eastern Europe, has been revealed by Ghostrunner devs One More Level during Gamescom Opening Night Live’s preshow. It’s set for release in 2026.

Yep, if you’re a fan of games that drip with Frenchness and also revolve around beating up gaudily-health barred baddies before they do the same to you, this one might have you reaching for your musket and bicorne. That’s assuming the setting offers enough of a unique feel that Valor Mortis doesn’t resemble being trapped on a Fromsoft-imitation Elba.

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““With Valor Mortis, we wanted to try something new and original – a darker experience, while still offering players a true challenge,” One More Level CEO Szymon Bryla said. “After Ghostrunner, we knew we had the foundation to create a [first-person] title, but this time in a soulslike genre. At the same time, we wanted to stay true to what we do best – making demanding games for hardcore players, set in an engaging, expansive world, while showing that the studio has grown since our previous projects.”

The game’ll see you play as William, a Grande Armée soldier ressurected and given supernatural powers by the Nephtoglobin, a mysterious goop. Sadly, because video game, this goop has turned the world around him and his former comrades in arms into a plague-ridden hellscape prowled by mutants with extra limbs and bloated bodies.

The combat looks to add a BioShock-esque twist to the usual soulslike parry and dodge swordplay. You can dual-wield with guns like a flintlock pistol and abilities dubbed transmutations. The latter are William’s magic powers, and remind me a lot of plasmids. This time, it looks like you’ll be gaining the ability to shoot the likes of fire from your mitt by interacting with not quite dead bodies on the battlefield.

If there’s one thing the trailer emphasises, it’s that this game will not lack for battlefields full of dead bodies, with an entire montage dedicated to different locations in which the corpses are piled high. You’ll be able to get a look at those corpse piles if you sign up for a closed Valor Mortis playtest that’s set to kick off following Gamescom. Head to ValorMortis.com if you’re keen.

Or, wait until the full release, which maths tells me is sadly more than a hundred days away.

Check out our Gamescom 2025 event hub for all the PC game announcements and preview coverage from Cologne.



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A screenshot from Gallipoli showing two soldiers in battle
Product Reviews

Not content with making three WW1 first-person shooters already, the creators of Verdun and Isonzo are now making a Gallipoli FPS

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BlackMill Games has been making World War 1 shooters for over a decade now, first with Verdun, and then with Tannenberg and Isonzo. Now it’s making Gallipoli, which will shift focus to the Middle Eastern theatre, to dramatize the battles between the Triple Entente and the Ottoman Empire.

While it’s not as well-known as other WW1 campaigns, the landing at the Gallipoli Peninsula, and the ensuing long stalemate, was an especially bloody encounter. Over ten thousand members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps were killed during the campaign, which is commemorated annually on ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand.

For what it’s worth, the only other modern videogame depiction of the campaign is in the Battlefield 1 mission The Runner (which itself seems to borrow heavily from Peter Weir’s 1981 film Gallipoli).


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The move east promises to make BlackMill’s fourth WW1 game a little more varied: according to its Steam page it’ll traverse “coastal dunes, dry deserts, urban areas and more”. In addition to the Gallipoli campaign it’ll also move further east to take in the Mesopotamian campaign, which reached as far as modern day Iraq. Players will side with either the Ottoman Empire or the Entente (BlackMill specifies “the British”).

As before, Gallipoli is a squad-based shooter heavily focused on choosing a class and sticking with it: If you’re the stretcher bearer, you better not be caught sprinting across no man’s land to increase your KD ratio. Public matches will be populated with AI bots to accurately convey the sense of scale, though these can be toggled off in custom matches.

It’s due to hit Steam some time in 2026, and the reveal trailer is below.

WW1: Gallipoli – Official Reveal Trailer – YouTube

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Mrbeast in suit talking to mic
Esports

MrBeast promises changes to AI YouTube tools after backlash from creators

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MrBeast created a system that allows for YouTubers to AI generate thumbnails that are algorithmically tuned to optimize engagement for their videos. JackSepticEye has spoken out against him, condemning the practice entirely, and other creators have followed suit.

While MrBeast has had his fair share of controversy in recent years, he has remained the biggest YouTuber in the world in terms of subscribers and average viewership per upload.

Now, he’s introduced a system that allows users to AI generate thumbnails for their YouTube videos in a way that makes their videos much more clickable.

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JackSepticEye has wholly rejected the idea, objecting to his inclusion in MrBeast’s video demo for the product and calling him out publicly for it.

