Leamington Spa, UK – December 17, 2025: Leading UK games publisher Kwalee and independent studio Clover Bite have released a new gameplay overview trailer for the upcoming metroidvania GRIME II. Narrated by Yarden Weissbrot, Director and Producer of GRIME II, the trailer showcases the range of abilities players will have at their disposal. These abilities can be enhanced and used to parry from a distance, activate traps, and steal health from enemies.
Players can test some of these abilities and venture into a new and mysterious land in the GRIME universe by downloading the demo today. The demo lets players explore the dangerous Temple of Hands, take on tough enemies and challenging boss fights, and experiment with different weapons, abilities, and mold summons while uncovering secret paths throughout the world.
Become a stealer of forms in GRIME II, the sequel to 2021’s acclaimed action-adventure metroidvania. You are a Formless – an art mimic, absorbing creatures and summoning molds in their shape.
Venture into a new and mysterious land in the GRIME universe, where danger and wonder await around every corner. Use your surroundings in tandem with your summoned molds to overcome deadly enemies and epic bosses, all the while exploring a deep world full of diverse cultures and characters.
Create your own playstyle by choosing from a variety of abilities, weapons, and mold summons. Learn the makings of your enemies as you summon their form to both aid you in combat, as well as in exploring the various secrets paths of the world.
Features:
Molds– Absorb defeated enemies, shaping them into molds which can then be used for special attacks. Use molds to throw enemies, fire projectiles, stun, and even turn into summons.
Environmental Combat – Wherever you go, the environment provides ample opportunities to damage enemies nearby or from a distance. Be wary, for they can do the same to you!
Parry and Grasp – Send hand-tendrils to either parry enemy attacks or grasp and absorb them, drawing you closer to learning their shape.
A Lived-in World – Discover incredible locations made of painted nails and giant vases, each with its own unique civilization, culture, and deep characters to converse with.
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, and Town to City alongside upcoming releases such as Don’t Stop Girlypop!, Hark the Ghoul, Call of the Elder Gods, Grime II, Ground Zero, Retro Space, Lost Hellden, BPM Bitcrushed, Shift at Midnight, Welcome to Elderfield, Lily’s World XD, Rune Dice, Luna Abyss and Modulus.
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.
About Clover Bite
Founded in 2014, Clover Bite is the internal studio of Tiltan School of Design and Visual Communication. Harnessing industry expertise and exceptional graduates and students, it employs 7 teams working on projects spanning PC, mobile, consoles and VR, including the veteran Team Malignant, whose debut game GRIME released to critical acclaim in 2021.
The new major update brings some of the latest tanks and fighters jets
Gaijin Entertainment announces that the “Line of Contact” major content update for the online military action game War Thunder is now available to players. It brings dozens of new iconic ground, naval, and air vehicles, including the M10 Booker tank, the Terminator series tank support combat vehicles, the F/A-18E Super Hornet carrier-based fighter, and the Prince of Wales battleship. Applications for the Infantry mode Closed Beta Test have also opened on the official website, and the test itself will start in the coming weeks.
The M10 Booker is a modern American light tank with good mobility, a 105mm XM35 gun, and the best armor-piercing shell of its caliber, capable of penetrating even the best protected main battle tanks. The fire control system includes a convenient panoramic sight, a laser rangefinder, and a thermal imager. Although the M10 Booker program was canceled this year, two dozen vehicles were delivered to the troops in February 2024. In War Thunder, this tank is ideal for reconnaissance and in the sniper role.
The F/A-18E Super Hornet is a major upgrade of the F/A-18C Hornet, significantly different from the original model. For example the airframe was redesigned and is 90% different, featuring an increased proportion of composite materials. It is the most modern and advanced carrier-based 4++ generation fighter-attack aircraft in the US Navy, equipped with an active electronically scanned array radar, 11 hardpoints, a vast arsenal of smart weapons, and a convenient helmet-mounted targeting system.
The BMPT Terminator is a Russian specialized tank support vehicle. Its two 30mm automatic cannons can engage light vehicles and aircraft, while the Ataka ATGM allows for tank hunting. The first iteration of the Terminator also has an automatic 30mm AGS grenade launcher as part of its combat module. Both Terminator versions added to War Thunder use a tank chassis (T-90 or T-72), which provides good mobility and a good amount of protection compared to infantry fighting vehicles and other light vehicles.
