South of Midnight launches on April 8, or play now with the Premium Edition.
The game arrives for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox app for Windows PC, Steam, cloud, and will be available day one with Game Pass. And with Xbox Play Anywhere, play on Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and cloud with full cross-entitlements and cross-saves.
To celebrate release, we’ve put together 6 tips to help you in both exploration and combat.
South of Midnight invites you into a dark, fantastical world drawn from tales of the American South – and while this might look like a fairytale, both the stories it tells and the challenges it poses are far from simplistic.
Telling the tale of Hazel, who gains the magical power of Weaving after her mother is swept away by a supernatural flood, you’ll need to cross a warped take on the South in your hunt to find her mother, and answers to what exactly is going on. Along the way, you’ll battle Haints – corrupted enemies borne from the sorrow of the world – and cure the wounds of Mythical Creatures, the subjects of real-life folktales brought to life by developer Compulsion Games.
Premium Edition owners can play from today (ahead of an April 8 release date for all players), and to celebrate we’ve put together some tips that cover both exploration and combat, which will help you prepare for this very unexpected journey:
Look Everywhere
Navigating each of South of Midnight’s chapters could be as simple as following your Guiding Strand – a feature that sees magical threads guide you to your next goal. But that’s far from all there is to discover. Each location is stuffed with hidden areas – some require platforming to reach, others need you to use your spells, while others will lead you into battles you might never have otherwise had. All of them will require a keen eye to find.
Your rewards for doing this usually come in the form of Floofs – the game’s upgrade currency – and we hugely recommend you take the time to look for them. With just a bit of concerted exploration, you can add upgrades to your skill tree (more on those later) much faster than by simply running from one objective to the next.
Even better, you may also find Life Filaments as you go. Most chapters contain one of these – usually in its most hidden side area – and collecting three offers a permanent upgrade to your health bar.
Expand These Stories
South of Midnight is all about stories – from the tale of Hazel’s search to find her mother, to the tragic backstories of the Mythical Creatures you’ll find along the way. But if you want to dig really deep, make sure to search each chapter for items, notes, and more. You’ll see these marked by small circles as you approach, often in out-of-the-way locations.
Far from your regular world-building, each chapter’s hidden notes add even more detail to the characters and stories you’re learning about along the core questline. You may discover hidden motivations for why characters are the way they are, simply because you took the time to read about their lives. It’s an enriching way to add to the wider tale.
Upgrade Early and Often
As mentioned above, you can speed through the upgrade tree with a bit of exploration – and when you start hitting harder combat sequences, you’ll thank yourself for doing it. Even on its regular difficulty level, South of Midnight’s combat packs a punch, with even the most basic Haint enemies removing whole chunks of your health bar after a single hit – never mind when you come up against a Mythical Creature. Upgrades are your means of turning the tables.
Upgrades tend to focus more on offering you added perks, rather than simply buffing an ability’s existing stats. When you Unravel a downed enemy to claw back some health, for example, you can add an area of-effect blast to stagger any nearby Haints before you get back into the fray. Adding a quick double-dodge to your repertoire, meanwhile, will come in very handy when you start meeting enemies that can quick-fire multiple projectiles. Take the time to explore the skill tree, and prioritize upgrades that look like they’ll solve problems.
Use Dodges as Attack and Defence
Hazel doesn’t have the ability to block attacks – but she more than makes up for that with a powerful bonus to her dodge. Hitting the dodge button will help you escape in any direction (with some invulnerability frames thrown in) – but hitting a perfectly timed dodge, just before you’re hit, comes with a nasty surprise for whoever was trying to hurt you.
Perfect Dodges send out a blast of energy, staggering any enemy around you and doing some nice damage, too. It’s worth paying attention to not just what attacks enemies can do, but the time it takes to pull them off – pretty soon, you can be doing almost as much damage by not attacking.
Use Spells as Interrupts
As we mentioned, getting hit in South of Midnight can get very nasty, very quickly – and while Hazel has that handy dodge, it can sometimes be easier simply to stop an attack in the first place. Against most enemies, throwing out a spell – whether that’s a Pull, a Push, or a Weave (which incapacitates most Haints) – will break them out of an attack completely.
While it’s tempting to spam your spells as soon as they’ve cooled down, we’d recommend keeping one in reserve as an emergency interrupt – if you see an enemy winding up during your combo, simply hit them with a spell and keep thwacking.
Chain Your Spells
If you really want to keep an enemy locked down, you can use your full spell repertoire to keep attacks going without interruption. This is particularly useful once you have a few upgrades under your belt.
For example, you could Pull an enemy towards you, with an added Weave effect (which you can also upgrade to have them take more damage while tied up). As soon as they break free, Weave them again with that core spell – and when they break free again, use Push to deal some damage and keep your distance, before charging up your ranged attack to deal the killer blow.
With a bit of practice, enemies that felt like they took an age of dodging and poking to beat in the early game can begin to go down in a single combo – it’s extremely satisfying.
South of Midnight will be available on April 8, 2025, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam and cloud, and arrives on day one with Game Pass. Play from today by purchasing the Premium Edition, and get access to digital extras.
South of Midnight Premium Edition
Xbox Game Studios
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$49.99
Immerse yourself into the macabre and fantastical world of South of Midnight with the Premium Edition, which includes the full game, up to 5 days early access, and digital access (in English) to: • South of Midnight Artbook • Original Soundtrack composed by Olivier Deriviere
• The Boo-Hag Comic book by Rob Guillory
• Music Video: Songs & Tales of South of Midnight • Documentary: Weaving Hazel’s Journey, Director’s Cut UNRAVEL THE PAST From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family’s shared past and – if she’s lucky – find her way to a place that feels like home. A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity. CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURES Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry. HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTH Discover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.
South of Midnight
Xbox Game Studios
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$39.99
From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family’s shared past and – if she’s lucky – find her way to a place that feels like home. A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity. CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURES
Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry. HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTH
Discover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.
Two-Toed Tom, a legendary beast of Southern folklore, comes to life in South of Midnight, the new action-adventure from Compulsion Games
To celebrate the launch, Xbox has recreated Two-Toed Tom and dropped him in a real gator-infested bayou for a truly unique gaming experience. Register now for a chance to enter the belly of the beast.
South of Midnight launches on April 8, or play now with the Premium Edition.
Deep in the heart of the bayou, something stirs. Bigger than any gator you’ve ever seen, Two-Toed Tom is a legend of scales, survival, and insatiable hunger. More than double the size of the world’s biggest recorded alligator, Tom is an unstoppable force of nature.
To celebrate the launch of South of Midnight, in which Tom makes a very big appearance, Xbox has brought this monstrous gator to life in the gator-infested waters of Marrero, Louisiana, a location chosen for its haunting resemblance to the game’s Southern-inspired setting. Murky swamps, ancient cypress trees, and the distant splash of unseen creatures make it the perfect place to step into Hazel’s world and experience the bayou’s dark magic first-hand.
Our recreation of Tom is truly startling – at 40 feet long, his jaws alone stand open at almost twice the height of a person, and inside his belly lies a 20-foot cabin, inspired by the very one that Hazel, the protagonist of South of Midnight lives in.
This is where The Dark Ages truly breaks free from expectation. In my final (and longest) section of the demo, I’m placed into id’s take on a sandbox open zone and told to approach it however I’d like. My solitary goal is to close five demon-spewing portals, but how I do it, and what diversions I take, are entirely up to me. Over the course of an hour, I’m repeatedly reminded that I’ve never played a DOOM game like this before.
As you’d hope for, this sandbox sequence is stacked with optional goals – heavily protected artillery batteries to take out, caches of gold to spend on upgrades, and more. At one point, I’m simply running somewhere, when a cathedral-sized tentacle bursts out of the ground and begins to attack – this isn’t a scripted moment, or even an objective I’m given, it’s just another surprise hidden along the way.
But the core objectives themselves hold surprises, too. In that first story mission, closing portals was simply a case of clearing an arena, but it’s never quite the same in this case. Some portals transport me to a dungeon, requiring me to solve puzzles in order to find my way to the energy source powering them. Others introduce Leader enemies – overpowered beasts who are invulnerable to my attacks until I kill enough of their followers, and come with permanent upgrades after your victory. Along the way, I find new guns, augmenting my armory with new options. It’s restlessly, relentlessly inventive, as if id has been waiting for an opportunity to transplant new ideas into the DOOM format.
And that’s the key takeaway from my full session with DOOM:The Dark Ages – this feels like a developer brimming with enthusiasm, not just for DOOM itself, but for what DOOM could be. I was expecting a new story, new guns, and new demons – I wasn’t expecting new genres. I cannot wait to find out what else this team has in store.
DOOM: The Dark Ages launches for Xbox Series X|S, PC (via the Xbox app for Windows PC, Steam, and Battle.net), PlayStation 5, and cloud on May 15, 2025. It will be available day one with Game Pass.
Calling all Guardians! Today brings the latest content update to Sea of Thieves, and with it, some radiant new additions to the Pirate Emporium – Lightbearer items, inspired by the world and characters of Destiny, have arrived!
Whether your pirate is as silent as a Hunter, mighty as a Titan or wise as a Warlock, they’ll find a ship set to suit their style, complete with Collector’s cosmetics and a Ship’s Crest. An array of matching weapons and a costume set to round out the range ensures you’ll be ready to take on whatever otherworldly foes may stand in your way.
At first glance, venturing across the solar system may seem like a far call from securing swag in a tropical pirate paradise — so how did this celestial collaboration come to be? Adam Park, Director of Brand & Licencing at Rare, sheds light on the partnership:
“As we’ve seen with our other cosmetic crossovers and our Tall Tales, our teams are always looking for opportunities to bring other worlds into Sea of Thieves and put a unique spin on them, no matter where the inspiration comes from. Even though it might not seem like an obvious choice, Destiny’s classes and co-operative play presented a ‘crew-like’ bond that we thought was a great fit, along with some striking iconography, vivid art style and a sense of being mythical in tone and scope.”
Handily, there were already plenty of accomplished Guardians at Rare with a deep understanding of the Destiny universe, though the team completed more than their fair share of Quests while gathering ideas. If you want a sense of how much the team at Rare wanted to make this happen, just know that they’ve been working with Bungie on this idea since 2023!
Once plans were agreed, the next step in making the Lightbearer collection a reality was to create concept pieces for ship sets, weapons and clothing. Andria Warren, Director of Creative Operations at Rare, oversaw their development.
“Working with Bungie to bring Destiny 2 into Sea of Thieves was a creatively rich and deeply collaborative process. From the earliest concept sketches to finalising designs that honoured both universes, every step challenged us to think differently. We explored how iconic Destiny elements could be reimagined through a Sea of Thieves lens, translating tone, visual language, and character into something that felt fresh but unmistakably faithful. It pushed our teams creatively in the best possible way, and the result is something we’re truly proud of!”
Working alongside the Destiny team to iterate and refine the various Lightbearer items culminated in one of Sea of Thieves’ most comprehensive collections. “Partnerships like this can take a lot longer than people realise to make happen,” Park muses, “But when you see the results it really does showcase the talent and hard work of everyone involved. We’re sure the Lightbearer items will be a big hit with Destiny fans old and new, and can’t wait to see people making creative use of them as they go about their adventures. Good luck, Guardians!”
You can check out the trailer below to see the full Lightbearer assortment, and then visit the Pirate Emporium to gear up and get ready for battle – the seas are counting on you!
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A major expansion to The Hunter’s Call sends pirates in pursuit of new victories!
