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Starfield Shattered Space expansion gets release date

Bethesda's first big expansion to Starfield, Shattered Space, will launch for PC and Xbox Series X/S on 30th September.

We got a quick look at the upcoming addition tonight during Gamescom Opening Night Live, in a trailer that mostly focused on the REV-8 land vehicle included in August's free game update.

Ahead of launch, marketing for Starfield felt fairly sober and dramatic - it's fair to say tonight's video takes a more upbeat tone. Previously, Bethesda's Todd Howard said that the lack of land vehicles was a deliberate choice - but it's now something that's being walked (or driven) back.

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Monument Valley 3 arrives in December as a Netflix mobile exclusive

Developer Ustwo Games has revealed its widely acclaimed Escher-esque puzzler Monument Valley will return for a third outing on 10th December, and it'll be exclusively available to Netflix subscribers on Android and iOS devices.

Monument Valley 3 is described as protagonist Noor's "most extraordinary adventure yet", and it'll see players searching for a new source of power before the light of the world fades forever.

It promises "stunning new art styles and impossible landscapes", alongside "innovative mechanics and fresh ways to approach challenges". And one of its biggest new features comes in the form of sailing, with players able to roam the world - and solve some of its puzzles - by boat.

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The Finals studio's PvPvE shooter ARC Raiders resurfaces, and it's no longer free-to-play

ARC Raiders - the free-to-play PvPvE extraction shooter from The Finals developer Embark Studios - has resurfaced following an extended period of retooling, and is now launching as a premium title for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 next year.

If you're struggling to remember much about ARC Raiders, that might be because few details have been shared since its announcement back in 2021. It was originally set to release in 2022, but its launch has continued to slip since then - first into 2023 so Embark could focus on The Finals, and latterly while the studio continued to tinker with the title following a genre change.

But it turns out its switch from co-operative third-person shooter to PvPvE extraction shooter (its original form "wasn't really fun", Embark admitted during a recent press event) wasn't to be ARC Raiders' only notable change. It's now been re-announced as a $40 USD premium title, jettisoning its previous free-to-play form, albeit while still remaining a live-service game.

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Genshin Impact gets Xbox release date, but still no word on Switch

Those Xbox players among us who have been waiting to get their hands on open-world adventure RPG Genshin Impact, I have good news.

At this evening's Gamescom Opening Night Live, the team revealed Genshin Impact will be making its way to Xbox Series X/S and Game Pass on 20th November. It is available to wishlist now on the Microsoft Store.

The news was shared along with a new Natlan gameplay trailer (below). Earlier this year, Genshin Impact was once again accused of cultural appropriation from fans and voice actors in response to the reveal of its new cast of Natlan characters.

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Horizon Forbidden West is leaving PlayStation Plus

Sony is pulling Horizon Forbidden West from its PS Plus subscription service in the coming weeks.

The first-party Sony game is now listed under the 'Last Chance to Play' section on PS Plus, along with the likes of NieR Replicant, Marvel's Midnight Suns and Alien Isolation.

This upcoming removal of Forbidden West comes just a few months after Horizon Zero Dawn was also removed from the service, which as Tom wrote at the time seemed a surprising move by Sony.

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The Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024 showcase

Just when Geoff Keighley had started to fade from your memory, he comes rubber-banding back with a vengeance - snap! It's Gamescom week and it kicks off with Opening Night Live this evening from 7pm UK time (other Opening Night Live timings here). A pre-show with additional announcements will begin at 6.30pm UK. We'll be watching and reporting on it live, as always, right here, so you can either keep abreast of announcements while you do something else, or you can join in with your thoughtful and amusing comments. Please keep us company. Please.