About Gaijin Entertainment Gaijin Entertainment is the developer and publisher of the online games War Thunder, Crossout, Enlisted, CRSED: F.O.A.D. and Star Conflict as well as other PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android titles across several genres. The company’s diverse portfolio has received a range of mass media and game industry awards including such as Gamescom Award and many more. Official website: http://gaijinent.com/
About War Thunder War Thunder is a free-to-play, cross-platform, massively multiplayer military masterpiece with millions of fans worldwide, that allows players on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Mac and Linux to fight their way across air, land, and sea in the same battlefield. War Thunder offers 2000+ playable aircraft, armored vehicles and ships from the 1900s to the 2010s. The US, Russian, British, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Israeli, South African and French military vehicles represented in game are carefully researched, historically accurate recreations of their real world counterparts. Fans can expect hundreds more added as Gaijin Entertainment commits to ongoing development via regular updates. Official website: http://warthunder.com
Original team of the roguelike pioneer, alongside the Dealer’s iconic voice actor Anthony Skordi, return for upcoming launch
BRISBANE, Australia – Dec. 17, 2025 – Hordes of Fate : A Hand of Fate Adventure, the grimdark deckbuilding auto-shooter and next installment in the Hand of Fate franchise enjoyed by millions, will launch into Early Access on PC via Steam and Linux in Q2 2026. Additionally, console editions are in the cards for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S launching in 2026.
The original creators of the series, now at Spitfire Interactive, return to the criticallyacclaimed and fan-favoriteHand of Fate series nearly ten years after establishing the roguelike deckbuilding genre. Spicy Koala, the PC publishing arm of Yodo1, partners with Spitfire Interactive to elevate Hordes of Fate : A Hand of Fate Adventure by providing the resources needed to deliver a trailblazing experience once again.
“Hands of Fate is a foundational series that paved the way for talented developers who have continued to iterate on roguelike deckbuilders,” Morgan Jaffit, Director, Spitfire Interactive. “We look forward to continuing our spirit of innovation, improving upon the auto-shooter genre, integrating deckbuilding mechanics in new and exciting ways, while delivering a quintessential Hand of Fate experience that millions love.”
It wouldn’t be Hand of Fate without the enigmatic voice of the Dealer, equal parts narrator, dungeon master, and villain. Storied actor Anthony Skordi reprises the role, drawing on years of experience from roles in Star Wars Battlefront II, Mafia: The Old Country, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Mass Effect 3, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Defy fate as one of four iconic characters, using their distinct skill-sets to confront hordes upon hordes of relentless monsters. Engage in action-packed combat and grasp the reins of fate by wisely selecting from a series of equipment and ability cards offered mid-run. Grow to unimaginable levels of strength by cleverly stacking synergistic upgrades, and unlock surprising, branching encounters throughout each battle, all narrated by the infamous Dealer.
Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure will launch on PC via Steam and Linux in Q2 2026, and later on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S, with both English and Chinese voiceover. The language support includes English, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese.
To learn more, check out the official website, join the community on X and Discord, and search #HordesofFate on social media.
About Spitfire Interactive
Spitfire Interactive is a small independent developer based in sunny Brisbane, Australia, comprised of key creatives behind the Hand of Fate franchise. They are focused on creating high-quality, original titles with a small, talented team. Spitfire Interactive released their debut title, Capes, a turn-based superhero tactics game set in a world where the supervillains have won, in collaboration with Morgan Jaffit, writer on cult classic Freedom Force (2009). Capes released in May 2024.
The team is excited to be returning to the world of Hand of Fate with a new spin on the game of Life and Death. The new project, Hordes of Fate, is a deckbuilding survivor-like auto-shooter set in the Hand of Fate universe.
About Spicy Koala
Spicy Koala is the PC publishing arm of Yodo1, an experienced publishing firm renowned for its mobile hits, including Ski Safari, Rodeo Stampede, and Transformers: Earth Wars, each with hundreds of millions of downloads and lifetime revenue. The team endeavors to build, grow and monetise creative games, previously helping the Hands of Fate series achieve a thrilling success in the Chinese market.
They uphold a developer-first mindset, transparent processes, and a long-term view that focuses on building sustainable, franchise-ready games. The creation of Spicy Koala is a big step in the company’s long-term mission to support talented developers worldwide.
Splitgate 2emerges from Beta with a new era and a new name.No factions, no abilities, no limits.
Zephyr Cove, NV (Dec 17, 2025) – 1047 Games returns to the arena with SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded, which launches today on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Windows), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. 1047 also unveiled a new launch video for the portal-based shooter’s next chapter, which features five new maps, four new weapons, improved performance, a new progression system, a generous new storefront and much more.
SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded combines the best of the rewarding DNA of the original Splitgate with the innovations of Splitgate 2, delivering the ultimate Splitgateexperience. The new era of Splitgate celebrates its roots, eliminating factions and abilities while re-emphasizing the kinetic arena gameplay of classic modes like Team Deathmatch, Domination and King of the Hill. SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded also evolves the impressive movement mechanics and immersive visual worlds that distinguished Splitgate 2, delivering momentum and polish in every match.
Here’s a detailed look at what’s going live:
Five New Maps
Hammerhead: The movement never stops as the combat unfolds in a giant rolling tank.
Terra 13: A large, circular map in the valley of a mountainous space colony.
Abyss: The subterranean Splitgate fan favorite returns.
Oasis: The sun, the sand, the verticality. A port of Splitgate’s desert palm-tree playground.
Karman Station: The very first Splitgate map, reimagined.
Added a true Classic Arena mode with even starts and fixed loadouts–all players begin with an Assault Rifle and a Carbine, just like in the original Splitgate.
Added the highly requested Mode Selectfeature so players can fine-tune their preferred modes across Quickplay and select playlists, plus the ability to queue for multiple modes at once.
Added Free For All (FFA) Deathmatch, Shotty Snipers, Team SWAT, Gun Game and Team Fiesta to Quickplay mode selection.
Improved Performance, Especially for Last-Gen
Made extensive performance optimizations across the board both within Unreal Engine itself and all of the tech we have built on top of it.
Significantly improved frame rates, reduced hitching/stutters and minimized mid-match stalls.
Rebuilt Progression System
New Career Levels dramatically deepen progression opportunities, with 75 Rookie levels and 1,000 Challenger levels beyond.
New ability to earn Proelium upgrade currency.
Added player stats, unlockable weapon cosmetics and Daily Login Rewards.
New Power Weapon – Railgun: charge it to take out multiple enemies with a single beam.
New Primary Weapons – Light Machine Guns (LMGs): Velocity (large-mag), Strata (four-round burst fire) and Barrage (triple barrel chaingun that shoots three at a time).
Refreshed Audio
New in-game music, new music for climactic phase of select modes.
New audio cues for enemy portal emergence, portal gunfire and in-air movement.
UI & Visual Overhaul
New color palette emphasizing darker tones evoking arena shooter origins.
New post-match flow, including a new MVP spotlight.
New refer-a-friend feature.
Customization Enhancements to The Lab (Map Creator)
Ability to swap custom materials.
New skybox and lighting options.
New color-picker tool, refreshed gamepad controls and more.
And this is just the beginning. The team at 1047 will bring Splitgate 2’s Battle Royale and multi-team Onslaught modes with additional improvements to SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded in 2026. For more details on everything launching today, check out the full Launch Overview (https://www.splitgate.com/news/splitgate-arena-reloaded-launch-overview). We can’t wait to see you in the arena.
A vast new open-world awaits you; register on Steam now to secure your spot in the playtest!
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – 17 December 2025 – Solo indie developer ALX Theory is excited to welcome all dungeon crawler enthusiasts and MMO addicts to traverse their massive new open-world in the latest Playtest for the Steam PC melee slasher, Swordai, starting Dec. 17th and lasting through Dec. 23rd.
Grab your sword and get ready to venture through extraction MMO Swordai’s merciless new open-world trials in their upcoming playtest. With the new world, comes new enemies, each more challenging than the last. Master brutal, fast-paced directional combat, with ripostes, feints, parries, kicks, and combos all at your disposal. If your adventures are successful, you’ll be rewarded handsomely, but push too far, and you risk losing it all.
Go Beyond the Walls
A new open-world awaits you in Swordai! Go beyond the castle walls to explore a region filled with new monster types and major objectives, including the Forsaken Mines, Athari Castle, Forsaken Chapel, and the Challenges of Lava and Mist. Find soul monuments to gain permanent buffs, and uncover the region’s secrets, including over 90 chests to loot. Once you’ve built up enough strength, unlock fast travel pads and soar easily to your next destination. While PvP is still a major part of the open-world experience, collaboration is key to conquering the more challenging objectives.
Meet the Arcanist
The Arcanist, and with it potion crafting, has been added to Swordai and will be available in the upcoming playtest. Use the materials you gather during your journeys to create powerful potions and reusable healing flasks that’ll aid you in diving deeper into the world. Improve your recipes for longer-lasting buffs that you can stack to grow even deadlier.
