Master your emotions as you rise through the ranks of your tribe to fight back against the Romans later this year
Publisher Iceberg Interactive and developer Poetic Studio are excited to be taking part in Steam Next Fest 2021 on Wednesday June 16th with their anticipated Psychological RPG Sacred Fire.
The game will launch its first public demo during the event, alongside a new trailer that has been revealed today featuring Doug Cockle, voice of Geralt in the Witcher franchise.
Watch how to break the Roman shield wall Caledonian style!
In Sacred Fire, you’re cast as a refugee hunted by Rome, your actions compromised by fear and rage. Build up your willpower to control story choices and master battle tactics. Outsmart opponents and gain allies. Wage war or strive for peace. End up a hero or an outcast.
The demo features the first chapter of the story, which plays differently when you select a male or female protagonist. Writer Jennie Kong contributed to Sacred Fire’s story to create nuanced but meaningful differences between the two perspectives. The demo features Doug Cockle, Michelle Gonzo, and Ben Britton as important story NPCs.
You will be able to play the demo here when Steam Next Fest begins on June 16th!
Alongside the demo, Poetic Studio have announced that Sacred Fire will first come to Steam Early Access in Fall 2021. The first of three acts will be available on Early Access launch, with the other two being added as major free updates. Poetic aims to involve the community in the development of the game, fleshing out the story while incorporating feedback.
More will be revealed in the months ahead – be sure not to miss any Sacred Fire news by joining our community:
Poetic is an independent game studio founded by Andrej Vojtas who is the designer, writer, coder, and artist behind Sacred Fire. The studio aims to elevate role-playing experiences to another level, creating immersive stories where every choice matters.
ABOUT ICEBERG INTERACTIVE
Iceberg Interactive is an independent video game publisher founded in 2009 by an international group of games industry veterans. Located in Haarlem, The Netherlands and staffed with avid gamers, Iceberg works closely with an assembly of game developers around the world, both midsize and indie.
Known for many hit franchises including Starpoint Gemini, Killing Floor and Circle Empires; the company has enjoyed recent success with PC titles such as Shortest Trip to Earth, The Sojourn and Railroad Corporation. Iceberg Interactive has many exciting multi-format games coming up, including Blazing Sails (PC), Ambition: A Minuet in Power (PC) and Midnight Protocol (PC).
PLAYDATE PRE-ORDERS OPEN THIS JULY, FIRST LOOK AT SEASON ONE GAME LINEUP, PLAYDATE STEREO DOCK, AND MORE ANNOUNCED DURING FIRST EVER PLAYDATE UPDATE
PORTLAND, JUNE 8th, 2021 – Just announced by Panic during their Playdate Update: Playdate will be available for pre-order this July for $179 USD. The exact date will come soon and there will be at least a week’s warning before pre-orders open up. Plus, the first units are expected to begin shipping later this year.
“The sooner you order, the sooner you’ll get one, but we’re not going to close the door on you,” said Cabel Sasser in the first Playdate Update. “Hopefully it’s a pleasant experience. Although surely something will go wrong, so thanks in advance for your patience with whatever that thing is.”
Playdate Stereo Dock // Announced at Playdate Update
Panic also introduced the Playdate Stereo Dock, the first Playdate accessory. It’s a lovely way to store and charge your Playdate when not in use, a Bluetooth stereo speaker and, unexpectedly, can hold your pens. (It will include a pen.) Pricing and availability on the Playdate Stereo Dock is not yet available.
Along with pre-order information and a release window, the Playdate Update also revealed 21 out of the 24 exciting games included with Playdate as part of the Season One lineup (that’s double the amount of Season One games previously announced), new development partnerships for Playdate software and games, and more.
Playdate encourages developers to experiment with new ideas for play (and access to an analog crank, of course, should they want to use it), a sentiment fully on display in the 24 titles that make up Playdate’s Season One of games. The details of most of the games will be kept secret until they show up on the device! Playdate owners will receive two games per week for 12 weeks.
21 of the 24 games that make up Playdate Season One
The revealed Season One games are as follows:
Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure
Developed by: uvula (Keita Takahashi, Ryan Mohler), Matthew Grimm, and Shaun Inman
Battleship Godios
Developed by: TPM . CO SOFT WORKS.
Boogie Loops
Developed by: May-Li Khoe and Andy Matuschak.
Casual Birder
Developed by: Diego Garcia (he/him). Music and Sound by: Max Coburn (he/him).
DemonQuest 85
Developed by: Alex Ashby (he/him), Lawrence Bishop (he/him), Duncan Fyfe (he/him), Belinda Leung (she/her), and Jared Emerson-Johnson (he/him).
Echoic Memory
Developed by: Samantha Kalman (she/her), Everest Pipkin (they/them), Carol Mertz (she/her), and Rachelle Viola (she/her).
