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Hunt: Showdown Update 1.12 Adds New Player Onboarding Tutorials, Questlines, Rewards & More

FRANKFURT, Germany March 29, 2023 Hunt: Showdown, the award-winning, high-stakes, tactical PvPvE FPS from Crytek, received a substantial new update today. Available now on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox, Update 1.12 adds two Questlines with all-new rewards, a range of improvements and bug fixes, and dramatically improves the new player onboarding experience with two bonus tutorials.

New Tutorials

Two new tutorials enable gamers to get up to speed with Hunt‘s unique bounty-hunting gameplay quickly and easily, with Doug Cockle from The Witcher franchise voicing veteran Hunter/tutorial guide John Victor. The Basic Tutorial explains Hunt‘s core mechanics, including controls, gunplay, monsters, and more. Upon first completion, players will receive a Tier 1 Hunter, as well as the rewards earned during the tutorial. Players can then go on to complete the Advanced Tutorial or access it separately later. In the Advanced Tutorial, Hunters will find a Clue to locate a Boss Target, then fight and banish it before extracting with their reward. Both tutorials allow players to hone their skills quickly before taking the fight to the bayou.

New Questlines

Update 1.12 also adds two new Questlines—The Ward of the Reptilian (available March 29 through May 1, 2023) and Vengeance of the Skinned, which will follow soon after. Each Questline offers Hunters new activities and valuable rewards to earn across six acts, including unlocking new weapon variants, Legendary equipment, and more. For the first time, players can complete quests within Questlines together, meaning that other team members can now contribute to each other’s progress during a match. For example, if your quest is to “Kill enemy Hunters,” your teammate’s kills will also count towards completing the quest.

New Wildcard Contract

Building on the success of the Devil’s Moon Live Event, which introduced the Inferno, a map-altering set of wildfires, Update 1.12 adds a new Wildcard Contract option which, when selected, allows Hunters to join a queue of other players who wish to hunt in the bayou during the Night Time of Day.

Solo Player Improvements, Combat Logs & More

Update 1.12 adds damage history to combat logs, as requested by members of the Hunt: Showdown community. Players can now see up to 90 seconds of activity before their demise to understand how they were killed and what they can do better next time, with detailed stats included. The update also adds new Solo-only conditional effects for specific Traits, to help level the playing field for those who dare to take on teams of Hunters alone. Audio, gameplay, and weapon improvements also arrive in the update, alongside various bug fixes.

Players can read the complete list of changes in the Update 1.12 patch notes, as well as learn more about the game, by visiting www.huntshowdown.com. Hunt: Showdown is out now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

About Hunt: Showdown

Hunt: Showdown is a competitive first-person bounty hunting game that packs the thrill of survival games into a match-based format. Set in Louisiana in 1895, the game boasts a mixture of PvP and PvE elements which create a uniquely tense experience. It’s not just the monsters who are a threat—it’s every Hunter on the map. In the classic Bounty Hunt game mode, a match pits 12 players—playing solo or in teams of two or three —against each other as they race to take out gruesome monsters for a bounty that they must collect and extract off the map. Hunt‘s Quickplay mode offers a shorter match, where solo players scavenge for weapons as they compete for a diminishing pool of bounty. The higher the risk, the higher the reward–but a single mistake could cost you everything. Hunt is available now on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox. For more information, visit www.huntshowdown.com.

Face Off Against the Monstrous Flying Howler in Season 3 of The Cycle: Frontier, Out Today 

With advanced anti-cheat measures, the end of server wipes, improved weapons, and more, prospects have never been sweeter on Fortuna III!

BERLIN March 29, 2023 The Cycle: Frontier‘s third season, “Breakthrough,” lands today on Steam and the Epic Games Store. With this latest season of exciting content and quality-of-life-improvements, The Cycle: Frontier introduces the deadly flying Howler monster, additional anti-cheat measures, new changes to weapons, a campaign and tutorial overhaul, upgrades to Prospect Station, and the long-awaited end of server wipes.

Anti-cheat measures have been a major focus for YAGER since launch, and “Breakthrough” adds new features to combat the problem. The team’s biggest innovation is the new Victim Compensation System, which refunds items to players who were killed by cheaters. This is bolstered by Shielded Matchmaking, which recognizes Trusted Status players and works to prevent cheaters from circumventing their bans, as well as a variety of third-party anti-cheat software which The Cycle: Frontier uses to help ensure the fun is kept fair.

With no more mandatory server wipes after the release of Season 3, YAGER has rebalanced the game and economy of The Cycle: Frontier with a more long-term focus, mostly influencing the endgame for Prospectors, like making high-end gear more valuable. Campaigns have also been reworked with new endgame quest lines and will continue to grow in the future.

Keep your eyes (and ears) open for Season 3’s big new threat: the Howler, a massive flying enemy that’s dangerous both from a distance and at close range. The Howler promises great rewards for those who can defeat it, but doing so will be no simple task!

You’ll have a little help staying alive against this challenge and more with the rollout of MKII weapons. These new variations of existing in-game weapons are generally stronger and of a higher-quality tier than their classic counterparts, featuring different power levels, attachments and more. But they can only be found on the surface of Fortuna III, either looted from a stash or the cold hands of a fellow Prospector.

