Sydney, Australia, Januarii XX, MMXXII – Chalkedon must fall! The city dared to stand up against the Roman Empire, this cannot go unpunished! Legio Victrix has laid siege to the city and is preparing for an assault. Legatus, you must choose the strategy. We have several goals to fulfill: The roman hostages must be freed, the enemy catapults must be taken out and we have to eliminate the enemy commander. Choose wisely, the missions on which you send your specialists, as you will have to divide your team in order to manage many manoeuvres at one time. Consider the consequences: the more catapults you manage to destroy, the easier the direct confrontation will be – but will you have enough Speculatores to free the hostages?

In Expeditions: Rome you’ll command large-scale battles at the end of each conquest in Greece, Egypt, and Gaul. Each of these final encounters is separated into different steps, with consequences that will follow you from one step to the next, and can even affect the outcome of the campaign. These missions feature covert operations, feints, frontal assaults – sneak into enemy fortifications, burn bridges, take out key opponents or objects and bring glory to Rome!

Want to try the game for yourself? Download the Expeditions: Rome demo now on Steam.
You can even continue playing from your savegame when the game launches: https://thqn.net/rome-steam

Expeditions: Rome will launch on January 20^th, 2022 (January 21^st AEDT) on PC at an SRP of $64.95.

You can pre-order now on Steam to get a 20% discount: https://thqn.net/rome-steam

About Expeditions: Rome
The future of Rome is in your hands: What will your legacy be?

Take on the role of a young Legatus whose father was murdered by an unknown political opponent, forcing you to escape Rome and take refuge in the military campaign to subdue a Greek rebellion. Step by step, you increase your military prowess, strengthen yourself in the forge of combat, and become the Legatus everyone learns to both respect, and to fear.

In Expeditions: Rome, you exert the will of Rome through your actions across the world stage, from the bright blue coasts of Greece to the deep forests of Gaul. Decide how people will view you, and Rome. Will you strike with an iron fist, or speak with a silver tongue? Will you embrace the political heritage of the Republic, or carve your own path as you navigate the complex politics of the Roman Senate? Every choice matters as you decide the fate of your legion, your close companions, and of Rome itself.

Features

• Create your own Roman Legatus! Customise your character’s look, gender, class, and skills to match your playstyle and role-playing fantasy
• Engage in tactical turn-based combat powered by an extensive skill-based action system where every weapon changes your potency on the battlefield
• Adventure with 5 unique companions discovering their extensive backstories and unique personalities
• Explore a beautifully realised, colourful world across many different environments, including North Africa, Greece, Gaul, and Rome herself
• Experience a historically inspired story of political intrigue and personal drama through a fully voiced narrative where choices matter and consequences are far-reaching
• Level up each character and select from a variety of skills and passive abilities to explore a wide range of tactical options
• Loot, Craft, and Equip a variety of weapons, armours, and tactical items to customise your game even further, providing a tremendous range of tactical options for each character
• Lead your legion on 3 extensive war campaigns across Greece, North Africa, and Gaul. Recruit legionaries, improve your warcamp, conquer regions, exploit resources, and defend your territories as you lead your legion to victory

Expeditions: Rome Official Website

Notes for Editors:

About Logic Artists
Logic Artists is an independent game development studio headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. We develop tactical roleplaying games for PC and consoles, with a loyal and passionate fanbase. Logic Artists was founded in 2011, and has become one of the largest game development studios in Denmark. In 2019, we opened a new office in Istanbul, Turkey to boost our development capacities. We have published several games including our critically acclaimed historical RPGs; Expeditions: Conquistador and Expeditions: Viking.

Logic Artists Website

About THQ Nordic

The THQ Nordic official boiler plate can be found here: https://thqnordic.com/company/about

THQ Nordic Website

PLAYISM Game Show Delivers World Premieres of New Games Jan. 23

TOKYO – 20 Jan 2021 – PLAYISM, Japan’s oldest indie game publisher, renowned for some of the most anticipated upcoming titles and popular recent releases including Bright Memory: Infinite, Gnosia and Mighty Goose, announces the latest edition of the PLAYISM Game Show live showcase.