JackSepticEye calls out MrBeast for creating YouTube AI tools

Instead of using image manipulation tools like Photoshop or hiring an editor, MrBeast is working with Viewstats to create a different option: AI thumbnail tools.

It allows users to pick a YouTube channel, use their video thumbnails as “inspiration”, and put in a prompt to get something similar but themed around their video. It even allows users to put their own face into a thumbnail to theme it around their channel.

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And, while Viewstats has a monthly fee of $80 USD attached to the service, that’s a lot cheaper than hiring a thumbnail artist for people who need clickable videos in order to turn YouTube into a career or make the platform more profitable.

JackSepticEye objected to his inclusion in the video and to the software’s existence as a whole, directly calling out MrBeast over it.

MrBeast using his AI tool to create an image based on his YouTube channel’s thumbnails

“What the actual f**k… and he used my logo in the promotion for it too. I hate what this platform is turning into. F**k AI,” he said.

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JackSepticEye has been critical of MrBeast in the past, believing that his approach to content creation is “ruining YouTube” and claiming that his approach takes the fun out of making videos.

This caused beef between the two creators, with Jimmy calling Jack’s words toward him “insanely disrespectful” at the time. Though they settled the beef after talking to each other privately, a feud between the two creators may be back on the table.

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Jack isn’t the only one, though, with YouTuber PointCrow calling him out directly. The two YouTubers had a conversation about it, leading to MrBeast deleting his tweet and promising changes to the AI tool.

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“I spend days, weeks, sometimes months thinking of thumbnails, working with artists to craft the perfect one — and you’ve made something that can steal my (and my artists) hard work without a thought. Your model is clearly trained on all our thumbnails and uses them without any creators permission, and makes it not only easy, but it attempts to make this socially acceptable too,” reads a small part of PointCrow’s critical Tweet about MrBeast’s tool.

A few hours later, he posted this:

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“Had a chat with MrBeast about his AI thumbnail creation tool. While I’m uncertain what will be happening moving forward, I’ve voiced my thoughts directly to him. Great idea to want to make content creation more accessible, but this isn’t remotely the solution to that and actually fundamentally hurts creators as a whole,” the YouTuber claims.

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“Just mentioning because I think it’s important to note that he reached out, even though we still largely disagree. Leaving everything up to discourage this still, and I’ll count this hopefully as my bookend to the saga,”

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MrBeast replied to that, outlining the changes he wants to make to the tool.

“Already working on changes like Faceswap should only be used to swap your face on YOUR thumbnail, obviously not others. And overall I’ll build this more in a way to be inspiration for artists/a tool they use and not replace them. Very good feedback.

“My goal with Viewstats is to build tools to level the playing field between people like me with 300 employees and new creators that can’t afford a small army,” MrBeast explained.

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Buckshot Roulette Creator’s New Game Is A Dark Psychological Hacking Adventure Launching Next Month
Game Updates

Buckshot Roulette Creator’s New Game Is A Dark Psychological Hacking Adventure Launching Next Month

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Mike Klubnika, the creator of last year’s unsettling Russian roulette horror game Buckshot Roulette, has announced his next title will arrive in just a few weeks. s.p.l.i.t. is a narrative-driven psychological horror adventure.

 

Klubnika describes s.p.l.i.t. as a short first-person adventure that sees players control a hacker planning to execute a malware attack on an unethical superstructure. Sitting at a computer terminal, gameplay involves solving puzzles styled as complex command prompts to navigate directories, run software, and execute commands.  You’ll also use an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to communicate with fellow hackers and gain intel on your target. A press release provides a more ominous overview of what s.p.l.i.t. entails:

“A daunting task lies ahead. Unconscionable secrets and vulnerabilities lie buried deep below legacy code and engineering. Only with meticulous planning and unwavering composure will they be unearthed.”

s.p.l.i.t. launches on July 24 for PC via Steam, Windows, and Linux. Meanwhile, Buckshot Roulette is slated to come to Xbox consoles sometime this year. 



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A photo of MrBeast against a wall of dollar signs.
Esports

MrBeast, Jake Paul & Charli D’Amelio top list of 2025’s highest-earning creators

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Forbes has released their list of 2025’s highest-earning content creators, with names like MrBeast, Jake Paul and Charli D’Amelio taking over the top 10.

More kids than ever before want to be influencers rather than doctors or lawyers when they grow up — and after taking a look at how much money the net’s top content creators are making, it’s not hard to see why.