Season 3 has made improvements for new players, as well, with updates to the tutorial system to make The Cycle: Frontier friendlier for first-time users. Players can also now drop into action with pre-defined loadouts which are yours to keep if you evac alive thanks to Free Loadout Runs!

Elsewhere, Prospect Station, your home away from home around Fortuna III, has been redesigned to feel more lived-in and alive than ever before, with reworked buildings, a grimier atmosphere, and more NPCs going about their everyday business.

Read the complete patch notes here and check out everything Season 3 of The Cycle: Frontier has to offer.

About The Cycle: Frontier

Available on Steam and the Epic Games Store, The Cycle: Frontier is a free-to-play PvPvE extraction shooter driven by suspense and danger. Prospect for resources and other riches on an abandoned alien world ravaged by a deadly storm, inhabited by monsters, and frequently raided by other ambitious Prospectors.

For more on The Cycle: Frontier, visit https://thecycle.game. Keep up with the latest updates by following the game on Twitter and YouTube, and join the conversation with the devs on Discord.

About YAGER

YAGER was founded in 1999 by five enthusiastic developers and artists, focusing on creating immersive and thrilling games. Making beautifully crafted games that amaze players with the richness of their worlds, where there are multiple ways to succeed and progress their characters, and where all of this continues to evolve after launch, where novelty and drama are just around the corner, making our games immensely fun to play, talk about and watch. Today, 22 years after our founding, a highly skilled international team of game enthusiasts is working to build YAGER’s vision of immersive and engaging games.

Monster-Collecting-and-Fusing RPG Cassette Beasts Hits Play April 26 on Steam, Microsoft Store & PC Game Pass

Capture unique creatures and transform into them to battle in this open-world adventure, coming Spring 2023 to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

STOCKHOLM March 29, 2023 – Raw Fury has announced that indie developer Bytten Studio’s Cassette Beasts, the creature-collecting-and-fusing, turn-based battling, open-world RPG, will debut on PC via Steam, the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass on April 26, 2023. It will arrive later this spring on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass.

Cassette Beasts puts a unique spin on monster-collector RPG adventures. On the remote island of New Wirral, people can use cassette tapes to transform into strange creatures and battle. You’ll need to explore the island and record a menagerie of mighty monsters to your trusty cassette tapes to gain their abilities and find a way home!

Discover over 100 awesome monsters to collect and transform into during turn-based battles. You can even combine two creatures together to make powerful new forms with shared elemental types, stats, and move sets using Cassette Beasts’ Fusion System! Some of your opponents have this ability, too, so you’ll need to get creative to win.

Side B Features:

  • Transform into Monsters…with Cassette Tapes?! Faced with the constant threat of monster attack, the residents of Harbourtown can fight fire with fire. Record a variety of special creatures, then play them back in battle to take on their forms!
  • Fuse Monsters Together: Merge with your companions’ monsters to transform into unique, fully animated fusions combining the strengths of both forms! There are thousands of creature-fusion combos to experiment with and discover.
  • Explore a Rich Open World: Some monster abilities can be used in human form, which you’ll need to get around, solve puzzles, and more. Glide, fly, swim, climb, dash or turn magnetic in a colorful land brought to life with beautifully crafted monsters, ‘80s vibes and a synthy soundtrack!
  • Master a Deep Battle System: Use elemental chemistry to apply advantageous buffs or debuffs with your attacks, or even alter your opponent’s elemental type.
  • Travel with a Diverse Cast of Companions: Never fight alone! Forge bonds with your partners and help them complete personal goals to become a better team. The strength of your relationship determines how well you’re able to fuse!
  • Play Couch Co-op with Friends: Team up in local multiplayer for up to two players. Explore the open world, transform and battle together as a duo!

Cassette Beasts is available to wishlist now on Steam. For more info, visit www.CassetteBeasts.com, follow the team on Twitter, and join the official Discord for the latest updates.

About Bytten Studio

Bytten Studio is an indie team based in Brighton UK, co-founded by Jay Baylis and Tom Coxon. They have over two decades of combined experience working on successful pixel art indie games such as Stardew Valley, Starbound and Wargroove. Their first release as a studio, Lenna’s Inception, was a procedurally generated action-adventure RPG, with a branching narrative and two complete art styles.

About Raw Fury

Raw Fury is a boutique indie (un)publisher founded in 2015 by Jonas Antonsson, Gordon Van Dyke, and David Martinez. We do not care about genres or mechanics. We care about experiences and emotions. We want to help developers make magic.

NEXON LAUNCHES THE FIRST HALF OF KIVOTOS HALO FESTIVAL

NEXON LAUNCHES THE FIRST HALF OF KIVOTOS HALO FESTIVAL

Highlights:

  • The story of the biennial athletic event “Kivotos Halo Festival” unfolds
  • Three new students are coming as well, including Utaha (Cheer Squad), Hibiki (Cheer Squad) and Noa
  • Blue Archive 1.5-Year Anniversary Festival” announcement via special livestream before the anniversary

On Wednesday, March 29, NEXON Korea Corp. (CEO: Jung-Hun Lee) announced the latest Event Story, “ON YOUR MARK @ Millennium Kivotos Halo Festival” for the subculture game Blue Archive, developed by their subsidiary company Nexon Games (CEO: Yong-Hyun Park). 