Executive Golf DX
Developed by: davemakes (they/them).
Flipper Lifter
Developed by: Serenity Forge.
Forrest Byrnes: Up in Smoke
Developed by: Nels Anderson (he/him) and Christina “castpixel” Neofotistou (she/her).
Hyper Meteor
Developed by: Vertex Pop (Mobeen Fikree [he/him], Robby Duguay [he/him], and h heron[they/them]).
Lost Your Marbles
Developed by: Sweet Baby Inc. & Friends.
Omaze
Developed by: Gregory Kogos.
Pick Pack Pup
Developed by: Nic Magnier (he/him), Arthur Hamer (he/him). Music by: Logan Gabriel (he/him).
Questy Chess
Developed by: Dadako.
Ratcheteer
Developed by: Shaun Inman, Matthew Grimm, and Charlie Davis.
Sasquatchers
Developed by: Chuck Jordan. Music and Sound by: Jared Emerson-Johnson.
Snak
Developed by: Zach Gage (he/him). Art by: Neven Mrgan (he/him).
Spellcorked!
Developed by: Jada Gibbs, Nick Splendorr, Ryan Splendorr, and Tony Ghostbrite. Music by: A Shell in the Pit (Em Halberstadt).
Zipper
Developed by: Bennett Foddy (he/him).
Saturday Edition
Developed by: Chris Makris. Music by: A Shell in the Pit (Gord McGladdery, Alfonso Salinas).
Whitewater Wipeout
Developed by: Chuhai Labs (Giles Goddard [he/him], Mark Lentz [he/him], Peter Traylor [he/him], Hero Liao [he/him], Remy Thor [he/him], Charlie March [he/him], Kensaku Nakata [he/him], Zach Aikman [he/him], Mihoko Terao [she/her], and Kinsey Burke [she/her]).
There will also be some extra surprise games along the way, some from Panic themselves.
Creative developers around the world continue to experiment with what’s possible on Playdate. As shown in today’s Playdate Update, Panic shared news about two groups who are starting to work on exciting things for future Playdate games.
Lucas Pope (Return of the Obra Dinn, Papers Please) is working on a new game for Playdate, Mars After Midnight.
Narrative development company Sweet Baby will guide and mentor two teams of up-and-coming developers from marginalized communities, led by experienced veterans from the games industry, on the development of two original games for Playdate: Recommendation Dog, led by Xalavier Nelson Jr. (he/him), and Reel Steal.
List of developers working with Sweet Baby on these titles:
Adanna Nedd
Allis Conley
Ariadne Macgillivray
Ayla Myers
David Bedard
David Nguyen
Eleanor Hebert
Hassan DuRant
Isaiah Henry
James F. Wright
Jay Squared
Jenna Yow
Jerry Belich
Julia Minamata
Kim Belair
Louisa Atto
Maxine Sophia Wolff
Neha Patel
Nikki Liu
Rafael Batista
Sherveen Uduwanna
Will Herring
Will Stacey
Xalavier Nelson Jr
Mars After Midnight developed by Lucas Pope
Games being developed by Sweet Baby Inc. in collaboration with a group of up-and-coming developers from marginalized backgrounds, led by industry veterans.
Recommendation Dog development led by Xalavier Nelson Jr.
That’s not all, as many talented developers in the Playdate Developer Preview Program — a lottery program that took place last year to encourage early development and get feedback on the SDK — continue to tinker away on unique, inspiring projects.
Those showcased in the Playdate Update include:
Noble Robot. Twitter: @NobleRobot.
Matthew El-Jamal. Twitter: @matthew_ej.
Matt Sephton. Twitter: @gingerbeardman.
Andrea Interguglielmi. Twitter: @andreintg.
Rokashi Games. Twitter: @rokashi.
Michael Frei, Raphaël Munoz. Twitter: @michaelfrei10.
davemakes (they/them). Twitter: @davemakes.
DACvector (Dmitry Zhukov [he/him] and Chris Mandra [he/him]). Twitter: @kataStatik.
Dustin Mierau (he/him). Twitter: @dmierau.
Developers will be able to sell future, independently developed software for Playdate themselves that can also be sideloaded onto Playdate. Panic will discuss possible plans for distribution of future titles, apart from sideloading content, at a later date.
Panic is excited to be working with such talented developers, and continues to encourage development with the announcement of Pulp, a brand new tool to create Playdate games — using just a web browser. This all-in-one game creation tool will allow anyone who feels inspired to bring their game ideas to life and onto Playdate thanks to its browser-based tools for coding, graphics, and music!
Learn more about Pulp in the Playdate Update or by visiting the Playdate website.
