Patch Five to include major updates and improvements, while expanding the breadth and Depth of Baldur’s Gate 3

Dublin, 2021 – During our Panel From Hell live show, we unveiled some of the major updates and improvements coming in Patch 5 for Baldur’s Gate 3. Not only did the panel include our very first #LARPG, but also a community video from founder & Game Director Swen Vincke, who took us through many of the new features coming next week.

Patch 5 will expand on the breadth & depth of Baldur’s Gate 3. Starting Tuesday 13th, players will discover new game-changing mechanics, tons of combat and AI improvements, visual upgrades to weapons and cinematics, a bigger focus on roleplaying, and more Owlbear cub content to make your heart burst. Also expect to take a tantalizing step toward unearthing Shadowheart’s mysteries in this update.

The full patch notes for Patch 5 will be revealed on Tuesday the 13th, when it releases. For now, here are some of the highlights from the patch.

The Active Roll System
During skill checks, rather than leaving you at the mercy of the RNG gods during skill checks, in Patch 5 we have ensured players now have much more agency. Active Roll gives players the ability to swing the odds in their favour by applying spells and bonuses to their rolls. Additionally, players can now see their modifiers and status effects happen directly within the UI, rather than being calculated in the background.

Background Goals
Players have always been able to select a ‘Background’ at the Character Creation screen – Folk Hero, Acolyte, Urchin, and so on. Now every character will have their own series of secret miniquests based on these roles, called Background Goals. So, whenever a Folk Hero does something Folksy and Heroic or an Urchin does something Urchiny, they’ll be rewarded. It’s a new way to encourage role playing, with players directly benefiting from acting as their character would in any given scenario.

Camp Supplies
Camp Resources are a new feature that will make you think a little more strategically about when to activate a Long Rest. Now in order to make camp, you first need supplies. You know all the food and scraps you find around Baldur’s Gate 3? Well from now one, you’ll need that to set up for a full rest. Finally, a use for your giant hoard of dead fish!
Also coming this patch are Mini Camps, context-dependent environments that offer an alternative to returning to your HQ by the river. From the Chapel near the Ravaged Beach to the Underdark, we’ve recreated every landmark as its own isolated location that can be accessed when you’re ready to hunker down for your Long Rest.

And there’s more!

We’ve given the AI a serious tune-up, with enemies now being far more intelligent and resourceful than before. Watch as unarmed enemies pick up discarded weapons! Gasp at a group of goblins tossing health potions to each other! Wonder as your NPC companions make sensible, self-preserving decisions!
There are a huge number of other improvements we’ve made for Patch 5, including Non-Lethal Attack Mode, old-school point and click dialogue, and some very intriguing new story content around a certain party member…

Be sure to catch the Panel From Hell 3 for all the latest news and updates, as well as the community update that goes into greater detail about these changes, with more listed over on Steam. For even more info, the full patch notes will be released on Tuesday 13th.

About Larian Studios
Larian Studios is an independent RPG developer founded in 1996 in Ghent, Belgium. Over 300 people work between the seven worldwide studios in Ghent, St Petersburg, Quebec, Dublin, Guildford, Malaysia and Barcelona. Larian is best known for the Divinity universe, which they introduced to the world with Divine Divinity in 2002. In 2014, Larian launched Divinity: Original Sin, a classic CRPG that won over 150 awards and nominations. The company released its critically acclaimed sequel Divinity: Original Sin 2 on September 14, 2017, followed by the Definitive Edition in August 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to a 93 Metacritic rating. The Nintendo Switch version released in September 2019 featuring cross save progression between Nintendo Switch and Steam. Divinity:Original Sin 2 won a Bafta for Best Multiplayer Game. In October 2020, Larian Studios released the Early Access version of Baldur’s Gate 3.