The Sea of Thieves has always been a wild, untamed sanctuary for pirates, but in Season 15 the stakes across these scattered islands and open waters are being raised once again! The latest free Seasonal update sees The Hunter’s Call Trading Company vastly expanding their offerings while two uniquely powerful Megalodons join the fray, with further hunt-related excitement set to follow in the months ahead. Here’s what you can expect from Season 15 of Sea of Thieves…
The Hunter’s Call Grows
Season 15 is all about exploring the wilder side of life on the Sea of Thieves, and who better to lead the charge than The Hunter’s Call? This Trading Company, first introduced with our original Anniversary Update in 2019, sets itself apart from the others with a focus on fishing and, as the name would imply, hunting. Until now, pirates have been able to climb to rank 50 by delivering fish and meat to The Hunter’s Call representatives at Seaposts or, more recently, to the Sovereigns on their behalf.
From Season 15, however, The Hunter’s Call undergoes a major expansion. First and foremost, it’s being brought in line with other Trading Companies in terms of ranking prospects, with the reputation cap being raised to 100 and five levels of Distinction added. This means you can continue to progress with the Company well beyond what was previously possible, unlocking themed cosmetics as you go.
You can also choose to raise a Hunter’s Call Emissary Flag for the first time, enabling increased rewards for treasure handed in – but at the cost of making yourself a target for any Reapers lying in wait nearby! At the same time, new Fishing and Raid Voyages provide opportunities to set out in search of Company-specific loot, including exotic Treasured Fish hauled up from the depths and ready to make you rich…
Megalodon Mutations
Growing alongside The Hunter’s Call are the new dangers introduced to the seas, most notably two terrifying Ancient Megalodons that have crossed over from the Sea of the Damned, ready to unleash carnage with abilities that make them substantially more dangerous than any everyday shark.
The Feared Redmaw has risen from the boiling depths, wreathed in flame and wielding a devastating explosive attack to torch any ship that drifts a little too close. Keep your water barrel full to deal with fires breaking out or you’ll quickly find yourself in the hot seat! Meanwhile, the armour-plated Barnacled Dread torments sailors with Eel-ectric invasions, spawning these formidable Ocean Crawlers onto the decks of attacking ships. Repel boarders while using your cannons to chip away at the Megalodon’s coral armour until you can strike the beast directly!
These fearsome monsters offer tantalising loot if you manage to best them, but finding them isn’t always easy. In this, Hunter’s Call Emissaries have the advantage: ships flying a Grade 5 Emissary Flag will be able to track Ancient Megalodon locations using their Map Table and sail headlong into battle…
Hunter’s Gear
With a new Season, as always, comes 100 new levels of Renown to be earned and all the associated rewards! You can work towards earning new themed cosmetics such as Hungering One Hunter’s clothing, as well as a hoard of gold, Doubloons and Ancient Coins – while purchasing a Plunder Pass also lets you unlock the enigmatic Dynasty of the Deep collection and an extra 750 Ancient Coins.
The Pirate Emporium shopkeepers also debut the fabulous Rococo set this month, inviting you to indulge in the finest historical fashion. This collection includes a ship set with optional Collector’s items, weapons, costume and makeup to add some ostentatious flair to all aspects of the pirate life. Inclined towards the edible arts? You may also enjoy the Culinary Cadet Emote Bundle, with four cooking-themed emotes to get you in the gastronomic spirit!
All This and More
To keep the new content flowing steadily, not all of Season 15’s features will be landing at launch! The monthly updates in March and April will deliver further features on the hunting theme, as teased in our Season 15 launch trailer.
Over the next few months, you can expect to take up a new throwable hunting spear that will prove highly effective at taking down wild beasts, and experience a sudden bloom in the range of ambient wildlife you’ll see on your travels. Following that, some decidedly less passive wild boars will be taking up residence across the islands with their own stashes of loot to protect…
To help keep the feisty local fauna under control, The Hunter’s Call will offer pirates new Hunting Voyages, sending them off to seek a savage Grand Boar or trail in the wake of a rampaging Megalodon as it causes chaos across the waves. To get to grips with all the changes coming soon to the seas, be sure to dive into each month’s release notes when the accompanying updates go live!
Shape your destiny as an Envoy chosen by a mysterious god, wielding divine powers to confront ancient threats, unravel hidden mysteries, and decide the fate of the Living Lands.
Forge your own playstyle with four expansive skill trees—Fighter, Ranger, Wizard, and Godlike—and fight using powerful weapons, magic, and unique abilities like Grimoire Snap and Blood Magic.
Your companions are more than just allies—their unique abilities, personal struggles, and choices shape not only your journey but the world of Eora itself.
The wait is finally over—Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment’s highly anticipated fantasy RPG has officially launched! Step into the breathtaking Living Lands, a wild and mysterious island located in the Pillars of Eternity world of Eora, and embark on a journey filled with danger, discovery, and adventure.
Play today on Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app for Windows PC, Battle.net, Steam, and cloud, to experience Obsidian’s latest RPG adventure. Available day one on Game Pass!
A Land in Turmoil
The Living Lands is a frontier unlike any other. This rugged and untamed island has become a haven for exiles, dreamers, and adventurers seeking a fresh start. Its vibrant regions and scattered settlements pulse with life, each hiding untold stories and ancient secrets waiting to be uncovered.
But this land of promise is fraught with peril. The Dreamscourge, a devastating soul-plague, is driving settlers to madness and turning them against one another. The very land itself resists colonization, haunted by echoes of lives long past. As an envoy chosen by a foreign emperor and blessed by a mysterious god, you are thrust into the heart of this chaos. With divine powers at your fingertips and the will to shape your own destiny, you’ll confront ancient threats, unravel mysteries, and decide the fate of the Living Lands. Will you unite its people or watch as their struggles tear them apart? The choices you make will define the future of the Living Lands—and the person you become.
Forge Your Own Path
In Avowed, the power of choice is yours. Create a character and shape your playstyle with four expansive skill trees—Fighter, Ranger, Wizard, and Godlike. Using two separate weapon loadouts, you can play as a stealthy sniper armed with dual pistols and a longbow or a spell-slinging barbarian wielding an axe and a grimoire, or whatever combination of loadouts you choose. This means that the possibilities are endless. Your choices define who you are and how you’ll tackle the challenges ahead.
But you’re not alone on this journey. Your companions each bring their own skills, personalities, and deeply personal stories:
Kai, the steadfast protector, whose calm demeanor and unwavering loyalty make him a dependable shield in battle.
Giatta, a brilliant animancer scientist, whose relentless curiosity drives her to uncover the mysteries of the Dreamscourge, even at great personal risk.
Marius, a lone-wolf hunter, whose sharp wit and tracking expertise make him an invaluable ally in the wilderness.
Yatzli, a fiery Godless expert, harnessing explosive magic and a rebellious spirit. Her disdain for the gods adds complexity to her character and your choices.
Their history, relationships, and perspectives intertwine with your story, adding depth and weight to every decision you make. Will you earn their trust, challenge their beliefs, or forge something more profound? How you guide your companions—and how they influence you—shapes the adventure in unexpected ways.
Your Living Lands, Your Way
Avowed is a game built to immerse you in its world. The Living Lands is a sprawling playground for adventurers, rewarding exploration at every turn. Traverse rugged cliffs, wade through winding rivers, and uncover unique hidden treasures—from ancient elemental weapons to fragments of God Shrine Totems that come together to create powerful new abilities.
Combat is equally immersive, offering a seamless blend of magic, melee, and ranged attacks. Unleash shockwaves with Grimoire Snap, trade health for devastating power with Blood Magic, wield weapons you have upgraded and enchanted, or mix and match abilities to create a playstyle that’s entirely your own. Every encounter is an opportunity to experiment, strategize, and push the boundaries of your party’s potential.
At the heart of Avowed lies its dedication to player choice. Inspired by the freedom of tabletop RPGs, the game puts the power in your hands. Your decisions ripple across the Living Lands, shaping alliances, influencing factions, and determining the fate of your companions. Whether you negotiate peace, spark conflict, or carve your own path through the chaos, your actions leave a lasting impact on the world of Eora.
This seamless blend of storytelling, exploration, and creativity makes Avowed an unforgettable RPG experience, one where every choice matters and every discovery feels personal.
Start Your Adventure Today
Whether you’re a longtime fan of Obsidian Entertainment or new to Eora, Avowed invites you to dive into a world of wonder, danger, and opportunity. With its vibrant setting, unforgettable characters, and deeply immersive gameplay, this is the role-playing experience you’ve been waiting for.
The Living Lands are calling. Gather your courage, forge your path, and let the adventure begin!
Avowed is available now for Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app for Windows PC, Battle.net, Steam, cloud, and with Game Pass. Avowed also supports Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning when you buy the game through the store on Xbox or Windows, it’s yours to play on Xbox and Windows PC at no additional cost, and your game progress and achievements are saved across Xbox and Windows PC.
When you purchase Avowed on Battle.net or Xbox, or have an Xbox Game Pass membership (PC or Ultimate only), and connect your Battle.net and Xbox accounts, it’s also yours to play on Battle.net, Xbox and Xbox App for Windows at no additional cost. Avowed lets you pick up where you left off, bringing all of your saves, game add-ons, and Xbox achievement progress with you.
Avowed Premium Edition
Xbox Game Studios
☆☆☆☆☆651
★★★★★
$89.99
Premium Edition includes: – Avowed base game – Up to 5 days early access – Two Premium Skin Packs – Access to Avowed Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.
Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment. You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands – an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder? The Weird and Wonderful Living Lands
The Living Lands is a place that feels foreign yet somewhat intrinsic to you as it feels the island itself is calling out to you for help. Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem. Visceral Combat to Play Your Way
Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way. Dig into your grimoire for spells to trap, freeze or burn enemies, bash them with your shield, or use range bows to attack from a distance. Companions as part of your journey
Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities. From a former mercenary to an eccentric wizard, they will be part of your journey with your choices shaping them as you help them with their quests.
Avowed Standard Edition
Xbox Game Studios
☆☆☆☆☆560
★★★★★
$69.99
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.
Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment. You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands – an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder? The Weird and Wonderful Living Lands
The Living Lands is a place that feels foreign yet somewhat intrinsic to you as it feels the island itself is calling out to you for help. Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem. Visceral Combat to Play Your Way
Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way. Dig into your grimoire for spells to trap, freeze or burn enemies, bash them with your shield, or use range bows to attack from a distance. Companions as part of your journey
Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities. From a former mercenary to an eccentric wizard, they will be part of your journey with your choices shaping them as you help them with their quests.
At first blush, South of Midnight could be described as a classic action-adventure: a heroine thrust from ordinary life into a remarkable journey; magical weapons and abilities; ability skill trees. But spend just a few minutes with it, and that feeling simply floats away. We’ve never seen a gaming world quite like this. In playing through its full third chapter, it’s a revelation that strikes again and again – this setting, this story, these ideas, even the music are something brand new, all underpinned by challenging combat and blissful exploration along the way.
The preview begins as our hero, Hazel, has already set off to find her mother, who’s been swept away by a flood. Before we step into her sneakers, she’s discovered she’s a Weaver, able to wield an ancient form of magic that allows her to fight and explore by pulling on the once-invisible threads holding reality together. But around her, that reality seems to be warping. We step into a Deep South-inspired countryside that Hazel doesn’t recognize – and that is, in places, actively hostile to her.