The live event takes place Sunday, Jan. 23, 2021 at 2:00 AM EDT / 8:00 AM CET / 4:00 PM JST, and will include world premieres and all-new information for both upcoming and previously-released games in both English and Japanese on YouTube.

PLAYISM serves as a gateway between the best indie games of the West and the East, handling international releases of titles such as Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, Mighty Goose, Idol Manager, Bright Memory: Infinite and DEEEER Simulator. In the decade-plus since its inception, the publisher has also supported Kero Blaster from the creator of Cave Story, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight, and Touhou Luna Nights.

PLAYISM also works with developers and publishers around the world to localize and release games in Asian territories, such as PlayStation 5 launch title Godfall, Independent Game Festival Grand Prize winner Umurangi Generation, and BAFTA Award winner Night In The Woods. PLAYISM’s Asian catalogue also includes Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!, Subnautica, VA-11 Hall-A, Necrobarista, and more.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support and patience our partners, sponsors and community have shown us in our decade-plus of operation,” said Shunji Mizutani, Executive Producer of PLAYISM. “We are eager to celebrate our partnerships with some of the most prominent names in indie games for our third live showcase and finally show the world the incredible work our team and partners have prepared.”

PLAYISM Game Show occurs Sunday, Jan. 23, 2021 at 2:00 AM EDT / 8:00 AM CEST / 4:00 PM JST with an expected runtime of two hours in English, Japanese and Chinese on YouTube, Periscope, Niconico, and Bilibili.

For more information on PLAYISM, please visit the PLAYISM Game Show official web page or the PLAYISM official website, and follow @PlayismEN on Twitter.

About PLAYISM

Japan’s oldest indie publisher, PLAYISM is known in the West for supporting popular indie games such as Gnosia, Idol Manager, Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight, Touhou Luna Nights, Fight Crab, Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-, the La-Mulana series, Bright Memory, Bright Memory: Infinite, and DEEEER Simulator among other titles.

PLAYISM’s motto is “Bringing a Different Breed of Indie Game to the World”.

To learn more, visit the PLAYISM official website and follow @PlayismEN on Twitter.

LOS ANGELES – JAN. 19, 2022 – Netmarble’s latest mobile roleplaying game Seven Knights 2 is celebrating 77 days since its global launch with a variety of activities hosted during its “77 Festival,” taking place now through February 16. “77 Festival” is the largest event yet, promising high grade rewards for all new, returning and active players. Players can join missions throughout the week to achieve the final reward, the Legendary Hero Selection Ticket. During the seven-day period, fans will also have the chance to win heroes and collect Legendary Equipment, Pet Summon Tickets and various rubies, among other items.

As part of this update, players can acquire the Legendary Hero ‘Vindictive Blade Aquila’ for the first time.The unique Vindictive Blade Aquila hero is a first support class legendary hero and has distinguishable strengths depending on its positioning. By strategically positioning the hero, it is capable of supporting allies and providing buffs to certain allies in the Arena. Players can also take part in a Growth Support and Draw Rate Up Events now through February 4 to earn Aquila’s Soulstones and other items.

Seven Knights 2 takes place 20 years after the original Seven Knights, and centers on the Daybreak Mercenaries who embark on a journey to find the last member of the Seven Knights “Rudy,” after a series of events involving a mysterious girl named Phiné. Starring an array of characters depicted with stunning graphics powered by Unreal Engine 4, Seven Knights 2 will immerse players in a true sequel featuring the fun and innovative gameplay of Seven Knights enjoyed by players around the world. Players can collect and develop charismatic heroes while engaging in a deep and immersive cinematic story.

Seven Knights 2 is available now for download on Google Play, App Store and Windows PC. The game is available to play in twelve languages, including English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Russian, and Indonesian.

More information on Seven Knights 2 can be found on the official Facebook page, YouTube and forums or by visiting Netmarble’s Global YouTube channel.