Pulp for Playdate Website
A wonderful piece of hardware like Playdate needs a home when not being played. Introducing: the Playdate Stereo Dock.
Designed by Teenage Engineering (like the Playdate itself), the Playdate Stereo Dock will charge your Playdate without the need to plug in a USB-C cable – and also acts as a Bluetooth speaker!
With the ability to output wonderful sound through the Playdate Stereo Dock, Panic is thrilled to announce a partnership with the retro inspired, super-summer music player Poolsuite FM. Formerly Poolside FM, and always relaxing and sure to put you in a good mood, Poolsuite FM is an online radio station with expertly curated Soundcloud playlists that will transport you to a magical, sun-kissed musical zone between the past and the present.
Playdate Stereo Dock // Playdate Cover
The Playdate Cover, a sleek protective case for your Playdate, was also unveiled today. Bundles with the Playdate Cover + Playdate will be available for pre-order at $199 USD. The cover by itself will be $29 USD.
Playdate pre-orders will be available to order at play.date in July. Panic will provide eager Playdate fans a week’s warning before pre-orders are available. More information on exact pre-order timing coming soon from Panic. About Playdate Playdate is a brand-new and truly unique gaming handheld system that is a celebration of video games. It’s yellow. It fits in your pocket. It includes brand new games from amazing creators. It has a beautiful black and white screen. And yes, it also has a crank.
Created with great attention to detail and affection by app developer and video game publisher Panic, Playdate hopes to capture the spirit of endless possibility and excitement that games have given us since the beginning. Playdate’s collection of games will delight players with their inventiveness and ingenuity. And in addition to introducing players to brand new games, Playdate also encourages people to create their own imaginative games and interactive software using a suite of easy development tools.
About Panic Inc. Founded in 1999, Panic is an ancient corporation in Portland, Oregon that relentlessly follows its heart in an effort to make nicely made things that bring everyday joy. Originally — and still — a Mac app developer, Panic has also become a highly-focused video game publisher that has helped to release into the world Firewatch, Untitled Goose Game, and the upcoming interactive food game, Nour: Play With Your Food. In the spirit of creating products that bring joy, Panic has been incredibly busy finishing development of their very own handheld video game system, Playdate.
Plus Double RDO$ and XP in the Featured Series, Bonuses and Discounts for Collectors, and More
Madam Nazar will compensate intrepid Collectors for their dogged determination and a perfectionist’s keen eye this week by paying back 1.5X RDO$ on all sales of complete Collectible Sets. Meanwhile, discovering Collectibles is a reward all its own that’s also rewarding 2X Role XP.
Collectors will also get a bundle of treasures just for playing this week. All Collectors will receive three Tarot Cards while any below Rank 20 will earn a Reward for 1,000 Collector XP. Those determined to progress this week that gain more than 5 Ranks or are above Rank 15 will receive a free Collector’s Map and 2 Treasure Maps. Expect all awards to be delivered no later than June 16th.
2X RDO$ and XP on Featured Series
Rustle up your closest allies and work together to earn your keep in this week’s Featured Series, which spotlights teamwork in various four-team versions of modes like Hostile Territory, Name Your Weapon, Plunder, and Team Shootouts. In return for your spirited competition, you and yours walk away with 2X RDO$ and XP, all week long. Win a mode in the Featured Series this week and receive a Reward for a free Hat up to Rank 15 (awarded no later than June 16th).
Red Dead Online’s Next Update
As part of the early summer update coming to Red Dead Online, all kinds of new unlawful ventures will emerge for those willing to comport themselves in a certain — morally flexible — manner. These will include the ability to rob homesteads across the five states in Free Roam, as well as open up new avenues for personal enrichment. And like any good opportunity, this one is devoid of upfront expenditures. Plus, look for an all new membership rewards club as part of the forthcoming update… more details coming soon.
Discounts Start down the path of discovery and intrigue at a discount: Madam Nazar is cutting 5 Gold Bars off the cost of the Collector’s Bag this week. She’s also giving 40% discounts on the Pennington Field Shovel, Metal Detector, and Refined Binoculars, as well as 30% off the Águila Machete — for those more seasoned in the arts and science of collection. To complete the look, Collector’s Role Outfits are 30% off.
Meanwhile, Stables across the five states are offering 30% off all Criollo Horses and 40% off the Horse Lantern; and Gunsmiths are offering 40% off all Gun Belts.
Prime Gaming Benefits Red Dead Online players who connect their Rockstar Games Social Club account to Prime Gaming any time before July 5th will receive a Reward for a free Emote, plus Offers for 30% off the Bar Expansion and a Novice or Promising Moonshiner Item of your choice.