While some influencers flex their bank accounts more than others, it’s common knowledge that big-time personalities like MrBeast, Logan Paul and xQc make the big bucks. (xQc famously penned a $100M contract with Kick in 2023, for instance.)

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Two years later, Forbes has ranked social media’s top 50 stars to see who is really making the most… and some of their findings might surprise you.

Instagram: mrbeastMrBeast became one of the world’s youngest self-made billionaires in 2025.

MrBeast ranks as the world’st highest-earning influencer

Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson came in at first place with a projected net worth of $85 million. While he’s got the dough to spend on major projects like his Beast Games Amazon Prime series and viral YouTube videos, he’s also admitted that he’s not very liquid and even had to borrow money from his mom to pay for his wedding.

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Dhar Mann, a creator known for producing ‘life lesson’ style videos, ranks at second place with $56M, having gotten his own ‘Hollywood-style’ production studio to create content. 

YouTube star turned boxer Jake Paul weighs in at third place with $50M, likely owing to his purses from major bouts like his Mike Tyson fight and his very own men’s hygiene line, W by Jake Paul.

W by Jake PaulJake Paul is one of the top five highest-earning content creators on the net.

Good Mythical Morning duo Rhett & Link come in fourth place with $36M, followed by Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper with $32M.

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However, the real shockers come far down in the list. While IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat are arguably some of the most popular figures on the internet, they rank near the bottom; Speed comes in at 42nd place with $20M and Kai Cenat at 28th $8.5M.

The full list of Forbes’ top creators can be viewed below:

  • 1.  MrBeast: $85M
  • 2.  Dhar Mann: $56M
  • 3.  Jake Paul: $50M
  • 4.  Rhett & Link: $36M
  • 5.  Alex Cooper: $32M
  • 6.  Charli D’Amelio: $23.5M
  • 7.  Matt Rife: $50M
  • 8.  Mark Rober: $25M
  • 9.  Druski: $14M
  • 10. Khaby Lame: $20M
  • 11. Steven Bartlett: $29M
  • 12. Dixie D’Amelio: $14.6M
  • 13. Brent Rivera: $11M
  • 14. Dani Austin: $13.6M
  • 15. Logan Paul: $10M
  • 16. Nick DiGiovanni: $10M
  • 17. Marques Brownlee: $10M
  • 18. Emma Chamberlain: $9M
  • 19. Stokes Twins: $20M
  • 20. Ms Rachel: $23M
  • 21. Ryan Kaji: $35M
  • 22. Rebecca Zamolo: $22M
  • 23. Jacksepticeye: $18M
  • 24. Adam W: $16.5M
  • 25. Typical Gamer: $17M
  • 26. Markiplier: $32M
  • 27. Nickmercs: $13M
  • 28. Kai Cenat: $8.5M
  • 29. Bailey Sarian: $9.5M
  • 30. Addison Rae: $5M
  • 31. Devon Rodriguez: $7M
  • 32. Alix Earle: $8M
  • 33. Mikayla Nogueira: $7.8M
  • 34. Erika Kullberg: $7.2M
  • 35. Alan Chikin Chow: $3.8M
  • 36. Haley Kalil: $6.5M
  • 37. Jake Shane: $9M
  • 38. Hannah Stocking: $5M
  • 39. Josh Richards: $6M
  • 40. Lexi Rivera: $5M
  • 41. Livvy Dunne: $4.9M
  • 42. IShowSpeed: $20M
  • 43. Brooke Monk: $2.6M
  • 44. iJustine: $3.5M
  • 45. Drew Afualo: $2.8M
  • 46. Xandra (Alexandra Pohl): $3M
  • 47. Jordan the Stallion Howlett: $11M
  • 48. Wisdom Kaye: $5M
  • 49. Monet McMichael: $7.7M
  • 50. Nara Smith: $9M

We’ve already broken down the net worth of some of the net’s biggest stars, such as MrBeast, who became one of the world’s youngest self-made billionaires earlier this year with a projected salary of $50M per month.

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Nier: Automata creators deny characters "were problematic overseas" and blame mistranslated subtitle for censorship rumours
Game Updates

Nier: Automata creators deny characters “were problematic overseas” and blame mistranslated subtitle for censorship rumours

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Nier: Automata producer Yosuke Saito and director Yoko Taro have denied that any of their character designs were restricted for Western audiences.

As spotted by Automaton, the developers were compelled to comment after a mistranslated Japanese-to-English subtitle intimated Nier: Automata had been subjected to censorship from Square Enix to meet global standards.

GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE | Producers’ Creative Dialogue Special Livestream.Watch on YouTube

In the interview above (skip to 28:12 for the segment concerned), Sony executive Yoshida Shuhei asked the developers about their design process.

“Our concept is always to do something that’s ‘not like anything else’. What I mean is, if Nier: Replicant had a boy as the main character, Nier: Automata would have a girl protagonist. If Western sci-fi is filled with Marine-like soldiers, we might go in the opposite direction and use Gothic Lolita outfits, for example,” Taro said. “We tend to take the contrarian route.”

“There are, of course, certain things that are ethically or morally inappropriate – even if they’re just aspects of a character,” Saito added, according to the subtitles. “We try to draw a line by establishing rules about what’s acceptable and what’s not.

“While certain things might be acceptable in Japan, they could become problematic in certain overseas regions, and even characters could become problematic as well. These are the kind of situation[s] we usually try to avoid creating. As a result, there are actually countries where we couldn’t officially release Nier: Automata.”

This immediately caused consternation with fans but as Automaton points out, this “could be a little tricky to translate, even for an advanced Japanese speaker”.

When asked directly about the claim, Taro denied it, saying on X/Twitter: “I’ve never heard of such a thing happening”. Saito simply said he thought the things he’d mentioned had been mistranslated, and would clarify this in a future livestream.

In the same interview, former PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida called Nier: Automata the “game that changed everything”, as it was responsible for reviving the Japanese games industry on its release. In a recent interview, Yoshida discussed how during the PS3 era, sales of Japanese games had declined, and increasingly studios there were chasing “overseas tastes”.

That changed with NieR: Automata in 2017, released for the PS4. “I think Yoko Taro created it without paying any mind at all to making it sell overseas, but it was a tremendous success,” Yoshida said.



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Astro Boy Creator's Lesser-Known Mangas Are Getting A Box Set
Game Updates

Astro Boy Creator’s Lesser-Known Mangas Are Getting A Box Set

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Manga legend Osamu Tezuka is famous for his work on Astro Boy, but the mangaka was responsible for numerous other works during his long career. Famously referred to as the “godfather of manga,” Tezuka also illustrated shorter series, and several of these are being reprinted as part of a deluxe box set. Osamu Tezuka: The Ablaze Collection will be released soon on July 8, but there’s still time to preorder it.

$53 | Releases July 8

The Osamu Tezuka: The Ablaze Collection contains four volumes showcasing Tezuka’s other work, such as One Hundred Tales, which follows an ordinary accountant falsely accused of a crime and ordered to commit ritual suicide, but is interrupted by the sudden appearance of a witch. The second volume, Shakespeare Manga Theater, adapts several of Shakespeare’s plays into manga form with familiar characters playing key roles. The third volume, Tomorrow the Birds, tells the story of super-intelligent birds overthrowing humanity, and the fourth volume, Neo Faust, follows a professor who strikes a deal with the sorceress Mephisto to live a fulfilling life in exchange for his soul.

It’s worth noting that all of these stories are available as individual trade paperbacks as well, so if you don’t want to wait until July, you can grab them all now–though you’ll pay a bit more buying them a la cart compared to the box set.

As mentioned above, Tezuka’s most well-known work is Astro Boy, which follows a robotic boy with human emotions and an arsenal of super weapons who defends Earth from evil robots and powerful imperialist governments. The sci-fi manga series originally ran from 1952 to 1968, and thanks to its strong art and storytelling, it remains highly regarded by manga fans. It also served as the inspiration for many other popular manga, anime, and video game series, including Capcom’s Mega Man. If you’re looking to grab the original Astro Boy manga, the series is available in several paperback omnibus editions.

Astro Boy Manga Omnibus Editions

Finally, you can bring Astro Boy to your desktop with this adorable new Nendoroid figure. Manufactured by Good Smile Company, this is a cute recreation of the atomic-powered hero, and it comes with swap-out face plates, rocket legs, and other accessories that can be used to make him strike a pose.

Astro Boy Nendoroid

Finally, you can bring Astro Boy to your desktop with this adorable new Astro Boy Nendoroid figure launching June 11 for $41. This cute recreation of the atomic-powered hero features posable limbs and plenty of accessories like swappable face plates, rocket legs, and more.



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A hand reaching out to touch a futuristic rendering of an AI processor.
Gaming Gear

YouTube creators give up paychecks to train AI, and it’s reshaping everything from chatbots to coding tools

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  • YouTube’s opt-in AI training is turning creators into silent architects of future tech tools
  • Many creators say yes to AI training access, even when there’s no money involved
  • Oxylabs gathered millions of videos into a dataset that AI developers can ethically trust

An increasing number of YouTubers are allowing AI companies to train models using their videos, and surprisingly, many are doing so without direct compensation.

