Season 1 Adds New Faction to the Fold, Along with New Maps, Weapons and Game Modes; Players Can Now Support Their Favorite Creators in New Program 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — July 3, 2024 — Today, Ubisoft announced the much-anticipated launch of Season 1 for XDefiant, the new free-to-play, fast-paced arcade shooter developed by Ubisoft San Francisco* featuring factions inspired from some of Ubisoft’s beloved franchises. Players can download XDefiant from their PC via Ubisoft Connect, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. To download XDefiant, go to playxdefiant.com/download_pco .  

Season 1 content includes:  

• 1 new faction – GS Kommando (Inspired by R6) 
• 3 new maps  
• Clubhouse (Inspired by Rainbow Six, Available today) 
• Daytona (Inspired by The Crew 2, Coming in-season) 
• Rockefeller (Inspired by The Division, Coming in-season) 
• 3 free Battle Pass weapons 
• LVOA-C Assault Rifle 
• L115 Sniper Rifle 
• Sawed-off Shotgun (secondary) 
• 2 new arena modes 
• Capture the Flag (available today) 
• Bomb (Coming in-season) 
• Ranked Play 

A New Faction Has Entered The Arena: Inspired by R6, GS Kommando has come to XDefiant. This elite strike force comes with its signature abilities: The Shock Wire to build a high-voltage perimeter around their objectives, and the Active Defense System (ADS) to shoot down incoming enemy explosives. For its Ultra, GS Kommando has the Flash Shield, an LED-studded shield that doubles as a mobile cover. For its Passive Trait, this faction is equipped with a Hardhat to reduce the lethality of enemy-delivered head shots.  

Two New Modes: Two additional arena modes are coming to Season 1, starting with Capture the Flag (CTF), a run-and-gun fast-paced race to grab the flag and bring it back without letting the enemy get theirs first, which is available starting today. Later this season, Bomb mode will be included, requiring players to bring a more strategic mindset as they take turns defending and defusing a detonator.  

Ranked Play: Ranked play is a 4v4 playlist that will support the Occupy, Domination, Zone Control and Escort game modes. There will be a total of seven ranks for players to climb: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Ruby, Emerald, Diamond and Legends. Outside of Legends, each rank will have 10 levels for players to progress in order to reach the next rank. Exclusive rewards will also be available in Ranked play.  

A New Program to Support Content Creators: Beginning Season 1, players can now support a content creator of their choosing. The XDefiant Creator Code Initiative allows players to grant a creator with a commission for when they make in-game purchases.  

To participate, players select the “Support a Creator” button in the in-game store and scroll to choose a creator to support. The selected creator will be linked to the player’s account for the next 14 days or whenever it’s changed. Any time a player buys an item from the store with XCoins, the selected creator will receive a commission from that purchase. The program doesn’t require any additional obligation from players, as it allows them to help their favorite creators do what they do best.  

For more information about XDefiant Creator Codes, or for creators that would like to be considered for the program, visit playxdefiant.com/creator-codes. 

For more information on XDefiant or to receive updates on future, please visit www.playxdefiant.com.  

For more information about other Ubisoft games, please visit news.ubisoft.com.  

*Associate studios are Ubisoft Annecy, Ubisoft Kyiv, Ubisoft Pune, Ubisoft Mumbai, Ubisoft Osaka, Ubisoft Saguenay, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Winnipeg, and Sydney team. 

About XDefiant 

Led by Ubisoft San Francisco, XDefiant is a competitive fast-pace arena FPS, where players will face off in 6v6 Player-vs-Player (PvP) matches in unranked and ranked modes. Players can play as factions inspired from other Ubisoft titles and can customize their characters with a variety of weapons, attachments, abilities and ultras. Maps on XDefiant are also inspired by maps from other Ubisoft titles. Adapting your squad and teamwork tactics can be all the difference when competing in the various modes on XDefiant.  