Trailers have showed us a lot of the world and story of South of Midnight, but getting your hands on it reveals the tight, action-focused game simmering underneath. As you travel the world, you’ll see shimmering spheres of energy, refracting light like an oil-slicked puddle. Entering one will see you facing off against Haints, creatures from real Southern folklore. These creatures come in various forms – some rush you, pulling off melee flurries, others flee for ranged attacks, while some simply pump out grotesque insects to harry you. It quickly becomes an element of strategy to work out which Haint needs to be taken down first in any given situation.
South of Midnight doesn’t pull its punches here. Combat is tricky, often pitting you against multiple Haints at once, each able to lop off chunks of your health-bar in a single hit. It transforms into a lean, fast action game in these moments – you’ll flit around shimmering arenas switching up your attacks to cope. Melee combos are the obvious fixtures, able to take down enemies quickest, but leaving you open to follow-ups. You’ll also have magic at your disposal; enemies can be pushed and pulled (you can even fling smaller enemies as an ersatz weapon), or tied down with magical strands.
Upgrades allow you to specialize further – I quickly opted for a passive ability that made tied enemies take more damage, allowing me to neutralize and take down major threats quickly. Aggression is key here – even a perfect dodge becomes an attack, setting off a blast of weaving magic where you once stood. It’s a great first impression – there’s more ticking away under the surface of combat than you might expect.
And none of this is to speak to how it moves. Each character has been built to mimic the looks of hand-crafted stop-motion maquettes – in cutscenes, they take on a gorgeous, almost uncanny movement style that echoes the animation classics it draws from. When you take control, however, it’s beautifully smooth, each of your actions reacting to your button presses immediately, never losing the immediacy of an action game. The added art is in how smoothly Compulsion transitions between the two.
Then there’s the world around those characters. Islands jut out of mangrove swamps, abandoned shacks and tumbledown walkways failing to withstand nature’s chokehold around them. Huge tangles of thorns block your path, and giant peaches bob, gently rotting in the water. Reach higher ground, and you’ll find that, despite the traversable spaces being compact knots of smart level design, the world you can see extends far beyond what you can actually touch, offering a sense of huge scale to your travels. It’s a thrillingly unfamiliar location for a game, all pulled together by incredible lighting, a low sun casting soupy beams through the knotted treeline and low-hanging mist enveloping you.
Getting around this world is a matter of using your Weaving powers (all your combat magic can be used in exploration, too) – conjuring remnants of the past back into existence to help you platform around, gliding across the flooded landscape, and using your powers to push and pull the world around you to uncover paths to hidden details. There’s a specific path to follow (which you can be guided along with a click of the right stick), but nooks and crannies hold upgrade materials for your abilities, not to mention narrative-widening notes. Understanding your powers, and the clues given by the world around you, will see you spending just as much time off the beaten path as on it.
Once you’ve decided to follow the golden path, however, you meet Catfish, the game’s combined narrator/companion character, who’s currently trapped in the clutches of a humanoid tree – the mission he gives you works on something like dream logic. To secure his release, you need to collect a magic bottle from a bottle tree (you can see one on the game’s logo), and use it to absorb the latent psychic pain that’s twisting the tree, and the area around it.
While this may sound a bit whimsical, the trauma you’re trying to heal is quickly revealed to be spectacularly dark – without spoiling anything, you’ll slowly learn the story of how this part of the world has transformed a regular man into a horizon-blocking tree through a (tragically shortened) lifetime of torment.
It’s another facet of South of Midnight that feels refreshingly new – just like the combat, this story doesn’t hold back. Hazel isn’t afraid to swear (let’s face it, you would too if you were in her situation), and the stories she uncovers are far from the fairytales we’re used to. Compulsion Games has always called this a Southern Gothic tale, and that’s incredibly evident – the tales it tells can be truly bleak, and there’s no flinching from the horror that’s suffused this world. Hazel’s role as a Weaver is to mend what’s broken – and this world is very broken.
But South of Midnight has more surprises in store. Just as you feel you have a handle on the flow of combat and exploration, the preview enters its final stages by turning the tables on you – something unkillable begins to chase you, and combat quickly turns to escape. In a thrilling sequence, the gentle platforming you’ve been doing suddenly becomes a survival method, asking you to string together jumps, glides, and wall runs to get back to safety. South of Midnight is willing to shift things on a dime, changing the form of the game you’re playing under your feet.
The preview’s standout final sequence does this all over again. We already knew that every major area in the game will feature a Mythical Creature – gigantic obstacles drawn from real folklore, standing in Hazel’s way. But here, we realize that not all of the Mythical Creatures will end with the expected boss battle. You’re ultimately a healer, not a destroyer, and in this case, that giant tree you’re aiming to cure isn’t a threat – it’s just hurt. The climax of this level sees you scaling your way up, offering an incredible view of everywhere you’ve just journeyed, not to kill your target, but heal its wound.
As you take on this platforming challenge, the game’s music reflects your ascent. Throughout the level, you’ll have heard snatches of a song float like mist across the soundtrack, but as you climb, that song comes to life, telling the tale you’ve pieced together, offering more information for every bough you reach. It’s a marriage of gameplay, story, and music in a single moment – there’s nothing quite like it.
And that goes for this game as a whole – a single level reveals how Compulsion Games has created something truly unique. If there’s so much that feels new, this early in the game, that only makes its mysteries further down the line all the more compelling.
South of Midnight will be available on April 8, 2025, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam and cloud, and arrives on day one with Game Pass. If you want to immerse yourself into the macabre and fantastical world of South of Midnight early, get the Premium Edition to play up to 5 days early, and get access to digital extras.
South of Midnight Premium Edition
Xbox Game Studios
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$49.99
Immerse yourself into the macabre and fantastical world of South of Midnight with the Premium Edition, which includes the full game, up to 5 days early access, and digital access (in English) to: • South of Midnight Artbook • Original Soundtrack composed by Olivier Deriviere
• The Boo-Hag Comic book by Rob Guillory
• Music Video: Songs & Tales of South of Midnight • Documentary: Weaving Hazel’s Journey, Director’s Cut UNRAVEL THE PAST From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family’s shared past and – if she’s lucky – find her way to a place that feels like home. A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity. CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURES Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry. HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTH Discover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.
South of Midnight
Xbox Game Studios
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$39.99
From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family’s shared past and – if she’s lucky – find her way to a place that feels like home. A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity. CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURES
Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry. HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTH
Discover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.
This all feeds into the various cultures you will encounter along the way — what’s important to them (like their gods) is what gives life to the game. The Aedyrans, for example, are a nation that heavily values the ideas of rightful rule, leadership, and order – and now they’re plopped into the greatest frontier of Eora. What would it look like as they start to try and blend in with the locals? It may be a small change in their outfit or adapting to how they choose to live. This “Wild West” attracts all sorts, and rigidity may not blend very well with what’s required to survive the Living Lands.
“Someone who primarily reveres [the goddess] Woedica, values her emphasis on law, order, justice, and rightful rulership above other things. If you venerate Abydon, who is the Smith, it’s not that you don’t believe in the other gods, but you value that sense of industry, hard work, and dedication above other things. This allows us to imbue those factions and groups with certain ideals that are recognizable and help us clearly inform the player about what they’re about,” adds Patel.
I see this in the architecture and outfit design as well, and how the two feel intricately woven together. “This world has been an actual, living, breathing thing. It’s represented in the game, but it feels like it’s been like that in the development,” explains Lead Environment Artist Dennis Presnell. “It’s such an iterative process that as we go, and as our team members come up with new assets or clever ideas or storytelling, we all build upon that and stand on each other’s shoulders. All of it coalesces into something that has so much variety; a big, cohesive, authentic world.”
Microsoft Flight Simulator City Update VIII: Las Vegas features one of the world’s most distinctive cities. Las Vegas (“the meadows” in Spanish) traces its name to a Mexican explorer who passed through the area in 1829 and found dense grasslands fed by freshwater springs. Founded on May 15, 1905, the city grew steadily in the following two decades. Its population boomed with Nevada’s 1931 legalization of casino gambling and the start of construction on the nearby Hoover Dam.
Las Vegas is in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada, surrounded by roughhewn peaks that shimmer in afternoon sunlight. Unofficially known as “The Entertainment Capital of the World,” a key component of the city’s allure is its wide range of architecture, including The Strat, a complex with a 1,149-foot-tall observation tower. Or, visitors can experience the pyramid-shaped Luxor, out of the top of which shines The Luxor Sky Beam, the brightest human-made light in the world. And, the Las Vegas Strip, a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in the heart of the city, is vibrant from dusk until dawn.
Microsoft Flight Simulator City Update VIII brings Las Vegas and its myriad facets alive like never before in the world. With this latest offering, simmers can enjoy the sights of Las Vegas rendered in eye-popping resolution, with a fusion of the latest high-resolution aerial imagery, digital elevation model data, and TIN (triangulated irregular network) surface texturing to render the sights.
Microsoft Flight Simulator City Update VIII: Las Vegas is available FREE to all owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Ensure that your simulator is running version 1.37.19.0 (or a more recent version), download City Update VIII, and then take-off in your favorite airplane and enjoy the incredible sights of Las Vegas. The sky is calling!
Microsoft Flight Simulator is available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows, and Steam, and on Xbox One and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming. For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter.
Earlier today on the Official Xbox Podcast episode, hosts Malik Prince and Jenn Panattoni spoke with President of Oxide Games, Marc Meyer, and Head of Ara for Xbox Game Studios, Brian Stone, as they stopped by to share more in-depth details on Ara: History Untold, including new details on its multiplayer and – best of all – to share a release date: Ara: History Untold will launch this September 24, 2024, for Windows PC, Steam, and will be available on day one with PC Game Pass!
Watch the full podcast below – the Ara: History Untold section begins at 1:58:
As they detail in the interview, the team at Oxide really wanted to make Ara distinctive in the historical grand strategy genre, by looking across the landscape of strategy games to identify common pain points they could address and explore ways they could shake things up. There are many things the team is excited to talk about when it comes to Ara and we’ve highlighted some of the biggest news elements to come out of today’s segment.
Playing in a Living World
One of the standout elements of Ara: History Untold that’s immediately clear from the footage shown during the Official Xbox Podcast segment, and its screenshots, is just how beautiful and detailed the world looks. At a high level, you can easily see how the regions are divided, making them distinguishable from agricultural versus industrial, as well as resource deposits.
“Ara, at its core, is a classic turn-based historical grand strategy game that spans the scope of human history from ancient times all the way up to the modern era and beyond,” explains Stone. “But it’s also a game that (Oxide) has been really pouring a lot of modern elements into it. They’ve made the look of the game something completely unique that you’ve never seen before.”
Diving in closer, however, you see that this is a “living” map with massive amounts of activity from planes flying overhead, garbage trucks going down the street, children playing in playgrounds, to wildlife living in dense jungles. It brings character to this game world and lets you connect with it in a way that you may not have before in other grand strategy games.
“This is all randomly generated every time you build a new game. Every time you play again, you will get a different world. It’s going to be full of all these different biomes,” Meyer explains. “It’s the living world; it’s full of all types of interesting things we want the players to notice and to see… And it’s a resource. That’s part of the game. It’s something you will harvest and get things from, and you will establish your nation here and you’ll use that resource to improve the lives of your people and your citizens.”
Multiple Paths to Victory with Unique Leaders
Because there’s so many ways to play through Ara, it was important for the team to make sure there were leaders for every playstyle, and we were shown that during the Official Xbox Podcast segment. There’s a variety of traits that help define who these Leaders are, inspired in part by how they existed in the world.
