Get a glimpse of the chart-breaking playlist in the first teaser trailer
17 August 2022, Sydney, Australia: It’s time to warm up your vocal cords: Ravenscourt and Voxler are announcing, for the first time, Let’s Sing 2023 with Hits from Australia and New Zealand, the next entry into the acclaimed karaoke franchise.
The game will be released later this year for Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, the Xbox One family of devices – including Xbox One X – and will also be playable on Xbox Series X/S.
Watch the Teaser Trailer here:
Current smash hits as well as classics and all-time favourites – Let’s Sing 2023 has them all. Rock out to Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits”, Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated”, swoon to Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” or giddy up for Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus and “Old Town Road”. For some local tunes, how about The Kid LAROI and “WITHOUT YOU”, Tones and I and “Fly Away” or Lorde and “Solar Power”? These are just a few of the 35 hits included in Let’s Sing 2023.
For those attending gamescom that want to get the party started early, why not join us in Hall 9? For the first time in the history of Let’s Sing we will be bringing the karaoke-fun to gamescom.
About Ravenscourt Established in 2014 – and operating from its Munich headquarters in Germany – Ravenscourt’s mission is delivering amazing games to a broad audience from both established studios and industry newcomers.With a diverse portfolio, managing the titles of multiple international studios, Ravenscourt games span everything from adventure and management sims through to city builders and indie gems. The label even boasts a good old sing-along karaoke franchise.Our players delight in engrossing narrative driven adventures, relish the challenge of building new worlds and love solving puzzles. We have more delights in store for them…The publishing label Ravenscourt stands for worthy interactive entertainment for a broad range of players. It is a proud part of PLAION.
About Voxler Voxler is a French developer of music games. The company was created in 2005 and the team focuses its energy on developing great games based on advanced technology. Voxler develops or has developed several games on all platforms (Switch™, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, and Xbox One®) and on iOS, Android and PC. The team’s key commitment is to give players unforgettable moments in high-quality games. The studio works with leading worldwide publishers and invests continuously in order to exploit the full potential of each platform. More information at http://www.voxler.fr. Voxler is part of PLAION.
About PLAION
PLAION is a leading independent developer and producer of games and entertainment products, with ten 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 ten game development studios: Deep Silver Volition (Champaign, IL, USA), 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.
Bethesda ANZ has partnered with Australian food delivery platform Menulog and bubble tea brewers Sharetea to bring The Elder Scrolls Online: Teas of Tamriel to fans across Australia. From August 17 to 29 enthusiasts of enticing flavours and the fantasy world of The Elder Scrolls can experience this limited time collaboration coinciding with The Elder Scrolls Online Free Play event. The Tamriel inspired menu will be available exclusively through Menulog for delivery or pick up from over 50 Sharetea Australia stores in the ACT, NSW, QLD and VIC.
The Teas of Tamriel menu includes five fantastical flavours, each highlighting flourishes from the different cultures and iconic locations that make up The Elder Scrolls Online’s continent of Tamriel. Adventurous sippers can experience a variety of otherworldly inspired delicacies and enticing concoctions including:
Three Bro’s Mead: Assam black milk tea with white pearls, pudding & herbal jelly
Fans are invited to party up and quest with friends near and far to win a year’s supply of Sharetea Australia, a digital copy of The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle and a yearlong ESO Plus subscription. To enter, visit the competition post on Bethesda ANZ social channels, like the post and comment with a backstory for your favourite Teas of Tamriel flavour. Bonus entries are awarded by sharing a photo of one of the five tea flavours on social media. For more information on the competition, visit Bethesda ANZ on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
“Partnering with Menulog and Sharetea Australia is a wonderful opportunity to bring Tamriel to life for fans across Australia in a delicious new way “, said Simon Alty, VP & Managing Director at Bethesda Softworks APAC. “Sharetea Australia’s bubble tea is a favourite refreshment of many Australians, and now we can make their next sip a little more magical with a custom selection of drinks inspired by the award-winning online RPG played by over 20 million people worldwide”.
“We at Sharetea Australia have an undying thirst for adventure and are always looking for new and innovative ways to make our delectable drinks more accessible to people from the land down under. This time round we decided to go down the winding path of something mysterious and magical by teaming up with Bethesda’s game, The Elder Scrolls, enabling gamers and bubble tea aficionados across Australia to explore a gulp of Tamriel inspired drinks in the comfort of their home by having our delivery partner Menulog serve up this magic IRL”, said Eva Martin, National Marketing Manager at Sharetea Australia.
