Double RDO$ on Wrongful Property, A Lit Fuse, and More – Earn Bonuses and Rewards for Dastardly Deeds This Week in Red Dead Online
Law-abiding citizens need not apply. Ruthless criminals who pay a visit to Sean Macguire, Anthony Foreman, Joe, or James Langton, and complete certain Crime missions this week — including Stagecoach Stickup, A Lit Fuse, Wrongful Property, and Back Pay — will rake in 2X RDO$ in return for their dastardly deeds.
Completing any of the Crimes listed above will also get you an Offer for half off select Boots, while all Crimes and Opportunities will earn you double the usual Ability Card XP between now and September 6. To help gang activities along, all Persistent Posse setup fees are waived for the next seven days.
Free Ammo All Red Dead Online players will receive 100 Express Repeater, Rifle, and Revolver Ammo. Seasoned Players ranked 100 and up will receive a free Treasure Map this week to help them comb the landscape for plunder and bounty. All rewards will be delivered within 72 hours of log in.
Quick Draw Club No. 2 Last Chance This week, work your way through the last of all 25 Ranks of the Quick Draw Club No. 2 to unlock The Rowberrow Outfit. You only have this week to do so — before the next installment of The Quick Draw Club arrives on September 7.
Discounts
Once you’ve washed the dirt and blood off your hands, hit the stores and spend some hard-earned cash with local businesses, from Stables to Barbers. Read on below for the list of discounts and sales offered.
30% off all Work Horses
50% off all Saddles
40% off all Tents
30% off all Single Bandoliers
50% off all Beards and Accessories at the Barber
30% off all Gloves, Chaps, and Half Chaps
Prime Gaming Benefits
Red Dead Online players who connect their Rockstar Games Social Club account to Prime Gaming before September 28 will get a Reward for a free Vitalism Studies Pamphlet and an Offer for half off an Established or Distinguished Naturalist Role Item of their choice.
New Paid Neon Pack Also Launches Today, Adding Stylish Swords and Gloves
CALABASAS, Calif. — August 31, 2021 — Co-Publishers 505 Games and All In! Games, alongside developers and partners, One More Level, 3D Realms, and Slipgate Ironworks™, today launches two new free game modes and a paid cosmetic Neon Pack for Ghostrunner, the first-person cyberpunk parkour action game, across PC and consoles. When the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions debut on Tuesday, September 28, each will contain the new Wave Mode and Neon Pack, plus all previous free DLC. The Neon Pack will come to Nintendo Switch in the coming weeks.
Clash against wave after wave of brutal, one-hit kill enemies in the new roguelike-inspired Wave Mode, an unpredictable gauntlet against the ferocious foes of Dharma Tower. Procedurally generated enemy types and formations, hero upgrades between rounds, and more turn Wave Mode into a new game within the game. Survive 20 rounds to unlock an exclusive sword.
Those who want to witness Ghostrunner’s story and enjoy the cyberpunk sights of Dharma Tower without fear of instant death will love Assist Mode. Dial back the intensity for a more accessible revenge story with three toggleable options: shorter cooldowns for more frequent ability use, slower gameplay to help with reaction times, and an extra life.
Cut down the Keymaster’s minions in style with the $4.99 / £4.69 / €4.99 Neon Pack, offering four sets of gloves and katanas: Neon Night, Afterglow, Luminescence, and Glint. Each drips with the vibrant colors reminiscent of cyberpunk and synthwave.
Today also marks the launch of Jack’s Bundle ($7.99 / £5.99 / €7.99 on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch). This collection includes all cosmetics launched in Ghostrunner up until now, from the new Neon Pack to the previous Winter and Metal Ox Packs.
Next week on September 7, the Summer Bundle ($12.99 / £9.99 / €12.99 on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG) launches with all cosmetics in addition to Daniel Deluxe’s original Ghostrunner soundtrack and a digital artbook. The soundtrack and digital artbook are also available separately in the Art Bundle, ($7.99 / £5.99 / €7.99 on Steam, Epic, and GOG).
The Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 version of Ghostrunner is published by H2 Interactive in Asia. The Neon Pack and Wave Mode will be available on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in Asia later in September.
For more information about Ghostrunner, including full language support, visit the official website.
Players can experience all-new gameplay enhancements across defence, dribbling, shooting, finishing, and more
2K has revealed an in-depth look at the gameplay updates for NBA® 2K22, detailing an ambitious feature list that includes faster-paced gameplay, tighter and more responsive movement, more skill-based offense, changes to the player builder, and much more.
