Competitive arena shooterXDefiant is now available to play for free on Xbox Series X|S, kicking off with a preseason and featuring five Ubisoft franchise-inspired factions – Phantoms, Cleaners, Libertad, Echelon, and DedSec – each with their own unique abilities and skills. Five game modes will also be available at launch: Occupy, Domination, Zone Control, Escort, and HotShot. The last mode in particular has become a hit with players during the game’s early access betas, and Associate Creative Director Scott Crisostomo and Systems Designer Patrick “Aches” Price are here to tell us more.
In HotShot, players must not only eliminate their opponents, but also pick up the bounty tokens that they drop. Picking up a fallen foe’s bounty secures a point for your team, while picking up a bounty from your own fallen teammate denies your opponents that point. The player currently holding the most bounties in the match becomes the HotShot and is marked for all players to see, but also gains enhanced movement and aim down sights (ADS) speed, and, most importantly, earns three points for every bounty they pick up.
“It was a blast to observe,” said Price after last year’s Closed Beta. “Players loved becoming a super soldier with super-fast movements and ADS speed. Watching how players were playing HotShot showed that we were on track when it came to create a mode that players hadn’t seen before.”
Due to the unique abilities of its factions, XDefiant doesn’t feature a Team Deathmatch mode (TDM) at launch. Instead, the developers saw HotShot as a way to satisfy the free-flowing run-and-gun pace of TDM, while still keeping the objective-based philosophy that their faction gameplay was designed for.
“HotShot became almost like a moving objective,” says Crisostomo. “You want to pick up the other team’s bounties, but when there’s an enemy HotShot, you want to take them out. And when your team has a HotShot, you want to protect them.”
Because bounties are worth three times as many points when picked up by the HotShot, what could have been a freeform game mode has an extra layer of depth and strategy. “The smart play is to actually run as a group and don’t try to race to pick everything up,” says Crisostomo. “Instead, get your kills, but call the HotShot over to pick them up.”
With enhanced movement and aiming speed, the HotShot is the most powerful player in the match, but they’ve also got a massive target on their back. Not only does eliminating the HotShot stop the opposing team from cashing in on the sizable point bonus for bounties, but the HotShot also drops three times as many bounties when they’re killed. “We felt like players should be rewarded when they take out the HotShot, since the HotShot has so many advantages,” says Crisostomo. “That means taking out the HotShot and picking up their bounties almost guarantees you’ll be the next HotShot.”
XDefiant launches with four other game modes: In Occupy, teams must earn points by capturing an ever-changing zone. In Domination, teams fight for control of three static zones. Escort sees one team attempt to move a package along a linear path while the other team tries to stall them. Zone Control challenges attackers to capture sequential zones as they progress through a map, while defenders must fight to stop them until time runs out.
Don’t miss your chance to be the HotShot, XDefiant is available now on Xbox Series X|S!
XDefiant
UBISOFT
☆☆☆☆☆500
★★★★★
XDefiant is a free-to-play, first-person online arena shooter where you compete in fast-paced clashes. With cross-play available at launch, you will be able to play with friends on a variety of platforms. Customized Loadouts
Choose from a large arsenal of weapons, attachments and devices to optimize the way you play. Combine any weapon with any Faction, and unlock new options as you play to perfect your playstyle. Factions
Factions are drawn from iconic Ubisoft worlds and represent distinct classes, each with unique abilities and Ultras. Choose any character from any faction to assemble your team of 6 players. Change your Faction at any point during play to adapt to your strategy. Maps, Modes, and Mayhem
Play in a diverse range of 14 maps at launch across several different arena and linear modes including Zone Control, Escort, Occupy, and more. Fight in casual matches or climb the tiers in competitive ranked mode. New Content Every Season
Every three months will bring a new season that includes a brand-new Faction, new characters, new maps, new weapons, new cosmetics and events. As a live game, XDefiant will continue to deliver an exhilarating experience season over season, with a wide variety of fresh and fun content. This game leverages Smart Delivery allowing access to both the Xbox One title and the Xbox Series X|S title.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Producer Jun Song shares new details on how they’re bringing the villainous Future Saga into the game.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 – Future Saga Chapter 1 launches May 24, 2024, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
The Xbox Series X|S version will support Smart Delivery, allowing all progress and DLC to carry over from the Xbox One version.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2celebrated its 7th anniversary back in October 2023 with a big update featuring new modes and in-game events. Keeping to the development team’s determination and wish to keep Xenoverse 2’s content fresh and new for the players, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 takes a step towards the future by introducing an entirely new four-part saga for both Xenoverse 2 and Dragon Ball fans to enjoy with Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 – Future Saga Chapter 1 coming on May 24, 2024, alongside the release of the Xbox Series X|S version of the game — fans who own the game digitally on Xbox One can enjoy a free upgrade thanks to Smart Delivery tech.
Producer Jun Song joined us recently to share new details on what players can look forward to when Future Saga arrives in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 later this week.
Bandai Namco Entertainment America: When did you start planning new chapter Future Saga?
Producer Jun Song: It was considered in conjunction with the plan for the major update that was implemented last October. To ensure that Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will continue to be enjoyed for a long time, we added new content and made various modifications in the October major update so that all users can enjoy it equally.
For similar reasons, we thought it was necessary to provide a fresh and exciting story for users equally by entering a new Saga. The message “Take a Step Towards the Future” expresses the meaning that with the October update and the upcoming new saga — Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will break from the past and move on to the next “future.”
Bandai: What is the concept of the “Future Saga”?
Song: There are two major points: To settle the battle against “Fu” and to depict the struggle for the “future” of the world. This concept is also expressed in the name of DLC.
Until now, Fu has often conducted experiments out of curiosity, causing trouble for the protagonists and other Time Patrollers. However, since Fu himself was not doing it out of malice, the protagonists ended up getting flabbergasted every time.
In Future Saga, however, Fu acts with a clear purpose. And as a result, the battle will develop into a battle for the “future” of not only the “Time Rift” but also that of the protagonists and the entire world.
Note for Readers: The Time Rift is a crack in history that has been created by repeated altered history. The inside is an alien space, but the events that take place there, for better or worse, do not affect the “history” of the world itself.
The Future Saga will be comprised of 4 chapters, each of them has its own story but would be most enjoyable to know the story of Fu if you play all the chapters.
What will happen to you and Fu as you throw yourself into the battle for the future? We hope you check out Chapter 1 of the “Fu”ture Saga to find out!
Bandai: Who is “Fu” anyway?
Song: Fu made its first appearance in the extra mission of the paid DLC Extra DLC Pack 2. He’s an experimental mutant created by Dabura, who utilized the cells of his sister Demon Queen, Towa, and Demon King, Mira, to revive the Demon Realm.
However, Fu only has interest in experimentation and research, and not in the revival of the Demon Realm. Due to this, he rebelled against Dabura, and since then, he has repeatedly conducted experiments (incidents) and research on “energy produced by altered history.” The protagonists have found themselves caught in the trenches in the process.
Bandai: What is the new form of “Ultra Supervillain” that has been newly introduced?
Song: Throughout the Xenoverse series, the “Villainous Mode” and “Supervillain” sorceries have been a source of trouble for the protagonists and Time Patrollers, but in Future Saga, the “Ultra Supervillain” sorceries are introduced.
While it can provide tremendous energy, it is also very dangerous because its impact on history is so great, but it seems that Fu intends to harness this power. This “Ultra Supervillain” will be an important key throughout the Saga, so we hope you will pay attention to it.
Also, the relationship between Fu and the protagonists is also of great interest. Fu and the protagonists have formed a strange friendship through past incidents, and this Saga will focus on the relationship between the two.
Bandai: Any additional comments you’d like to share?
Song: Future Saga will tell a story that Dragon Ball fans will be excited about, but the DLC is also designed to be enjoyable for those who have stopped playing after clearing the game.
We are also preparing a lot of additional content for the free update that will be delivered at the same time, so we hope that you will take this opportunity to play Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.
The concept of the Xenoverse series, “enter the Dragon Ball world yourself,” is an important pillar of the Dragon Ball game franchise, so we will continue to work hard on with proper plans for future development.
Xenoverse will continue to run and there’s more to come!
Take a step into the future of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2with Chapter 1 of the Future Saga on May 24, 2024, on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S! Stay tuned for more updates from the Xenoverse 2 team with a 2nd Festival of Universes coming soon and the three additional Chapters of Future Saga coming next.
We hope to see you in Conton City!
DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
☆☆☆☆☆888
★★★★★
$19.99
Free Trial
YOUR STORY, YOUR AVATAR, YOUR DRAGON BALL WORLD Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is the ultimate Dragon Ball gaming experience, packed with thrilling action, epic battles, and endless customization options. Create your own character, explore Conton City and team up with iconic characters from the series as a teacher to train and be ready to battle against formidable enemies to rescue the flow of History! As you progress through the game, you can customize your character’s appearance, abilities, and moveset, allowing you to create a truly unique and powerful fighter. The fun doesn’t stop there! Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 also features online multiplayer modes, where you can battle against other players from around the world in epic showdowns or participate in Raid Battles to face gigantic foes with other players. With 7 years worth of DLC packs, there’s always something new to discover and experience in Conton City! THE FIGHTER YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE.
With a vast array of customization options, you can create a character that truly fits your style and personality. From race and appearance to abilities and moveset, you have complete control over your fighter. AN INFINITE ONLINE EXPERIENCE.
With several online multiplayer modes and in-game events, battles never stop! Face against other players from around the world in epic showdowns or team up with them against gigantic threats in Raid Battles. LET YOUR FIGHTING SPIRIT BURN!
Dive into the intense and action-packed battles typical of Dragon Ball. Whether it’s during one-on-one fights or massive battles against multiple enemies, let yourself go in the thrill of the fight! THE WHOLE DRAGON BALL UNIVERSE AWAITS.
Jump into different locations and timelines of Dragon Ball! Battle in iconic locations from the Dragon Ball universe and interact with famous characters to protect history. EVERYTHING DRAGON BALL, ALL HERE.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is packed with fan service, featuring all iconic characters, locations, and moments from the series that fans will love to see and experience in-game. 7 YEARS OF EXPANSIONS!
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is bigger than ever! After 7 years of regular releases of new DLC content, discover more than 40 new characters, storylines, and much more from Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super and even Dragon Ball movies. Stay tuned and enjoy the free updates as well!
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has finally arrived – the next chapter of Senua’s riveting journey as she battles for survival through the myth and tyranny of Viking Iceland. At Hellblade developer Ninja Theory, the ultimate goal is to ‘Create Life Changing Art With Game Changing Tech’ – a mantra that has soaked into every single element of the game’s design.
To celebrate the launch of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, we’re thrilled to present our complete, four-part series that dives into four core elements of the game – Narrative, Combat, Audio, and Environment. With insight collected from inside the studio itself, as well as stories and lessons from Hellblade’s creative leads, you’ll get an exclusive look behind the curtain at Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II’s pursuit of true immersion.
All of these features are free of story spoilers and safe to read before you get stuck into Hellblade II. Alternatively, you can return after you’ve played for some extra insight into the design of this groundbreaking game. Enjoy!
Today we are proud and excited to launch Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Game Pass.
In Hellblade II, the sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, we see the return of Senua in a brutal battle for survival through the myth and tyranny of Viking Iceland. It is a game from the heart, where our small team of around 80 developers have crafted an experience that aims to immerse you in Senua’s world and story. Our bold mission as a studio is to ‘Craft Life Changing Art with Game Changing Tech’, by which we mean we aim to push the boundaries of technology and techniques in order to create a game, and an experience, that leaves you thinking and feeling.
Immersion drives our work at Ninja Theory, with our belief being that if we can immerse you in Senua’s Saga, we can take you on an unforgettable journey. Our belief is also that believability is the route to this immersion, and so our team has painstakingly worked to bring our reality into Senua’s.
The game is set in real locations in Iceland, recreated through satellite data and photogrammetry. Our characters are digital doubles of real people and their costumes first made as real clothing through historically authentic techniques and materials. And all our character animations starts life as real movement from our incredible cast on our performance capture stage.
It is not only our presentation that is based in ground-truth reference, but so to are the narrative themes in Senua’s journey – in particular Senua’s experiences of psychosis. Senua is a person who lives in an unshared reality. She sees things that others don’t, hears things that others don’t and has unique beliefs about the world.
In order to realize Senua’s experiences of psychosis in a truthful way we have, as we did on Senua’s Sacrifice, worked closely with our friends and partners in the world of neuroscience and lived-experience. Their generosity, openness and support has given us the opportunity to understand what living with psychosis can be like, in the hope that Senua feels like a real person going through a very personal mental health journey.
I’d like to take this as an opportunity to thank our team and collaborators for devoting themselves to Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II as a true passion project. I’d also like to thank you, our fans, for your support throughout the development of Hellblade II. It has meant so much to us.
Now, it is time to turn down the lights, put your headphones on and join Senua for, what we hope is, an unforgettable journey into Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Xbox Games Studios
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$49.99
The sequel to the award winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua returns in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. Intent on saving those who have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny, Senua faces a battle of overcoming the darkness within and without. Sink deep into the next chapter of Senua’s story, a crafted experience told through cinematic immersion, beautifully realised visuals and encapsulating sound.
2017’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was an exceedingly special game. A bold, brash direction for Ninja Theory, the decision to craft a short, narrative experience revolving around mental health was a brave leap, but one that ultimately paid off. Now, seven years later, the studio is gearing up to reveal a sequel to Senua’s story, built with the same love and care, but expanding on the debut in every conceivable way.
In the run up to launch, we’ll be bringing you the story of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II from inside the studio itself, as well as stories and lessons from Hellblade’s creative leads. This is Ninja Theory’s ultimate form, filled with industry-leading talent, groundbreaking technology, and one of the most unique approaches to game development you’ve ever seen to fulfil the ultimate goal – the pursuit of true immersion.
When it comes to the environments showcased in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, breathtaking doesn’t quite cover it. Despite its linear story, the game showcases a sense of scale that adventures like this don’t often offer, and everything you see is rooted in a familiar realism. Where most games of this kind would confine you to corridors, valleys, and other means of obscuring your view, Hellblade II’s vistas often stretch to the horizon, giving you a sense of the sheer size of Senua’s journey ahead. The idea is clear – this is literal worldbuilding, rooting your journey in a much, much, bigger story.
During our visit to Ninja Theory, we had the opportunity to speak to key creative leads about how the studio achieved this sense of place through location scouting and research, to bring an ethereal, yet believable recreation of medieval Iceland into Hellblade II.
One Fateful Night, Cypress Ridge Experiences a Nearly Endless Nightmare.
On the other side of the coin, Outbreak RPG represents yet another way we’ve challenged ourselves to do something different with the Outbreak series. This is a rogue-like, turn-based adventure where survival is far from guaranteed. While most of our games explore survival horror gameplay from an action-oriented perspective, Outbreak RPG instead approaches this from a slower-paced, cerebral point-of-view.
The premise is simple; embark on a quest to evacuate survivors out of Cypress Ridge as the city has fallen to a zombie apocalypse. In this game, though, you need to manage a four-character party, complete with character-specific strengths and weaknesses, to take out deadly foes strategically. Do you attack with Lydia’s handgun for a higher chance of critically injuring monsters, or do you use Hank’s shotgun to hurt multiple ghouls with a single blast? Do you spend a turn to search for supplies or heal, or do you attempt to run away from an encounter entirely? Is it best to use a precious grenade when you’re out of ammo, or should you try to whittle down your opponent with a melee attack? These are the types of questions you’ll constantly need to answer correctly if you’re going to emerge from the city victorious.
In between random battles, you will stumble into events that may aid you in your fight or even deal damage to your party. The timing of your choices in and out of combat will also impact your initiative, which affects your luck. As you rescue each Survivor scattered throughout Cypress Ridge, you’ll receive perks ranging from increased health to powered-up weapons. Once you find all ten civilians, endure a final boss encounter and victory is yours! No play-through of Outbreak RPG is the same, however, and with four difficulty settings, you can re-enter the hellscape for a fresh challenge.
As Minecraft turns 15 years old, we wanted to take a look back. As one of the most important (and best-selling) games of all time, Minecraft and Mojang’s journey has been incredible to witness – starting as a one-person creation and blossoming into a truly world-changing proposition.
With that in mind, we thought we’d take you back over the biggest moments in Minecraft’s history, year-by-year:
2009: Launching Classic Edition
Image credit: Jan Willem Nijman
On May 16, 2009, it all began. Inspired by the likes of Infiniminer and Dungeon Keeper, Markus ‘Notch’ Persson had begun work on what was initially known simply as “Cave Game” a week earlier, before settling on a catchier title: Minecraft: Order of the Stone. Then he was convinced to choose an even catchier title: Minecraft. What came to be known as the Java Classic Edition lacked much of what we’ve come to know from the game – but the building blocks (pun very much intended) were there.
Classic would generate a world, and allow you to dig and build freely, creating your own geometric slices of paradise in its technicolor world. Over the course of the year, Classic would split into Creative and Survival modes, ushering us closer and closer to the Minecraft we’ve known for a decade and a half.
2010: Minecraft Gets Its Crafting System – Plus Minecarts and Multiplayer
By January of 2010, Minecraft had already amassed over 100,000 players – but some of its most fundamental improvements were still to come – not least making good on that “Craft” part of the title. A crafting system was added late that month, introducing the familiar wood-iron-diamond ‘level’ system for items, and changing, well, everything about how we played the game. Dig-loot-craft-repeat was born.