About Ubisoft 

Ubisoft is a creator of worlds, committed to enriching players’ lives with original and memorable entertainment experiences. Ubisoft’s global teams create and develop a deep and diverse portfolio of games, featuring brands such as Assassin’s Creed®, Brawlhalla®, For Honor®, Far Cry®, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon®, Just Dance®, Rabbids®, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six®, The Crew® and Tom Clancy’s The Division®. Through Ubisoft Connect, players can enjoy an ecosystem of services to enhance their gaming experience, get rewards and connect with friends across platforms. With Ubisoft+, the subscription service, they can access a growing catalog of more than 100 Ubisoft games and DLC. For the 2023-24 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of €2.32 billion. To learn more, please visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com

Summer Adventure Brings New Jobs and Playable Race, First Graphical Update and More

July 3, 2024 – Today, SQUARE ENIX® launched Dawntrail™, the fifth and latest expansion for critically acclaimed MMORPG FINAL FANTASY™ XIV Online on Windows®, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Mac and Steam®.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail calls players across the glittering seas to the distant continent of Tural, as they embark upon a new adventure with both new and familiar faces—answer the call, seek new horizons, and little by little unravel the mystery of the legendary golden city. Players can view the Dawntrail launch trailer here:

Dawntrail marks the beginning of a new chapter of FINAL FANTASY XIV and the Warrior of Light is poised once more to embark upon the road to adventure. Journey to the distant continent of Tural, explore new areas such as the mountainous region of Urqopacha, the deep forests of Kozama’uka, the rain starved plains of Shaaloani and more as claimants prepare to compete for the throne of the Dawnservant. Eorzea’s champion is to accompany Wuk Lamat as her ally in this rite of succession─an endeavor which calls them across the glittering seas.

Two new playable jobs arrive with Dawntrail; viper, a close-range fighter using quick and decisive strikes with two one-handed blades alongside powerful flourishes from a combined two-handed weapon and pictomancer, with brush in hand, weaving the aether of their imagination into the fabric of reality, allowing them to manifest their myriad motifs into living muses. More information on both of the new jobs can be found here: https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/dawntrail/job/

The game’s first major graphical overhaul adds a host of visual improvements, including enhanced texture and shadow resolution, and improved material qualities for characters and environments. Experience the world of Eorzea and beyond like never before!

For more information on this and further updates to Dawntrail and the 7.x series of patch updates, please visit the promotional website: https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/dawntrail

The complete patch notes for Patch 7.0 can be found on the lodestone: https://sqex.to/0m6B6

With more than 30 million total registered players, there has never been a better time for newcomers to begin their adventures in the critically acclaimed FINAL FANTASY XIV Online saga. The Free Trial includes all content from A Realm Reborn™, the Heavensward™ and Stormblood™ expansions (and updates through Patch 4.58), including an additional playable race (Au Ra) and five additional playable jobs (Dark Knight, Astrologian, Machinist, Red Mage, and Samurai). Free Trial players can enjoy hundreds of hours of award-winning gameplay and story experiences equivalent to three full FINAL FANTASY titles, without a limit on playtime. More information can be found at: https://sqex.to/FFXIVFreeTrial

For more information on FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail, visit the official site at: https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/dawntrail/.

About Square Enix Ltd.

Square Enix Ltd develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY™, which has sold over 185 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 88 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

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

© SQUARE ENIX

LOGO ILLUSTRATION:© YOSHITAKA AMANO

Xbox Series X|S, the Games for Windows logo and Xbox logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license. “PlayStation”, “PS5”, and “PS4” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. ©2024 Valve Corporation. All rights reserved. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

###

Overnight, Xbox announced several new titles coming to Xbox Game Pass on console, PC and cloud beginning today including:

Week of July 1st:

• Journey to the Savage Planet,July 3 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, July 3 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Week of July 8th:

• Cricket 24,July 9 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Case of the Golden Idol, July 9 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Neon White, July 11 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Tchia, July 11 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Week of July 15th:

• Magical Delicacy, July 16 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Flock, July 16 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

For more details on the new games joining Xbox Game Pass this month, available Perks and Quest updates, check out Xbox Wire here.

