It’s been over a year since the launch of Guerrilla’s Horizon Forbidden West, and Sony Interactive Entertainment would like to share an update on the Aloy’s Forest project with you. This initiative is part of a commitment to the United Nations Playing for the Planet Alliance, supported by UN-REDD, to raise awareness on biodiversity. In 2022, the UN Playing for the Planet Alliance set a target to plant 1 million trees together with the gaming industry. 

Together with the PlayStation community and selected partners, Guerrilla and Sony Interactive Entertainment have supported a number of reforestation projects around the world. So far, these projects have resulted in over 600,000 trees planted globally, and an estimated 1,800 acres of indigenous lands and wildlife habitats restored. 

Gaming has the power to inspire change, so PlayStation Australia is excited to release this video (below) and share the progress partners have made with these projects. PlayStation Australia hopes you’ll enjoy learning about its vitally important work in biodiversity conservation. 

Sony Interactive Entertainment is proud to have worked with the following partners and organisations on impactful restoration projects around the world:

United States

The Arbor Day Foundation planted 288,000 trees for players who successfully achieved the “Reached the Daunt” trophy in Horizon Forbidden West. Through this initiative, SIE is helping to complete three major reforestation projects in forests of need across areas in California, Florida, and Wisconsin.

Brazil

333,000 trees are in the process of being planted by the Arbor Day Foundation the end of this year to help restore 946 acres of indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon. This work will improve food security and income alternatives for thousands of indigenous people while contributing to conservation efforts and helping mitigate climate change.

United Kingdom

Taking inspiration from Seeds of Aloy, the partnership with the Eden Project has so far seen the creation of wildflower habitat in Morecambe, Lancashire, including urban environments. This new habitat will support local wildlife, aid biodiversity, and connect the local community to the natural world.

New Zealand

Flox, a street stencil artist from New Zealand, leant her creative expertise to launch Horizon Forbidden West via a highly-visible campaign that took over urban locations across Auckland. Through the use of native plants and eye-catching artwork, the team encouraged social engagement by planting a tree for every social share of the outdoor activity. In partnership with Forest & Bird, 1,000 trees were planted at Bushy Park Tarapuruhi to help restore the country’s native forests and wildlife.

Bavaria division, Germany

Stiftung “Wir helfen dem Wald” planted 3,000 trees for trophies shared via #AloysWald on Twitter. The restoration of this degraded forest site is part of a research forest initiated by Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald in Bavaria, which is studying climate-resistant tree species. 

Canada

Proceeds from copies of Horizon Forbidden West sold in Canada were donated to WWF-Canada to restore 1 km² of coastal habitat in British Columbia. We helped to support WWF-Canada’s work to rehabilitate seagrass, a vital food and shelter resource for many aquatic species. Restoring seagrass also helps to absorb carbon dioxide. 

France

MyTree planted a total of 10,000 trees, helping restore damaged forests in France. One tree was planted for every five players who achieved the “Reached the Daunt” trophy in Horizon Forbidden West.  

There is certainly much more work to do, and PlayStation Australia is pleased to be able to continue collaborations with partners, The Arbor Day Foundation to work on further biodiversity-related projects in African and Asian regions. They look forward to sharing further progress on all these important projects in future.

For more information, see the full blog post here.

For the latest PlayStation news, follow PlayStation Australia on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. 

SEATTLE — 28 Nov. 2023 — Not For Broadcast: VR, the chaotic televising simulator from developer NotGames and publisher tinyBuild, combines wacky television editing with next-level immersion on PlayStation VR2 on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, after selling more than 400,000 units on PC.

Step into the role of TV editor at Channel One’s beloved talk show, the National Nightly News, in this VR version of the BAFTA and IGF-nominated hit. Ready the cameras for another unhinged series of chaotic television broadcasts, and create the most bizarre – yet engaging – content viewers have ever seen. Keep the ratings high, the airwaves PG, and oppressive government watchdogs from getting too mad…easy, right?

Immerse in the day-to-day operations by sitting at Channel One’s editing suite to get a feel for its surroundings like never before thanks to VR. Watch out for disruptions like behind-the-screens crew chatter or an electrical surge from a category-five storm. But most importantly, allow imagination to run wild to create the perfect show. 

Choose which headlines get covered and who gets their moment in the spotlight. Keep the audience engaged by hand-selecting guests from know-it-all celebrities to bombastic, controversial politicians. Time strategic ad breaks to keep viewers on the edge of their seats and cut between multiple camera angles to catch million-dollar moments tol draw in the most eyeballs. Keep guests entertained, make sure the ratings don’t drop, and remember: the show must always go on. 