Sydney, Australia, June 9th, 2021 – Today, Koch Media, a leading global publishing partner, Survios, an American cross reality game developer and software publisher, and leading entertainment company Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios (MGM) announced their physical publishing partnership for the upcoming release of the boxing game, Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions, available for NSW®, PS4®, XBOX One® and Steam®, launching in 2021. The game is based on films from MGM’s Rocky and Creed franchise.
In Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions, players step into the ring as they train, fight and win like the legends, such as Adonis Creed and Rocky Balboa, in a knockout arcade boxing experience set in the most renowned boxing film franchise of all time. Rise through the ranks in an intense arcade mode, hone your skills in classic Rocky training montages, and go head-to-head with friends in thrilling local competitive multiplayer.
“We’re thrilled to enter this new retail publishing partnership with Koch Media for our first traditional gaming experience with Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions,” said Seth Gerson, Chief Executive Officer of Survios. “Koch Media’s expertise in bringing incredible games to retail will further our studio’s mission to bring cross-reality games to more console and PC players around the world, making them a perfect partner for Survios and an iconic film franchise such as Rocky and Creed.”
Stephan Schmidt, Director Global Partner Publishing adds: “We at Koch Media are delighted to be able to work with a partner like Survios and to support them with our local publishing offices around the world entering global markets. Our global and local teams will collaborate closely to support in all marketing and publishing measures. It is always something special to be able to work with a well-known licensed IP and with Rocky and Creed this is clearly the case.”
Robert Marick, Executive Vice President, MGM Global Consumer Products & Experiences, said, “We’re thrilled to be working with Koch Media and Survios to bring the Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions game to console and PC platforms. Fans of the Rocky and Creed movies will jump into the ring and fight to be the champion in this fun boxing title.”
Rocky and Creed have remained global phenomenons because of their message of determination, even when the odds are against you. MGM’s Rocky and Creed films, produced by Chartoff Winkler Productions, have generated more than $1.3 billion in worldwide box-office sales, earning three Academy Awards, and ten nominations. As the first Rocky film kicks off its 45th anniversary later this year, the franchise continues to be hotter than ever, inspiring new generations of fans everywhere.
The Koch Media Group is a global developer, publisher and distributor of video games, VR games, gaming hardware and merchandise.
The group’s publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe, America, Australia and Asia. Koch Media has more than 25 years of experience in the digital media business and has risen to become a leading global publishing partner. The Koch Media Group runs a multi-label strategy with fully owned publishing units such as Deep Silver, Milestone, Vertigo Games and Ravenscourt which publish games for consoles, PC and VR platforms across all physical and digital channels.
Additionally, as global publishing partner Koch Media has formed long-term multi-national publishing collaborations with numerous game publishers including Bethesda, Capcom, Codemasters, Konami, Koei Tecmo, Sega, Square Enix, Warner Bros and many others. With its parent company in Höfen, Austria, and the Publishing HQ in Munich, Germany, Koch Media owns local publishing companies in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, the United States as well as Japan and Hong Kong.
The Koch Media Group owns ten game development studios: Deep Silver Volition (Champaign, IL / USA), Deep Silver Dambuster Studios (Nottingham / UK), Deep Silver Fishlabs (Hamburg / Germany), Warhorse Studios (Prague / Czech Republic), Milestone (Milan / Italy), Voxler (Paris / France), Vertigo Games (Rotterdam /The Netherlands) and Flying Wild Hog (Warsaw, Rzeszów, Cracow / Poland). Additionally, the Koch Media Group collaborates with numerous independent development studios around the world.
Part of the Koch Media Group is also Koch Films, a European independent film distributor with business primarily in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy as a cinema, TV, online and Home Entertainment distributor. The Koch Media Group also owns Gaya Entertainment, a leading video game merchandise company in Munich, Germany, and the Quality Assurance Facility in Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Koch Media is an Embracer Group company.
About Survios, Inc.:
Survios is a leading game development studio creating extraordinary interactive experiences with an emphasis on the future of reality-based entertainment. Since 2013, the studio has produced and published premium virtual reality experiences across popular licensed worlds and within its own critically acclaimed original properties. With immersion embedded in its DNA, the company is positioning itself at the epoch of the next generation platform revolution to develop Cross Reality interactions as the gaming, social media, and entertainment industries fix their eyes on the evolution of the metaverse. For more information, visit www.survios.com
About Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios:
Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios (MGM) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content. In addition, MGM has investments in numerous television channels. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.
New pudding-style double shot PBT keycaps offer the widest range of compatibility for mechanical keyboards, built for extreme durability and delivering enhanced RGB lighting
CHICAGO – JUNE 8, 2021 – SteelSeries, the worldwide leader in gaming and esports peripherals, today unveiled SteelSeries PrismCaps. The new line of PrismCaps are designed to provide gamers with the ultimate option to upgrade and enhance the gaming experience through their keyboards.