The Kivotos Halo Festival is a major athletic event held every two years. In this event story, players can see how the students overcome unexpected accidents the day before the opening ceremony. An event-only Lesson, “Stadium,” was also added. Players can collect points by completing event stories and redeem them for various rewards, including Hibiki (Cheer Squad)’s Eleph.

Three new students have also been introduced. Utaha (Cheer Squad) is a Mystic type Striker from Millennium Science School whose EX skill strengthens her turrets for 90 seconds and changes the activation conditions of her basic skills. Noa, a Mystic-type Striker also from Millennium, has an EX Skill that draws focus on the designated enemy for 40 seconds and reduces their defense. Hibiki (Cheer Squad), obtainable through the event, is an Explosive-type striker whose EX move deals damage proportional to attack to enemies in a circular area and deals additional damage over time proportional to her attack for 120 seconds.

The Halo Festival Grand Opening Login Bonus is also launching. Players who log in to the game by Tuesday, April 11 will receive 100 Pyroxenes daily; On the seventh day, they will receive the SSR-grade furniture Field Day Trophy Case as a reward. In addition, the Kivotos Halo Festival Cheer Practice will take place in-game until Friday, April 14. Players who complete the mission by clicking “Pom Pom” 35 times within 20 seconds will receive various rewards including 600 Pyroxenes, five Artifact Choice Ticket four and 10 Advanced Tactical Training Blu-ray Choice Tickets.

Nexon also held a special live broadcast “Go! Go! Kivotos!” on its official YouTube channel on Friday, March 24 ahead of the 1.5-Year Anniversary of Blue Archive. During the broadcast, the developers released a behind-the-scenes video of the update and announced the launch of a KakaoTalk emoji. At the same time, they also announced the upcoming Blue Archive 1.5-Year Anniversary Festival, which is scheduled to be held on Thursday, May 20 and has received a lot of attention from its players.

Details regarding the event story update can be viewed in the official community and the “Kivotos Halo Festival” event page.

  • Blue Archive Official Forum: [LINK]
  • On Your Mark @ Millennium PV: [LINK]
  • Blue Archive Official Discord: [LINK]
  • Blue Archive Official Twitter: [LINK]
  • Blue Archive Official Facebook: [LINK]

About NEXON Co., Ltd. https://company.nexon.co.jp/en/

Founded in 1994, NEXON Co., Ltd. (Nexon) (3659.TO) is a company engaged in the production, development and operation of online games and Virtual Worlds. First listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December 2011, Nexon was placed on JPX400 in 2015 and added to the Nikkei Stock Index 300 in 2017. In 2020, Nexon was added to the Nikkei 225. Nexon currently has more than 45 live games on multiple platforms including mobile and available in more than 190 countries. Major game franchises include MapleStory, KartRider and Dungeon&Fighter. In 2021, Nexon completed the acquisition of Embark Studios AB, a company based in Stockholm, Sweden, developing multiple projects for global release.

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World War Z: Aftermath’s Free “Against All Odds” Update Adds Two Horde Mode Maps, Numerous New Mutators & More

For the first time ever, play as any character in all PvE episodes!

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. March 29, 2023 — Saber Interactive has released the free “Against All Odds” update for World War Z: Aftermath, the ultimate co-op zombie shooter inspired by Paramount Pictures’ blockbuster film. Available today on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, this latest update adds a host of fresh content, including new “Jerusalem” and “New York” Horde Mode maps, seven new mutators for Challenge Horde Mode, and a new melee weapon: the baton.

The “Against All Odds” update also adds the freedom to play as any character in all PvE episodes for the first time. AI party members have been improved, as well, and can now use heavy weapons when playing alongside you.

Additionally, two new paid DLC packs are available today: the Deadly Vice Weapon Skin Pack and Rat Packs Weapon Skins Bundle. Each DLC is available for $4.99 and contains four specially themed weapon skins.

Finally, World War Z: Aftermath players on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One can unlock a bonus in-game weapon skin and exclusive collectible trinket when they register on PROS (Prism Ray Online Services). PROS is a new platform powering online services for select upcoming games from Saber Interactive and a variety of other game providers. To sign up, players can visit https://prismray.io.

Powered by the next generation of Saber’s dynamic Swarm Engine™, World War Z: Aftermath lets you play on your own with AI squadmates or in co-op for up to four players with full crossplay between PC and consoles. Take on hordes of ravenous zombies with all content from World War Z: Game of the Year Edition, including full episodes in New York, Moscow, Marseille, Jerusalem, and Tokyo, plus two new campaign episodes in Rome (including Vatican City) and the Kamchatka peninsula. Experience the heart-pounding immersion of Aftermath’s optional first-person mode, decimate the undead with a new melee system, and level up eight unique classes with distinct play styles and customizable loadouts.