###

About Netmarble Corporation
Established in Korea in 2000, Netmarble Corporation is a top developer and publisher pushing the boundaries of the mobile gaming experience with highly innovative games including Seven Knights 2, Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, MARVEL Future Revolution, Lineage 2: Revolution, The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, Blade & Soul Revolution and MARVEL Future Fight. As a parent company of Kabam and SpinX Games, and a major shareholder of Jam City and HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment), Netmarble strives to entertain audiences around the world with a variety of mobile games based on its powerful franchises and collaborations with IP holders worldwide. More information can be found at http://company.netmarble.com.

Last week videogame developer Blue Isle Studios announced their newest title LEAP, a twisted team-based, aerial firefight focused first-person shooter coming to Steam Early Access next month. A Closed Beta Test (CBT) for LEAP begins today at 10:00AM PT and will run through Friday, January 21 at 6:00PM PT.  See what life is like as a LEAP mercenary earning killer contract bonuses on the battlefield – join the CBT HERE or request a code directly from this email.
 
Check out the LEAP coming soon trailer HERE:

In LEAP, players will select from four unique classes, each delivering a unique balance of power, agility and defense as well as epic abilities that bring shock and awe onto their foes. Call in orbital strikes, set up automated turrets, or control guided cruise missiles as each exosuit is armed to the teeth. Large-scale combat takes place on a variety of stages and skilled mercenaries use jetpacks, grappling hooks and highly distinctive Personal Vehicles to close the distance on control points and active firefights. Nothing is more menacing than a LEAP mercenary saddled on a mechanical robo-moose galloping at full speed.  
 
LEAP is coming soon to Steam Early Access. Wishlist it and stay up to date on the latest news via the official website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and join the conversation on Discord. 
 

# # #

Dying Light 2 Stay Human – Nintendo Switch (Cloud Version) Release Date Update

Wrocław, Poland — January 19, 2022 — Techland today announces that the Nintendo Switch™ version of Dying Light 2 Stay Human (Cloud Version), previously planned for release on February 4, 2022, has been moved to a later date. Techland aims to deliver the game to the Nintendo Switch family within six months from the original date. All other platform releases remain the same and are locked for February 4, 2022. 

In 2021, Techland welcomed Nintendo Switch owners to Harran with the release of Dying Light: Platinum Edition. Many new survivors dove in to experience Dying Light for the first time in preparation for Dying Light 2 Stay Human (Cloud Version), and the community’s warm reception affirmed something Techland has always believed: quality matters.

In order to provide fans with the gaming experience at the level they deserve and that Techland wants to provide, Dying Light 2 Stay Human (Cloud Version)’s release date on Nintendo Switch will be moved. Techland is asking Nintendo fans around the world for their patience. Upon the game’s release, players will be able to experience Dying Light 2 Stay Human with flexible handheld gameplay at its best with Nintendo Switch, powered by Cloud Technology.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human, published by Techland, launches on February 4, 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, followed by the release of the cloud version on Nintendo Switch in 2022.

Pre-orders on other platforms are available via dyinglightgame.com/preorder. All pre-orders will come with the exclusive digital Reload Packand Reach for the Sky Packs, featuring unique outfits, weapons, backpack, and paraglider skins. The Reach for the Sky Pack was created in collaboration with Rosario Dawson (The Mandalorian, Sin City), who plays Lawan, a key character whose fate connects with the main protagonist Aiden during his journey.

Band together with fellow survivors on Discord, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Dying Light 2 Stay Human is a story-driven open-world action role-playing game, a sequel to the critically acclaimed Dying Light published in 2015, which has been played by over twenty five million people all over the world. This time players are visiting the City – mankind’s last stronghold in the fight against the virus. Developed parkour mechanics enable players to explore the vast open world and master tactical combat. This lost civilization, a world set in the modern dark ages, requires creative approaches to finding items and crafting gear. Gameplay shifts during a day and night cycle, so players can dare to plunder abandoned lairs of infected at night and discover the dark secrets of those in power by the day. Players must choose which side they want to take and write their own story.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human, published by Techland, launches February 4, 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-orders are available via dyinglightgame.com/preorder.