© 2021 WIZARDS OF THE COAST. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WIZARDS OF THE COAST, BALDUR’S GATE, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE LOGOS
ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF WIZARDS OF THE COAST LLC
© 2021 LARIAN STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. LARIAN STUDIOS IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ARRAKIS NV, AFFILIATE OF LARIAN STUDIOS GAMES LTD.
ALL COMPANY NAMES, BRAND NAMES, TRADEMARKS AND LOGOS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

The Acclaimed Action-Strategy RPG Finds a New Home Base

IRVINE, Calif. – July 8, 2021 – SEGA is excited to announce that the critically acclaimed Valkyria Chronicles™ 4 Complete Edition is now available on the Luna+ channel for Amazon’s cloud gaming service, Luna, designed for instant play.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition pulls together the game and all previously released DLC including more story and missions. As a result, players get to experience the ultimate Valkyria Chronicles 4 experience. 

No matter whether you’re enjoying the game by land, air, or sea (and have wi-fi internet), you will be able to take full control of Squad E on the device of your choice via the cloud and carry them through the Second Europan War’s most harrowing missions in their bid to take down the Empire.

For those unfamiliar, Luna is a cloud gaming service that allows users to play games on compatible Fire TV, Windows PC, and Mac devices as well as through web apps on iPhones, iPads and select Android phones. Games live in the cloud, so there are no lengthy downloads, installs, or updates required. For more information check out Amazon Luna, and to learn more about updates for Luna, visit the Amazon Luna blog.

A Coming-of-Age Story in a Time of War – The year is 1935 and the Second Europan War (EWII) between the Atlantic Federation and the East Europan Imperial Alliance is underway. As ordered by the Federation, the young, eager Commander Claude Wallace must lead Squad E on an offensive that aims to swiftly end the war. The platoon will face devastating blizzards, imperial soldiers, and the godlike powers of the Valkyria; will the close bonds formed help Squad E to survive together on the frozen battlefield?

The Next Generation “BLiTZ” Battle System – The “BLiTZ” System (“Battle of Live Tactical Zones”) is an innovative gameplay system that melds together turn-based strategy with real-time 3rd person shooter tactics. BLiTZ is used during combat scenarios; it splits the action between an overhead “command mode” and 3rd-person “action mode”. The player will have at their command six combat classes—Grenadier, Snipers, Lancers, Engineers, Shocktroopers, and Scouts—as well as numerous offensive/defensive battleship support options, chances for a unit to have a “Last Stand” action before death, and more.

CANVAS Aesthetics – The Valkyria Chronicles series’ signature hand-drawn visual style is breathtaking. Inspired by watercolor compositions, the CANVAS Graphics Engine blends visual elements of reality and imagination to create an expressive world filled with colourful emotions. Watch the journey of Squad E unfold like an interactive painting!

The Work of a Legendary Composer – The illustrious Hitoshi Sakimoto, original composer of the Valkyria Chronicles series and countless other emotional epics, provides a sweeping orchestral score for Valkyria Chronicles 4.

The Full Skirmish – In addition to the base game, Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition contains all bonus content released for the game, which features add-on missions ranging from high-difficulty maps to new story content. This includes:

• Squad E to the Beach
• A Captainless Squad
• Expert Level Skirmishes
• The Two Valkyria
• Advance Ops
• A United Front with Squad 7

About SEGA® of America, Inc.:

SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA CORPORATION, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s website is located at www.sega.com.

About Amazon:

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

GEAR UP AND PREPARE FOR NEW HIGH-LEVEL CONTENT IN THE LAND OF LESCA WITH A3: STILL ALIVE‘S LATEST UPDATE

New PvP Mode, Increases to Maximum Player Level, New ‘Fast-Pass’ Premium Option, and More Await Players Starting Today

LOS ANGELES – JULY 8, 2021 –A3: STILL ALIVE, Netmarble’s dark fantasy open world mobile RPG received its new update today, which adds a new ‘Fast-Pass’ system alongside other new content like level expansions, regions and a new PvP mode known as the Tower of Greed. The latest trailer for today’s update can be found here: [https://youtu.be/FVqa_grqS7o]

This month’s update introduces a handful of new regions and activities for players to experience. These include Lesca, ‘The Frozen Fortress City’, the Serrod Ice Cliff Equipment Dungeon, and a new world boss – the Starving Kudrak. Pre-seasons for the Tower of Greed, a new PvP mode where players must fight for keys by defeating monsters and other players, in order to continually climb the tower, officially begins today as part of today’s update.