For the latest World War Z news, visit WWZgame.com, and follow the series on Twitter, Instagram, FacebookYouTube and Discord.

About Saber Interactive

An Embracer Group company headquartered in the U.S., Saber Interactive is a worldwide publisher and developer consisting of over 20 studios in the Americas and Europe. Creating games for all major platforms based on original and licensed IPs, Saber’s titles include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, World War Z, SnowRunner, Evil Dead: The Game and more. Founded in 2001, Saber is known for two decades of development partnerships with AAA publishers, producing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Nintendo Switch, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Crysis Remastered, and many others.

About Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Paramount Pictures has some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, and Paramount Players. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

TM & © 2023 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Battleground set for World of Tanks ANZPL 2023 – Split 1

March 28th, 2023 —The battleground is heating up with the launch of the World of Tanks ANZ Premier League 2023 – Split 1, this Friday 31st March. The esports tournament boasts a prize pool of $25,000 and the finals in May, will be the first official offline event held at the brand new, Fortress Sydney.

The ANZPL is World of Tanks’ esports 5v5 competitive mode, featuring state-based teams, a single round robin, the grassroots league in the ANZBL, and culminates in an offline LAN final to determine the best team in ANZ for World of Tanks.

With representation across the Tasman and across the states, this year’s competitors will see the return of reigning champions, the North Sydney Sentinels; their major rivals South Sydney Skorpions and joined by the Melbourne Matildas, Adelaide Action X, Perth Panthers and Kiwi team, the Wellington Wolverines.

Matteo Rango, World of Tanks Competitive Product Manager, says this is the third year of the ANZPL and to raise the stakes, significant changes have been made to the competition.

“LAN finals will host three teams instead of two, as we had before. The Lower Bracket Final and the Grand Final will both be played offline, creating more opportunities for the players to experience the live stage and for the fans to enjoy more competitive content.

“We’ve also changed from double to single round robins, meaning teams will have to make every game worthwhile if they want a spot at the Grand Finals. Also, we’ve introduced a five team playoffs system, as opposed to four previously. The team who ends the group stage in first place will instantly qualify for LAN and everyone else will battle it out for a spot at LAN and good placing. The higher the teams place, the more advantages they receive.”

“ANZPL now forms part of a growing region wide investment into community-first esports and coupled with the planned expansion of our core competitive offering within World of Tanks, we aim to offer the most comprehensive path to pro, for new and existing World of Tanks players,” said Matteo.

2023’s B League (ANZBL) will be contested by six teams, the Bundaberg Badgers, Brisbane Bulldogs, Hawthorn Hellcats, Lismore Leopards, Canberra Centurions and Kiwi contenders, Auckland Archers.

The World of Tanks ANZPL 2023 – Split 1 will be broadcast every Friday 31st March, from 7pm UTC +11 on twitch.tv/worldoftanksANZ, with raffles for giveaways, alongside with Twitch Drops for World of Tanks players.

For more information on World of Tanks, the World of Tanks ANZ Premier League or to download World of Tanks for free, visit www.worldoftanks.asia

The official World of Tanks ANZPL 2023 page is https://worldoftanks.asia/anzpl/

To keep up to date with results, you can visit World of Tanks’ social channels:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WorldofTanksANZ
Twitter – https://twitter.com/worldoftanksanz
Twitch – https://www.twitch.tv/worldoftanksanz

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About Wargaming

Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 16 offices around the world, including studios in Chicago, Prague, Shanghai, Tokyo, Vilnius and Belgrade. Millions of players enjoy Wargaming’s titles across all major gaming platforms. Our flagship products include the free-to-play hits World of Tanks, World of Warships and World of Tanks Blitz.

Official website: https://wargaming.com/en/ 

About World of Tanks PC

World of Tanks PC is the first team-based, massively multiplayer online action game dedicated to tank warfare. Throw yourself into the epic tank battles of World War II with gamers all over the world. Your arsenal includes over 600 armoured vehicles from 11 nations, carefully detailed with historical accuracy.

Official website: https://worldoftanks.asia/

SAINTS ROW 2023 CONTENT ROADMAP REVEALED

Future expansions, free DLC, & key updates

Santo Ileso, USA, March 28th 2023 (Sydney, Australia, March 29th 2023) | Deep Silver and Volition have unveiled news that Santo Ileso is set to get bigger and better with three major releases for Expansion Pass holders over coming months, and two free new districts, three more quality of life updates and a Dead Island 2 inspired cosmetic pack for all players.

Leading the charge is the free Dead Island 2 Pack on April 11th. HELL-A meets the Weird West in this free content inspired by Deep Silver’s forthcoming zombie slay-‘em up. Players can dress their boss with items from reckless antihero Jacob or quick-witted athlete Amy. They can also apply shock and awe with a new weapon, stagger with swagger with a new emote, and evoke bitey beachside memories with an iconic pink flamingo hat and Carver the Shark statue for their HQ.