About Techland

Founded in 1991 in Poland, Techland is a renowned independent game developer and distributor for all leading platforms, including PC, Sony PlayStation, and the Xbox family of devices. Techland is best known for the original Dead Island games, the Call of Juarez series, and the Dying Light franchise, a global phenomenon played by over 20 million unique players to date. To top that, Techland’s experienced teams allow the developer to work on two of its own AAA titles at the same time. Comprising over 400 professionals across three offices in Poland, the company is committed to delivering unforgettable experiences and using the latest technology for innovative entertainment, which includes the proprietary C-Engine. For more information about the company itself, visit the official website at: www.techland.net.

All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork, and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks, and/or copyright material of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

It’s a race to complete tasks, unlock power ups via an all-new Relics system, and level up as fast as possible to earn rewards and become top of the League.

Previous Leagues II event saw Old School hit its highest-ever number of simultaneous players

Wednesday 19^th January 2022, Cambridge, UK – The fast-paced world of Old School RuneScape‘s time-limited competitive Leagues events returns as Leagues III: Shattered Relics goes live in-game today for both PC and mobile players. The Leagues III: Shattered Relics trailer and new music video, ‘Between Two Worlds’ by Tal Richards featuring Ciele, is now playing here.

First introduced in 2019, Leagues events enable players to experience Old School RuneScape in a completely fresh way. Playing as an Ironman and starting from scratch in an alternate version of Gielinor, players compete in a race to complete tasks and level up as fast as possible to earn valuable rewards.

Previous Leagues events have proved a massive hit with players; Leagues II: Trailblazer (October 2020) saw Old School RuneScape hit its highest ever number of concurrent users with more than 170,000 players competing simultaneously.

Now live in-game and running through until to 3^rd March 2022, Leagues III: Shattered Relics is themed around collection and adventure and introduces an all -new Relic system for players to master.

Powerful Relics have been shattered across an alternate version of Gielinor and players must earn Relic fragments from skilling, minigames, and defeating powerful bosses. These Relics provide powerful buffs and modifiers to the player’s character, offering the best chance to compete and earn exclusive trophies and rewards. The event also enables players to experiment with the highly versatile system by collecting and combining Relic fragments to unlock and discover greater powers.

Delivering Old School RuneScape’s most open and versatile Leagues season yet, Shattered Relics is the first Leagues event that gives players access to the entirety of Gielinor – but there’s a twist: nearly everything is locked off. In the tutorial, players first unlock the defence, thieving and fishing skills, along with one combat skill of their choice. However, other skills, and more, need to be unlocked as the adventure continues.

It’s also the first Leagues event to expand upon the lore of the game mode, which includes the introduction of a new character known as The Sage. Additionally, a new Leagues Hall has been added to allow players to display trophies and rewards for ultimate bragging rights throughout the competition.

Whether battling for glory or spectating, players can follow the Shattered Relics League here: https://www.runescape.com/oldschool/leagues3.

Relics – A source of passive effects that buff your character, such as experience boosts, drop rate boosts and effects related to Gathering, Production and Combat.

About Jagex
A leader in creating deep and engaging live games on PC and mobile, Jagex’s flagship MMORPG, RuneScape, has welcomed almost 300 million player accounts to its world and is a $1billion lifetime revenue franchise. Today the RuneScape franchise exists beyond running games in live operations; our titles are living games that connect and inspire millions of players, with content and experiences both inside and outside of inexhaustible game worlds. Both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape, on PC and mobile, offer ever-evolving, highly active worlds and our community-focussed development ethos empowers players to have a real say in how each game is shaped. Now we’re expanding and extending our portfolio with fresh franchise titles and new IP to bring life to the living games of the future. Jagex employs more than 450 people at its Cambridge headquarters. Career information can be found at www.jagex.com

About Old School RuneScape
Launched on desktop in 2013, and now also on mobile devices, Old School RuneScape is the industry-leading collaboration between players and developers. Embracing its nostalgic heritage, hundreds of thousands of active players control the direction of the game with an in-game polling system. Featuring adventures for solo play through to 100-player strong raids, Old School RuneScape caters for every brave adventurer. Since 2016, Old School RuneScape has established itself as a competitive game with the seasonal free-for-all Deadman Tournaments, where winners receive huge cash prizes and membership.