Of the partnership and limited time menu items, Menulog Marketing Director Simon Cheng said “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Bethesda and Sharetea Australia to create something out of this world for the millions of fans of Elder Scrolls and bubble tea enthusiasts alike. At Menulog we’re all about delivering joy and we believe these teas certainly do that! The limited edition flavours are taken right out of the ESO universe and we can’t wait for our customers to try them. Best enjoyed of course while playing the Elder Scrolls Online!”
Discover almost everything Tamriel has to offer and begin your year-long adventure during The Elder Scrolls Online Free Play Event. During the free-play period running August 17-29, anybody on PC/Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 can download and play The Elder Scrolls Online for free. If you’d like to join over 20 million players and explore Tamriel for free, visit the Free Play page and select your platform.
The latest chapter, The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle, is out now for PC/Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. For more information on The Elder Scrolls Online and the Free Play Event visit www.elderscrollsonline.com.
About Menulog: Menulog is an app-based food delivery service offering Australians the greatest choice of restaurants and cuisines across the country. Menulog connects millions of active customers with more than 34,000 local restaurants, servicing 93 percent of the addressable population.
Born in Australia more than 16 years ago, Menulog is now part of Just Eat Takeaway.com, a leading global online food delivery marketplace. Download the Menulog App via the App Store or Google Play. Follow facebook.com/menulog.com.au and @menulog on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram.
About Sharetea Australia: At Sharetea Australia, we’ve been sharing our love of fun, creative and delicious bubble tea with our community since 2012. Sharetea Australia upholds the tradition of a well-made tea, with a fresh, innovative perspective to make tea enticing to tea lovers from all cultures. The quality of our ingredients is the source of our success and we are committed to creating the best drinks for our customers whether it’s bubble tea, smoothies, crushes, or yoghurt drinks – we’ve got it all!
My favourite part about announcing games coming soon to Xbox Game Pass is that feeling where you know you’re about to make someone’s day. Sharing ‘coming soon’ details about a new game they’ve been excited about (you can catch me playing Immortality on launch day), one they’ve never heard of that might become their new favourite, or a beloved classic they get to play again. We’ve got all of these and more for you coming soon to Game Pass (and maybe some more surprises later this week) so let’s jump in!
Available Today
Coffee Talk (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox Coffee Talk is a coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator about listening to the stories of alternative-Seattle’s inhabitants. From a dramatic love story between an elf and a succubus to an alien trying to understand the lives of humans, help everyone you meet by serving up a warm drink or two. Plus, Ultimate members can jump right in with Touch Controls via Xbox Cloud Gaming today!
Coming Soon
Midnight Fight Express (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – August 23 Available on day one with Game Pass: A former member of the criminal underworld is lured back into “the life” by a mysterious drone claiming they only have until sunrise to prevent a citywide criminal takeover. Engage in a brutal and hyper-kinetic brawling ballet, using every environmental tool and street fighting technique at your disposal. Level up your abilities to take down the mounting onslaught of bozos, cronies, and crime lords.
Exapunks (PC) ID@Xbox – August 25 The year is 1997. You used to be a hacker, but now you have the phage. You made a deal: one hack, one dose. There’s nothing left to lose… except your life. Exapunks is the latest open-ended puzzle game from Zachtronics, the creators of Opus Magnum, Shenzhen I/O, TIS-100, and more.
Opus: Echo of Starsong – Full Bloom Edition (Console and PC) – August 25 Opus: Echo of Starsong – Full Bloom Edition is the definitive edition of the critically acclaimed visual novel-style adventure game, now with all-new voice acting. Dive in and enjoy an intergalactic journey that transcends time through love.
Commandos 3 – HD Remaster (Cloud, Console, and PC) – August 30 Available on day one with Game Pass: Commandos 3 – HD Remaster sends you to the relentless and unforgiving battlefields of Europe. Remastered in high definition including reworked 3D models and textures, improved controls, and refined UI.
Immortality (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S) ID@Xbox – August 30 Available on day one with Game Pass: Marissa Marcel would have been a star. She made three movies, but none of them was ever released… and then Marissa Marcel disappeared. Explore lost footage, cut your own path into the mystery, and discover what happened to Marissa Marcel in the newest interactive game from Sam Barlow, creator of Her Story.
Immortals Fenyx Rising (Cloud, Console, and PC) – August 30 Immortals Fenyx Rising brings grand mythological adventure to life. Play as Fenyx, a new winged demigod on a quest to save the Greek gods. The fate of the world is at stake – you are the gods’ last hope.