After this, the game’s biggest free update is scheduled for May with Sunshine Springs, a brand-new district being added to Santo Ileso, alongside a swathe of quality of life changes (such as overhauled combat, Selfie Mode and more) and improvements. On the same day, Expansion Pass holders get The Heist & The Hazardous, three new story missions set in Sunshine Springs as the Saints take on an ambitious heist as payback for being double-crossed by a famous actor…

The second Expansion Pass content hits in July; Doc Ketchum’s Murder Circus, a new solo game mode that we will leave up to your imagination – for now. Plus, this will also add another free quality of life upgrade and new features being added.

Finally, August sees the release of the third, final and largest pack for the Expansion Pass. Keep an eye on our social channels for more news on this closer to the date. August will also see a second new district expansion and quality of life update that is free for all players.

Check out the Saints Row blog for more information: SaintsRow.com/News

All Expansion Pass packs will also be available to purchase separately. Check your preferred platform store holder for local prices.

Saints Row is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, the all-in-one games and entertainment systems from Microsoft, the PlayStation® 4 and the PlayStation® 5 computer entertainment systems, and on Epic Games Store for PC.

For more information on Saints Row visit the website SaintsRow.com follow us on Twitter and Instagram @SaintsRow and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SaintsRow.

©2022 and published by Deep Silver, a division of Koch Media GmbH, Austria.  Developed by Deep Silver Volition LLC. Deep Silver, Saints Row, Volition and their respective logos are trademarks of Koch Media GmbH. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT DEEP SILVER

Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds by creating products of the highest possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires. Deep Silver has published more than 200 games since 2003, including its own brands like the open world extravaganza Saints Row, the zombie action franchise Dead Island, and the gritty, post-apocalyptic Metro series. Upcoming highlights from Deep Silver include the next entries into the TimeSplitters and Dead Island franchises. Deep Silver development studios include Deep Silver Dambuster Studios and Free Radical Design, both in Nottingham, UK; Deep Silver Fishlabs in Hamburg, Germany, and Deep Silver Volition based in Champaign, IL, USA. For more information please visit www.deepsilver.com. All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective owners. All rights reserved.

ABOUT DEEP SILVER VOLITION

Deep Silver Volition combines long-standing industry experience and state-of-the-art technology with creativity and a strong dash of humor, to create the truly unique gaming experience their fans know and love. Its portfolio comprises the critically acclaimed Saints Row series of games, Agents of Mayhem, Red Faction, Descent/Freespace and Summoner series. The studio is in downtown Champaign, Illinois. The Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area is home to the University of Illinois and is a diverse, growing community that combines the arts, a vibrant technology sector, and affordable housing. Deep Silver Volition currently employs over 240 talented people. In 2013, Volition joined PLAION / Deep Silver as one of their three international development studios. Four years later, the group was acquired by Embracer Group. To learn more about Deep Silver Volition, please visit the official website DSVolition.com, and follow on Twitter @DSVolition and Facebook @VolitionGames.

ABOUT PLAION

PLAION is a leading independent developer and producer of games and entertainment products, with nine development studios and five publishing units based all over the world. Founded in 1994 as Koch Media, PLAION offers a unique breadth of services and solutions, dynamically growing its business to push ourselves and our partners to the forefront in all the segments we operate in. PLAION runs a multi-label strategy, with fully owned publishing units, such as Deep Silver, Prime Matter, Milestone, Vertigo Games and Ravenscourt, publishing games for consoles, PC and VR platforms across all physical and digital channels. Additionally – as a global publishing partner – PLAION has formed long-term multinational publishing collaborations with numerous game publishers including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Capcom, Focus Multimedia, Giants Software, Koei Tecmo, Paradox, Sega, SNK, Square Enix, Techland, THQ Nordic, Tripwire, Warner Bros and many others. With its parent company in Höfen, Austria – and the HQ in Munich, Germany – PLAION owns local publishing companies in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, the United States as well as Japan and Hong Kong. PLAION owns nine game development studios: Deep Silver Dambuster Studios (Nottingham, UK), Fishlabs (Hamburg, DE), Warhorse Studios (Prague, CZ), Milestone (Milan, IT), Voxler (Paris, FR) , DigixArt (Montpellier, FR), Flying Wild Hog (Warsaw, Kraków, Rzeszów, PL), Free Radical Design (Nottingham, UK) and Vertigo Games (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, NL). Additionally, PLAION collaborates with numerous independent development studios around the world. Part of PLAION is also PLAION PICTURES, a leading independent film distributor in Europe with a library of more than 1.400 titles. Further business operations include Sola Media, a sales agency and production company for family entertainment, Spotfilm Networx, a multi-channel streaming network, and a sub-label dedicated to Japanese animation. PLAION also owns the leading video game merchandise company DPI Merchandising (Denver, Roseburg, USA and Munich, DE) and a Quality Assurance Facility in Olomouc, CZ. PLAION is an Embracer Group company.

Rainbow is Magic Returns to Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Tomorrow

Sydney, Australia — March 29, 2023 — Today, Ubisoft® announced that fan-favourite event Rainbow is Magic will be returning for the third time from March 30 until April 19 AEST. More whimsical than ever, the event brings a brand-new game mode, a new archetype mechanism, and new exclusive cosmetic bundles.

