Graduate from the Royal Academy of Magic in Five Years or Play at Your Own Pace 

BURLINGAME, Calif. – July 13, 2023 – Today, KOEI TECMO America and developer GUST Studios proudly announce that Atelier Marie Remake: Alchemist of Salburg is now digitally available for the Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®5 Computer Entertainment System, PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System, and Windows PC via Steam®. This re-imagined take on the classic title includes all-new graphics along with plenty of new elements to enhance the gaming experience as KOEI TECMO celebrates the 25^th anniversary of the beloved Atelier game series.

In Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg, players are reintroduced to Marie, a struggling student at the Royal Academy of Magic, whose teacher lends her an alchemy atelier for her upcoming graduation exam. Marie’s ultimate goal is to create an item within five years that will satisfy her teacher, but to do this, she’ll need to improve her alchemy skills, gather materials, and earn money for reference books and tools, as well as hire adventurers. Where to start is up to the player, as they’ll be able to navigate the game at their own pace in this carefree adventure, with the ultimate goal to graduate from the academy. 

This modern version of the classic game includes all-new graphics, new 2D illustrations, and cute “chibi”-style character models. While maintaining the simple and highly flexible playability of the original game, Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg also introduces a tutorial, helpful clues via “Professor Ingrid’s Tasks”, and an Unlimited Mode for a carefree adventure.

In addition, players can now discover freshly written additional events for a completely new scenario where they are able to learn intimate details about the characters that were not in the original story. Players are also able to win rewards by completing the six fun and exciting minigames, remade for the latest platforms, and immortalize their adventure with the all-new Photo Mode.

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is available in both a standard and Digital Deluxe Edition. This premium version of the game includes the original game “Atelier Marie Plus: The Alchemist of Salburg”, the “Gust Extra BGM Pack” and “Another Look” Costume Set. A Digital Deluxe Upgrade Pack is also available digitally and includes all the items of the Digital Deluxe Edition except for the standard version of the game. 

In celebration of the 25^th Anniversary of the Atelier series, two free DLCs are available for all players; the “25 Glasses” accessory, and the Atelier Series Legacy BGM Pack. For more information on Atelier Marie Remake: Alchemist of Salburg, be sure to visit the official site, Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/koeitecmous and Follow us on Twitter @koeitecmoUS.

ABOUT KOEI TECMO AMERICA CORP.

KOEI TECMO AMERICA CORP. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Burlingame, California. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. KOEI is best known for its Dynasty Warriors® and Samurai Warriors® franchises. TECMO is best known for the Dead or Alive®, Ninja Gaiden®, Tecmo Bowl®, and Fatal Frame® series.

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©KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. All rights reserved. GUST is a trademark of KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. The KT logo is a trademark of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

“PlayStation”, “PS5”, and “PS4” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo. ©2023 Valve Corporation. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Five Years in the Making!

“Wake up guardian, wake up last savior. All the high humans have fallen. You are the last hope of this land. Bring order and wipe out chaos and darkness. The unspeakable has occurred, the unholy marriage of a High-human and darkness seed.” 

New York, United States, Thursday 13th July, 2023: Fairyship Games, a small US-based developer with a focus on narrative-based titles, is excited to confirm forthcoming action-adventure RPG Testament: The Order of High Human will launch on Steam and Epic Store later today.

Also in development for a later release on both Xbox and PlayStation, Testament: The Order of High Human is an original first-person, story-based action-adventure RPG where players will assume the role of Aran – the king of High humans in the land of Tessara – as he stands as the guardian of the realm. 

Betrayed by his brother, Arva, and robbed of his powers as the world around him is plunged into darkness and overrun by ominous creatures, Aran sets about regaining his powers and confronting Arva to restore Tessara to its former glory. Along his way he’ll upgrade his sword, bow, and magic abilities as players begin to develop their own unique fighting style. 

Watch the brand new out today trailer here!