Under YouTube’s current setup, creators are given the option to opt in by ticking boxes that grant permission to around 18 major AI developers.

If no box is selected, YouTube does not permit the use of that video for AI training purposes. This means the default stance is non-participation, and any inclusion is fully voluntary.


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Creators choose influence over income

The lack of payment may seem unusual, and the motivation appears to hinge on influence rather than income.

Creators opting in might see it as a strategic move to shape how generative AI tools interpret and present information – by contributing their content, they are effectively making it more visible in AI-generated responses.

As a result, their work could shape how questions are answered by everything from AI writers to large language models (LLM) for coding.

Oxylabs has now launched the first consent-based YouTube dataset, comprising four million videos from one million distinct channels.

All contributors explicitly agreed to the use of their content for AI training, and according to Oxylabs, these videos, complete with transcripts and metadata, have been carefully curated to be particularly useful for training AI in image and video generation tasks.

“In the ecosystem aiming to find a fair balance between respecting copyright and facilitating innovation, YouTube streamlining consent giving for AI training and providing creators with flexibility is an important step forward,” said Julius Černiauskas, CEO of Oxylabs.

This model not only simplifies the process for AI developers seeking ethically sourced data but also reassures creators about the use of their work.

“Many channel owners have already opted in for their videos to be used in developing the next generation of AI tools. This enables us to create and provide high-quality, structured video datasets. Meanwhile, AI developers have no trouble verifying the data’s legitimate origin.”

However, broader concerns persist about how government organizations and legislatures handle similar issues.

For instance, the UK’s Data (Use and Access) Bill has stalled in Parliament, prompting figures like Elton John to criticize the government’s handling of creator rights.

In this legislative vacuum, creators and developers will likely face uncertainty.

Oxylabs presents itself as filling that gap with a consent-based model, but critics will still question whether such initiatives genuinely address deeper issues of value and fairness.

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Instagram Keeps Polishing Its Edits App to Woo Video Creators
Product Reviews

Instagram Keeps Polishing Its Edits App to Woo Video Creators

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As I watch through my computer screen, Tom Bender, the product lead for Instagram’s Edits, places a finger on his smartphone and the software traces an outline around a chubby cat from some meme video. He then takes the furry cutout and drops it over an existing video of himself within the Edits app, adjusting the animal’s opacity to make the cat slightly see-through and ensuring that his own visage in the background stays visible.

This ability to fine-tune overlay opacities was just one of many new and upcoming features he demonstrated in a recent app walkthrough for WIRED. While the Instagram platform was first known for photography, it’s now dominated by video. The new Edits app serves as a companion to Instagram, but one that gives the next generation of video creators all the tools they need to make Reels.

Edits launched last month on Apple and Android devices, after months of delays. Meta, which owns Instagram, is putting Edits forward as a challenger to ByteDance’s CapCut app. That mobile video editing tool, designed to support TikTok creators, was released internationally in 2020 and has become the default choice for creating videos on your phone.

Although Edits initially squeaked past CapCut on Apple’s free downloads charts during release week, the app now sits outside of the 100 most downloaded apps on iOS. It sits far below its main competitor, which is comfortably positioned in the top 10. (Meta declined to share current usage numbers or other statistics for Edits.)

Bender knows he needs to make the app more attractive to creators. So, what’s his plan? Iteration, iteration, iteration.

“We launched a minimum viable product,” he says. “I think the most important thing, from our perspective, is to listen to creators and just launch great features every month or every week.” More video effects and filters are rolling out now. Soon, you’ll be able to adjust the volume across all of the clips in a project. In the next few weeks, an in-app teleprompter—so creators can look right at the camera as they’re reading scripts—is set to drop.

With Edits, Instagram isn’t trying to usurp powerful desktop video editing tools like Adobe Premiere and Final Cut. Rather the developers are targeting anyone looking for better ways to craft social media videos on their smartphone. Bender touts Edits’ preproduction tools, such as the existing Inspiration tab for finding video ideas and saving trending Reels, as an example of Instagram integrations designed with mobile video editors in mind. “Creators will have a long Notes app file or DM threads where they send examples of videos,” he says. “There’s not a great way to keep track of all your ideas today.” After posting, users can see insights into how the video performed on Instagram Reels inside of the Edits app.