The “Bop the Teddy” game mode requires players to protect the friendly Mr. Bear and kill the enemy Teddy – with a twist: Operators will be split into archetypes, each with different loadouts and HP. The returning map, Presidential Plane, now comes with Force-Fields in the top floor, Infinite Respawn, and with a previously blocked area cleared. With almost zero idle time, players must stay on their feet during this event’s fast-paced gameplay.

The three categories offer players different fighting style options to cause colourful mayhem. The Speedy archetype offers the Remah Dash ability and the Stun Teddy Bear grenade, while the Stronk archetype provides a Shield and the Smoke Teddy Bear grenade; finally, the Flexy archetype grants an Adrenal Surge and an Explosive Teddy Bear grenade.

The Rainbow is Magic event comes with an exclusive drone skin in the Signature Pack, alongside new bundles for Buck and Kaid, and new bundles for returning Sledge and Thatcher. In addition, the bundles for Blackbeard, Smoke, Montagne, and Tachanka – including his fan-favourite unicorn – return. Players will have access to personalised headgears, weapon skins and uniforms. Each Operator’s exclusive, time-limited customisation items are available for purchase as Bundles in the Shop section for 1680 R6 credits or via the event packs for 300 R6 Credits or 12,500 Renown. Collection Packs can also be earned for free upon connection and by completing weekly challenges.

Rainbow Six Siege is available now on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, the Xbox One family of consoles, Xbox Series X | S, Windows PC, including on Ubisoft+, Ubisoft’s subscription service.

To learn more about the event, please visit: https://rainbow6.com/rainbowismagic.

For more information about Rainbow Six Siege, please visit: https://rainbow6.ubisoft.com.   

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About Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege 

Alongside a thriving professional esports scene and a community of over 80 million registered players, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege puts players in the middle of a fast-paced, ever-evolving multiplayer experience grounded in the selection of unique Operators. Using the right mix of tactics and destruction, Rainbow Six teams engage their enemies in sieges, where both sides have exclusive skills and gadgets at their disposal. Defenders prepare by transforming the environments around them into modern strongholds, while attackers use recon drones to gain intel for carefully planning their assault. With access to dozens of Operators inspired by real world counter-intelligence agents from around the globe, players can choose exactly how they want to approach each challenge they encounter. Through the constant addition of new Operators and maps that add to the depth of both strategy and combat, the unpredictability of each round of Rainbow Six Siege sets a new bar for intensity and competition in gaming. 

About Ubisoft 

Ubisoft is a creator of worlds, committed to enriching players’ lives with original and memorable entertainment experiences. Ubisoft’s global teams create and develop a deep and diverse portfolio of games, featuring brands such as Assassin’s Creed ®, Brawlhalla®, For Honor®, Far Cry®, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon®, Just Dance®, Rabbids, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six®, The Crew®, Tom Clancy’s The Division®, and Watch Dogs®. Through Ubisoft Connect, players can enjoy an ecosystem of services to enhance their gaming experience, get rewards and connect with friends across platforms. With Ubisoft+, the subscription service, they can access a growing catalog of more than 100 Ubisoft games and DLC. For the 2021–22 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of €2,129 million. To learn more, please visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2023 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Tom Clancy’s, Rainbow Six, the Soldier Icon, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries.

Star-Studded ’90s Organized Crime FPS Crime Boss: Rockay City Unleashed on EPIC Today!

 Organized Crime Shooter Begins Live Service, With Years of Rolling Content Planned

CALABASAS, Calif. – Mar 28th, 2023 – Leading video game publisher 505 Games, and developer INGAME STUDIOS proudly announce Crime Boss: Rockay City, the Organized Crime live-service shooter combining action set-pieces, turf wars, and over-the-top call-backs to 90’s crime movies. Starring a cavalcade of Hollywood greats such as Michael Madsen, Chuck Norris, Danny Trejo, Kim Basinger, Danny Glover, Michael Rooker, Damion Poitier and Vanilla Ice. Crime Boss: Rockay City pits protagonist Travis Baker (Madsen) against ridiculous odds in an explosive turf war to become king of the criminal underworld.

Help Baker climb to the top the criminal ladder of Rockay City, while evading capture from Sheriff Norris (Chuck Norris), where every play-through will be different, and no road to glory is the same as the last. Rockay City is ever evolving, and so are the challenges Baker and his team will face. Navigate each mission in your own playstyle to complete objectives and take over Rockay City one neighbourhood at a time, or build out your team across two co-op modes where the stakes are high (permadeath is real!), but the rewards are higher.

“The release of Crime Boss:Rockay City is the culmination of years of hard work by an incredibly dedicated and talented new studio in the shape of INGAME STUDIOS,” said Neil Ralley, President of 505 Games. “As we launch this live service game for 505 Games, today marks the beginning of Crime Boss: Rockay City’s story, and we can’t wait continue building out the world of Crime Boss and all the potential it has to offer gamers.”