Player Favorite Ski Resort Map Introduces ‘Keep Warm Pack’ –  Because Everyone Looks Good in a Striped Ushanka

Denver, CO – Jan 19th, 2021 – Independent developer Invisible Walls ApS and game publisher Versus Evil are excited to announce that the latest ‘Keep Warm’ content pack for their multiplayer social deduction game First Class Trouble is available to buy now on Steam for PC and the PlayStation Store.

Hot off the slopes from December’s indoor Ski Resort map, the fourth new area added to the game, developer Invisible Walls has added some additional cozy attire for players to enjoy for sessions on the chilly winter slopes. This latest content pack gives players a snazzy new selection of winter clothing including a full body ski suit, colored snow shoes, a warm cocoa hat, big winter coat, sweaters and even a Racoon hat, the pack also adds a Scandinavian styled beer tray vruumba to serve some cold ones too!

“The Indoor Ski Resort Map was our most successful addition to the game to date in terms of content and player engagement, players loved the activities we introduced last month including the devious ways personoids could take out other players. In terms of area size and scope it was also our largest map, so introducing some new character content seemed appropriate given its popularity” said Niels Wetteberg, CEO of developer Invisible Walls.

First Class Trouble has a vast array of cosmetic options from seven other DLC packs available for the game, providing players with a huge selection of outfits such as uniforms, evening gowns, hats, tuxedos, swimwear and Winter gear to customize their player characters with.

First Class Trouble is a multiplayer social deduction game where six players must work together to shut down C.A.I.N., the rogue A.I. of a failing luxury space cruise-liner that is trying to kill them. Two of the six players are chosen at random to secretly play as Personoids, killer humanoids sent by C.A.I.N. to betray the other players. 

For more details on the latest pack check out the full release notes here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1840110/First_Class_Trouble_Keep_Warm_Pack/

First Class Trouble main website: https://www.firstclasstrouble.com
Versus Evil First Class Trouble page: https://versusevil.com/fct/
First Class Trouble Steam page:  here.
Sony PlayStation Store page: here
Stay up to date with First Class Trouble via Twitter here.

About Invisible Walls
Invisible Walls is an award winning indie studio established in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2017. Their focus is to create games with a strong emphasis on the social experience as well as making games that are as fun to watch as they are to play – underlining their ambition to embrace both players and audiences. 

About Versus Evil
Founded in 2013, Versus Evil, LLC is the US based video game publisher behind critically acclaimed video games First Class Trouble, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire and The Banner Saga trilogy. Publishing games on all major mobile, PC and console platforms, Versus Evil works with independent development studios from around the world. The corporate philosophy is to champion for the independent game developer. For more information visit versusevil.com

The latest release of the most beloved and realistic Supercross videogame is finally available for digital pre-order!

Sydney, Australia, (January 19, 2021) – Milestone announce today that Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5 is available for digital pre-order on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One. Preorderingon consoles, players have access to two different versions of the game, Standard and Special Edition, each one with dedicated contents. In specific:

Standard Edition

• Full Game
• Customisation Pack Ice Blizzard
• Customisation Pack Fire Storm

Special Edition

• Full Game
• Season Pass (which includes Credits Multiplayer, Legends Pack Vol. 1 & 2, US Open Track, Neon Pack, Allegiance Pack)
• Early Access 3 days
• Customisation Pack Ice Blizzard
• Customisation Pack Fire Storm

On Steam, players can add the game in the wish list to always being update about the game’s news and purchase it at launch.

Together with the pre-order opening, Milestone also unveils the Rider Shape System Trailer.

