The first-person survival horror adventure of stealth, exploration, and prehistoric terror arrives on PC this November

Dundee, Scotland – 17 July, 2026 – Junkfish is thrilled to announce Wilderdark, its all-new first-person survival horror adventure, is coming to Steam on 3 November, 2026, as revealed on the Convergence showcase last night.

Take a closer look at Wilderdark’s release date announcement trailer here

In Wilderdark, players are sent by the mysterious organisation they work for on a dangerous mission in search of immortality. Their destination is an unnatural island overtaken by a strange ectoparasitic organism that has begun corrupting both dinosaurs and plant life. Players take on the role of a field operative, tasked with documenting the island’s ecosystem, collecting samples, and uncovering the fate of earlier expeditions that never returned, including one led by the protagonist’s own parents.

Survival in Wilderdark is about staying hidden. Stealth is the player’s greatest weapon when navigating dense jungles, abandoned research camps, and parasite-infested ruins while avoiding relentless apex predators that hunt by sight and sound. To uncover the truth, players will need to carefully observe their surroundings, document discoveries through photography, and craft essential tools from whatever they can find. 

Players are able to get an early taste of the adventure in the demo available on Steam. In response to community feedback, the demo has recently been updated with a map and waypoint for improved navigation across Wilderdark’s eerie, mystery-shrouded island, alongside numerous quality of life tweaks and bug fixes. 

Launching on 3 November, Wilderdark marks Junkfish’s return to the stealth survival horror genre following their hit title Monstrum.

About Junkfish
Junkfish is a leading independent game development studio based in the UK and Singapore with a passion for creating unique, innovative and high-quality games for a worldwide audience. Junkfish are proud of the passion, knowledge, and approachability of their people which underpins their “Person First” approach to producing their games. Junkfish launched their first game, Monstrum, on PC in January 2015, receiving nominations for “Best Debut Game” at the TIGA Awards and “Best Game” at Scottish BAFTA Awards.

team17 confirms Crisalu Games’ dungeon-resetting co-op title will run a mop on the console platforms alongside the v1.0 on PC next year.

Friday, 17th July, 2026 – team17 and Crisalu Games have announced Goblin Cleanup will launch on console platforms alongside the game’s full release on PC in 2027. Currently in Steam Early Access, Goblin Cleanup combines creative, chaotic co-op gameplay for up to four players while answering a critical question: Who resets video game dungeons for the next would-be heroes ready to try their luck?

Watch the Goblin Cleanup: Console Announcement Trailer

After customising their cleaning goblins, players enter the each dungeon’s manky maze, mop up gore and viscera, refill its treasure chests, and reset the area ready for the next sword-swinging victims, all while working chaotically collaboratively to avoid falling victim to the many still active traps.

The announcement during the Convergence Showcase follows the release of the Dungeon Daddy update in June, which marked the completion of the game’s first dungeon with its end-stage boss. The doors to the second dungeon opens for early access goblins later this summer, me hearties…

Goblin Cleanup features:

• Customise your Goblin Maid: What better way to clean up than doing it like a pro? Choose your outfit, gather your Goblin pals and get scrubbing!
• Clean and tidy: It’s your job to clean up the mess, so clean it up you shall! Use your Slimop, mimic, and slime dispenser tool to help you remove all that blood from the floor and ceiling!
• Restore Objects: To ensure the dungeon returns to its original state, you must restore objects and place them back in their original positions.
• Restore Traps: What kind of dungeon would it be without traps? You’ll need to restore and reactivate them. But beware, there might be active traps that weren’t triggered by hapless adventurers.
• Respawn Creatures: You’ll also need to respawn creatures and dispose of their remains. Just keep an eye out for some creatures that may not have perished.
• Replenish Loot: You’ll also need to refill chests with items and treasures.
• Dynamic Dungeons: Each dungeon is filled with unique challenges…and hazards!

Goblin Cleanup is available to Wishlist now on Steam.

About Crisalu Games

Crisalu Games was founded by three friends: (senior gameplay programmer Santiago Arriazu, senior technical artist/programmer Cristian Trinidad Lima, and senior 3D artist Lucas Rollano) with a dream of making engaging games we could really be proud of creating, that are first and foremost, fun for our fans to play. Located in Argentina, Goblin Cleanup is their first title in active development.