In short, Testament: The Order of High Human is a tale of a fallen king’s journey to save his realm from darkness and destruction. It’s an adventure designed to pay homage to leagues of different games and genres those at – the 15 people strong – FairyShip Games all grew up playing. 

“We’ve been working on Testament: The Order of High Human’s for the best part of five years and, for the majority of that time, just a small core team of 15 people,” offers co-creator and studio co-founder Moe Naderi. “Now it’s launch day and the nerves are high – this means so much to all of us here – but we can’t wait to see what people make of the world we’ve created and the story we want to tell.”

In Testament: The Order of High Human you can:

• Experience an immersive combat style based around three different approaches, each one designed to offer their own unique traits players can specialize in.
• Master sword game-play with a variation of destructive and elemental combos.
• Take charge of 16 magic abilities including single-target spells, traps, Area of Effect (AoE attacks), Damage per Second (DPS), and defensive spells. 
• Utilize a magical bow with four different types of arrows such as normal arrow, ricochet arrow, explosive arrow, and passthrough arrow.
• Take advantage of a grand XP and upgrade system that motivates players to fully explore every land and dungeon. 
• Experience unique gameplay areas with exciting platforming that reminds of the nostalgic excitement from retro 2D platformers.
• Take charge of a brand new ‘Eclipse System’, based on gameplay entities called eyes of darkness.It consists of 3 different gameplay mechanics that can work separately or together to deliver exciting encounters and challenges. 
• Use more than 18 consumables at the player’s disposal. These craftable items can alter the player’s health and mana or create enhancements on the players belongings and surroundings. Using them together can deliver advantages to help players shape their own playing style. 
• Take on more than 40 main and side-quests, carefully crafted and relevant to the games consistent storytelling. 
• Experience strong and engaging storytelling with a nonlinear narrative style. 

Testament: The Order of High Human has been in development for the past four and a half years by a small team of 15 people with a passion for storytelling. The game will launch later today on Steam and Epic Store for $34.99/€34.99/£29.99. Details on the PlayStation and Xbox launches will follow.

About Faryship Games

Fairyship Games is an American video game developer and publisher founded by Moe and Joe Naderi in 2017. With our (past) experience and aspiration we would like to introduce ourselves as a studio who makes games with solid gameplay while telling good stories for gamers.

Today, Xbox announced that, starting this week, it’s releasing a new platform-wide, reactive voice reporting feature to Xbox Insiders, allowing players to capture and report inappropriate in-game voice chats. As the next step in Xbox’s safety innovation, voice reporting – specifically for in-game chat – was targeted as this is an area where players have the highest opportunity to interact with players outside their friend network. Xbox’s player reporting now covers all content including text, image, video and voice.

The feature, part of Xbox’s larger moderation suite, equips Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One players with the ability to capture a 60-second video clip of an in-game voice incident that they believe violates our Community Standards and submit it as evidence to our Xbox Safety Team for review, who will evaluate the user report and determine if a policy violation took place. We’ve also made updates to our notification features so the player that submitted the report will get a notification about whether or not Xbox took action on the report submitted.

The process follows a ‘capture now, report later’ scenario, meaning players can initiate a report while in a game, capture the audio containing the speech in question, return to their game, minimizing disruption to play. The clip lives on player’s console for 24 online hours, giving them the flexibility to either submit immediately or wait until they’re ready. Xbox will also send a reminder to report if players haven’t completed one within the 24 online hour period. If they decide not to report, the clip will be erased from consoles automatically.

This feature was built after much research and feedback from the player community, including Xbox Ambassadors. It will go out first to the Xbox Insiders program before becoming widely available to the console player base in English-language speaking markets (US, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand). Xbox is actively exploring and testing additional languages.

Xbox knows that each player has an important role to play in its thriving and growing community, and is calling for players to step up for one another, be active allies, and report any experiences of toxicity.

