Toronto, Canada – July 9, 2026- In an age of sprawling empires, City States: Medieval bets on the underdog: a lone merchant city fighting to survive and profit between powers far larger than itself. The hybrid strategy game will leave Early Access and launch its full 1.0 version on July 24, 2026. Developed by Reverie World Studios and published by indie.io, it casts players as the leader of a merchant republic navigating the turbulent 12th century across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, on Steam and the indie.io Store.

Players assume the role of a leader guiding a merchant republic rising from the currents of history. Spanning from Tripoli and Granada to Novgorod and Genoa, the game focuses on establishing a trade empire while defending against powerful neighboring kingdoms. The objective is to shape the history of one such city-state, bringing it to glory or watching it disappear into obscurity.

Distinct from traditional grand strategy, the title emphasizes surviving between larger powers as an individual city-state rather than building continent-spanning empires. New hero mechanics require fresh strategic approaches for both newcomers and veterans within the dynamic 12th-century setting featuring unpredictable challenges.

Across six major updates, Reverie World Studios worked alongside its community to sharpen the strategic core during Early Access, and the 1.0 release brings that work together.

Key features include:

• Build a Mighty City: Grow through economy, military, faith, trade and building chains, and defend your wealth with fortifications and an all-new siege system featuring real-time tactical combat.
• Command Through Heroes: Historic leaders grant full control of your city and armies. In their absence, you govern with limited orders, turning a hero’s location into a constant strategic calculation.
• Chart Trade Routes: Establish outposts across the known world to trade twelve commodities, backed by a refined trade-balancing economy and a Global Market for emergency deals.
• Shaped in Early Access: Six community-driven updates added systems like Lord’s Armies, Academy-gated research limits and city-happiness productivity, plus a fully reworked tutorial, overhauled trade and resource interfaces and major performance gains.
• A Single-Player Campaign: Play solo with adjustable difficulty, accessibility options and support for five languages including English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

One city, a world of larger powers, and a single question of whether it can outlast them. City States: Medieval leaves Early Access and reaches 1.0 on July 24, 2026, priced at $19.99 USD with a 20% discount on Steam and the  indie.io store.

RipRed’s pen-and-ink tactical RPG, where choose-your-own-adventure nostalgia meets deeply strategic roguelike combat, arrives on Steam this July

COLOMBIA — July 9, 2026 — Mark the date on your ruled notebook paper: Graphite, the stylized roguelike RPG from developer RipRed, is set to launch on Steam on July 27, 2026, published by indie.io. A free playable demo covering the game’s full first act is available now, giving players an early look at the pen-and-ink world and timeline-based combat that await.

Graphite lives inside a kid’s school notebook, drawn into existence one late-night sketch at a time. The world is ruled by paper and household junk, where everyday objects are repurposed by imagination into items. The heroes are beautifully crafted pen-and-ink characters who embark on quests, forge alliances, face prophecies, and take every bit of it completely seriously. The monsters they face are drawn with the same care and conviction, every one of them wholly unaware they are figments of a child’s mind. That dramatic irony is Graphite‘s beating heart: a world of genuine craft and consequence, held inside something as humble as a spiral-bound notebook.

For anyone who dog-eared a choose-your-own-adventure book, rolled dice for a homemade tabletop campaign, or filled notebook margins with characters and maps, Graphite speaks a familiar language. Its tarot-inspired adventure deck presents illustrated, narrated events across each run, with branching choices shaped by your current party, items, and the decisions you have already made, where some paths reward, some come back to haunt you, and some change everything.

Behind the fantasy, a deeper story unfolds. A mysterious figure known as The Scribe has tasked seven heroes with growing stronger and gathering allies before Death arrives. Each of the seven has a distinct personality, backstory, and reason to fight, their paths intertwining across runs as choices, tragedies, and truths accumulate.

Combat plays out on a dynamic timeline where every action has duration and every decision has consequence. The Break system lets players deplete enemy actions further down the line by depleting their poise, but enemies wield those same tools, meaning every tactical advantage is also a vulnerability waiting to be turned against you. Artifacts are powerful stackable items with no upper limit, letting builds grow from methodical to gloriously chaotic across a run. The catch: enemies can pick them up too. Every choice is a calculated risk, because in Graphite, both sides of the battlefield are playing the same game.