Explore the ventures of editing multiple shows while taking things up a notch on an immersive VR experience that brings news editing to a level of realism one could only imagine when sitting in the actual seat of a news station. 

Not For Broadcast: VR will be available on PlayStation VR2 on Thursday, 14 Dec. 2023, for $24.99. It supports English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese languages.

To learn more, visit the game’s official website, purchase Not For Broadcast: VR on PlayStation, follow @NotGamesUK on X, Facebook, and Instagram, and join many other TV editors on Discord.

About tinyBuild

tinyBuild started as an indie game developer and morphed into a developer-publisher you can’t miss. Our dedication to creating long-term partnerships and elevating recognizable franchises has resulted in many successful collaborations with talented developers from all over the world. The company has released dozens of games, including Hello Neighbor, Graveyard Keeper, SpeedRunners, and more. Although headquartered in the Seattle Area, USA, the company has established a strong global presence with studios across the US, Netherlands, Latvia, and throughout Eastern Europe.

About NotGames 

NotGames is a British game studio that opened its doors in 2013 to attempt to save the charity that brought us all together. Coming from a bizarre background of film, TV, theatre, and comedy, NotGames aren’t your usual game developers. If you’re asking, we’d like to call ourselves ‘multi-talented all-rounders’, while our former employers would probably say we’re ‘unfocussed and easily distracted’.

Exhausted after the runaway success of the cult-classic NotTheNameWeWanted and the subsequent stillbirth of NotCoD (we don’t like to talk about it), we took some time out to contemplate our navels in a dark room. 

In 2017, we decided to get the band back together, with NotGames 2.0 combining satire, social commentary and original gameplay into the dystopian wonderland of Not For Broadcast. 

Mow Down Literal Dickheads In Hand Drawn, Heart Attack-Inducing Metroidvania Massacre Featuring One Angry Bitch On The Hunt For Revenge

LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 28, 2023 – The demented developers at Subcult Joint LTD have announced monster-mutilating, creature-slaughtering, Dickhead-destroying post-punk brawler Cookie Cutter tears up the standard Metroidvania formula when it revs up its chainsaw across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X / S, and PC via Steam and Epic Game Store on December 14.

Put on your big girl panties as Cherry, an android hellbent on rescuing her creator, Doctor Shinji Fallon, from the clutches of an evil mega-corporation’s leader. Featuring gorgeously gory hand-drawn visuals, therapy-inducing action, lots of curse words, and narrative twists worthy enough to bust a nut, Cookie Cutter is the perfect game to play with family during the holidays… if you plan to get disowned!

Admire Cherry as she pulverizes putrid monstrosities in Cookie Cutter’s release date announcement trailer below:

Inspired by Japanese manga, Quentin Tarantino films, and H.P. Lovecraft, Cookie Cutter was made to stand out with middle fingers held high. After Cherry’s budding romance with her creator is abruptly brought to an end by a thorough clobbering from a pair of actual Dickheads. Left for dead in a hidden lab, Cherry is luckily resurrected by a renegade mechanic named Raz and vows to enact revenge by eviscerating anything that gets in her way.

Rip up scores of the mega-corporation’s minions across 10 huge zones. Split apart the wings of overgrown mosquitoes, slice mini-bosses in half, and slap an unsuspecting robot with Cherry’s motorcycle. Guitar slide past foes in a pinch, then strum together an electrifying execution. Talk to your light-up genital companion, Regina, when you’re feeling lonely in the depths of the dystopian Megastructure.

Cookie Cutter will be available December 14 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X / S, and PC via Steam and Epic Game Store. Wishlist right now or we’ll tell Cherry you think her game sucks. Trust us, you don’t want that to happen.

Cookie Cutter Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1924430/Cookie_Cutter/

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, SPRAWL, and Wonderputt Forever. Rogue also announced a key partnership with Netflix to bring a broad range of badass games to market.

Rogue is headquartered in San Mateo and Seattle.

CD PROJEKT RED and Bungie’s collaboration, which brings a collection of The Witcher-inspired armor sets, emotes, and more to Destiny 2 is now available as part of the first-person shooter’s latest season.

Recap:

• Destiny 2’s latest season, which begins today, will bring to the game a collection of items inspired by CD PROJEKT RED’s The Witcher.
• Witcher-inspired armor sets, a Raven, a Ghost skin, an emote, and more, are now available in the Eververse store.
• The items can be acquired by players throughout the Season of the Wish.

