Defend Hell’s final pyre across three battlegrounds simultaneously

LOS ANGELES (July 25, 2024) – Good Shepherd Entertainment today announced that Monster Train, the critical hit roguelike deckbuilder from developer Shiny Shoe that has reached over 1.5 million players, is now available on PlayStation 5. Step into the fires of strategic warfare for $24.99: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1050-PPSA21237_00-0150826995025525

Today’s news was accompanied by a look at the tactical hellscapes you’ll face in Monster Train:

An adored critical success across PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox, Monster Train challenges you with defending Hell’s final pyre against celestial forces in a dynamic, ever-changing strategic battleground.

Each playthrough offers you a fresh challenge – no run will be the same, from the cards in your deck to the challenges you face. Learn to strategize across multiple vertical lanes simultaneously and craft your deck to perfection to fend off divine invaders, or pay the ultimate price.

Unlock the full potential of your demonic arsenal with:

• Over 280 cards to customize your deck
• Six unique monster clans, each with distinct gameplay mechanics and varying cards and upgrades to strengthen your deck
• This includes the Wurmkin Clan, previously only available through The Last Divinity DLC – which is a part of the base Monster Train experience on PlayStation 5
• 25 challenging covenant levels to test your strategic prowess

Strategize your way through hellish landscapes, upgrading champions, merging units and unlocking powerful new cards from each clan. Every decision matters as you navigate through different locations, each offering unique advantages to aid your infernal quest.

For multiplayer enthusiasts, engage in the high-stakes Hell Rush mode, where you’ll race against the clock in real-time battles to prove their demonic supremacy.

Follow Good Shepherd Entertainment on Twitter @GoodShepherdEnt and stay connected with the Monster Train Twitter account @MonsterTrain.

About Shiny Shoe

Shiny Shoe is an independent game developer based in San Francisco, California. They are best known for their award-winning title Monster Train and their innovative online co-op roguelike RPG, Inkbound.

About Good Shepherd Entertainment

Good Shepherd Entertainment is an award-winning independent game publisher based in the Netherlands. The company has built a robust global footprint, shepherding talented development teams to create impactful games that innovate, challenge, and – most importantly – entertain. We’ve done this by pairing creators with writers, musicians and IP powerhouses and through strategic partnerships with some of the industry’s most notable names, including Devolver Digital, Croteam and Perfect World. In addition to the acclaimed Monster Train and John Wick Hex, GSE’s selection of titles includes Hellboy Web of Wyrd, Showgunners, Phantom Doctrine, the Transport Fever series, and the Hard West series. For more information, visit www.GoodShepherd.games.

Wriggly developer Firepunchd Games and sucker publishers Devolver Digital have made their beloved VR game Tentacular even more tentastic. Yes, that’s a word.

The massive, and massively free, Island Builder expansion adds over two hours of side missions to Firepunchd’s charming VR tentacle-’em-up, as well as the ability to create—and, yes, DESTROY—your own tentacle-made islands.

Here’s what you can expect from this kraken-sized expansion, which is available RIGHT NOW on the Meta Quest Store and Steam VR.

Key features

NEW WAYS TO CREATE! – Using the mighty new Creation Glove, build structures, clone objects, paint buildings, and lay down roads, then use the human waypoint tool to populate your creations.

NEW QUESTS TO ENJOY! – In a new series of side quests, visit La Kalma’s sister island, Salmoa, and help the two island states reconnect after years of bitter garlic-based rivalry.

NEW STUFF TO DO! – Enter an art contest, destroy buildings, and play with the new Cheat Terminal to mess with the game in a variety of weird and wonderful ways.

“Luca and I at Firepunchd Games were so inspired by the overwhelmingly positive response to Tentacular that we really wanted to extend our appreciation to all the players,” says developer Simon Cubasch. “We are excited to see what players create with the new powerful tools that we’ve introduced!”

Return to the world of Tentacular, and enjoy a squid-load more tentacle-based chaos and creativity, in the all-new, super-free Island Builder expansion—and if you’ve created something cool, share it with us on the official Firepunchd Discord server!

Join us here: http://discord.gg/firepunchd

Welcome to Illuvium, a fragmented world of beauty, wonder and adventure

Sydney, Australia, July 25th, 2024 – Illuvium’s triple-title debut is out now. Explore the interconnected universe, and explore the three games that make up Illuvium: Overworld, Arena, and Zero. A more rewarding and beginner-friendly experience than other games on the market, nothing players earn or learn goes to waste within the Illuvium universe.