What do we expect to see today? Well, probably Geoff Keighley, but also the new Indiana Jones game, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Dune Awakening. We're also expecting Little Nightmares creator Tarsier to unveil its new project, which could be exciting. On top of that: Diablo 4 expansion Vessel of Hatred, Civilization 7, hero shooter Marvel Rivals, Lost Records (the project made by the creators of Life is Strange), Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (which was recently delayed), and Black Ops 6. Keighley's best pal Hideo Kojima has also been tweeting enigmatic silhouetted pictures of actors who are presumably playing roles in Death Stranding 2.

And before you ask, "Yes, there will be new game announcements," Keighley said on X.

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Pokémon TCG Pocket will let you open digital card packs via your smartphone in October

A flurry of Pokémon news has confirmed a launch date for the long-awaited Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, and a look ahead at what's next for Pokémon Go.

Pokémon TCG Pocket, a digital version of the phenomenally-popular trading card game, will go live via the iPhone App Store and Google Play for Android worldwide on 30th October.

As previously announced, you can open two packs of Pokémon cards for free per day - just enough to get you hooked - and it's interesting to see the pack-opening mechanic front and centre in the game's trailer below.

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Delta Force: Hawk Ops has a real shot at knocking Call of Duty and Battlefield off their perch

Od: Rick Lane

Modern military shooters are in a strange place at the moment. Battlefield is licking its wounds after stepping on the landmine that was Battlefield 2042, while Call of Duty is running around like the dog that caught the car, the massive success of Warzone leaving the mainline series at a loss with what to do with itself.

It's a chaotic, uncertain time in one of multiplayer gaming's biggest spheres, and the various shenanigans of EA and Activision have left room for something new to make its mark in the genre. Enter Delta Force: Hawk Ops, which you'll be shocked to hear is not a Trauma Team-style game about performing surgery on birds of prey. Instead, it's a free-to-play military shooter in the Battlefield/CoD mould, based on the series that predates either, and it could be the shot of competence and stability that the genre sorely needs.

Currently running a month-long Alpha, Hawk Ops provides access to two of its three game modes. The first of these, Havoc Warfare, is a classic large-scale attack/defence scenario similar to Battlefield's Rush, with the attacking team trying to capture a linear sequence of control points, and the defending team attempting to hold back the tide until the attackers' collective pool of lives runs dry.

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Vampire Survivors' free Darkasso update is here, complete with new skins, achievements, and Arcanas

Vampire Survivors' free Darkasso update is now available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox, and mobile devices.

"It's been a while since we added a new major feature, so we tried not to spoil the contents of this patch immediately," Poncle teased in the patch notes. "Hope it worked to keep the contents a bit of a surprise."

New additions include nine new extra achievements, a new challenge stage and relic, two new "special character skins", and five new Arcanas to spice up your experience.

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Quell kicked my bum harder than Ring Fit, but is there space for a new gaming fitness obsession?

During Lockdown, the only thing more scarce than flour was Switch fitness game Ring Fit Adventure. It was the perfect thing at the perfect time: a game that provided a home workout in a period when you had to stay home. Strap the controller to you, grab the oversized resistance wheel thing, and get moving. Everyone wanted one, and the desire for it lingered long after Lockdown. Today, Ring Fit has sold more than 15m units - it's one of the most successful games on Switch. Nintendo sensed there was a market and Ring Fit proved it. And it's not just Nintendo: companies like Peloton, with its uber-expensive exercise bike and integrated workout platform, have shown people will pay significant amounts of money to gamify their fitness needs, and it's into this exact space a new challenger has arrived.

It's called Quell and it's currently £190, and I tried it this week and I really liked it. The topline thing you need to know is that it delivers a punishing workout. It's more intense than Ring Fit; after a short demo plus a 20-minute regular session, I was dripping sweat freely on the rug in Quell's smallish London office. There was no air conditioning - enough said. That's not to say Ring Fit can't be intense but it's generally a calmer experience. Quell is designed to push it up a notch.