SYDNEY (July 3, 2024) – Today, Square Enix Collective® and FuturLab® released the Alice’s Adventures Special Pack for PowerWash Simulator on PC Microsoft Store on Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 (PS4®), PlayStation®5 (PS5®). Alice’s Adventures Special Pack will also be coming to Meta Quest 2/3/Pro on July 11.

Watch the Alice’s Adventures Special Pack trailer here:

This topsy-turvy Special Pack features a wide range of level aesthetics, from opulent maximalism to introspective minimalism, featuring elements such as ornate interiors and fabrics, unique furnishings, custom themed cutlery, crockery and furniture – including details like the good-enough-to-eat carrot utensils!

“The team has had so much fun merging the psychedelic aesthetic of Alice in Wonderland into PowerWash Simulator. This pack is full of whacky nonsense from optical illusions to mad mechanics,” says Kirsty Rigden, FuturLab’s CEO. “We hope our players enjoy exploring our take on Wonderland as much as we loved creating it!”

The whimsical special pack captures the essence of Alice in Wonderland by showcasing iconic visuals and quirky designs. Players will enjoy the beautiful environmental art, vivid colours, and unique looks depicted in each level. The adventurous special pack has five fun and colourful levels, 10 new achievements*, Alice in Wonderland themed ‘Washer’ and ‘Character’ skins, and more.

Maps included in the new mind-bending Special Pack are:

Wonderland Entrance Hall

Travel through an incredible ‘Ames Illusion’ corridor into the Entrance Hall – revealing unique patterns on the floors and ceilings and quirks in the architecture as you wash, such as little doors nested in the main doors.​

White Rabbit’s House

Alluding to the Rabbit’s pre-occupation with being late, his home has been littered with clocks and time motifs, including a clock floor and the pervasive sound of ticking.

Caterpillar’s Mushroom

Ever wondered if a caterpillar wears socks? Wonder no more, as players will find them hanging on the line. A more curious question is do they wear PJ’s and what do they look like?! The answer lies under the muck!

Mad Tea Party

In this unique level, players will see things from a whole new perspective… being shrunken down to miniature size and let loose to clean up the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

Queen of Hearts’ Court

Players will feel imposed and invited in equal measure. Beautiful environmental art and regal details, such as the trimmed hedges that perfectly line up with the Queen’s crown and the wonderfully illustrated banners undoubtably cement this as a domain fit for a Queen!

The Alice’s Adventures Special Pack is out now and available to purchase on PC (via Steam and Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 (PS4®), PlayStation®5 (PS5®),and coming to Meta Quest 2/3/Pro on July 11, 2024.

POWERWASH SIMULATOR lets players wash away their worries with the soothing sounds of high-pressure water. Players can build their very own power washing business and blast away every speck of dirt and grime that they can find. With a unique take on the simulation genre, POWERWASH SIMULATOR focuses on player relaxation and escapism.

*Achievements not included on Meta Quest 2/3/pro.

For more information, visit: www.powerwashsimulator.com 

About FuturLab

FuturLab^® is an award-winning game studio based in Brighton, UK. FuturLab® has developed and published remarkable games on PC and console since 2003. The game studio is best known for Velocity 2X, Tiny Trax, Mini-Mech Mayhem and Peaky Blinders: Mastermind and most recently, the highly acclaimed PowerWash Simulator.

About Square Enix Ltd.

Square Enix Ltd develops, publishes, distributes, and licenses SQUARE ENIX® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including FINAL FANTASY^TM, which has sold over 185 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST ^TM, which has sold over 88 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS ^TM. Square Enix Ltd is a London-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

About Square Enix Collective

Square Enix Collective® is a London-based division of Square Enix Ltd. The Collective programme was launched in 2014 to assist indie game developers build community awareness for hundreds of games pitches and has helped teams to raise in excess of $1.2 million via Kickstarter campaigns. Collective has now published and distributed a range of indie titles since April 2016 and is on the look-out for great new projects and talented teams to work with globally – whether it’s publishing support for a development that’s already funded, or investment to help the creation of a game.

Go for the gold in new maps, game modes on PC, Nintendo Switch

VANCOUVER, Canada — 3 July 2024 — Bare Butt Boxing, the comically chaotic multiplayer brawler from AAA visual effects studio Tuatara Games, pulls no punches as it enters the 1.0 ring with three never-before-seen maps and two new gameplay modes on PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch on Thursday, 1 August 2024!