About team17

Founded in 1990, team17 is part of Everplay Group plc, and a passionate and creative developer and publisher dedicated to its pioneering indie developer partners and games. team17 has an extensive portfolio of over 150 titles that players around the world love for a lifetime, including DREDGE, Date Everything, and Overcooked!, together with multi-award-winning and award-nominated in-house brands such as Hell Let Loose, Golf With Your Friends, The Escapists, and the iconic Worms franchise.

Uncover the mysteries of the mimic moon and the abyss within its depths

Sydney, Australia – July 17, 2026 – Microids is pleased to announce that Luna Abyss, the critically acclaimed action-adventure from Kwalee, will receive a physical PlayStation 5 release on August 27, 2026, with the Adrift Edition exclusive to JB Hi-Fi in Australia. Since its digital launch on May 21, 2026, the game has earned praise from critics and currently holds a Metacritic score of 81.

Combining fluid platforming with intense bullet-hell combat, Luna Abyss follows the journey of Fawkes, a prisoner of Luna, a mysterious mimic moon, as they become entangled in a cryptic prophecy that may hold the key to their fate.

Players can pre-order the Luna Abyss – Adrift Edition here: https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/playstation-5-luna-abyss-adrift-edition.

The Adrift Edition includes:

• Luna Abyss base game
• Mini Concept Artbook
• Digital Soundtrack

About Luna Abyss

You are a prisoner sentenced to explore a derelict megastructure that sprawls deep beneath the surface of the mimic moon Luna. You are tasked with recovering forgotten technology from within the Abyss and the lost colony it consumed. Every move you make will be overseen by your artificial prison guard named Aylin.

These centuries-old ruins are alive with maddening echoes, insinuating secrets of the once prosperous city of Greymont and its terrible fate. The Scourge. The tenets of the All-Father. The choir of the Collective. The voices of the Abyss call to you; they whisper strange missives…

Luna Abyss key features:

• WELCOME TO THE ABYSS: “Don’t be afraid, little wanderer. You need only go deeper, the better to be seen by us. The slumbering, silent one breathes deep and waits. All we need is the key. All we need is you.”
• BURIED MYSTERY: Uncover the mysteries of the mimic moon and the abyss within its depths. Come face to face with remnants of the colony’s downfall & discover your role within this doomed world. Learn all the secrets the abyss has to offer.
• NAVIGATE FORSAKEN CHARMS: Sprint, jump & dash your way through this brutalist alien megastructure. Experience fluid first-person platforming as you travel through Luna & the depths of the abyss.
• WITHSTAND THE ONSLAUGHT: Face corrupted souls & twisted cosmic horrors of Luna Abyss with a weapon in hand. Master your tools, adjust on the fly, and survive in a bullet hell.

Luna Abyss Adrift Edition will be available on August 27, 2026 for PlayStation 5

About Microids

Microids is a French video game publisher founded in 1985 that has established itself as a key player in the international industry. By collaborating with renowned studios and creators, Microids delivers immersive experiences based on popular licenses, allowing players to embark on new adventures alongside iconic characters.

About Kwalee

Kwalee is a multi-award-winning games publisher and developer based in Leamington Spa, UK. The company has built a growing catalogue of PC and console titles, including Wildmender, ROBOBEAT, Voidwrought, In Sink, Hordes of Hunger, The Precinct, Town to City, Don’t Stop Girlypop!, Grime II, Modulus: Factory Automation, Ground Zero, Rune Dice, Call of the Elder Gods, and Luna Abyss alongside upcoming releases such as Hark the Ghoul, Retro Space, Lost Hellden, BPM Bitcrushed, Shift at Midnight, Welcome to Elderfield, Lily’s World XD, Steam to Electric and more.

Founded by games industry icon and Codemasters co-founder David Darling CBE, Kwalee is supported by a global team of games experts, with studios in the UK, India, and remote locations worldwide. The company is actively seeking high-quality games to publish across all platforms and welcomes developers to get in touch.