Key Features:

• Seven Heroes: Seven playable heroes, each with a distinct personality, playstyle, and narrative arc
• Timeline Combat: Timeline-based tactical combat with a Break system that rewards reading enemy intentions and striking with precision
• Limitless Builds: Unlimited artifact stacking for builds that range from methodical to beautifully chaotic, and enemies who can build right alongside you
• Choose Your Path: A tarot-inspired adventure deck of illustrated, narrated events with party-influenced branching choices
• Ever-Evolving Runs: Procedurally generated enemies and encounters that grow alongside your progress across every run
• Story Rich: A layered narrative where the fantasy world and the real world quietly reflect each other

“We wanted to make something original, something weird and appealing in a way that felt true to the RPGs and roguelikes we love,” says Lead Developer Juan Rodriguez. “ Graphite is a game we are genuinely proud of, and we believe the experience we have built, the world, the characters, the way every run feels different, will give players something they haven’t felt before.“

The notebook opens July 27.

ABOUT RIPRED

RipRed is an independent game development studio based in Colombia, founded by a small team of developers with a shared passion for crafting original indie experiences. Graphite is the studio’s debut commercial release, drawing on the team’s background in indie game development and a commitment to building games that balance mechanical depth with emotional storytelling.

ABOUT INDIE.IO

indie.io is a game publishing platform dedicated to helping independent developers succeed. With more than 40 years of combined industry experience, the indie.io team provides marketing, PR, distribution, and strategic support across all stages of a game’s lifecycle, from development through launch and beyond. indie.io distributes games across more than 60 channels worldwide.

Indie dev Tijmen Tio (one part of Dutch indie collective Sokpop, the team behind Stacklands and Grunn) has announced the release date for his fantasy deckbuilder Grail! 

Grail is a fast-paced deckbuilder where your deck fights for you! Find synergies, craft a killer deck, then sit back and watch the action unfold. The Grail free demo is already a hit, with 150+ ‘Very positive’ reviews, and will be launching on Steam on September 1st. 

About the game

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but there’s a Grail to reach and battles to win before you sleep…

From indie collective Sokpop (Stacklands, Grunn) comes Grail, a fantasy deckbuilder where your deck fights for you! Travel through the woods, upgrading your deck, finding synergies and sharpening your strategy. Take on foes in pitched card battles that play out automatically before your eyes. At the end of each day you’ll test your deck building prowess against another player. Stack wins together and climb your way from lowly blade-for-hire to a master of the auto-battling arts!

Features:

• A fast-paced but relaxing deckbuilding x autobattler experience
• Hundreds of cards to combine in your own unique combinations
• Battle against other player’s decks and climb your way through the ranks
• Charming, hand-drawn artwork

About the Developers:

Tijmen Tio is an indie game developer based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. As part of indie game collective Sokpop, he’s worked on over 100 games and released hits including Stacklands, Simmiland, and Bamboo Heart! He’s now working on Grail, a fast-paced, autobattling deckbuilder.

Become an ex-convict fused to a living starship and fight for survival across the cursed Galaxy of Neterun

Milan, Italy – July 9, 2026 – Indie developer and publisher Italian Games Factory is excited to announce that after one year of Early Access development, and as planned in the Road Map, Hell Galaxy, will officially launch in V1.0 on Steam on July 31, 2026, delivering its dark sci-fi universe, intense space combat and haunting cosmic narrative in its definitive form.

In Hell Galaxy, death is not an escape; it’s the beginning of your sentence.

Set in the haunting depths of the Neterun galaxy, Hell Galaxy is a battle for both body and mind. Players will engage in dynamic space dogfights using fully customisable loadouts and shifting combat stances to adapt to increasingly deadly threats, while ghostly entities and colossal monstrosities threaten not only the integrity of their ship, but also their very sanity.

Blending intense space combat with RPG progression, exploration and a rich narrative universe, Hell Galaxy delivers a dark sci-fi experience where every encounter pushes players further into the unknown, where nothing is truly human anymore, not even you.

Since launching in Steam Early Access, exactly one year ago, Italian Games Factory has continued to evolve Hell Galaxy alongside its community, expanding the game’s narrative, refining combat systems, introducing epic Colossi encounters and enhancing exploration to deliver its most ambitious version yet.

Key Features

• Play as a condemned Raider whose consciousness has been fused with a living biomechanical starship.
• Explore the cursed Galaxy of Neterun, uncovering forgotten civilisations and ancient mysteries.
• Master dynamic space combat with customisable weapons, ship builds and combat stances.
• Face dreaded ghosts, rival Raiders and gigantic Colossi in challenging encounters.
• Experience a unique blend of dark sci-fi, weird fiction, RPG progression and psychological horror.

Hell Galaxy launches in V1.0 on Steam on July 31, 2026. Players can wishlist the game today to be notified the moment it launches and prepare to begin their sentence amongst the stars.