Colorful and mischievous aliens land on Earth to host unregulated boxing matches. Launch your opponents or the giant beach ball in portals to earn points based on which game mode is on. Whoever has the most points when the round is over wins! Face up to 3 friends locally, join 6 players online matches, or fight with bots in single player mode.

Punching is not the only key to victory : collect item boxes to use special powers like the powerful vacuum and super frenzy to turn the tides of battle. Keep an eye on stage hazards to avoid falling off the level! The gusting winds on the Mountain top and disappearing platforms at the neon disco Arcade can mess your score badly if you are not careful.

A rainbow of cosmetics is available for each fighter. Don shiny new skins, wacky fonts, and the latest in alien boxing glove fashions. These customization options are always available in local play, and can be unlocked via coins earned in-game to show off in online play! 

Enjoy the intergalactic soundtrack composed by Grand Soleil and handcrafted for the ultimate knockout experience.

“We are truly grateful to all the players that joined us in Early Access. With 1.0 we wanted to wrap up the game with more content and a bigger emphasis on local multiplayer, which has been heavily requested.” said Klemen Lozar, founder of Tuatara Games.

Bare Butt Boxing will swing into 1.0 on PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch on Thursday, 1 August 2024.

Follow Tuatara Games across Twitter, YouTube, and Discord to stay up-to-date with news and console launch updates. To check out the rest of Tuatara Games’ portfolio, head to the official website. 

About Tuatara Games

Tuatara Games delivers stunning results in the field of visual effects for AAA studios like Riot Games (Valorant), Epic Games (Fortnite), Counterplay Games (Godfall), and many more, but their passion doesn’t stop there. By supporting small indie developers and developing their own original experiences and games, Tuatara keeps experimenting and pushing interactive entertainment forward. Their first self-published game, Bare Butt Boxing, embraces chaos and whimsy in a world that often feels like the former, but could use more of the latter.

First Trailer Highlights Visual Improvements and New Voice Acting for Protagonist, Adol; Pre-orders starting soon

London, U.K., — July 2, 2024 — Marvelous Europe today announced that acclaimed RPG developer Nihon Falcom’s remastered classic, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana, will be released in Europe and Australia for the Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation®5, and digitally only for PlayStation®4 in early 2025.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana brings the RPG classic, originally released under the title Ys III: Wanderers From Ys, then later re-released as Ys: The Oath in Felghana, to modern platforms with improved visuals while retaining the action RPG’s core gameplay and charm.

The title joins the lineup of playable games at the Marvelous USA and XSEED Games booth, Entertainment Hall – 110, at Anime Expo taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 4-7.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana follows thrill-seeking protagonist Adol and his blue-haired companion Dogi as they return to Dogi’s homeland of Felghana. The eight years they’ve been away have not been kind to the lands which are now filled with roaming monsters, a newly active volcano, and a greedy new overlord extorting the suffering residents. While Dogi seeks help from his former master, Adol remains to help the locals, only to find himself embroiled in a world of conspiracies and ancient legacies.

With remastered high-definition visuals and music, the epic adventure has never looked or sounded better. Additional features include multiple versions of the sweeping soundtrack, accessibility options, and brand-new character illustrations, making Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana the definitive edition of the acclaimed masterpiece.

Key Features:
● Classic RPG Excitement Remastered: Experience the old-school action RPG combat the Ys series is known for, with added difficulty options and quality-of-life enhancements like “Turbo” mode, as you fight your way through a memorable fantasy world.
● Refined Visual Variety: Ys Memoire features all-new “Refined” character illustrations throughout the game, but players who want the original experience can switch to the “Classic” versions at a whim.
● A Silent Protagonist No Longer: Newly recorded voice acting for Adol Christin, including an opening narration that sets the stage for adventure, gives new depth and gravitas to the famous hero.
● A Sweeping Soundtrack Reborn: Well-regarded for its outstanding soundtrack, this version features three different iterations of the epic score (Original, PC-8801, and X68000) for players to choose from, all remastered in high-quality audio.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is developed by Nihon Falcom and published in Europe and Australia on the Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation®5, and digitally only for PlayStation®4 by Marvelous Europe. Details for digital editions will be made available at a later date. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana will be published in North America by XSEED Games.