“It feels great to finally reveal our game to the world”, said Jarek Kolář, Development Director at INGAME Studios, “Crime Boss: Rockay City has been the greatest pleasure to bring to life, and we’ve crammed it with so many over-the-top missions, characters, and 90s call-backs, we hope people will have as much fun playing it as we did building it. And this is just the beginning!”

Crime Boss: Rockay City is available now through Epic Games Store for £34.99 with a launch discount of 15% applied between March 28th and April 4th Additional information on the upcoming console releases will be shared at a later date. To follow the latest developments on Crime Boss, visit https://visitrockaycity.com/ 

About 505 Games
505 Games, a Digital Bros’ subsidiary, is a global publisher focused on offering a broad selection of video games for players of all ages and skill levels. The company publishes and distributes premium and free-to-play games on console and PC platforms as well as mobile devices. Publishing highlights include DEATH STRANDING (PC), Control, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Ghostrunner, Gems of War, Journey to the Savage Planet, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. 505 Games has offices in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, China and Japan.

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key Review

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key

Developer: Gust
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), PC, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $89.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

Gust’s Atelier series has almost always swapped out the main protagonist between games, often bringing back familiar faces for later games in the same trilogy. That changed back in 2019 when the developer struck gold with a character that would turn out to not only be one of, if not their most, popular lead characters in the franchise’s history but also the only one to headline her entire trilogy in the form of Reisalin Stout. This continuous journey over the past few years has seen Ryza grow from a naive girl dreaming for adventure that had never left her home island to a highly skilled alchemist respected by anyone who knows her name. All journey’s must have a conclusion however and with Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key set to close out the Secret trilogy as well as Ryza’s story, has Koei Tecmo managed to deliver a satisfying conclusion to this long arc and fan favorite character?

Story

A year has passed since the events of the previous game and a disheartened Ryza has spent this time learning how to be the best alchemist she can be for her home on the Kurken Island even if it means butting heads with the elders at times. The sudden appearance of a number of mysterious islands deemed the Kark Isles has thrown the land into chaos and when a little investigation reveal powerful monsters residing on the island as well as a threat that will doom her hometown, Ryza quickly seeks the aid of her friends in order to investigate just where these islands came from and what they could mean. To make things even stranger, a mysterious voice has appeared within Ryza’s head along with the knowledge to craft a strange key. With no knowledge of what this voice could be or what purpose this key might have, it is up to Ryza and her friends, both new and old, to set out on one last summer adventure.

Although Atelier Ryza 3 does offer the ability to watch a fairly detailed video that recaps what happened over the course of the first two games to try and get newcomers up to speed with the world, it must be said that it is rather difficult to recommend jumping into the games at this point if someone has yet to experience any of the Ryza trilogy so far. While the main storyline is still mostly self-contained outside of a number of surprises and an on-going threat that has persisted through the series, there is a good reason that longtime fans will truly get the most out of this game and a lot of it comes from the fact that players have followed this cast of characters across three games and the title makes numerous references to this. This means that Atelier Ryza 3 benefits from not only offering a number of twists with great payoff, but also a cast of great returning characters and guest appearances that fans will truly be delighted to see. Along with these various developments players will also be treated to numerous callbacks and even a few flashbacks to their previous journeys as they travel through the world once again with the whole cast, both longtime friends and even new allies, in tow.

While we can’t go into detail about what exactly happens throughout Atelier Ryza 3, especially some of the bigger revelations, it must be said that the writing team has managed to deliver an extremely satisfying experience here. One of the key elements of the Atelier series has always been about the journey and seeing the characters develop and interact with one another over the course of their adventure, giving the series something of a unique feeling compared to many other RPGs and thanks to the Ryza series following the same characters for three games, fans have been able to see these characters grow over the course of multiple titles and watching this growth pay off and be talked about during this final journey, either during exploration or the lovely camping sequences, is a real treat.

Of course the longtime cast gets the most love but even Patricia from the second game is given plenty of room for development here as well as the newcomers that join the players party this time around with no character really feeling like they are left out. In fact, the game even provides an active glossary that can be pulled up in conversations to help refresh players about terminology, events, and characters they may not remember. As such, it can easily be said that Atelier Ryza 3‘s storyline is easily one of the best and biggest that the series has produced and manages to deliver numerous emotional moments and a satisfying conclusion that longtime fans of the franchise will easily get the most out of.

Gameplay

As usual with the Atelier series, the main aspects of the game revolve around gathering materials, fighting monsters, and synthesizing items using alchemy to make both of the former elements easier and every element has been enhanced in some way in Atelier Ryza 3 including the addition of a brand new mechanic in the form of the titular keys. Once players gain the ability to create keys they can use them in a variety of ways to make combat far easier and even help exploration. Players will be able to absorb the essence of enemies in battle and use them to craft keys that can be used to provide various buffs to the team, boost AP gain, ignore AP, and much more and using these keys in the field can often open up areas that are previously locked off and give players access to treasure or higher quality ingredients that were previously locked off and even used in synthesis to trigger unusual effects. This new element to gameplay not only gives players even more reason to explore and experiment with key combinations but also happens to be quite rewarding when combined with the mechanics that players are already familiar with.

