Tactical Adventures, a French development studio of passionate RPG game developers and tabletop players, recently released its tactical RPG Solasta: Crown of the Magister on Steam Early Access. The game has seen much love from the community, has a very positive Steam user rating (94+), and will be in the Steam Winter Sale beginning today through January 5 for $27.99 (-20% discount). Additionally Solasta: Crown of the Magister is also featured in the GOG Winter Sale for $27.99 (-20% discount).
Watch the latest Solasta: Crown of the Magister Winter update trailer HERE
Wizards of the Coast has granted Tactical Adventures a license to use the Dungeons & Dragons SRD 5.1 content and rules in Solasta: Crown of the Magister.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister recently received its first major update, the Winter Update, which implements tons of new community requested features including more gameplay, overhauled lighting system, new combat features, more customization and much more.
Gameplay Video
Solasta is a team-based adventure game where each character plays a critical role in the campaign and can be a hero. The dynamic and mysterious world features elements of verticality, allowing players to use their surroundings as an element of strategy. Players can position ranged characters on high vantage points or send their thief down into shafts and caverns to scope out what lies ahead. In Solasta, light is a tool to explore the depths and hallows of dungeons or can be used as a weapon against the creatures of the dark, but if players aren’t careful, it will give away the party’s position to nasty creatures bent on their demise.
New Early Game Content Available now on Steam and the Xbox Family of Devices from Wired Productions; More Scheduled DLC in 2021
Watford, UK – Dec. 22, 2020 – Global video games publisher, Wired Productions, and visionary independent developer, Tomas Sala, announced ‘The Kraken’, the first in a series of new content updates for open-world air combat game,The Falconeer.‘The Kraken’DLC is available starting today for free on PC and the Xbox family of devices.
The Kraken’ is a free content update that delivers entirely new exploration and discovery experiences for players, including new locations; The Cartohom Cartographers guild and the Batis Wreckdiver company. Cartohom will offer exploration missions for players to discover even more of the vast world and lore to be unlocked in The Great Ursee, while the Batis are an ancient guild of master divers, plotting missions that will take players below the waves to recover wrecks and discover ancient treasures of the deep.
Gameplay Video
Additionally, AI and combat have received an overhaul, making dogfights smoother and more spread out, and include entirely new enemy behaviors such as the ability for enemies to roll, and the addition of an off-screen enemy indicator. ‘The Kraken’ includes more updates and optimizations based on player feedback.
Tomas Sala intends to release further DLC updates throughout 2021 that will significantly expand the scale and depth of the already impressive world of The Falconeer.
“The feedback and appreciation from fans from the beta and through release has been quite overwhelming, I’ve been energized by their affection for The Falconeer” said creator, Tomas Sala. “The Kraken update offers more early game content, requested by the community and press, and I’m delighted to take players into the depths of The Great Ursee and open up even more of the world with exploration missions. I’ve got so many ideas I want to implement in 2021, the roadmap is full to the brim with new and exciting content.”
The Falconeer merges intense dogfighting and acrobatic aerial combat with a breathtaking open world full of fantastical creatures and has been hailed as “videogame magic” and “jaw-droppingly beautiful” by critics.
The Falconeer is “T for Teen” ESRB rated for console platforms, and available digitally on both PC and Xbox priced at $29.99, £24.99 and €29.99, a Day One Edition is also available for the Xbox family of devices priced at $39.99, £34.99 and €39.99 which can be ordered directly from the Wired Store or via a local retailer here.
Wired Productions is a leading video games publisher based in Watford, UK. Wired has produced and published award-winning titles across all major platforms. Bringing games to market in both physical and digital media, notable launches to date include Avicii Invector, Those Who Remain, Deliver Us The Moon, Close to the Sun, GRIP: Combat Racing, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and The Town of Light.
For more information, or to join the Wired community, please visit:
Tomas Sala is an independent game artist and designer as well as the co-founder of game studio Little Chicken Game Company. Best known to most gamers for his exotic Skyrim Mod series: Moonpath to Elsweyr, Tomas has developed a unique visual style over the years that have helped turn helped turn games such as Rekt! (iOS/Switch), SXPD (iOS) and TrackLab (PSVR) into unique visual and interactive experiences.