The second thing to know is that Quell feels more actively gamey than Ring Fit, which I was quite surprised about. It's built with roguelike principles in mind, so you try to see how far you can get in the game but also build and customise a loadout as you go. Do you want this power or that one? That kind of thing. And then between runs, you equip the items you earned, affecting your power and statistics, adding a layer of role-playing game progression to the mix. "Real fitness. Real gaming," is the company's motto, so you get a sense of the areas it's trying to push on.

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Here are the UK's richest developers and players

The Sunday Times has revealed the UK's top 30 wealthiest developers and gamers, including Rockstar's Sam and Dan Houser (#4), Frontiers' David Braben and Wendy Irvin-Braben (#10), and Rebellion's Chris and Jason Kingsley (#14), and Hello Games' Sean Murray (#17).

Other names on The Sunday Times Gaming Rich List include Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg (#25), Alastair "Ali-A" Aiken (#30), and KSI and The Sidemen (=#21).

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GTA: San Andreas VR "on hold indefinitely" Meta confirms, nearly three years after it was announced

If you cast your minds back to October 2021, you may recall the news that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was set to make its way to the VR headset, Oculus Quest 2. While details on the project were thin on the ground at this time, it was said to have been "many years in the making".

However, not quite three years since that initial announcement, Meta has now said work on the VR port is "on hold indefinitely".

In response to a YouTube commenter inquiring as to the whereabouts of GTA: San Andreas VR, the official Meta Quest Vr account replied: "GTA: San Andreas is on hold indefinitely while we both focus on other projects."

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The Elder Scrolls: Castles mobile game launches next month, pre-registration now open

The Elder Scrolls mobile game, The Elder Scrolls: Castles, is set to launch on 10th September.

The Elder Scrolls: Castles - which was quietly released into early access in September 2023 - is now open for pre-registration on both Apple and Android.

From the same "award-winning team" behind Fallout Shelter, The Elder Scrolls: Castles lets you reign supreme over your very own castle and dynasty within The Elder Scrolls universe.

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Tim Sweeney: "No regrets" on Fortnite app store drama, as Epic Game Store launches on mobile in Europe

Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has said he has "no regrets" over his company's decision to break Apple and Google's terms of service back in August 2020 - something that saw the hugely-popular Fortnite booted off both iPhone and Android storefronts.

The carefully choreographed stunt sparked four years of legal wrangling over Apple and Google's app store policies - and has ultimately led to Epic Games launching its own mobile store today on Android worldwide and on iPhone in mainland Europe, thanks to policy changes demanded of Apple by the EU.

"We've probably lost a billion dollars not having Fortnite on iOS the past four years," Sweeney said, in a briefing to press ahead of the Epic Games Store on mobile going live. "But what's the price of freedom?"

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Silent Hill: Ascension wins major award

Genvid's experimental choose-the-outcome, episodic Silent Hill series, Ascension, has won an Emmy.

Genvid CEO Jacob Navok marked the award with a heartfelt post on Twitter/X, stating the Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Innovation in Emerging Media Programming for Silent Hill: Ascension was a "testament to the dedication" of the team.

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Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged gets September release date

The enhanced version of classic point-and-click adventure Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars now has a release date: 19th September.

This "Reforged" version will be available across PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Series X S, Nintendo Switch and PC (Windows, macOS and Linux).

The game's redrawn visuals have been upgraded to 4K, but there's also a new story mode UI including subtle hints aimed at new players.

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What we've been playing - fitness games, old classics, and Dungeons & Dragons

Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing over the past few days. This week, we get sweaty in a new fitness game called Quell; we mull the ways in which Dungeons & Dragons combat is exciting but also frustrating; and Ian goes digging through the crates and revisits a classic.

What have you been playing?

Catch up with the older editions of this column in our What We've Been Playing archive.

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Amazon MMO New World's Aeternum overhaul is having an open beta next month

New World: Aeternum, the latest expansion/do-over for Amazon's middling MMO New World, is having an open beta on 13th September ahead of its full PC and console release in October.