A3: STILL ALIVE’s Fast-Pass system allows all players who own the pass to quickly clear several main quests. Once used, automatic adjustments are made to a player’s level and reputation so the minimum requirements to clear chapters are met. Players can look to receive a package of rewards via their mailbox, quickly achieve Level 160 for their characters with the Fast Pass. As free level-ups up to Chapter 19 are available to all Fast Pass users, Blue Diamonds will also be provided to support Fast Pass up to Chapter 22.

Also, when provided with rewards by participating various events will allow the players to achieve three million combat power easily.

Other content and changes in today’s update include:

• Maximum Player Level has increased to Lv. 180, while new Lv. 170 and Lv. 180 Equipment is added to the game
• New Equipment / Accessories Spec-Up Functions has been added. These include Weapon / Armor Awaken, a new Convert Set for Weapons / Armors, and Accessories Tier 3 Awaken.
• New upcoming Server Merges, with the opportunity to Transfer Servers with Server Transfer Tickets that will be offered to players on a regular basis
• Level Achievement events, Starter Guide events, and Starter Soulinker Exchange events, have been reorganized to offer additional rewards and increased benefits for new/returning users and active players

• Several limited-time events, including:
  • Lv.120~Lv.170 Step-Up Box (7/8 ~ until further notice) & Level-Up Event Season 2 Lv. 120~170 players can earn rewards by clearing certain level thresholds. Users can participate the Level-Up Event for 14 days
  • Veteran Guide Mission and Veteran Exchange Event – After clearing Chapter 22 with Fast Pass, players can undergo a ‘Mission Accomplishment’ event for 14 days in order to reach their maximum level
  • Lesca 7-Day Check-In Event (7/8~7/29) / Level-Up Mission (7/8~8/19) / Premium Resonating Stone Event (7/8~ until further notice) – A variety of in-game events have launched to celebrate the new Lesca region that players can experience to earn rewards
  • Tower of Greed Exchange Event (7/8~7/29)– When players clear the Tower of Greed, they will earn an Exchange Ticket that can be redeemed for additional rewards.

Set in an apocalyptic fantasy world of swords and sorcery, A3: STILL ALIVE is a cross-genre mobile experience that pairs the enormous and living worlds of Open-World RPGs with the extreme combat of Battle Royale. Players must be vigilant in an always-open Player vs.

Player (PvP) environment as they fight against enemies with intense hack & slash combat and prove their mettle in a variety of PvP and Player vs. Environment (PvE) modes. A3: STILL ALIVE is beautifully rendered with splendid console-quality 3D graphics that are brought to life thanks to the outstanding optimization of the Unity Engine.

A3: STILL ALIVE is now available as a free digital download (with in-app purchases) on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, in 172 countries around the world.

For more information, please visit the official website and forum, and follow A3: STILL ALIVE on Facebook and YouTube.

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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 Lineage 2: Revolution, The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, Blade & Soul Revolution and MARVEL Future Fight. As a parent company of Kabam, 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

Black Desert Online Sees 300% Increase in New Players Due to New Content Updates

Manhattan Beach, California — July 8, 2021— Pearl Abyss announced Black Desert Online has seen an over 300% increase in new and returning daily players, thanks to new content updates, season server, and sales promotions. As a result the popular game also reached the number one position on Steam within the MMORPG category. 

This achievement is seen as a result of the combined effects of recent events and updates; the recent 2021 Heidel Ball, a global online community event held on June 19, was viewed by more than half a million global fans. The new Corsair class and Summer Season servers were also updated across the world simultaneously, and a 7-day free trial is available on the official website to welcome new Adventurers to the world of Black Desert Online.

