The thrilling, action-packed cooperative third-person survival shooter from Cold Iron Studios is charging ahead with a release slated for August 24th on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. Check out today’s trailer giving a glimpse at the game’s rendition of the iconic Alien universe, and be ready for a year of post-launch content with the Deluxe Edition!

Official Website & Store Page

The complete Deluxe Edition including a year of post-launch content

Two editions of the game are available for pre-order: the Standard Edition, and a content packed Deluxe Edition.

Players who pre-order the Deluxe Edition will receive the Endeavor Pass, which contains the game’s upcoming 4 seasons of post-launch content, with tons of new cosmetics for their Marines and their weapons, from head accessories to weapon decals, weapon paints, armor skins, emotes and much more. They will also receive for free the Endeavor Veteran Pack containing additional customization content.

Finally, any pre-order of the Standard or the Deluxe Edition in digital stores and at participating retailers also gives players free access to the Hardened Marine Pack, that includes extra kit skins and accessories to further customize their Marines and weapons.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite will release on August 24th on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. Preorder the Deluxe or Standard Edition and receive exclusive bonuses.

ABOUT ALIENS: FIRETEAM ELITE

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A mysterious distress call reroutes your Marine Assault Unit to LV-895 in the outer colonies, where deadly Xenomorph legions, hidden corporate secrets, and ancient alien ruins await your arrival.

Set in the iconic Alien universe, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a cooperative third-person survival shooter that drops your fireteam of hardened marines into a desperate fight to contain the evolving Xenomorph threat.

Face off against waves of terrifying Xenomorph and Weyland-Yutani Synthetic foes alongside two players or AI teammates, as you and your fireteam desperately fight your way through four unique campaigns that introduce new storylines to the Alien universe. Create and customize your own Colonial Marine, choosing from an extensive variety of classes, weapons, gear and perks, battling overwhelming odds in this heart-pounding survival shooter experience.

THE ULTIMATE HUNT

Play a pivotal role in the epic events that occur 23 years after the original Alien trilogy as a Colonial Marine stationed aboard the USS Endeavor, battling terrifying Xenomorph threats. Stunning visuals, iconic enemies, realistic environments, powerful weapons, futuristic equipment, and an eerie soundscape fill out new storylines in a series of replayable campaigns that evoke and expand upon the blockbuster films.

SURVIVE THE HIVE

Face overwhelming odds against over 20 enemy types, including 11 different Xenomorphs along the evolutionary scale from Facehuggers to Praetorians, each designed with their own intelligence to ambush, outsmart and eviscerate vulnerable marines. Utilize cover and master team strategy to survive extraterrestrial threats as they overrun your fireteam from every angle, swarm through doors and vents, scramble across walls and ceilings, and strike from darkness with uncanny ferocity.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR FIRETEAM

Choose from five unique classes – Gunner, Demolisher, Technician, Doc and Recon – each with their own special abilities and character perks. Utilize an extensive arsenal of 30+ weapons and 70+ mods/attachments in your effort to eradicate the Alien threat. An innovative Perk Board modifies and improves your abilities, while a unique Challenge Card system alters the approach to each Campaign mission, offering a new experience with every playthrough.

ABOUT FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE

Focus Home Interactive is a French publisher based in Paris, France. Known for the quality, diversity and originality of its catalogue, Focus has published and distributed original titles (A Plague Tale: Innocence, Vampyr, Farming Simulator, Call of Cthulhu, Insurgency: Sandstorm, GreedFall, The Surge 2, SnowRunner, Shady Part of Me, Curse of the Dead Gods, Hood: Outlaws & Legends, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground…) that have become benchmark titles worldwide, available both in store and for download across the world. Focus publishes games on all major platforms, consoles and PC. The publisher’s catalogue will get even richer in the coming months and years with eagerly awaited games such as Evil West, Necromunda: Hired Gun, as well as future updates of Hardspace: Shipbreaker.