Aeternum, if you're unfamiliar, emerged back in June, amid some confused messaging that didn't entirely make it clear exactly what it was. And, truthfully, Amazon's marketing remains as baffling as ever. The gist, though, is that this is the same MMORPG released back in 2021, albeit with new features and a bit of finessing ahead of its debut on Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

It's got a pacier story (told through in-game cinematics and pre-rendered cut-scenes), combat improvements, cross-platform play, enhanced controller support, and more - while still retaining its other MMO bits like classes, crafting, and questing. Then there's New World's first-ever large-scale PvP zone, a new 10-player raid, end-game solo trials, and other additions.

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Amazon reportedly working on animated anthology TV series featuring Spelunky and other video game worlds

UPDATE 20/8/24: Well, there you go. Following last week's Deadline report, Amazon has officially unveiled Secret Level, a new "adult-animated anthology series featuring original stories set within the worlds of some of the most beloved video games".

It's a 15-episode series from the creators of Love, Death & Robots, and it'll feature stories inspired by Armored Core, Concord, Crossfire, Dungeons & Dragons, Exodus, Honor of Kings, Mega Man, New World: Aeternum, PAC-MAN, Sifu, Spelunky, The Outer Worlds, Unreal Tournament, Warhammer 40,000, and a variety of PlayStation Studios games.

And if that takes your fancy, you'll be wanting to circle 10th December on your calendar - which is when the series arrives on Prime Video - then check out its teaser trailer below.

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Among Us adds Critical Role cosmetics, ahead of Ashley Johnson's role in series

Among Us developer InnerSloth has announced a collaboration with Dungeons and Dragons web series Critical Role.

This collaboration means players can now bedeck their little space beans with a number of items worn by those intrepid members from Vox Machina, Mighty Nein, or Bells Hells. I am talking about Artagan's Incredible Brows Visor or the Dust of Deliciousness Nameplate, to name but two.

"Getting to work alongside the wonderful crew of the hit TTRPG show Critical Role to bring some of their magic to Among Us for Gilmore's Curious Cosmicube has been mind blowing," InnerSloth said. "Be sure to go to our in-game store and spend some Stars before the Cosmicube is gone."

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RetroArch on Apple App Store

RetroArch is now available on the Apple App Store. It is currently available for iPhone, iPad and tvOS. A macOS version on the Apple App Store is planned but no ETA. A new RetroArch version is also coming out soon.

Grounded: An Adult Overview of a Shrunken World

Initial buzz about Grounded was minimal; just an inkling that something fresh might emerge in gaming. Yet its sudden explosion into mainstream consciousness proved otherwise; mesmerizing millions with its blend of survival, exploration, and crafting gameplay. Obsidian Entertainment seems to have created some form of magical shrinking potion that allows us to experience life from an ant's point of view! Grounded was an unexpected sensation that captured everyone's interest surprisingly early. A stealthy title that initially managed to stay under the radar before blossoming into something amazing and inspiring players around the globe; suddenly everyone was talking about survival in backyard environments!

A Familiar Formula, Elevated by Whimsy

Crafting Depth, Overcoming Challenges...

I have spent endless hours wandering among towering blades of grass, building intricate fortresses, and fighting massive insects that would send any arachnophobe shrieking with fear. It is an extraordinary world with beauty as well as fear; every dewdrop could provide life support while spiders could pose grave threats; its ability to transform everyday things into extraordinary experiences is truly astounding. Far from me to recommend to those who buy PS5 games a title that I did not finish and totally enjoyed it. Grounded may contain quirks - software bugs not of the garden variety - which are sometimes annoying, yet these issues are easily overlooked given its sheer joy of discovery. Every corner offers new challenges; discovering an underground cavern or crafting a powerful weapon are always exciting experiences in Grounded!