Engineered to deliver the widest compatibility available for mechanical keyboards, the universal keycaps are designed for durability, fit, placement, and precision. Additionally, PrismCaps provide a stunning appearance through a “double shot” pudding-style design that emphasizes the brilliance of dynamic RGB lighting.
Widest Compatibility – It’s about fit, placement, and precision. SteelSeries PrismCaps include two additional sets of alternate bottom row keycaps to fit the widest range of mechanical keyboard brands (SteelSeries, Razer, HyperX, Corsair, Ducky, and more).
Extreme Durability – Engineered with PBT, one of the hardest and most durable keycap materials available, SteelSeries PrismCaps retain consistent texture and appearance through extreme use – even for the most hardcore gamers.
Enhanced Lighting – With millions of color options, gamers can power up their keyboards with brilliant pudding-style RGB illumination through a specially engineered double shot design with translucent sides and letters.
Delivering best-in-class compatibility, durability, and dynamic RGB lighting, SteelSeries PrismCaps are available in both black and white colours for US$34.99 at Steelseries.com. Choose from US/UK/NORDIC layouts.
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About SteelSeries SteelSeries is the worldwide leader in gaming and esports peripherals focused on premium quality, innovation, and functionality. Founded in 2001, SteelSeries improves performance through first-to-market innovations and technologies that enable gamers to play harder, train longer, and rise to the challenge. SteelSeries is the pioneering supporter of esports and competitive gaming tournaments, connecting gamers and fostering a sense of community and purpose. SteelSeries’ family of professional and gaming enthusiasts are the driving force behind the company and help influence, design, and craft every single accessory and the brand’s software ecosystem, SteelSeries GG. In 2020, SteelSeries acquired KontrolFreek, the industry leader in high-performance controller accessories, and Nahimic, the leader in 3D sound solutions for gaming. To learn more about SteelSeries, visit steelseries.com and join the conversation at @SteelSeries.
Third Annual Season of Pride Presented by MidBoss Spreads Rainbow Love in July
Steam Sale Starts Tomorrow Ahead of Rebranded Streaming Event, Charity Support Returns
SAN FRANCISCO – 8 June 2021 –Season of Pride 2021, the third annual streaming event celebrating LGBTQ+ diversity in gaming, will promote inclusivity and love from 9:00 a.m. to midnight PT Thursday, 1 July through Saturday, 31 July 2021. Presented by MidBoss, developer of inclusive cyberpunk adventure 2064: Read Only Memories, Season of Pride will be hosted on the MidBoss Twitch Channel while also making appearances on the Twitch homepage throughout the month.
A Steam sale supporting queer games and developers with discounts up to 80% off on fan-favorite LGBTQ+ titles as well as information on upcoming ones will run ahead of Season of Pride from tomorrow, 9 June, through Wednesday, 23 June 2021.
Rebranded from Summer of Pride to Season of Pride for greater worldwide inclusivity, the event will once again seek to raise funds for life-changing LGBTQ+ charities Trans Lifeline, Trevor Project, and GaymerX. In hopes of smashing through the $25,000 raised last year during Season of Pride, MidBoss has partnered with more than 65 Twitch streamers putting the “gay” in gaming such as 8BitDylan, DEERE, MiaByte, Jeff Brutlag, UrbanBohemian, and SlicedRaven.
These content creators and others will play games with inclusive and thoughtful representation of queer characters, themes, and stories including AAA titles like Dead by Daylight and The Sims 4 as well as beloved indie offerings like Sayonara Wild Hearts, Later Daters, Arcade Spirits, Monster Prom, Gone Home, Kitty Powers’ Love Life, and many more.
“Season of Pride brings together queer gamers from all over the world to celebrate the impact good LGBTQ+ representation in our hobby can have, be it on players looking to see themselves in games or through empathy to help normalize queer life,” said Cade Peterson, CEO of MidBoss. “The rebranding reflects the fact that June isn’t pride month all over the world, nor is it summer everywhere. We want all our gayming fellows to feel welcome at Season of Pride.”
The full schedule and details about participating games and streamers will be revealed on the Season of Pride website in the coming weeks. Join the festivities via the MidBoss Twitch Channel.
Based out of San Francisco (although not the Neo kind), MidBoss aims to make the world better, safer and more inclusive for marginalized people, especially those across the gender and sexuality spectrum, by creating cool experiences through games and other forms of media which diversify representation, as well as becoming a platform for queer content around the world.
MidBoss expanded on the world it created in 2064: Read Only Memories with a Read Only Memories comic series in late 2019. The studio is also responsible for the creation and curation of Season of Pride, an annual month-long celebration of diversity in games featuring titles with good LGBTQ+ representation and an array of queer and POC content creators.