Tinykin (Console and PC) ID@Xbox – August 30 Available on day one with Game Pass: Milo arrives on Earth to find that he’s way too small, everybody’s gone, and a day hasn’t passed since 1991! Team up with the mysterious tinykin and use their unique powers to create ladders, bridges, explosions, and a lot more! Find a way home through a sprawling ant-sized metropolis and unravel Earth’s biggest mystery!
DLC / Game Updates
Naraka: Bladepoint – Showdown – Available now Showdown is a whole new cooperative campaign mode coming to Naraka: Bladepoint on August 5, available to players as a free update on Xbox Series X|S and via Xbox Game Pass. Players will team up, fight against ferocious enemies, and upgrade heroes to face challenges of varying difficulties.
Sea of Thieves: A Hunter’s Cry – August 18 A rescue is underway! Sail into the Sea of the Damned to join forces with other crews, reach the peak of a transformed, twisted tavern and save Merrick in A Hunter’s Cry, Sea of Thieves’ sixth time-limited Adventure running from August 18 to September 1!
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks
Halo Infinite: Pass Tense Commando Rifle Bundle – August 17 Stand apart from the rest with the exclusive “Pass Tense” VK78 Commando Rifle, four 2XP Boosts and four Challenge Swaps!
MultiVersus: MVP Pack – August 23 This free in-game MVP Pack features the Battle Reindog Variant, the Waterfall Banner, and the Dark Matter Ringout Effect.
CrossfireX: Babylon Bundle – August 23 Attention, Mercenaries! To celebrate the new Babylon update, get an exclusive weapon skin and 1,200 CFP to stylize your loadout. Play free today!
Xbox Touch Controls Added To 16 More Games
Ultimate members, 16 more games are available now with touch controls via Xbox Cloud Gaming! Jump into these games at xbox.com/play via browser, Xbox Game Pass app for Android, or Xbox app for PC – no controller required!
Leading Metaverse Adds Award-Winning Reality Show IP as Its First-Ever Virtual Restaurant and Chef-Themed Game Experience
HONG KONG – August 16, 2022 –The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming virtual world and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, announced today that it has partnered with ITV Studios to bring Gordon Ramsay’s award-winning reality show Hell’s Kitchen to The Sandbox metaverse. Hell’s Kitchen has traveled to 24 territories globally and the show will air its 21st season in the US starring multi-Michelin Star chef Gordon Ramsay on FOX starting on September 29th.
Through the partnership, Hell’s Kitchen restaurant experiences designed with input from Ramsay will be hosted on ITV’s LAND in The Sandbox. Additionally, Hell’s Kitchen-themed assets, including limited edition Gordon Ramsay avatars, will be available down the line for players and creators to include in their own original experiences.Hell’s Kitchen is a five-time Emmy-nominated reality show in which aspiring chefs compete for the opportunity to run one of Ramsay’s eateries. The Hell’s Kitchen restaurant setting, seen in a new teaser video released today, will represent the first experiences based on cooking themes to appear in The Sandbox:
“We’re shaping the metaverse to become an expansion of all real world activities through the creative possibilities offered by technology – and who better than Gordon Ramsay and Hell’s Kitchen to bring our first restaurant culinary and social experiences to The Sandbox,” said Sebastien Borget, COO and Co-Founder of The Sandbox. “In this immersive setting, the show’s fans and community can bring their avatars into Gordon Ramsay’s world and be challenged to bring their creativity to new levels.”
“There’s nothing more exciting to me than chartering new territory, whether that’s creating a signature dish, a new restaurant concept, a new show, or now a virtual experience in The Sandbox,” said Gordon Ramsay. “I’ve been fascinated by The Sandbox and its offering in the metaverse. I couldn’t think of a better platform to bring the high energy of my Hell’s Kitchen restaurant and brand.”
“We’re right at the beginning of exploring the potential of entertainment brands in the metaverse so we’re very excited to bring Hell’s Kitchen to The Sandbox. Both are innovators in their respective spaces, which is why they make a great match,” said Neil Bowler, Controller of Games at ITV. “We think the show’s fans all over the world will enjoy interacting with experiences set in a virtual Hell’s Kitchen in The Sandbox metaverse.”
Part virtual real estate, part amusement park, The Sandbox fully embraces the idea of the metaverse as a continuous shared digital space where worlds and heroes collide to make magic. Hell’s Kitchen joins over 300 existing partnerships including Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, The Rabbids, Gucci Vault, The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, ZEPETO, and CryptoKitties, all following The Sandbox team’s vision of empowering players to create their own experiences using both original and well-known characters and worlds.