Social media video creators rarely post their work on just a single platform; they’ll edit in one app (typically CapCut) and post to TikTok, Instagram, X, and elsewhere. So why should they consider switching to Edits from software they’re familiar with, beyond the Instagram integrations?



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Hollyland Lark M2S wireless mic kit
Product Reviews

Hollyland Lark M2S review: a lightweight and tiny wireless mic kit for content creators

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Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: two-minute review

Understatement isn’t a common characteristic among content creators, but it’s a winning feature for this wireless mic kit. With two tiny receivers weighing just 7g apiece, the Hollyland Lark M2S is designed to fly under the radar. Hooked over your collar, only a small part of each pick-up is visible. The result is an audio solution that doesn’t distract your audience.

It’s also a versatile one. Available in several variations, the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo kit on test here includes two transmitters, a USB-C mobile receiver and a cold-shoe unit that connects to cameras via USB-C or 3.5mm. There’s also a Lightning cable in the box for connecting to legacy Apple devices. That makes it a pretty complete kit, whatever you choose to shoot with.

Each transmitter is held in place by a rubberized clip, with grips at the tips for extra security. Many of the best wireless mics used magnetic backs to give you more flexibility when positioning. In practise, most users will want the mic on their lapel anyway – and even with the hook on show, the M2S is as subtle as they come.


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Despite their discreet size, the omnidirectional pick-ups do a better job than any built-in mic, whether you’re shooting with a smartphone or one of the best video cameras. How the 24-bit audio signal is processed depends on the pre-amp inside your recording device, but voice clips are generally clear and rich enough for the casual listener.

(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)

  • Hollyland LARK M2S at Amazon for $39

Blustery conditions can be an issue. The bundled windshields do a good job of buffering against buffeting, though attaching them raises the profile of the mics. You also have the option of enabling noise reduction. This tends to flatten and crisp up the sound slightly, but it’s an effective solution where background noise would otherwise be too intrusive.

Noise cancellation can be activated by pressing the single button found on each transmitter, the button on the USB-C receiver or the dial on the camera receiver. The latter is also used to adjust the output volume, while a long-press switches between mono and stereo recording. That makes the interface sound more complicated than it is. There is a slight learning curve, but once you’ve got your head around the meaning of each indicator light, it’s intuitive enough.

Battery life is far from featherweight, with each transmitter rated for up to nine hours on a single charge. Returning them to the charging case yields a further 18, giving the whole package some serious longevity. Together with its neat proportions, that makes it an attractive solution for creators who need to shoot on the go – even though the case itself feels quite plasticky and the components are prone to rattling inside.

Other wireless mics feel more premium, while the DJI Mic Mini uses a neater single receiver. But if you want a compact and cost-effective way to upgrade your audio quality, the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo kit offers solid value.

(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)

Today’s best Hollyland LARK M2S deals

Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: price and release date

  • $149 / £140 / AU$269 for the Combo kit
  • Includes 2x mics, 2x receivers, Lightning cable and charging case
  • Several kit versions available for different devices

Launched in January 2025 as a follow-up to the Lark M2, the Hollyland Lark M2S wireless mic is available to buy now in one of several bundle variations. On test here is the Combo kit ($149 / £140 / AU$269), which includes the following:

  • Transmitters x2
  • Receiver (camera)
  • Receiver (USB-C)
  • Charging case
  • Windshields x2
  • 3.5mm cable
  • USB-C to Lightning cable
  • USB-A to USB-C cable

The Combo kit is designed to give content creators the flexibility to work with both smartphones and cameras. The Lightning cable allows you to connect the camera receiver to older Apple devices. The Combo kit offers good value for what’s included, but other options will be better suited to specific creator requirements.

The cheapest Hollyland Lark M2S option is the barebones USB-C kit ($119 / £110 / AU$219). This includes two transmitters and a USB-C receiver for use with a smartphone. With no option to connect to a camera, it’s the best choice for mobile-only recording.

The next step up is the Mini Combo ($139 / £130 / AU$249), which is the same as the Combo kit, except it doesn’t include a Lightning adapter cable. It’s the best choice if you want the flexibility to connect to a camera and USB-C smartphone.

Top of the pile is the Ultimate Combo ($159 / £150 / AU$289). In addition to the USB-C and camera receivers, this adds a dedicated Lightning receiver to the mix. Given that the Combo kit includes a Lightning cable, there are few people for who this will be a necessity. Unless you absolutely need a physical Lightning receiver, this version is best seen as a legacy option.