Since her launch, the new class Corsair has received much acclaim for her lively characteristics and bold background story. Adventurers are also enjoying her unique skills, which include the ability to move at high speed across water and attack with great tidal waves.

In addition, the Summer Season has been assisting Adventurers with growing their characters quickly. This year’s season server is relatively easier to play due to the addition of a new simplified main questline, Party Monster Zones, and the new Season Character Transfer System, which allows you to transfer your Season Character status, and combat/skill EXP. With the system you can change the class of your Season Character without any penalty. If you change your mind while in the season server and want faster growth with a different character, the transfer system can help you!  

Along with these new updates, the Black Desert Online team will continue to listen to the voices of Adventurers and make efforts to reflect their feedback in the game. For more information about Black Desert Online, please visit the official website.

About Black Desert Franchise

The Black Desert franchise is Pearl Abyss’ open-world action MMORPG franchise with cutting-edge visuals and skill-based combat redefines the genre. With the most developed character customization system of any game currently on the market, users can break out of the norm and make unique characters truly represent themselves. Its intuitive controls, beautifully designed world, and extensive lore will excite both newcomers and veterans of MMO games and action RPGs. Pearl Abyss is currently servicing the Black Desert IP, which has gained 40 million players across the world on PC, mobile, and console. 

About Pearl Abyss 

Established in 2010, Pearl Abyss is a leading developer in the game industry with its renowned MMORPG franchise Black Desert. Pearl Abyss services the Black Desert franchise across all platforms and its action-packed PvP Shadow Arena on Early Access on Steam. All of Pearl Abyss’ games are built on the company’s proprietary engine and are renowned for cutting-edge graphics. Pearl Abyss is currently developing Crimson Desert, DokeV, and PLAN 8 using its next-generation game engine and is poised to grow its overseas market. More information about Pearl Abyss is available at: www.pearlabyss.com

‘Super Mario 64’ one of fewer than five sealed copies graded 9.8

DALLAS, Texas (July 8, 2021) – Historical significance, rarity and condition are the most important factors to consider when adding a fresh find to a collection.

Each of these metrics can be used to explain the demand for a magnificent copy of Super Mario 64 – Wata 9.8 A++ Sealed, N64 Nintendo 1996 USA, which is among the most coveted games offered in Heritage Auctions’ Video Games Auction July 9-11.

“It seems impossible to overstate the importance of this title, not only to the history of Mario and Nintendo, but to video games as a whole,” Heritage Auctions Video Games Specialist Valarie McLeckie said. “This is Mario’s debut appearance in a 3D world, and it was the most popular – best-selling – video game for the N64. Considering this, and the fact that there are fewer than five sealed in this grade according to Wata, this copy is a true prize for any serious collector.”

Co-creator Shigeru Miyamoto first considered the idea of a 3D Mario game while developing the SNES game Star Fox. He and his team focused first on Mario’s movement before delving into the rules of 3D platforming or the creation of level maps.

Super Mario 64 is one of the many blockbuster video game titles that traces its roots all the way back to the original Donkey Kong arcade cabinet. It is widely considered to be one of the best games ever made by fans and critics alike.

For images and information on all lots in the auction, visit HA.com/7261.

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.

Heritage also enjoys the highest online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,400,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.

For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Twitter. Link to this release or view prior press releases.

New September 28th launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC with Nintendo Switch version following at a later date

Walnut Creek, Calif. (July 8, 2021) – Modus Games, in collaboration with hit cartoon animator Mashed and musical sensation The Living Tombstone, today released a terrifying new animated music video for In Sound Mind that showcases the dangers waiting around every corner. The video is set to the haunting theme song of psychiatrist Desmond Wales, whom players will inhabit in the game. Watch the video here:

Also announced today was the news that in order to give players the most memorable experience possible, In Sound Mind will now be launching on September 28th, with the Nintendo Switch version following at a later date. 
 
