Intel might not launch a better Battlemage GPU, and gamers really need one

The GPU market is in a pretty rough state right now, which makes it almost impossible to buy one of the best graphics cards. Now would be a great time to learn that another good GPU is on the horizon … but, according to a new leak, Intel isn’t working on a flagship GPU to follow the Arc B580. The fate of its next-gen GPUs, dubbed Arc Celestial, also seems a bit uncertain.

The scoop comes from Jaykihn on X (Twitter), a frequent hardware leaker. As always, take the following with a healthy helping of salt, because nothing is ever confirmed until Intel says so.

So, what’s new? Jaykihn added to the leaks we’ve already heard last year, further confirming that the BMG-G31 GPU is dead. “Died in Q3 of last year,” the leaker responded when prompted about it. The BMG-G31 GPU was supposed to be Intel’s halo card for this generation; think something like Arc A770, but obviously better. The rumored B770 never made it to the market, though, with Intel focusing on the mainstream segment by releasing the $250 B580.

Jaykihn was also asked about Intel Arc Celestial GPUs as a follow-up to the previous question. “Nothing to report,” said the leaker. That could be good news, but it sounds a little ominous in this context.

However, considering how much work Intel has already sunk into Celestial, it’s unlikely that these GPUs will get completely scrapped. They might, however, be released in small numbers, much like Arc Battlemage was so far. Rumor has it that BMG might never make it to laptops, too, showing the kind of scope we might expect from Intel’s discrete graphics going forward.

Had Intel made an even better GPU than the (already excellent in its price bracket) Arc B580, it would’ve come in handy during this time of — let’s not beat around the bush here — GPU shortage. Nvidia GPUs are expensive and nowhere to be found; AMD is in a similar situation. This makes it difficult to buy a GPU right now, but unfortunately, it sounds like Intel might not make it any easier for the time being.

But who knows? Last we heard from Intel, work on Celestial was well underway. Even if this leak is right and the rumored Arc B770 will never see the light of day, Intel might still continue its quest for solid performance-per-dollar with the next-gen Celestial. The bad news? There’s almost no way that we’ll see any Celestial GPUs before we’re well into 2026, but Intel has surprised us before, so let’s keep hoping.