Featuring a new map, reimagined scopes, and Christmas-themed rewards
Amsterdam, Netherlands – December 22, 2020 – Tactical first-person shooter Warface: Breakout has launched its ‘Cold Sun’ season today, available as a free update on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X.
‘Cold Sun’ adds a new “Outskirts” map set in a snow-covered mountain village, a brand-new addition to the collection of Warface: Breakout maps. Newly reimagined scopes allow players to aim down the sights without losing awareness of the environment. And the myriad of new seasonal rewards is available, including new weapon and bomb skins, victory poses, and more.
‘Cold Sun’ will also feature a time-limited Christmas event at launch, spanning from December 22 to January 11. It will bring a new, time-limited Team Deathmatch mode, as well as exclusive cosmetics, including avatars, stickers, and challenge cards.
Warface: Breakout is available on the Xbox Games Store and PlayStation Store priced at 19.99 USD for Standard Edition, 29.99 USD for Deluxe Edition, and 49,99 USD for Ultimate Edition.
Key points:
Game title: Warface: Breakout
Developer: MY.GAMES (Allods Team)
Platforms: PS4 and Xbox One, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility
Price: 19,99 USD for Standard edition, 29,99 USD for Deluxe edition, 49,99 USD for Ultimate Edition
Maps: 7 maps are available: Storage, Sandstorm, City, Facility, Oasis, Slum District, and Outskirts
About Warface: Breakout
Warface: Breakout is a competitive online first-person shooter, available on PS4 and Xbox One. It is a spin-off within the Warface franchise. The game features intense multiplayer battles with tactical gunplay-focused combat. Breakout was developed by the Allods Team, an internal studio of MY.GAMES and was released on May 26, 2020. The global publisher of the game is MY.GAMES.
Kick, punch, and smash your way to the top of the league today
Walnut Creek, Calif. (Dec. 22, 2020) – Publisher Modus Games today released Override 2: Super Mech League digitally on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 for £24.99/€29.99. The game will be coming to Epic Games Store at a later date.
In addition, Override 2: Super Mech League – ULTRAMAN Deluxe Edition, which includes four fighters from the ULTRAMAN series as part of the season pass, along with additional bonuses, launches across the same platforms digitally and physically for £34.99/€39.99. Ultraman can also be purchased separately for £3.59/€3.99 starting today, and the ULTRAMAN Season Pass, containing access to Ultraman along with the future characters Bemular, Black King and Dan Moroboshi is £11.99/€14.99.
In tandem with today’s release, the game’s official launch trailer came crashing onto the scene, giving soon-to-be mech-wielders a look at some of the heart-pounding, blistering combat they’ll be getting into. Get a sense of the action here:
Override 2: Super Mech League gathers 20 distinctly devastating mechs for electrifying, over-the-top throwdowns for 1-4 players. Action is accessible to all and easy to jump into, but strategic depth in combat design means even the most skill-focused players will find a deeply rewarding, eSports-ready challenge. See if you have what it takes to rise to the top in the ‘Leagues’ career mode, or take on friendly multiplayer matches as you begin to hone your skills.
For the latest on Override 2: Super Mech League, head over to the game’s official site (http://www.override2.com/) and purchase the game now. For news on Modus Games’ full lineup, head over to https://modusgames.com, join the Modus Games Discord channel (http://modus.games/discord), and follow @Modus_Games on Twitter.
About Modus Games Modus Games is one of the fastest-growing video game publishers in the world. The label prides itself on providing AAA publishing services to talented independent developers across the globe. For more information, visit www.modusgames.com.
About Modus Studios Brazil Modus Studios Brazil is a full-service, cross-platform development studio, creating original IPs such as Override and Override 2, and providing co-development, testing, and porting to other talented developers around the world.
Tsuburaya Productions Co. Tsuburaya Productions is one of the leading independent production companies, founded in 1963 by Eiji Tsuburaya. The company has continued to produce content that has been licensed to both the domestic and international markets. The company also engages in licensing, merchandising, publishing, and live stage shows and events, exploiting the IP it creates and owns.
For more information visit en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp.