Full article:

Starting November 28th, Destiny 2’s Season of the Wish begins, bringing a new collection of items inspired by the adventures of Geralt of Rivia. Among them is a new armor set for each class — the White Wolf for Hunters, the Hexer for Warlocks, and Kaer Morhen for Titans. Each set was carefully crafted to reflect its inspirations from the dark fantasy setting it originated from. Additionally, players can acquire a new ship, the Wolven Storm, as well as a Roach-VGH Sparrow with Witcher-inspired Glagolitic script, a Vex skull tied to its side, and a thruster effect modeled after the witcher sign Igni.

Additional accessories include a new Wolf School skin for the Ghost that accompanies and aids players during their adventures. Fans of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s opening scenes will also find a new “Tub Time” emote that allows Guardians to lower themselves into a holographic bathtub in homage to Geralt’s now-iconic pose. The new armor sets, ship, emote, and more can be explored on Destiny 2’s Eververse store.

Items inspired by CD PROJEKT RED’s The Witcher games are available in Destiny 2 as part of the Season of the Wish. More information about the items and the collaboration between the studios can be found on the game’s official website. More information about CD PROJEKT RED’s The Witcher series of games is available on their official website, X, and Facebook.

About CD PROJEKT RED

CD PROJEKT RED is a game development studio founded in 2002. It develops and publishes video games for PCs and video game consoles. The studio’s flagship titles include the futuristic RPG Cyberpunk 2077, its spy-thriller expansion Phantom Liberty, and The Witcher series of games, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its two expansions. In collaboration with Studio Trigger, CD PROJEKT RED also created the award-winning Netflix anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, set in the same universe as the game. Other games developed by the studio include Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales and GWENT: The Witcher Card Game. Together with GOG.COM, a game store offering hand-picked titles for PC and Mac, CD PROJEKT RED is part of the CD PROJEKT Group. CD PROJEKT S.A. is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (ISIN: PLOPTTC00011).

About The Witcher franchise

Created by CD PROJEKT RED, The Witcher is a series of fantasy role-playing games following the adventures of professional monster slayer Geralt of Rivia. To date, the series has sold over 75 million copies worldwide and garnered over 1000 awards. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which released in 2015 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and later in 2019 on the Nintendo Switch, won a total of 250 Game of the Year awards and has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. The Witcher games are set in the universe created by Andrzej Sapkowski in his series of books.

Denver, USA – November 28th, 2023 – Independent game studio Hilltop Studios, in collaboration with Versus Evil, have revealed more info about its upcoming narrative-driven deduction adventure game Lil’ Guardsman ahead of its launch in the coming months on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

Lil’ Guardsman puts players in the role of a young girl who finds herself covering for her dad, the head castle guardsman. As she interrogates an array of fun and weird characters trying to gain entry to their city walls, you must discover each visitor’s true intentions through cunning dialogue and a clever use of her toolbox of investigative items.

Click here to check out A Visitor’s Guide to The Sprawl

This new blog post, A Visitor’s Guide to The Sprawl, offers an in-depth look at the kingdom our young heroine must protect. Home to a diverse population of humans, elves, goblins, and other species; this cobblestone cosmopolis is a hotspot for commerce and entertainment. 

The Sprawl offers all sorts of fine establishments for would-be travelers, such as The Twisted Sister Tavern, the best watering hole this side of Little Ogre Town. Whether you’re looking for a romantic spot for that special night out, or a public place to end a failing relationship, The Twisted Sisters Tavern should be at the top of your list! Any fan of the fantastical would do well to visit the Digsite, where Dr. Beatrix Von Matterhorn and her team of researchers are hard at work procuring power crystals – the key to making the Sprawl the political powerhouse it is today. Sports fans can always find a rousing time at Goblinball Stadium, home of the Sprawl Brawlers (every Thursday is riot night, so dress accordingly!). And if you’re looking for some salty sea air, questionable characters and illegal fish fights, you’d best try your hand at The Docks. 

More about Lil’ Guardman
Lil’ Guardsman is a narrative deduction game, inspired by the classic point-and-click genre and the mechanics of Papers, Please. Set in a high-fantasy world with the comedic sensibility of Monkey Island and other 90s Lucasarts adventure classics, Lil must make tough decisions as she decides who to allow into her castle home. Consequences can be severe, so you’ll have to make clever use of your abilities to uncover mass conspiracies and protect your castle and family from devious interlopers.

Head over to the games Steam page for more details and to wishlist the game here.