Epic Store Page

Beyond compelling gameplay and AAA graphics, players will enjoy complete ownership of their in-game assets. This allows them to use their Illuvials and other in-game assets across all Illuvium games. Whether it’s Illuvials, cosmetics, blueprints, or other assets, they all integrate seamlessly, creating a unified gaming ecosystem.

All games within the Illuvium universe are free to play, with optional paid elements. However, the free-to-play players do not miss out on any of the amazing graphics, storyline, or chances to become the top Illuvial trainer. 

Founded by three brothers from Sydney, Australia, with a studio that boasts talent from Blizzard Entertainment, Samsung, Gunzilla Games, Ubisoft, Activision, CD Project Red, and many other AAA studios, Illuvium is guaranteed to cater to a wide audience with its various mechanics and gameplay across one singular universe offering three separate games. At this time, the studio has raised over USD 100 million in funding and has 1 million fans who participated in the Beta version. No gamer will want to miss out on the fastest-growing game of the year, and their chance to be a part of history. 

About Illuvium Labs:

Illuvium Labs is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is possible within gaming and creating truly unique and immersive experiences for its player base. The team comprises wildly talented and experienced game developers, designers, artists, engineers, and others passionate about making their mark in the gaming and technology industries. 

Website

Jump, Stab, Run, Stab, Parkour, Stab, then Rinse – and Stab Again Through A Multiplayer Noir Universe of Stylish Thrusting Action

LOS ANGELES – JULY 25, 2024 – Cutting-edge VR developer Soaring Roc Studio announced today that Stabby, an original pulse-pounding multiplayer assassination menace, is available now on Meta Quest 2 and 3 headsets. Ascend high-rise buildings and parkour across rooftops in a stylish noir city where up to six online players can compete to become the world’s best stabber. Shadow your target, approach with speed and stealth, and master realistic physics-driven gameplay to get the drop on your targets – it’s a stab or be stabbed world out there! Stabby is now available on the Meta Quest Store for $9.99.

As its name suggests, Stabby will make backstabbing friends easy to learn, but tough to master. Players can hone the art of skewering just about everything in five offline levels. Each challenge is scored by a 3-star rating system based on time completed, encouraging players to impale and bail as quickly as possible to attain better rewards.

Once you’ve got a good grip on things (as well as your dagger), head into multiplayer and become a true professional in blade badassery with three online modes – Classic, King of the Hill, and Stab Tag. Each mode encourages different tactics, reaction quickness, and playstyles. Assassinate with style to earn exclusive skins and gear to show off.

Designed for creative thinking while having fun, Stabby is available now on Meta Quest 2 and 3 for $9.99.

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About Rogue Games

Rogue, founded by industry leaders with more than 150+ years of games publishing experience, brings innovative and distinct games to the masses. Its extensive portfolio of games, which spans console, PC, and mobile, features award-winning hit titles including Arcanium, Dust & Neon, Highwater, Cookie Cutter, and Wonderputt Forever.

Rogue is headquartered in San Mateo with additional offices in Seattle.

Badges for PAX Unplugged 2024, the most attended tabletop gaming convention on the East Coast, are now on sale. The event returns to Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Friday, Dec. 6, to Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

The East Coast’s most popular tabletop gaming convention of 2024 offers three-day and single-day badges for $91 and $43 respectively as well as $14 Sunday badges for kids up to 12 years old.

With the ongoing celebrations for PAX’s 20th anniversary, ReedPop and Penny Arcade continue to shine a spotlight on players and developers with workshops, playtest sessions, and panels addressing community and industry concerns. Attendees can apply for the following initiatives:

• Community Meetups
• Media and Content Creator Registration
• PAX Together Intersection – a safe space for nonprofits and community members of underrepresented groups can elevate each other and address stigmas in gaming culture

PAX Unplugged 2024 badges are available now.  For future information regarding exhibitors, panels, concerts, keynote speakers, and more, follow PAX on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, and Instagram.

About PAX

PAX, or Penny Arcade Expo, is a festival for gamers to celebrate gaming culture. First held in Seattle in 2004, PAX has nearly doubled in size each successive year, with PAX Prime 2014 selling out of tickets in a matter of minutes. Connecting the world’s leading game publishers with their most avid and influential fans, PAX expanded with a second show in Boston in 2010, and a third in San Antonio in 2015, making it the three largest gaming shows in North America. The first international PAX was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2013. In 2017, Penny Arcade established PAX Unplugged, its first tabletop-focused show, held in Philadelphia.