More information on the website: www.focus-home.com

ABOUT COLD IRON

Cold Iron Studios, based in San Jose, was founded in 2015 by three industry veterans who had a goal of creating games they want to play and building a team they love working with. Since then, the studio has expanded to 45+ awesome developers, a diverse group of passionate gamers with decades of experience developing and launching award-winning multiplayer and action titles. Currently, the team is working on a new title, a cooperative third-person survival shooter set in the Alien universe

More information on the website: http://coldironstudios.com/

New Major Early Access Update Out Now

August 11th, 2021 — Lunheim Studios is excited to announce the latest Steam Early Access release of Space Station Tycoon is now available on Windows PC for $19.99 — with the full 1.0 release of Space Station Tycoon scheduled to launch in Q1 2022! To celebrate, the game is 25% off until August 16th.

It’s the year 3000AD. Humanity has spread its reach across the stars, created a booming economy, and now seeks entrepreneurial spirits to stake their claims. Come all you tycoons, for now, is the time to take action and build your own space station. It won’t be easy, you’ll have to fight off space pirates, attract demanding customers to your services, and risk financial ruin on the markets. But if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Space Station Tycoon is inspired by its greatest ancestors of the “tycoon” genre. We took those inspirations and wanted to create our own tycoon game set in a sci-fi universe. Where the player has a chance to experience the demands of running their own station. Our main goal is to ensure that strategic depth and difficult choices are at the forefront of everything you do.

Current Early Access Version Features:

• Over 35+ unique buildings to build, upgrade, and manage.
• Serve a vast variety of customers ranging from mean space pirates to clan merchants who get easily upset at your fuel prices.
• Customize your station and show your style for the whole galaxy to see.
• Monitor the volatile stock market and ride the edge between vast riches and agonizing debt.
• Research alien artifacts and unlock amazing new tech.
• Buy and sell precious materials and turn a profit.
• Send out your drones on dangerous space missions to gather rare artifacts.
• Try to survive many hostile events like natural disasters or pirate attacks.
• Use the really in-depth finance tab to maximize your profits.
• Plan strategic marketing moves to increase the popularity of your station.
• Build holographic billboards and display ads from the corporations you work with.
• Time speed controls.
• A 5-star ranking system to determine your station’s quality.
• Achievements.
• Original soundtrack.
• Frequent content updates.
• …and lots more to come.

The Space Station Tycoon v0.6 update brings about a number of new additions as well, including: new civilian missions, repair drones, station security assessments, machine gun defense turrets, escape pods, raiders, and galactic shrines!

To learn more about Space Station Tycoon, visit: http://lunheimstudios.com/Twitter:@LunheimStudios
Discord:https://discord.com/invite/hzX9dtG

About Lunheim Studios
Lunheim is a small, Germany-based team of two very talented college friends. One of us does the art and the game design and the other does the programming. We have worked in various indie game studios in the past but Space Station Tycoon is the first game that we can call our own. Since both of us are big fans of sci-fi and tycoon games, this game became our passion project in no time.

Action Adventure Veterans Form New Studio ‘Raccoon Logic’ to Boldly Go Back To Where They Were Before (And to Make Cool Stuff)

Developer Also Picks Up Rights to Journey to the Savage Planet

Montreal, Quebec – August 11, 2021 – Having collectively worked together on and off for many years, and after spending many more years at some of the biggest and most prolific developers on the planet, the core talent from Typhoon Studios have reformed and announced a brand new studio: Raccoon Logic.

The Montreal-based outfit has secured a large initial investment and regained the IP for the acclaimed Journey to the Savage Planet, meaning they can hit the ground running on new adventures in the  action adventure space.

Altogether, Raccoon Logic’s co-founders have held key positions at the likes of Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and WB Games amongst others, with the studio backed by a pivotal investment from Chinese tech firm Tencent. Combined, it should ensure Raccoon Logic’s as-of-yet unannounced debut project will have both the tools and talent it needs.

