EMPATHY: PATH OF WHISPERS OUT NOW FOR PC

Haarlem, The Netherlands – May 16, 2017 – Developer Pixel Night and publisher Iceberg Interactive announce the release of their first-person adventure game, Empathy: Path of Whispers. Players can now purchase this surreal and atmospheric experience at a SRP of $19.99, through Steam and other digital retailers. To celebrate, Empathy: Path of Whispers will have a 20% discount for the week of launch.

In addition, the soundtrack to Empathy: Path of Whispers, composed by Nicolai Patricio and featuring 16 tracks, is available as free downloadable content through Steam.

“With Empathy we set out to seamlessly integrate environmental narrative storytelling into a first-person adventure game.” says Anton Pustovoyt, lead developer at Pixel Night. “You actively need to find, decipher and experience memories left behind by people long gone, in order to unlock the secrets and mysteries of this strange and monumental world that once was. As a player you’ll be led through a rabbit hole and end up more curious than Alice was.”

Pustovoyt continues: “We especially focused on building Empathy’s surreal world, creating multiple areas with a distinct look and feel to get lost in. We want our player to feel charmed, unsettled, intrigued, haunted by their own theories of what could’ve happened. Experiencing a beautiful and evocative environment that’s completely and utterly devoid of life is something we sought to highlight and, hopefully, accomplished with Empathy: Path of Whispers.”

In Empathy: Path of Whispers, players must explore a seemingly abandoned world through the emotions and memories of the people who once inhabited it, trying to restore the world’s lost balance as you journey through its past. With a strong focus on storytelling and exploration, players will find themselves in a strange world created from people’s emotions and memories, which can be manipulated and explored. Those lost memories are the key to rebuilding the crumbling world back to its former state, discovering its mysterious past and halting an impending apocalypse. Through its innovative narrative mechanics, the game will challenge the player to explore and gain an understanding of the weird world they are traveling through.

Stay up-to-date with the latest Empathy: Path of Whispers news and information on the official website www.empathygame.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/empathygame, Twitter at https://twitter.com/Empathy_Game and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/iceberginteractive.

ABOUT PIXEL NIGHT

Pixel Night is a newly founded studio based in Stockholm, Sweden, consisting of talented individuals with broad backgrounds in all aspects of game development, from programming and art to design and writing. Their passion is exploring and expanding the limits of storytelling in games, creating atmospheric worlds that are full of secrets waiting to be discovered.

ABOUT ICEBERG INTERACTIVE

Iceberg Interactive is an independent video game publisher founded in 2009 by an international group of games industry veterans and is located in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Staffed with avid gamers, Iceberg works closely with an international assembly of game developers, both midsize and indie. Garnering attention with acclaimed releases over recent years, including Killing Floor 2, Endless Space, Endless Legend, StarDrive 2 and Starpoint Gemini 2, the company has an exceptional line-up, including Oriental Empires, Starpoint Gemini Warlords, Dawn of Andromeda, Empathy, Conarium and Rising Storm 2: Vietnam – with further promising games in the pipeline.
Play it cool!

SATIRICAL JRPG AKIBA’S BEAT PHASES INTO REALITY WITH DELUSION-DEFYING LAUNCH TRAILER

NEETs, Normies, and Otaku Rejoice – Developer ACQUIRE’s Fantastical Akihabara Adventure and Spiritual Successor to AKIBA’S TRIP Now Available on PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita

Torrance, Calif. – May 16, 2017 – XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., is proud to announce today that AKIBA’S BEAT, developer ACQUIRE’s highly anticipated satirical JRPG, is now available in North America for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system. Available in digital and physical formats, the title is XSEED Games’s largest voiceover project to date, featuring English language audio for the game’s nearly 22,000 spoken lines in addition to the option for original Japanese audio.

A launch trailer was released in celebration of the eagerly awaited Akihabara adventure, setting the stage for the whimsical antics and action that await prospective destroyers of delusion

“I recommend this game for anyone who is interested in Japanese culture, and I believe Western players will experience a fun and unique adventure in Akihabara through this title,” said Kohta Takano, Director of AKIBA’S BEAT at ACQUIRE. “The message that I would like to convey through AKIBA’S BEAT is that people should try not to dwell too much on the past, or stick with something just because they’re used to it – there’s still so much to look forward to in the future.”