“From the outset, our goal was to create fun and competitive gameplay that ensures NBA 2K22 delivers one of the most authentic sports gaming experiences out there,” said Mike Wang, Gameplay Director at Visual Concepts. “This year, working with our community, we utilized direct feedback to address some of the key changes they are looking for and deliver a number of new gameplay enhancements that will further elevate the experience in this year’s game.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcUzwnA569M
NBA 2K22 introduces a variety of new gameplay innovations, including:
defence & Defensive AI: Completely rebuilt shot contest and blocking systems, a significant update to the fundamental defensive rotations, and much more;
Dribbling: Players will experience a unique feel and rhythm when sizing up, significantly faster overall pace and much tighter control in navigating the court, and a ton of other new combos, cancels, and move chains;
Post Play: Upgrades highlight loads of new content, including new movement and a new arsenal of back-to-basket moves;
Shooting: There’s a new shot meter that will dynamically expand when players take high-quality shots with good shooters but will shrink when heavily contested, shooting with a low-rated shooter, or fatigued. NBA 2K22 puts more emphasis on Shot IQ, meaning the teams that work for open looks and take smart shots are going to see much more success than the teams that force up bad shots;
Finishing: Along with a focus on creating more of a skill gap for finishing at the rim, players can also completely customize their dunk repertoire with an all-new Dunk Style Creator;
Builds, Badges & Takeover: Adjustments to create more balanced builds, and an increase of the total badge count to 80, offer many ways for players to impact the game. Additionally, NBA 2K22 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles introduces Takeover Perks*, which you can unlock to strengthen your existing Takeover abilities.
For full details on the latest gameplay innovations coming to NBA 2K22, check out the latest Courtside Report below.
NBA 2K22 Gameplay
NBA 2K22 is better than ever. No matter which version you go with this year, it’ll be a brand new experience. Check out the latest Gameplay updates for 2K22.
It’s that time of year when we get to unpack all of the exciting gameplay enhancements and new features coming your way with NBA 2K22! The first year developing on new consoles always brings new challenges, such as… major code rewrites, new technical hurdles, and systems getting rebuilt. But with all that behind us, the gameplay team was laser-focused on one goal with NBA 2K22: making a GREAT gameplay experience!
We had an ambitious feature list that we wanted to tackle this year: faster-paced gameplay, tighter and more responsive movement, more skill-based offense, and big changes to the player builder. All of which we’re going to tackle in today’s blog. We also made a strong push to ensure that we were delivering the same quality gameplay upgrades on both current and new gen systems. So no matter which version you choose to go with this year, you’re going to get a brand new experience. But the one major focus for the team that we wanted to be priority one, was DEFENCE. So let’s get started.
DEFENCE
The primary goal for defence was to give gamers the tools to be able to really change the outcome of the game on the floor and at the rim. If you were a great perimeter defender who anticipated well, we wanted you to be able to clamp up the dribbler and force a pass. If you were a rim protector, we wanted to give you the ability to send away weak shot attempts at will. Our engineers were determined to achieve those goals, and we’re extremely happy with the results!
The shot contest and blocking systems were completely rebuilt, leading to several new snatch blocks and volleyball spikes that never happened before. This also paved the way to reward basketball IQ much more in our shooting systems. The shot contest rewrite removed the “ghost contests” that many complained about, and this year being out of position or not getting a hand in the shooter’s face will lead to some easy buckets for the offense. On the other hand, properly crowding shooters with good contests will result in plenty of bricks and airballs, as they should.
For floor defenders, body-up rides and bumps feel much more rewarding as the motion team has dramatically improved the feel of on-ball defensive movement. Unwanted “bump steals” and snatchy body ups have been reduced in favour of giving both the ball handler and on-ball defender more freedom of movement and respected input. Shifts, launches, stops, and cuts all feel much tighter, and with even more new gen foot-planting improvements, you’ll see a lot less sliding on both ends of the floor.
Steals also received an upgrade with a greater emphasis placed on the steal attribute. Low-rated stealers get sluggish animations that punish them when they reach, while high-rated stealers (with good timing and opportunity) will be able to pick pockets at a much higher rate. Also be prepared to see more layup/dunk strips from high-rated stealers when slashers try to force their way to the rim in a crowd.
Great defence may not always be featured in real-life highlights, but all of these improvements are what I’m most excited about for NBA 2K22. They lead to much more balanced on-court battles and make the game much more fun to play!
DEFENSIVE AI
Defence was also a major focus on the new gen AI front. Da Czar (our resident X’s and O’s expert) and the AI team wanted to create a strong foundation to build on for many years to come. A lot of legacy issues were addressed through complete and thorough rewrites of almost all of the major defensive systems in the game. New on-ball defensive positioning logic gives defenders more consistency in their positioning regardless of their distance from the basket. This enables a much less jittery defender who knows where they want to be in all phases of defensive positioning. This along with motion improvements allowed us to tighten up general defensive positioning, which means gamers will feel more defensive pressure on-ball than was present in last year’s game.
Brand new hedge defender logic and behaviours give the catch hedge defender a specific focus for how they react to the ball handler. In the past, the hedge defender’s primary focus was their man which led to the AI actively abandoning the ball handler. This cascaded into several issues. The ball handler would have an open lane, which in turn would force help to come from the strong side, leaving easy, open jumpers in pick and roll situations. This year, our hedge defender can focus on the ball and play two offensive players intelligently covering the deepest threat. Our drive help was also built from scratch this year to give our AI help defenders more intelligence in their calculations for when to send help on the drive. We also increased help defender logic, controlling movement speeds requested in help situations. The AI will no longer send a defender to double a standing offensive player thirty feet from the basket when a user requests drive help in the defensive settings.