The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, is one of the decentralized virtual worlds that has been fueling the recent growth of virtual real estate demand, having partnered with major IPs and brands including Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, The Rabbids, Gucci Vault, The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, ZEPETO, CryptoKitties, and more. Building on existing The Sandbox IP that has more than 40 million global installs on mobile, The Sandbox metaverse offers players and creators a decentralized and intuitive platform to create immersive 3D worlds and game experiences and to safely store, trade, and monetize their creations. For more information, please visit www.sandbox.game and follow the regular updates on Twitter, Medium, and Discord.
About Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands, a Deloitte Tech Fast winner and ranked in the Financial Times list of High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2021, is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification that is working to advance digital property rights and contribute to the establishment of the open metaverse. The company develops and publishes a broad portfolio of products including the REVV token and SAND token; original games including The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes; and products utilizing popular intellectual properties including Disney, WWE, Snoop Dogg, The Walking Dead, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Formula E. It has multiple subsidiaries, including The Sandbox, Blowfish Studios, Quidd, GAMEE, nWay, Pixowl, Forj, Lympo, Grease Monkey Games, Eden Games, Darewise Entertainment, Notre Game, and TinyTap. Animoca Brands has a growing portfolio of more than 340 investments, including Colossal, Axie Infinity, OpenSea, Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot), Yield Guild Games, Harmony, Alien Worlds, Star Atlas, and others. For more information visit www.animocabrands.com or follow on Twitter or Facebook.
About Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen originated in the UK and the US aired its 20th series. The format travelled to 24 territories around the world and sees one renowned head chef welcome a group of hopeful chefs into Hell’s Kitchen, where they will compete for the chance of a life-changing job in a top restaurant. Real-life drama, high emotion and culinary passion combine as the participants live, cook and compete in Hell’s Kitchen. Which chef can handle the heat?
About ITV Studios
ITV Studios is a creator, producer and distributor of world-leading programmes and formats that people can’t get enough of. Connecting millions of people every day and shaping and reflecting the world they live in, ITV Studios is More Than TV. Its Brand & Licensing department is responsible for all global commercial activities including sponsorship, brand licensing, consumer products, gaming, and live events. It represents a diverse portfolio including scripted and non-scripted content, game shows and kids titles, which offers a wide range of commercial opportunities. Brands include The Voice, Hell’s Kitchen, Love Island, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, The Chase, Coronation Street, Schitt’s Creek, The Last Unicorn, Thunderbirds, Space: 1999, The Prisoner, and more.
About Gordon Ramsay
Acclaimed chef, restaurateur, TV personality and author Gordon Ramsay inked a deal in 2019 with private equity firm Lion Capital to expand his restaurant concepts across the U.S., where the company currently has 13 restaurants across Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Lake Tahoe and Kansas City, several of which are in partnership with Caesars Entertainment. Gordon Ramsay North America is scaling dining concepts including outdoor and take-out, as the company taps into several of Gordon Ramsay’s successful U.S. and international key brands including Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, Gordon Ramsay Burger, Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza, Gordon Ramsay Steak and Hell’s Kitchen. In addition to the Gordon Ramsay North America restaurants, there are 43 international restaurants in the Gordon Ramsay Restaurants portfolio worldwide, where Gordon Ramsay holds a total of 7 Michelin stars.
Renowned for highly successful and award-winning original programming, Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning Ramsay produces TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic, seen by audiences worldwide in more than 200 territories, and he is the only talent on air in the U.S. with six prime-time national network shows. He hosts and executive produces “Next Level Chef,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “MasterChef,” “MasterChef Junior”, “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back,” and the upcoming “Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars” all on Fox, in addition to specials including “Gordon Ramsay’s American Road Trip.”
Ramsay and Fox Entertainment recently announced their leading new worldwide production venture Studio Ramsay Global to develop, produce and distribute culinary and lifestyle programming for FOX, Tubi and global markets. His earlier multimedia production company Studio Ramsay was launched in the U.K. in 2016 to create and develop unscripted, digital and scripted programming, focusing on new formats and innovative programming, as well as fostering new talent. Its shows include “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back,” which was the highest-rated food show of 2019; “The F-Word Live With Gordon Ramsay”; “Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted,” on National Geographic Channel, which airs in 172 countries and 43 languages worldwide; the ratings hit and BAFTA-nominated “Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip,” for ITV; “Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance,” on BBC1; the daytime cooking series “Culinary Genius,” which premiered on ITV in the U.K., and was syndicated on FOX stations in the U.S.; the ITV series “The Savoy” and “Gordon on Cocaine”; and the highly popular children’s series “Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch,” starring Tilly Ramsay for U.K. children’s channel CBBC.