(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)

Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Dimensions

24 × 9mm (transmitter), 40 × 16.7 × 9mm (mobile receiver), 40.5 × 25.5 × 13mm (camera receiver), 86 × 39 × 60.5mm (case)

Weight

7g (transmitter), 6g (mobile receiver), 12g (camera receiver), 110g (case)

Range

300m

Connectivity

USB-C, Lightning, 3.5mm

Battery

9 hours, plus 18 hours from the charging case

Audio

24-bit

On-board recording

No

Noise cancelling

Yes

(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)

Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: Design

  • Lightweight transmitters with built-in rubber clips
  • USB-C receiver with two indicator lights
  • Camera receiver with indicator lights and control dial

Dinky is the order of the day with the Lark M2S. From the tiny transmitters (7g each) to the compact camera receiver (12g), everything in the bundle is ultra-light. The components weigh less than almost every other kit in our list of the best wireless mics, including the DJI Mic Mini and the Rode Wireless Micro.

Despite being housed in plastic, the transmitters and receivers feel well-built and sturdy enough for long-term use. The little orange buttons on each device give satisfying feedback, as does the click-scroll of the control dial on the cold-shoe adapter. It’s only the charging case that lets the side down: the hinge for the lid creaks and moves, while the parts rattle around while charging inside.

Still, for a low-weight, low-cost kit, the Lark M2S feels like it’s been assembled with thought. Effort has certainly gone into the design of the transmitters. Most wireless mic kits have rectangular units held in place by a magnetic back. This gives you versatility when mounting, but means the pick-up is quite visible in video footage.

Hollyland has taken a different approach with the Lark M2S. The transmitters are attached by a U-shaped hook with a titanium arm inside. This clips over a collar, with rubber ridges on either side for extra grip. It’s a foolproof solution: it has enough flexibility to fit over different fabrics, with sufficient resistance to hold firm. No magnets means one less piece to lose – and most users will place the mic on a hem anyway.

The added benefit is that the larger side of the transmitter unit is hidden beneath your clothing. Only part of the arm and the smaller puck sits on the outside. The result is a very subtle setup. With mini dimensions and no branding, the mic could easily go unnoticed in interview footage. It’s a lot less distracting than larger alternatives.

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(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)

That design does mean the button and indicator light on the transmitter are hard to access when you’re wearing it, particularly as the little LED is obscured beneath the hook arm. Helpfully, there are corresponding lights on the receiver units which indicate the mode and connection status.

The user experience differs slightly depending on which receiver you’re using, but the setup is the definition of plug-and-play. Recording on mobile couldn’t be simpler: remove the transmitters and mobile receiver from the case, insert the USB-C unit into your smartphone and the two LEDs will turn solid to show that everything is connected. The single orange button on the receiver toggles noise cancelling on (green light) or off (blue light). You’re good to go.

Connecting to a camera is no more complicated. Take the cold-shoe receiver and transmitters out of the case and they’ll pair automatically. Then simply hook it up to your camera via 3.5mm or USB-C (or both at the same time) and you’ll get an audio signal. You can also use the bundled USB-C to Lightning cable to connect the camera receiver to an older Apple device.

The camera receiver’s interface is a touch more complicated than the mobile one. You get the same LEDs for connection and noise cancelling status, plus an orange button for power. Then there’s an arc of three additional lights to indicate the output volume, which can be adjusted by turning the dial. Pressing the dial changes the noise reduction setting, while a long-press switches between mono and stereo.

There’s a slight learning curve when it comes to the meaning of each LED, but it’s intuitive enough to get your head around after a few minutes. What you don’t get is any kind of display for real-time audio monitoring. That’s a luxury reserved for premium mics that cost and weigh more. It’s also one that’s absent from the DJI Mic Mini and Rode Wireless Micro.

Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: Performance

  • Omnidirectional audio with optional noise cancelling
  • 9 hours battery life (transmitter), 18 hours battery life (case)
  • Up to 300m range

Rating audio quality is a tricky thing, because it depends on your expectations. If you’re a professional sound engineer, you’ll find things to fault with what the Hollyland Lark M2S produces. But if you’re comparing it to the built-in mic on your smartphone or camera, the M2S is leagues ahead.

The additional caveat here is that results are influenced by the device you’re using and its built-in pre-amp. Send the same signal from the Lark M2S to an iPhone and a DSLR camera, as I did, and you’ll notice differences which result from how each device processes the audio.