About Italian Games Factory

Italian Games Factory is an independent studio focused on bringing fresh innovation to space combat games. We develop our own IPs and create worlds with the utmost expertise for you, the players.

STOCKHOLM – July 9, 2026 – Today, Swedish indie publisher Raw Fury and developer Fool Moon announced Hillthorn, a hauntingly dark card-based investigation game that invites you to uncover a mystery without a single word spoken, using your skills of logic and intuition.

Hillthorn joins Raw Fury’s growing line up of captivating eerie mystery games, including Blue Prince and The Seance of Blake Manor. 

Watch the new announcement trailer below.

Only the foolish and the desperate attempt to wander the mazelike trails of Hillthorn. But a child has gone missing, time is in short supply, and you’re tasked with unravelling the mountain’s secrets. Welcome to Hillthorn, an investigation game unlike any other, where the mystery unfolds without a word spoken.

Key Features in Hillthorn include: 

• A World in Cards – Every eerie and unsettling detail of Hillthorn’s story is revealed entirely through Clue cards, which can be Investigated, Explored or in some instances communicated with, in your search to get closer to the truth behind the disappearance.
• You Are an Outsider – You’ve been tasked to find a missing person, though it’ll take some finesse to draw information from the locals, who seem reluctant to share details with someone outside their Flock.
• Time is in Short Supply – The clock is ticking. There are too many threads to follow and too little time. Something seems keen on letting you revisit untrodden paths, but at what cost? 

Players can wishlist the game on Steam today. More details about Hillthorn will be revealed soon.

About Fool Moon
Fool Moon is an indie studio from Montreal, Canada foolishly dreaming up new ways to craft interactive experiences.

About Raw Fury

Raw Fury is an indie (un)publisher dedicated to connecting games with players by creating unforgettable experiences. With over 50 games published, including the Kingdom series, Blue Prince, Cassette Beasts, Norco, and Sable, Raw Fury has been consistently recognised as a top 10 publisher in Metacritic’s annual rankings. With an unwavering commitment to being the best partner for indie developers, Raw Fury continues to champion unique games and bring exceptional experiences to players worldwide.

Play solo or in up to 8-player co-op as you handcraft drinks, decorate your tearoom, and knock out troublesome customers

Sichuan, China – July 9th, 2026 – Indie developer Caikami, in partnership with publisher Erabit, are proud to reveal that their comical co-op management game Boba Cafe Simulator is launching on Steam July 24th for $15.99, with a 35% discount through July 31st. Craft drinks by hand, design menus and prices, place equipment, decorate your shop, handle customer flow and delivery platforms—and build your ultimate milk tea empire. Do you have what it takes to make “Sugarville” into the top name in the industry?

You’ve been reborn to run a milk tea shop, either solo or with up to 8 players in online co-op. Create your signature drinks from scratch! From lemonade to fresh orange tea, classic bubble milk tea, coffee and seasonal special drinks – every beverage is hand-crafted by you. Cut fruit, brew tea, cook tapioca pearls, grind coffee beans, add ice and syrup. Keep your fridge stocked, and unlock 100+ recipes.

Design every aspect of your cafe’s decor. Name your shop and start decorating. From shelves, to counters, and digital signs to wallpapers, lamps, and even bedding—everything can be placed, rotated, and adjusted. Build the milk tea shop of your dreams.

Of course running a boba cafe requires more than making great drinks and a cool vibe. You also need the business acumen to keep your shop afloat! Customize your menu and pricing freely. Do you want low prices that will bring in a high volume of customers? Or premium drinks with high margins? Make business decisions ranging from which delivery apps to use, balance your contract fees, revenue splits, and traffic. Hire employees and decide your management style. Do you want to exploit labor—or build relationships and uncover their personal stories? Juggle tasks with your real-life friends in online co-op, and see if you have what it takes to remain friends afterwards.

Bear in mind seasonal preferences, as weather affects demand. Who wouldn’t want a hot cocoa in winter—or an ice-cold watermelon juice in summer? Enjoy limited-time drinks for Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Lantern Festival, Halloween, Christmas, and more. Explore night-only shops, rare items, magical potions, and mysterious goods. A milk tea shop owner who doesn’t know alchemy isn’t a good wizard. Serve mysterious customers at night—something good might happen.

Manage your work/life balance by doing side activities like farming, fishing, and taking care of your pet companions. Go outside, socialize with neighbors, build relationships, and unlock exclusive recipes or furniture blueprints. Kindness is always rewarded… but sometimes your more troublesome customers need a good knock about the head to help them get their “beauty sleep” and become more responsible citizens. 