A Deep Well of Crafting, Rewarding Challenges, and a Tantalizing Story

Stealth and Survival Mechanics

Survival mechanics in Antsy are deceptively deep for such an apparently straightforward premise, from gathering resources, crafting tools, and building your base to exploring your surroundings and fortifying against monstrous insects lurking behind every corner. I spent hours fortifying my base only for it to become overrun with angry ants; an experience both thrilling and frightening at once! A game about being shrunk down seemed like an odd choice of subject matter; yet once I ventured into that unfamiliar and overgrown world I became fascinated and became fully immersed in its strange beauty, creating an unparalleled feeling of discovery!

An Engaging Experience for Both Beginners and Veterans Alike

Every blade of grass and dewdrop holds something special to reveal; there's great pleasure in exploring this miniature world and piecing together what happened here. Grounded's humor also stands out: from absurdly large bugs to its quirky dialogue, Grounded, among PS5 adventure games, manages to be both frightening and delightful at the same time. Grounded stands as proof of what can be accomplished with fresh perspectives and taking risks; its success speaks for itself and millions are playing this beloved title!

Exploiting the System, Embracing the Challenge

Final Thoughts: Exceed Expectations

Obsidian Entertainment has conjured an immersive universe that is both intimate and massive in scale. A backyard that was once mundane transforms into an expansive wilderness where every dewdrop may become its own lake; every pebble becomes its own formidable mountain; not simply another take on "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." Obsidian has created something bolder - an immersion into an alienated reality where survival becomes ever-present anxiety. Grounded isn't without its problems; performance issues may hinder gameplay at times and some of the later game content feels thin at times, yet these are minor drawbacks in what otherwise represents an exceptional package.

Review: Darkest Dungeon II (Nintendo Switch)

Darkest Dungeon II is a turn-based, dungeon crawler, rougelike where you form a party of four and ride a stagecoach into what’s left of the world in an apocalyptic landscape. This game was a good mix of difficult challenges and fun strategy without many bugs, so let’s get into it.

When you first open Darkest Dungeon II, you’re shown a brief disclaimer that basically states that the game is difficult. After that, you get a cutscene that explains the game’s basic story and lore—the world is at its end, and you, a scholar, recruit a band of survivors to help you make a trek up a dangerous mountain to defeat an eldritch monster that resides in the mountain, or die trying.

After this, you hop right into the game. The first thing you do is choose your heroes. There are fourteen heroes from which you select four for your party. You only start with four heroes, but you’ll unlock more as you play.

There are two main parts to the game: the stagecoach and fighting. In the stagecoach, you drive across the land and choose paths to take while running into encounters, fights, and obstacles. The stagecoach is a little difficult to control, as the slightest movement of the joystick will throw the stagecoach from side to side. At the end of each area, you reach an Inn where you can heal your heroes and have them build bonds with each other which will help them out in and out of battle.

It’s during the fights that your choice of heroes matters. They have different stats that make them better or worse at certain things. Movement stats determines their place in the combat order. Each hero can have five moves at a time, and you can unlock more moves that you can change in between battles. The combat can be kind of complicated, but, fortunately, the game has built-in tutorials for every aspect, not just the combat. Besides that, the combat is just downright difficult sometimes. Random number generation can really screw you over in Darkest Dungeon II, so be wary of that.

Outside and within combat, each hero can acquire stress. Stress goes from 0-10. At low levels of stress, not much will happen. At higher levels, however, you’ll start to see some negative banter between the heroes. This will cause your heroes to not like each other as much and cause problems in and out of battle. Once heroes reach stress level 10 there is an 80% chance they will have a meltdown and a 20% chance they will be resolute. Meltdowns debuff the hero and make the other heroes like them less. Becoming resolute does the opposite and heals the hero, buffs them, and makes the other heroes like them more.

Darkest Dungeon II’s graphics are absolutely amazing. The game does an great job of contrasting 2D pictures with 3D models, and it looks beautiful. From the 2D characters and their attacks to the 3D stagecoach and 3D world outside of combat. Everything just fits so well together and is animated together so perfectly. I especially like the gloomy colors used to depict the wasteland of what’s left of the world.