Studio Ramsay Global Digital Division is behind all of Ramsay’s original content on his highly successful YouTube Channel, which has made Ramsay the most subscribed chef on the platform. The 18-34 dominated channel launched the trending interview series “Scrambled,” and is also behind the highly successful “Ramsay in 10,” which went live during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Studio Ramsay Global Digital oversees and creates content for all behind-the-scenes moments from Studio Ramsay linear programming, has produced content for National Geographic and Masterclass, and produces recipe content across Gordon’s 90 million plus Social Media reach, including his breakout TikTok account.
For more information, please visit www.gordonramsay.com or follow Gordon Ramsay on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter.
This Brand New Collection, Releasing September 27 for Nintendo Switch, Combines Remastered Versions of the Critically-Acclaimed Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm; Enjoy The Emotional Adventures On-the-Go For the Very First Time
LONDON, UK (August 16, 2022) – SQUARE ENIX® today announced a release date of September 27, 2022 for Life is Strange™ Arcadia Bay Collection on the Nintendo Switch, marking the very first time the beloved narrative experiences will be available on the portable platform. Physical pre-orders are open now.
Watch the new Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection trailer here:
Experience two award-winning Life is Strange games on Nintendo Switch for the very first time! Meet an unforgettable cast of characters across two gripping stories – with remastered visuals and upgraded animations now optimized for the Nintendo Switch.
Harness the power of Max’s supernatural rewind ability or Chloe’s quick-witted attitude to change the course of shocking events in Arcadia Bay.
The Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection includes ‘Life is Strange Remastered’ and ‘Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered’.
This all-new collection features:
Two complete games
Remastered visuals improved and optimized for Switch across characters and environments
Improved character animation using full facial mocap performance (Life is Strange Remastered)
Choice and consequence driven stories with multiple endings
Harness the power of Max’s rewind ability or Chloe’s quick-witted attitude to change the course of events
Every track from the distinct licensed soundtrack & original scores
Jon Brooke, Co-Head of Studio at Square Enix External Studios states: “Firstly I’d like to recognise DON’T NOD for creating the incredible original Life is Strange, and offer thanks to Deck Nine Games for taking the emotional on-screen performance of these beloved characters to a new level in these new editions. Bringing these award-winning stories to the Nintendo Switch for the very first time was essential for us, as was the care the Deck Nine team have shown during their development. We’re excited to welcome a whole host of new players to these must-play games.”
About Deck Nine Games Deck Nine Games are an independent videogame developer devoted to bringing together two passions; meaningful storytelling and rich gameplay. Its talented team of developers have won awards for their work in films, TV and videogames. Located at the foot of the Colorado mountains, Deck Nine Games is focused on becoming a premium developer of narrative adventure games for consoles, PC and mobile devices.
About DONTNOD Entertainment Founded in 2008, DONTNOD is an independent studio that develops video games in popular genres, such as adventure (Life is Strange), action (Remember Me) and RPG (Vampyr). Every new game is an original, multi-platform creation with a unique narrative experience and gameplay and is aimed at a wide audience, whether released in episodes, or in “one-shot” format. The studio has built an international reputation amongst working with worldwide leading publishers such as Square Enix, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Focus Home Interactive and Capcom. www.dont-nod.com
DONTNOD (ISIN code: FR0013331212 – ALDNE) is listed on Euronext Growth Paris
About Square Enix External Studios Square Enix External Studios is a London based development and publishing group that works with top development studios across the world, establishing new intellectual properties and developing new franchises within the umbrella of Square Enix Holdings. Square Enix External Studios have been responsible for multiple games including RPG Shooter OUTRIDERS®, the Just Cause® and Life is Strange® series, and titles such as Batman: Arkham Asylum® and Sleeping Dogs®.
About Square Enix Ltd. Square Enix Ltd. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as Crystal Dynamics® and Eidos Montréal®. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 168 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 84 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 88 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
Celebrating 10 years of Marvelous in Europe with the launch of a refreshed website
London, United Kingdom – 16 August 2022 – Marvelous Europe is excited to announce that, on their 10th anniversary year, it has entered publishing partnerships with indie studios and iGi alumni, RexLabo and Nao Games, to publish upcoming titles Nova Antarctica and Ninja or Die.
Established in 2012, as the European arm of Marvelous, the team also celebrates the 10-year milestone with the launch of a refreshed website which can be seen at www.marvelouseurope.com.
“We have significantly evolved in the last decade, establishing our own publishing identity and work culture and we wanted our website to reflect who we are right now.” said Marc Melton, Managing Director. “We’ve grown as a team and while we continue to publish and promote select Marvelous group titles, we’re also proud to be adding commercial value to other indie projects and support great teams, new and existing.”