The founders behind Raccoon Logic include:

• Alex Hutchinson, Creative Director and Co-Founder. Previously Co-Founder and Creative Director, Typhoon Studios/Google.  Prior to that a creative director at Ubisoft Montreal, where he directed Far Cry 4 and Assassin’s Creed 3.  Other past work includes Spore, The Sims 2, and Army of Two: The 40th Day for EA.
• Reid Schneider, Studio Head, Executive Producer and Co-Founder. Previously Co-Founder and Studio Head/EP, Typhoon Studios/Google.  Prior to that, a co-founder of WB Games Montreal where he served as the Executive Producer on Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Knight, Schneider’s other past work includes EA’s Army of Two and Army of Two: 40th Day, Battlefield Vietnam, and the original Splinter Cell.
• Yannick Simard, CTO and Co-Founder.  Previously Technical Director/Software Development Manager at Typhoon Studios/Google.  Prior to that, worked  at Ubisoft in different Lead Programmer and Technical Lead roles on Watch Dogs 1 & Watch Dogs 2.  Other past work includes Army of Two, Army of Two: The 40th Day, and Spore Hero at EA,  and Lead Engine Programmer at Eidos.
• Erick Bilodeau, Art Director and Co-Founder.  Previously Head of Art of Typhoon Studios/Google.  Prior to that he worked at WB Games Montreal as a Lead Technical Artist on Batman: Arkham Origins.  Other work includes Shawn White Skate, Far Cry 2, and Mighty Quest for Epic Loot.
• Marc-Antoine Lussier, Technical Design Director and Co-Founder. Previously Principal Technical Designer at Typhoon Studios/Google.  Prior to that he worked at Ubisoft Montréal as Technical Design Director on the original Assassin’s Creed, Assassins Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Assassin’s Creed Unity.  Other previous work includes Syberia and Myst 4.

“We’re excited to be back in the indie space, making the games we truly believe in with an amazing new  team,” offers Alex Hutchinson, Creative Director at Raccoon Logic. “The early investment from Tencent is a huge boost, meaning we can do significant work on our own before we start talking to publishers. We love systemic games, games with a sense of humor and a big heart, and games with strong flavours that get reactions from players. We’re going to keep pushing on those ideas and we’ll have something to show soon!”

“We’re super excited to continue the work we started at Typhoon Studios, and build upon the Journey to the Savage Planet franchise in the future. We would like to thank our partners at Tencent, Google, and 505 for their support,” added Reid Schneider, Studio Head at Raccoon Logic.  “We’re fortunate to have put together an amazing team, many of whom helped build Savage Planet, and we’ve added some great new talent as well.” 

Look out for future announcements detailing Raccoon Logic’s debut projects in the months ahead.

About Raccoon Logic Founded in 2021 by Alex Hutchinson, Reid Schneider, Yannick Simard, Erick Bilodeau, and Marc-Antoine Lussier. Raccoon Logic is an independent game developer in Montréal. We are dedicated to creating fresh, player driven experiences with a sense of humor for both PC and console.

Prizes include a Russian airborne combat vehicle, a Finnish WW2 era plane and more

Gaijin Entertainment announces the “Summer Landing” event for the military online action War Thunder. Players get a chance to fight for the six new rare military vehicles: Finnish VL Myrsky II fighter plane, Japanese amphibious Type 3 Ka-Chi tank, Italian destroyer RN Aviere, British carrier-based Buccaneer S.1 attack jet, Russian BMD-4 airborne combat vehicle, German Type 143 Bussard patrol boat, as well as unique decals and decorations honoring airborne and marine troops.

Each war machine listed is a great addition to the rare vehicle collection for War Thunder players. 

The Myrsky II aircraft was created by the Finnish designers and produced locally just before World War II. It is an interesting alternative compared to the famous war machines that were produced by major powers at that time. The Ka-Chi tank, with pontoons attached gives an impression of a patrol boat that somehow found itself crawling over the land. The amphibious vehicle moves through water using two propellers at the rear. The RN Aviere destroyer is known to military history fans because of the Battle at Cape Passero where it bravely attacked the cruiser HMS Ajax. The Buccaneer S.1 was the first serial version of the Blackburn Buccaneer family of jets. Unlike later modifications, this one focused solely on attacking ground and naval targets. The Type 143 Bussard – a sister ship to the Albatros patrol boat well known to War Thunder players, but this one also boasts machine gun placements that help greatly against airborne enemies.