Willing victims can download the demo and wishlist the game on Steam if they’re ready to face the terrors of their own minds: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1119980/In_Sound_Mind/
 
In Sound Mind is a first-person horror experience which pits players against the unpredictable dangers stirring within deep memories. Created by the team behind the legendary Nightmare House 2 mod, In Sound Mind twists seemingly simple recollections into shocking encounters with terrifying threats, unbelievable scenes, and a mysterious talking cat for good measure. Only the strongest will cling to their sanity long enough to experience everything that lies within.
 
Pre-order In Sound Mind by visiting www.insoundmind.com keep up with the game by following @Modus_Games on Twitter. For all things Modus Games, visit the official site (https://modusgames.com) and join the conversation on Discord (https://discordapp.com/invite/modus).

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. Modus Studios Brazil is a full-service development studio supporting creators of inspired interactive entertainment. For more information, visit www.modusgames.com.

About We Create Stuff 
Founded in 2007, We Create Stuff is an award-winning indie game studio. The team previously created the hit horror series Nightmare House and popular puzzlers such as Portal: The Flash Version, with levels later acquired by Valve.

About The Living Tombstone
The Living Tombstone is a musical project founded and produced by Yoav Landau which takes elements from the electronic dance genres of today and combines them with rock influences to create original songs. With over 4.5 million followers on YouTube and 1.5 billion views across their channel, Landau and Sam Haft have become an internet sensation, most famously known for tunes inspired by hit video game Five Nights at Freddy’s. The Living Tombstone is currently working on its first in-game soundtrack for the psychological horror game, In Sound Mind. Learn more at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLivingTombstone.
 
About Mashed
Mashed produces weekly animated shorts about gaming and pop culture to a hyper-engaged young audience of over 3 million subscribers. Their content has generated over a billion views, won multiple awards and has led to content partnerships with some of the best and biggest gaming brands around. Mashed is funded by UK broadcaster Channel 4. For more information visit www.youtube.com/mashed

Building the next generation of gaming developers in rural areas

Sweden – July 8, 2021 – The founders of Arrowhead Game Studios, the team behind one of the world’s biggest international game successes with the game Magicka, is now investing in the company Mind Detonator whose business concept is to capture talent at a very early stage and build the next generation of gaming developers far from the big cities.

“Mind Detonator is a fantastic initiative that gives us a chance to give back and create an opportunity for more people to be part of a journey equally as fantastic as our own. I really wish there was something similar when we started our business”, says Johan Pilestedt, CEO and founder of Arrowhead.

Mind Detonator is a unique investment in gaming companies in the early stages. It is a combination of local support, local investors and international gaming developers that help each other to create the best conditions for game developers to succeed.

Quality of life and full focus on the game

Mind Detonator has an ambition to open Game Villages in different countries’ rural areas to offer financing for developer teams starting in the Nordic region. They offer opportunities for them to build their games full time, without traditional incubator requirements to learn how to run a business at the same time. Now, the entire working day can be spent creating the game – and in their spare time, teams can recharge and find new energy in the Arctic environment.

“Mind Detonator breaks new ground. In our work to build the Arctic Game Lab, we have looked a lot at incubators and other initiatives to promote growth among gaming developers and come up with our unique solution. We and our partners have found a way forward where the teams we bring in receive basic funding that gives them development time during a full year, housing, studio and the possibility of additional financing after one year combined with the fact that during this time we also take functions in the teams. We believe that this, combined with our and Arrowhead’s network, can lead to game productions that find their audience.” says Lars Lindblom, CEO and founder of Mind Detonator.

In October 2021, our first Game Village in the city of Jörn in northern Sweden opens. An investment that is influenced by the demands of the new age with anti-urbanization and sustainability with a local train station and bus commuting to the ski resort not far away. There in Jörn, five teams with up to five people each will start their journey. It is, however, still possible to apply. In the long run, Mind Detonator aims to open more Game Villages, in other countries, and make at least 15 investments per year.

“Our first step will be to bring in talent and teams from the Nordics to validate the concept, and second step will be to aim for more Game Villages in more countries to be able to help international gaming teams regardless of country” says gaming veteran Michael Stenmark who is now actively working to find talent for Mind Detonator’s first investments.