For more information about the game, visit the official site at https://marvelousgames.com/games/ys-memoire-the-oath-in-felghana. More information about Marvelous Europe can be found at www.marvelouseurope.com.

About Marvelous Europe

Marvelous Europe is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Marvelous Inc., developer of beloved Story of Seasons and Rune Factory games. Established in 2012, Marvelous Europe’s varied portfolio includes both third-party titles such as Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, Leximan, Cuisineer and Moonlight Peaks in addition to select Marvelous Inc. content.

(LONDON, UK) – July 2, 2024  – Omeda Studios, a community-founded studio created by Robbie Singh, has introduced a new Hero, Terra, to their third-person MOBA Predecessor! Wielding a mighty ax and exuding raw strength, Terra can strike fear in the heart of anyone standing in the way of her quest for justice. Terra is the latest new addition to the MOBA following Omeda’s May update where they added the new game mode, Brawl, a new map and Hero Aurora. Predecessor is available now for free on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Players Can View Terra in Action in this Brand-New Trailer Linked Here:

Terra is a fearless and unyielding warrior with a slew of new abilities that can help players change the tide of battle, including:

• Passive – Hersir is a Passive ability which strengthens and empowers her abilities with additional effects once she’s gained enough stacks.Terra can gain stacks of Hersir by damaging enemies with her basic attacks and abilities. Once she has maximum stacks, her weapons emit a radiant glow and the next ability cast will be empowered.
• Primary – The Primary ability Ruthless Assault has Terra swing her mighty ax around, dealing two ferocious blows, slashing at all enemies in range. When empowered by Terra’s Passive ability, she strikes a devastating third blow that deals true damage, making this ability extremely potent as her main source of damage.
• Secondary – Her Secondary ability – Highland Hurl – pulls the strength of Terra’s ancestors to hurl a powerful, spectral ax towards a target, slowing any enemies it hits. While empowered by Hersir, Highland Hurl will also root enemies for a short duration, which makes this ability perfect for initiating ganks, securing takedowns, or disengaging if the battle takes a turn for the worse.
• Alternate – Wild Rush is Terra’s Alternate ability, where she braces herself before charging forwards into the fray. Any enemies caught in the stampede are blasted back from the impact. When empowered, Wild Rush provides Terra with a shield for a short duration too, which keeps her in the fight a little longer and outlasts enemies on the battlefield.
  • Players can combine this ability with Highland Hurl and Ruthless assault to bear down on their enemies while dealing some serious damage along the way.
• Ultimate – Unstoppable Force is her Ultimate ability where she strengthens her resolve, bunkering down as an impenetrable bastion on the battlefield. When activated, Unstoppable Force grants Terra maximum Hersir stacks, cleanses all debuffs and makes her completely immune to crowd control effects, while also granting her extra physical and magical armor for the duration.
  • This ability can prove useful in team fights or when players are facing down an enemy who specializes in Crowd Control. Players should activate this Ultimate when an enemy uses one of their main Crowd Control abilities to immediately cleanse the debuff, before rushing them wildly.
• Items – Players should incorporate various items that increase Terra’s physical power and ability haste to make the most out of her hard-hitting play style along with armor items, depending on the match up to keep her in the fight!

Players can find the Hero breakdown video here:

Clap Your Hands (And Feet)! Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble™️ Vinyl Soundtrack Now Available To Pre-order iam8bit and SEGA®️ are teaming up on this exclusive celebration of the sphere-loving simians, limited to 2,000 copies

LOS ANGELES – July 2, 2024 – Get ready for more potassium-powered panache: AiAi and friends are back! Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, the latest entry in SEGA’s stalwart simian series, has arrived, bringing with it that signature topsy-turvy chaos we’ve all come to know and love. iam8bit is excited to team up with frequent collaborator SEGA to bring Banana Rumble‘s awesome soundtrack to vinyl in an exclusive limited-edition release, available for pre-order today for $32.99.