The Official North American Website for Ultraman: ultramangalaxy.com
There was a time that The Witcher series was seen as a rather niche series but every subsequent title in the series saw CD Projekt Red grow as a developer with the series exploding in popularity with the most recent 2015 release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Following on the heels of such a substantial release that was given excellent post-release support, the development team had plenty of eyes on them to see how exactly their next game, Cyberpunk 2077 would turn out. After being announced in 2012 and stepping into the public eye in 2013, it has been a long road for Cyberpunk 2077 to arrive on PC and consoles but now that it has arrived, will all the goodwill that CD Projekt Red built up over the years keep the game together?
Story
Players take on the role of V, a character that they take the reigns in creating right off the bat with what is a surprisingly limited character creation system. Here players can determine V’s orientations as well as their starting path, with Nomad, Corpo, and Streetkid being the choices that will then provide players the initial hour or so of gameplay and provide a number of background based dialogue choices throughout the game’s various character interactions. No matter how players choose to start V’s journey, it always ends the same way and culminates in a rather odd slapdash montage of events that feels like something players should be experiencing and playing through themselves but instead serves to place players in an established place.
After the montage V has become something of a mercenary for hire willing to take on any job, be it working for the police, something completely illegal, or a gray area, and her best friend/partner in crime Jackie and tech wizard T-Bug have just landed a job that will set them up for life, stealing a mysterious chip from the largest tech organization in the city the Arasaka Corporation. Despite the risks that come with taking on such a large scale job the crew agrees only for things to go incredibly wrong at the eleventh hour.
As a result not only does V end up with basically no one who can help her out, the result of the heist has left her with a ticking time-bomb in her mind, a biochip containing the mentality of Johnny Silverhand, an infamous terrorist who had long since passed away in Night City, planted firmly inside of her skull. With Johnny’s techno-ghost now haunting V and being a threat to her long term being, it is up to V’s connections with those willing to work with her and others seeking to find the truth behind various nefarious events that would be spoilers to mention to find a way to survive her current predicament.
Cyberpunk 2077 tells a tale that is filled with some great surprises and can really shine at times but it is also one that doesn’t really know how to pace itself. Players will meet a number of outlandish characters that seem to have so much depth to them only for them to be quickly shuffled along in an attempt to move the story along in regards to the core storyline, in fact at points it almost seems like a few of the game’s core story missions have missing sections where V is randomly jumped forward in time to progress events or flat out given an option to skip a silent car ride that could have been filled with more dialogue or interaction which, given the core storyline’s relatively short length for an open world RPG, should not be an option.
Thankfully many of these characters are given some of their own chances to shine in the numerous side-quests that players can tackle. These quests often provide much of the desperately needed character interactions that Cyberpunk 2077 needs, including a few romance options, and are often some of the zanier missions as they can freely explore just how strange life has become in this futuristic dystopia. These side-quests as well as collectible data-logs help fill in various lore gaps about the world that simply aren’t touched that well upon in the core story.
That being said, there is a certain character that does stand out as an exception from the rest and that is Johnny Silverhand who plays the key role of being the “Devil” on the player’s shoulder more often than not. Silverhand constantly chimes in regarding player choices in missions and can react positively or negatively to the way player’s choose to interact with some quests or characters and this does end up being one of the strongest points of Cyberpunk 2077 as a whole, bringing the quality of the core narrative up by a significant degree.
Gameplay
Once the player completes the prologue sequences, which serve to run them through most of the gameplay mechanics that players will be able to use to take on any given situation, they are given access to a small chunk of what eventually opens into the full massive map that is Night City. This map is filled with everything from main story quests, side-quests, smaller missions called “gigs,” criminal activity in progress, and more but players will need to be careful because every district has enemies at different strengths so it is entirely possible to head to a district to, let’s say track down an AWOL AI taxi, only to find an enemy capable of dropping V with a single shot sitting close by. It is worth noting that while missions do warn players of how strong enemies might be through a “danger” system and high level enemies do have skulls in their data, these often aren’t accurate.
Most missions and tasks in Cyberpunk 2077 offer players a number of different approaches when it comes to navigating through an area and completing their objective. In some areas there may be doors or shutters that can be brute forced open with enhanced strength or hacked with technical skill, giving players a stealthy backdoor into a hostile area. Other options for the same location may include smooth talking past a receptionist, paying “eurodollars” as a bribe,” hacking enemy vision or disabling security equipment from a distance, or if all else fails simply going in guns blazing.