Raise The Woof with Little Friends: Puppy Island, Available Now on Nintendo Switch

Sydney, Australia – 13^th July 2023: Explore a paradise island and meet adorable puppy pals in Little Friends: Puppy Island, an un-paw-gettable island adventure, available now on the Nintendo Switch™ system.

Watch the Launch trailer here

Become best friends with Shibas, Labradors, Corgis, Huskies, Dachshunds and more in a totally labradorable adventure. Go for walks across exciting locations, dig up hidden treasures, build and expand your holiday resort, and meet lovable pups to care for on your very own tropical island.

Dress up your puppies with over 350 outfits and accessories, and explore sandy beaches, snowy mountains, cherry blossom sanctuaries and more. Care for your puppies by bathing, feeding, brushing, walking and playing with them. Find the paw-fect locations to build new accessory shops and activity stations, and level up your puppies’ skills to discover new areas of the island and become the ultimate pup stars.

FEATURES:

• Little Friends On Holiday! – Set off on an exciting new adventure that takes your puppy-care experience even further! Explore an entire paradise island, find exciting new locations, dig up treasures and embrace your adventurous side with your new Little Friends.
• Explore Puppy Island! – Take your lovable companion out on their very own adventure across an island filled with puppies! Discover sandy beaches, snowy mountains, cherry blossom sanctuaries and so much more! What will you uncover on your adventure?
• Become Puppy Pals! – Become friends with 9 different breeds of puppies and find the perfect companions to enjoy your adventure with! Meet new puppies while out on walks and bring them home to care for them. Take photos using the in-game camera to make memories that last a lifetime.
• Build The Ultimate Puppy Paradise! – Discover new locations throughout the island to build new toy, clothing and accessory shops and unlock pawsome new items for your puppies!
• Enjoy Puppy Care! – Brush, bathe, feed and play with your pups to give them everything they need for their adventures! Improve their obedience, agility, endurance & more, levelling up their stats to gain access to exciting new areas of the island.
• Dress Up Your Pup! – With over 350 colorful outfits and accessories to choose from, find your puppy’s own unique style! From tiaras and dresses to mohawks and sunglasses, customise your puppy’s look however you like!

Little Friends: Puppy Island is available on Nintendo Switch today at physical retailers.

About Fireshine Games

Fireshine Games is a global publisher of digital and physical videogames based in London, England. Originally established in 2014 under the name Sold Out, Fireshine Games works with studio giants such as Team 17, Rebellion and Frontier Developments as well as introducing new indie dev studios to the world like Pugstorm, Stonewheat & Sons, Spiral Circus, ColePowered Games and many more – publishing for physical and digital distribution. Fireshine is also part of the EG7 group of companies.

About Big Blue Bubble

Big Blue Bubble is an established video game developer with over 15 years of experience creating fun, innovative, and accessible titles. With more than 100 titles to date, Big Blue Bubble maintains a proven track record of being the first to market with a variety of innovations in technology and game design, establishing the company as a long-standing industry veteran. Big Blue Bubble’s commitment to producing fun, engaging games has earned the studio recognition from prestigious organizations around the world, such as Deloitte, BAFTA, and IGN. Big Blue Bubble continues to produce award-winning titles that stand the test of time, including their top-grossing flagship franchise,

Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo.

Executed by emerging publisher headed by former senior tinyBuild and Adult Swim Games vets

GLOBAL – 12 July, 2023 – Desynced, the beltless automation RTS hybrid featuring fully customizable units from publisher Forklift Interactive and developer Stage Games, launches on Windows PC via Steam Early Access on Tuesday, 15 August, 2023. Founded by former tinyBuild Publishing Director and Adult Swim Games Product Lead, Forklift Interactive will take strategy fans to a satisfying, synchronized haven in the publisher’s debut title. Starting today, players will be able to enroll for the closed playtest on the Steam page.