Super Monkey Ball is synonymous with a certain type of sound, at once hectic, tropical, dancy, and dizzy. The music of Banana Rumble is no different, calling to mind both warehouse electronica and jazzy GameCube-era beats alike. Dance, roll, and groove with the Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble Vinyl Soundtrack, a single disc packed with 17 of the game’s very best tracks and pressed on “Banana Split Green & Yellow” colored vinyl. 

It’s the product of a veritable supergroup of composers: Yuri Fukuda, Tae Fujimoto, Kenichi  Tokoi, Etsuko Shimada, Saori Yoshida, Yasuyuki Nagata, Hiro, and Ryo Fukuda worked together to bring you this phenomenal music, a worthy addition to Super Monkey Ball’s musical canon. Plus, iam8bit worked with album artist Colin Murdoch to craft another ape-tastic homage piece, in perfect line with their previous Super Monkey Ball release. You’d be bananas not to pick it up. 

The Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble vinyl soundtrack can be pre-ordered now on iam8bit.com and is expected to ship Q4 2024.

Track List:

[Side A]

• Title Theme
• Menu Theme
• Banana Farm
• Rose Garden
• Floating City
• Golden Temple
• Stone Valley
• Neon Arena
• Candy Castle

[Side B]

• Oceanus
• Caelum
• Astrum
• Banana Hunt
• Race
• Robot Smash
• Ba-BOOM!
• Goal Rush

About iam8bit

iam8bit is a creative production emporium that’s been boldly redefining the entertainment industry since 2005. Its collaborative works have taken a variety of forms, including groundbreaking community events, immersive art experiences, and exclusive collectibles, all designed to bring surprise and delight to people’s lives. iam8bit played a crucial role in the vinyl renaissance, minting its first record in 2010, and is the industry leader in premium physical editions of top-tier games. iam8bit evolved into financing and publishing games under its iam8bit Presents imprint, including the recently announced Petal Runner, chill vibes simulator Simpler Times; smash hit Escape Academy; and the NES mash note Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum. The company is based in Los Angeles and co-owned/co-creatively directed by Jon M. Gibson and Amanda White.

About SEGA of America, Inc.

SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA CORPORATION, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment. Established in 1986, SEGA of America publishes innovative interactive entertainment experiences for console, PC, mobile and emerging platforms. In 2020, SEGA ranked #1 among Metacritic’s Annual Game Publisher Rankings. Its globally beloved franchises include Sonic the Hedgehog™, Like a Dragon™, Virtua Fighter™, Super Monkey Ball™, and Phantasy Star Online™, along with ATLUS’ Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series. Since its debut more than three decades ago, Sonic has become a pop culture icon featured in dozens of games, TV series, and movies. SEGA of America has offices in Irvine and Burbank, California. Visit www.sega.com.

2 JULY 2024 – Peculiar Pixels is proud to present the upcoming launch of BOTSU: Ridiculous Robots – coming to Steam Early Access this Summer! This hilarious party game levels up the ragdoll physics genre with never-before-seen agility, crazy power-ups, rocket boosters, and vibrant voxel vibes.

The BOTSU demo is now available on Steam, featuring online and split-screen multiplayer, multiple game modes, arenas, and unlockable outfits, all to give players an early taste of this sandbox madness.

BOTSU will launch in Early Access at a price of £15.99 (and regional equivalents), reduced to £13.59 through a 15% launch discount. The price may increase once it exits early access, to full release.

BOTSU: Ridiculous Robots Steam Early Access Trailer:

Steam Page: store.steampowered.com/app/885160/BOTSU_Ridiculous_Robots

About the game

Fight your friends in silly sandbox sports: Box-Ball, Sumo Survival, and Stockpile. Wrestle your way to victory online or split-screen in endless unique games. Win matches, unlock outfits, and show off your skills in style!

Anything is possible if you can pull it off, so you’ll need to think outside the blocks to claim the BOTSU CUP.