With the warmth of one cup of tea, save a universe on the brink of sweet collapse.

“Boba Cafe Simulator is a celebration of tea, friendship, and workplace chaos,” said Lowenzahn, environment artist at Caikami. “Tea is famous for being a soothing, calming beverage that brings the user peace and tranquility. But managing a tea shop is anything but. With Boba Cafe Simulator, we wanted to explore that dichotomy in a way that’s upbeat, lively, and full of good humour.”

For more information on Boba Cafe Simulator:

Wishlist Boba Cafe Simulator on Steam
“Official Boba Cafe Simulator website

About Caikemi:
We are a two-person indie game development team based in Sichuan, China. We create games in our spare time alongside our full-time jobs, driven by our passion for making fun and memorable experiences. Yang YiMing – coder and gameplay designer. Lowenzhan – gameplay designer and environment artist.

About Erabit:
An indie game developer and publisher from Singapore. Established in 2022, they have an array of well-known PC titles like “20 Minutes Till Dawn”, “Sensei! I like you so much!”, and “Meta-Ghost: The Breaking Show“, as well as successful mobile ports like “Brotato”, “Halls of Torment“, and “Mini Airways”.

The magical adventure is available today on Xbox Series X|S

Walnut Creek, California — July 9, 2026 | Maximum Entertainment and Rainbow are pleased to announce that Winx Club: The Magic is Back is now available on Xbox Series X|S.

Watch the Winx Club: The Magic is Back Xbox release date trailer below:

Based on the beloved Winx Club franchise and the new animated series, Winx Club: The Magic is Back invites players into a magical adventure filled with exploration, puzzle-solving, combat, and cooperative gameplay. Players can switch freely between all six Winx fairies, each with their own unique powers, as they journey through iconic locations from the Winx universe.

Originally released earlier this year on PC, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, the game now expands its magical adventure to Xbox players.

Developed in collaboration with Rainbow, Winx Club: The Magic is Back is inspired by the new CGI-animated series, which has already found major success with audiences around the world.

Winx Club: The Magic is Back is available now on Xbox Series X|S.

For more information, visit www.maximument.com.

About Maximum Entertainment

Maximum Entertainment is a global entertainment company dedicated to crafting indie to AA video game experiences through original content and licensed partnerships. A fully integrated group with a broad portfolio of content, the company emphasizes collaboration and inclusivity in its partnerships to produce the highest level of interactive entertainment. With more than 300 titles in its catalog, Maximum Entertainment has joined forces with talented creators and renowned franchises around the globe to deliver magic to the gamer in everyone. Maximum Entertainment employs experienced professionals across the entire value chain of video games including development, publishing, transmedia, sales, and operations. Visit Maximum Entertainment at www.maximument.com.

About Rainbow Group Established in 1995 by multi-award-winning creator Iginio Straffi, President and CEO of the Group, Rainbow produces and distributes animated and Live Action contents across all audience targets and channels. First rising among the largest animation studios in the world following the extraordinary success of the Winx Club saga, loved and followed by millions, Rainbow has showcased the power to create global and classic franchises, landing yearly among the Top Global Licensors in the world with more than 500 active licenses.

Hack, slash, and hack again in this roguelite adventure where each sword has a story to tell.

[July 9, 2026] – Every knight needs a sword! And come August 11th, you can collect the most dangerous and unimaginable blades in the world of Armorial when Swordcery launches in Early Access. Founded by two cinematic artists who helped bring 2018’s God of War to life, Temple Door Games is set to deliver a hack-and-slash roguelite ARPG that will make you wonder: what exactly can’t be a sword?

It’s all fun and games until it isn’t in Swordcery. The World of Armorial faces a corruption that it has never seen before, and you must wield the very swords meant to aid the chaos. As Colt, you get to decide whether to shock the system by raining down lightning or climb out of the jaws of defeat by swinging around a shark. If you don’t bring the right sword to the fight, just try again. It is up to you to gather the blades and defeat the corruption by any means necessary!