A spiritual successor to AKIBA’S TRIP: Undead & Undressed, AKIBA’S BEAT is a modern-day satirical spin on the classic Japanese RPG formula. Set in a true-to-life recreation of Tokyo’s Akihabara district (“Akiba” for short), players will take control of a party of characters led by protagonist Asahi Tachibana as they seek to rid the town of anything out of sync with reality during a repeating Sunday from which none of them are able to break away.

There are two sides to the gameplay: first, players will wander the streets and question the quirky Akihabara residents on a variety of subjects related to the mystery at hand, ultimately unlocking fantasy-themed dungeons known as “Delusionscapes” which are infested with monsters called “deluseons.” These deluseons are encountered on the map and fought in a party-based action battle system, putting players’ skills to the test and creating a uniquely challenging experience that seamlessly blends a real-life locale with the secret delusory world of its residents’ innermost desires.

AKIBA’S BEAT also features dual audio support with both English and Japanese language dialog options covering each of its nearly 22,000 spoken lines. Further information on the game’s characters, narrative, and otaku offerings can be found on the recently launched website at http://www.akibasbeat.com.

Developed by ACQUIRE and published in North America by XSEED Games, AKIBA’S BEAT is now available on the PS4™ and “PSVita” systems for $49.99 and $39.99 MSRP respectively.  This title has been rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB. PQube will be bringing the title to Europe on May 19.

For more information on XSEED Games products, please visit www.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook at www.facebook.com/XSEEDGames and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/XSEEDGames.

VENTURE TO MARS WITH ROKH – ADAPTIVE SURVIVAL GAME AVAILABLE NOW ON STEAM

Conquer Mars Cooperatively as you Build Customized Colonies on the Red Planet

Paris, France – May 16, 2017 – Darewise Entertainment and Nvizzio Creations are offering gamers the adventure of a lifetime – a (virtual) trip to Mars! Created by a team of esteemed artistic minds behind games including Thief, Half Life 2, Dishonored, Age of Conan and Assassin’s Creed, ROKH is set on the planet Mars and features a persistent world and multiplayer co-op. This trip won’t require anyone to go to astronaut school, or live in a cramped colony ship, enjoy the stunning experience that is ROKH, available on Steam today.

“ROKH is more than just a sci-fi survival game, it’s a complete colonization experience, with tailored crafting and construction, all taking place  in a lovingly crafted visual world and wrapped up in a mysterious story,” said Benjamin Charbit, CEO, Darewise Entertainment. “We’ve focused our development efforts on cooperative building and crafting which brings free from creation to the genre.”

Available now on Early Access for $24.99 (USD), ROKH challenges players to uncover the cause of the destruction of the previous Mars colonies, while building new ones and restoring communications with Earth – all while adapting to the hostile Martian environment and creating the tools they need to survive and thrive on the forbidding Red Planet.

http://www.youtu.be/PJSQtPwAChU

In ROKH, players must explore the Martian landscape as they scavenge through deserted human structures to gather the resources they need to survive. With few blueprints, players must use their ingenuity to create tools from a variety of materials and construct their own encampments with no design limitations.

ROKH places players on a cold and dry land that harbors a wealth of resources to extract and exploit. Players will explore Mars, paving the way for settlers to come, as Earth’s resources are tapped and the planet is dying. Mars is a hostile planet where joining forces with friends increases efficiency, and invites trade and barter to develop a habitable and customizable ecosystem.

If you are interested in an Early Access preview code for ROKH please request one here or contact Danitra Alomia ([email protected]). To learn more about ROKH, visit www.rokhthegame.com. ‘Like’ the game on Facebook and follow the game’s development on Twitter @Rokhthegame for all the latest developer updates and news.

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ABOUT DAREWISE ENTERTAINMENT:
A first-of-its-kind video game executive production company, Darewise includes a number of game industry elites from Ubisoft, EA and Valve, including Viktor Antonov and Randy Smith. Inspired by the movie industry production houses, we create game concepts and IP, and then partner with talented studios to develop them.  For more information, please visit http://www.darewise.com.

ABOUT NVIZZIO CREATIONS:
In early 2015, Nvizzio Creations spun off Funcom’s game development teams in Montreal, Canada. The studio is now working with some of the most innovative game publishers in the world, making iconic live games through creative design excellence, efficient execution and unparalleled attention to detail. For more information, please visit www.nvizzio.com.