This year marks the most significant update to the fundamental defensive rotations we have ever done! We now have the ability to have both single and double rotations to take away the first or second passing lanes once help defence is triggered. This creates more opportunities for a second or third pass to find the open shooter. We also gave our AI the ability to anticipate certain play actions like floppy or down-screen actions. When the AI properly detects these situations the off-ball defender can now go into what we call, chase behaviour. This helps AI defenders take the proper route around screens to put themselves in a better position to navigate and avoid screen contact. This helps with the overall flow and spacing on both sides of the ball. Lastly, we also added a brand new cutter help defensive system. This system helps to fill in defensive gaps and sends help anytime a player has a clear path to the rim. This system can pick up that cutter and send a rotation defender to cover the helper when possible.
The combination of all these systems in NBA 2K22 makes it our most significant defensive effort to date. One which we fully intend to build on for years to come.
DRIBBLING
Offense will obviously never be neglected in any 2K basketball game, and I’m thrilled with our offering for NBA 2K22! Dribbling is something I personally spend a lot of time working on and am extremely passionate about and can say, without a doubt, that playmakers are going to have a field day with this year’s game! The 1-to-1 Basic Size-ups have been removed and replaced by 1-to-1 Signature Size-ups. But what exactly does that mean? Flicking the Pro Stick in various directions last year gave you fairly generic-looking size-ups, while holding up on the stick gave you a nice-looking mo-capped dribble series. This year, the goal was to marry the two together and give each player a unique feel and rhythm when sizing up, while also giving the gamer complete control over how the series plays out. KD’s big hesi crosses, Harden’s around/thru the leg moves, Steph’s quick machine gun crosses, and Luka’s methodical rock back and forth dribbles are all now under the gamer’s direct control rather than a preset movie. The speed stick that we introduced on new gen last year also returns. So flicking the stick quickly results in quicker dribbles while slower flicks give you more rhythmic ones. There are around 50 unique signature size-up packages to choose from, each with its own distinct advantages. Make sure to give all of them a try to find out which one best suits the rhythm of how you like to play. Additionally, you can equip one of 32 unique dribble sequences (which I’ve dubbed Signature Combos) as well. These are quick, three or four- second dribble combos that you can trigger by simply holding Sprint and flicking the Pro Stick up. Mixing the Signature Size-ups and Signature Combos together gives you a limitless variety for how you want to break down your defender.
There are a ton of other new combos, cancels, and move chains you can pull off this year… drag dribble hesis and spin stepbacks being my personal favourites. But I’m not going to go into detail on each of these right now to save you from reading a novel on dribbling. In a nutshell, quickly sending multiple Pro Stick commands and/or attempting to move in various directions with the left stick just after performing a dribble move will open up a world of new combos that will stifle even the best defenders!
When it comes to dribble movement, you’ll notice a significantly faster overall pace and much tighter control over how you navigate the court. Each of the 28 unique dribble styles received a nice refresh with new content that accentuates the signature style of its given player. We’ve also added four new WNBA dribble styles: Seimone Augustus, Chelsea Gray, Arike Ogunbowale, and Gabby Williams. Another nice upgrade to dribble movement is height compensation. Last year, taller players could outpace shorter players with the same Speed with Ball rating. This has been resolved for NBA 2K22 to ensure that smaller players are no longer lagging behind. And everything that I just mentioned about dribbling, from the movement to the new moves and combos, are going to be identical between current and new gen! So if you’re a player who plans to play both, you won’t have to learn two different systems like last year.
POST PLAY
Now a little treat for the bigs. We spent a lot of time upgrading post play with loads of new content, including new movement and a new arsenal of back-to-basket moves. Similar to face-up ball handling, many of the new moves are cancels and aborts. For example, start a post spin by twirling the Pro Stick, then immediately move the left stick in the opposite direction for a spin back. There are also new RT/R2 fakes that keep you engaged in post allowing you to chain multiple fakes together without disengaging. You can also take advantage of new disengage faceup moves, controls to help you avoid steals, new hop shots/fades/hooks, and a better pull chair mechanic. There’s a lot of great combinations and fakes once you’ve mastered the controls.
SHOOTING
Shooting has undergone many changes for NBA 2K22. There’s a new shot meter with a dynamically resizing make window. This window will expand when you’re taking high-quality shots with good shooters, but will shrink when heavily contested, shooting with a low-rated shooter, or fatigued. The major emphasis for shooting success this year is Shot IQ. The teams that work for open looks and take smart shots are going to see much more success than the teams that force up bad shots. It sounds elementary, but it’s something we really keyed on this year as taking quality shots was more or less overshadowed by ratings and stick skills. Shot timing still plays a major role in the skill gap (and yes, you still get an additional boost for turning the meter off), but will only take you so far if you’re taking bad shots. We’ve heavily focus-group tested the new shooting mechanics with players of all skill levels and believe this is the best that shooting has ever felt in NBA 2K.