Enhanced Player Experience
Swordai features an easy-to-learn, yet difficult-to-master combat system. Beginning with basic abilities, players will be able to pick up the combat system easily and unlock more advanced moves as they progress throughout the game. For every unique challenge a dungeon presents, players must constantly adapt to complete different levels that test their strategy and quick-time combat skills. Scaling dungeons means better loot as players progress further. The NPCs that roam these halls offer different rewards based on their region and tier.
QoL Improvements
With each new patch and playtest, Swordai continues to grow and improve. The current playtest features an update to the feint system, allowing a more fluid combat experience. It also offers a plethora of upgrades to the animations and visuals, as well as sound improvements and general optimization of the dungeons. Lastly, players can look forward to being able to bulk purchase items from the shops for more streamlined interactions.
Gameplay Features:
Compete in massive, multiplayer dungeons while traversing sprawling tower floors filled with monsters, bosses, traps, treasure, and rival players.
High-risk, high-reward gameplay that pushes players to determine if they should escape while they can or risk it all and dive deeper for better loot.
An easy-to-learn yet difficult-to-master directional combat system provides a fluid yet brutal combat experience filled with an elaborate moveset of feints, kicks, parries, and more.
Step through the portal with friends to meet up in your region’s lobby and take on the dungeons, or open-world, together.
Grow stronger with powerful abilities and upgrades as you progress through the game. The more dungeons you conquer, the harder you’ll hit back against the NPCs in between you and your hard-earned loot.
Level up your alchemy skill and craft potions to give yourself a fighting chance in your next dive, with reusable healing flasks and combat elixirs that unlock and improve the more you play.
If you’re interested in getting in on the action, sign up for the playtest now through Swordai’s Steam page.
About ALX Theory
ALX Theory LLC is a one-man operation by Alex Sutherland, a solo developer from Las Vegas, Nevada. Combining two of his favorite genres, melee slashers and dungeon crawlers, Alex is making the game he’s always wanted to play with Swordai– and he can’t wait to share it with the world.
Templar Brings Gate Zeroto AmericaFest 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona This Week
ALPHARETTA, GA – DECEMBER 17, 2025 – Video game publisher Templar Media today announced its strategic acquisition of Bible X, the Norwegian development studio behind the highly anticipated time-travel action-adventure title, Gate Zero. This partnership secures the long-term future of the Gate Zero intellectual property and provides Bible X with the support to deliver its story to a global audience, including its recently confirmed plans to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
“From the moment we saw Gate Zero, we knew it had enormous potential as a high quality game that was being created for a massive, yet underserved gaming audience,” said John Gibson, CEO and founder of Templar Media. “With this acquisition we can now apply the full experience, support and resources of Templar Media into creating the incredible ‘Entertainment First’ experience that gamers worldwide have been asking for.”
This acquisition by Templar Media marks a cornerstone investment for the new publisher founded by Gibson, a 25-year games industry veteran. The company’s “Entertainment First!” philosophy is central to its mission of bringing great experiences likeGate Zero to the market. For Bible X, this acquisition provides the resources and support to fully realize its ambitious goals.
“Templar Media gives us the stability and strategic support to fulfill our original vision and expand on it,” said Arve Solli, studio head of Bible X. Our goal from the very beginning of the project has been to take players on a fun and engaging journey back in time, allowing them to experience firsthand the events of the Bible during one of the most pivotal and significant moments in history. Now, we have even greater tools and resources to bring this vision to life in an even more powerful, immersive, and high-quality way. “As proven by the commercial success of TV and movies like The Chosen and The King of Kings, there’s a massive audience seeking top-tier content that explores their values. With Gate Zero, we plan to meet that demand with a full-featured, story-rich video game that allows the player to explore the history and stories found in the Bible, in a grounded and historically accurate way.”
Faith-based media has seen continued momentum with titles like Sound of Freedom grossing over $250 million worldwide, while streaming platforms and studios significantly increased their investment in religious content (WSJ). At the same time, overall music streaming growth is slowing – but Christian and gospel genres are bucking the trend, continuing to rise in popularity and engagement (AP).
Bible X first illustrated its creative talents with a very successful Kickstarter campaign that hit 100% of its goal of €200,000 within 79 hours – signaling strong audience interest. The story-rich action-adventure video game sends players on a journey back in time through the Bible to complete missions, evade capture and uncover and restore the real version of history.