Having revealed Mandragora, in partnership with Primal Game Studio, early this year and with additional games to be unveiled soon, the two new titles signed continue Marvelous Europe’ series of collaborations with development talent worldwide. In addition, the updated website will make it easier to reach out to the European publishing team regarding new partnerships.
“We wanted to make it as easy as possible to talk to us”, Sarah Burns, Head of Production and Operations adds. “We’re always open to seeing new titles and we pride ourselves on ensuring our partners have the creative freedom they need to build the games they’re imagining. In the case of RexLabo and Nao Games, it is incredible to see how small teams (or one-person development powerhouses!) can create such amazing titles and we’re excited to help them realise their vision.”
In Nova Antarctica, players must survive Earth’s harshest conditions on a devastatingly beautiful journey shaped by the choices they make, the paths they take, and the stories they weave with the mysterious animals they meet along the way. Watch the Nova Antarctica trailer here
Ninja or Die is a killer fusion of brutal challenge and elegant simplicity, combining extreme speed with a unique control scheme. Players will unleash the power and speed of the Ninja in an ultrafast Roguelite that will leave them dead and wanting more. Watch the Ninja or Die trailer here
Ninja or Die will be available on Windows PC via Steam Early 2023 and more information can be found on the official page. To be kept up to date with Ninja or Die news please wishlist the title on Steam.
“Over the last few years we’ve consistently supported talent in the industry through gaming incubators and accelerators including iGi in Japan, the Tentacle Zone in the UK, as well as GameBCN and Cinecittà Game Hub in Europe, and signing games created by participants in these projects feels like a natural step forward for us.” Marc Melton adds. For more information regarding Marvelous Europe, please visit the official website here, or follow via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
About RexLabo RexLabo, a studio comprised of a small team of passionate developers, was established in 2022, in Tokyo, Japan. Their first release will be Nova Antarctica, a first round iGi selection title which will launch worldwide in 2023.
About Nao Games Nao Games is the company name of veteran sole developer Nao Shibata, the creator and producer of Ninja or Die. A first round iGi selection, Ninja or Die will release in 2023.
About iGi iGi (indie Game incubator) is Japan’s first incubation program for indie developers and games. Please refer to the following website below for details of the program and application requirements: https://igi.dev/
About Marvelous Europe Marvelous Europe is the publisher behind Mandragora, Nova Antarctica and Ninja or Die, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marvelous Inc., developer of the beloved Story of Seasons (known as Harvest Moon prior to 2013) and Rune Factory series.
Established in 2012, Marvelous Europe is passionate about helping games to reach a global audience while nurturing emerging developers and studios. With decades of experience and strong ties to the worldwide indie game dev community, the highly skilled European team is committed to supporting studios worldwide find success, while continuing to publish and distribute select Marvelous Inc. content.
The Wandering Band adds challenging Tundra biome in new DLC to the acclaimed flying city builder
August 16, 2022 – The Wandering Band’s BAFTA-nominated Airborne Kingdom is often described as a chill city-building experience. And it’s about to get chill-ier with the Airborne Kingdom: The Lost Tundra update. This free DLC, available on Monday, September 19, 2022, introduces a frosty new biome, which presents players with the most difficult challenge in the game yet. The Lost Tundra is filled with mysteries and surprises – and long-forgotten secrets that have been claimed by its inhospitably frigid climate. Those who can’t keep their kingdoms from freezing over are destined to follow the same fate.
Airborne Kingdom: The Lost Tundra is designed with experienced players in mind. The Lost Tundra is open for exploration even for players who haven’t completed the game, but it will be challenging. Food, water, and coal resources aren’t present in the Lost Tundra, and maintaining the kingdom is a difficult task. To make matters worse, the temperature takes a toll on the kingdom’s very structure, freezing parts and lowering their efficiency. The effects can be mitigated with new furnace structures but at the cost of resources and additional weight. Airborne Kingdom: The Lost Tundra requires that players reevaluate how they approach nearly every facet of kingdom construction and maintenance.
The challenge is accompanied by great rewards, too. Hidden locations unlock gorgeous new cosmetics and customizations, rewarding those brave and clever enough to survive this desolate new frontier.
The Wandering Band is a small umbrella for creating interesting games while wandering the world and expanding horizons. With decades in AAA game development working on franchises including Dragon Age and Battlefield, The Wandering Band team aims to create new experiences, challenge genre boundaries, and explore new topics through game mechanics. To learn more, please visit The Wandering Band’s official website.