FINISHING
We also made a strong push to get more of a skill gap into finishing at the rim. As beautiful as our motion-captured dunks are, it was a shame that once you saw one fire off, you basically knew it was an automatic two points. With the revamped blocking system, we’re now giving rim protectors more tools to make great stops at the rim. On top of that, on new gen, we’ve added timing meters to both alley-oop and aggressive skill dunk attempts. When an alley pass is in the air, you’ll need to press the Shot Button at just the right time to finish off the oop. If you’re too early or late, you’ll either smoke the finish or miss the catch completely. (side note: you can force bounce pass alleys this year!) And on the dunking side, holding Sprint and pulling straight down on the Pro Stick will trigger the aggressive skill dunks. When you have a defender standing underneath the rim, using the aggressive skill dunk feature will let you basically force a dunk attempt on-demand as long as you have a strong dunker and you have a bit of a runway. It’s tough to hit the perfect timing for these high-risk, high-reward plays, but it’s so gratifying when you can pull it off.
We’ve also added dunk celebrations into the game this year that work very similarly to the green release jump shot landing celebrations. So not only can you throw down some nasty dunks in traffic with the new feature, you can now also equip your signature dance to show off a little bit afterward.
And the last thing I wanted to mention about dunks, in NBA 2K22, you’ll now have the ability to completely customize your dunk repertoire with an all-new Dunk Style Creator! This is a great feature that allows you to have detailed control over the exact style of your dunk packages and lets you equip more dunks on your player than ever before!
BUILDS, BADGES, and TAKEOVER
Player builds is another hot topic when it comes to 2K. In NBA 2K21, we debuted a brand new player builder on new gen that allowed you to set up your attribute caps however you saw fit. As with any new big developments, there are always growing pains. We’ve made a lot of adjustments to the system to create more balanced builds and give incentives for creating all different types of players. Smalls will see distinct advantages over bigs and vice versa. So expect to see a lot more variety when you hit the virtual streets of the City this year.
The amount of badge points at your disposal has been increased significantly giving you more options for how you badge out your MyPLAYER. The new detailed builder screen makes it much easier for gamers to identify the available badges, the cost at each tier, and the attribute thresholds required to hit each tier. You can also see how those numbers change in real-time as you adjust your attribute caps. Another cool addition is the ability to create Badge Loadouts! These allow you to quickly and easily toggle what badges you have equipped based on how you’re playing on a given day or even based on the matchups stepping up to the Got Next spots. Here are the new badges you can play around with in NBA 2K22:
Fast Twitch – Ability to get off the floor quicker for standing layups and dunks
Grace Under Pressure – Ability to convert standing layups more effectively
Limitless Takeoff – Ability to soar from further away on driving dunk attempts
Mouse in the House – Ability for bigs to finish over shorter players more efficiently
Unstrippable – Ability to secure the ball better when gathering for a layup/dunk in traffic
Chef – Ability to knock down Steph-like off-dribble deep 3’s
Limitless Spot-up – Ability to hit logo-range 3’s off a catch and shoot
Lucky #7 – Boosts your ability to score when shooting early in the clock
Mismatch Expert – Ability to successfully shoot over taller defenders on a switch
Glue Hands – Ability to make difficult catches and quicker branch out to a shot or dribble
Hyperdrive – Boosts the speed and effectiveness of moving dribble moves
Quick Chain – Boosts the ability to quickly chain dribble moves together
Post Playmaker – Boosts the effectiveness of both shots and moves when playing in the post
Triple Threat Juke – Increases the effectiveness of triple threat fakes, jabs, and go moves
Ball Stripper – Ability to strip layup and dunk attempts more effectively
Hustler – Ability to get to those scrappy 50/50 balls quicker than opponents
Menace – Significantly drops the offensive ratings of opponents when you smother them
That brings our total badge count to 80 with a number of existing badges also getting some nice upgrades. There’s a lot to choose from and many ways to impact the game, so the Loadout feature is a welcomed addition. Last, but certainly not least, we’ve ported ALL 80 badges to current gen, a massive upgrade for our fan base!
One final MyPLAYER upgrade I wanted to call out is a new gen exclusive called Takeover Perks. These are modifiers that you can unlock and equip to strengthen your existing Takeover abilities! I’m not going to list them out because we want them to be a surprise, but it’s a great upgrade to the Takeover system that adds a layer of depth and strategy to how you compete online.
CLOSING REMARKS
Those are the main features I wanted to highlight for this year’s Gameplay Courtside report. I feel like I’ve been typing too long already, but there’s so much more that goes into the nuts and bolts of 2K’s gameplay and this blog barely scrapes the surface. Huge shout out to each of the gameplay devs who work tirelessly each year to build the best sports gaming experience on the market! From the outset, our goal was to create fun and competitive gameplay and I think you all will agree when you get your hands on the sticks that the team has delivered that in spades. The community’s passion for 2K is what drives us, and many of our features come directly from you. In fact, we had the wonderful opportunity to bring in several respected community members and 2K Pros to “beta test” gameplay a few weeks ago. Their feedback was incredibly valuable to us and allowed us to put the finishing touches on gameplay to ensure the best possible launch experience! Big thanks to those guys and we look forward to hosting more of those types of events in the future!
So, have a great time with NBA 2K22, and we can’t wait to read your feedback, watch your videos/streams, and continue to work with you to mould the best basketball game on the planet!
NBA 2K22 is currently scheduled for release on September 10 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms. For more information, please visit the NBA 2K22 official website.
Developed by Visual Concepts, NBA 2K22 is rated PG by the OFLC.
Visual Concepts is a 2K studio. 2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).