Key Features:

• Fight the Corruption: A giant blade has plunged into Armorial, bringing a hail of smaller blades along with it. The calamitous sword seems to be draining the power of the Armorial itself, and with each passing day, the rain of swords grows heavier and heavier. To undo this vile corruption, you’ll play as Colt, an unwitting hero who has gained the ability to wield the fallen blades. It’s time to make a stand against the Celestial evil that seeks to destroy the kingdom.
• Unleash the Power of Spellbound Blades: As you venture forth, each new sword you find will come with a unique ability, aka its Swordcery. These abilities allow you to perform magical feats like hurling your sword out in a boomerang-like fashion, thundering down as a bolt of lightning, trapping enemies in a cardboard box, summoning ice cubes from a sword-fridgerator, launching tasty ingredients from a kabob rapier, and so much more!
• Master the Blades: Every blade you find is categorized into a Sword Class, which has its own set of offensive maneuvers. From specific combos to unique abilities, each Sword Class may be more advantageous due to the terrain or combat situation. It is up to you to master and acknowledge which Sword Class’ attributes and attacks will work in unison along with your mighty Swordcery abilities.
• Forged for Replayability: Each new run, you can expect to discover new swords, find various relics to add to your playstyle, choose new sword class upgrades, and trek through procedurally generated dungeons. 

Wishlist Swordcery on Steam now and play the demo to sharpen your skills ahead of launch.

About Temple Door Games

Founded in 2019, Temple Door Games is a duo indie dev team based in Los Angeles, CA. While working on God of War at Sony Santa Monica Studio, Mike Henriet and Don Thurakichprempri bonded over a mutual love of animation, video games, and burritos. With Temple Door Games, they strive to create fun and challenging gameplay complete with quirky jokes, satisfyingly juicy melee hits, and a few tugs to your heartstrings. Don and Mike were 2 of 6 cinematic animators on the 2018 Game of the Year award-winning God of War. Their previous experience working on AAA titles has instilled in them a focus, drive, and level of quality to rival even the most seasoned game developers. Though their professional expertise is predominantly in 3D animation, Don and Mike have accrued a wide variety of game dev skills and are now putting them to use for Swordcery.

Raise The Black Flag and Let Your Reign Over the Seas Begin.

Sydney, Australia — JULY 9, 2026 — Today, Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s CreedBlack Flag Resynced, the next installment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, is now available. The game is available on Ubisoft+*, PlayStation^®5, Xbox Series X|S, as well as Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store, Steam (the game being Steam Deck verified) and the Epic Games Store.  

Led by Ubisoft Singapore** Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a faithful remake of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, originally released in 2013. Rebuilt from the ground up and powered by the latest Anvil engine, the game features updated visuals and enriched gameplay, including parry‑driven combat, improved stealth and parkour, deeper naval mechanics, and new narrative content. 

Set during the Golden Age of Piracy, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced invites players to sail the Caribbean as Edward Kenway, a rebellious pirate captain drawn into the centuries-old conflict between Assassins and Templars. As Edward pursues glory and fortune, he crosses paths with legendary figures such as Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack, while the fate of everything the pirates have built hangs in the balance. 

In addition, Brian Tyler‘s timeless original compositions, including the iconic Black Flag Main Theme, are joined by 22 newly crafted tracks by Stephen Lukach, written exclusively for Resynced. The Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced (Original Game Soundtrack) sets sail on July 10. You can pre-save here. 

The standard edition of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is available for AU$99.95, on all platforms***.  

• Deluxe Edition – This digital-only edition is available for AU$104.95, on all platforms***, includes the base game plus the Master Assassin Character Pack and the Master Assassin Naval Pack.   
• Collector’s Edition – Includes everything in the Deluxe Edition, plus premium physical collector’s items: Edward’s Figurine, Edward wearable metal brooch, exclusive SteelBook^®, cloth map, and more. 

For the latest news about Assassin’s Creed and other Ubisoft games, please visit news.ubisoft.com.  To purchase, please visit store.ubisoft.com 

*Ubisoft+ Premium is available for AU$23.95 per month. Cancel anytime.  More information at plus.ubisoft.com.  

** Along with the following co-dev studios: Ubisoft Barcelona, Ubisoft Belgrade, Ubisoft Bordeaux, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Chengdu, Ubisoft DaNang, Ubisoft India, Ubisoft Kyiv, Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Philippines, Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft Shanghai, and Ubisoft Sofia 

*** A one-time internet connection will be required to download the game. Once downloaded, the full main campaign of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is fully playable offline. 

About Assassin’s Creed      

Since it first launched in 2007, the Assassin’s Creed^TM series has sold more than 230 million games worldwide. The franchise is now established as one of the best-selling series in video game history. Recognized for having some of the richest, most engrossing storytelling in the industry, Assassin’s Creed transcends video games, branching out into numerous other entertainment media.

About Ubisoft 

Ubisoft is a creator of worlds, committed to enriching players’ lives with original and memorable entertainment experiences. 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® and Tom Clancy’s The Division®. 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 2025–26 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of €1.53 billion. To learn more, please visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com. 

© 2026 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Black Flag, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Developed and published by Ubisoft.