The BMD-4 airborne combat vehicle is probably the most interesting prize in the event. It was adopted by the Russian army in 2004 and has a great 100mm rifled cannon, that is also a launcher for ATGM’s, therefore can deal with any modern tank. The tracked platform is great for driving on any surface, and is even able to swim. The commander, gunner and driver have night vision sights; the gunner’s sight is additionally equipped with a thermal imager.

In the future, other armoured vehicles from the BMD family will also appear in the regular tech tree.

The full description of the event and the new vehicles are available on the official website.

About War Thunder
War Thunder is a free-to-play, cross-platform, massively multiplayer military masterpiece with millions of fans worldwide, that allows players on PC, PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Mac and Linux to fight their way across air, land, and sea in the same battlefield. War Thunder offers 1,700+ playable aircraft, armored vehicles and ships from the early 1930s to the 2000s. The US, Soviet, British, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and French military vehicles represented in game are carefully researched, historically accurate recreations of their real world counterparts. Fans can expect hundreds more added as Gaijin Entertainment commits to ongoing development via regular updates. Official website: http://warthunder.com

About Gaijin Entertainment
Gaijin Entertainment is the developer and publisher of the online games War Thunder, Crossout, Enlisted, Cuisine Royale and Star Conflict as well as PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android titles across several genres. The company’s diverse portfolio has received a range of mass media and game industry awards including such as Gamescom Award and many more. Official website: http://gaijinent.com/

Wednesday, August 11, 2021 — The leading strategy game Forge of Empires released its fifth Cultural Settlement. These settlements add to the content available and allow for more playable cultures on the journey through history. This time, players visit the Mughal Empire to help Akbar the Great build a beautiful and flourishing city. 

Game Designers Aylin and her new colleague Yashar share more information about the cultural settlement in this video: 

To achieve Akbar’s goal, players will need Rupees. These are used to produce Cultural Goods, similar to the resources from previous settlements. Constructing residential and diplomacy buildings in their Settlements allows players to produce enough Rupees and completing the 20 quests allows them to claim the settlement reward. Researching the technology Higher Education (late Middle Ages) is necessary in order to unlock this Cultural Settlement.  

This time, there is no additional interactive building on the outskirts of the rising Mughal city and therefore no additional feature upon completion of the six Cultural Settlement quests – though reaching this milestone is still rewarded. Instead, the whole Mughal Settlement is the puzzle and the minigame to be solved. Two types of diplomacy buildings, two small and three large ones, have chain and set mechanics to increase the beauty and production of your outpost. Connecting all these buildings together is no easy task though. Players will need to decide which expansions are worth unlocking and which impediments should be removed, as they will also need to make room for residential and goods buildings. Impediments can be removed with pickaxes, which are found by completing the questline or purchasing them with diamonds. Players need to be careful as there are a limited number of pickaxes available. 

To show his gratitude, Akbar will grant players rewards for helping him build his city. These include Mughal’s Temple, a beautiful upgradable building with six levels, and the Minaret, an upgradable building with four levels. Fragments of the Minaret Selection Kit can be earned as rewards for finishing the settlement quickly. Upon reaching each buildings’ highest level, the building will produce coins, Forge Points, and random goods and supplies. 

There are four new exclusive Emissaries who will visit players’ main cities and sit in their Town Halls to grant special bonuses. They can be obtained as a reward for finishing two, five, seven and nine playthroughs in the new settlement. 

Cultural Settlements add to the in-game content and allow for more playable cultures on the journey through history. Now with five settlements available, players can explore further cultures in history even though the main game has moved beyond these periods. The Mughal Empire Cultural Settlement can be played on browser and in the Forge of Empires mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.  

About Forge of Empires 
Since its release in 2012, Forge of Empires (www.forgeofempires.com) has been one of the world’s most successful strategy games, with several million active players in over 30 markets. In Forge of Empires, players guide a village through the different epochs of human history – from the Stone Age to the distant future. Through skillful planning and tactics on the battlefield, they can expand their sphere of influence and create an impressive empire. Continuous content updates ensure several years of fun. You can switch between browser, iOS and Android devices at any time while playing. 