But that was far from the only major change. By June, minecarts had appeared in the game, changing how players could travel through their worlds and, in August, the first version of multiplayer in Survival mode popped up. So much of Minecraft’s popularity is built on playing with your friends, and this was the first time we could see a glimpse of how huge that would be for the game.
2011: Minecraft 1.0 Released – and the First Port Arrives
If you want a sense of how fast Minecraft grew, consider this. By January of 2011, the game hit a million players. But July, that had jumped to 10 million. And, to top it all off – all of this came before the game had launched its full 1.0 version. That came on November 18, 2011. What came to be known as Minecraft: Java Edition was released during Minecon 2011, bringing everything millions of players were already loving to an even wider audience – even an “ending” to the game with the Ender Dragon boss fight.
And we can’t ignore that 2011 also saw the game’s first-ever non-PC ports. Minecraft: Pocket Edition launched exclusively for the Xperia Play smartphone in August, followed quickly by an iOS version – from these small beginnings, Minecraft would spread across practically every modern gaming device over the years, becoming the phenomenon it has been in the process.
2012: Minecraft Gets Lego-fied, Comes to Xbox 360, and Gets the Pretty Scary Update
If you wanted to pinpoint the moment where Minecraft became more than just a game, look no further than when Lego officially confirmed that Minecraft – in many ways the brick-building hobby’s digital cousin – would become an official set. Lego Minecraft Micro World allowed you to build four cubic vignettes from Minecraft in real-life, complete with Steve and Creeper mini-figs.
In the world of gaming itself, 2012 was no less important. This year marked the first meeting of Minecraft and Xbox, as Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition launched in May, offering a console version of the game to millions of new players. This console edition became the basis for Minecraft’s off-PC future – from here, we’d see the game appear on almost every new Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo console over the years.
We also saw a landmark new update: Pretty Scary brought a host of new mobs to fight off, and also brought one of the most important blocks in the game’s history – the Command Block became the basis for some of the most impressive creations in Minecraft, adding a level of programming that would allow magnificent ideas to spring forth.
2013: The Redstone Update Changes Everything and Horses Ride In
If 2012’s Command Block was the start of something special, 2013’s Redstone Update was when it got really special. Redstone, a block that allows players to power various elements of the game, had already been introduced, but this update opened up a host of new opportunities. Redstone could now be used to power pressure plates, change how rail blocks worked, detect daylight and much, much more. From here, players began to experiment with how far Redstone could take their creations – all the way up to creating working 8-bit computers inside the game.
On the less complicated side of things, we also got the Horse Update, which changed the game in a more adorable way, allowing you to tame and ride the majestic, blocky beasts and travel your world in a new way. Notably, this was a major moment for how Mojang worked with its community – the Horse Update was inspired by a mod, Mo’ Creatures, and shows how the game has been worked on with the fans themselves (many of whom went onto be Mojang developers, too).
2014: Microsoft Acquires Mojang and The Bountiful Update Blooms
I might not even be writing this article if it weren’t for 2014 – when Microsoft saw quite how earth-shaking Minecraft had become and acquired Mojang for $2.5 billion. After two years of working closely together, the two companies came together to shape the future of the game, which has only continued to grow in the decade since.
In the game itself, the Bountiful Update represented an enormous improvement. Built over a full 10 months, Bountiful saw massive changes to the codebase of the game, invisibly improving everything about the experience – but it also brought floating islands, underwater temples, killer rabbits, and much more.
2015: Minecon Breaks Records, and the HoloLens Demo Wows
Since humble beginnings in 2010, Minecon had been bringing fans of Minecraft together to celebrate the game – and had subsequently become the home of some of the game’s biggest releases. Come this year, it had become a truly enormous affair – record-breaking, even. Held in London, Minecon 2015 sold 10,000 tickets, earning a Guinness World Record for the largest convention in history for a single game.
2015 also saw Mojang showing just how creative it could get with its ideas – the Minecraft HoloLens demo became one of the most talked-about E3 presentations of recent years. The mixed-reality headset could effectively create parts of a Minecraft world amid the real world around you, offering a perspective on the game no one could have imagined. While it never became a full product, it’s a brilliant evocation of how restlessly creative Mojang is with its game.
2016: Hitting 100 Million Sales, and Minecraft: Education Edition Launches
There was no doubt that Minecraft was already a worldwide concern, but 2016 saw its biggest cultural landmark yet – passing 100 million copies sold. In 2016, 53,000 people were buying Minecraft every day – and four copies were even sold in Antarctica. The game has now passed triple that number, but it was here that Minecraft truly set out its stall as one of the most-loved, most important games of all time.
Its influence was so strong, in fact, that 2016 also saw the launch of Minecraft: Education Edition (now simply Minecraft Education). Developed alongside Xbox Game Studios, this version of the game was designed to be used in the classroom, and has allowed kids to build collaboratively, learn from educators inside the game itself, and been updated to include worlds that help learning on Cyber Safety, natural history, and much, much more.
2017: The Better Together Update Unites Players, Minecraft Marketplace Empowers Them
For years, players had been able to get Minecraft on their consoles, but 2017’s Better Together helped make that all the more significant. This was the moment that Mojang began to bring platforms together, allowing anyone with the Bedrock Edition of the game to play together, no matter what device they were playing on. It was a gigantic step, and a true piece of Minecraft magic.
In the same year, Mojang doubled down on its commitment to its community with Minecraft Marketplace – a store that sells curated creator-made skins, texture packs, and maps. Effectively, it offered modders – a huge part of Minecraft’s success over the years – to make money from their creations, and opened the door to literally millions of more people to access their hard work.
2018: Update Aquatic Opens Up New Worlds
70% of Earth is covered with water, and while that ratio may differ in your Minecraft world, that’s still a lot of space you might otherwise not see. Not so after Update Aquatic – the biggest update to Minecraft’s oceans saw new mobs, blocks, and mysteries added to the game’s underwater realms.
From dolphins and turtles to the only-slightly-horrifying Drowned enemies, there was a lot to play with under the sea, not to mention buried treasure, shipwrecks, and reefs to explore.
2019: 10 Years of Minecraft, and the Village & Pillage Update Storms In
A decade is a very long time in gaming, but it was just the start for Minecraft. The 10-year anniversary of the game went hard, not least with a beautiful map that acted as an interactive museum about the game itself – and a re-release of the Classic Edition of the game to show you just how far the game had come.
Looking forward, we also saw the Village & Pillage update, which populated your world in new ways. Revamped villages (and their villagers) now sprung up across the biomes, offering trading, jobs, and more ways to interact. But to combat all this loveliness, we also saw the addition of Pillagers, a new faction of bandit mobs who’d roam the map looking to spoil your good time. Also, pandas were added, which is only ever a good thing.
2020: Nether Update Takes Us Deeper Underground, and Minecraft Dungeons Arrives
The Nether had long been an object of fascination and terror for Minecraft players, offering a whole other dimension to the game. But the Nether Update changed this world of danger forever, adding new biomes and mobs that turned it from a curious, dangerous place into a true realm to explore in itself.
Meanwhile, Mojang also saw fit to release the biggest Minecraft spin-off yet – Minecraft Dungeons twisted the original game’s basics into an all-new action experience. In partnership with Double Eleven, this game offers a new story-driven approach to the Minecraft universe, transforming familiar items, mobs, and blocks into dungeon crawling essentials.
2021: Minecraft Passes 1 Trillion Views on YouTube, While Caves and Cliffs Emerges
YouTube has been an incredibly important part of Minecraft’s history, with creators across the globe enjoying and sharing the game, and becoming famous in their own right as a result. If you want a sense of quite how intertwined the two became, Minecraft became the first entertainment franchise to break through the 1 trillion views mark on YouTube. As YouTube itself put it: “If each of those one trillion views were just one second long, that would add up to over 30,000 years.” Please, take it from me, don’t try and catch up on all of it.
Inside the game, we saw an update so massive it had to be split into two parts. Caves & Cliffs was the most ambitious update Mojang had ever put together to this point, not only adding the expected new mobs, items, and blocks, but adding entire new biomes and overhauling how Minecraft worlds themselves were generated.
2022: New Default Skins Added and The Wild Update Bursts Forth
Skin-swapping had been easy for a long time, but good old default skins Steve and Alex were probably a little lonely come 2022. Enter Noor, Sunny, Ari, Zuri, Makena, Kai, and Efe – new default skins that let players express themselves more easily than ever while jumping into their world.
Meanwhile, the Wild Update included even more new biomes on top of 2021’s Caves & Cliffs, including the Deep Dark, a biome only found underground, replete with ancient cities to discover, and the terrifying, blind Warden enemy. Also: frogs!