Available only in the Career Mode, the Rider Shape System affect riders’ performances in case of falls and injuries. Training and completing specific tasks are key to quickly recovering and restoring your rider to always be in top form. The Rider Shape System can be managed by its dedicated menu in which players will find all the information to monitor and heal their rider.

Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5 will be available worldwide on March 17, 2022, on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC®/STEAM.

Follow us on:

• Website: www.supercrossthegame.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/SupercrossTheGame
• Instagram: instagram.com/supercrossthegame 

About Milestone

Founded in Milan in 1996, Milestone S.r.l. is one of the leading and longest established racing game developers in the world.  The 200-people team is responsible for hit series like MotoGP™ and MXGP – The Official Motocross Videogame as well as own IPs Ride and Gravel.

About Feld Entertainment, Inc.

Feld Entertainment® is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live touring family entertainment experiences that bring people together and uplift the human spirit. Properties include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, Disney On Ice, Disney Live!, Marvel Universe LIVE!, Sesame Street Live!, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Jurassic World Live Tour and DreamWorks Trolls The Experience. Across the brand portfolio, Feld Entertainment has entertained millions of families in more than 75 countries and on six continents.

Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass: Rainbow Six Extraction, Hitman Trilogy, Death’s Door, and More

by Megan Spurr, Community Lead, Xbox Game Pass

This announcement is dedicated to everyone who loves games, loves reading about games, or those people who click on links about games – this one’s for you. We’ve got more coming to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass soon; some are even available today! Whether you’re looking to squad up with your friends to take on a constantly evolving alien threat, become a world class assassin, or planning to brush up on your dog photography skills (we’ve seen them on Instagram!), we’ve got you covered. Let’s dig into the games!

Available Today

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Investigate murders, search for clues, and talk to your classmates to prepare for trial. There, you’ll engage in deadly wordplay, going back and forth with suspects. Dissect their statements and fire their words back at them to expose their lies!

Nobody Saves the World (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox
Available on day one with Game Pass: When the ancient Calamity re-awakens, who can save the world? Nobody! (That’s you, you’re Nobody.) Master the art of transformation to become a Slug, Ghost, Dragon, and more. Combine your forms to create powerful hybrids and defeat the forces of evil. Join a friend for online co-op and save the world together! Plus, Ultimate members can play on mobile devices with touch controls with Xbox Cloud Gaming, no controller needed!

Coming Soon

Death’s Door (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – January 20
Reaping souls of the dead and punching a clock might get monotonous, but it’s honest work for a Crow. The job gets lively when your assigned soul is stolen, and you must track down a desperate thief to a realm untouched by death – where creatures grow far past their expiry and overflow with greed and power. Ultimate members can play on mobile devices with Touch Controls with Xbox Cloud Gaming, no controller needed!

Hitman Trilogy (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – January 20
Experience the World of Assassination trilogy and become Agent 47, a legendary assassin. Embark on a globetrotting adventure, where hyper-detailed missions are packed full of creative opportunities to take down your targets. Go loud with some serious firepower, steal a disguise, or play as a Silent Assassin. It’s all up to you.

Pupperazzi (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – January 20
Available on day one with Game Pass: This dog photography game puts your love for pups to the test. As you take better photos, you’ll unlock new breeds, camera lenses, chew toys, and accessories to dress up dogs with. Don’t just pet and play fetch – save your memories of those very good boys and girls on film.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 20
Available on day one with Game Pass: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction is a tactical co-op FPS for 1-3 players, featuring beloved Operators from the Rainbow Six universe. With deep gear and ability progression, over 90 weapons and gadgets, 12 ever-evolving maps, unpredictable enemy mutations, and 13 dynamic mission types, no experience is ever the same.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege: Deluxe Edition (PC) – January 20
Available now on Console and Cloud and coming soon to PC Game Pass. Experience explosive 5v5 gameplay, high-stakes competition, and thrilling PVP team battles with over 70 million other players worldwide. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege features an ever-expanding roster of Operators with unique skills, environment destruction as a tactical tool, and limitless opportunities to perfect your strategy.