“Each of the leaders has sort of this unique hero trait that that sets them apart from everyone else,” explains Meyer. “They’ve got these set of traits that they share with each other and they kind of dictate a little bit of the underlying pieces of their personality and they dictate how they’re going to get along with each other… It lets us have a huge variety in the different leaders that we offer and so that playing each one of them is very different.”
Ultimately, the goal of Ara is, through your own means, to become the most prestigious nation on Earth. And you can do that across a lot of different types of gameplay strategies, from military conquest to religious victories to industry. Or become a beacon for other nations through prestige. “There are almost unbound ways to kind of go invest in kind of what you’re building from that first little village,” says Stone.
“As your nation grows, and as you gather people, you’ll gain claims that will let you take over pieces of land and grow your empire and find new places to build and new resources to exploit,” Meyer adds. “And so, it’s all this self-fulfilling system where you grow so that you can grow more, and you can get more land and you can get more resources. And then you take those resources, and you refine them through our crafting system to produce amenities that will improve the quality of life of your people.”
Multiplayer and Simultaneous Turns
In many grand and turn-based strategy games, multiplayer sessions can be a challenge — trying to wrangle a dozen players in a single game can be a daunting task. But Oxide might have a solution here. They call it “Simultaneous Turns” and it involves all players resolving their Turns at the same time. While not wholly new to the genre, the way simultaneous turns are implemented in Ara is truly unique.
“The way that works is you submit your actions, and everyone else in the world submits their actions at the same time, and then they all get resolved together,” explains President of Oxide Games Marc Meyer. “It’s not a situation where if you go first, you get to get the claim; the person who goes second doesn’t get the claim. In this model, everyone goes at the same time. So, in multiplayer you really have a fair chance at everything.”
“We’ve built all of that turn processing in the Azure Cloud, which means that it’s all there, all running, all the time,” adds Head of Ara History Untold for Xbox Game Studios Brian Stone. “Anybody in any game can hot join, in or out. You can run games at any pace you want. If you want to play a game like one turn a day or one turn every 30 seconds. It doesn’t matter. You can do that. You don’t need to worry about who’s hosting — it’s like almost unlimited flexibility in terms of how you play.”
“We really wanted to remove all the barriers for multiplayer,” says Meyer. “You can jump in and out of as many games as you want. You can take your turn when you have time and wait until it gets submitted. If your friend decides he doesn’t want to play anymore, an AI can come in and take over for him, it doesn’t mean the end of your entire world if you’re playing online and you don’t want to do that, you can stop, and you don’t have to worry about destroying the game for everyone else who’s playing.”
Check out the entire Ara: History Untold deep-dive episode on the Official Xbox Podcast to hear more information around the details mentioned here as well as seeing the game in action. Look for Ara: History Untold to launch on Windows PC, Steam, and with PC Game Pass on September 24, 2024.
The Xbox Games Showcase 2024 showed players everywhere that they have a ton of games to look forward to. Fans of Activision, Bethesda, Blizzard, Xbox Game Studios, or the countless partners building for Xbox were treated to a peek at what’s coming for their favorite franchises and new games alike.
Players can look forward to incredible returns to beloved series with Gears of War: E-Dayand Doom: The Dark Ages, fresh looks at the likes of State of Decay 3, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle,Perfect Dark,andSouth of Midnight, a reveal for Starfield: Shattered Space, and much more. The show even extended to Azeroth, with the release date reveal of The War Within, the next expansion for World of Warcraft.
And from our partners, there was a world-first look at gameplay from Assassin’s Creed Shadows, an introduction to your future party members in the greatly anticipated Dragon Age: The Veilguard, an exciting look at the return of Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, not to mention some incredible debuts with the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Atomfall, and Winter Burrow, among many others.
Plus, we brought you a first reveal of new Xbox hardware with the announcement of three new Xbox Series X|S console options joining our current lineup this holiday, featuring the same speed and performance with more design, storage, and price options to fit your needs.
And on top of all that, we also brought the gameplay reveal of a brand-new Call of Duty game with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6– and we’re following it up with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct, offering you an enormous deep-dive into the game. If you can’t tune in live, make sure to check back for a full rundown of what was announced in the second part of our enormous double feature.
This is far from everything we have to show you – all this week, the Official Xbox Podcast will air podcasts from Monday, June 10th, featuring discussions with developers and even deeper looks at some of the exciting games from the show. It all starts tomorrow with an extended gameplay look atAvowed, on Xbox’s YouTube channel and podcast services, followed by Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater on Tuesday. If reading’s more your speed, every episode will be detailed in an Xbox Wire post breaking down what was revealed.
But that’s all still to come. For the time being, here’s every single announcement and reveal from Xbox Games Showcase 2024:
Age of Mythology: Retold – World’s Edge Presents its First-ever Gameplay Trailer
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam and cloud, or play it day one with Game Pass
World’s Edge – the award-winning studio behind the Age of Empires franchise – showcased a trailer of truly mythical proportions: with a first look at gameplay from the upcoming Age of Mythology: Retold.
Age of Mythology: Retold will combine the best elements of the beloved Age of Mythology (2002) with modern real-time strategy design, visuals and gameplay. The newly premiered trailer at Xbox Showcase 2024 revealed the first gameplay footage, showing off exciting action and divine powers, as well as some newly redesigned deity portraits. The World’s Edge team also confirmed the launch date for Age of Mythology: Retold – September 4, 2024 – and that this will be the first title in the Age of Empires franchise to ship on both PC and console at launch.
Age of Mythology: Retold is available to pre-order now.
Avowed Offers a New Look at its Captivating Story
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam and cloud, or play it day one with Game Pass
This year, brace yourself for an expedition into the uncharted wilds of the Living Lands in Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed. In a brand-new story trailer, we learned more about the incredible journey we’ll be taking later this year, and met Giatta, one of the game’s four companions. As an envoy of the Aedyran Empire, you’re tasked with stopping the Dreamscourge, a mysterious blight wreaking havoc on the tumultuous frontier. Your soul hangs in the balance as you navigate the chaos of the Living Lands and embrace its wonders. Prepare for an expedition into the perilous, captivating, and utterly bizarre unknown where you will forge your destiny and shape the fate of the frontier.
Avowed will be released in 2024 – and you can learn more about the game’s story on Xbox Wire right now.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct Reveals Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies Details
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Steam, Battle.net, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, or play it day one with Game Pass
It’s official: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the latest addition to the popular Call of Duty franchise, is set to arrive on October 25. Developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller where nothing is as what it seems. In this mind-bending narrative set in the early 1990s, a shadowy force has infiltrated the U.S. government and players will be forced to go rogue for the first time.
In addition to a compelling new campaign, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 features new innovations like Omnimovement, giving players the ability to sprint, slide, and dive in any direction and move like a Black Ops action hero across all game modes. Including the return of Classic Prestige, Theater Mode, and of course Round-Based Zombies, there’s something for everyone.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 25. Play it day one on select Xbox Game Pass plans (Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, Game Pass Console).
Doom: The Dark Ages Comes to Xbox in 2025
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam, PlayStation 5, or play it day one with Game Pass
Revealed worldwide today, Doom: The Dark Ages heralds the return of the unstoppable Doom Slayer in this upcoming single-player, dark fantasy action FPS from the legendary id Software.
The prequel to Doom (2016), Doom: The Dark Ages puts players behind the visor of the mighty Slayer as they battle demonic hordes in grounded, hard-hitting combat inside an epic, cinematic tale of gods, kings and monsters. Supplementing his superhuman skills and over-the-top arsenal, the Slayer will also call upon his colossal Atlan mech to brawl with titanic beasts and retake the skies aboard his ferocious steed: a jet-fueled, cybernetic war dragon.
Don your Shotgun, Shield Saw and Flail and charge headfirst into battle in 2025 when Doom: The Dark Ages arrives on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Add Doom: The Dark Ages to your wishlist via the Microsoft Store.
Playground Games Asks ‘What Does It Mean to be a Hero?’ in the Next Installment of its Fable Trailer Series
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Steam, or play it day one with Xbox Game Pass
What does it mean to be a hero? In last year’s trailer, that question was answered by Dave, a gardener-turned-giant with a chip on his shoulder. This year, we get a much darker take from Humphry, played by the British comedy actor Matt King. Humphry was once Albion’s greatest Hero, but those glory days are long gone. In Fable, Humphry will be forced out of retirement when a mysterious figure from his past threatens the very existence of Albion.
Playground Games also confirmed its collaboration with Eidos Montreal, who will be supporting the ongoing development of Fable, which will be coming to players in 2025. For Wishlist and more, visit xbox.com/fable.
Gears of War: E-Day is the next mainline game in the Gears of War universe, set during the pivotal Emergence Day. Fourteen years before Gears of War, war heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago return home to face a new nightmare: the Locust Horde. These subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself.
In the announce trailer for the series’ next major installment, The Coalition has teamed up with Blur Studio to forge a visually stunning trailer using in-game assets in Unreal Engine 5. It features a new instrumental version of ‘Mad World,’ originally performed by Gary Jules for the iconic 2006 commercial, now brilliantly reimagined by the game’s composer Adam Lastiwka. The trailer made its debut in 4K resolution and 30 FPS with 5.1 stereo sound. These specs, optimized for streaming, do not represent the final game’s performance.
Find out more in our conversation with the developers on Xbox Wire.
New Trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam, or play it day one on Game Pass
Become the famous archaeologist and face off against sinister forces as you fight to uncover the truth behind one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Brand new gameplay and a scene from a pivotal moment in the game were debuted during the Xbox Showcase. An intercepted message sends Indy and Gina to the Himalayas where their treacherous trek through the mountains leads them to a startling discovery.
Play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle day one on Game Pass when it launches later this year on Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Take to the Skies on November 19 with the All-New Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam, cloud, or play it day one with Xbox Game Pass
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is the next installment in the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise. It is the most ambitious consumer flight simulator ever undertaken. It features the largest, most diverse and detailed fleet of aircraft, the most complete representation of airports and air traffic, and the most visually stunning rendition of Earth ever created.
This brand-new simulator is designed to take advantage of the latest technologies in simulation, cloud, machine learning, graphics and gaming. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 goes beyond merely operating the aircraft; it will allow simmers to pursue their dream of an aviation career.
With features like aerial firefighting, search and rescue, commercial flights, remote cargo ops, VIP charter service, air racing, and more, simmers will not only be experiencing the joy of flight, but also dive into the pilot career they always dreamed of. The sky is calling! Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 takes off on PC and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, and will be available with Game Pass on console, PC, and cloud on day one.
Perfect Dark Unveils First Look at Gameplay in New Trailer
Today, we got a first look at gameplay from Perfect Dark, The Initiative’s highly anticipated reboot of the secret agent series featuring the iconic Joanna Dark.
In the near future, Earth is struck by a series of global disasters, bringing ecosystems around the world to the verge of collapse. In the all-new Perfect Dark game, you experience the journey of Joanna Dark, dataDyne’s elite agent, as she hunts down the world’s most wanted criminal, Daniel Carrington, to uncover the mysteries behind the technological breakthroughs that could threaten the lives of millions of people.
The new trailer showed us Joanna’s descent into the game’s Cairo setting, offered us a glimpse at the mysteries behind this near-future ecological sci-fi story, and introduced us to a game that blends fluid traversal, gadgets, close-quarters combat, gunplay, stealth, and more to create the ultimate secret agent experience.
Want to know more? Read our exclusive explainer article on Xbox Wire now.