The audio is also very enjoyable. The music isn’t repetitive, and each area is well represented by sound effects. While there isn’t a lot of music, it shifts into different songs after about a six-minute loop. This makes it so fights don’t go stale and are that much more intense and fun.

There was only one bug that I came across in the game and I don’t even know how it happened. While in a fight, the tutorials opened and I was unable to close them no matter what I did. No buttons worked, and it wouldn’t go away until I closed the game and reopened it. Again, I don’t know how it happened, but it’s a highly destructive bug that may cause you to restart a very good play-through.

Darkest Dungeon II is very fun. The graphics and audio are astounding, and the gameplay, while frustrating at times, still makes for a fun and enjoyable experience. When paired with the expertly written story, it makes for a great game. If you like the challenge of rougelites and roguelikes, this game is for you.

The post Review: Darkest Dungeon II (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

Tarsier Studios Announces Horror Adventure Reanimal

At Gamescom Opening Night Live, developer Tarsier Studios and publisher THQ Nordic announced Reanimal, an upcoming horror adventure game in which you play as a brother and sister trying to rescue their missing friends. It features both single player and local and online co-op and will be available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Tarsier […]

Visions of Mana Preview – A Promising Pilgrimage

The demo for Visions of Mana was recently released across platforms, allowing me to check out a chapter of the upcoming RPG from Square Enix and Ouka Studios. Given my experience with the Mana series, I had an approximate knowledge of what to expect from this demo, though it exceeded these expectations in quite a […]

Squid Game Mobile Game Announced by Netflix

Squid Game Unleashed

During GamesCom 2024, Netflix Games officially announced Squid Game: Unleashed, a new mobile multiplayer battle royale inspired by viral Korean show Squid Game. The title places players to a brutal competition, during which they must outlast their opponents in a series of deadly challenges both familiar from the original series and new. While a specific release date has not yet been announced, the game is expected to launch "soon."

You can watch the official announcement trailer from gamescom 2024 below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0nXN7nz9Es

Squid Game: Unleashed will feature ragdoll physics and cartoon violence, adding an exaggerated twist to the gameplay based on the deadly series. Players will compete in online multiplayer matches, navigating through various twisted contests based on the original show’s deadly games, as well as new games inspired by classic childhood activities.

This release comes as part of Netflix's broader push into gaming, which includes the formation of its first in-house game studio in Helsinki, Finland, led by former Zynga and EA executive Marko Lastikka. Netflix has been expanding its game library, which includes titles like Before Your Eyes and Into the Breach.

Squid Game: Unleashed is set to be released on mobile platforms through the Netflix Mobile App. The first season of Squid Game is on the service now, with season 2 debuting on December 26, 2024. The reality show based on the property is also on Netflix.

The post Squid Game Mobile Game Announced by Netflix appeared first on Siliconera.

Rare and Dlala to discuss leadership through times of change at the GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit

Leaders from Rare and Dlala will join a special panel to discuss how to support and lead development teams during times of intense change.

The panel will end this year's GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit, which will take place at London's Royal Institution on September 18. Tickets are on sale here.

Rare studio boss Craig Duncan and chief of staff Harriet Manson will join Dlala CEO Aj Grand-Scrutton and COO Gemma Foster in a discussion around the rapid rate of change happening inside and outside of the games industry, such as on-going challenges posed by economic, political and global unrest. With Rare sharing insight from within a major Microsoft-owned AAA studio, and Dlala discussing their experiences on the indie side, the discussion will centre on the role of leadership in helping their employees navigate change, and will offer actionable advice and tips for leaders and HR professionals.

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Reforged Studios acquires Ground Shatter and Extra Mile Studios

Game publisher Reforged Studios has acquired Ground Shatter and Extra Mile Studios.

Ground Shatter is led by founder and director James Parker, and is the developer behind roguelike deck-builder Fights in Tight Spaces.

Extra Mile Studios is led by Bobby Farmer, and is known for providing co-developer services on Revolution Software's Broken Swords series.