Windjammers 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – January 20
Available on day one with Game Pass: The best flying disc game of all time is back! With amazing hand-drawn graphics, crazy new moves, gameplay mechanics and awesome new characters and stages, Windjammers 2 is the sequel you’ve been dreaming of.

Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master (Console and PC) – January 27
Available on day one with Game Pass: Drum out high scores by playing along with Don and Ka in Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master! Choose from over 70 songs and play with friends in local multiplayer mode and online ranked matches. Light your drumming spirit on fire!

In Case You Missed It

Spelunky 2 (Cloud) ID@Xbox – Available now
This challenging roguelike platformer offers you immense freedom to carve your own path through its randomly-generated caves and ruins. Exercise your creativity and through your actions, tell a unique story each time you play. Uncover the secrets alone or with friends! Learn more about the game here.

The Anacrusis (Game Preview)(Cloud) ID@Xbox – Available now
The Anacrusis is a four-player, cooperative first-person shooter set aboard a massive starship stranded at the edge of explored space. Team up with your friends in an infinitely-replayable fight against alien hordes to unlock perks, weapons, and new ways to play that you can share with your team! Learn more here.

DLC / Game Updates

Far: Changing Tides Pre-Install – Available now
Set sail for a new journey in Far: Changing Tides, coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC on March 1! Members can start their pre-install today to be ready to play at launch. Learn more about Far: Changing Tides here!

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks

We hear you like Halo Perks, so we’re going to give you more Halo Infinite Multiplayer Perks.  Check out these brand-new Perk offers below that you can go claim now via the Perk gallery on your Xbox console, Windows PC, or the Xbox Game Pass mobile app for iOS/Android.

Halo Infinite: Pass Tense Warthog Bundle – Available now
Customize your multiplayer arsenal with the exclusive “Pass Tense” Warthog Vehicle Coating, four 2XP Boosts and four Challenge Swaps!

Doom Eternal: Raze Hell with Three Cosmetic Packs – Available now
Grab three cosmetic packs now and fight the hordes of Hell in style in Doom Eternal’s epic campaign and Battlemode, or show off your player and weapon skins in the campaign’s Photo Mode.

World of Tanks: Premium Trifecta Bundle – Available now
Dominate the battlefield with three premium powerhouse tanks, bristling with devastating weaponry! Seven days of Premium Time plus 850 Gold round out this bundle for the ultimate tanking experience.

Xbox Touch Controls Added to Nine More Games

Ultimate members, we’ve added Xbox Touch Controls to nine more games ready to play from the cloud today! Play over 100 touch-enabled games with cloud gaming on the Xbox app for Windows PCs, Xbox Game Pass mobile app on Android devices, or Xbox.com/play on your Windows PCs and Apple phones & tablets, no controller needed.

• Anvil (Game Preview)
• Archvale
• Exo One
• The Forgotten City
• Nobody Saves the World
• One Piece Pirate Warriors 4
• Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator
• Stardew Valley
• Unpacking
• Death’s Door (January 20)

Leaving January 31

The following games will be leaving the Game Pass library soon, so don’t let these games leave without a proper send off! Remember to use your membership discount to save up to 20% on these games before they go!

• Cyber Shadow (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Nowhere Prophet (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Prison Architect (PC)
• Xeno Crisis (Cloud, Console, and PC)

That’s a wrap for January! I’ll be going into stasis for the next couple of days until Rainbow Six Extraction comes out, please wake me up when it’s time to fight some aliens. As always, be sure to follow us on @XboxGamePassPC and @XboxGamePass for updates when these games are available. Catch you next time!

Sydney, Australia – January 19^th, 2022– Studio Revolution Software and publisher Microids are delighted to unveil a new Dev Diary for Beyond a Steel Sky, exploring the game’s themes. From Charles Cecil, creator of the Broken Sword series, with art direction by Dave Gibbons, legendary comic book artist behind Watchmen, Beyond a Steel Sky is the spiritual successor to the classic Beneath a Steel Sky. The game is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles and Nintendo Switch. 