About Freedom Games
Freedom Games is a publisher dedicated to offering best-in-class services to partners and providing players around the world with unique and memorable experiences. With over 50 years of combined industry experience at the executive level, Freedom Games seeks to leverage its expertise to facilitate great games and even better publishing experiences. For more information, check out the official Freedom Games website.
DAKAR DESERT RALLY LAUNCHES OCTOBER 4 ON PLAYSTATION, XBOX & PC
Pre-order Saber Interactive’s massive open world rally racing game today to get the exclusive Audi RS Q e-tron off-road futuristic prototype vehicle
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Aug. 16, 2022 – Saber Interactive has announced that Dakar Desert Rally, the biggest open world rally racing game ever based on the world-famous Dakar Rally, will release on Oct. 4, 2022, for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Experience intense off-road action from the official 2020, 2021 and 2022 Dakar raids with a wide range of authentic vehicles, realistic physics and visuals, and dynamic seasons and weather.
Fans can pre-orderDakar Desert Rally today at major digital and retail stores for $39.99. The Deluxe Edition is also available to pre-order for $59.99 and includes the full base game plus the Dakar Desert Rally Season Pass, featuring the DAF Truck Turbo-Twin and the Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 as day one vehicle unlocks, along with five upcoming DLC packs containing a new map, new vehicles, and two new rally events, all at a discounted price. Pre-ordering any version of Dakar Desert Rally will unlock the exclusive Audi RS Q e-tron, which made history by winning the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, becoming the first electric vehicle to win a desert rally.
Developed by Saber Porto, Dakar Desert Rally captures the genuine speed and excitement of Amaury Sport Organisation’s largest rally race on the planet, featuring a wide variety of licensed vehicles from the world’s top makers, including motorcycles, cars, trucks, quads and SSVs. Take on unique challenges for off-road simulation diehards and casual racing fans alike. Compete online in fierce four-player multiplayer races or navigate the vast wilds in single-player offline.
Key Features:
The Authentic Dakar Rally Experience: Discover more than 30 stages of full rally racing from the official 2020, 2021, and 2022 Dakar Rally with officially licensed vehicles, teams and pilots.
Immense Open World Action: Compete at high speeds across vast and extreme open world environments in both multiplayer and single-player modes.
Dynamic Seasons & Weather:Dakar Desert Rally features all four seasons and a full day-night cycle. Whether facing billowing sandstorms, blazing desert sunlight, grueling rain and snow, or deep mud, you’ll need to overcome the elements and your competition to win.
Single-Player & Online Multiplayer: Evolve your rally raid career in single-player or compete in online multiplayer events with up to three of your friends.
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 A Quiet Place. 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.
A charming new LEGO® adventure comes to console and PC later this year
Gothenburg, Sweden – August 16th, 2022: In collaboration with the LEGO Group, Thunderful are delighted to reveal the platforms that the anticipated LEGO® Bricktales will be releasing on. The new digital adventure from the developers behind the Bridge Constructor series will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in Q4 2022.
In LEGO Bricktales, journey across 5 different LEGO themed biomes and use an intuitive new brick-by-brick building mechanic to solve puzzles and bring your solutions to life. From purely aesthetic creations, such as market stands and music boxes, up to functional physics-based puzzles like building cranes and gyrocopters, LEGO Bricktales offers a host of challenges and quests to test your imagination and building skills.
Through the deepest jungle, sun-drenched deserts, a bustling city corner, a towering medieval castle and tropical Caribbean islands, you’ll be treated to delightful environments packed full of secrets, challenges and fun characters.
In each diorama, there are LEGO Minifigures who need your help, as well as the opportunity to unlock new skills for your good deeds. While exploring these colorful environments, you will discover a variety of construction spots with their own sets of bricks – it’s up to you to figure out a unique build that will work. Whether you’re being asked to put on your designer hat and build a throne fit for a king or testing your engineering skills to build a bridge that will get a digger across a river, how you construct your builds and meet the challenges you’re being offered is up to you!
“We know that LEGO fans across the world will be incredibly excited to get their hands on LEGO Bricktales,” said Dieter Schoeller, Vice-President of Production at Thunderful. “That’s why it’s so great to be able to announce that the game is coming to such a wide-range of platforms. Across PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC, we are ensuring that as many people as possible are able to play and enjoy this title and its intuitive brick-by-brick building mechanic.”
About Thunderful Thunderful Group is a group of companies that develops, publishes and invests in games as well as distributes Nintendo products, games, game accessories and toys. Founded in 2017 Thunderful Games is one of the two business segments in Thunderful Group, the other being Thunderful Distribution. Over the last few years Thunderful Games has, organically and via acquisitions, grown into a global organization with eight development studios and over 300 employees. Besides the award-winning internal development pipeline, Thunderful Games also publishes a large number of third-party titles and invests in external game projects.