This chaotic sandbox is a labour of love by solo indie developer, Oscar, creating everything from the art to the netcode, the design, music, and even the fonts!

Key features

• Endless Unique Matches – With 3 game modes, different arenas, multiple gadgets, rocket boosters, gravity modifiers, and heaps of ragdoll physics, every match will be different in BOTSU.
• Sandbox Sports
  • BoxBall – Get the ball in the goal!
  • Sumo Survival – Don’t fall in the lava, be the last one standing!
  • Stockpile – Collect boxes and steal from the other team!
• Split-Screen & Online Multiplayer – Party up in 4-player split-screen and go head-to-head with online teams in matches with up to 8 players 4v4. Hang out with your friends in the sandbox social space between matches.
• Acrobatic Athletes – These aren’t some sluggish ragdolls. You’re a robot athlete at the height of your career. You can sprint, jump, flip, climb, breakdance, fly and break through the sound barrier with your overpowered rocket boosters.
• Physics-Based Fighting – Combine acrobatics with combat to triple-flip kick your opponents or wrestle them in midair while flying upside-down. Anything is possible if you can pull it off.
• Build Your Bot – Level up and show off your awesome outfits. Combine any outfit with different heads, bodies, arms, legs and feet to create something truly unique.
• Gadgets – These are your silly superpowers: grappling-hooks, balloons, sticky-bombs, and impulse waves work on anything, like other players, objects or the environment. Get creative and invent new ways to use them!
• Theatre Replay Mode – Every silly ragdoll moment and every awesome victory is captured by the replay system, so you can play it back in slo-mo and work out what on earth just happened.

About Peculiar Pixels

Peculiar Pixels is an indie studio setup by solo developer Oscar Salandin to build games that bring people together with humour, teamwork, and experimentation.

Oscar studied Industrial Design and worked at Microsoft in UX, Research and Mixed Reality. Growing up playing sandbox video games like Time-Splitters, Crysis, Halo, Rocket League and Gang Beasts, he experimented with game ideas as a hobby and fell in love with physics, procedural animation and emergent behaviours.

BOTSU was an experiment to find out what procedurally animated characters would feel like if they were faster, more athletic, and more precisely controlled. This was instantly fun and funny to play with friends, so the concept was developed further to add game-modes, gadgets, costumes and online multiplayer.

Copyright © 2024 Peculiar Pixels, All rights reserved.

Don your most intimidating loin cloth and grab your sharpest sword — Volgarr is BACK!

More than a decade after Volgarr the Viking’s debut from Crazy Viking Studios, which sold more than one million copies across PC and consoles, the barbarian king’s adventure continues in an uncompromising new form on August 6, 2024. Set against the backdrop of new and bigger-than-ever Norse-inspired worlds, Volgarr the Viking II ups the ante on the original’s hardcore 2D side-scrolling action in an expanded odyssey where every playthrough is grislier than the last.

As the great warrior Volgarr, choose your actions wisely when entering battle, as precision is everything. One false move can spell a one-way ticket to Valhalla. Jump, duck, slide, and dodge to avoid deadly enemies while remaining cognizant of the threats posed by your environment. 

While the sequel delivers the same unforgiving 1980s-arcade level of difficulty as the original, Volgarr’s a little older now, his muscles have wizened, and he graciously welcomes some new features that won’t agitate the arthritis: a practice mode, checkpoints, save profiles, and unlimited continues — but at what cost? If you can survive without these modern comforts, you’ll unlock everything the game has to offer. If not… death comes knocking.

What You’ll Find in Volgarr the Viking II: 

• Stave off death with new power-ups and magic items
• A roster of ruthless bosses so big and so ugly, they’re just begging to have their heads chopped off
• An epic orchestral soundtrack to carry you through battle
• Handy speedrunning tools, including an on-screen timer and no-HUD mode
• Six distinct endings based on player performance —only the masterfully skilled will unlock a hidden level to battle a secret final boss!
• Modern era upgrades include a practice mode and multiple profile save options
• Buckets of blood and bone explosions
• Loincloths

Embark on a satisfyingly punishing quest in this sequel over a decade in the making.