2023: Minecraft Legends Offers Another New Adventure, and Trails & Tales Launches
Minecraft Dungeons was only the start. Last year, Minecraft Legends arrived to offer another new look at how Minecraft could be adapted. This action strategy game zoomed way out to offer you a bird’s eye view of the Overworld – and an army of mobs to help you protect it from Piglin hordes.
In Minecraft itself, the Trails & Tales update offered new means of self-expression in your world, not to mention added new stories underground with the addition of archeology in desert biomes. Count yourself lucky if you find the new, rare Cherry Blossom biome – and maybe find your way there on the new camel mob, which has space for you and a friend on its back.
2024: Looking to the Future
And so we reach 2024, asMinecraftturns 15. You might think Mojang might want a bit of a break, but not so – they’ve already released the Armored Paws drop, and announced a massive birthday sale, but there’s so much more still to come. From the upcoming Tricky Trials update to secrets yet to be revealed, this 15th year is, somehow, only the beginning.
Minecraft
Microsoft Studios
☆☆☆☆☆2017
★★★★★
$19.99$9.99
Xbox One X Enhanced
Xbox Game Pass
Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles. Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs. Scale craggy mountains, unearth elaborate caves and mine large ore veins. Discover lush cave and dripstone cave biomes. Light up your world with candles to show what a savvy spelunker and master mountaineer you are! FEATURES: If you can dream it, you can build it. Put your imagination and limitless resources to work with Creative Mode.
Battle mobs, construct shelters and explore the landscape – it’s all in a day’s work when you try to survive and thrive in Survival Mode.
New tools, locations and spaces are yours to explore, thanks to our regular updates. Cross-platform play for up to eight players across Windows, PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox and mobile devices.
Discover skin, texture and mash-up packs from the community! Find out more at minecraft.net/marketplace. REALMS PLUS:
Play with up to 10 friends cross-platform in worlds that exist any time, anywhere – and get access to over 150 pieces of Marketplace content. Try a free 30-day trial in-app and learn more at minecraft.net/realms/bedrock. You can also play Minecraft with Xbox Game Pass – check it out at xbox.com/gamepass.
Add an 11th team to the grid and make them your own with F1 Manager 2024’s new Create A Team mode
Deeper management tools and new broadcast options bring the world of F1 to life like never before
Discover the real F1 data powering your every decision
Do you have what it takes to write your own legacy in Formula 1? F1 Manager 2024 accelerates onto Xbox consoles on July 23, placing you in the hotseat of a team competing in the world’s most prestigious motorsports championship. This year, for the first time ever, you will be able to add your own 11th team to the grid, designing your own route to the podium as you customise the look of your team and seek sponsorship to support your lofty goals.
F1 Manager 2024 utilizes hundreds of real-world data points taken from the sport in the most authentic and immersive experience to date. But just how does that data affect how you’ll be managing your team?
New to the series this year is the Mentality System, which gives you a greater understanding than ever before into the personal ambitions and characters of your team. To do this we wanted each driver and staff member to react in a more human way, for them to have ambition, opinions, and expectations about how you and your team are performing. To do this we looked at real-world data regarding their careers. How many wins do they have? How many races have they competed in? Did they compete in F2 or F3? Have they developed a championship winning car?
We use this type of data to make each individual’s history and experience drive how they react and respond to the world they live in. This also allows our drivers and staff to develop and change over time just like in real life as the data points we use are constantly updating and changing, which in turn changes how they perceive the world. Putting two previous World Championship winners in the same car won’t guarantee results, as they’re still hungry for race wins. Likewise, someone who’s new to the F1 paddock will be happy to see their experience build. Fail to keep your stars happy, and rival teams can take advantage of this to poach them to their own teams.
Authenticity is at the core of the F1® Manager series, so this commitment to real-world data forms the foundations of our driver and staff ratings. From the individual Driver attributes to each staff member’s abilities in building a car or operating at a race track, everything is balanced according to real life results and historic data. For example, a 1st – 20th ranking of the number of laps done on each compound of tyre in every Grand Prix since 2020, how efficient those strategies were at those races, plus car performance weightings to ensure fairness in the results, allows us to indicate an initial smoothness rating for a driver.
Revamped UI in F1 Manager 2024 shows you how important each area of the car is, in anticipation of the next few races. This information is generated using calculations that amalgamate real tyre, lap time and performance data directly from our partners at F1, such as best sector times in Qualifying, or speed differential between using or not using DRS through a Speed Trap. This level of commitment to the real-world data spreads throughout every part of the game, from the strategies you’ll use on track to the development of future talent through the new Affiliates system, allowing you to recruit the stars of the future from F2, F3 and beyond.
Once you’ve got your team set up, our race simulation brings the action to life with broadcast-like cameras, including the strategic new Heli-cam. How each car performs across each of the 24 circuits is informed by more real-world data which we work on with the F1 Motorsport team. Our engineering team run thousands of simulated scenarios on every lap and every corner to produce a wealth of information, identifying each car’s opportunities to overtake and how they perform. These simulations are fed by data such as overall lap times from previous Grand Prix, weather conditions and the rate of tyre wear, ensuring every race in F1 Manager 2024 feels authentic and realistic to F1 fans.
You can dive into the data yourself and create a legacy with your own team when F1 Manager 2024 releases on July 23 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
Pre-order ahead of launch to receive an additional exclusive Create A Team preset livery replicating the F1 2024 Show Car, or choose to enhance your experience with 10% off the suggested retail price of F1 Manager 2024: Deluxe Edition, which adds five classically inspired patterns to Create A Team mode, whilst an additional five fictional Race Replay scenarios offer unique single-race challenges.
F1® Manager 2024 Deluxe Edition
Frontier Developments
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$44.99$40.49
Preorder the F1® Manager 2024 Deluxe Edition now to receive:
Create A Team F1® 2024 Show Car preset
5 Create A Team Classically Inspired Livery Patterns
5 Custom Race Replay Scenarios
A 10% Prepurchase Discount The F1® Manager 2024 Deluxe Upgrade Pack contains 5 classically inspired livery patterns for use in Create A Team and 5 custom race replay scenarios that will push even the most strategic Team Principal to the limit. Lead your team to glory in F1® Manager 2024. A new Formula 1® season has arrived, and with it, the most comprehensive F1® management experience to date. Build a legacy with one of 10 official F1® constructors or create your own team for the very first time. Plan and direct your team’s strategy and watch as your driver’s execute your commands in thrilling F1 races, brought to life with a broadcast-quality presentation. Manage your drivers, staff, car development and facilities throughout multiple seasons to give your team the best chance to claim a spot on the Formula 1 podium. NEW FOR 2024 CREATE A TEAM
For the first time in the series, create your own team to challenge the grid and forge a new legacy. Customise every element of your team from your origin and livery design to logo and racing suits. Recruit the right staff and drivers and negotiate with sponsors for placement on your car. DEEPER MANAGEMENT
The dramatic world of F1 comes to life on and off the track with the brand-new Mentality System. Manage the personalities and needs of your staff and drivers in the pursuit of success. Keep your stars happy to avoid allowing rivals from poaching your talent, disrupting your team’s trajectory towards the top. Build a legacy by fostering talents from F2 & F3 to add to your own affiliate pool. Access the stars of the future and ensure their success is your success. F1 RACES BROUGHT TO LIFE
Circuits visuals have been refreshed for the official 2024 season, including the returning Shanghai International Circuit. Improved track marbling and enhanced use of real-world data mean racing lines are clearer than ever, with enhanced trackside detailing providing the best-looking visual presentation to date. Helicam provides a strategic bird’s eye view on the action, giving you a new perspective when executing and evolving your race day plans Races present ever-evolving challenges and opportunities with the introduction of Mechanical Failures. Can you mitigate these issues as they arise to stay on track? Ensure you are in position to capitalise on rivals‘ issues and claim unexpected results. MORE TO DISCOVER
· 2024 F1® Sprint race format
· 2024 driver and staff roster, including drivers from development and team academies
· Improved approachability including refreshed data visualisations, the option to simulate the full race weekend, and enhanced tutorials
· Race Replay returns for another thrilling season, allowing you to relive and redefine moments from the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship™
This is represented in action as I watch Senua engage in a conversation with several new characters across her journey. The Furies are in conflict each time, debating Senua’s reactions, running through potential responses and justifications with a mind-bending pace. But Senua is no longer a prisoner to this cacophony, she can see past the influence of the voices and decide for herself how to proceed in that moment. Does this person need my help? Will they hurt me? Senua can find her own answers through the noise just as the player does, and we can feel her emotions and considerations reflected in the style, tenacity and placement of the sound, similar to a score for a movie.
“We are representing abstract concepts with sound,” Garcia Diaz adds. “What does guilt sound like, and what is our vision of guilt for Senua? How do we interpret sadness, or euphoria, or rage?”