South of Midnight Shows Off First Gameplay – and the Monstrous Two-Toed Tom
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam, cloud, or play it on day one with Xbox Game Pass
South of Midnight – the beautiful third-person action-adventure game from We Happy Few creators Compulsion Games – showed off its first gameplay trailer during the show, ahead of its launch in 2025. We meet Hazel and her newly-revealed companion, Catfish, as they travel through a flooded area inspired by the Mississippi Delta – and quickly find themselves facing down one of the game’s monster Kings. Meet Two-Toed Tom, a gigantic albino alligator with a powerful hunger, and even his own theme song.
The trailer offers a look at combat and traversal, showing off Hazel’s magical weaving powers, and gives us a taste of the game’s darkly gorgeous Deep South setting. We were lucky enough to sit down with South of Midnight’s developers and dive even deeper on the game – check out our exclusive interview on Xbox Wire.
Open World Zombie Survival Game State of Decay 3 Unveils New Trailer
Today at Xbox Games Showcase, Undead Labs revealed a new trailer for State of Decay 3, giving us a closer look at the ambitious open world zombie survival game. This follow-up to fan-favorite State of Decay 2 represents a huge leap forward for the series and the studio.
In State of Decay 3, the game’s world is now years into the apocalypse, with an evolving zombie threat taking over the landscape. You must fight back and reclaim lost ground, carving out a life for your community of survivalist homesteaders. Fans of the series might pick up on nods to some franchise staples in the new trailer: brutal combat; cooperatively battling back threats to the survivor group; permadeath; opening a car door on a zombie while speeding down the road. But the more you watch it, the more you can see hints at how State of Decay 3 will be the most ambitious game Undead Labs has ever envisioned. To learn more, check out Xbox Wire’s exclusive interview feature.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ First Gameplay Glimpse Revealed
Xbox Series X|S (see developer website for other platforms)
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on November 15 for Xbox Series X|S, giving players a chance to explore 16th Century Japan as Naoe, an adept shinobi from the province of Iga; and Yasuke, a powerful samurai and Assassin’s Creed’s first fully playable historical figure. Today’s gameplay trailer gave fans their first glimpse at what’s new in Assassin’s Creed Shadows – we saw how the two protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe will differ (and complement one another) in equipment and abilities, as well as the game’s wider world, and Shadows’ changing seasons. Stay tuned for a full gameplay walkthrough reveal tomorrow during Ubisoft Forward (starting at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm UK).
Survive, Explore and Uncover the Truth in Atomfall
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, or play it day one with Game Pass (see developer website for other platforms)
Set in the rolling British countryside with idyllic pubs, quaint villages, and red phone boxes, it soon becomes clear that things are far from normal. Created by Rebellion, the makers of the much-loved Sniper Elite and Zombie Army franchises, Atomfall is inspired by a real-world nuclear disaster that occurred in northern England in 1957. The game follows a fictional storyline where you find yourself in the quarantine zone five years after the event.
Explore the countryside, villages, and settlements and meet odd people, wicked cults, rogue government agencies and others along the way. Explore this open world adventure and seek out the truth at your own pace. A single player, survival-action game, Atomfall blends post-war Britain with Cold War paranoia, folk horror, and elements of classic British sci-fi to create an immersive and thrilling gameplay experience.
Atomfall will launch in 2025, coming to Game Pass on day one. It will also be available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC. The studio will be revealing more about Atomfall soon.
Prepare to Fight for Your Life in Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Xbox Series X|S, or play it day one with Game Pass (see developer website for other platforms)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an upcoming reactive turn-based RPG that will transport you to a beautiful, surrealist new world inspired by France’s La Belle Epoque – a period famous for its stunning and lavish contributions to the country’s world-renowned culture of art.
As a member of the Expeditioners, who are embarking on an impossible quest to end the Paintress’ cycle of death, you’ll journey through a vast and beautiful fantasy world where you’ll battle deadly adversaries, befriend fabled creatures, and discover traces of those who came before. You can wish list the game today on the Xbox Store and follow @Expedition33 on X (formally Twitter) to stay up to date.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Meet the Veilguard for the First Time in a New Trailer
Xbox Series X|S (see developer website for other platforms)
BioWare and Electronic Arts revealed a new trailer for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, where we meet your team of seven companions, each with their own rich story to discover and shape. Together, you will become The Veilguard.
Expanding upon the Dragon Age stories, worlds and characters from previous games, players will enter a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Together with your companions, you will challenge a pair of corrupt ancient gods, who have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world. Thedas needs someone they can count on, and that person is you. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world. Find out more on Xbox Wire.
Souls-lite Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Arrives With a Bang on July 18
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, or play it day one with Game Pass (see developer website for other platforms)
The long-awaited return from Ashen developer A44 is almost here – during the show, we announced that Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn will arrive on July 18. Set in the beleaguered world of Kian, you’ll guide Nor Vanek, a Flintlock weapons expert, on a quest to kill the rampaging gods that have invaded her world.
Blending classic Souls mechanics with a brutal, fast-paced combat system, Nor can use a combination of axe combat, flintlock weaponry, and magic, creating devastating combos – but you’ll need skill to survive. Pre-orders are open now, and a deluxe edition offers alternative outfits and weapon customization options.
FragPunk Explodes Into the Show
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC(see developer website for other platforms)
Looking for a new competitive FPS? FragPunk is a frantic, squad-based, 5v5 hero shooter where you set the rules of engagement for every new round by activating power-up cards. With its debut at Xbox Games Showcase 2024, FragPunk rocks the hero shooter genre with fast-paced combat and a plethora of synergies and counterplays between over 70 shard cards, 10 heroes, 14 weapons and 4 maps!
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure Brings Back Our Original Star
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (see developer website for other platforms)
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure isn’t just a return for the beloved narrative adventure series, but a return for its original star, Max Caulfield. Several years after we guided her through Arcadia Bay, Double Exposure sees Max return later in her life, now an artist-in-residence at the prestigious Caledon University.
Unfortunately, calamity is never far away – Max’s friend Safi is killed, and we’ll be plunged into a full-on murder-mystery, with a supernatural twist. Max’s original power to rewind time has morphed into the ability to entirely Shift timelines, and we’ll be exploring two parallel realities – one where Safi is safe and well, and the other in the wake of her death – in order to discover the identity of her killer. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure arrives on October 29, and those who pre-order the Ultimate Edition will be able to play the first two chapters from October 15.
Mecha Break Revealed: Create Your Mech and Take It to War Together
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC(see developer website for other platforms)
Mecha Break is a multiplayer mech-based shooter that allows players to choose from a variety of mechs, customize their appearances, and battle colossal war machines on treacherous terrain.
Prepare for adrenaline-pumping battles, lightning-fast maneuvers, and explosive firepower. Mecha Break’s Xbox Closed Beta will be coming to Xbox Series X in August 2024, and will be available to all players in 2025. Mecha Break features customizable mechs, player-created mech pilots, a wide array of mech and weapon types, and three distinct game modes — a 6v6 Battlefield mode, 3v3 Arena mode, and up to 60-player PvEvP mode — to put players in the pilot seat and create the ultimate mech showdown experience. Discover an array of attacker, brawler, defender, sniper, and support mechs, each with unique playstyles and toolsets. Players can personalize each mech with custom full-body paint jobs and upgrade attachments, enhancing their stats to suit their chosen playstyle.
For the upcoming August Closed Beta Test on Xbox Series X, the highlight game mode will be the 6v6 Battlefield mode. Work together with your team and engage in intense aerial and ground combat as you fight for the objective.
Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater Shows Its New Take on a Classic
Xbox Series X|S (see developer website for other platforms)
Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater creates a deeply immersive world with enhanced visuals and sounds, using the full potential of Unreal Engine 5 while keeping legacy controls and voice lines from the original title intact. A new third-person camera and control layout offers players an intuitive introduction to the beginning of the Metal Gear Solid saga as they step into the boots of Snake in a high-stakes, espionage thriller.
Mixtape: Nothing But the Hits – Coming 2025
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, cloud, or play it day one with Game Pass (see developer website for other platforms)
From Beethoven & Dinosaur, award-winning developers of The Artful Escape, comes Mixtape. On their last night of high school, three friends embark on one more adventure together. En route to their final party together, a perfectly-curated playlist draws them into dreamlike reenactments of their formative memories together.
Immerse yourself in the teenage wasteland, playing through a variety of narrative vignettes exploring the pivotal moments that shaped them. The story is delivered through a mixtape of comedic, joyful gameplay, from skateboarding and flying to taking photos after hours at an abandoned theme park, and much more. It’s the greatest hits of teenage friendship, from the first kiss to the last dance. Similar to games like What Remains of Edith Finch, Mixtape ties its narrative to a unique, vignette-driven structure that emphasizes variety, surprise, and comedy in its gameplay.
Featuring music from DEVO, Roxy Music, Lush, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, and more. Mixtape effectively blends gameplay, narrative, and music. Join the crew on their last night together as they experience a mixtape of memories, set to the soundtrack of a generation.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Reveals the Time of Opportunities Trailer
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, or play it day one with Game Pass (see developer website for other platforms)
The new trailer for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is here. Packed with brand-new reveals, this trailer showcases the array of experiences awaiting players, from locations to encounters with mutants and archanomalies. And hubs! Places to have some well-deserved rest and prepare your body and gear for the next intense mission.
In-game footage is mixed with narrative snippets, highlighting the prominence of the non-linear storyline in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The Time of Opportunities trailer is aptly named, reflecting the boundless potential that awaits within this unforgiving landscape. How will you see the Zone? And how will She remember you?
This time, you’ll hear much more of the Ukrainian voiceover. Being a Ukrainian company, GSC Game World knows that many fans are eager to experience the game in Ukrainian with subtitles of their choice. The trailer is aimed to provide a better understanding of what this experience will feel like. The Time of Opportunities trailer kicks off a series of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 showcases throughout this summer. Please stay tuned for additional announcements.
Winter Burrow Is a Cozy Survival Experience Inspired By a Love of Nature
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, or play it day one with Game Pass (see developer website for other platforms)
Build your dream burrow and explore a charming, snow-coated open world in Winter Burrow, a cozy woodland survival game. As a tiny mouse, spend your days adventuring through brisk environments as you search for your lost aunty, and collect up resources to restore your childhood burrow.
Winter Burrow merges comfy, cozy game elements with challenging yet approachable survival merchanics. Spend time in your burrow, crafting cute decorations to make your surroundings feel homely, knit cozy clothing to stay warm in the cold weather, and make sure you’re prepared for those big days of foraging in the forests. To stay up to date on all things Winter Burrow, wishlist the game on the Xbox Store and follow Winter Burrow on Twitter.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Revealed – A Journey Into the Darkness of the Late Ming Dynasty
Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, or play it day one with Game Pass (see developer website for other platforms)
Step into the dark and tumultuous land of Shu in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. This soulslike action-RPG launches day one on Xbox Series X|S and immerses players in the dark late Ming Dynasty, a period rife with warring factions and a mysterious illness turning humans into monstrous creatures. You are Wuchang, a pirate warrior struck by amnesia and afflicted by Ornithropy, a horrific disease but the source of immense power. As you explore the depths of Shu, you’ll enhance your arsenal, master new skills harvested from fallen foes, and evolve your fighting style by sacrificing Red Mercury.
Battle against grotesque abominations, drawing on ancient lore to challenge the creeping darkness that threatens the humanity that remains. As you piece together Wuchang’s lost memories, your choices will lead you to one of several endings—each determined by the choices made, secrets unearthed and the allies you choose to trust. Will you reveal the truths of Wuchang’s curse and bring peace to Shu, or will you succumb to the encroaching horrors? The fate of the land rests in your hands. Nothing is Forever.