About Arrowhead Game Studios

Arrowhead was formed in 2009 in Skellefteå by students at Luleå University of Technology in connection with their production of the game Magicka. This game was released in 2011 by Paradox Interactive and is today one of the world’s most downloaded games on PC. In 2012, the entire Arrowhead moved to Stockholm, where they have around 80 employees and have carried out a number of major game productions such as Gauntlet and Helldivers, etc. 

Learn more at http://www.arrowheadgamestudios.com

About Mind Detonator

Mind Detonator is a game catalyst that operates outside the major cities. It is an initiative to complement the gaming industry and broaden it and show the possibilities with smaller towns where there are good chances for a good life with a high quality of life and low costs, which provides the opportunity for a focused game production with high quality.

Read more at minddetonator.com or follow us on

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/minddetonator
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mind-Detonator-107950974879832
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minddetonator.se/

About Arctic Game Lab

Arctic Game Lab is an organization that works to create a strategic platform for the gaming industry in northern Sweden. Arctic Game Lab works with business development, investment support, creating gaming training, gaming events and creating a strong gaming community. They create opportunities for gaming studios to grow and give individuals an opportunity to become part of the gaming industry. Arctic Game Lab is a collaboration between the municipalities of Umeå, Skellefteå, Piteå, Luleå and Boden. Within the region, there are about 70 gaming companies, about 400 people working in the gaming industry and 14 gaming educations at both university and YH level.

Arctic Game Lab is now northern Europe’s fastest growing gaming cluster. For more information, visit http://arcticgamelab.com/

Dovetail Games today announced the Skyhook Games developed ‘Cane Creek: Thompson – Potash Route’ DLC for Train Sim World 2 has left the yard and is live for PC, the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X. The new route, including the AC4400CW and SD40-2 locomotives authentically recreated in the game, is available for purchase for $24.99 / £24.99 / €24.99

A comparative newcomer to American rail, the Cane Creek Branch opened in 1962 and remains in operation by Union Pacific, serving a sprawling potash mining facility in Utah. Players will be handling line-hauling and switching duties before getting behind the controls of the massive six-axle diesel engines. Running 40 miles from Brendel, Utah south to Potash, Utah, the route takes players on a tour through the extraordinary scenery unique to the western deserts of America as they travel the winding “roller coaster” through canyons and vast, open lands.

The new line can be experienced in multiple ways, allowing players to operate the trains, ride as a conductor, complete route tasks, or pick a vantage point to observe the locomotives and scenery from afar. Players can also take advantage of the Livery Designer to create a custom look for their locomotives and use the Scenario Planner feature to create custom scenarios of the Cane Creek route.

For more information on Train Sim World 2, visit www.trainsimworld.com and follow the game on Twitter @trainsimworld, Instagram @trainsim, and Facebook @trainsimworld. Keep up with all the latest simulation news from Dovetail Games at https://live.dovetailgames.com/

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The Sandbox teamed up with Skybound Entertainment to bring The Walking Dead to their virtual world – Plus standalone characters and assets players can use to create original The Walking Dead adventures.

HONG KONG – June 8th, 2021 – The Walking Dead is coming to the metaverse… The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming virtual world and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, announced today that it has partnered with Skybound Entertainment to bring an authentic new The Walking Dead experience to The Sandbox open gaming metaverse. Never before have fans had access to a customisable The Walking Dead experience like this.

Inside The Sandbox metaverse, the carefully integrated The Walking Dead game experience will encourage gamers to unite with friends and other players as they overcome the day-to-day requirements of surviving a walker-infested habitat: scavenging for food, gathering resources, building walls, nurturing  relationships, making alliances and more. Through the power of The Sandbox, voxel versions of favourite The Walking Dead characters, such as Rick Grimes, Michonne and the iconic walkers, can be combined with a horde of assets to allow users to recreate memorable comic book storylines to play through or to forge their own original adventures.