Officially recognised as ‘Best Publisher’ at the TIGA Awards 2022, Kwalee is also a committed industry advocate—serving as an ambassador for the non-profit organisation Women in Games and regularly supporting charities such as Safe In Our World, GamesAid, and SpecialEffect.

Explore more of the Submerged Lands in DREADMOOR’s demo announcement trailer

NICOSIA, Cyprus – July 17, 2026 – DREADMOOR, the dark first-person fishing adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world from developer Dream Dock and publisher Digital Vortex Entertainment, cruises into the Submerged Lands with the demo launch on PC for Steam on Tuesday, Oct. 6, as announced in the Secret Sauce Showcase. 

Watch the new demo release date trailer here!

Take the helm of a creaky old boat and fish to survive in the Submerged Lands – a cursed region twisted in the aftermath of a cataclysmic catastrophe. Scout the best spots to reel in mutated monstrosities, ranging from sharp-toothed small fry to predatory fish that put up a desperate fight. Fill the ship’s hold, then float back to the bait shop looming over the water atop a set of gigantic crab legs.

Sell fish to buy new gear, or dissect them for their rare and valuable organs, which can be used to fashion complex and irresistible lures for drawing in craftier prey lurking in the deepest recesses of the bayou. Salvage wreckage and scrap to upgrade the boat, then fuel up for the journey ahead.

“DREADMOOR is a mash-up of our two favorite things – movies and fishing,” said Rostislav Fedorov, CEO of Dream Dock. “This demo will offer the deepest dive yet into what DREADMOOR has to offer, and with the valuable feedback we collect from our community, we will make the game even better.”

DREADMOOR’s PC demo launches on Tuesday, Oct. 6, on Steam for PC. The game supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish – Spain, Portuguese – Brazil, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Polish, Russian, and Japanese language text. For more information, wishlist the game, join the official Discord server, and follow DREADMOOR on X/Twitter for the latest updates. 

About Digital Vortex Entertainment

Digital Vortex Entertainment is an independent publisher founded by experienced game industry professionals who have contributed to titles such as Atomic Heart, Lost Ark, and PUBG: Battlegrounds. The company supports distinctive projects across genres and platforms. Digital Vortex Entertainment is part of Utmost Games, founded by Vladimir Nikolsky, former CEO of MY.GAMES.

About Dream Dock

Dream Dock is an independent game studio based in Kyrgyzstan and founded by three former colleagues who left their high-paying roles at top game companies to pursue a shared creative vision. Collectively, their experience includes six years at industry leaders such as Playrix, MY.GAMES, Saber Interactive, and Owlcat Games. With a portfolio that spans AA and AAA projects, the studio is dedicated to crafting original, emotionally resonant worlds. DREADMOOR, a fishing survival adventure, is their debut IP.

Stellar Jockeys’ isometric insurgent simulator launches next month on Steam and GOG, following a Very Positive-rated Steam demo and featuring an original soundtrack by Makeup and Vanity Set.

CHICAGO, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2026 – Stellar Jockeys has announced that Brigador Killers, the long-awaited continuation of the cult-classic Brigador saga, will launch in Early Access on August 20, 2026 via Steam and GOG. The release date was revealed today during the Convergence Showcase, alongside a new trailer offering players another look at the game’s explosive, boots-on-the-ground insurgency.

Set on the world of Mar Nosso, Brigador Killers casts players as part of Team Anchor, an insurgent crew operating behind enemy lines to dismantle entrenched corporate power. Building on the tactical destruction and overwhelming firepower that defined Brigador: Up-Armored Edition, Brigador Killers expands the series with on-foot combat, vehicle warfare, private arsenal-building, base development, and a more flexible mission structure.

The Early Access launch follows an enthusiastic response to the Brigador Killers demo on Steam, which currently has a 93% rating with over 400 reviews. The demo gives players an early taste of the game’s violent, tactical sandbox, with missions that let them fight on foot, steal and salvage vehicles, build out their arsenal, and take the war directly to the corporate forces occupying Mar Nosso.

Brigador Killers also features an original soundtrack from Makeup and Vanity Set, returning to the world of Brigador with a new score built around the series’ heavy industrial atmosphere, synth-driven tension, and grimy science-fiction violence. The soundtrack helps anchor Brigador Killers’ world of corporate warfare, insurgency, and mechanical destruction, giving every firefight, getaway, and wreckage-strewn mission the same unmistakable pulse that helped define the original game.