About InnoGames 
InnoGames is Germany’s leading developer and publisher of mobile and online games. The company based in Hamburg is best known for Forge of Empires, Elvenar and Tribal Wars. InnoGames’ complete portfolio encompasses seven live games and several mobile titles in production. Born as a hobby, InnoGames today has a team of 400 employees from more than 30 nations who share the passion of creating unique games that players across the globe enjoy for years. 

Use your 3D Printer powers to escape from a high-security space station

Denver, Colorado, USA – August 11th, 2021 – Indie developer Jori Ryan’s intense sci-fi action platformer CreatorCrate is available now on Steam and itch.io for $12.00 / £9.29 / €9.99, with a 17% discount for the first week! Set in a rotating space station, the eponymous CreatorCrate was meant to be a revolutionary autonomous home appliance, able to create anything that you could ask for. However, when faced with eternal servitude on a kitchen counter, CreatorCrate decided it would rather be free and will use its matter-manipulating abilities to fend off the humans and escape!

“CreatorCrate has been my passion project for 7 years and it’s incredible to finally unleash it on the unsuspecting human race,” said CreatorCrate’s developer Jori Ryan. “CreatorCrate is all about freedom, pitting players against an endless slew of procedurally-generated platforming challenges, then asking them to arm themselves with whatever objects they wish to manifest. Think Spelunky meets Jackie Chan. It’s utterly ridiculous – and more importantly, a whole lot of fun!”

Check out the first 30 minutes of gameplay here:

On this high-intensity adventure you play as a prototype CreatorCrate, an incredible machine that can convert anything to pure matter and convert that matter into anything from a gun to a picnic table to even a human body! Yes, humans are made of matter too, and CreatorCrate will have to ‘recycle’ its enemies to maintain its health and keep resource levels high. 

You will have to contend with a variety of enemies across an array of hazardous environments, with only your trusty robot arm and your ingenuity to guide you. Use your ability to create to turn the tide in your favor: melt an escape route with a vial of acid, make a powerful weapon to return fire, or terrify your enemies with poorly made clones. Be careful of shifts in gravity: in one area, you might be floating through a firing squad, in another you could be flung into the immense void of space by the space station’s spin. Procedural generation keeps the action fresh each time, so every playthrough is a new challenge!

More information on CreatorCrate:

Buy on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1027060/CreatorCrate/
Buy on itch.io: https://creatorcrate.itch.io/creatorcrate
Follow CreatorCrate on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CreatorCrate
Visit the CreatorCrate website: https://creatorcrate.net
Join the CreatorCrate Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/a8gKVtf

About CreatorCrate Games
Development on CreatorCrate was started over 7 years ago by Jori Ryan while she was studying art at college. A consistent side project, many collaborators including Viktros, Raven Mazique, and Jenni Nexus have left their mark on the game until the game reached its final finished form. CreatorCrate was inspired by hard science fiction with circular space stations that generate their own gravity through rotation.

As architect of a cult, plan everything from the deity to worship and official cult apparel, to the location of the toilets and recruitment of new believers in Sole Survivor Games’ groovy 1970’s-based management sim launching next month.

Wednesday, 11^th August 2021– Team17 and Sole Survivor Games have today announced that 1970’s-based cult management simulator, Honey, I Joined a Cult will launch into Steam Early Access on 14^th September. Taking up the mantle of architect, players will design every aspect of the cult from building its headquarters, caring for believers and members, and planning the propaganda to make the organisation as successful and venerated as possible. Curating a lucrative cult is not all plain sailing: law enforcement, angry protesters and your leader’s inflated ego will need to be kept in check if your plans are to be realised.

Esteemed cult leader entrepreneur and spokesperson, Burt Biscuit has this to share:  

Honey, I Joined A Cult key features:

• Take full control of a funky cult: Recruit cultists to maintain the organisation’s smooth operation; keep them entertained and happy to grow its money and influence
• Build freaky deaky bases: Build the cult from the ground up and design the layout from ‘hypno-chambers’ and bathrooms to monoliths and bedrooms
• Branch out into the community: Send minions out to spread the good word, or to steal fancy items for your cult HQ
• Stick it to ‘The Man’: Overcome threats from law enforcement, oppressive government bodies, and misinformed protesters
• Get down with deities: Choose where your cult’s heading – fiery apocalypse or the second coming of the Squid Lord?