“We are thrilled to have partnered with Microids to bring Beyond a Steel Sky to consoles” stated Charles Cecil, CEO & Game Director at Revolution Software.  “We’re blessed to have such a positive and enthusiastic community of fans, and it was really gratifying to receive such positive feedback from players about the enhancements for this new version as well as the extensive content for the retail versions. It’s always a pleasure to see new players engage with the game’s story and lore, and it’s great to be able to provide them with extra information about the game’s carefully considered themes through a new Dev Diary.”

In this new Dev Diary, Charles Cecil details the social themes of the game. The story of Beyond a Steel Sky is set in Union City, where a benign artificial intelligence is in charge of making the citizens happy. “I thought it would be very interesting to work out where a society would go once an A.I. had done as much as it could to create this sense of happiness, and ultimately of wellbeing.” says Charles. “I very much based this on the idea of an American psychologist called Maslow who, in the 1940s, conceived of this idea of the pyramid of the ‘hierarchy of needs’, and this pyramid, starting from the bottom, satisfies basic human needs, then psychological, and then finally self-fulfilment, and as you move forward, so, people become happier.” In the game, this Maslow pyramid concept is embodied by ‘The Council’, made of five ministries: the Ministry of Plenty, the Ministry of Comfort, the Ministry of Safety, the Ministry of Aspiration, and the Ministry of Wellbeing. But what happens when all the needs from the Maslow pyramid have been met? This is one of the themes explored in Beyond a Steel Sky: “I was reminded of a quote by Will Durant, which says that every society ‘starts stoic, and ends epicurean’, and by that he is talking about the demise of a society due to decadence.”

Another major theme of the game is aspiration. “It can be both positive and negative. From a personal perspective, you can be driven to achieve things that you wouldn’t be able to do previously, but that can make you very competitive, and want to put other people down as you aspire.” In the game, this translates into Qdos, a currency rewarding people for doing something that an A.I. believes is beneficial to society.  “The problem, of course, is that the A.I. is the one that decides what’s good, and conversely what’s bad, and that might not be the best of ideas.”

Beyond a Steel Sky also cleverly use hacking both thematically and as a gameplay mechanic. Hacking allows players to look into the logic of all the hacked devices to then subvert the world around them. Changing the logic of the world means unexpected things happen, for both the player, but particularly for people in this world, because the people know that the A.I. is never wrong, leading to interesting outcomes and puzzle solving. “Of course, this is just a video game story. Players need to decide whether they think that any of the themes bear any relationship whatsoever to modern day society” concludes Charles.

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Key features:

• A fascinating sci-fi world – An adventure set within a dynamic world, populated by willful characters driven by motivations that the player can subvert. In combination with a unique hacking tool, multiple solutions to puzzles emerge from player choices.
• A thrilling story full of humour – Unravel dark conspiracies, defeat a terrifying antagonist in this dramatic, humorous, cyberpunk thriller, which explores contemporary themes: social control, AI, and total surveillance.
• A unique 3D comic book art style – A beautifully detailed, comic-book styled world, from the mind of legendary comic artist Dave Gibbons.
• Ingenious puzzles – Intelligent puzzles are interwoven with an intriguing dramatic narrative to deliver a compelling gameplay experience.

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About Microids

Microids is a French video game publisher. Founded in 1985, Microids’ editorial strategy now focuses on 4 major areas: adventure games, racing games, retro gaming and games inspired by iconic titles. By collaborating with renowned studios and authors (Pendulo Studios, Eden Studios, Benoît Sokal, Paul Cuisset, Philippe Dessoly and Pierre Adane), Microids has become a major player in international video games. Taking inspiration from legendary titles, Microids reaches a wide audience and creates original adventures which give gamers the chance to play as some of their most beloved characters.

About Revolution Software

Founded in 1990, Revolution is a world-leading developer of narrative-driven adventure video games with titles such as the Broken Sword series, Beneath a Steel Sky and numerous major licenses. Having achieved sales of over $100 million and been played by over 10 million players, Revolution’s Broken Sword series is one of the world’s best loved adventure series.