ABOUT TEMPLAR MEDIA Based in Atlanta, GA, Templar Media is a video game publishing and media company founded by 25-year game industry veteran John Gibson. With an “Entertainment First!” philosophy, Templar goes beyond traditional funding and marketing by prioritizing a “Relational Publishing” approach, fostering deep partnerships with development teams to ensure mutual success. Leveraging its extensive experience from franchises likeKilling Floor, Maneater, and Chivalry 2, Templar is poised to bring unforgettable, high-quality gaming experiences to a global audience.
ABOUT BIBLE X Bible X is a Norwegian game studio founded in 2020 as part of the BCC Media. We strongly believe in the powerful medium of gaming and its role in engaging, educating and inspiring youth today. Our goal is to take players back to the source and allow them to experience the message of Jesus in a modern and immersive way. Gate Zero is our debut game.
ABOUT GATE ZERO Gate Zero is a historical, semi open-world action-adventure with sci-fi elements, set in a dystopian future where a ruthless global regime is the sole arbiter of truth. Journey with Max, who discovers his late parents’ hidden time machine during his grandmother’s arrest by the authorities. Complete missions, evade capture, assist legendary Biblical figures, and unravel intricate riddles that reveal profound truths, as you learn the extreme lengths the regime will go in order to ensure true history is never known. Overcome oppressive Roman forces and battle evil entities in limbo between future and past, as you work to save your grandmother, history, and the future!
Studio Wildcard Reveals Bob’s New Look, Urban’s Expanded Role, and Exclusive Cinematic Tease During Snail Games Investor Day
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 17, 2025 – Studio Wildcard has announced that Karl Urban (The Boys, Dredd, The Lord of the Rings) will expand his creative partnership with the ARK franchise, returning to voice fan-favorite character “Bob” in ARK: Lost Colony and lending his likeness for the upcoming 2026 slate of new Bob-focused content for ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA). The news was revealed during yesterday’s Snail Games Investor Day, where Wildcard co-founder and Development Director Jeremy Stieglitz presented ARK franchise updates.
The first in-game screenshot of Bob has been revealed, showcasing a redesigned model in Urban’s likeness as well as confirming new voiceover performances including Bob’s True Tales: Tides of Fortune and Bob’s True Tales: Galaxy Wars, both highlighted in the ARK: Survival Ascended 2026-2027 roadmap.
“I’ve had a blast working with the ARK creative team, and I’m excited to step deeper into Bob’s world,” said Urban. “The new look, the expanded story, the tone – they’re all coming together in a really fun way. Bob is an extravagantly boastful personality who is a riot to bring to life and I can’t wait for players to see what’s next.”
First appearing in ARK: The Animated Series and featured as the grandiose narrator in ARK: Bob’s Tall Tales, Bob has quickly become one of the most outlandish characters in the ARK universe. Known for his self-aggrandizing claims in the franchise’s history, his charismatic presence as an ARK veteran – whose success is fueled more by luck than extraordinary ability – has made him a fan-favorite within the ARK community.
“ARK fans love Bob. They were…let’s just say passionate when he was killed in the opening of the animated series, but luckily death can be impermanent in the world of ARK.” said Stieglitz. “Bringing Karl’s likeness into the game closes the gap between the voice fans know and the 3D character they’ll now see on-screen. Karl already has the strong, ‘all-American’ look of Bob, so it just made sense. With so much content coming, this is the right moment to fully portray the character within ARK: Survival Ascended.”
Lost Colony drops Survivors into a vast occupied city where they become the hunted, unlocking powerful new kinds of character abilities, unique gear, building systems, and exotic tames. Will Survivors be able to face down the demons lurking in Arat Prime, and bridge ARK’s past and future? Players can find out when ARK: Lost Colony launches December 18.
Buy the Lost Colony Expansion Pass ($29.99) now to unlock exclusive ARK: Lost Colony preview gameplay content for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC platforms.
Studio Wildcard also confirmed that ARK: Survival Ascended has now surpassed 4 million units sold since launch. For the latest updates, join the ARK Survivor’s conversation on Discord, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, visit our website at playark.com and watch us tame ‘n train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.
ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD Since revealing its flagship game ARK: Survival Evolved in 2015, Studio Wildcard has tirelessly strived to bring its dinosaur-filled vision to the masses. With millions of players worldwide, the team has delivered an amazing amount of new content and leveraged cutting-edge technology to keep fans engaged. With a transmedia universe, the ARK story can be discovered on all gaming platforms, within spin-off titles, and now as a new epic narrative featuring a star-studded cast in ARK: The Animated Series on Paramount+. www.studiowildcard.com
A supernatural deduction adventure where logic and psychic powers collide
Team Tetrapod and Gamepia are excited to announce three major updates for the supernatural deduction adventure Staffer Retro: A Supernatural Mystery Quest: a newly updated key art, the second official trailer, and a free playable demo releasing on Steam.