The amount of options available to players is quite nice, though there are some balance issues when it comes to stealth and simply taking the violent route especially when one considers that, outside of occasionally providing a bit of extra dialogue, there is no reward for playing non-lethally. There is no karma system or even a reputation system for the various gang factions in the city outside of simple “Street Cred” that is awarded for defeating any enemy. In fact, a whole series of side missions that specifically requests players only knock out certain enemies in the world can be brutally taken down with any weapon and are still treated as unconscious. This means that players who want to sneak around, avoiding enemy vision cones and using V’s hacking abilities to limit what enemies can do have no real reason to do so other than to see how capable they’ve managed to become at stealth.
Actual combat works rather well with players being able to make use of a variety of firearms, most of which feature various futuristic elements such as homing bullets or ricocheting ammo, melee weapons that are about as straightforward as they come, and of course the various cybernetic enhancements they have equipped themselves with such as the incredibly powerful Mantis Blades. These augments come with a number of different abilities of their own and can have mods equipped to apply elemental damage for some extra oomph.
Exploring the world itself is a bit of a mixed bag primarily thanks to the fact that, while there are a number of unique districts to explore and tons of side-activities to take part in, most of the city is made up of locked doors and NPCs with generic dialogue with zero interaction. Oddly enough, even crime doesn’t pay in Night City as any killed civilians or police will not drop items when slain, even if doing so puts a temporary warrant on V’s head. Driving a standard vehicle is also clunky at its best though thankfully an easier to handle motorcycle is one of the first things V is provided with. Even exploring with enhanced augments such as double-jump can lead to more problems as the developers did not seem to think that players would use such abilities to try and explore rooftops as doing so often led to a forced reload once V either fell through the world or ended up stuck in a rooftop unable to move.
These types of bugs were only the tip of the iceberg when it came to my time with Cyberpunk 2077. Multiple times throughout the game there have been side-quests that have either failed to complete properly or failed to spawn enemies that must be defeated unless a previous save was reloaded. On one spectacular instance all enemies spawned in invisibly only to fire wildly around the rooms and, since players cannot save in combat, required a lengthy replay from the previous save file. Thankfully auto saves are made frequently by the game and players can quick save at a moment’s notice but this doesn’t stop the saves from corrupting entirely as was the case about ten hours into my time with Cyberpunk 2077, resulting in almost all of my saves being corrupted outside of a handful five hours prior. Other such glitches such as lootable items sinking straight into the ground, enemy AI glitching and standing still, cars spawning randomly, characters T-posing or sitting on invisible chairs, textures of the world and even the characters themselves flicker into random chrome colors, and these are only a few of the many that we’ve seen, not to mention crashing multiple times straight to the Xbox home screen. This means that those who want to see what Cyberpunk 2077 has to offer have to be prepared to save often or risk losing progress either glitched quests, bugs that may kill V suddenly or render her unable to advance, or worst of all, lose hours of progress should any type of corruption occur.
Visuals & Audio
When everything is working fine, Cyberpunk 2077 is an outstanding looking game with almost every aspect of the world dripping with futuristic aesthetics. Buildings are covered in bright holographic billboards advertising the latest augments, most firearms feature morphing animations the first time V equips them as they form to her hand, and almost every story character features some form of unique futuristic looking design though once again, vehicles do feel a bit on the weaker side when it comes to design. As mentioned before, this is only the case when everything is working fine players will likely run into many of the aforementioned problems as well as other issues such as witnessing strange vehicle pop-ins or the complete loss of texture for NPCs that can only be fixed by fast traveling.
The soundtrack for the game features a number of great pieces of music and players will have access to a large number of radio stations whenever they are driving in a vehicle though it may take some time to figure out just what type of genre each station plays due to their unusual naming conventions. As for the voice work CD Projekt Red has gone all out for the game’s signature character Johnny Silverhand as he is both modeled after and voiced by the famous actor Keanu Reeves. Reeves’ voice work for Johnny is top-notch and it is nice to note that every line in the game is voiced, even V’s dialogue choices, which is a nice touch, especially since the voice acting for most of the game’s story and side-quests are handled quite well. Of course, there is a caveat here that players will need to keep an eye on the game’s subtitles as quest dialogue can glitch out entirely with NPCs not actually speaking or having a random NPC or shopkeeper talking over them instead.