About Hilltop Studios

Hilltop Studios began with a series of ‘what if’ conversations in early 2020, and has grown to include the development of a number of original IPs in the digital storytelling, gaming and multimedia spheres. Our experience in the startup and entertainment sectors gives this team a unique perspective on the North American digital landscape. We have gathered a team of robust, diverse talent who are poised to make some seriously fun games and can help emerging and established brands assume their positions on the digital playground.

About Versus Evil

Founded in 2013, Versus Evil, LLC is the US based video game publisher behind critically acclaimed video games First Class Trouble, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire and The Banner Saga trilogy. Publishing games on all major mobile, PC and console platforms, Versus Evil works with independent development studios from around the world. The corporate philosophy is to champion for the independent game developer.

Ships Simulator will be released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this November 30. It is a construction and maritime-themed game in which the player takes control of various special-purpose ships. Ships Simulator offers a total of 24 varied missions to complete on the waters of the Baltic Sea. Previously, the simulator also appeared on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

The game is based on Ships 2017, released on PC, which was developed by Polish studio FragOut. Ultimate Games S.A. is responsible for the development and release of Ships Simulator on PlayStation 4. As part of backward compatibility, the title also runs on PlayStation 5.

Ships Simulator – PlayStation Trailer:

Ships Simulator (PlayStation Store): https://store.playstation.com/concept/10009506
Ships Simulator (Microsoft Store): https://www.xbox.com/games/store/ships-simulator/9nsbr0cm6m1k

Ships Simulator is a construction and maritime simulator that allows the player to take control of 3 special-purpose ships. The game features a container ship, a deep-sea construction vessel, and a semi-submersible transport vessel. The title focuses on performing varied missions on the waters of the Baltic Sea.

The developers of Ships Simulator have prepared a total of 24 different missions. Among the available tasks are mainly those that are related to the extraction of large-sized objects from the seabed, as well as the transportation and installation of large offshore installations. The game also has no shortage of rescue missions.

Players will also find other options in Ships Simulator, including, among others, a crew control mode, with which you can directly control crew members and use appropriate tools (such as fire extinguishers and water cannons). The gameplay is further enriched by a ship refurbishment system.

Ships Simulator – main features:

• 3 special ships;
• 24 diverse missions;
• crew management;
• ship refurbishment system;
• Baltic Sea.

The release date for Ships Simulator on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 is set for November 30, 2023.

Indie developers Event Horizon has been listening to feedback, and huge improvements inspired by players will go live today

GDYNIA – 12TH DECEMBER 2023 – Recently launched fantasy CRPG, Dark Envoy has been listened to feedback from reviews and the players and working hard on a huge patch that fixes issues as well as offering even more content and depth to the adventure for all.

The post-launch reality of indie

After its release, Event Horizon strives to improve the game by addressing feedback and review criticisms. Within the first week, three massive hotfixes and Patch 1.1 were released, addressing the most common technical problems. Event Horizon has been committed to listening closely to the community, and on December 12th 5 pm GMT, Event Horizon will release its biggest patch yet with 1.2. 

This will lead to substantial quality-of-life features. Most notably, the gameplay experience will be a heavy focus on balancing, covering skills, enemies, and tactical environment while adding new content, such as a DPS testing ground and a challenge arena with handcrafted combat scenarios that will test the player’s party-building skills to the limit. 

Event Horizon CEO Krzysztof Monkiewicz said “It might sound like the obvious thing to do, but we genuinely wanted to create a game for the players to enjoy. The community feedback was an integral part of the development process of our first game, Tower of Time. We believe we have a unique game here and won’t give up; we will continue to fight.”

Full Update list:

• Added Challenge Arena (requested by community)
• Added Training Room for testing out custom builds
• Removed “Jankiness” from animations – various and massive fixes to combat and cutscenes
• Improved graphics in dungeons and cleaned up combat visuals to make it much more tactical, less hack’n’slash gameplay
• Improved graphic quality of in-game cutscenes
• Gameplay balancing to incorporate community feedback gathered so far Updates to classes and specializations change or upgrade least favorite spells
• Improved enemy AI
• Over 30 major and small Quality of Life features requested by the community
  Ability to respec skills, expanded combat summary statistics, two new tactical objectives challenges and more

Dark Envoy is out now on Steam and GOG, and until December 27th will have a 20% off sale. Follow the team on Twitter to keep up to date with the latest news and join the Official Discord.