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred Releases October 8 – Pre-purchase Now and Get In-game Rewards Today
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PC via Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Prepare yourself for the next chapter of Diablo IV from Blizzard Entertainment: Vessel of Hatred, the game’s first expansion, emerges on October 8.
Unleash the power of the Spiritborn, a new class that harnesses the mystical spirits of the jungle for swift and devastating attacks. The hunt for Neyrelle begins anew as she strives to thwart Mephisto’s sinister plot. Dive into the jungle region of Nahantu, where new Dungeons, Strongholds, and enemies await, along with a new PvE co-op activity where you can team up to take down challenges for promising rewards. Plus, recruit new Mercenaries to aid you in your quest, grow in power as they progress, and help you in combat with their unique abilities.
Embrace the shadows on October 8! Vessel of Hatred is set to redefine your journey through Sanctuary. Pre-purchase now and unlock immediate in-game rewards. The darkness does not rest – neither should you.
The Elder Scrolls Online Invites You to Discover Tamriel in a New Trailer
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Steam, Epic Games Store, cloud, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Celebrating a decade of adventures within Tamriel’s Second Era, The Elder Scrolls Online invites you to begin your epic story with a new trailer. Whether you’re an Elder Scrolls veteran or a newcomer to the series, you can explore an ever-growing world, party up with your fellow adventures, and discover why over 24 million players have now experienced the award-winning online RPG.
June also features the launch of ESO’s latest Chapter, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, now available on PC/Mac and coming June 18 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Unravel the mystery of the return of the Forgotten Prince, unlock the Scribing System to create your own abilities, and delve into the region of West Weld, a part of Tamriel not seen since The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Visit elderscrollsonline.com for more on the Gold Road Chapter and the ongoing 10-Year Anniversary Celebration.
Fallout 76 Skyline Valley Release Date Announced With New Trailer
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Steam, cloud, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, or play it day one with Game Pass
In Skyline Valley’s major expansion of the world map, you’ll cross the Savage Divide and travel to the southern reaches of Appalachia. This picturesque new region, Skyline Valley, introduces fresh locations to explore among the woodlands once known as Shenandoah National Park.
Seek out Vault 63 and uncover its mysteries. Learn the truth about the Lost, the electric Ghouls that inhabit the Vault, and their enigmatic overseer, Hugo Stolz. You’ll chase storms in Skyline Valley’s new Public Event, Dangerous Pastimes, and fight new region bosses, a monumental trifecta of Robo-brains. Skyline Valley comes to Fallout 76 on June 12.
Sea of Thieves Season 13 Update: Being Bad Can Sometimes Feel Good
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Steam, cloud, PlayStation 5, Game Pass
Rare showed off their dark side with a fiery new Sea of Thieves trailer, heralding the return of Captain Flameheart and inviting players to become the boss fight. An all-new world event will pit pirates against Flameheart’s mighty flagship in order to seize it, raining fire on their foes with a skeleton crew at their command and reaping the rewards of their dastardly deeds. This thrilling new encounter is part of Sea of Thieves: Season 13, which arrives on July 25 as a free update for all players on Xbox, PC and PS5.
Starfield Shattered Space Reveal Trailer, Plus Highlights from the June Update
Deep in the dark reaches of space, the followers of the Great Serpent live shrouded in mystery. Begin an epic new story and explore House Va’ruun territory in Shattered Space, Starfield’s first major expansion. Watch the reveal trailer now and experience the story of House Va’ruun when Shattered Space launches later this year.
In addition to the first look at Shattered Space, highlights from Starfield‘s latest major update were shared immediately following the Xbox Showcase. Official mod support with the launch of Creations, the first new quest DLC with the introduction of Trackers Alliance, new bounty hunting features, and improvements to melee weapons are the highlights of Starfield’s June Update. The June Update is now available on Xbox Series X|S and PC.
The Darkness Calls on August 26 with World of Warcraft: The War Within
Blizzard Entertainment’s 10th World of Warcraft expansion and the opening chapter of the most ambitious story arc in the game’s near 20-year history, The War Within is set to launch on August 26.
This upcoming expansion – the first of three in The Worldsoul Saga – will draw you deep into the mythology of World of Warcraft, weaving narrative threads from the past two decades together in a way that will captivate players both old and new. For a limited time, Blizzard is offering the Welcome to Azeroth Bundle, which includes everything players need to begin their adventure in Azeroth. The bundle includes the current expansion – the critically acclaimed Dragonflight – a level 60 character boost, and 60 days of game time, for $24.99 USD.
Don’t miss out on this legendary adventure! Join the community today, explore the wonders of Dragon Isles, and prepare yourself for The War Within – pre-purchases are available now through Battle.net.
Three New Xbox Series X|S Console Options Revealed
Three new Xbox Series X|S console options are joining our current lineup, and we’re excited to give players more ways to join gaming with Xbox – it’s the best way to enjoy the diverse experiences crafted by game creators. This holiday, our 1TB Series S in Robot White, an all-digital Xbox Series X, and a 2TB Xbox Series X Special Edition in Galaxy Black will be available in select markets (console assortment will vary by market). Stay tuned for updates in the coming months where we’ll provide information about market availability and regional Estimated Retail Pricing (ERP) when we share pre-order details. To learn more about these new consoles, head on over to the Wire post here.
With the incredible lineup of games shown at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 and Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 Direct, this is one of the best years ever to upgrade your console or jump into Xbox for the first time.
The Xbox Games Showcase provided a fresh look at Avowed with its first story trailer.
Meet Giatta, one of the four companions you’ll encounter during your adventures.
Discover the Dreamscourge and its devastating impact on the region.
Take a peek at the factions at play and the choices you’ll face as you forge your destiny.
The last few months at Obsidian Entertainment have been fast-paced and exciting. Since we saw you at the Xbox Developer_Direct this past January, we’ve been busy with Avowed, getting it ready for release in 2024. Today, we’re thrilled to have revealed our first-ever story trailer at Xbox Games Showcase 2024, and to talk with you more about what we’ve shared.
In Avowed, as the envoy sent directly by the Aedyran emperor, your adventure kicks off in Paradis, the bustling port city at the heart of the Living Lands. This vibrant hub has been shaped and reshaped by generations of pioneers, each leaving their mark, often in blood, on the Living Lands. It’s also the epicenter of tension between Aedyran forces and the locals, who are suspicious of Aedyr’s growing presence.
Rumors and hysteria have also begun to bubble up in Paradis surrounding the Dreamscourge – a mysterious plague of the soul – as it afflicts people, animals, and even the land itself. No one knows how it spreads, but many have come to recognize and dread the symptoms: first, victims experience confusion, disorientation, and hallucinations. As it worsens, they become unpredictable and erratic in their behavior, as if trapped in a waking nightmare. In the final stage, they turn into violent “Dreamthralls,” their bodies twisted with fungal growths and their minds and souls overtaken by the plague.
Watching our newest trailer, you’ll hear three distinct voices speaking to you. First is your emperor, who believes the Dreamscourge could develop, if unchecked, into a dire threat to Aedyr. He sends you into this wild frontier to uncover the source of the plague and put an end to it. Inquisitor Lödwyn, the leader of the Steel Garrote – an extremist paladin order from Aedyr – believes there’s something more sinister at play and calls on you not only to eradicate the Dreamscourge, but also to bring the island’s unruly factions to heel. Meanwhile, your companion Giatta perceives a larger and more mysterious force at work in the land and urges you to embrace it in all of its awe and chaos. As a stranger to these shores, you’ll need to navigate your relationship with all three of these factions, work to uncover the source of the Dreamscourge and prevent it from plunging the Living Lands into madness.
Supporting you on your journey are four companions, including Giatta. A brilliant and outspoken animancer who studies soul energy, she has endured suspicion and ire for her work. But like you, she desperately seeks a solution to the Dreamscourge. She’s a vital ally who will help you understand the unique metaphysical ecosystem of the Living Lands.
But remember, the Dreamscourge is not the only thing you are up against. Tensions simmer between the locals and Aedyr, and the island itself seems to be rebelling against itself.
Every choice you make could tip the balance of fate toward one faction or the other. Who will you align with? Who will you destroy? And who will ultimately control the Living Lands?
Avowed will be released in 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam and cloud, or play it day one with Xbox Game Pass.
Today, at Xbox Games Showcase, we got our first look at gameplay from Perfect Dark, a reboot of the classic secret agent series. The fascinating new trailer gave us hints to secret agent Joanna Dark’s mission, showed us her descent into the game’s near-future Cairo setting, and then gave us a tantalising glimpse of the all-new secret agent-inspired gameplay.
Of course, when you’re given a look at such a highly anticipated game, you’re always going to want to ask more questions – and thankfully I was able to go straight to the source to get more details from members of the development team. The Initiative is co-developing Perfect Dark with Crystal Dynamics and other partners that make up Team Perfect Dark. Let’s take a deeper look and answer some of those burning questions.
Perfect Dark is a first-person secret agent thriller in a near-future world. With the blessing of the original Perfect Dark studio, Rare (not to mention some of the leads from the original titles), Team Perfect Dark has pulled inspiration from elements of the first two games, but crafted an entirely new story and universe around them for this reboot.
For previous fans and new players alike, the new game offers a fresh take on the secret agent experience, and is a great opportunity to jump into the world and character. Though fans will have moments that resonate with the history and memories of the original games, no prior knowledge is needed in this new experience.
At the widest level, Perfect Dark will be a single-player experience, with a set of missions – but with choices offered in how you complete those missions. Looking at the trailer, it’s clear that traversal and gadgets are a huge part of this – we see new parkour abilities used throughout, both for movement and combat. The developers tell me that the focus was on creating an intuitive movement system, which will let players find interesting ways to tackle their objectives. Add to that a combat system that allows for both melee and gunplay, stealth mechanics, and liberal use of gadgets, and Perfect Dark is a game that will present players with an objective, but let them figure out how they want to achieve it.
Team Perfect Dark doesn’t want this to feel like any one genre – it takes in elements of first-person shooters, immersive sims, and stealth-action, but blends them into a seamless whole. The goal is to offer a true secret agent fantasy – and letting players use their various tools and abilities in the way they want is key to this.
Who is Joanna Dark?
In this reboot, Joanna (voiced by Alix Regan with Elissa Bibaud lending visual likeness) is an agent for dataDyne, with a deep personal connection to what’s happening to her world. In this case, the title Perfect Dark is more aspirational – this Joanna won’t be perfect, but she’s striving to be. She’ll make mistakes in this journey, and learn from those experiences. Learning who this Joanna is proves to be just as compelling as the story itself.
Where Is the Game Set?
Perfect Dark’s near-future world has been impacted by what’s known as “The Cascade,” in which the planet has suffered from a series of environmental disasters, rendering entire regions inhospitable to human life. In the wake of the disaster, a hypercorporation known as Core Mantis steps in to create a solution known as The GEN Network, and deploys it in Cairo – restoring ecological balance and creating a freshly walled city, insulated from the hostile environment outside to become a center for technological innovation.
In its wake, other hypercorporations step in to continue that regeneration – but, as you might expect, not all is as it seems, and their motives may be less altruistic than they appear. It is key that the setting communicates a hopeful future, seeing a world with both destruction and restoration, the bleakness of the past countered with a sense of promise.
It’s into Cairo that Joanna enters. The setting was chosen to offer a counterpoint to other secret agent stories, and media at large – ancient Egypt and modern Egypt have been seen by many, but a near-future take on the country is truly something new. Cairo itself allows for a balance of deeply old and startlingly new that suits the speculative fiction at the heart of Perfect Dark.