*Gameplay feature available only in the new-generation version of NBA 2K22. PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S required to play the new-generation version of NBA 2K22.
First-ever Playable Demo to Debut During Steam Next Fest
Chihuahua, Mexico — August 31, 2021 —Aztech Forgotten Gods, the Latinx-Futurism cyberstone colossus fighter from award-winningMulaka developers Lienzo, will launch on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam in Q1 2022. An all-new demo will be available during the Steam Next Fest from Friday, Oct. 1 through Thursday, October 7, 2021.
Explore and fight for Tenochtitlan, the jewel of the Aztec Empire, in a world untarnished by the European superpowers. Left untouched for centuries, the city and its residents progressed technologically, steadily pushing into the future. Now, an unfamiliar enemy awakens to threaten Tenochtitlan, leaving the cybernetically-augmented heroine Achtli standing between her city’s survival and utter destruction.
Guide Achtli as she masters Lightkeeper, an ancient prosthetic weapon powered by mysterious energy. Propel Achtli to incredible heights and deliver shattering blows to gods as she soars through her adventure. Use Lightkeeper to grab onto flesh-shredding rails, allowing Achtli to clear chasms and close the distance on her foes in mere seconds.
Aztech’s first playable demo highlights a showdown against Coatlicue, the All-Mother Goddess, and a slice of Tenochtitlan for players to explore. Get a taste of Aztech’s story-driven plot, immerse yourself into a city ripe for exploration, and face off against gargantuan goliaths in this adrenaline-filled slice of the game. Download the Aztech Forgotten Gods demo on Steam beginning Monday, October 1, 2021 through Thursday, October 7, 2021.
“We want players to have the best possible experience in the amazing world the team has created,” said Guillermo Vizcaino, Head of PR & Marketing and Lead Writer, Lienzo. “The first-ever Aztech Forgotten Gods demo gives us the chance to share the latest updates to the game and the opportunity to invite players into Tenochtitlan ahead of our Q1 2022 launch!”
Aztech Forgotten Gods will launch on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam for Windows PC in Q1 2022 with English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Russian-language support. A playable demo will be available on Steam between Oct.1-7, 2021. For more information, please visit the official website and follow Lienzo on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and join the community on Discord.
About Lienzo
Founded in Chihuahua, Mexico, Lienzo’s founders dreamt up an oasis for creative minds. To represent their desire to follow creative visions instead of choosing the industries their surroundings dictated, they named their studio after the Spanish word for “canvas.”
In 2018, Lienzo released Mulaka, which earned several critical awards, including Game Informer’s Best Indies of PAX West 2017 and IGN’s Favorite Games of Nindies@Night 2017.
For more information on Lienzo, please visit theirofficial website.
Featuring iconic brands such as Barbie®, DC™, Masters of the Universe®, Street Fighter and OEMs like Aston Martin, BMW and many others, the post-launch plan will expand the pop culture universe of Hot Wheels Unleashed™!
Sydney, Australia – September 1, 2021–Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) and Milestone, a leading global racing game developer, have unveiled plans to unlock ongoing special content for Hot Wheels Unleashed. Three Hot Wheels™ Passes will unlock a set of special DLC content from Hot Wheels originals as well as from Barbie, DC™, Masters of the Universe, Street Fighter™, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and OEMs like Aston Martin, BMW and McLaren™ and many others. Free and premium DLCs will also be released periodically, and may feature vehicles, track builder modules, customisation items and exclusive themed expansion sets introducing new environments. Players will also have the chance to join Racing Seasons, limited-time challenges with new vehicles and special rewards.
Hot Wheels Pass Vol. 1 will be available at launch and includes ten vehicles coming from brands like Barbie, DC™, Street Fighter™ and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, three customisation packs and three track builder modules. It will also include a Batman DLC expansion from DC™. Details on HOT WHEELS – Batman Expansion and Hot Wheels Passes Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 will be announced at a later date.
Hot Wheels Unleashed will feature 66 vehicles from some of the most iconic pop culture brands at launch such as the Batmobile from DC™, Party Wagon from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Snoopy from Peanuts, K.I.T.T. from NBC’s Knight Rider and the Time Machine from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Back to the Future and more.
As the #1 selling toy in the world*, Hot Wheels is the global leader of vehicle culture. For the last fifty plus years, Hot Wheels has proven its influence on car culture with legendary design and epic performance. Today, Hot Wheels has become a global powerhouse franchise, with immersive live and virtual events across the globe, highly sought-after consumer products and top-tier collaborations, a #1-rated content channel on YouTube, and more. While 16.5 Hot Wheels are sold every second and over 8 billion cars have been sold to date, the brand continues to expand its presence in digital gaming, with success across mobile, console and PC platforms.
Hot Wheels Unleashed launches globally on Sept. 30, 2021 on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store).
* Source: The NPD Group/ Retail Tracking Service, U.S. Dollar Sales, January-December 2020
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About Mattel
Mattel is a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain, and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, UNO®, and MEGA®, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music, and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. Visit us online at mattel.com.