Cloud Gaming Platform Antstream Arcade Launches in Australia
London: 09 June 2021 — Leading global retro games company Antstream Arcade has today announced its launch into Australia, following significant growth in both the UK and US markets.
Making its library of over 1000 iconic video games available to play for free through its video game streaming platform, players in Australia will be able to play classics titles like Space Invaders, Asteroids and Mortal Kombat over any 3G, 4G, 5G, wired or Wifi connection. They will also be able to swap between any game on almost any device they choose, from TVs, laptops, desktops, tablets and mobile phones, with no need to download games to their device thanks to Antstream Arcade’s streaming infrastructure.
This launch coincides with the Australian launch of the Atari VCS, Atari’s modern video computer system that blends the best of PCs and consoles. Antstream Arcade will come preloaded on the console, providing Australian Atari users with an expansive retro gaming experience. Antstream Arcade will also provide something new for players, with many games on its platform featuring challenge modes, tournaments and international leaderboards, giving retro gamers old and new a modern social aspect to classic games.
Steve Cottam, CEO of Antstream said: “Australia is a country underserved by the emerging cloud gaming market. We aim to change that by giving Australian gamers the chance to enjoy over 1000 iconic games for free thanks to our cloud gaming platform. Antstream is the first truly device agnostic game streaming service in the world, and the first to offer its library of games to players for free via an ad-funded model and premium ad-free subscription service – allowing us to bring our library of classics and forgotten gems to the widest audience possible.”
Antstream Arcade’s library features games from over 55 publishing partners across the games industry, including the likes of Bandai Namco, Taito, Disney/LucasArts, Atari and Warner media to name a few. Combined, this makes Antstream Arcade’s library the world’s largest collection of iconic retro games in the world. With playable titles ranging from definitive classics to obscure curios, Antstream Arcade represents the only way that players are able to officially access the games of the past while supporting the game’s original creators and rights holders.
About Antstream Arcade:
Antstream Arcade was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in London, UK. Over the last few years it has become the world’s first and largest classic game streaming subscription service and has amassed the largest collection of fully licenced games titles available for streaming in one place.
Antstream is all about the challenge – a streaming service that makes classic games available on-demand on all your devices. Players get access to over 1,100 video games spanning arcade hits and classic console platforms, such as SNES, and Sega platforms, and beloved home computers including the C64, Amiga and ZX Spectrum.
The Antstream Arcade streaming service allows users to play classic video games, directly from the cloud with no downloads or installs, on modern devices through an ad-supported freemium model or a selection of affordable subscriptions. To find out more visit www.Antstream.com.
Raw Fury’s Backbone Available Now on PC & Xbox Game Pass for PC
Explore post-noir dystopian Vancouver as raccoon detective Howard Lotor
STOCKHOLM — June 8, 2021 — It’s time to hit the streets of Vancouver. But even the most hardened raccoon detective couldn’t prepare for what you’ll find in its darkest reaches. Developer EggNut and publisher Raw Fury have launched the post-noir roleplaying detective adventure Backbone on Windows PC via the Microsoft Store, Steam, GOG.com, and the Epic Games Store. The game is also free to download with Xbox Game Pass for PC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6w0TCtO4LM
Backbone puts you in the shoes of raccoon private investigator Howard Lotor in a dystopian Vancouver, British Columbia, beautifully rendered in high-resolution pixel art. After years of small-time cases, lonely evenings, and just barely scraping by, Howard is swept up in a job quite unlike any other. But what starts as a menial case slowly unravels into something much darker, pitting Howard against the oppressive, systemic power hierarchies of the city itself.
Features:
Become a raccoon as you explore the seedy underbelly of an alternate Vancouver inhabited by anthropomorphic animals.
Make meaningful connections with a diverse cast of characters in pursuit of the truth in an increasingly tangled mystery.
A modern dystopic tale of a cold and existentialist world, bleak and dreary, but not entirely without hope.
High-resolution 2.5D pixel art creates a breathtaking landscape to explore alongside 3D effects like dynamic lighting, pouring rain, volumetric fog and neon lights.
Original doom jazz soundtrack adds to the cinematic ambience, telling a story with every sound.
Backbone will also launch on consoles later this year. For more information, head to https://eggnut.net.
About EggNut
EggNut is a game studio established in 2017 with a simple goal – make art, make rent, and help others do the same. We’re a fully remote, diverse team of passionate creators based across Canada, Russia, the U.S., and the Netherlands. Our mission is to explore the complexity of the human condition through the joy of interactive experiences. For more information, head to https://eggnut.net.
About Raw Fury
Raw Fury is a boutique indie (un)publisher founded in 2015 by Jonas Antonsson, Gordon Van Dyke, and David Martinez. We don’t care about genres or mechanics. We care about experiences and emotions. We want to help developers make magic.