The new key art visually reflects the emotional undertones of the story — an inverted world and a girl falling into the sea, hinting that the narrative behind the calm surface is far from purely bright.
The newly released second official trailer captures the world of Staffer Retro: A Supernatural Mystery Quest and the core appeal of the game, portraying the supernatural mysteries the protagonist confronts and the emotional shifts that unfold on the path toward the truth in a cinematic way.
This new footage introduces the mysterious tool known as “Staff,” a relic with supernatural power, and the journey to uncover its forgotten past, hinting at a world where what is shown on the surface and what lies beneath tell two very different stories.
The trailer suggests that the first answer is not always the real one; there is another story hidden behind the obvious, and the player’s deduction can expose it — or overwrite it. In a world where logic and psychic powers collide, players reconstruct the past, rewrite their own conclusions, and overturn the truth itself, creating a distinctive and tension-filled deduction experience.
The second official trailer reinforces the chilling yet beautiful tone that defines Staffer Retro, highlighting its emotional contrasts, striking atmosphere, and thematic depth.
The trailer is now available on the official YouTube channel.
Players can now experience the entire first case of the full game in a free Steam demo.
The demo supports five languages at launch: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
Staffer Retro: A Supernatural Mystery Quest is currently in development for a global release in 2026.
Get ready to meet your new manager in the game’s latest update, and prepare to shop the game on the PlayStation storefront.
Riga, Latvia, 17 December 2025 | VR publisher and development studio HyperVR is thrilled to announce the latest update for their shopkeeping title, Shop & Stuff. The update introduces players to The Boss, your new manager tasked with teaching you the basics of running a successful store. The update is live on Meta Quest, and Shop & Stuff is coming soon to PlayStation VR 2.
A Bossy Update
Shop & Stuff is a chaotic VR supermarket simulator where running a store is anything but ordinary. Stock shelves, deal with eccentric customers, and scramble to clean up their messes before chaos ensues. In the latest update, encounter The Boss. As your manager, he will guide you through the onboarding of the game, teaching you important tips and tricks for running the store. The game’s layout is updated to include the Boss’s Office; to unlock the office, simply upgrade the store to the second level in the purchasing machine. Other than guiding you through the tutorials, the boss will “encourage” you to work faster, maximizing the profitability of the store. For that, he’ll point out things that you should take care of throughout the day. It’s your call to obey him or decide to do things your way.
The Customer Is Always Right
Clumsy customers may drop items, turning the floor into a disaster zone, and shoplifters may try to cut into store profits by stealing items off the shelves. Fend them off using new defensive items, such as a baseball bat or a flamethrower, to drive them out of the store. Customers can also be hit by cars passing by on the road, which will make them fly away. Looking for extra shenanigans? Try feeding food or flies to unruly customers to trigger some nasty reactions.
Putting the ‘Super’ in Supermarket
Alongside your daily shopkeeping tasks of restocks and checkouts, keep tabs on the bigger picture to grow your roadside shop into a bustling business. Maintain your equipment to keep the store functional, and manage customer interactions to ensure a smooth shopping experience. Charm customers at checkout for a successful shopping experience and restock the shelves with in-demand items. After a hard day of work, invest your earnings to expand your shop. New equipment is available for purchase, such as self-checkouts and coffee machines. Christmas decorations are also available in the latest update, bringing some festive cheer to your bustling storefront!
Early Access Features:
Manage customers, restock shelves, and grow your business in this quirky supermarket simulator!
Keep up with the wild antics of your visitors and be prepared to encounter unruly shoplifters.
At closing time, purchase upgrades for the store to increase shopper sentiment and your stock capacity.
Interact with The Boss in the latest update for an introduction to shopkeeping and some stern oversight into the store’s profit margins.
Customers can now be hit by cars passing by on the road, which will make them fly away.
You can now feed food, flies and poop to characters, which might trigger some nasty reactions!
Eccentric interactions and easy-to-understand mechanics make Shop & Stuff a family favorite for the holidays!
Shop & Stuff’s latest update is available now on the Meta Store. For updates on the game’s PSVR2 launch.
About HyperVR
HyperVR Games is a virtual reality game development and publishing company based in Riga, Latvia, focused on creating immersive and interactive casual experiences. Its titles include Shave & Stuff, Pets & Stuff, Shop & Stuff, Titans Clinic, My Perfect Date and Hide the Corpse.