About ReedPop

ReedPop is a boutique group within RX – one of the world’s leading event organizers. Launched in 2006, the group has become the number one producer of pop culture events globally and a full-service digital content provider and media company. Delivering once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences curated specifically for localized audiences, ReedPop currently features events in North America, Europe and Asia, including New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), PAX West, East, and Unplugged, Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), Star Wars Celebration, MCM Comic Con, Eurogamer Expo (EGX), MagicCon, and more. In addition to organizing and managing events, ReedPop owns and operates the pop culture news site, Popverse, which is the exclusive home for livestreams from all of ReedPop’s major comic cons. The staff at ReedPop are a fan-based group of professionals uniquely qualified to build and serve the communities with whom they share a common passion.

About Penny Arcade

Penny Arcade has been the world’s most popular webcomic for over 20 years, with over 3.5 million readers. Started in 1998 in the living room of Mike Krahulik & Jerry Holkins, it has grown into a media empire encompassing multiple beloved properties such as Lookouts, Automata, and beloved D&D live-play series Acquisitions Incorporated. Penny Arcade was responsible for the creation of Child’s Play, a gaming charity that has raised over $45 million dollars for children across the world. They are also the founders of PAX, the number one consumer gaming festival in North America, with hundreds of thousands of loyal visitors every year.

It’s the first anniversary of Hello Kitty Island Adventure! The narrative-driven life simulation game embracing friendship and positivity starring Hello Kitty and Friends commemorates the occasion with the in-game Friendship Festival complete with brand new rewards and more!

In honor of International Day of Friendship on July 30, the Friendship Festival, running in-game from now until August 8, is all about hanging out with your besties—Cinnamoroll, Keroppi, Retsuko, and all the rest—and taking photos each day to gain friendship charms. Bring these charms to the Friendship Photo Booth to unlock new emotes and Hello Kitty and Friends-themed clothing rewards. This update also introduces a new line of unique and dazzling looks for NPCs and players and an additional companion slot to allow two companions at once.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is also excited to announce its award-winning composer Phill Boucher has teamed up with pop musician MYLK to create an original song celebrating everything Friendship. Unlock the original pop single and unprecedented in-game sequence in this new musical surprise! 

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is now available on Apple Arcade and coming to Nintendo Switch (timed console exclusive) in 2025, then releasing on PlayStation and PC.

Introducing Ascension to the Canopy, Base Sieges, a New Mantis Mount and More!

Manchester, UK – July 25, 2024 | Today, Maximum Entertainment are thrilled to launch the next update to multiplayer survival adventure Smalland: Survive the Wilds! Available from today on PC, the latest Treetop Update adds a new player space in the canopy of the trees, base siege events, a hostile and tamable new creature and more. The update will be coming soon to PS5 & Xbox Series X|S.

Players can look forward to:

• Tumble in the Treetops – Ascend to the treetops, building, battling and more in the leafy canopy
• Mount the Mantis – A hostile and tamable new mount, the most in demand creature from the Smalland community: Mantis
• New Events – Claiming a Great Tree in the Oak Forest and placing a creature egg to incubate will now open you up to base sieges, where you’ll battle to defend your fortifications from enemy attacks
• Innovitve incubators  – Incubator, the latest building part allowing players to grow new mounts from creature eggs
• New armour & weapons – Introducing the mighty Serrated Sabre along with the Serrated armour set
• New resources & consumables – From various creature eggs to the Lichen Elixir, scavenge and craft even more unique items

Players will traverse lake sized puddles and mountainous trees as they battle against the landscape and elements themselves. Tame and ride monstrous creatures from grasshoppers to geckos in a bid to survive in a harsh and wild world. Play solo or with up to 9 friends, with dedicated server support, emotes and more.

Developed and published in-house, Smalland: Survive the Wilds launched to version 1.0 via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S back in February, hitting a peak of over 52,000 daily players and garnering over 1.9 million Twitch watch hours to date.

Uncover ancient lore scattered throughout a multitude of diverse biomes as you learn to survive, battling the hostile wilderness and elements themselves. Tame and ride wild creatures including colossal bugs, birds, lizards and more, with each mount providing unique means of traversal.

Craft powerful armour sets to personalise your appearance and arm yourself with a myriad of lethal weapons from great hammers to ballistic hand cannons. Build encampments and claim a Great Tree to design a base that will follow you to any world, allowing you to join any server and take your camp with you.

Develop your Smallfolk by levelling up your character and mounts, while scavenging resources to refine and craft gear, items, food and more. Players are invited to explore solo or with up to 9 additional friends in multiplayer as you battle to conquer the world and its inhabitants.