Nearly 10-minute video premiers with announcements for June/July and beyond
Today we shared a new “Summer Showcase” video that covers a wide variety of titles scheduled for release in 2021 across Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The format for this premier deviates slightly from the structure of previous showcases by first previewing 5 games announced for general release later this year, followed by 5 with expected release dates.
Highlights of this new showcase include the reveal of Crimson Spires for console release, Omen of Sorrow on Xbox One, more news on Softstar partner titles Empire of Angels IV and Xuan Yuan Sword 7, the next game from eastasiasoft’s ongoing partnership with Japanese developer ZOO Corporation and several other indie titles releasing digitally across multiple platforms.
Publisher Tripwire Presents and Developer Torn Banner Studios Open the Gates to the Ultimate Medieval Battlefield with Cross-Play Support
ROSWELL, Ga. – June 8, 2021 – The ultimate medieval battlefield is here! Developer Torn Banner Studios, publisher Tripwire Presents, and global retail publishing partner Deep Silver are excited to open the gates to Chivalry 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the genre-defining first-person slasher Chivalry: Medieval Warfare. Following years of development and extensive play testing with the Chivalry community, Chivalry 2is out now with Cross-Play support for PC (via Epic Games Store), the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5 computer entertainment systems, the Xbox One family of devices, and the Xbox Series X|S console systems.Chivalry 2 has an MSRP of $39.99 / €39.99 / £34.99 MSRP for the Standard Edition or $49.99 / €49.99 / £44.99 for the Special Edition, with an ESRB rating of M for Mature and a PEGI 18 rating.
Chivalry 2 is a multiplayer first-person slasher inspired by epic medieval movie battles. Players are thrust into the action of every iconic moment of the era from clashing swords and storms of flaming arrows to sprawling castle sieges, and more. Dominate massive battlefields while catapults tear the earth apart as players lay siege to castles, set fire to villages, and slaughter filthy peasants in the return of Team Objective maps.
Improving on the original genre-defining Chivalry: Medieval Warfare in every way, Chivalry 2 invites players to master the blade with an all-new and improved combat system that combines real-time strikes and a free-flowing combo system to speed up the action and let players become a whirlwind of steel on the battlefield. Created with the ability to fight multiple foes in mind, Chivalry 2’s combat mixes the best of both FPS and fighting game genres for an unmatched melee experience.
Above: First-look at new Chivalry 2 launch-day maps Escape from Falmire and The Fighting Pit
“With the launch of Chivalry 2, we’re excited to have nailed our vision of creating the ultimate medieval battlefield game,” said Torn Banner Studios CEO & Creative Director Steve Piggott. “It’s all-out insane, epic 64-player online carnage that finally delivers to gamers the intensity of being in your favourite medieval movie battle scenes. Chivalry 2 pulls you right into the action, delivering the satisfaction of an incredibly deep combat system, the cinematic glory of sieging castles, the chaos of a massive wave of knights smashing into each other, and hilarious Monty Python inspired voice overs. We can’t wait to hear our fans roaring their battle cries on the battlefield.”
“When we started this journey two years ago, I knew that Torn Banner Studios would make a great first-person medieval combat game with Chivalry 2,” said Tripwire Interactive CEO John Gibson. “Now that the game is done, however, I am blown away at what they have created. Chivalry 2 will redefine first person melee combat, and it has been a pleasure for Tripwire Presents to support Torn Banner in making this incredible game a reality.”
Players who participated in theChivalry 2 Alpha and Closed and Open Beta programs can look forward to even more features and maps to discover and explore with the game’s full release, including the all-new Team Objective map Escape from Falmire and Team Deathmatch/Free-for-All map The Fighting Pit.
Chivalry 2 full release highlights include:
● Escape from Falmire (New Team Objective Map): Agatha launches a surprise assault on a Mason prison in an attempt to rescue a war hero. Breach the city gates and release the prisoners before a final castle siege and daring rescue mission to free the Agathian Champion.
● The Fighting Pit (New Team Deathmatch/Free-for-All Map): Unproven warriors from both factions fight to the death in this trap-filled local arena made to entertain the local drunks.
● Stunning Cinematic Presentation: Massive improvement in visual quality, with an atmosphere that thrusts players into their favorite moments from epic medieval Hollywood action films. Brought to you on the latest and best game engine, Unreal Engine 4.
● Cross-Play Across All Platforms: Cross-Play smashes the boundaries between PC and console, allowing players to face-off on the battlefield together, regardless of platform.
● Epic Medieval Environments: Sprawling medieval environments ranging from tournament grounds to epic full-scale castle sieges.
● Massive Scale: Experience the chaos of epic medieval battlefields as 64 players clash with an intensity meant to capture the large-scale scope of “The Battle of the Bastards” from Game of Thrones.