“We are not just recreating a sound, we are creating a character’s reality, and this is our way of interpretating these emotions [for Senua] with sound and music and voices, all tied together to create one moment.”
“We are not just recreating a sound, we are creating a character’s reality, and this is our way of interpretating these emotions.”
David Garcia Diaz
Three’s A Crowd
While Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is an insular journey that follows Senua alone with the accompaniment of the Furies representing how her psychosis manifests, Hellblade II will see Senua encounters new characters in the world for the first time. She’ll engage in dialogue with these strangers, and face the trials of navigating relationships while handling the overwhelming, unrelenting narration of her condition.
In one Hellblade II scene, Senua meets a stranger that is being held captive by Viking slavers. In this moment, she’s conversing with him directly, but the voices are at odds with what both parties are saying out loud.
“You have to consider – what happens if there is a conversation between three people? What does that sound like to everyone involved?” Garcia Diaz adds.
While I’m at the studio I’m shown a snippet of the Furies in action. Performers Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalan take part in an unscripted performance depicting Senua moving through a cave. Through headphones, I hear a haunting narration of the surroundings, their thoughts seamlessly falling into a flow state. But what I see is the two actors circling both sides of the head-shaped Neumann microphone sitting between them like vultures picking at a carcass – allowing their voices to feel as though they’re moving through your head, as they would do for Senua Even in this brightly-lit room, I’m on edge after 30 seconds of this experience, the unpredictable hisses and snarky giggles picking at my brain. Garcia Diaz likens the experience to jazz – it’s atmospheric, moving and some of its best parts are created out of improvisation, not a pre-agreed script.
Beware, citizens… A three-headed shadow looms above the sky while acidic mist suffocates the air below. What doom has crossed over to the GigaBashworld? Introducing the latest additions to the GigaBash roster from the Godzilla universe, King Ghidorah and Hedorah! Let’s take a closer look at what they are capable of.
King Ghidorah
As seen in “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)”, you play as Godzilla’s most formidable rival. Your supersonic wings allow you to fly and rain destructive Gravity Beams from above. You can also wind up your wings to produce a powerful shockwave that sends buildings hurling towards the enemy with a single flap. Each of your colossal, horned heads can blast destructive lightning bolt-like Gravity Beams capable of tearing through entire skyscrapers.
Hedorah
As Hedorah, you play as the smog monster that stands taller than Godzilla and can match the King of the Monsters blow for blow. As seen in “Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)”, you can spit Acidic Sludge, pollute the air with Acidic Sulfuric Mist, throw deadly mud balls, and even shoot a Hedrium Ray from one of your eyes. You can also dodge oncoming attacks by shifting into your Flying Stage, leaving behind a pool of Acidic Sludge that damages and slows the enemy.
Battle against the OGs
Don’t you have that Kaiju battle matchup idea in mind that has yet to be realized on film? With the additional purchase of the Godzilla 4 Kaiju Pack DLC, you can pit Godzilla, Gigan, Mechagodzilla, and Destoroyah against King Ghidorah and Hedorah to recreate your ultimate Kaiju fantasy.
Check out the new GigaBash Godzilla DLCs All-in-One Showcase video.
Godzilla
Play as the superstar and the OG of the Tokusatsu genre. This version from the 1990s Godzilla movies , features a more predatory-looking head with a sleeker and more powerful body. As Godzilla, you can grab hold of your enemies and ram them toward skyscrapers for big damage. You can fire its iconic heat ray from across the map, incinerating anyone in your way with additional burn damage to enemies when performed as an S-Class!
Gigan
As Gigan, your razor-sharp claws can dice up enemies in a jiffy. They also apply a deadly Bleeding Status that deals additional damage if your victim tries to move around. You can rev up the buzz saw on its abdomen to devastate anything and anyone who comes too close. You can also fire a destructive laser beam that explodes into multiple clusters, keeping enemies at bay while you scheme your next approach.
Mechagodzilla
This version is Nicknamed Kiryu, an anti-Godzilla weapon as seen in the film “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)”. Its Weapon Control System allows it to wield a wide arsenal of weapons such as wrist blade, rockets, homing missiles, and railguns, Hyper Maser Cannon and Absolute Zero Cannon. Unique to Mechagodzilla, each of its weapons consumes one of two different types of energy, making it one of the more difficult characters to master. However, in the right hands, it can swiftly annihilate its foes with a merciless display of firepower.
Destoroyah
As seen in “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995),” these microcellular organisms evolve into larger and more destructive stages, ultimately reforming into a single terrible but awesome creature. As Destoroyah, you use your pincer tail to snag and drag enemies across the battlefield. Also your Micro-Oxygen beam can , easily vaporize anything caught in its path.
Beam Clash
The hallmark of any epic Kaiju film is definitely… Beam Clash! That’s right, you can trigger one whenever two beam attacks collide. Mash the attack button to increase your power before this tug-of-war ends in a massive explosion, just like in the movies.
With two of Godzilla’s most fearsome nemeses crossing over into GigaBash along with the characters from the Godzilla 4 Kaiju DLC, that’s a total of six kaijus from the Godzilla universe, along with ten original GigaBash characters from the base game for fans to enjoy. So, will you sow terror as the Nemeses of Godzilla? Or will you team up with old adversaries out of sheer survival instinct to fight off these formidable foes? We await your answer in the arena!
GigaBash
Passion Republic Games
☆☆☆☆☆183
★★★★★
$24.49
GigaBash combines the chaos and creativity of titles like Power Stone, Super Smash Bros Ultimate and War of Monsters with the jaw-dropping scale of the classic kaiju movies. Play as either a rampaging Titan or a Titan-hunting mecha; summon lightning from the heavens, use a radio tower as a baton, or roll a whole district (and your enemies) into a single massive snowball. Wreak enough havoc and you’ll evolve into your final form, the terrifyingly titanic S-Class.
The single-player, first-person magic shooter from Ascendant Studios, in partnership with EA Originals, is now on the Play List for all EA Play members (Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See https://tos.ea.com/legalapp/eaplay/US/en/PC/ for details). PC Game Pass and Ultimate Game Pass subscribers can now experience the story of Jak, set in the Immortals of Aveum’s original fantasy universe.
Powered by the groundbreaking Unreal Engine 5.1 technology, Immortals of Aveum puts players in a visceral and cinematic fantasy universe that combines modern characters and a story-driven campaign with intense magic-based action, world exploration and puzzle-solving. The game tells the story of Jak (played by actor Darren Barnet) who discovers that he is a magically-imbued ‘Unforeseen’ and finds himself reluctantly caught in the middle of the raging Everwar. Members will find themselves thrusted into action-packed gameplay, testing their skills in fast, fluid combat that is easy to learn and satisfying to master.
In addition to Immortals of Aveum, EA Play members also get unlimited access to an expansive catalog of EA games, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, EA SPORTS NHL 24 and more, as well as a 10% discount on EA digital content (including game downloads, Season Passes, point packs, and DLC).
EA Play also offers members regular in-game rewards! This month’s rewards include:
Apex Legends Golden Syringe Weapon Charm – Now to June 3
Battlefield 2042 Offshore Protector – Now to May 28
EA SPORTS FC 24 Clubs Nike What The FC Tn Shark – Now to June 6
EA SPORTS FC 24 VOLTA Nike What The FC T-Shirt and COINS – Now to June 6
EA SPORTS FC 24 Ultimate Team™ Draft Token – Now to June 14
F1 23 5000 XP Boost – Now to May 31
Madden NFL 24 MUT May Pack – Now to May 31
EA SPORTS WRCSeason 4 Rewards – Now to June 3
NHL 24 Super Hero Set – Now to May 22
NHL 24 WOC Coins – Now to May 22
NHL 24 WOC Battle Pass XP Modifier – Now to May 22
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass PC members receive EA Play with their Game Pass subscription. Members enjoy great player benefits, including in-game challenges and rewards, special member-only content, trials of select new games such as EA SPORTS FC 24 and access to a collection of EA’s best-loved series and top titles, including the recently added EA SPORTS PGA Tour.
Visit the EA Play page for more details, and to stay up to date on the latest from EA Play, follow EA Play on, Instagram, or X. Please see EA.com/EA-Play/Terms for terms and conditions.
Disney Dreamlight Valley’s Dreamlight Parks Fest In-Game Event is available from May 15 – June 5
Complete daily and weekly Disney Parks-inspired duties to earn exclusive free rewards
Collect replicas inspired by iconic Disney Parks popcorn buckets!
The entire Disney Dreamlight Valleyteam is grateful for players checking out the latest update, Thrills & Frills! Starting today, we’re thrilled to present even more reasons to play with the launch of a new in-game event, the Dreamlight Parks Fest, and the introduction of iconic Disney Parks popcorn buckets! Here’s everything you need to know.