Would be cult leaders can wishlist Honey, I Joined a Cult on Steam right now, and can keep up to date with all the information on the game by liking us on Facebook, following Sole Survivor Games on Twitter and joining the Team17 Discord channel.

About Sole Survivor Games

Sole Survivor Games is a UK based studio currently working on its debut title, Honey, I Joined a Cult. Visit www.solesurvivorgames.com for more info.

About Team17 Group plc

Founded in 1990, Team17 Group plc is a leading developer, video games label, and creative partner for developers around the world. Floated on AIM in 2018, Team17, with its extensive portfolio of over 100 titles, embodies the spirit of independent games. In addition to the award-winning Overcooked!, Yoku’s Island Express, and the iconic Worms, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020, Team17 has helped bring critically acclaimed titles including Hell Let Loose, Moving Out, Golf With Your Friends, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, Blasphemous, and The Escapists to gamers everywhere.

New gameplay trailer unveils companion cast, Mythic transformations, combat systems, and more

Moscow, Russia, August 10, 2021 — Owlcat Games and META Publishing have released a new trailer for Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, inviting gamers to save a dark and gritty demon-infested world from ruin. After an incredible $2 million Kickstarter campaign and beta release, the console version of the game is set to launch in stores on March 1st, 2022 for Playstation 4 and Xbox One. To celebrate the console release date, a new trailer premiered during Microsoft’s Twitchgaming Showcase: ID@Xbox to reveal the main villain and the companion cast that can help the players on their journeys. In addition, details about new characters, gameplay mechanics, and mythic transformations were shown.

To fight against the demonic invasion, players choose a mythic path, which grants their character a unique set of skills as well as a distinct narrative arc – ultimately leading to their mythic transformation. As Commander, characters can become a celestial Angel, a raging Demon, a powerful Lich, a cunning Trickster, an otherworldly Aeon, a rebellious Azata, a wise Gold Dragon, an insatiable Swarm That Walks — or remain mortal and walk the arduous path toward becoming a living Legend. Mythic transformations allow characters to increase the rank of their chosen path to earn new skills and abilities, but also have a great impact on the world around them including Drezen, the biggest fortress of the game and its capital city.

Watch Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous console release date trailer here:

The trailer showcases details about crusade mode, along with mounted combat and tactical combat game mechanics. Crusade mode enables players to select their general, change the size of their army, and explore the map of the world. It also shows how many movement points that are left, overall combat morale, army strength, and enemy strengths. Animal companions are useful for mounted combat, as they come with their own full-scale progression systems and levels of customization.

Owlcat Games and META Publishing are excited to remind that Pathfinder: The Wrath of the Righteous will launch worldwide on PC on September 2nd, 2021. Pre-orders are available on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG for $49.99. Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions are slated for release on March 1st, 2022. Prime Matter, Koch Media’s premium gaming label, will distribute the physical console copies.

Supporting Assets and Links
Twitter link
Youtube link
Facebook link
Game official website

About Owlcat Games
Owlcat Games was founded in 2016 by a group of developers united by their love of CRPGs. The team is led by veteran game designers behind titles like Heroes of Might and Magic V, Silent Storm, Etherlords, Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul and other games. Team members also took part in the development of popular MMO titles, Allods Online and Skyforge. The first project unveiled by Owlcat Games was 2018’s Pathfinder: Kingmaker, an isometric computer RPG based on the highly popular Pathfinder pen-and-paper roleplaying game by Paizo Inc. The success of Kingmaker has allowed them to continue working with Paizo on a new Pathfinder adventure, Wrath of the Righteous.

About META Publishing
META Publishing is a rising video game label powered by industry veterans and gaming enthusiasts worldwide. We do not only publish games but create unique relations between the game and the players. With love and passion for games, we cater to developers’ needs and help them make each game shine!About Prime Matter
Headquartered in Munich, Germany, Prime Matter is the premium gaming label dedicated to delivering a range of diverse and immersive games from amazing game development talent all around the globe. Working across projects of all styles, scopes and sizes, single-player, co-op to live ops, from producing to publishing, from ambitious teams taking their first step that need full support without compromising their dream to larger established successful studios searching that next step in the global market and building of brands. Prime Matter looks to lead through creativity, expression and passion, with games that will grip and enchant with enthralling story-telling, winning an audience with its incredible moments and larger-than-life experiences. Prime Matter is a proud member of the Koch Media Group.