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Release Date Announced

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Release Date

A release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been announced. The game will be released for PC and Xbox Series X/S on December 9, 2024, plus a PS5 release in 2025.

The release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was announced alongside a new trailer led by Troy Baker. The ubiquitous voice actor will be portraying the famous archaeologist in the game. In the trailer, we got to see snippets of gameplay, including the combat making use of brawling, shooting and Indy's iconic whip. Some puzzle gameplay was also shown off, including the use of photgraphy to help solve these challenges.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STrKl828Aeg

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was first announced in a teaser by developer MachineGames in 2021. The game initally appeared to be an Xbox exclusive following Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda, and since been shown off in Xbox presentations such as the January 2024 Developer Direct and Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024. It is the latest of a long line of Indiana Jones games, from LucasArts point-and-click adventures in the 1980s to the Lego Indiana Jones games of more recent years.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will release on Xbox Series X/S and PC on December 9, 2024. It will also release on PS5 in Spring 2025.

The post Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Release Date Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

Payload Studios lays off 25% of staff

TerraTech developer Payload Studios has announced a wave of layoffs affecting 25% of its workforce.

CEO and founder Russ Clarke shared the news on LinkedIn, citing the "struggles of affecting the wider industry" for the decision.

"We tried very hard to avoid this, and I won't pretend that we got everything right over the last few years – but ultimately the games market has been very tough in recent times, and shows little sign of getting easier," Clarke wrote.

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Amazon orders new animated video game anthology series, Secret Level

Amazon Video is reportedly developing a new adult-animated anthology series based on video games called Secret Level.

According to Deadline's sources, the same team behind Amazon's Love, Death & Robots series has also signed up to create original short stories "set within the worlds of beloved video games, such as Amazon Games' New World, Spelunky, and unspecified "PlayStation titles."

The show will be produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Tim Miller's Blur studio. Dave Wilson has apparently signed on to serve as supervising director and executive producer.

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Honkai: Star Rail GamesCom Trailer Teases Feixiao and UBW

star rail gamescom

During GamesCom 2024, HoYoVerse released a new trailer for Honkai: Star Rail, teasing new character Feixiao and the upcoming Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works collaboration. More details on both will appear closer to the release date.

You can watch the Honkai: Star Rail GamesCom trailer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huTDtxqzKgE

It’s also available in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

The trailer starts with Guinaifen describing Feixiao’s exploits on the battlefield, though she can’t really remember everything. Feixiao actually appears to defeat a borisin about to attack, but she’s just asking for directions. Then, the trailer temporarily shifts to an anime style to show Pom-Pom, Caelus, March, and Dan Heng on the Astral Express. They hear a kind of explosion noise and though you can’t see who appeared on the train, it’s most likely to be EMIYA between his voice and the line he says.

The Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works collaboration event will come out some time in Summer 2025. At this point in time, we don’t know if the crossover will only be skins, or if we will actually get a playable character like how Aloy appeared in Genshin Impact. As for Feixiao, she will be a 5-star Wind Hunt character. Before her debut though, we have her subordinate Jiaoqiu coming out in the second phase of Version 2.4. He’ll be a 5-star Fire Nihility who specializes in a unique DoT.

Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. Feixiao will appear as a playable character in Honkai: Star Rail Versioin 2.5.

The post Honkai: Star Rail GamesCom Trailer Teases Feixiao and UBW appeared first on Siliconera.

Foretold Studios is struggling to pay wages, leaving staff "begging" for help

Tollan Universe developer Foretold Studios is reportedly struggling to pay its staff.

According to a report by Game Developer, the problems date back to at least last September, with current and former staff accusing CEO Michael Kuvshynov of failing to communicate transparently with staff about alleged cashflow issues, and actively recruiting new hires whilst owing outstanding wages to current and former employees.

Staff who worked at Foretold state they're still owed several months' pay, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars. One said that they had to "beg" for $200 to cover basic needs, and whilst Foretold did eventually acquiesce, initially the CEO wanted to pay them in cryptocurrency.