It came as something of a surprise to learn that when Routine was released it had actually been a game that was first announced over thirteen years ago. Despite the slew of horror games and retro-futuristic titles that came afterwards, Lunar Software persisted with their vision in creating a horror game that does everything it can to make sure players are kept on their toes as well as immersed in the experience as possible by leaving them hanging with every puzzle and navigating the creepy halls of the lunar base. The question is, while the wait was a long one, has Routine turned out to be a success, or a routine failure?
Story
Players take on the role of an unnamed software engineer that has been sent up to the Union Plaza space station on the Moon to fix an apparently malfunctioning security system. The only problem is, after the designated time required to “isolate” after arriving on the moon base it becomes apparent that something has gone incredibly wrong. What should be a popular tourist location with plenty of staff is instead a ghost town with only a few notes left about what an engineer should do if they find themselves stuck. This includes gathering the Cosmonaut Assistance Tool (referred to as C.A.T.) which serves as the engineer’s primary way to interact with consoles, maintenance hatches, and more. After acquiring the first module that allows the C.A.T. to send out bursts of electricity, the player enters deeper into the Union Plaza only to find that isolation was far from the worst thing awaiting them.
Instead, not only are they presented with an elaborate sequence to properly shut down the security system that has gone haywire, but the massive robots that are now patrolling the halls see everything as a threat, including the Engineer, and will pursue and eliminate them without a second thought. If they can catch them that is. Soon players learn the routines of the robots as they go about and work through their own routine of trying to fix and make this unknown phenomenon on the space station right, but as soon as they do things go far from routine as Routine takes a major twist in its second half, pivoting from retro-futuristic survival to survival horror. Things go far into the deep end once players delve into the lore and uncover what really happened, or seems to have actually happened, to those who once called this lunar base home.
Routine is an incredibly interesting game to play and it makes the most out of its storytelling through atmosphere, context clues scattered around the environments players explore, and the many notes, emails, videos, and even tape-recordings of former residents to put things together. The story the game has to tell is fairly interesting but it is also so hands-off that players who aren’t paying close attention or reading every terminal they come across, which is something that can be hard to do since the game never pauses, may miss out on some context. Very little is actually clearly spelled out, though most of the story elements should be easy to grasp for many, and it makes previous elements of the story make far more sense as well, especially the actions the security system was taking in the first half of the game.
That being said, Routine does feel like something of a mashup of two storylines squished together. While the general gameplay remains the same, the way events unfold, threats, and even the overall tone of the exploration takes on a different feeling entirely past the halfway point. Whether this was intentional or a result of the game’s lengthy and troubled development period is unknown but it is quite noticeable and those who like the earlier aspects of the title’s style may find themselves disappointed in the end, even if the storyline goes to some real strange places.
Gameplay
Routine makes for an incredibly interesting game primarily thanks to the fact that, outside of the things that want to kill the engineer and the second half twist the storyline takes, most of what the player will actually be doing would be considered “routine.” Only it also happens to be in the clunkiest way possible to try and immerse players into the feeling of the retro-futuristic vision entirely. The tutorial demonstrates how players will be able to move, run, crouch/crawl, but then go even a step further by holding RB to duck even lower to examine under tight spaces, lean around corners to take and look for danger, and even stand on the tips of their toes to peek over things.
Once players obtain their C.A.T. things get a bit more complicated thanks to the way that the device is handled. The C.A.T. serves as the player’s one and only real tool for survival (beyond running away) and interacting with the space station’s systems. This includes connecting wirelessly to projectors that let players save their game, review their objectives, and even look up a code they may have forgotten, as well as use the primary fire of the C.A.T. to shock open doors and robots as well. The unfortunate thing is, every blast of electricity takes one battery charge and every battery only has three charges before it is depleted and players cannot carry more than one battery around at a time, meaning if they have burned through their entire C.A.T. battery means they’ll need to run away to find more batteries or desperately dig out a depleted one from a recycled station for a final shot.
The interesting thing is, the Type-05 robots players will need to deal with cannot be destroyed. In fact it takes a well-placed shot to even properly disable them with an electric jolt and even this is temporary. Instead players will need to use their ears as best as possible, and their sense of direction, to try and avoid drawing the robots’ attention or finding a safe place to hide from their clunking heavy foot-steps. Thankfully the robots are rather… dumb and can be avoided once players get the hang of things and it is interesting to note that the security system can apparently only have one robot active at a time, meaning hearing one moving somewhere else can leave players able to sneak past another, though whether it will activate suddenly can be a jumpscare waiting to happen. Should players be caught by a Type-05 they will not instantly be killed, as the robot will throw them a short distance away, giving players a chance to scurry away or take a pot-shot but if they are caught again too quickly they will be killed.