Take refuge on a foreign planet, blooming with life and endless possibilities. Work alone or with a team to erect and automate a bustling base of operations, further scientific advancement, and repair the ship. Dispatch base units equipped with a variety of highly customizable, interchangeable attachments to explore an expansive, procedurally generated landscape ripe with untold dangers and valuable resources.

Once an optimal location has been established, send bots toting the latest in mining technology to harvest metal and laterite ore, crystal clusters, and other native resources. Don other robots with fabricators to manufacture metal plates and enforced frames, crafting the beginnings of a successful operation. Wield these building blocks to strategically construct foundational facilities and produce vital pieces of technology. 

Bolster structures with defensive add-ons such as turrets, shields, and others to withstand attacks from droves of hostile indigenous creatures and rival factions in multiplayer matches. Once fortified, traverse diverse biomes including lush grasslands, dense forests, rocky plateaus, and more to discover new materials for further expansion. Weather evolving climate changes while developing advanced technology to break into unexplorable areas, blights, and gather new materials.

Experiment with thousands of layout possibilities to create a free flowing, fully automated hub. Utilize a complex tech tree to further research and develop more advanced hardware. Create new challenges by adjusting the hostility level of alien lifeforms and uncover hidden secrets in the mysterious world ahead. 

“Desynced features automation without belts,” said Andrei Podoprigora, CEO, Forklift Interactive. “Instead of managing the flow of materials, players must learn to manage the behavior of their bots. Fans of automation, base-building, and even RTS games will find something to love as they strive to build, explore, and survive on an alien world.” 

Desynced will launch worldwide on Tuesday, 15 August, 2023 for Windows PC via Steam Early Access for $29.99. For more information, please visit the game’s official website, join the community on Twitter and Discord, and search #DesyncedGame on social media.

About Stage Games Inc.

Stage Games Inc. is an independent game developer based in Tokyo, Japan. The studio was formed by industry veterans who have worked with major Japanese publishers and developers internationally across all major platforms. They are currently developing their first title, Desynced.

For more information, please visit the official website and follow the team on Twitter.

About Forklift Interactive

Forklift Interactive is a Barcelona and Atlanta-based indie publisher founded by experienced industry veterans and former tinyBuild Publishing Director, Andrei Podoprigora, and Adult Swim Games Product Lead, Tuсker Dean. They specialize in the production of deep, endless, system-driven games with player created narratives. They’re currently publishing their first title, Desynced. 

For more information, please visit the official website and follow the team on Twitter. 

The classic 16-bit horror game comes to the West for the first time

Valencia, Calif. – July 12, 2023 – The clock is ticking for the modern release of a survival-horror classic! Independent game studio WayForward, alongside publishing partners Sunsoft and Limited Run Games, is frightfully excited to announce that an enhanced version of the original 16-bit Clock Tower is headed to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC in early 2024, marking the first time this terrifying initial adventure in the popular horror series will officially be translated and released in North America and Europe. A new behind-the-scenes video, as shown at the LRG3 digital event, can be seen at below:

Originally released on Super Famicom in 1995 in Japan, Clock Tower traps players in the haunting confines of the Barrows family manor, where they’ll be pursued by Scissorman, a murderous, shears-wielding psychopath. As teenage orphan Jennifer Simpson, players will use a point-and-click interface to explore the mansion and search every disturbing corner to find items, reveal secrets, and discover ways to survive Scissorman’s assaults. Without any offensive capabilities, Jennifer must rely on her wits and resourcefulness if she has any hope of escaping with her life and earning one of the game’s multiple endings. A tense atmosphere, chilling sound effects, detailed 2D animations, and randomized elements to maximize replayability demonstrate why Clock Tower is considered a groundbreaking pioneer in the survival-horror genre.