Overall
Cyberpunk 2077 has found itself in perhaps the worst situation a highly anticipated title can end up in. When everything is working the storyline is quite engaging and features plenty of enjoyable side-content that helps expand the world in a satisfying manner as players take down their foes with a wide-array of tools and options at their disposal. Unfortunately a lack of balance in combat can make certain elements feel unrewarding and as engaging as the story is, it is rather short as a whole should the player focus only on the core story path. When things aren’t working right, which is more often than not, players will experience hard crashes, buggy quests that require reloads, items vanishing from storage, frequent visual glitches, and many more issues that plague almost every element of the game. As a result it is clear that Cyberpunk 2077 can be a great game, perhaps not quite as extensive as some may have hoped, but that is only after it manages to clean itself up much like V can clean up the streets of Night City.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Atari Lends Iconic Licenses to Digital Fashion House for Incorporation in Blockchain Gaming Powered by the Enjin Ecosystem
Digital fashion, blockchain and video games come together today in a world-first with the launch of a new Atari-inspired digital NFT (non-fungible token) fashion line, built using blockchain technology provider Enjin’s suite of tools. Designed by the world’s leading digital-only fashion house, The Fabricant, the new virtual clothing line utilizes IP from video game industry pioneer Atari to create digital garments that can be purchased and wholly owned in the decentralized, public database of the blockchain with proven scarcity, authenticity, provenance and ownership. Additionally, the fashion NFTs can be integrated into video game projects, such as eBallR Games’ upcoming sports-themed releases for 2021, starting with the next evolution of classic football title, KickOff.
With clients including Puma, AAPE, Adidas and more, The Fabricant is forging a whole new realm in fashion, already having created the world’s first blockchain dress which auctioned for $9500 in May 2019. The new Atari-inspired NFT digital fashion line features an outfit comprising a robe, a sports-influenced glove, and a headpiece featuring either the ‘Pluriform’ design or the ‘Atari Classic.’ As blockchain assets, the pieces will integrate across games and projects, including eBallR Games’ upcoming avatar companion app, turning user photos into a personalized cross-game digital avatar, as well as other blockchain-powered video game products, including a fantasy RPG launching in 2021 on PS5 and Minecraft servers using the Enjin SDK. Furthermore, owners of the virtual garments can use the services of DressX to have real-life photos digitally tailored into their outfits.
“The Fabricant’s design philosophy advocates for gender diversity and inclusion in the digital fashion space, where we can transcend the limitations of the physical world. It’s an incredible creative opportunity for us to take that sensibility into the e-sports and gaming environment, to reimagine the very notion of a football kit in collaboration with an iconic brand like Atari. What better platform and audience to bring a broader range of self-expression than one where you can endlessly shift identities through gameplay? In the real world, football is played by multiple cultures whose sports garments lie outside what we’ve come to be familiar with from a Western perspective. These are the reference points we’ve drawn on for the line we’ve created. They are digital sports garments that defy the current cultural expectation, to be worn by anyone, regardless of gender expression, and which introduce the idea of a ‘pluriform’, a uniform silhouette that’s suitable for everyone, everywhere.” Amber Jae Slooten, Co Founder and Creative Director, The Fabricant.
Users can acquire these one-of-a-kind NFTs via the Atari Token Storefront on the OpenSea & Rarible blockchain marketplaces. NFTs will be priced in and purchasable with the Ethereum & Atari Token cryptocurrencies and can be carried into virtual worlds using the Enjin Wallet. You can view the NFTs on the EnjinX blockchain explorer.
“Once again, blockchain delivers on its promises to bring about revolutionary collaborations and bridges between virtual realms,” said Alex Russman, Director of Business Development at Enjin. “Enjin’s platform and products make this technology accessible to anyone and we are consistently astounded by the creativity this unlocks.”
Enjin’s products make it accessible for anyone to produce, manage, and own virtual goods on the blockchain. Once they exist as assets on the decentralised, public database of the blockchain, virtual goods have proven scarcity, authenticity, provenance, and ownership. In addition, blockchain’s composability and interoperability enables these goods to move across platforms, marketplaces, and virtual spaces. The flagship product of the Enjin ecosystem is the Enjin Wallet, a digital backpack and gateway into the new age of decentralised virtual worlds.