Key Features:

• Scale skyscraper sized trees, scramble through cavernous cracks in roads, and more as you experience the unique biomes of Smalland’s huge open world.
• Craft powerful armour sets to personalise your appearance, grant you resistance from the elements, abilities and more
• Tame and ride wild creatures from Geckos to Scorpions, the world and its inhabitants are yours to conquer
• Scavenge, refine and craft resources to build your encampment on the ground or in the canopy
• Claim a Great Tree to design and build a base that will follow you to any world
• Uncover ancient lore from hidden NPCs scattered throughout the world as you learn to survive in this hostile wilderness.
• Play solo or with up to 9 additional friends in multiplayer with crossplay between Steam and Epic Games Store

Smalland: Survive the Wilds is developed and published by Maximum Entertainment. Out now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S! Fans can buy now on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

About Maximum Entertainment

Maximum Entertainment is a global entertainment company dedicated to crafting indie to AA video game experiences through original content and licensed partnerships. A fully integrated group with a broad portfolio of content, the company emphasizes collaboration and inclusivity in its partnerships to produce the highest level of interactive entertainment. With more than 300 titles in its catalog, Maximum Entertainment has joined forces with talented creators and renowned franchises around the globe to deliver magic to the gamer in everyone. Maximum Entertainment employs more than 200 professionals across the entire value chain of video games including development, publishing, transmedia, sales, and operations.

Pre-Order Now on Mobile

Montpellier, France, July 25th, 2024 – Littlefield Studio and Dear Villagers are excited to announce the release date for their indie puzzle game, Machinika: Atlas! Mark your calendars for September 3rd, 2024, when Machinika: Atlas will be available on Steam and Epic Games Store. Additionally, pre-orders are now live on the App Store and Google Play Store. Get ready to solve the mystery!

Embark on a mesmerizing puzzle game adventure with Machinika: Atlas. Stranded within a crashed alien ship on Saturn’s moon, “Atlas”, assume the role of the museum researcher, the protagonist of Machinika: Museum, whose escape pod led them to the heart of an alien vessel.

 Available on September 3rd on Steam & Epic.  Mobile Pre-Orders Live Now! 

 Synopsis 

Machinika: Atlas is an indie puzzle game and is the direct sequel to Machinika: Museum, you play as a museum researcher who just land on Atlas. Will you unravel the mysteries of the alien vessel? Solve cryptic puzzles to find out what happened!

Machinika: Atlas is the direct sequel to Machinika: Museum, unfolding its narrative on Atlas, a moon of Saturn. While the storyline ties into Machinika: Museum, prior play is not required for enjoying Machinika: Atlas.

Prepare to embark on a cosmic odyssey filled with mystery, cryptic puzzles, and a narrative that keeps you on the edge of discovery. Explore the unknown depths of Machinika: Atlas, where every answer unveils a new enigma.

 Key Features 

• Engage your sharp logic skills and keen sense of observation to conquer puzzles.
• Immerse yourself in a sci-fi ambiance filled with unknowns, where every step brings you closer to unveiling the truth behind the ship’s mystery
• Play effortlessly with intuitive and enjoyable controls, ensuring that the complexity lies within the puzzles, not the gameplay.
• Dive into a mysterious narrative that beckons you to uncover the secrets hidden behind these intricate devices.

What is Littlefield studio anyway? We are a young independent Paris-based French games studio founded in 2015 by a former Ubisoft alumni. 

Dear Villagers

Based in the South of France, in sunny Montpellier, we are a boutique publishing label composed of a team of twenty people. Open-minded and versatile, Dear Villagers offers handcrafted marketing and production guidance. Our mission: We tell memorable stories through memorable games.

Compete for a chance to win prizes including an Intel graphics card!

Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate, a director’s cut of the sci-fi action roguelike from developer Moving Pieces Interactive, ramps up the amphibian-powered action with a new ultra hard prologue, Prepare to Croak, available now for free on PC via Steam.

The spacefaring buddy saga returns on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam Monday, August 12, ramped up with new classes, more enemies, meta-progression changes, and performance improvements.Kick off the battle against alien enemies in the Prologue here!

To celebrate the launch of Prepare to Croak, the team at Moving Pieces Interactive will be giving away a 16GB Intel® Arc™ A770 Graphics Card! To enter, reach HEAT level 700, screenshot the page, and post it in the dedicated channel in the official Discord server for the chance to win the giveaway.