What’s Joanna’s Mission in the Trailer?
Joanna is being sent into Cairo to find and apprehend Daniel Carrington, and we see her enter a district called Garden City (and an area of Cairo in real life, too). In Perfect Dark, this is a more affluent and cosmopolitan area of the city, and Core Mantis has selected it to be revitalized by its new eco-technological processes.
We see Joanna find a hideout used by Carrington, who infiltrates Joanna’s AR system and begins to expose more information, and even more questions around the bigger mysteries in Cairo. Joanna will need to learn who can be trusted, and who might be working against her own goals, and Carrington’s role will be a major part of that.
What Can We Use Gadgets For?
Gadgets are a pillar of the secret agent genre. In the trailer, we get a tease of Joanna using a gadget to analyse NPC voices and create vocal “deepfakes” to trick security systems or impersonate other characters, as well as create distractions.
Gadgets can be used for misdirection and manipulation, but we also see that Joanna can use a tool to scan an NPC and learn details about them – it wouldn’t be a secret agent story without some fieldwork, and the developers tell me that parsing the world, around you will be a key part of understanding how to tackle your objectives.
How Does Combat Work?
With this first look at combat, it’s clear this is another aspect of player choice. In the trailer we see lethal and non-lethal weaponry, close-quarters combat, abilities that allow you to take down multiple enemies at once, and more. We can also go loud or go quiet, offering a risk-reward for both methods. Team Perfect Dark wants to create a “symphony” of mechanics, merging traversal, close-quarters-combat, gunplay, unlockable abilities, environmental elements, and gadgets into a unified experience for players.
Each new region will come with its own biome, a reflection of the South’s wildly varied landscapes. All of those biomes are inspired by real-world locations – Sears won’t go into detail about the later game yet, but tells me that the section we see here is set as you’re about to exit the flood and enter Mississippi Delta-like countryside. However, the magical realist approach allows Compulsion to play with expectation as you travel through its world.
Locations will feel deeply rooted in what we know of the real world – in fact, to help create this section of the game, the developers took a trip to a real Mississippi ghost town, itself infested with alligators (only one of them braved the trek across amphibian territory to get into an abandoned church and take reference shots). But as we travel, we’ll see how these areas have become overtaken by the game’s mythical creatures, bringing twisted change with them.
‘The world Hazel comes from is inspired by the contemporary Deep South” says Clayton, “but as you dive deeper into the world, things become more mystical and surreal. We wanted the feeling that you’re being pulled into a folktale, rather than, say, crossing a barrier like in Alice in Wonderland.”
The Song of Tom
Of course, most folktales need antagonists and in the trailer we meet one of them. Two-Toed Tom is based on real-life campfire tales of ancient, giant, seemingly unkillable alligators, and he will – as Clayton puts it – “haunt” this chapter in Hazel’s tale. What we’ve seen are the very edges of his hunting grounds, but Tom will repeatedly reappear as you explore his region, eventually leading us to a showdown. It allows not just for a “boss fight” that effectively spans a whole section of the game, but also allows the team to turn each creature into a full-blown character, rather than a simple mechanism for conflict.
“Tom is the only mythical creature in the game who was not a human being before transforming,” explains Sears. “People transformed Tom – he was an alligator born with the will to live, and the will to eat, and those things seemed to work really well. Because, like a lot of reptiles, he will continue growing as long as he can eat. And because he has a traumatic backstory and has become a creature of folklore and urban legend, he’s going to persist and continue getting bigger and bigger.”
The idea, like everything else here, doesn’t seem to be that Hazel will kill the creatures standing in her way, more that she’ll be curing them, removing the hurt that turned them into monsters in the first place. And in perhaps the most starkly unexpected part of the trailer, we even hear the game’s music reflecting the story that made Tom what he is.
“We are putting tons of work into making sure what we put on the screen looks like it’s ours (ownable) and belongs in our world. Everything tells a story from the scratches and bite marks on the wooden stock of a gun to the way your beloved vehicle has been assembled,” explains Laybourn. “We think carefully about the mood and tone of any given time of day right down to the tape used to hold your shoe together. The quality of games (in general) is so high, it’s really about what you’re saying and how. State Of Decay has always struck a tone that people love. It’s got heart and soul, a great blend of horror and beauty, levity, and depth… these ingredients need to come through regardless of the fidelity of the assets.”“
Speaking of ingredients, you can also expect to see survivors that have become quite adept at… well… not getting eaten, by surviving several years into the apocalypse. This, in turn, has evolved into a resourceful era where clothing, supplies, and weapons have been modified to accommodate their needs — expect weapons to have mismatched barrels with heavily modified magazines, or clothing reinforced with armor plates. They’ve “leveled up” in this maker culture to be more eclectic because the world of State of Decay 3 has been “picked over” by now, and finding components to modify their existing weapons will be much more likely than looting a wholly formed one that’s ready to go.
This also means that players will be able to customize their play experience to a greater depth than they have in the past. Undead Labs believes that investing time to craft “your” crossbow vs finding a few generic crossbow types is going to be a lot more fun and will help reinforce State of Decay 3’s unique setting.
This type of feature feeds back into the principles of the studio: ingenuity, adaptability, and collectivism that were all on display in the newest trailer. “We chose to present something that felt very cinematic in its presentation to tell a bit of a story, to be a tone and a mood and signal an intention about where we’re taking the franchise. And I think the trailer succeeds on that,” says Holt.
For now, the team is hard at work on the game, and will have more to share at a later date around co-op, customization, and other fun features that they can’t quite get into detail just yet (but they sound very cool). As it stands, State of Decay 3is primed to be the tip of Undead Labs’ creative spear, serving as the vehicle for their continued evolution — and we can’t wait to see more.
It’s almost time – this Sunday, June 9, we invite players from around the world to a huge double feature: the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, immediately followed by Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct. This will mark the first Xbox Showcase featuring games from our portfolio of studios across Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda and Xbox Game Studios, not to mention our incredible third-party partners. Plus, the Showcase will be immediately followed by a deep-dive into Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
It’s our biggest moment of the year to show you the future of gaming with Xbox, and we hope you can join us. With that in mind, here are all the details you need to know ahead of Sunday:
What time does Xbox Games Showcase begin? The Showcase will take place on Sunday, June 9, beginning at:
PT: June 9, 10am
ET: June 9, 1pm
BST: June 9, 6pm
CET: June 9, 7pm
JST: June 10, 2am
AEST: June 10, 3am
What time does Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct begin? Immediately following the Xbox Games Showcase.
How do I watch the Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct? The Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct will be streamed live on official Xbox, Bethesda, and Activision Blizzard channels, including the below:
The show will also be streamed out simultaneously on regional Xbox and Bethesda channels around the globe.
Please note the /Xbox, /Bethesda and /ActivisionGames streams on YouTube will be in 4K at 60fps, while all other channels will be 1080p / 60fps.
Is the event available in languages other than English? We will be providing subtitle support in the following languages: Albanian, Arabic (MSA), Bangla, Bosnian, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan), Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Filipino, French, French (Canadian), Gaelic (Irish), German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Maltese, Māori, Norwegian, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese, Punjabi (Gurmukhi), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Mexican), Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Welsh and Zulu. While we expect to have all languages available with the show’s live broadcast, it is possible that select languages may need to be added in the days following the broadcast if they have not finished translating.
The easiest way to find your preferred language is to go to your region’s Xbox page, or by viewing on the official Xbox YouTube channel at YouTube.com/Xbox and clicking the gear icon in the lower right corner.
Is Xbox Games Showcase going to be Accessible to those with low/no hearing or low/no vision? There will be a version of the show with Audio Descriptions (AD) in English on the Xbox YouTube channel, American Sign Language (ASL) on Xbox’s YouTube channel and the /XboxASL Twitch channel, and British Sign Language (BSL) on Xbox On’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/XboxOn.
I’m not going to be able to watch, where can I find out what was announced? As announcements roll out during the broadcast, the Xbox Wire team will be publishing detailed blog posts for key announcements right here on Xbox Wire (with localized versions in Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, LATAM Spanish, and Japanese to follow). A full show recap will be published on Xbox Wire immediately following the end of Xbox Games Showcase, and a separate recap for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct will go live after that show ends. Plus, stay tuned to Xbox Wire in the days following the show for more exclusive articles.
Will Xbox be broadcasting post-show content? Starting from Monday, June 10 and running throughout that week, the Official Xbox Podcast will be airing a series of special episodes offering updates and deeper dives into titles featured during Xbox Games Showcase. These shows will be published daily on Xbox’s YouTube channel and podcast services, with accompanying articles on Xbox Wire. We look forward to sharing more details after the Showcase concludes.
Co-streamer and content creator notes for the Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct: We at Xbox greatly appreciate any co-stream efforts and aim to ensure you have a smooth experience if you choose to do so. However, due to forces beyond our control, we cannot guarantee that glitches or disruptions by bots and other automated software won’t interfere with your co-stream. For those planning to create post-show breakdowns of the Xbox Showcase in the form of Video on Demand (VOD) coverage, we recommend you do not use any audio containing copyrighted music to avoid any action by automated bots, and to also consult the terms of service for your service provider.
We can’t wait for you to join us for Xbox Games Showcase, followed by Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct on Sunday, June 9.
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.
Immerse yourself in high-performance Track Toys including the lightweight Ginetta G40 Junior.
Celebrate the cars that are blurring the line between production road cars and high-end racecars in Forza Motorsport Update 8. Expand your garage with track-worthy machines and put them to the ultimate test in special events across Career, Multiplayer and Rivals.
Update 8 rolls out for download starting Monday, May 13 at 10:00 AM PT / 5:00 PM UTC on Xbox Series X|S and PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam. Spotlight cars and new in-game events begin on Wednesday, May 15 at 5:00 PM PT (12:00 AM UTC on Thursday, May 16).
Game Improvements and Release Notes
Today’s update introduces new fixes and experience improvements to Forza Motorsport, including tweaks to how Safety Ratings are calculated in Featured Multiplayer, a gloss-matte slider in the Livery Editor, a new Tire Wear scale option for Free Play and Private Multiplayer, and changes to Drivatar AI braking behavior.
Firstly, we’ve introduced a Vinyl Material tool to the Livery Editor which can be used to uniformly adjust all vinyl materials on a car from matte (non-reflective) to glossy (reflective). This includes a reset option to revert all vinyls to match car paint glossiness. Imported designs from Forza Horizon 5 using its similar feature will automatically inherit these values.
We’ve added a Tire Wear Scale option to Free Play and Private Multiplayer, allowing adjustments to the rate at which tires are worn. 1x is the default value. At 2x, tire wear will occur twice as fast. Values range from .5x to 10x. This setting is found in the Event Setup Rules tab and in the Fuel & Tire menu when on track.
We’ve updated Safety Ratings in Featured Multiplayer by increasing the number of previous races the Safety Rating uses to determine your rating from 10 to 20, and by making on-track collisions more impactful to Safety Rating. These changes will take effect after your first race in Update 8.
In addition, we’ve improved the matchmaking algorithm to search for a narrower range of Safety Ratings compared to your own. For example, players with an ‚S‘ Safety Rating should no longer be matched with players who have ‚E‘ and ‚D‘ Safety Ratings. Groups will be connected to matches based on the player with the lowest Safety Rating.
We’ve removed the 2020 KTM X-Bow GT2 and the 2020 Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 from the Forza GT Series and added them to the Modern Factory Racecar Series in Featured Multiplayer. Meanwhile, the 2019 Porsche #70 Porsche Motorsport 935 has been added to the Forza GT Series. We’re currently working on recategorizing Forza GT racecars into separate spec divisions and expect to push these changes into the game this summer.