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™, MXGP and Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame, as well as RIDE and Gravel, Milestone’s own IPs. For more information, please visit www.milestone.it
Atari’s Upgraded Arcade Classic Celebrates 40th Anniversary on Modern Consoles, VCS
NEW YORK — 31 Aug. 2021 — Centipede: Recharged, the neon-fueled re-imagining of the arcade classic from publisher Atari in collaboration with developers Adamvision Studios and SneakyBox Studios, brings back the bug-blasting battle on Wednesday, 29 Sept. for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and Epic Games Store for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Atari VCS with exclusive content.
Initiate insect extermination in this widescreen glow-up of one of the greatest arcade games of all time. The rules are the same as 1981: shoot the centipedes as they descend the playing field, and contend around the shot-blocking and path-altering mushrooms they leave behind. New to Centipede: Recharged are power-ups dropped by the spiders, such as explosive bullets, spread shots, and a devastating railgun.
Fight for high scores in Arcade mode either solo or with a new simultaneous couch co-op feature. Tackle more than two dozen challenges that test bug-shooting prowess and introduce clever uses for the new powerups, with additional challenges exclusive to the Atari VCS. Take it to the next level with global leaderboards for the best records in the world, and earn more than 15 achievements, complete with a Platinum trophy on PlayStation 4 and 5.
Groove to the 80’s-inspired electronic soundtrack by award-winning composer Megan McDuffee, with the first single from the game’s soundtrack available now on Bandcamp. Vibrant, clean graphics clock in with 4K resolution and 120 frames per second output on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, with support for up to 240 Hz on PC, all keeping the lightning-fast and chaotic chitinous carnage smooth, stable, and seriously fun.
Centipede Recharged is the first title in Atari’s new premium gaming initiative, which will revitalize some of Atari’s legendary portfolio of titles for modern platforms. Atari VCS players can enjoy exclusive Challenges and full support for the new Atari Wireless Classic Joystick.
“We’re so excited to bring these classic, genre-defining games to modern consoles,” said Wade Rosen, CEO, Atari. “Our goal is to create faithful adaptations that ooze with nostalgia and style, and we’re looking forward to providing that to the old school fans that loved Centipede as kids, and a new generation of players who appreciate high-quality arcade action and 80’s aesthetic.”
Centipede: Recharged releases Wednesday, 29 Sept. on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam and Epic Games Store for Windows PC, and the Atari VCS, for which it features exclusive content and is optimized to work with the new Atari Wireless Classic Joystick, for $9.99. Centipede: Recharged supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese.
To stay up-to-date on all things Atari and retro-pop-culture, follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Google Play is a trademark of Google LLC.
About Adamvision Studios
Adamvision Studios is a one-person development studio owned by Adam Nickerson and based in British Columbia, Canada. Adamvision Studios has created arcade hits like Bit Blaster, Ding Dong XL, Orbt XL, and Atari’s Missile Command: Recharged. Adamvision Studios’ games have been featured on Apple’s App Store ‘App of the Day’, Google Play’s ‘Indie Corner’, as well as the front page of Steam and top-selling charts on Nintendo Switch. Learn more at www.AdamvisionStudios.com.
About SneakyBox
SneakyBox is a development studio focusing on games, VR/AR products, and interactive engineering solutions. Since 2012 the company has been steadily growing and gaining expert knowledge in various scale and type projects: in-house games production, full game development services, including porting to all major platforms, virtual and augmented reality experiences, and interactive solutions for complex engineering projects. SneakyBox currently has more than 40 people working on various different projects. More information about the studio at http://sneakybox-studios.com.
CALABASAS, Calif. – August 31, 2021 –505 Games proudly presents Assetto Corsa Mobile, a new portable version of its flagship racing game series, launching today on iPhone and iPad for $4.99.
This newest take on the gold standard in simulation racing games lands on iOS devices courtesy of developer Digital Tales, building off the years of craft and knowledge from KUNOS Simulazioni to deliver an unparalleled driving experience on mobile devices.
Inspired by the acclaimed Assetto Corsa, Assetto Corsa Mobile simulates the feel of a real driver’s cockpit. Choose from six different modes: start with Practice to learn the ropes, then move on to Classic Race to test those skills. Compete for the best lap time in Time Attack, hone consistency in Endurance, learn to maneuver around opponents in Overtake, and strive for pure velocity in Speed Camera.
Get behind the wheel of 59 official race cars and speed down 9 different circuits, each laser-scanned directly from Assetto Corsa. Each track has time of day variations and weather conditions — rain challenges even the most seasoned racers. Digital Tales took special care with Assetto Corsa Mobile’s controls to make even racing in the rain fun: customize inputs with tilt functionality, touchpad controls, and acceleration assist.
To celebrate this mobile release, 505 Games partnered with high-profile racing brands including Lamborghini, Ferrari and Maserati to ensure a white-knuckle racing experience in the best cars on the market. The Assetto Corsa brand has a history of realism and challenge that has long captivated professional drivers like Charles LeClerc and Valentino Rossi.
Assetto Corsa Mobile is the perfect first move into the simulation world of the Assetto Corsa franchise.
Assetto Corsa Mobile is available now worldwide on the App Store for iPhone and iPad for $4.99.
About 505 Games
505 Games, a Digital Bros’ subsidiary, is a global publisher focused on offering a broad selection of video games for players of all ages and skill levels. The company publishes and distributes premium and free-to-play games on console and PC platforms as well as mobile devices.