“Years in the making, but the fun part is only just beginning. We can’t wait to build out Brigador Killers together with our players,” said Hugh Monahan, co-founder and designer at Stellar Jockeys. 

Brigador Killers is available to wishlist now on Steam, with Early Access launching on August 20, 2026 via Steam and GOG. Players can find the latest information, trailer, demo details, and storefront links through the official Brigador and Stellar Jockeys channels.

Brigador Killers launches in Early Access on August 20, 2026 via Steam and GOG.

About Brigador Killers
Brigador Killers is an isometric insurgent simulator from Stellar Jockeys, set in the world of Mar Nosso. Players fight on foot and in vehicles, build and steal a private arsenal, develop their base, and bring the war home to the businessmen who started it all. As a continuation of the Brigador saga, Brigador Killers combines destructive combat, tactical freedom, and industrial sci-fi atmosphere with expanded systems built around insurgency, adaptation, and escalation. Brigador Killers features an original soundtrack by Makeup and Vanity Set.

About Stellar Jockeys
Stellar Jockeys is the independent studio behind Brigador: Up-Armored Edition and Brigador Killers. Known for its distinctive worldbuilding, tactical isometric combat, destructible environments, and industrial sci-fi aesthetic, Stellar Jockeys creates original games built around player expression, heavy machinery, and high-impact action.

Plus, Discounts on STAR OCEAN Titles During Multiple Sales

SYDNEY (July 17, 2026) – Today, SQUARE ENIX announced and launched the critically acclaimed STAR OCEAN: THE SECOND STORY R for Nintendo Switch^™ 2, bringing the 2.5D remake of the highly regarded second installment of the STAR OCEAN series to new players with graphical enhancements and quality-of-life updates. Today’s launch joins previous releases for Nintendo Switch^™, PlayStation^®5 and PlayStation^®4 consoles, and digitally on PC via Steam^®.

STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R revitalizes the renowned 1998 RPG with a stunning 2.5D style that combines beautiful 3D graphics with nostalgic 2D pixel characters. Switch between the original and a new, rearranged soundtrack and enjoy Japanese and English text and voice language support, with voiceovers performed by members of the original cast. The Japanese voiceover can even be switched between the newly recorded original cast or the cast from STAR OCEAN: Second Evolution (PlayStation^® Portable version). Numerous quality-of-life improvements modernize the adventure, such as fast travel and improved presentation of Skills, Specialties and Item Creation.

In STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R, Claude, a Federation officer, is searching for a way home after being transported to an underdeveloped planet. A chance encounter with a girl named Rena draws them together into a quest to save her people, just as an ancient prophecy foretold. Choose to begin the game with either Claude or Rena, with their perspectives and potential allies changing depending on the choice. Experience fast-paced, real-time combat, a deep skill system and Private Actions, which will allow players to grow relationships with their party members and unlock multiple different endings.

In addition, for a limited time, STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R and other franchise favorites are on sale on select platforms:

• STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE – 60% OFF
• STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION – 60% OFF
• STAR OCEAN – THE LAST HOPE – 4K & Full HD Remaster – 70% OFF
• STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R – 50% OFF

On July 28, STAR OCEAN: THE SECOND STORY R and STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE will be released on the GOG store for the very first time. And from July 28 to Aug. 9, the games will be offered at a discounted price:

• STAR OCEAN: THE SECOND STORY R – 50% OFF
• STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE – 60% OFF
• STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION – 60% OFF
• STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE DIGITAL DELUXE UPGRADE – 60% OFF

STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R is now available for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC. For more information, visit https://starocean2r.square-enix-games.com/en-us/.