 #  #  #

About Dark Envoy

Dark Envoy combines classic RPG mechanics with a skill-based combat system centered on classes and specializations, while integrating diverse tactical approaches to battles. Players command a party of relic hunters exploring the vast land of Jäan alongside their companions. The immersive storyline unfolds through a solo campaign or can be experienced with a friend in the comprehensive online co-op mode.

About Event Horizon

Event Horizon’s mission is to develop memorable RPGs with rich stories and satisfying gameplay. Founded in 2016, the studio has grown to 30 people since its first title, Tower of Time, was released in 2018 (1,600+ reviews with a “Very Positive” rating). The team is aiming to build upon that success and the experience they’ve gained with their sophomore game, Dark Envoy.

Season Pass Owners Can Unlock Two New Premium DLC Vehicle Packs Featuring Hybrid and Paris-Dakar Classic Vehicles

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nov. 28, 2023 – Buckle up and start your engines! Today’s free Fall 2023 Update for Dakar Desert Rally, the largest open-world rally racing game from Saber Interactive, adds a new feature fans have been waiting for since the game’s debut: the custom roadbook editor. Now you can create your own intensely challenging off-road race events and stages, then share them with the world! Patch 2.0 is driving out today, which brings a range of overall game enhancements and fixes, including a new free replay and photo mode. You can access the full list of patch notes here.

To commemorate today’s update, all players now have the opportunity to obtain the incredible Audi RS Q e-tron and the SnowRunner Cars Pack DLC at no extra cost. Take your off-road rally experience to extreme heights in SnowRunner vehicles – the TUZ 166, DON 71, KHAN 39, KHAN 317, and KHAN L04F – and enter new rally challenge events across nine total stages in Sport Game mode and Professional Game mode.

Owners of the Dakar Desert Rally Season Pass can now download two new premium DLC vehicle packs – the Hybrid Vehicle Pack and Classics Vehicle Pack #2. Each pack is also available to purchase standalone for $9.99.

• DLC – Hybrid Vehicle Pack: Embrace the green initiative and renewable energy with Dakar’s new hybrid future car and trucks – the GCK Motorsport, Hino 600 Hybrid and Riwald Renault C460.
• DLC – Classics Vehicle Pack #2: Jump into the driver’s seat of these iconic vintage vehicles from 1982 and 1985 – the Lada Niva 1600 4×4 and Honda Africa Twin.

Dakar Desert Rally captures the genuine scale and thrill of one of the world’s most challenging off-road events across over 20,000 square kilometers of diverse terrain with dynamic weather. Choose from some of the sport’s most renowned racing teams and build up your garage with a long line of cars, bikes, trucks, quads and SSVs from the world’s top manufacturers. Forge your path to victory across a variety of game modes, including an arcade-style Sport mode for quick pick-up-and-play action, Professional and Simulation modes for a true rally experience, and online multiplayer for up to four players for the ultimate competitive challenge.

Dakar Desert Rally is available on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. For more information, check out www.DakarTheGame.com, and #DaretoDrive by following the game on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and Facebook.

About Saber Interactive

An Embracer Group company headquartered in the U.S., Saber Interactive is a worldwide publisher and developer consisting of over 20 studios in the Americas and Europe. Creating games for all major platforms based on original and licensed IPs, Saber’s titles include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, World War Z, SnowRunner and Evil Dead: The Game. Founded in 2001, Saber is known for two decades of development partnerships with AAA publishers, producing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Nintendo Switch, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Crysis Remastered, and many others.

Over 90 games industry partners united to raise over £500,000 for gamers’ charity SpecialEffect through their flagship One Special Day campaign in October

November 28, 2023 – The charity is indebted to the many games industry companies from across the world who came together to support their life-changing work. Donations from the event on the weekend of 6-8 October derived from sales income of mobile and PC games plus a variety of innovative company-driven fundraising challenges.

The funds raised from One Special Day will be a huge boost in the charity’s mission to enrich inclusion and quality of life by helping people with physical disabilities to play video games to the best of their abilities.

Dr Mick Donegan, SpecialEffect’s CEO and Founder, said “We’re simply blown away by such an astonishing level of support from our friends in the games industry and community, especially at such a difficult time for many companies. Demand for our support continues to grow, and this amazing total will be a cornerstone in enabling us to bring the magic of gaming to thousands of people with physical disabilities, and to help developers all over the world to make their games more accessible to all.”

More information about One Special Day can be found at  www.onespecialday.org.uk.

About SpecialEffect

SpecialEffect are an award-winning charity that enables people with physical disabilities to benefit from the fun, inclusion and therapy of video games. We support people of all ages through personalised assessments, equipment loans and equipment modifications.