Publishing highlights include DEATH STRANDING (PC), Control, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Ghostrunner, Gems of War, Journey to the Savage Planet, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
505 Games has offices in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, China, and Japan. For more information on 505 Games and its products please visit505games.com.
About Digital Tales
Founded in 2006 and based in Milan, with offices in Rome and Miami, Digital Tales develops games, e-Learning solutions and anything in between, including edutainment, gamified training courses and VR/AR applications. Its racing and action-adventure games are based on a proprietary cross-platform C++ framework and/or third-party engines.
The studio has collaborated with established developers and publishers on console, mobile, PC and browser games, but has also self-funded and self-published a few mobile games which topped iOS, Android and Windows Phone charts worldwide, while totaling over 45M downloads cross-platform and garnering 2 Italian Video Game Awards (Best Italian Indie Game, Best Tech). Official Website: http://www.dtales.us.
About KUNOS Simulazioni
KUNOS Simulazioni is a software house specialized in developing driving simulations for the videogame market and professional applications.
The company launched in 2005 as a one-man show, and now involves professional expertise capable of producing the technology required to satisfy a diverse range of requirements: from professional training software for car manufacturers and racing teams to advanced videogames dedicated to simracers looking for a driving model with maximum realism.
The “Assetto Corsa” racing game is the best result of this vision, turning a driving simulation into one of the most recognized and popular brands of racing videogames.
Its latest iteration, “ASSETTO CORSA COMPETIZIONE”, is one of the most appreciated GT racing simulations on the market, representing a benchmark in terms of car handling, visual realism and track accuracy.
Check out the latest excitement from Townscaper, Dream Cycle, Sable, Per Aspera, Wolfstride & Kingdom Two Crowns: Norse Lands
STOCKHOLM — Aug. 31, 2021 — Between Gamescom and today’s Indie Houses Direct, Raw Fury has revealed a wealth of news and updates for several of its current and upcoming titles. Here’s a full breakdown of all the fun in case you missed it!
Townscaper is available nowon PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch! Already a huge hit with tons of positive feedback while in early access, the official launch of this whimsical toy-like town builder during Gamescom makes it the perfect time to dive in. Even more players will be able to experience Townscaper when it arrives on iOS and Android devices this October! This latest announcement came in the form of a new community trailer featured during The Indies Houses Direct.
Townscaper Launch Trailer:
Townscaper Mobile Trailer:
Newly Announced Dream Cycle is coming to Steam Early Access on September 7. Lara Croft creator Toby Gard brings you Cathuria Games’ first title, an ever-expanding action-adventure game set in a cursed, shattered dimension. As players traverse each of Dream Cycle’s 10,000 adventures, they’ll obtain new abilities and uncover more of protagonist Morgan Carter’s story. Steam Early Access will give players the opportunity to collaborate in defining the future of the Dreamlands.
Dream Cycle Announcement Trailer:
Gameplay Walkthrough:
Kingdom Two Crowns: Norse Lands will arrive late 2021. Kingdom Two Crowns: Norse Lands is an upcoming new campaign that massively expands the world of Kingdom with a unique setting to explore and conquer inspired by Norse Viking culture ca. 1000 C.E. Players can look forward to Rulers capable of unleashing abilities drawn from the Norse gods, commanding mighty units, building Viking-inspired armaments, solving challenging puzzles, facing a whole new Greed enemy, and much more.
Upcoming mecha-brawler RPG Wolfstride revealed more gameplay. After releasing a combat demo earlier this summer, Wolfstride has finally shown more of what happens outside the arena. In addition to hopping inside COWBOY to go metal vs. metal, players will also have to pick up odd jobs, charm the locals, and upgrade their mecha along the way.
Gamescom Gameplay Reveal:
The Indie Houses Gameplay Reveal:
Per Aspera’s latest update, Green Mars, is set to arrive on PC in October! The teaser trailer for this new update was revealed during The Indie Houses Direct and shows that Green Mars will bring a fresh vegetation focus for the planet-sized city-building game’s terraforming. More information on Green Mars will be available in September.
Announcement Trailer:
Sable’s playable demo is available once more on Xbox and PC via Steam, free to download and play from August 31 to September 7. Get a hands-on preview of this highly anticipated open world adventure game, an evocative coming-of-age tale of exploration and discovery set on a breathtaking alien planet. As young Sable traverses a strikingly rendered desert land filled with ancient monuments, ruined architecture, and wrecked ships fallen from the cosmos, you’ll experience a deeply personal journey with a mesmerizing soundtrack from Japanese Breakfast.
Sable launches for PC, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on Sept. 23, 2021, and will be available on day one for Xbox Game Pass subscribers on consoles and PC.
Are you a VR gamer wanting to move more? Well, we’ve got you covered – VIRO MOVE is here to help! Starting October 20th, you will be able to fully experience this amazing fitness tool on either Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, with Quest release following at a later date this year. Just grab your virtual reality headset and prepare for your individualized training!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 31st, Warsaw, Poland.