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Farewell North launch trailer

Od: Brian

Mooneye Studios distributed a final trailer for Farewell North, an open world adventure experience. This one just recently arrived on Switch. Here’s an overview of the game, courtesy of the eShop listing: In Farewell North you take on the unique role of a border collie restoring color to your human’s world. Explore the hand-crafted, atmospheric islands inspired by the Scottish...

The post Farewell North launch trailer appeared first on Nintendo Everything.

A.I.L.A. is a First-Person Horror Game Coming to PC in 2025

Developer Pulsatrix Studios and publisher Fireshine Games have unveiled a new first-person horror game, A.I.L.A. Set in the near-future, the game will have players take on the role of game tester—Samuel—for a new fictional AI. Check out the trailer below.

As part of his job of being a game tester, Samuel will have to take on unsettling scenarios created by the AI by tapping into his darkest fears. The game hopes to tackle a host of different horror sub-genres throughout its different levels, with players having to take on cults, take part in medieval combat, and solve intense puzzles.

A.I.L.A. is being developed using Unreal Engine 5, and will be making use of the engine’s advanced graphical technologies including Lumen and MetaHuman. The game hopes to be an atmospheric game that immerses players deeply in its many worlds.

A.I.L.A. is slated for release on PC in 2025, and currently has a listing on Steam where it can be wishlisted.

ARC Raiders Will Not be Free-to-Play, Out in 2025

Developer Embark Studios has announced that extraction shooter ARC Raiders will be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025, and will be priced at $39.99. Announcing the release window is a new trailer, which you can check out below.

The studio has also announced that playtesting for the PC version of ARC Raiders is slated to kick off on October 24, going on until October 27. The studio also notes that, while ARC Raiders was originally announced as a free-to-play game, it will instead be sold as a premium game.

“There are many reasons for this change, and they all boil down to our conviction that a premium business model is a better fit for the type of game we’re building,” said the studio. “A premium model allows us to create a more focused, balanced, and engaging action-survival experience.”

ARC Raiders will have players setting off out of the safety of their underground colony in order to scavenge and hunt for resources. Along the way, players will have to deal with ARC machines, as well as other players, who will also be competing for the loot.

The decision to turn ARC Raiders into a survival extraction shooter from its original vision as a third-person co-op shooter was announced back in May 2023.

Infinity Nikki Trailer is Full of Cute and Wondrous Creatures

Of the many upcoming open-world games, Papergames is touting Infinity Nikki as the coziest. While its last trailer focused on changing outfits and navigating the massive world of Miraland, the latest is about many of the creatures that inhabit its world. And what better way to showcase this than with a musical number? Check it out below.

It’s not just about cats, sheep and odd-looking chickens, though. Some creatures, like the massive grounded bird with a crown and buttons for eyes, look downright threatening. Other smaller creatures run around, causing chaos, and a giant bird swoops over fields. The development team hasn’t clarified its purpose, though it could be a flying mount.

Infinity Nikki is in development for PS4, PS5, PC, iOS, and Android. It doesn’t have a release window, but a beta has been announced for Q3 2024. Stay tuned for more details and check out some extensive gameplay from ChinaJoy 2024.

Battle Bards Episode 233: Epic fight music

For Battle Bards’ penultimate episode, Syp and Syl explore some EPIC battle music across many MMOs. After all, if we’re going to go out in style, that style’s going to be loud enough to blast a hole in your eardrums! We also learn that nobody likes the Flute Guy. Battle Bards is the world’s first, best, […]

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Once Human celebrates over 10M downloads and Steam top-seller spots with free login goodies

There are evidently a lot of people who are eager to jump into the free-to-play survival shooter Once Human, even in spite of the game’s technical problems. That’s according to NetEase’s latest PR, which counts over 10 million downloads worldwide and some chart-topping success on Steam. In addition to the number of downloads (not active […]
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