Harnessing the power of Limited Run Games’ Carbon Engine, this new edition of Clock Tower retains the authentic gameplay, graphics, and sound of the original version while also adding modern features and enhancements. These include a new vocal theme song performed by Mary McGlynn (Silent Hill series), a new animated opening, motion-comic cutscenes before and after the game, a bonus art gallery, border artwork, save states, multiple language options, and more. Clock Tower will be published digitally in North America and Europe by WayForward, followed by a physical version that will be offered on select platforms by Limited Run Games. Further details, including information on the physical preorder window, will be announced at a later date. For the latest news, please visit www.wayforward.com and www.limitedrungames.com, and follow @wayforward and @limitedrungames on social media.

Key Features

• A survival-horror classic, officially translated and brought out of Japan for the first time
• Run, hide, and survive as you attempt to evade the psychotic Scissorman
• Atmospheric 2D art, detailed animations, and haunting sound effects
• Multiple endings and randomized gameplay elements maximize replayability (and jump scares)
• New animated opening, motion-comic cutscenes, and vocal theme song performed by Mary McGlynn
• Art gallery, save states, and other modern enhancements

About WayForward

Based in Valencia, California, WayForward was founded in 1990 and has remained an independent game developer for more than 30 years. It is home to many talented individuals including programmers, environment artists, animators, modelers, illustrators, audio wizards, designers, and team leaders. With new avenues for distributing games directly to fans, they are finally able to make the games they have always wanted to.

About Limited Run Games

Limited Run Games is a subsidiary of “Freemode,” an operative group comprised of gaming and entertainment companies owned by Embracer. Limited Run Games is the industry leader in the production and distribution of premium physical video games. Limited Run seeks to celebrate the legacy of gaming through its award-winning collector’s editions. Founded in 2015, they have published over 1,000 physical games, exclusive merch, and collectibles. Limited Run is the gold standard in bringing digital games to physical form and now re-releasing retro titles on modern platforms via their proprietary Carbon Engine. Visit limitedrungames.com for the latest offerings and to learn more about Carbon Engine development. Follow the brand on your social media platform of choice for all LRG-related updates: @limitedrungames.

Five games’ worth of preposterous high-class slapfests are headed exclusively to Nintendo Switch

Valencia, Calif. – July 12, 2023 – High society is about to get a smackdown! Independent game studio WayForward, in conjunction with Japanese developer NIGORO, is excited to announce that they will be bringing Rose & Camellia Collection, the absurd one-on-one slap-fight anthology, exclusively to Nintendo Switch. Featuring five games, more than 30 characters, and all-new English voicework, Rose & Camellia Collection is scheduled to be published digitally by WayForward in North America and Europe in late 2023 or early 2024. A trailer showcasing the ridiculous gameplay and gorgeous animated intro sequence (complete with vocal theme song) can be seen below:

Rose & Camellia Collection tells the tale of an over-the-top upper-crust inheritance battle spread across five games: Rose & Camellia, Rose & Camellia 2, crossover title Rose & Camellia vs. La-Mulana, and all-new entries Rose & Camellia 3 and 4 (debuting in this collection). As tensions and tempers rise amidst the division of family wealth and power, so do open hands, resulting in a series of ludicrous one-on-one slap battles between the all-female cast. Using either immersive Joy-Con motion controls or touch-screen swipes, players will smack some respect into their aristocratic adversaries by slapping, dodging, feinting, and countering until only one heiress is left standing.

Initially debuting in the early 2000s as a hit online Flash series, Rose & Camellia Collection marks the first time the saga will be available on a dedicated gaming console, providing the definitive versions of the included games by adding high-definition visuals, full English voiceovers (plus text in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Japanese), an anime-style opening, and two all-new vocal songs by frequent WayForward collaborator Cristina “Vee” Valenzuela. Complementing the single-player story mode, the collection also offers a new competitive two-player local versus mode, in which one player controls one of the heroines, and the other plays as one of the villains. In addition to the digital version of the game available through the Nintendo Switch eShop, a glamorous physical version of Rose & Camellia Collection will be sold through publisher Limited Run Games; further details about the physical edition will be made on Limited Run’s channels in the future. For more information about Rose & Camellia Collection and other WayForward titles, please visit www.wayforward.com and follow @wayforward on Twitter and Facebook.