Players can talk with Scrooge McDuck to kick off the event by unlocking new Disney Parks-inspired cupcake recipes. However, Scrooge McDuck isn’t the only Villager who’s getting into the spirit of the event. All the Villagers are excited to try out some special cupcake recipes inspired by real treats players can get at Disney Parks! By making cupcakes for the Villagers and completing other tasks around the Valley, players will be able to craft popcorn buckets based on beloved Disney characters like Stitch and Figment. That’s right – now players can have some of their favorite Disney Parks-inspired popcorn buckets in their Valleys too!
We know how much avid Park goers love collecting popcorn buckets, we’ve got a few collectors on the team, too! The Disney Parks popcorn buckets are not just simple snack containers but popular collectibles that carry memories of adventure-filled days. Celebrating cherished Parks memories in-game or aiding in creating new ones, they are the perfect addition to the Dreamlight Parks Fest.
With so many incredible designs featured over the years, we took inspiration from our own memorable trips to the Parks to recreate some of our favorite popcorn buckets – from a big jar of “Hunny” from Disney’s Winnie the Pooh to the enchanted carriage from Disney’s Cinderella.
It was important to us to be accurate with the 1-to-1 recreations of these memorable Parks popcorn buckets. To add a little surprise and delight for players, we made every popcorn bucket interactable – players can open them and see all that buttery popcorn inside!
The Dreamlight Parks Fest event will run from May 15 to June 5, giving players three weeks to complete the event and collect all the rewards, and don’t worry – players will still be able to keep and display your popcorn buckets long after the event has ended. We would appreciate seeing how players are displaying the buckets in their Valleys and learning about their favorite popcorn buckets. Everyone can join the event now and collect them all, then share pictures with us by tagging Disney Dreamlight Valley on social media!
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Gameloft SE
☆☆☆☆☆337
★★★★★
$39.99$31.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
INCLUDES 8,000 MOONSTONES* Disney Dreamlight Valley is a hybrid between a life-sim and an adventure game rich with quests, exploration, and engaging activities featuring Disney and Pixar friends, both old and new. Once an idyllic land, Dreamlight Valley was a place where Disney and Pixar characters lived in harmony—until the Forgetting. Night Thorns grew across the land and severed the wonderful memories tied to this magical place. With nowhere else to go, the hopeless inhabitants of Dreamlight Valley retreated behind locked doors in the Dream Castle. Now it’s up to you to discover the stories of this world and bring the magic back to Dreamlight Valley! Discover the Secrets of Dreamlight Valley
Free the Dream Castle from the insidious grip of the Forgetting, and unlock the unique Realms of well-loved Disney and Pixar characters, including great queens and kings such as Anna and Simba. Each Realm contains unique challenges with puzzles to solve in the quest to bring friendship back to the Valley. You’ll start your adventure in the Valley, but your journey will take you to infinity… and beyond! Explore what lurks in the Forest of Valor and brave the deepest caverns as you take on challenges from iconic Disney and Pixar heroes and villains. Who knows who—or what—you might discover. Forge Friendships with Disney & Pixar Characters Garden with WALL•E, cook with Remy or kick back and fish with Goofy. What better way to collect, craft, and rebuild the Valley than with a friend! From beautiful princesses to nefarious villains, every Dreamlight Valley resident brings their own story arc, quests, and rewards. Meet up in daily hangouts and make friends with some of your favorite Disney and Pixar characters. Restore the Valley to Its Former Glory Free the Valley from the grip of the Forgetting and return Dreamlight Valley to its former greatness by making it your own. In Dreamlight Valley, you can build the perfect neighborhood that is just for you with a fully customizable layout, creative landscaping, and thousands of decorative items. Will you settle on the Beach next to Moana, or call Buzz Lightyear your next-door neighbor in the Plaza? Express Your Disney Style Bring out your inner princess, villain, or Disney bounder! Assemble unique outfits and decorate your home with thousands of fantastic items. Using the Touch of Magic tool, you can even create your own designs with Disney- and Pixar-inspired decals! With the in-game Camera, get ready to snap a sunset selfie with Mirabel, capture a culinary creation with Remy, or simply cherish a moment. A Game in Constant Evolution New content means that there’s always something fresh to explore. Meet new characters in the Valley, check out the latest clothing and furniture collections in Scrooge’s Store, and complete challenging in-game events! Be sure to dream your way back to Dreamlight Valley regularly to discover new adventures! *Moonstones are an in-game currency that can be collected for free by performing tasks in the game or be purchased using real money. They are used to unlock the premium track of the Star Path (a battle-pass-inspired system that grants in-game cosmetic items as a player completes various tasks and missions). Moonstones can also be used to accelerate progress in the Star Path. Additionally, Moonstones can be used to purchase cosmetic items from the in-game store.
Experience intense combat and imaginative world building this weekend with Free Play Days! Killing Floor 2 and Planet Coaster: Console Edition are available this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday May 16 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, May 19 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
Game Pass Core will give players access to our advanced multiplayer network, a select collection of over 25 games to play with friends around the world, and exclusive member deals! Read more about Game Pass Core at Xbox Wire.
How To Start Playing
Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and navigate down to the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Keep The Fun Going
Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event! Please note that discounts, percentages, and title availability may vary by title and region.
Free Play Days (Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate Required)
Killing Floor 2
Tripwire Interactive
☆☆☆☆☆352
★★★★★
$29.99$1.49
Xbox One X Enhanced
Killing Floor 2 In Killing Floor 2, players descend into continental Europe after it has been overrun by horrific, murderous clones called Zeds that were created by rogue elements of the Horzine Corporation. Civilization is in disarray, governments have collapsed, and military forces have been systematically eradicated. But not all have given up hope; a motley group of civilians, soldiers, and mercenaries have banded together to fight the Zed outbreaks. Welcome to the Killing Floor.
Planet Coaster: Console Edition
Frontier Developments
☆☆☆☆☆222
★★★★★
$49.99$12.49
Xbox One X Enhanced
Planet Coaster: Console Edition Surprise, delight and thrill crowds as you create the theme park of your dreams! Build and design incredible coaster parks in Planet Coaster with unparalleled attention to detail and manage your park in a truly living world. Bring your ideas to life with easy-to-use tools, manage all aspects of your expanding empire, and harness the world’s best creations from an endlessly creative community in the Frontier Workshop. Enjoy up to 75% off discount during Free Play Days.
Don’t miss out on these exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.
2017’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was an exceedingly special game. A bold, brash direction for Ninja Theory, the decision to craft a short, narrative experience revolving around mental health was a brave leap, but one that ultimately paid off. Now, seven years later, the studio is gearing up to reveal a sequel to Senua’s story, built with the same love and care, but expanding on the debut in every conceivable way.
In the run up to launch, we’ll be bringing you the story of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II from inside the studio itself, as well as stories and lessons from Hellblade’s creative leads. This is Ninja Theory’s ultimate form, filled with industry-leading talent, groundbreaking technology, and one of the most unique approaches to game development you’ve ever seen to fulfil the ultimate goal – the pursuit of true immersion.
Motion capture has been part of Ninja Theory’s heritage for a long time, and for good reason. The studio established itself as a pioneer in performance capture for games with 2007’s Heavenly Sword and has continued to innovate since. Now, with greater access to state-of-the-art technology – including its very own performance capture studio nestled within the walls of its Cambridge HQ – Ninja Theory is once again primed to break its own barriers within Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.
Ninja Theory utilised performance capture in the first Hellblade for its cinematic moments, but in Hellblade II, almost every in-game movement is performed by real-world actors and scanned in, to ensure the most realistic, human experience possible in-game. According to Studio Head Dom Matthews, capture for the combat sequences alone took almost 70 full days to complete.
“We see performance capture as a tool to deliver character performance in the purest way possible,” Matthews says. “We took that opportunity because it ties into our goal of doing everything we can to achieve immersion and keep it.”
You’ll never feel that more than in Hellblade II’s unique approach to combat – which stands simultaneously as a testament to Ninja Theory’s deep belief in their way of doing things, but also as a brand-new experiment for the restlessly creative studio.
For the launch of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Xbox and Ninja Theory have teamed up with Icelandic jeweler Aurum on a limited-edition jewelry collection that is rooted in both the world of the game and its real-life inspiration in Iceland. The sequel to 2017’s acclaimed Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II follows the warrior Senua as she journeys to 10th Century Iceland and battles through myth and torment in a brutal saga of survival. Drawing upon the same raw and majestic landscapes, Aurum is Iceland’s leading jewelry brand and the perfect partner to create a necklace and headpiece that reflect Senua’s world by blending intensity, beauty, and femininity.