Visit the landing page to claim a survivor backpack for free:
http://thewalkingdead.sandbox.game

Part virtual real-estate, part amusement park, The Sandbox fully embraces the idea of the metaverse as this continuous shared digital space where worlds and heroes collide to make rainbow-colored magic (think Ready Player One). Skybound Entertainment’s IP joins over 160 existing partnerships including deadmau5, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, ZEPETO, and CryptoKitties, all following The Sandbox team’s vision of empowering players to create their own experiences using both original and well-known characters and worlds. In addition to the dedicated The Walking Dead experience on The Sandbox map, users will be able to create their own fan-made adventures and stories featuring characters, game items, equipment, wearables, and decorative digital assets from The Walking Dead franchise—or just showcase the assets they own in a digital gallery or museum.

As a first step to bring The Walking Dead into The Sandbox’s metaverse, the team will give users the possibility to get pieces of virtual real estate close to The Walking Dead’s spot in the metaverse, enabling fans and gamers alike to be as close as ever to their beloved brand.

“Bringing The Walking Dead comic book franchise to The Sandbox metaverse will offer fans a groundbreaking opportunity to play, create, socialize, inhabit and interact within a novel multiplayer gaming virtual world,” said Dan Murray, Co-CEO, Skybound Games & Merchandise “It was important to us to offer a rich The Walking Dead experience in The Sandbox and leverage this first chance for players to create and share their own, user-generated new adventures featuring characters created by Robert Kirkman.”

“Our collaboration with The Walking Dead provides a whole new level of entertainment to our gaming metaverse, being one of the most exciting additions to our growing list of well-known IPs that exist alongside user-generated worlds created within The Sandbox,” said Sebastien Borget, COO and Co-Founder of The Sandbox. “Fans will be able to step into an immersive, action-packed The Walking Dead experience as well as add their favorite Skybound characters and assets to their very own game worlds.”

The Sandbox is scheduled to launch its first public Alpha for players in Summer 2021, enabling anyone to experience a social hub and gain the power to build a fantastic collection of fantasy and role-playing adventures that can be traded with other players, creators, and artists on the platform.

Find more information on the The Sandbox on our Medium page: https://medium.com/sandbox-game
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSandboxGame
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voxedit
Message us on Telegram: https://t.me/sandboxgame
Join our Discord channel: https://discordapp.com/invite/vAe4zvY

About The Sandbox
The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, is one of the decentralized virtual worlds that has been fueling the recent growth of virtual real-estate demand having partnered with major IPs and brands including Atari, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Care Bears, The Smurfs, Shaun the Sheep, and Binance. Building on existing The Sandbox IP that has more than 40 million global installs on mobile, The Sandbox Metaverse offers players and creators a decentralized and intuitive platform to create immersive 3D worlds and game experiences and to safely store, trade, and monetize their creations. For more information, please visit www.sandbox.game and follow the regular updates on Twitter, Medium and Discord.

About Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands, ranked in the Financial Times list of High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2021, is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain and gamification. Animoca Brands develops and publishes a broad portfolio of products including the REVV token and SAND token; original games including The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes; and products utilizing popular intellectual properties including Formula 1®, Marvel, WWE, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Doraemon. Animoca Brands’ portfolio of blockchain investments and partnerships includes Sky Mavis (Axie Infinity), Dapper Labs (CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot), OpenSea, Harmony, Bitski, and Alien Worlds. Its subsidiaries include The Sandbox, Quidd, Gamee, nWay, Pixowl, and Lympo. For more information visit www.animocabrands.com or get updates by following Animoca Brands on Facebook or Twitter.

About Skybound Entertainment
Skybound Entertainment is a multiplatform content company that works closely with creators and their intellectual properties, extending their stories to further platforms including comics, television, film, tabletop and video games, books, digital content, events, and beyond. The company is the home of notable properties including The Walking Dead, Invincible, and Super Dinosaur. Skybound holds strategic partnerships across the entertainment industry, and has the in-house capabilities to serve as publisher, producer, and global distributor for tabletop and video games. On screen, Skybound holds a first-look television deal with Amazon Studios and a first-look movie deal with Universal. Additional partnerships include comic book publishing with Image Comics, book publishing with Simon & Schuster, and a first-look narrative audio deal with Audible.