Routine does make use of manual saving and it also makes use of the occasional autosave here and there when players complete specific tasks, though players will always want to save as often as possible as well as write down, or screenshot, any codes they’ve uncovered up until that point for a puzzle. This is because not only does the game not feature any type of pause system, meaning enemies can and will come and kill the player in the pause menu, something that is incredibly annoying, or even when interacting with computers in the game, but also because all codes are randomized for every playthrough. While the locations may remain the same, everything will be randomized from playthrough to playthrough so there is no easy way out.
The C.A.T. itself also features a number of complicated aspects beyond simply the electric blaster and the unique way its “screen” is displayed like a 10 fps monitor. While battery reloads happen manually, other aspects such as swapping between modules that the player acquires through the game such as a UV style view-screen and a door unlocking blast that unlocks security doors, all happen manually. This means players will need to pull up their C.A.T., drag the cursor around to swap on the security module and open up a door only to then need to repeat the process and activate the module for UV or even the electric blaster if needed, all while something out there may want to decapitate them. The same can be said regarding saving and even “degaussing” as players will need to manually press the wireless connection button on the side of the C.A.T. and coming nearby odd machinery can create feedback that warps the in-game screen and C.A.T.’s display and the only way to fix it is with a tap of the degauss button.
All of these systems, be it fiddling with the C.A.T., fiddling with the computer screens to read information and clues to a puzzle, or fiddling with a keypad all mean that players will need to have their heads screwed on tight when playing Routine. Especially since there are no objective markers, clue reminders, or even hints to go off of besides what the player has found within the notes themselves. This means puzzle solutions are incredibly challenging or incredibly simplistic to the point that players may knock themselves in the head at how easy it might be. That being said, it does feel like some of the more unique puzzle solving elements really don’t come into play as often as they should.
One of the most challenging puzzles arrives in Chapter 4, requiring everything the player has learned so far all while pitting them against an incredibly dangerous threat unlike what they’ve seen before, and that is the hardest puzzle in the game. From that point on they are incredibly basic and even the aforementioned leaning, ducking, and peeking mechanics rarely come into play beyond once or twice. It feels as if the title started to lose steam near the end, especially once the big twist and eventual outcome started to reveal itself. Sure, there were plenty of tense moments still and a few jumpscares, but the puzzles and dangers felt lackluster past chapter four which is a real shame given Routine’s roughly six hour length.
Audio & Visuals
Lunar Software has done an incredible job creating a retro-futuristic feeling to the lunar base that the player will explore. Many locations players travel through will have little bits of atmospheric storytelling to go along with simply navigating these cassette-future halls in the first half and the designs of the Type-05 robots are perfectly creepy and humanoid at the same time while the oddity in the last half is suitably just as twisted for as much of a threat as it turns out to be. The second half of the game is similarly well-designed with a more brutalist style and more creepy remnants of the horrors that befell those that once lived there. It is a bit disappointing that players spend only a handful of fairly brief moments actually walking the lunar surface despite how impressive it looks to stare off at the planet and sun in the sky. It is also worth noting that, despite the limited areas in the game, there is actually quite a bit of backtracking players will need to do, especially in the latter half.
It must be emphasized that the developers really wish for players to play Routine with headphones or surround sound on if at all possible and doing so will make for the best experience and chance to survive. Navigating the halls while listening for the persistent thudding feet of robots or the creepy cries and mumbles of the oddity work exceptionally well here and the atmospheric sense of hearing crumbling machinery crackling along, sparking devices barely hanging in there, and more make for navigating the halls all the more eerie when heard in this manner. There is an English voice track for the audio logs and the voice work is handled well, including during the few cutscenes, but there is not much in the way of actual voicework throughout the game.
Overall
Routine was over a decade in the making and while the wait may have been a long one, Lunar Software has delivered one heck of a scary game that checks plenty of boxes. Difficult puzzles combined with interesting enemies and ways to avoid/combat them while never truly feeling safe makes Routine stand out amongst the games that came after it was announced, especially thanks to its rather unique storyline twist. That being said, it does tend to feel like two thoughts compressed into one given how abrupt the shift is, even if it is hinted slightly during the first half. Combine that with the annoying inability to pause and the way puzzles fall off in the latter half of the game and Routine serves up a fine horror dish to start with but stumbles at the end, delivering an interesting take on the genre and a rather unique take on space horror.
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