The Aurum collaboration features a made-to-measure headpiece for Melina Juergens, the BAFTA-winning performer who plays Senua in both Hellblade games. Developed in collaboration between Aurum head designer Guðbjörg Kristín Ingvarsdótir and Ninja Theory’s Character Art Director Dan Crossland, the custom headpiece is inspired by the one Senua wears in-game. The piece is made from hammered oxidized silver, assembled through layers of Sea Eagle wings, in reference the mythological Norse guardian spirits; who warriors of the time believed a symbol of protection.
In addition to the headpiece, Aurum created handcrafted bronze necklaces that combine authentic Icelandic inspiration with the dark fantasy influences of Hellblade. Fans can enter to win these necklaces through a global sweepstakes hosted by Xbox on X (formerly Twitter). For more information and to enter, please visit the post.
In the true spirit of honoring the Icelandic environment, the Aurum pieces will be housed in their signature sustainable packaging, which is modelled on an actual Icelandic pebble from Djúpalónssandur beach in the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The paper box is made from mulberry tree fibers, which are collected from the leaves without cutting down a single tree. Aurum always sources only recycled and re-refined precious metals and only buys certified and conflict-free precious stones and diamonds.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will be released on May 21, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Steam, and will be available to play on day one on Xbox Game Pass.
Benoit has been working at Ubisoft for nearly 20 years, having contributed to projects like Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, For Honor, Watch Dogs, Immortals Fenyx Rising, and now as Game Director on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In talking with Benoit, we learned more about the decision to set the game in feudal Japan, how the dual protagonist system has been improved since Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and how this newest game will fit within the continuity and evolution of the RPG mechanics from Origin, Odyssey, and Valhalla.
Fans have been waiting for a feudal Japanese Assassin’s Creed for many years – why was now the right time?
Game Director Charles Benoit: After each new installment, we look at a wide range of possible settings and what would make the most sense for the brand, between our past and future projects. We felt that feudal Japan was the best fit right now, with our two core pillars as the focus, combat, and stealth, and how it fit the best with Japan’s unique fantasies of the Samurai and the Shinobi.
This is a familiar setting for gamers – how does this game differentiate its take on the setting?
Benoit: We’re at the end of Sengoku era, in a turning point of Japan history. Assassin’s Creed is well known for its depiction of the history and accurate recreation of the world and it’s what players can expect with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
We’re showing real historical figures, such as Oda Nobunaga and a lot of events that happened during that time, so you’re not only playing in feudal Japan, but learning about this fantastic time period.
Also, we’re giving the opportunity to the players to live not just one, but the two best fantasies of Japan: the Samurai and Shinobi.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is an opportunity to continue to recognize our community of players with disabilities, whose partnership and advocacy have helped create an inclusive and thriving global gaming community. There are over 450 million players with disabilities worldwide, and we want to highlight the importance of accessibility so gaming can be enjoyed by as many players as possible across all facets of the Xbox community.
At the same time, we acknowledge that accessibility is an ongoing journey to which Xbox remains committed. We created Xbox for players around the world as a place to play, to build community, and have fun. Everyone is invited to play, and we strive to bring intentional, inclusive practices and thinking to everything we do. As part of this journey, we are continuously partnering with the disability community to help shape our accessibility products and services, proactively collaborating with nonprofit organizations, and taking the time to listen and learn when we miss the mark.
Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we also want to highlight new updates and accessible features, community support, resources and more.
This includes:
Providing new updates for those impacted by the unauthorized accessories update on Xbox, including updates to the Xbox Adaptive Controller, and a continued commitment to investing in accessibility-focused hardware, working with accessibility hardware manufacturers to become authorized Designed for Xbox partners, and listening to community feedback.
Announcing the Proteus Controller (available for preorder), a Designed for Xbox video game controller kit featuring innovative ‘snap and play’ parts that easily connect together and allow players the ability to play their favorite Xbox and PC games right out of the box.
Announcing accessibility updates across gaming, including spotlighting some of our games with accessibility features including Candy Crush Soda Saga, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and Diablo IV.
…and more!
Fostering Inclusive Community
Gaming is about bringing people together to connect and join shared joyful experiences. To promote awareness and knowledge of accessibility support among allof our players, we’re excited to share the following:
Coming in June: Earn the new Xbox Ambassador Accessibility Ally Badge for your Xbox profile:Want to add a new community badge to your Xbox profile? Beginning in early June, you can earn the Xbox Ambassador Accessibility Ally badge for your Xbox profile by completing quests and knowledge checks to reach a new top level in the Xbox Accessibility Explorer Path on the Xbox Ambassadors website. Since launch in October 2022, the Xbox Ambassadors community has completed over 2.7 million quests to learn more about gaming accessibility and the features available. Become an Xbox Ambassador today and select the “Accessibility” tab on the Quests page to get a head start!
New Xbox Support articles, categorized by disability: Finding accessibility features you need for play just got easier. While many features are commonly used across a multitude of players, Support.Xbox.com has five new articles that detail the accessibility features available for players with specific disabilities, including speech, cognitive, vision, mobility, and hearing.
Creating Accessible Experiences
New updates to Xbox Adaptive Controller: The Xbox Adaptive Controller was created to support players with limited mobility in building adaptive gaming setups unique to their needs. Based on community feedback from an update impacting unauthorized accessories on our platform, we are updating the Xbox Adaptive Controller to expand support for more accessories connected via USB port. This update will better support full functionality of some accessibility peripherals. Each port now supports up to 12 buttons, a second stick, and a hat switch. This update will be rolled out to Xbox Insiders over the coming weeks and available publicly via a controller update prompt in the coming months.
Continued investments in accessibility: We appreciate and acknowledge that gaming with a disability is highly individualistic, and the solution for one may not be the solution for all. To that end, in addition to the Xbox Adaptive Controller firmware updates above, Xbox remains committed to:
Continuing to innovate and invest in Xbox’s accessibility offerings – taking into account feedback from the disability community and non-profit organizations to create products that elevate your gaming experience and cater to diverse needs. We look forward to sharing more updates in the future.
Working with accessibility hardware manufacturers to become authorized Designed for Xbox partners: Recognizing the importance of expanding gaming for people with disabilities, we are accelerating and streamlining the onboarding process for these partners.
Receiving feedback from those in the gaming and disability community who have been impacted by the unauthorized accessories update on our platform: If manufacturers have particular peripherals they’re interested in partnering with Xbox on, or if players with disabilities have specific devices they’d like Xbox to consider, please connect with us by phone or chat via Xbox Support at https://aka.ms/XboxAccessibilitySupport.
Preorder for the Proteus Controller: The Designed for Xbox team has been collaborating closely with our partners at Byowave to develop the Proteus Controller, a modular adaptive kit giving disabled gamers the tools to build their own way to play. The unique modular video game controller kit features innovative ‘snap and play’ parts that easily connect together and comes with everything that gamers need to play their favorite Xbox and PC games right out of the box. The Proteus controller is available for preorder today at byowave.com.
Improved Filtering & Sorting in My Games and Apps on console: You can now filter and sort games shown in My Games & Apps on console based on the accessibility or technical features they support.For example, if you want to find which games have narrated game menus, you can filter by Accessibility > Narrated Game menus and find your next game to play.
Enabling Play with Expanded Accessibility Features
On our accessibility journey, we know that to achieve our goals of making gaming a place where more players can have fun, we need to continue bringing new accessibility features to our games. Below is a roundup of games to play with notable accessibility features.
New Accessibility features in Candy Crush Soda Saga:Candy Crush Soda Saga is excited to announce a new accessibility menu that centralizes all accessibility features including audio, visual, and haptic feedback. The new audio accessibility options include bass control, reduction of high frequencies, sound effects, music controls, and mono stereo, with a robust level of customization around bass control and high frequency reduction (currently available for iOS only). Visit the King Community Page to learn more.
Accessibility features in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III: This past December, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III launched several accessibility features, including a settings menu update that flags features related to motor, vision, audio and cognitive adjustments with tags to allow filtering and greater customization. The newest feature includes a new accessibility preset called “Low Motor Sprain’ to reduce the physical effort required when playing by reducing the number of button presses or holds being required. Check out more details here.
Accessibility Updates to Diablo IV: In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day tomorrow, see how the Diablo development team is working closely with the accessibility community and finding new ways to expand access to gaming for everyone. Video link will be available via the Diablo YouTube Channel on May 16.
Empowering Game Creators to Include Accessibility in Design & Development
At Xbox, we believe bringing accessibility into development processes from the very beginning is the best way to include diverse perspectives and make gaming something everyone can enjoy. To support others in creating more accessible experiences, we are excited to share the following creator and developer resources:
New Game Accessibility Workshop Toolkit:Inspired by years of accessibility feature innovations, Xbox Research has created a Game Accessibility Workshop Toolkit available for all developers. The toolkit includes instructions and visual assets to help game developers conduct Game Accessibility Workshops on their own. Combining the power of Microsoft Inclusive Design with Xbox’s approach to game accessibility, the toolkit makes it easier for developers to design with accessibility in mind, from the start. The Game Accessibility Workshop Toolkit will be live and available to download on May 16 at 9 am PT via the Microsoft Game Dev Blog.