About Enjin Launched in 2009 by Enjin, the Enjin Network is a gaming community platform boasting over 20 million users. In 2017, Enjin launched a successful ICO, raising $18.9 million to build an ecosystem of integrated blockchain software products. Comprised of the Enjin Platform, Explorer, Wallet, Beam, and other tools and services, this ecosystem enables game developers and studios to utilize tokenized digital assets as part of their acquisition, retention, engagement, and monetization strategies. The Enjin ecosystem is fueled by Enjin Coin (ENJ), a cryptocurrency used to directly back the value of blockchain assets. For more information, visit enjin.io.
About Atari Comprised of Atari SA and its subsidiaries, Atari is a global interactive entertainment and multiplatform licensing group. The true innovator of the video game, founded in 1972, Atari owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 200 games and franchises, including globally known brands such as Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command® and Pong®. From this important portfolio of intellectual properties, Atari delivers attractive online games for smartphones, tablets, and other connected devices. Atari also develops and distributes interactive entertainment for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo game consoles. Atari also leverages its brand and franchises with licensing agreements through other media, derivative products and publishing. For more information, visit atari.com.
Nordisk Games acquires 40% ownership of MercurySteam
COPENHAGEN/MADRID, December 22, 2020 – Today, Copenhagen-based Nordisk Games expands its portfolio of successful game studios and announces an investment in MercurySteam, the Spanish company behind such high-profile titles as “Clive Barker’s Jericho”, the “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” trilogy, Nintendo 3DS bestseller “Metroid: Samus Returns” and self-published online free-to-play action-adventure game “Spacelords”.
Nordisk Games has with the deal acquired 40% of MercurySteam following a sizeable investment.
Founded in 2002, MercurySteam now has more than 160 employees working out of its offices in Madrid. They develop games for all major PC and console platforms using MercurySteam’s own proprietary game engine. Currently, several new titles are in the pipeline.
“We warmly welcome Nordisk Games as a new MercurySteam partner. Since the first time we met with them, we were very clear that both parties shared the same DNA, ambition and objectives and we are convinced that we are entering a new era of consolidation and growth for our studio. The saying “The best is yet to come” takes on all its meaning now,” said Enric Alvarez, CEO and co-founder of MercurySteam.
Nordisk Games is owned by entertainment company Nordisk Film, which is a part of Egmont, a leading Nordic media group. In recent years, Nordisk Games has built a high-growth portfolio of minority and majority-owned game studios that includes Avalanche Studios Group, Star Stable Entertainment and Raw Fury. MercurySteam will be the eighth addition to the portfolio and is Nordisk Games’ first investment outside of the Nordic countries.
”After meeting the founders and team at MercurySteam we immediately recognized their fantastic talent and creativity at work. The studio is undoubtedly one of the premier PC and console game developers in Europe, and we’re very proud of having the company join our portfolio. MercurySteam’s track record speaks for itself, and the games they now have in development are extremely promising and exciting,” said Martin Walfisz, Senior Partner at Nordisk Games.
About MercurySteam
Founded in 2002 in Madrid, MercurySteam is the award-winning studio behind the multi-million selling “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” series for Konami and the critically acclaimed “Metroid: Samus Returns” for Nintendo. Their latest title is the self-published F2P, Coop, third person shooter “Spacelords”. 18 years after its founding, MercurySteam has become a solid reference in the European games development scene.
About Nordisk Games
Based in Copenhagen, Nordisk Games makes equity investments in European game development studios. Nordisk Games has built a portfolio of developers that includes Avalanche Studios Group, Star Stable Entertainment. Raw Fury, RETO MOTO, Nitro Games, Flashbulb Games and Kogama.com. Nordisk Games is owned by Nordisk Film, that also produces award-winning film and TV series, operates cinema chains in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, is behind PlayStation in the Nordics and Baltic countries and brings digital gift card solutions to the market. Nordisk Film is a part of Egmont, a leading Nordic media group.
As the year draws to a close, XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., celebrates a monumental 12 months filled with fan excitement and stellar games. The company is excited to present a recap of one of its strongest years of releases in a new video showcasing the diverse lineup of titles it launched across PC and home consoles. This year’s exceptional slate of games included the return of fan-favorite franchises and the debut of new critically-acclaimed titles, and the company surpassed previous highest-sales and fastest-selling records worldwide.