About the STAR OCEAN Series

Developed by tri-Ace Inc. and published by Square Enix, the STAR OCEAN series is a long-running action-RPG series spanning multiple entries and commemorating its 30th anniversary in 2026. The series is known for its exciting gameplay, epic storylines, diverse cast of characters, as well as its innovative approach to action combat. In 2019, an HD remaster of the first installment in the series, STAR OCEAN First Departure R, released for the Nintendo Switch™ and PlayStation®4, delivering the classic title with updated visuals, audio, and several quality-of-life improvements to fans around the world. In 2022, STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE, the sixth main installment in the series, delivered a fresh and exciting gameplay experience. STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R, the latest release in the series, reimagines the second STAR OCEAN game with new 2.5D graphics, a rearranged soundtrack, new difficulty settings and numerous quality-of-life improvements.

About Square Enix, Inc.

Ranked as the #1 Publisher of the Year in 2025 by Metacritic.

Square Enix, Inc. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX and TAITO branded entertainment content throughout the Americas as part of the Square Enix group of companies. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 212 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST, which has sold over 97 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS. Square Enix, Inc. is a U.S.-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

More information on Square Enix, Inc. can be found at https://square-enix-games.com

July 16, 2026 – Moments agoat the Convergence Showcase, publisher SayGames and developer PLAYSTROM overnight delivered the release date for Shipping Store Simulator 2037, the management sim with robotic employees, coming to PC via Steam on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. 

This release marks the first time SayGames has launched a PC-first experience, following the multiplatform success of My Little Universe and more than eight billion downloads across its portfolio.

Opening up Rocket Post for package pickup and delivery was a risky endeavor, especially with QuickBox dominating deliveries in the city of Cranelock. Starting with just a small shop and a few bucks, receive incoming deliveries, label packages, and hand them to customers for pickup. It can all seem like too much…thankfully it’s the year 2037, and robots help!

Keep Rocket Post running smoothly by assigning droids to handle key tasks, while also balancing the budget and finding new opportunities to expand. Help maintain the android staff, as they sometimes need repairs, slip on spills in the store, or catch on fire. Treat them well, purchase supplies as necessary, and enjoy the satisfaction of turning Rocket Post into a well-oiled logistics machine.

As Rocket Post expands, Cranelock’s VIPs will take notice of its success, and want to do business. Let the automatons hold down the fort while performing “white glove” deliveries via van, drone, and other methods to expand into Cranelock’s premier shipping solution.

“Shipping Store Simulator 2037 finds that sweet spot between something that’s cozy and relaxing to play while providing the fun that comes from building up your business,” said Ivan Bogdanchuk, CEO and Founder, PLAYSTROM. “If you like to min-max everything possible, or just enjoy unwinding with meaningful progress in a low-stakes environment, our game has something for all fans of the genre.”

Shipping Store Simulator 2037 releases on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026 on Steam for PC. The game will support English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Polish, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese language text. Play the demo today on Steam.

For more information on Shipping Store Simulator 2037, visit the official website, join the official Discord server, and follow SayGames on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About SayGames

SayGames is a leading cross-platform games publisher with 200+ launched games and more than eight billion game downloads globally. They work with developer partners to create delightful experiences enjoyed by everyone. SayGames has offices in Cyprus and Poland.

About PLAYSTROM

PLAYSTROM is a dynamic team with more than 15 successful titles and more than 1.5 billion downloads. Unafraid to take risks in a quest to design games with memorable mechanics, PLAYSTROM prepares its first PC title with Shipping Store Simulator 2037.

Altered Alma, Being and Becoming, Grobnopolis | Last Days and SATED thunder onto the scene at Secret Sauce and Convergence showcases

NICOSIA, Cyprus – July 16, 2026 – CRITICAL REFLEX has brought a fresh wave of announcements from some of its biggest upcoming games this week. Kicking things off at the Secret Sauce Showcase, the indie publisher dropped a new and updated Steam demo and gameplay trailer for the neon-lit metroidvania Altered Alma. It also unveiled new looks at other future titles during the Convergence Games Showcase, including the debut demo for the atmospheric pixel-art metroidvania Being and Becoming, a new trailer revealing the haunting gameplay of the narrative horror adventure Grobnopolis | Last Days, and the opportunity to sign up for the first playtest for the recently announced roguelike horror cooking game SATED.