LET IT DIE REACHES THREE MILLION MANIACS

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – May 16, 2017 – GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc. and Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. (Grasshopper)’s LET IT DIE, the chaotic, over-the-top, free-to-play, hack & slash survival action game on PlayStation®4 (PS4™) has passed three million downloads in North America, Europe, and Asia on Monday, May 15.

Grasshopper continues to bring a bundle of new content to LET IT DIE in its first year, including all-new foes such as WHITE STEEL, the first of the 4 FORCEMEN who slashed his way into The Tower of Barbs in April. In addition, players can expect more updates in June, like brand new areas in the tower, as well as new decals and equipment, such as the Thunder Rod weapon and Warrior armor.

Further details on the June update will be available soon. Players can stay up-to-date on the latest news for LET IT DIE at the following locations:

Website: www.letitdiethegame.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/letitdiethegame
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LETITDIETheGame

For an in-depth look at what’s to come, watch the recent LET IT DIE developer livestream here: www.twitch.tv/videos/138670554.

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About LET IT DIE

From Grasshopper, the creative minds behind Lollipop Chainsaw and No More Heroes comes LET IT DIE! Die to survive in this free-to-play hack and slash survival action game. Set in a post-apocalyptic Japan, players start with little more than their undergarments and must forage for powerful weapons and armor to do battle with the over-the-top ultraviolent future that waits. LET IT DIE is a PlayStation 4 exclusive title available now and has been downloaded over three million times.

For more information on LET IT DIE please visit:

Official site: www.letitdiethegame.com
Follow on Twitter:https://twitter.com/letitdiethegame
Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LETITDIETheGame

About Grasshopper Manufacture

Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. (Grasshopper) with GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. is a video game development studio based in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Grasshopper was founded in 1998 by CEO Goichi Suda (SUDA51), who is known around the world for his distinctive style and innovative work as a game designer and scenario writer.

About GungHo Online Entertainment America

GungHo Online Entertainment America Inc. (GOEA) is a multiplatform publisher dedicated to delivering the best titles, content and support for the online gaming community. Established in 2012 and led by former Square Enix and XSEED Games executive Jun Iwasaki, GOEA is the US subsidiary of GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. (GOE), an established Japanese publisher. GOEA’s content partners include leading developers Grasshopper Manufacture, Game Arts, Acquire, and Gravity, all of which are subsidiaries of GOE. GOEA publishes and distributes network-oriented games for console, handheld, mobile, tablet, and MMO-style games for PC. GOEA is located in El Segundo, CA. For more information, visit www.gunghoonline.com.

GREY BOX, SIX FOOT AND YAGER’S SPACESHIP ACTION GAME DREADNOUGHT WARPS INTO OPEN BETA ON WINDOWS PC TODAY

HOUSTON and BERLIN – May 16, 2017 – Grey Box, Six Foot and independent developer YAGER have announced the launch of the Windows PC open beta of the class-based spaceship action game Dreadnought. New captains can download the game and play in open beta now by visiting www.Dreadnought.com. Dreadnought’s open beta is free-to-play, but players can purchase specialized Hero Ships, experience boosts and cosmetic add-ons for their vessels.

Open beta introduces Ixion, Dreadnought’s biggest map yet. Situated in space 60,000 kilometers above Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, this new battleground forces players to maneuver around the colossal orbital ring that dominates its center. Narrow gaps within the superstructure allow ships to cross from one side to the other, but players must be wary of what dangers lurk on the other side. Open beta also adds night variations for two existing maps: Rings of Saturn and Red Sands.

Dreadnought puts players in command of massive capital ships on the front lines of tactical team battles across a variety of competitive online multiplayer modes. Captains must master their vessels and work together to succeed, utilizing their team’s strengths while exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses. There are more than 50 playable ships, spread across five distinct classes, that players can choose from to build their fleets. From close-quarters combat to long-range assault and strategic support, each vessel is designed to bring unique specializations to the fight and can be further customized with an array of weapons, modules, coatings and decals.

Dreadnought will continue to receive new content, features, balancing and more with regular updates guided by community feedback throughout open beta. The game is also currently in closed beta on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, which players can sign up for at www.dreadnought.com/ps4. For the latest information as Dreadnought progresses, please follow the title on Facebook, Twitter and Twitch.