The Hollyland Lark M2S has strong foundations. It records 24-bit audio at 48khz, which sets it up well for capturing detail. You can also set the output level to high, giving your device more to work with. Serious users will balk at the lack of 32-bit float recording or on-board storage, but that reflects the target market of the M2S. There’s enough detail and depth here to satisfy content creators and anyone who wants to improve the quality of their voiceovers.

The omnidirectional pick-ups do a decent job of isolating speech against background hubbub. As with many wireless mics, though, wind noise is an issue. The bundled fluffy windshields help to tackle this, but also make the mics more visible.

Your other option is to enable Environmental Noise Cancellation. This is highly effective at limiting the impact of blustery conditions on your recordings. It also works well at reducing traffic noise to a barely audible level. The trade-off is that noise cancelling tends to make vocals sound slightly flatter and more processed – although not as significantly as some wireless mics.

(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)

You can adjust the level of noise cancelling through the LarkSound app, with high and low options. Usefully, the app can also be used to monitor the audio level from each mic in real time, giving you a visual indication of whether the gain setting needs to be changed to avoid clipping. This can be controlled in the app, as can the channel mode, which allows you to switch from mono to stereo recording when using the camera receiver.

Transmission range is rated at 300m. Unless you’re working at telephoto distances, there are few occasions when you’d need to be that far from your recording device. Still, with a clear line of sight from transmitter to receiver, I didn’t encounter any signal drop-out at a distance of about 100 paces. That changed as soon as something came between the two. In reality, most users will work at close range, where clear transmission won’t be an issue.

Longevity is also assured. Despite the miniature dimensions of the Lark M2S, battery life comes in at a competitive nine hours. The case can also recharge the components twice over, giving you a total recording time of close to 30 hours before you’ll need to use a wall charger. The case itself needs around 90 minutes to go from flat to full.

It’s unlikely that most users will encounter a shoot where they have to record for 9 hours straight, but it’s reassuring to know that the Lark M2S can live through a lot of takes before it needs returning to the case. Using it as many content creators would – on the move, taking out the components to record clips on location, then storing them back in the case – the M2S simply ran and ran. For such a compact kit, the battery life is seriously impressive. This is a wireless mic that’s easy to live with.

Should I buy the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: also consider

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Hollyland Lark M2S

Rode Wireless Micro

DJI Mic Mini

Dimensions

Transmitter: 24 × 9mm (transmitter)Mobile receiver: 40 × 16.7 × 9mmCamera receiver: 40.5 × 25.5 × 13mm

Transmitter: 40 x 27 x 17mmReceiver: 44 x 24 x 9mm

26.55 x 26.06 x 15.96mm

Weight

7g (transmitter), 6g (mobile receiver), 12g (camera receiver), 110g (case)

12g (transmitter, without magnet), 102g for the whole kit

10g (transmitter, without magnet)

Transmission range

300m

100m

400m

Connectivity

USB-C, Lightning, 3.5mm

USB-C or Lightning

USB-C / Lightning, 3.5mm

Battery

9 hours, plus 18 hours from the charging case

7 hours, plus two additional charges from the fully charged case for a total of 21 hours

11.5 hours (transmitter), 10.5 hours (receiver), up to 48 hours with fully charged case

Audio

24-bit

24-bit

24-bit

Noise cancelling

Yes

No

Yes

Bluetooth

No

No

Yes

(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)

How I tested the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo

  • Tested extensively over several weeks
  • Paired with both the camera and USB-C receivers
  • Recorded audio in a range of indoor and outdoor settings

Given that the Hollyland Lark M2S is a wireless mic kit that’s designed to let content creators capture quality audio on the go, that’s how I approached this review. I packed the kit in my backpack every time I headed out of the house, then recorded voiceover content wherever the day took me.

That meant I captured audio clips in a whole range of settings and scenarios, from noisy cafes to windy walks along busy roads. I tested the transmitters at all three volume levels, with and without the windshields installed, and with noise reduction enabled and disabled. This gave me a catalog of recordings with which to make comparisons on clarity and quality.

Because the Lark M2S Combo is pitched as a full kit for creators, I tested it with both the USB-C mobile receiver and the cold-shoe camera adapter. With the latter, I wired up to a Nikon D7100 using a 3.5mm cable, as well as using the bundled Lightning cable to connect an iPhone 12.

During my time with the Lark M2S, I tried to use it as someone might do in the real world. That meant clipping the transmitters to different items of clothing. I also purposefully interacted with interface before consulting the instructions in detail, to get a realistic idea of how accessible the system is for beginners.

Hollyland LARK M2S: Price Comparison



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