● Choose your Fighting Style: Your arsenal expands with the new subclass system that provides more variety than ever before. Four base classes expand to various subclasses, an arsenal of unique weapons each with multiple visual variants, and new support items ranging from oil pots to barricades, supply crates and archer’s stakes.
● Unleash Hell: Own the field with a variety of heavy siege engines including Ballistae, Catapults, Trebuchet, Battering Rams, Mantlets, Spike Traps, Ladders, and more.
● Build your Hero: Become a hero and look the part. A detailed customization system adds huge variety: head type, skin tone, head & facial hair + colors, facial imperfections, face paint, nicknames, heraldry, helmets, armor, weapons, and more for millions of possible combinations.
● Hilarious Roleplay: Expanded Voice Overs and Emotes enable enhanced roleplaying abilities with many new voice characters as well as the return of the original cast and new animated emotes per character to taunt your opponent a second time!
● Refuse to Die: Keep fighting after losing a limb, being knocked down, disarmed, set on fire, filled with arrows, your shield broken, smothered in blood and still throwing punches from your knees. Bandages, revives and the new downed state allow you to support teammates and stay in the action until you’ve bled your last drop.
● Kitchen Sink: Battlefields are littered with dozens of items to interact with. Grab a chicken, set it on fire and throw it; kill a man with his friend’s head; improvise a new fighting style with pitchforks – or tomatoes.
Chivalry 2 will be released for PC exclusively on the Epic Games Store and through selected online retailers via Publisher Iceberg Interactive.
Torn Banner Studios
Torn Banner Studios is an exciting independent video game company located in Toronto, Canada. Passion and innovation are the core elements of everything that we do. We are people that truly love games and are lucky enough to be following our dreams, thanks to the incredible support from our community.
We want to go places other companies are afraid to go, because we believe great games begin with the passion of a small group of diehard fans. Those fans have the deepest understanding and appreciation for the subject they love and a vision for how it should be presented in a game. We want to breathe life into that vision and allow more people to appreciate it. We want to take on the challenging ideas that when done well create truly powerful and unique games that are remembered. You say it can’t be done? We say bring it on.
About Tripwire Interactive
Formed in 2005 as a humble independent developer and founded by gamers who found success in the video game modding community, Tripwire Interactive has developed and self-published multiple critically acclaimed titles in the wildly popular Killing Floor and Rising Storm franchises, which have collectively sold over 20 million units to date. The studio’s most recent hit release, Maneater, breaks new ground in the popular action RPG genre and finds players taking on the role of a deadly shark with the uncanny ability to evolve as it feeds.
Since then, Tripwire Interactive has expanded its business with the publishing division, Tripwire Presents, turning its experience and resources to include publishing titles spanning multiple platforms and genres from other talented independent studios. Tripwire Presents aims to help like-minded independent studios bring their titles to market, including Chivalry 2 developed by Torn Banner Studios, Espire 1: VR Operative developed by Digital Lode, and Road Redemption developed by EQ Games and Pixel Dash Studios.
About Deep Silver
Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires.
Deep Silver has published more than 200 games since 2003, including its own brands like the open world extravaganza Saints Row, the zombie action franchise Dead Island, and the grim post-apocalyptic future of the Metro series. Upcoming highlights from Deep Silver include Dead Island 2 and Saints Row V. Deep Silver also owns the development studios Deep Silver Dambuster Studios in Nottingham, UK; Deep Silver Fishlabs in Hamburg, Germany, Deep Silver Volition based in Champaign, IL, USA, and Warhorse Studios based in Prague, Czech Republic. For more information, please visit www.deepsilver.com.
Koch Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (software, games and films). The company’s own publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe, North America and Australia. The Koch Media group has more than 20 years of experience in the digital media business and has risen to become the number one publishing partner in Europe. It has also formed strategic alliances with numerous games and software publishers: Bethesda, Capcom, Codemasters, Kaspersky Labs, Konami, Koei Tecmo, Milestone, Sega, Square Enix, etc. in various European countries. With Headquarters in Höfen, Austria Koch Media owns branches in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic regions, Benelux, Australia, Czech Republic and the United States.
All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective owners. All rights reserved.
About Iceberg Interactive
Iceberg Interactive is an independent video game publisher founded in 2009 by an international group of games industry veterans. Located in Haarlem, The Netherlands and staffed with avid gamers, Iceberg works closely with an assembly of game developers around the world, both midsize and indie.
Known for many hit franchises including Circle Empires, Starpoint Gemini and Endless Space; the company has enjoyed recent success with Multiformat titles such as Transient, Shortest Trip to Earth, The Sojourn and Railroad Corporation. Iceberg Interactive has many exciting games coming up, including Blazing Sails, Star Dynasties and Sacred Fire.