Along those lines, things such as exploration and item gathering remain as fluid as ever. Players will find that the world of Atelier Ryza 3 is massive and while it isn’t open world, instead split into four separate regions, these locations are massive in scale and feature a variety of fast travel points in the form of monuments scattered across every area. This means that players can freely travel through a large map, gathering and collecting numerous ingredients until Ryza’s storage is filled and then take a quick trip back to the Atelier to store everything with ease. Ryza can once again synthesize various harvesting tools such as hammers, nets, axes, etc. to obtain better and different ingredients from resource points with higher quality tools offering better results. The sprawling nature of most of the world players explore makes for some great exploration, especially once players gain access to mounts. Mounts come in a variety of different shapes and help Ryza move around locations far faster and even help her navigate previously inaccessible areas giving this game’s world a level of scope yet to be seen in the series so far. If there was any negative to how vast Atelier Ryza 3 can be at times is that a few of the game’s quests can be a bit vague on how to properly continue them which means players may find themselves stuck for small periods of time until they can figure out the goal. 

While exploring the world players will encounter plenty of enemies in the fields and Atelier Ryza 3‘s battle mechanics have once again been fine tuned to make combat fast-paced but still strategic through improvements to the order systems, the aforementioned usage of keys, and the returning AP system. As players chain together basic attacks to build AP they can spend AP to trigger skills that offer additional types of damage or buffs while the tactics level increases the more players battle. As the tactics level rises players will be able to chain combos together longer and even offer extra bonuses to skills. Players can make use of items in combat through the use of CC with all crafted items once again not being expended upon use in a fight and, should players have enough CC, up to four different items can be used at a time meaning players can heal their team while also blowing up an enemy with a bomb at the same time and AP can even be expended to immediately use items in a pinch.

Throughout the fight, players will have three main fighters and two backup party members that can be swapped in at any time with a combo attack. Players can only directly control one character at a time but can freely swap between them on the fly as well as tell the team to either be supportive, meaning they will focus on building AP, or aggressive which sees them actively using skills and items in fights. As players battle enemies, their party members will call out for certain attack orders such as dealing physical or magical damage to an enemy allowing them to follow-up with a powerful skill once triggered. Alongside attack orders players can also set up an Order Drive system that let’s players fill up a gauge and trigger one of four chosen special abilities that offer a variety of boons in combat, giving players a massive amount of tools in combat, especially thanks to the amount of party members players can choose to mess around with in Atelier Ryza 3.

As players gather resources from the world and defeating monsters turning all of these into usable items and equipment using alchemy remains the core element like any Atelier game. Players start with a large list of recipes that grows as players use SP to unlock more and every recipe has a base list of ingredients that it requires to craft. As players place these required items into their respective nodes they will unlock additional nodes that can provide even more enhanced qualities to the finished product should players desire. This means that players can choose to craft an item with the bare minimum or, if they have the ingredients and quality to do so, make it as amazingly powerful as possible by using multiple ingredients and tapping into every possible node. This once again gives item synthesis in Atelier Ryza 3 as much depth and complexity that players want to dive into while also still making things accessible. This accessibility is handled by either crafting the basic item yourself or using the auto-fill option that automatically fills every possible node with a choice of either high or low quality materials with players still being able to choose the various special traits and effects to carry over to the final product.

Visuals & Audio

With Atelier Ryza 3 being the second title to launch on the PlayStation 5 Gust has managed to make better use of the system’s capabilities to make sure that title not only runs completely smooth, whether it be transitioning back and forth between battle or exploring some of the more detailed worlds, but is impressively colorful to look at as well with many vistas featuring impressive designs. Character models have a great level of detail to them, with Ryza and her friends receiving fitting upgrades to their outfits as well as the option to wear older costumes, and watching characters battle and use their skills is impressive. It is a bit of a shame that the enemy variety is a bit on the slimmer side with players often facing off against similar looking or recolored enemies.

As they have in the past few releases, Koei Tecmo has chosen to not provide an English dub for the release of Atelier Ryza 3 in the West and has only offered the original Japanese voice track. This works quite well most of the time as all of the voice actors have reprised their roles here but unfortunately the game’s subtitles can be a bit on the small side. Combine this with the fact that the game is often quite colorful, reading subtitles in cutscenes, combat, and even exploring the field can occasionally be difficult. The game’s soundtrack features a great collection of background music that ranges from heartfelt emotional tracks that play throughout cutscenes as well as more upbeat music during exploration or lighthearted events. The songs really shine when it comes to combat as some of the background music for battles, especially boss battles, are a real treat.

Overall

Gust took a chance when they either planned, or through sheer popularity chose, Ryza as the main character across a trilogy of games as a first for the series but not only has this allowed the company to tell an impressively impactful tale that has allowed fans to see Ryza but also most of her friends grow across three games but also wrap  up their storyline in a fantastic manner, delivering a storyline that is a fitting conclusion to Ryza’s story. Combine this with the level of polish that the company has been able to put into the game’s combat and synthesis as well as the sheer expanded scope of exploration and Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key becomes one of the best Atelier games that Gust has ever produced and serves as quite a challenge for whoever’s tale they set their sights on next.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.