Train at your own pace and have fun while building stamina, agility, and cardiovascular fitness. Choose to play with swords, guns, or your bare hands. Pick your preferred playstyle and start your individualized, highly entertaining workout. Thanks to the unique VIRO MOVE mechanics, maintaining motivation won’t be an issue, as the game will keep you engaged for days on end!
Viro Move was designed to provoke natural and healthy movement throughout the body (while having fun!) as you move through increasingly demanding game levels, join tournaments, and climb to the top of global leaderboards.
The game effectively replaces the workout experience in a fun, engaging way. Whether you prefer to call it a game or a fitness program, whether you’re a gym rat or a couch potato, or whether you simply love gaming but have no time to work out, Viro Move will adapt to your specific fitness needs, abilities, and current level; over time making you healthier, stronger, fitter, and ultimately happier!
VIRO MOVE MAIN FEATURES:
Work hard, play hard, join the VIRO MOVE community!
As your virtual coach, the game will motivate you to train harder than you ever imagined possible. When you join our community, you will fight harder and longer to become a VR fitness champion, and you will love every minute of it. You will exercise your stamina, endurance, movement, and strategic planning as you compete against other Viro Move enthusiasts from all over the world.
Forget about boring gym routines
Choose between swords, fists, guns, or your bare hands to stay motivated and constantly challenge yourself.
MIX IT UP
If you want extraordinary results, master our WEAPONS MASTER, the game’s most popular mechanic, where you can change weapons during dynamic workout gameplay.
Watch those calories burn
Your caloric output is calculated and analyzed by our advanced algorithm every step of the way. Your progress and historical data are available for you to manage and compare as you advance toward your fitness goals.
Sharing is caring
Meeting friends? Throwing a housewarming party? Share the burn in our awesome hot seat mode and find out who’s the fittest, fastest, and healthiest.
If you do your workout, do it right
Getting fit has never been so easy! VIRO MOVE has been approved as a serious fitness tool by more than 1000 FIBO and IHRSA sports professionals.
Customize your VIRO MOVE experience
Earn and unlock skins as you progress through unique, unrestricted gameplay.
Train like a beast – look and feel like a beauty
As your virtual trainer, we will keep the challenges coming! To help you get visible results, we will deliver regular challenges and tournaments.
Easy to learn – hard to master
Whether you are a beginner or a workout junkie, you’ll fit right in. Start slowly with a tutorial or jump straight to the hardest levels. It’s entirely up to you.
Workout arenas
Choose from 5 different, gloriously immersive environments to stay focused and in the zone.
Beat it, just beat it!
Feel the beat. Let it pass through you. Experience true immersion and perfect soundtrack synchronization while smashing through high-quality obstacles, drones, and other targets.
Viro Move is coming to PC VR (Oculus Rift and HTC Vive) on October 20th. The game will also launch on Quest later this year, to be announced at a later date. More information about the game can be found on Steam and Facebook.
About Fit Reality
Fit Reality is a small team of independent game developers based in Warsaw, Poland, originating from both the fitness and gaming industries. We believe in a “play more, move more, live more” philosophy, which led us to create our first VR fitness game – VIRO MOVE. It has come from the depths of our gamer hearts, the result of mixing our knowledge of fitness solutions with our passion for emerging VR technologies, along with our love of gaming and game development. https://www.viromove.com/
Terrorise the village for no reason on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch
Walnut Creek, Calif. (August 31, 2021) … Modus Games today announced Rustleris available across PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch. With the news, they also unleashed cows being launched out of catapults, innocent villagers having their hay bales lit on fire and much, much more mayhem. Purchase the game on your preferred platform now: rustlergame.com
Today’s launch was accompanied by a trailer that showcases the absolute problem that player character Guy becomes as he attempts to win The Grand Tournament and its illustrious prize, destroying everything in his path as he does so for no real reason.
Rustler – Launch Trailer – Available now!
Also announced today was the news that until September 14, Xbox and PlayStation players will be able to pick up a free digital Starter Pack DLC bundle which includes:
Auto-cross bow with 10 bolts
Halberd
5 turd grenades (no questions at this time)
500 gold coins
2 skill points
In Rustler, you’ll play as anti-hero Guy, a brigand determined to win The Grand Tournament while causing a ruckus along the way. Saddle up and prepare to complete quests, race horses, vandalise property, shoot cows into the sky and more in Rustler.
For news on Rustler and Modus Games’ full lineup, head over to https://modusgames.com, join the Modus Discord channel (http://modus.games/discord), and follow @Modus_Games on Twitter. To connect with the Rustler developers and players, join the Rustler Discord channel (https://discord.gg/f9AUtZY).
About Modus Games Modus Games is one of the fastest-growing video game publishers in the world. The label prides itself on providing AAA publishing services to talented independent developers across the globe. For more information, visit www.modusgames.com
About Jutsu Games Jutsu Games is an independent Polish development studio based in Warsaw. The team is focused on creating innovative gameplay experiences and is currently developing Rustler. Previous projects include 911 Operator, 112 Operator. For more information, visit http://jutsugames.com.
About Games Operators Games Operators is a publishing company that invests, releases, and promotes video games. The company helps develop innovative and unique video games like 911 Operator or Radio Commander. They get involved in projects at various levels of progress, from the conceptual phase to nearly finished products. http://www.gameops.pl/