Dash, shoot, and slash through a technicolor galaxy as best friends Froggie and GERM. Confront hostile alien forces before they bring about the heat death of the universe! Get a gnarly taste of Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate in this Hardcore Mode-only prologue featuring perma-death. That means no respawns! If Froggie and Germ meet their end, all progress on the run is lost and it’s time to start again from scratch.

Mow down enemies and bosses to gather shiploads of loot. Experiment with more than 1000 combinations by mixing and matching distinct classes, synchronous abilities, and weapons to create a gloriously overpowered build with every run. Toss glowing grenades, launch gleaming grappling hooks, and deploy deceptive decoys to create flashy combos as Froggie and GERM work in tandem.

Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate’s Prepare to Croak prologue is now available on PC via Steam. To learn more about Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate, check out the official website, join the battle on the official Discord server, and find Moving Pieces Interactive on social media.

About Moving Pieces Interactive

Moving Pieces Interactive is a small independent games studio based in Brooklyn, NY. They aim to create approachable games with stunning visuals and hidden depth. Entropy Survivors is their third title, following action roguelike Shoulders of Giants and retro

LOS ANGELES – July 25, 2024 – MapleStory M, Nexon’s free-to-play mobile MMORPG, has launched its summer update featuring Hayato, the Sengoku Warrior. From a new job to new weapons, inventory updates, and events – there’s something for every Mapler. 

Players can start exploring the new playable class Hayato, also known as The Bladed Falcon, and receive an extra character slot coupon, auto-battle charge ticket, whetstone, and pet box in order to grow their character. Players also have a growth mission event, burning event, and mega burning plus event to look forward to with the update. Both events will have rewards for reaching designated levels, and special bonuses when the character is leveled up.

This summer’s update includes changes to the Inventory Slots Expansion and the stacking limit of Commander Expedition Reward items. Burning characters will be able to use growth elixir items and there will be a new transparent weapon added to the arsenal. 

In addition, MapleStory M’s latest update will include the 6th-anniversary update of Yeti’s M Store. Maplers will be able to participate in various mini-games and events to earn rewards: 

• Login and 14-Day Attendance Sheet Events: An event that provides special 6th-anniversary rewards to all users who log in during the event period, and special rewards for logging in during the 14 days of the event
• Let’s Go! M Store Delivery: Mini-game where players move their characters to collect given materials and deliver them to the store within a set time
• Takeout Rush Event: Mini-game where players must quickly select and touch the button that matches the given image
• Yeti’s M Store Coin Shop: A shop where players can purchase items by collecting event coins through various means
• Today’s Dessert (Daily Content Event): An event where stamps are acquired each time a Dungeon ticket is used during the event period, which can be accumulated to obtain rewards
• Dessert Cleanup Grand Battle!: Mini-game where players can swap the positions of adjacent ingredients on an 8×8 board to align three or more identical ingredients in a row

Further updates include the Starlight Reward Point shop, an event where players can purchase special products via points, and a store where decorative items can be bought with Crystals. 

Additional events include a First Purchase event where first-time purchases can receive additional rewards, a Star Force Enhancement Hot Time Event that will include a Star Force enhancement discount and Perfect Time, an Accessory Shift Event where players can transfer Boss Accessories to other characters within the same account by using event coins, and the August 2024 Attendance sheet where participation will be available for each account. 

Return to MapleStory M, experience the new updates, events, and have the hottest summer ever.

About MapleStory M

MapleStory M, launched globally in July 2018, brings the nostalgic world of side-scrolling MMORPG MapleStory to mobile, offering the same endless amount of customization, immersive storylines, and epic boss raids that fans have come to expect from the legendary franchise. MapleStory M quickly reached 10 million downloads within 100 days after global launch.

About Nexon America Inc.

Founded in 2005, Nexon America Inc. delivers outstanding popular, online game expertise and live game support, taking the strengths of NEXON Co., Ltd. (“Nexon”) and applying them to uniquely Western audiences. For decades, Nexon America has consistently sustained iconic franchises such as MapleStory, a beloved, 2D side-scrolling online MMORPG known for its distinctive gameplay and unique art styleand Mabinogi, the world’s most expressive MMORPG, where you create a unique character and live your fantasy life. Both games have gone on to break records and captivate players. Recently we introduced the Western market to KartRider: Drift, the only online free-to-play, cross-platform kart racer with deep kart and character customization in stunning high-definition. With exciting projects on the horizon, Nexon America maintains the pioneering and innovative spirit of its parent company, employing its player-first approach, while designing the best possible gameplay experiences for the Western market.