Altered Alma

The latest Steam demo for 2Awesome Studio’s cyberpunk adventure Altered Alma launches you into the game’s first district, the Spaceport, now with new difficulty and accessibility options, improved movement and parry controls, control remapping, new story cutscenes, more diverse pick-ups and a variety of UI enhancements! As a young ex-mercenary named Jack, you’ll run, climb and jump through the neon-lit streets of Neo Barcelona, using your platforming skills to explore new routes while carving through ruthless gangsters in fast-paced combat. Upgrade your hero with unique abilities, recruit and forge bonds with crew members, and make difficult moral choices while trying to protect the ones you love.

Being and Becoming

Enter the surreal world of the Dream in the first public demo for Being and Becoming, a gripping new pixel-art metroidvania developed by Ichthys, playable now on Steam. In a dying kingdom, held together only by the collective dream of thousands of would-be martyrs, you must defy the prophecy, defeat the corrupted, gain new weapons and abilities from those who came before, and break other dreamers free of the tyranny of The Word. Three nightmares await you in the debut demo, where you will weave combos, discover relics, and uncover the secrets of this hypnotic dreamscape.

Grobnopolis | Last Days

Get a first bone-chilling look at your new life as an apartment block caretaker in 1983 Huta-Grobno in developer BananaDevJeff’s Grobnopolis | Last Days, where you find fragile comfort in keeping things running smoothly while the city curdles into panic. When the locals begin to whisper of a thick “Soup” overtaking the streets and the local ecclesiastical order tightens its unseen grip on your community, you must piece together what’s happening through newspapers, uneasy conversations, and a homemade radio. Though you may find, as people often do, that some things were meant to remain buried…

SATED

Revealed last month, SATED from Forest Reges is a grimy, hypnotic roguelike where you descend into a dripping megastructure to cook increasingly grotesque delicacies for ever-hungrier monsters. Your only tool is a sentient, cursed fridge that works like a deranged slot machine. Spin for twitching ingredients, bet everything and pray the customer leaves satisfied…or become the meal yourself. Players can get a taste of the torment in the game’s very first playtest, taking sign ups now on Steam! 

For additional info on these titles and more, follow CRITICAL REFLEX on X/Twitter and visit www.criticalreflex.com. You can also join the CR Channel Discord community for the latest news, engaging discussions and more.

About CRITICAL REFLEX

CRITICAL REFLEX is an indie game publisher obsessed with genre-blending, rule-breaking, brain-melting games. We help devs polish the weird, sharpen the wild, and launch their projects loud. Known for titles like Buckshot Roulette, Lunacid, Mouthwashing and No, I’m not a Human, we champion the unforgettable experiences. Genre is a prison and we ate the warden.

About CR Channel

CR Channel is the CRITICAL REFLEX publishing label focusing exclusively on indie horror. Join the Discord here: https://discord.gg/FrzN8srBfy.

The Creators of Crow Country and Snipperclips Invite Players Aboard the World’s Weirdest Submarine to Solve an Undersea Murder Mystery

London, UK – 16th July, 2026 – Critically acclaimed indie studio SFB Games, the team behind Crow Country, Tangle Tower and Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!, is delighted to announce the launch of its much-anticipated detective mystery game, The Mermaid Mask. The game is available now on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam.

Premiered in partnership with Convergence Games Showcase on 16th July, 2026, The Mermaid Mask is the long-awaited follow-up to Tangle Tower and the latest case for fan-favourite investigators Detective Grimoire and Sally. This time, the pair are called aboard an extraordinary submarine, where tragedy soon gives way to secrets, suspicion and an impossible murder.

Far below the waves and past the decaying remains of the forgotten fishing town of Silkwirm-on-Sea, Captain Magnus Mortuga has been found dead aboard his own vessel. Rumored to be a cursed mariner, an immortal time-traveller, or possibly even a vampire, Mortuga leaves behind a crime scene that defies explanation: a locked room, a single fatal wound, and no weapon in sight. Drawn aboard by a cryptic summons from the elusive Captain Seafoam, players join Grimoire and Sally as they step aboard the world’s strangest submarine and begin untangling a case unlike any they have faced before.

Following their surprise indie hit Crow Country, one of 2024’s standout horror games, SFB Games now returns to the detective genre with a richer, more ambitious mystery: a brand-new cast of suspects, a densely atmospheric undersea setting and a case that plunges players into uncharted depths.