New Article on Accessibility of Gaming AI Experiences: With the rising use of AI across the gaming industry, our Gaming Accessibility team has put together a brief paper on how developers can think about the applicability of accessibility with gaming AI experiences, along with ideas for accessibility innovation. Learn more at: Accessibility of Gaming AI Experience
Join Team Xbox as we recognize the more than 450 million players with disabilities who are part of building such a great gaming community!
Starting today, Team Xbox is rolling out some highly requested features to continue to improve cloud gaming across devices and screens where Xbox is available. Also, to celebrate the upcoming game launch for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, you will be able to experience a new channel on the Xbox app for PC.
Use Your Mouse and Keyboard with Xbox Cloud Gaming (beta)
Mouse and keyboard support for cloud gaming will start rolling out today. You can now use your mouse and keyboard for your gaming experience on web browsers (Edge or Chrome).
To start gaming with your mouse and keyboard on web browsers, follow these steps:
Later this month, you’ll also be able to use the Xbox app on PC by selecting a game that has a mouse and keyboard badge. From there, you will be able to use your mouse and keyboard to control the game, just like you would on a PC game.
Pro Tip: You can also switch between using a mouse and keyboard combination and your controller at any time, by simply pressing any key on your keyboard or the Xbox button on your controller.
Mouse and keyboard support will initially be available for 26 titles, including:
ARK Survival Evolved
Atomic Heart
Cities: Skylines – Mayor’s Edition
Cities: Skylines – Remastered
Deep Rock Galactic
Doom 64
Fortnite (browser only)
Gears Tactics
Grounded
Halo Infinite
High on Life
House Flipper
Inkulinati (Game Preview)
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Norco
Pentiment
Quake
Quake 2
Sea of Thieves
Slime Rancher 2
Sniper Elite 5
State of Decay 2
Terraria
The Sims 4
Valheim (Game Preview)
Zombie Army 4: Dead War
Celebrating Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II With a New Channel
We can’t wait for the return of Senua on May 21 in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. To celebrate, our team has been working on a special channel that will elevate the new entry in the series, while also making it easier to find the previous title. The channel will also feature a captivating video that we hope you enjoy. Go pre-install the game today and be ready for launch day!
Compact Mode Improvements are Starting to Roll Out
We have started previewing new Compact Mode features, including Jump back in and Friends, with a subset of players and with all Xbox Insiders. To learn more about the changes you may see when you access the Xbox app on PC, click here.
Stay tuned to Xbox Wire for future updates and all the latest and greatest Xbox related news. For support related to Xbox updates, visit the official Xbox Support site.
We love hearing from the community, whether you have a suggestion for a new feature that you’d like to see added, or you want to give feedback on existing features that could use some improvement. We’re always looking for ways to improve Xbox experiences for players around the world. If you’d like to help create the future of Xbox and get early access to new features, join the Xbox Insider Programtoday by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub forXbox Series X|S and Xbox Oneor Windows PC. Let us know what you think!
Derham notes that most people have some sort of internal monologue active when we’re being spoken to, but it’s mostly not at the foreground, and it’s also not audible: “Imagine if every time someone was talking to you, you had that constant commentary on what they’re saying, maybe even arguing about the meaning. Every time Senua meets a new character, the voices are going to react to that.”
Fletcher accentuates this by describing a big step in the understanding of psychosis from a research perspective, which revolves around the meaningfulness of experiences for those living with psychosis. They’re not just neural noise – the experiences are constructed in the same way we all construct our reality.
“What’s exciting to me about Hellblade II is the growing interest that people can entertain two levels of reality,” Fletcher says. “Senua may have the darkness and the voices, but at the same time, she can recognise and be part of other people’s constructions too.”
“Senua may have the darkness and the voices, but at the same time, she can recognise and be part of other people’s constructions too.”
Professor Paul Fletcher
Senua’s willingness to be part of other people’s stories – as we briefly mentioned earlier regarding her choice to save someone who is a stranger to her – also showcases another aspect of how she’s moving past certain experiences that made her so insular.
“Her psychosis had influenced her relationships with other people to a point where she was weary and withdrawn from the world, Derham says. “What we’re showing now is her starting to overcome that, depending on who she meets, and we’re showing that her perspective is just as valuable as anyone else’s.”
“Some people will react to her with harshness or horror, but some will see her differently, and she’ll find common ground and share positive experiences with them. It’s really exciting to watch Senua explore these interpersonal dynamics and relationships with other characters, and how she can help them.”
Since this month’s Community Update is on the lighter side with regard to specific projects, we’ve decided to try something a little different. In addition to the usual fare, we’ve included some highlights from our recently released features and bug fixes. Let us know if you enjoy these callouts and we’ll keep them in moving forward!
Enterprise
We’re making headway on some continued improvements to the Xbox Insiders subreddit. We’ve had a few internal discussions around content planning and support improvements, so we’re hopeful those will bear fruit soon. Granted, there’s still much to be done to truly get things where we’d like, but we’ve really appreciated all the continued feedback and discussions around the changes so far. Keep ‘em coming!
State of Gold
We’ve seen quite a few different features land across our entire ecosystem in the past couple of weeks. On the console side of things, we enabled the ability to remember up to ten different WiFi Networks for all Alpha & Alpha Skip-Ahead users (Alpha Ring (2406.240429-2000)). Additionally, just yesterday, Alpha users received “Update Pre-download” for games that have enabled that feature (Alpha Ring (2406.240509-2000)).
Over in the PC/Cloud realm, we had a big update to Compact Mode go live to all PC Xbox Insiders that included a handful of new experiences (Compact Mode continues evolving in the Xbox App on PC). We also enabled a suite of “User Content Management” features for Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) that all Xbox Insiders can enjoy (Xbox App [2405.1000.39.0]).
These are just a few of the numerous improvements we’ve made across our platforms recently, so remember to regularly check our Console and PC release notes at their new home! Also, if you’re thinking to yourself, “These are mostly going to Alpha/Alpha Skip-Ahead! I can’t get them yet!” I may or may not have good news coming soon for those of you that are recently highly experienced and want to join those rings.
Integral
Finally, we want to call attention to a few Community-driven fixes that were made possible specifically due to the efforts of Xbox Insiders’ feedback. For both a notification issue, as well as a party chat/game chat issue, the feedback that was submitted was instrumental in determining the root cause and delivering a fix for the platform. We greatly appreciate all the feedback that we receive from our Xbox Insiders, and we’ll continue to highlight this in future Community Updates.
It’s Been a Pleasure
As always, I hope everyone enjoyed this installment of the Xbox Insider Program Community Update. If you want to chat about this—and everything else XIP—hop on over to the r/XboxInsiders subreddit or throw us a follow @xboxinsider.
Hey, Xbox Wire readers! Fred Hoffman here, the better of the two brothers behind
Newfangled Games. I can hardly believe it, but we’re releasing Paper Trail on Xbox One and Xbox Series on May 21. If that sounds too far away for you, then I’ve got good news – we’ve got a shiny new demo available right now! It’s only available from now until our May 21 launch, so make sure you get it whilst you can!
A charming world of crafty puzzles awaits: grab and fold the fabric of reality like paper, and embark on a magical journey like no other! You play as Paige, a budding academic and the first of her family to be accepted into university. The problem? Your parents don’t want you to go. Using your secret origami powers (that’s totally a thing), you leave the confines of home to make your own way in the world.
Contained within the game, is a whole interactive storybook. As you travel further from your home, fragments of memory return and must be pieced together, weaving together the stories of your past, present and future. We won’t go too far into spoilers here, but it’s a story which is personal to us – and one we believe a lot of people will relate to.
Your adventure takes you through many beautiful hand painted locations, from sun drenched ruins, to rain swept forests. Each new area comes with quirky characters, hidden secrets, and unexpected puzzling twists. Uncover ancient patterns, connect magical circuits, navigate dizzying heights, and plumb long forgotten depths in your journey along the Paper Trail!
To have gone from wrestling the controller from my brother to get a turn on Halo as a kid; to releasing our own game together on Xbox – it’s a dream come true. Five years ago, we had an idea for a little paper folding game, it’s taken us around the world and back to where it all started. So if you have a sibling, go tell them that it’s your turn on the family console, and play the Paper Traildemo – available now!
Paper Trail Demo
Newfangled Games
☆☆☆☆☆1
★★★★★
Paper Trail is a top-down puzzle adventure about leaving home, set in a foldable, paper world. You play as Paige, a budding academic, leaving home for the first time to pursue her studies. On the journey, you learn to fold the world, merging two sides to solve puzzles, explore new areas and uncover long-lost secrets.
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