Finally, we’ve reduced unnecessary braking scenarios for Drivatar AI opponents. Examples of this include braking while attempting to pass, two cars wide in corners, at the apex of corners, and on straights.
Mobil Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Forza Motorsport
In celebration of its 50-year anniversary, we’re excited to reveal a partnership with Mobil 1, which will include a series of exciting in-game Rivals events starting this summer.
To kickstart this special collaboration, Maple Valley has been updated to “Mobil 1 Presents Maple Valley” with new track signage featuring Mobil 1 branding. Check it out the next time you are racing through the sweeping turns and beautiful, fictional woods of New England.
Numerous fixes and improvements have been made to Maple Valley and Mid-Ohio in Update 8. Check out the release notes for the full overview of these adjustments.
Career Tour – Track Toys Tour
The Track Toys Tour invites you to experience high-performance cars that you could see hot lapping on the racetrack.
Compete in a single-make race series with Ginetta Juniors. This affordable entry point into motorsport for enthusiasts will see you behind the wheel of the nimble yet extraordinary 2019 Ginetta G40 Junior. Despite only 100 horsepower, the lightweight G40 has emerged as the most successful junior racing car on the circuit!
Weekend Warriors sees you racing cars like the exceptional 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS which could be taken to the track on a Sunday before being driven to work the following day. Whether it is on the road or the racetrack, this Cayman GTS tackles every twist and turn at high-speed without issue!
Appreciate the unforgettable shape and undeniable performance of the iconic Caterham R500 in Kit Caterhams. This driving machine must be skillfully handled. Despite its light chassis, the R500 catapults from 0 to 60 in just 2.9 seconds thanks to its 267 horses!
And finally, enjoy a celebration of purpose-built track cars like the aerodynamic 2019 Elemental RP1 in Track Toys. This lightweight car delivers a thrilling 320 horsepower from its 2-liter turbocharged engine! Not only does its massive low-pressure diffuser look truly incredible, but its aerodynamic capabilities create a truly staggering amount of downforce, ensuring you always have full control of the RP1 on the track.
Complete all 4 series in the Track Toys Tour to receive the ultimate racing warrior, the 2019 Porsche #70 Porsche Motorsport 935. This car’s exterior details are inspired by Porsche’s racing legacy, including rims and aerodynamics that pay homage to the 935/78 racecar –nicknamed the Moby Dick – as well as 919 Hybrid LMP1-inspired LED taillights. Enter the Reward Showcase with the 935 to take on a field of hypercars built for the track.
Series within the Track Toys Tour do not have to be completed in a particular week – you have until June 27, 2024, to finish this latest Featured Tour. Spotlight cars are available at a discount for the week during which they are featured.
Spotlight Cars and VIP Discounts
Spotlight cars are featured in the Showroom every week, available for you to acquire with a temporary 30% discount using in-game credits. Update 8 will showcase four Spotlight cars, one each week, three which are either new or returning to Motorsport.
These Spotlight cars can be used in the Track Toys Tour, as well as Spotlight Series events in Featured Multiplayer and Spotlight Rivals.
Forza Motorsport VIP Members also get an exclusive 15% discount on the 2014 BAC Mono in the Showroom. This is one of the few single-seat production cars that’s not only street legal, but ready to take on any track with its unique blend of formula racecar and aircraft-like design. Duke it out with this exhilarating track toy on the Mono a Mono VIP Rivals event and shave off those milliseconds at Yas Marina – South Circuit to secure your spot on the community leaderboard.
In addition, starting with Update 8, VIPs can look forward to an exclusive 15% discount on a car every week in the Showroom. Exclusive discounts for VIP Members in Update 8 include the following cars:
With each update to Forza Motorsport, the Open Class Tour gets refreshed with new events and a new reward car.
Open Class Tour is where you can continue the journey of your favorite cars. Cars that you’ve already built in a different Builders Cup series can be further levelled up and upgraded in the Open Class Tour.
Enter the Open Class Tour with your favorite cars across D, C, B, and A Classes and take on opponents racing inexpensive and highly modifiable production cars that you would expect to see at your local track on the weekend.
Complete the Open Class Tour in Update 8 to receive the 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupé. Its incredible blend of performance, handling and practicality makes it the perfect choice for those seeking an exhilarating driving experience, especially in the Reward Showcase where you can race with other cars in its class.
With Forza Motorsport Update 8, the Open Class Tour in Career mode has been migrated from the Builders Cup tab to the Featured tab. The Open Class Tour will be found in the Featured tab going forward.
Featured Multiplayer – Spec and Open Series
As mentioned in the release notes, with Update 8, Featured Multiplayer introduces tweaks to how Safety Ratings are calculated, an updated matchmaking algorithm and small car changes to the Forza GT Series with more updates to this division planned for summer.
Here’s a look at your Featured Multiplayer calendar of upcoming events for Update 8:
Lotus 3-Eleven Spec Series – May 15-22
The 3-Eleven is an open-cockpit, mid-engine screamer that exemplifies Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s mantra “simplify, then add lightness.”
Early Factory Racecar Series – May 22-29
Bespoke racing versions of some of the most sought-after cars from the late 80s and 90s, now valued in millions of dollars by savvy collectors.
Mazda Miata Spec Series – May 29 – June 5
The popular MX5 ‘94 version of the best-selling Mazda Miata is perfectly balanced to handle the most demanding road courses with the speed and agility of cars costing much, much more.
Modern Factory Racecar Series – June 5-12
Race through a field of ultimate track day specials in the Modern Factory Racecar series. These mid-engine production cars feature unique upgrades designed to achieve extreme performance metrics and ensure victory on the track.
Featured Rivals
Set your fastest lap times across exciting new Rivals events in Forza Motorsport Update 8.
Compete for the leaderboard in this month’s Featured Spec Rivals event! Choose your favorite Forza Touring Car and challenge your skills and precision to achieve your fastest lap at Virginia International Raceway – Full Circuit. Cars have been pre-tuned for optimal competition but can be further adjusted to suit your playstyle.
Later in the month, we’re opening a special Rivals event where you can experience the ultimate track car developed to pay tribute to a world-famous driver – the McLaren Senna – at the same track where he achieved several victories, Silverstone – Grand Prix Circuit. The Senna is one of the lightest and most driver-focused cars McLaren has ever built, with uncompromised performance and aerodynamics that unleash their true capabilities on the racetrack.
Remember that every week a new Spotlight Rivals event will present an opportunity for you to challenge your skills in the latest Spotlight car!
“The Nürburgring was built in 1927 with extraordinary length through the middle of the Eifel forests. It remains the longest permanent race track to this day. Even back then, the racing drivers who came to the Nürburgring knew what an incredibly special and challenging track the Nürburgring actually is,” explains Alexander, quoting Rudolf Caracciola, who won the first car race on the Nürburgring and described his experience as follows:
“When we came to the newly opened Nürburgring in 1927, we opened our eyes. We had never experienced anything like it. There was a road in the middle of the Eifel mountains, a closed loop with almost 180 bends spread over 22 kilometers. It was a track with gradients that were a sharp blow to the engine, but also with unspeakably beautiful views far across the country, of valleys and villages.”
On the one hand, it is the almost 100-year history that still inspires awe and respect among motorsport enthusiasts and professional racing drivers alike: 1000-kilometer races, fatal accidents, unforgettable Formula 1 races, new records and impressive performances by the best drivers in the world. Record-breaking world champion Michael Schuhmacher made such a lasting impression that an entire corner was named after him. When Niki Lauda’s Ferrari went up in flames on the Nordschleife in 1976, the entire motorsport world held its breath.
In addition to the history, it is the track itself that accounts for the legend of the Nordschleife: the unique layout, the dynamics, the differences in altitude and the unique atmosphere. If you want to complete a lap, you have to tackle over 70 corners and 300 meters of elevation gain. An experience that demands everything from the driver and is now possible in Forza Motorsport.
In Forza Motorsport, players will discover what makes this circuit an adrenaline-filled crucible, one which pushes professionals, manufacturers, cars – and now, finally, Forza fans – to their limits. YouTuber and racing expert rAii has already put the track through its paces in countless racing games, including the new Forza Motorsport, and shared his thoughts on the presentation with Xbox Wire DACH: “It just feels like the Nordschleife that you know. That’s the most important thing.”
Today, on a special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast, we shared an update on plans to continue to bring more games to more people around the world, with the exciting news that the first Activision Blizzard game on Xbox Game Pass will be Diablo IV, beginning March 28.
Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty also shared the vision on game exclusivity, the future of Xbox hardware, and the overall Xbox promise. There’s a lot to talk about, so we encourage you to watch the full episode here:
With the combined creativity across Team Xbox, players can expect an incredible 2024 with the likes of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, Towerborne and more coming your way, alongside continued updates for our blockbuster franchises Call of Duty, Minecraft, Forza, TheElder Scrolls Online and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
There will be even more to play as we begin to fulfill our commitment to offer Activision and Blizzard games with Game Pass, both new releases and classic games from its legendary catalog. We’re happy to share that Diablo IV will be available to play by the 34 million Game Pass subscribers on both PC and Xbox consoles beginning March 28! This is only the start of Xbox players being able to enjoy Activision and Blizzard games on Game Pass – we look forward to sharing more soon.
Our combined studio teams already ship some of the biggest franchises and critically-acclaimed adventures across multiple platforms: Minecraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo, The Elder Scrolls Online, and more have built communities across consoles, PC, and mobile. Likewise, Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda have brought dozens of games to Steam alongside Xbox consoles on launch day; the teams at Xbox have extensive experience supporting multiple platforms, while continuing to invest heavily in our studios, our consoles and services.
Indeed, our games are reaching more players than ever; across Activision, Bethesda, Blizzard, King, and Xbox Game Studios, we reach hundreds of millions of players across console, PC, and mobile.
To ensure long-term success for both Xbox and the industry as a whole, we must continue to evolve. Today we announced that we will expand the communities we reach: we are currently in the process of bringing four Xbox games to other platforms. These are titles which have been available to Xbox players for at least a year, including hidden gems that deserve to be experienced more widely, and live service games whose communities will benefit from welcoming even more players. We will share more details on these titles soon.
By bringing these games to more players, we not only expand the reach and impact of those titles, but this will allow us to invest in either future versions of these games, or elsewhere in our first-party portfolio. There is no fundamental change to our approach on exclusivity.
Likewise, our commitment to game preservation is unwavering. Xbox players should have confidence in building your digital library in the Xbox ecosystem. We will continue to reward that with the most robust, player-friendly experiences, including backwards compatibility, cross-play, cross-save progression, convenient cloud gaming, and more. Xbox consoles will continue to provide a flagship experience for players; it’s where you get the best value and convenience, it’s where Game Pass provides unprecedented access to an ever-evolving library of games. To be clear: Game Pass will continue to be only available on Xbox platforms.
This is what it means to be part of Xbox:
The biggest games in the world will be on Xbox.
Our games will come to Game Pass day one.
A robust and innovative multi-year hardware roadmap
Compatibility with your library is a priority, inclusive of cross-play, cross-save, and robust cloud features.
Xbox will continue to help game creators find the biggest audience possible.
Whether you’ve been with us since 2001, recently joined Game Pass to enjoy games like Starfield or Palworld, or are looking forward to the next season of Call of Duty, the creative teams at Xbox are stronger together – no matter where you play. Xbox will be around for decades to come – we hope you’ll join us on this journey.
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