With a diverse catalog of 11 curated games, the XSEED Games portfolio this year included the highly anticipatedSakuna: Of Rice and Ruin,along with Granblue Fantasy: Versus, the North American console debut of Cygames’ hit RPG, Granblue Fantasy. Global sales for the titles topped 500,000 and 450,000, respectively. The popular Bokujo Monogatari series also returned with a full remake of one of its most beloved entries in STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town, receiving accolades from fans and critics alike on its way to selling over 200,000 copies on Nintendo Switch™ system in North America.
“This was an incredible year for us, and represents one of the more diverse lineup of games we’ve had,” said XSEED Games President, Ken Berry, “Between being able to release titles long in development to releasing fresh surprises, we hope that our games have helped people stay entertained through what has been a challenging year. We want to thank our fans for all their support and we look forward to a new year, and new surprises.”
The full lineup of titles released this year in chronological order is as follows:
Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls, DAEMON X MACHINA, Rune Factory 4 Special, Granblue Fantasy: Versus, Ys: Memories of Celceta, STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town, Kandagawa Jet Girls, UPPERS, No More Heroes, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.
XSEED Games has already announced multiple titles for 2021, including STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town and Rune Factory 5 for Nintendo Switch. The publisher will be sharing more information about these games, as well as other exciting new titles, in the coming months.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker’s “Business Is Booming” Update Launches Today
PARIS — Dec. 21, 2020 — Blackbird Interactive and Focus Home Interactive have released the “Business Is Booming” update for the hit early access sandbox spaceship salvaging game Hardspace: Shipbreaker,introducing a brand-new ship archetype and the Demo Charge tool for fresh salvaging opportunities!
Today’s update rolls out the Javelin ship archetype, offering a totally new challenge with a drastically different look and feel from Hardspace’s previous vessels. With most of its features externally exposed along the ship’s spine, you’ll need to completely rethink your salvaging approach.
Meanwhile, the new Demo Charge tool adds even more options to your arsenal, giving you an explosive that can be placed or thrown freely before remote detonation. This comes in addition to a revamp of the tool durability system, as well as a variety of QOL updates and fixes.
You can also now get Hardspace’s original soundtrack as a standalone item or bundled with the base game on Steam. This soundtrack will continue to expand during early access at no additional cost. For more information on both current and upcoming content, take a look at the current content roadmap on Steam.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker is available now onSteam Early Access, with limited-time special discounts for the base game and OST bundle. A launch on consoles is in development for a later date.
PS4 and Xbox One Players of Skater XL Account for 90 Percent Of All Community Content Downloads from mod.io
The Skater XL evolution continues AND grows! Last Wednesday, Easy Day Studios launched full cross-platform mod integration on all platforms for Skater XL, making over 250 pieces of community content available on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam. The response from gamers has set a new record on the mod.io platform with over one million downloads of community content in a single day, firmly establishing Skater XL as the top ranked game.
“Setting a day one launch record for downloads demonstrates not only the hunger for more the Skater XL content, but truly illustrates the evolution of the skateboarding game genre towards being a platform for creativity and self expression,” said Dain Hedgpeth, co-founder of Easy Day Studios. “This is just the first drop of UGC as gamers can check back regularly into Skater XL for more community content in addition to original new content and features we plan to add in the near future.”
“Skater XL’s community and their excitement for mods on consoles have blown us away,” said Scott Reismanis, co-founder of mod.io. “One million downloads in 24 hours was beyond our wildest expectations and has set a new record at mod.io, showing us how exciting UGC across all platforms can be.”
The Easy Day dev team will be adding more community content on a regular basis, as well as applying patches to fix bugs when they happen. Patches resolving some crash issues associated with the update have already gone live on all platforms and performance improvements for the original three community levels released for console will also go live shortly.
Skater XL is now available as a for $39.99 USD on PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, and at brick and mortar retailers for PS4 and Xbox One. The Switch version of Skater XL will launch in 2021. For the latest news and updates on Skater XL, follow the game on Instagram and Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook, and visit the official website, SkaterXL.com.