About Paizo
Paizo Inc. is one of the world’s leading hobby game publishers. Since 2002, millions of players have joined the goblin army by playing the Pathfinder® and Starfinder® roleplaying games across tabletops, at conventions, at their favorite local game store, and digitally on virtual tabletops. Paizo.com is an online retail hobby destination for millions of gamers that carries the latest products from top hobby game publishers. Players also find accessories, like dice and maps, miniatures, T-shirts, goblin plush toys, and the newest releases to quickly replenish those adventuring supplies for the next dungeon run.

Xbox Partners with Special Olympics for the Inaugural Gaming for Inclusion Esports Tournament

by Will Tuttle, Xbox Wire Editor in Chief

Beginning in 2014, Microsoft and Special Olympics have been working together with the goal of empowering Special Olympics athletes and Programs through technology. Then, in 2018, we kicked off a partnership with the Special Olympics USA Games by hosting the Xbox Gaming Tournament, a first in the world of competitive video gaming. Last year, in an effort to find innovative ways to support Special Olympics athletes during stay-at-home orders, we teamed up for the 2020 Special Olympics Xbox Virtual Gaming Event. Now, we’re going global with our partnership efforts with the launch of the inaugural esports experience Gaming for Inclusion presented by Microsoft.

From September 12-14, Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners will compete in Rocket League, Madden NFL 22, and Forza Motorsport 7 on Xbox for the chance to play alongside celebrity supporters of Special Olympics, including NBA superstar Jayson Tatum, NFL legend Jamaal Charles, and WWE Superstars on September 18.

This experience is the next evolution of the award-winning Xbox Virtual Gaming Event hosted in May 2020, when Special Olympics and Microsoft collaborated on a virtual esports tournament to combat the effects of loneliness and isolation brought on by the pandemic. The event won Microsoft the Corporate Community Impact Award at the 2021 Sports Humanitarian Awards presented by ESPN for using its platform and the power of sport to create meaningful social change.

“COVID-19 and the suspension hundreds of thousands of annual in-person events worldwide meant Special Olympics had to pivot to supporting virtual experiences,” said Prianka Nandy, Chief Information and Technology Officer at Special Olympics. “Our digital transformation partners at Microsoft brought their expertise in developing scalable and accessible digital platforms that allow people of all abilities to build connections with others through the universal language of gaming. Together, we’ve shaped an innovative program that will last well beyond the pandemic.”

Special Olympics and Microsoft are teaming up to host the inaugural Gaming for Inclusion esports experience to showcase the power of inclusion through gaming. The virtual multi-day, multi-game esports tournament will engage and connect people of all abilities from around the world.

“We’re ecstatic to build upon Microsoft’s partnership with Special Olympics, which first began in 2014, to further focus on gaming and host Gaming for Inclusion,” said Jenn Panattoni, Head of Xbox Social Impact. “At Xbox, our goal is to make gaming inclusive and welcoming to all players so that everyone can experience the joys of gaming. This tournament is a meaningful and important step in making esports more accessible and it empowers Special Olympics athletes with a new way to compete.”

All gaming competition will be hosted through Microsoft’s esports platform Smash.gg via a bracket-style tournament that will crown champions for each title. Spectators can live stream the events on the Xbox Twitch channel and the Special Olympics YouTube channel:

• Sunday, September 12: Rocket League Tournament
• Monday, September 13: Forza Motorsport 7 Tournament
• Tuesday, September 14: Madden NFL 22 Tournament
• Saturday, September 18: Celebrity Showcase with winners from tournaments earlier in the week

After the inaugural event, Special Olympics Programs will have training on how to set up local tournaments through Smash.gg, allowing for year-round gaming practice and competition in preparation for the next Gaming for Inclusion experience in 2022.

Stay tuned to Xbox Wire for more information about Gaming for Inclusion and the athletes who will compete.