About WayForward

Based in Valencia, California, WayForward was founded in 1990 and has remained an independent game developer for more than 30 years. We are home to many talented individuals including programmers, environment artists, animators, modelers, illustrators, audio wizards, designers, and team leaders. With the new avenues for distributing games directly to fans we are finally able to make the games we have always wanted to.

The lost GBA game will be the last GBA game!

Valencia, Calif. – July 12, 2023 – Shantae is back in a Game Boy Advance game 20 years in the making! Independent game studio WayForward, alongside publisher Limited Run Games, is thrilled to announce that Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution — the long-lost sequel to the original Shantae — is back in development after being put on the shelf for nearly two decades. Building off the original game code from the early 2000s, this once-canceled title will be completed and released physically on a Game Boy Advance-compatible game cartridge. A new behind-the-scenes video, as revealed at the LRG3 digital event, can be seen below

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution reunites the design team of Shantae creator Erin Bozon, series director Matt Bozon, and programmer Michael Stragey, who are using GBA-era development tools to authentically complete the handheld experience that was planned so many years ago. Previously existing only in unfinished demo form, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution will be released as a full game with all of the hair-whipping, belly-dancing action that Shantae fans have come to expect, along with multiple chapters, numerous towns and labyrinths, six creature transformations, fierce bosses, and a soundtrack by acclaimed composer Maddie Lim, plus a 4-player battle mode.

“Restoring the lost Shantae sequel has been an incredible adventure!” says Matt Bozon, Shantae series director. “After reuniting as a team, we restored the original game demo, and now are working hard to complete the full game on original hardware! This isn’t a demake or a new retro-style game, but an actual GBA-era title that was lost to time. We paused development in 2004, and now we’re back at it nearly 20 years later with the same tools, hardware, and Link Cables that we were using back then. It’s crazy, it feels impossible, but it’s happening! We’re on a time-travel mission to save Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, and finally bring it to the fans!”

Filling in the gaps between the original Shantae (2002) and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge (2010), Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution sees Shantae protecting Sequin Land from a twisted new plot orchestrated by her nemesis, the pirate Risky Boots. Using a secret subterranean device, Risky is able to rotate and rearrange the continent, plunging it into chaos and giving her more coastal cities to plunder. Fortunately, by harnessing this technology and the knowledge of the Relic Hunters, players will be able to turn the tables on Risky, giving Shantae new paths through environments and a chance to thwart the villain’s scheme. Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution will be released as a physical Game Boy Advance-compatible game cartridge published by Limited Run Games with an estimated release date of early 2024. Additional information, including dates for the game’s preorder window, will be announced in the future. For the latest news, please visit www.wayforward.com and www.limitedrungames.com, and follow @wayforward and @limitedrungames on social media.

About WayForward

Based in Valencia, California, WayForward was founded in 1990 and has remained an independent game developer for more than 30 years. It is home to many talented individuals including programmers, environment artists, animators, modelers, illustrators, audio wizards, designers, and team leaders. With new avenues for distributing games directly to fans, they are finally able to make the games they have always wanted to.

About Limited Run Games

Limited Run Games is a subsidiary of “Freemode,” an operative group comprised of gaming and entertainment companies owned by Embracer. Limited Run Games is the industry leader in the production and distribution of premium physical video games. Limited Run seeks to celebrate the legacy of gaming through its award-winning collector’s editions. Founded in 2015, they have published over 1,000 physical games, exclusive merch, and collectibles. Limited Run is the gold standard in bringing digital games to physical form and now re-releasing retro titles on modern platforms via their proprietary Carbon Engine. Visit limitedrungames.com for the latest offerings and to learn more about Carbon Engine development. Follow the brand on your social media platform of choice for all LRG-related updates: @limitedrungames.