About Grey Box

Grey Box is a video game publishing brand that champions the idea that games are an influential art form and players should be treated as sophisticated consumers. Grey Box aims to set a unique standard for quality in interactive entertainment. www.greybox.com

About Six Foot

Six Foot was founded in 2000 as an interactive agency, building digital experiences designed to make connections between people, brands and technology more human and meaningful. Now, as a full-service games company with offices in Houston, Los Angeles and Berlin, we apply that same passion to building extraordinary video games and providing creative direction, marketing and brand management, front- and back-end development, customer service and community support for game publishers. www.6ft.com

About YAGER

Founded in 1999 in the heart of Berlin, YAGER is one of the gaming veterans of AAA development. The award-winning studio is dedicated to the creation of vivid and meaningful multi-platform gaming experiences. The YAGER team comprises gaming enthusiasts, technical experts and creative minds from across the world who all share a passion for great action games. YAGER is recognized for its gripping military shooter Spec Ops: The Line. www.yager.de

Rocking Pilot – The Heavy Metal Twin Stick Shoot ‘Em Up from Mad Head Games is Out Now on Steam

Bring the Heat with Dual Ranged and Close-Quarters Combat in this Hardcore, Hard Rock Shooter!

May 16th, 2017 – Novi Sad, Serbia – Independent developer Mad Head Games, today announced that Rocking Pilot, its twin-stick shoot ‘em up, is out now on Steam. Developed in collaboration between Mad Head Games and Gungrounds, Rocking Pilot is the first release through Mad Head’s new Indie Accelerator Program. Rocking Pilot  is available now on PC via Steam for $5.99/£4.79/€5.99 and will be launching on PS4 at a later date. Rocking Pilot is an irreverent single player top-down shooter that combines combo high score chasing, cartoony graphics, fast-paced arcade gameplay, a heavy rock soundtrack and crazy weapons into one awesome package.

“Today we celebrate the launch of Rocking Pilot on Steam! I’m so proud of the team at Mad Head and Gungrounds for delivering such an awesome shooter.” said Nenad Tomic, CEO of Mad Head Games. “We wanted to create something that feels simple, yet offers a lot depth once you get your teeth into it. I think that once players get into the game, they will really enjoy the fast-paced gameplay, deep upgrade system and addictive high-score chasing of the leaderboards.”

In the world of Rocking Pilot, war has become a televised entertainment program run by WYNC Studio 1. After a rigorous training regime of watching hundreds of action movies, “The Pilot” is now combat trained. He’s ready to become a reality TV star, but more importantly find a way to put an end to all this madness.

Featuring intuitive twin-stick controls and deadly bullet hell arenas, Rocking Pilot will have test players to the max as they rack up high scores with the combo system by defeating enemies. On top of your traditional arsenal of machine guns, rockets and more, your chopper’s propellers have been replaced with deadly rotor blades, allowing for simultaneous carnage from close-quarters and long range. Levels also have optional objectives that will increase your score and earn you more cash to spend on new chopper skills, weapon upgrades and more. With a punk spirit, zany characters and fast-paced arcade gameplay, Rocking Pilot is a contemporary version of the classic shoot ‘em ups of the 90s consoles and arcades!

Additional Rocking Pilot Features:

• Loaded with content! 42 missions, 4 worlds and a huge number of enemies! Play the story campaign, 16 score missions, and 4 survival challenges.
• A powerful arsenal of upgrades and ways to combine them! Use everything from lasers and mini-guns to nukes and rotor blades.
• Rotor blades! Activate your overdrive to deflect bullets and survive environmental harm or use it to cut through opponents – quick thinking is required.
• Collectables galore! 76 trophies, 96 crowns and 34 skulls in the main campaign, plus optional missions for greater rewards.
• Online score challenges and leaderboards! Compete with friends and other players around the world to see who is the ultimate pilot.

Check out the Rocking Pilot launch trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4-yTJDuEBo

Rocking Pilot is available now on PC via Steam, priced at $5.99/£4.79/€5.99. For more information head to the game’s Steam Page. Rocking Pilot is also planned to launch for PS4 at a later date.

About Mad Head Games
Mad Head Games was founded in 2011, built on solid foundations of ambition, friendship and talent. We quickly grew to become a true powerhouse of the HOPA scene. With our 18 titles so far, we’ve redefined the genre and established ourselves as one of the leading casual adventure developers in the world. “Always ready to break new ground, we’re about to reinvent ourselves yet again with our upcoming projects in genres beyond the casual space while retaining our high-standards and a desire to push the industry forward”.