Today’s release marks an evolution of the acclaimed Tangle Tower formula, introducing stranger mysteries, deeper exploration and, for the first time in the series, truly 3D clues that players can inspect and manipulate to unlock the truth behind The Mermaid Mask. 

Tom Vian, Creative Director/Technical Director at SFB Games, said: “It’s been nearly five years to the day since work began on The Mermaid Mask, and it’s been quite a journey. Development has taken us to some unexpected places, including releasing an entirely different game along the way, but we feel we’ve finally delivered on what we set out to make. The Mermaid Mask is longer, deeper, and more ambitious than any of our previous Grimoire games, and we’re incredibly proud of it. We hope the community enjoys playing it as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing this new mystery to life.”

The Mermaid Mask is available now for $19.99 USD. For more info, check out the store page on PlayStation Store, Nintendo Store, or Steam.

About SFB Games

SFB Games is a British independent game studio, founded by brothers Tom and Adam Vian, who have been making games together since 2003. They’re passionate about designing unique games with a focus on fun, artistry, and innovation. These particular design philosophies lined up well with Nintendo, when the two companies worked closely together to create the Nintendo Switch launch title Snipperclips – Cut it out, together! SFB Games’ most recent release, Crow Country, was hailed as a GOTY candidate in 2024, inspiring countless fan art, cosplays, YouTube videos, streams and speedruns – as well as maintaining a user review score of 98% positive on Steam.

The expansion launches alongside a new features-packed Starter Edition of Wartales

BORDEAUX, France – 17 July 2026 – Wartales, the medieval open-world tactical RPG with more than one million units sold from developer Shiro Games, grants Microsoft mercenaries the keys to the kingdom with Contract: The Fief, available today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. 

Additionally, a new content-rich Starter Edition including Wartales’ base game and several popular DLCs: Expansion: The Skelmar Invasion and Contract: The Tavern Opens!, also releases today.

In Contract: The Fief, add a whole new dimension of leadership to the Wartales experience by reigning over a lawless domain. Enact policies shaping the lives of the territory’s residents, then expand the holding district by district. Manage subjects’ needs by providing essentials like food, defenses, and entertainment. Watch as new varieties of subjects join the fief, changing its social ecosystem as they vie for influence.

Contract: The Fief layers seamlessly into existing Wartales campaigns, and all important decisions occur at the campfire after a long day of traveling and raiding. Use this opportunity to establish long-lasting impacts on the world as rule establishes a land of tyranny, benevolence, scholarship, or anarchy.

“Today we unlock Contract: The Fief for Xbox players, an expansion boasting some of our fans’ most sought-after features for Wartales,” said Quentin Lapeyre, Game Director at Shiro Games. “During each rest, our sellswords-turned-lords must manage a dynamic land, produce and manage resources, and make key decisions to meet the changing needs of the population. It’s a whole additional strategic layer that exists alongside the main campaign.”

For new mercenaries looking to get a jumpstart on Wartales’ever-expanding library, the new Wartales Starter Edition is now available on Xbox for $59.99 | €59.99 | £49.99 with a 25% launch discount until July 29, and includes the base game, as well as two of its major DLCs: The Skelmar Invasion and Contract: The Tavern Opens!. English, French, German, Spanish – Spain, Polish, Portuguese – Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Korean language support is available.

For more information about Wartales, please visit the official website and follow the game on X/Twitter, Facebook, or Discord. 

About Shiro Games 

Shiro Games is an independent Bordeaux-based studio founded by video game veterans Sebastien Vidal and Nicolas Cannasse to bring new innovative games to life. Its popular Viking strategy game Northgard released on Steam in 2018, and sold more than five million units.. Wartales, its tactical RPG set in an alternate medieval world, has sold more than a million units since its release in April 2023.  

Shiro Games released two titles into early access in 2026 after each game acquired hundreds of thousands of wishlists, the online multiplayer action RPG set in a vast fantasy open world Farever, and the space exploration and building game SpaceCraft. Shiro Games has two unreleased titles in production, its ruthless survival FPS and top 100 wishlisted unreleased game Frostrail, and its city-building auto-battler Northgard Battlegrounds being developed by Funday Games.