About the LEGO Group The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO® bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”. Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. However, its products are now sold in more than 140 countries worldwide. For more information: www.LEGO.com.
As Peter Griffin would say – “you know what really grinds my gears?”. Irresponsible labeling of games. Now you might say “wow that sounds super specific, almost like you’re trying to segue into something”. And you would be right. There is one particular label that really grinds my gears. Soulslike. Is the game a bit challenging? Yep, then it’s soulslike. Does it follow the rule of “show, don’t tell”? It’s pretty much the Dark Souls of….soulslike games, I guess. And it even got to the point where soulslike is being used for marketing purposes for games that don’t really deserve it.
And the abundance of that is exactly what made me notice Thymesia. No description of soulslike on the store page or in gameplay trailers. Yet, the game does inherit a lot from acclaimed FromSoft games. A brooding protagonist, medieval atmosphere, punishing gameplay, and so on. So far the first impressions seem promising, but let’s see what’s actually behind the hood.
Story
As they say, the once thriving Kingdom of Hermes has fallen to an age of calamity. So-called calamity is reminiscent of the dark middle ages, according to the tutorial area at least. Fire, destruction, abandoned homes, sick and dead on the streets. Lovely. You play as a plague doctor called Corvus. Although your medical practice is more dependent on killing than saving lives (just like actual plague doctors, hah!). Our Corvus also suffers from amnesia. The only cure for him seems to be to explore the punishing Kingdom of Hermes, unraveling more secrets and regaining his memory. There is also a small army of monsters and occasional bosses that we need to push through, but that’s really no big deal to us. Right?
Gameplay
One thing is certain – Thymesia is punishing. Even in that short tutorial area, you might die once or twice to that first boss. It’s also easy to get overwhelmed by enemies if you’re not careful. Also, enemies seem a bit smarter compared to usual games from this genre so they won’t be too shy to stunlock you and corner you whenever possible. They play dirty but so can you. To do that efficiently, you really need to understand the unique mechanics of this game. Spamming the attack key won’t get you far. All enemies heal over time and they’re not just gonna stand there as you pummel them. Your normal attack is there to chip away some health from them and inflict plague damage. Unless you bring down the health all the way down with normal attacks before they heal back up, you won’t get far in the game. That’s where your heavy attack comes in. It’s there to take away a big portion of their health that you destroyed with regular attacks so they can’t heal back up. So the usual winning strategy would be a regular attack, regular attack, regular attack, heavy attack, rinse and repeat.
But wait, we’re not done with the enemies just yet. Every once in a while they might throw a heavy attack at you that’s hard to block but easy to interrupt if you time it right (think of it as a parry mechanic of this game). Defeating certain enemies by holding down heavy attacks while they’re out of health will also take away their weapon and give it to you. Although it’s one-time use only, it can inflict a lot of damage on enemies and it’s great for crowd control. You also have your usual ingredients for a soulslike RPG – leveling up stats, allocation skill points, and learning a lot about the game through environmental storytelling.
Visuals
The level design in Thymesia is remarkable and it does not disappoint. Every playable area is filled with shortcuts, secret passages, hidden items, and mini-bosses. Though the visuals can be a bit monochromatic to the point where you might name certain places in the game as “the green area”, “orange area” and so on. I am a tad disappointed in the lack of variety when it comes to enemies. You won’t have to get far in the game to see most of the bestiary of Thymesia even though mini-bosses and bosses are quite distinct and memorable.
Audio
The audio segment of the game is nothing to write home about. Voice acting is pretty much nonexistent and I expected a lot more emphasis on environmental sounds. You know, something else besides the frequent grunts and moans of the enemies. For the most part, you are the composer. Occasional silence is broken by your symphony of slashes and executing enemies. It is a shame because for this kind of game audio design is a big part of the experience that could very well complement the visual and world-building.
Overall
Thymesia does not run away from its influences. It’s pretty apparent where it draws most of the inspiration. If you’re willing to look past its budgetary constraints, you might end up with an unpolished gem here. It’s not easy to get into right away and it falls flat in some areas. Combat can be a bit choppy at times, audio leaves a lot to be desired and there is a wavy difficulty curve throughout the game (you might speed run through some areas while others will be a tough nut to crack). With all that said, Thymesia definitely brings something new to the table. There is a lot of effort put here, a lot of love, and while might not be love at first sight it is certainly genuine.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