BOSTON, JULY 8, 2021 – Indie game studio HappyGiant and Publisher Big Sugar have announced that Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual! is available today on Oculus Quest. The action-adventure VR title featuring Steve Purcell’s irrepressible dog with a hat and hyperkinetic rabbity-thing, is the duo’s first game in more than a decade and the pair’s first foray into Virtual Reality. The game can be downloaded July 8th, 2021 starting at 1 pm EST on the Oculus store page for $29.99 USD.

Following its release on Oculus, Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual! will launch later this year for SteamVR and Viveport Infinity, and then PlayStationVR (PSVR) in early 2022. The game will feature subtitles in multiple languages soon as well.

Even multimedia evil-slappers like Sam & Max could use a hand, and this time they’re using the incomprehensible magic of virtual reality to invite the player into their off-kilter world for a furious day of monster-slaying, obstacle courses, responsibly discharged firearms, and, of course, saving the entire freaking world. Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual! mixes puzzles and escape rooms with challenges of skill and classic point-and-click adventure sure to put even the heartiest Freelance Police cadet through their paces.

HappyGiant has ensured the pair is in good hands with an all-star team of Sam & Max veterans including the characters’ creator, Steve Purcell, renowned concept artist Peter Chan, writer and designer Mike Stemmle, and music composer Jared Emerson-Johnson who wrote an original soundtrack for the game. David Nowlin and Dave Boat are returning to voice Sam & Max. In addition Steve Purcell also performed as a character in the game, a first for the series.

“It was amazing to watch this game coming to life and see Sam & Max take on yet another new medium.” said Steve Purcell, the creator of the series. “Happy Giant found the sweet spot in capturing the spirit of the older games while making something entirely new and weird. It was fun getting to interact with Sam & Max in a virtual world, help out with the initial design and even contribute a little bit of voice work at the end.” 

Gameplay Highlights:

● Experience the two-fisted japes and tomfoolery of internationally beloved icons Sam & Max in mind-melting virtual reality!
● Push yourself to be the best of the best of the middling, as a dog and a naked rabbity thing harangue and cajole you through a bewildering assortment of Freelance Police Academy training challenges.
● Discover the horrible and socially relevant secrets lurking behind, under, and within Cap’n Aquabear’s rotting theme park!
● Give evil scientists and demonic trespassers their just desserts… with sprinkles!
● Immersion so real you can feel Sam’s breath on your neck!

About Sam & Max

Sam & Max, Steve Purcell’s dog and rabbity-thing known collectively as the Freelance Police, were introduced to the unsuspecting world in 1987. They have appeared in comics, video games, an animated TV series, and an Eisner award-winning webcomic. Together they patrol the sticky streets of a fantastical New York City, righting wrongs, smashing evil, and delivering hot steamy plates of justice on the daily. They’ve been to Heck and back, shattered the time stream, and made America safe for bigfoots … and are now coming to virtual reality.

About HappyGiant

HappyGiant is a leader in XR games and immersive experiences. Founded by veterans of LucasArts, the company are winners of a prestigious KAPI Award for “Best Mixed Reality Toy of the Year 2019”. Its first AR Game, HoloGrid:Monster Battle, was featured by Apple as “Game of the Day”, and received numerous awards. Its QuasAR Arena game was one of the first true ‘persistent multiplayer’ AR games to market, and Geek & Sundry listed HappyGiant’s AR Platform as the #1 leading AR Gaming platform of the future. HappyGiant has worked with companies including Microsoft, Disney, Hasbro, Spin Master, Qualcomm, and was a runner-up in Niantic’s first Beyond Reality Contest.

About Big Sugar Games Big Sugar is a new publisher that does what it wants. And what it wants is to work with talented, independent developers, and to publish the unique, fun, compelling, entertaining, memorable and all-around high-quality games that they create.