Discover new Machine content and explore the story of your empire's ascension into synthetic or cybernetic beings. It is time to leave our flawed biological vessels behind. It's my pleasure to announce that The Machine Age major expansion will be released alongside the Stellaris 3.12 'Andromeda' update. Focusing on cybernetic, synthetic, and machine themes, The Machine Age will begin during the second quarter of 2024.

In pursuing the divine calling, we shall achieve the fusion of the exalted body and sacred cybernetics. The Technophants and Haruspex of the Cybernetic Creed will guide their flock to the perfect union of flesh and machine. Cybernetic augmentation is not solely the province of the materialists. Playgrounds stand empty. In time, we will cease to be. For now, our salvation lies in the digital realm…A doomed species races against extinction to reach the virtual world in Synthetic Fertility.

Stolen Realm is a game that's been partly inspired by the work of Larian Studios, via the fantastic Divinity: Original Sin games, so while we've been finishing up Stolen Realm over the last few months, it's been fantastic to see Baldur's Gate 3 explode and show there is a huge appetite for games like ours. If you're one of those Xbox fans looking for a new game to scratch that Baldur's Gate 3 itch, we hope Stolen Realm will do that for you. However, we also want to tell you about the unique twists our game has that helps speed up combat, keeps you making fun choices and makes it perfect for co-op.

Stolen Realm has a synchronous turn system. This means that all the players on your team can all take their turns at the same time, the enemies likewise. With this system, our game offers the same kind of tactical combat you'd expect from the likes of Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sun, but with combat encounters that move at a far quicker pace. This means that when you're playing co-op with your friends, there's no waiting around for your turn while your buddy ponders his next move. You'll be onto the next step of your adventure in no time, so you can spend less time waiting and more time having friendly argument about whether you should go for another combat encounter, a special event, or some treasure as you move through our games diverse fantasy environments.

Director Hideaki Itsuno and Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi were on hand to explain some exciting announcements surrounding the release of their upcoming title, Dragon's Dogma 2. Players will be able to party up with as many as three AI-driven "Pawn" characters; the decisions the player makes throughout the game will impact the relationships between their own Arisen and other characters, as well as the interactions and dynamics between those AI characters.

How one tackles quest objectives and interactions with other characters is what drives these systems, and sometimes hinges on the player's ability to employ creative solutions to avoid physical altercations (think: bribery, counterfeiting objects, etc). In a world comprised of over 1000 unique characters, the player's choices will have a dramatic ripple effect on the interpersonal dynamics among them.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is beckoning players back to Mount Qaf starting on March 20, when a free content update will bring new modes and other content to the critically acclaimed, Metroidvania-inspired action-adventure. More updates will follow in spring, summer, and beyond, introducing more modes, challenges, and paid story-driven DLC.

The March 20 update, titled Warrior's Path, will add speedrun and permadeath modes, as well as four new outfits for Sargon. Later this spring, it'll be followed by the Boss Attack update, which adds a boss rush challenge in addition to more outfits. The Divine Trials update will follow this summer, adding new combat, platform, and puzzle challenges, along with new Amulets, outfits, and more. The new storyline will debut later this year as paid DLC, and will introduce new environments and enemies for Sargon to confront.

Sea of Stars, a retro-inspired turn-based RPG, was released last summer—its single-player campaign received rave reviews, and player counts have exceeded expectations. Earlier today, indie development outfit—Sabotage Studios—celebrated another Sea of Stars-related milestone. A "Dance of Five Million Suns" video revealed that their hit title: "has been played by over 5 million people since launch. 5 MILLION. Every new player milestone we hit is absolutely mind-blowing to us. We're thrilled to see that this little world we built continues to connect with so many players around the world." A single-player expansion called "Throes of the Watchmaker" is in the works (launch date unknown), but Sabotage could be releasing a multi-player mode in the near future.

A freshly uploaded teaser video previews an upcoming "3-player couch co-op" update—Sabotage commented on this development: "Dubbed "Single Player+, this mode allows for three players to journey together in Sea of Stars. Staying true to the game's core turn-based roots, each player will engage in traversal and combat with a new 'Co-op timed hits' mechanic as they embark with friends on Sea of Stars' grand adventure. The new mode is currently in development and more details are set to be released soon." The very brief clip—eight seconds in length—features main characters (Zale, Valere, and Garl) navigating elevated islands. Presumably this recording captured Sabotage staffers controlling their playable protagonists.

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. is inviting potential CRADLECOFFIN Drifters to participate in the upcoming SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada closed beta test, with registrations now open. The extraction shooter, set in a dystopian futuristic world where humans and AI must cooperate to survive, will have limited slots available for players to be among the first to venture into the ruins of Amasia to fight both environmental threats and human enemies, reap rewards, and escape with all the AO Crystals they can carry.

As a CRADLECOFFIN mech pilot, players will be able to bring their choice of Magus into battle—an AI companion that provides useful combat information including radar locations, resource tracking, combat assistance, and more. They can also select from a wide variety of chassis, arms, and legs, with two weapons as well to optimize their loadout for each sortie. The CBT for SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada will run March 28 through April 1 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

Update on March 13, 2024: the PS5 system software update is rolling out globally today. Additionally, later this month a PlayStation App update will enable users to enjoy Share Screen interactions on the app as well. As the new year kicks into high gear with an amazing slate of PS5 game releases like The Last of Us Part II Remastered, Tekken 8 and Helldivers 2, along with FINAL FANTASY VII Rebirth, we're pleased to roll out another PS5 system software beta today with a number of quality-of-life enhancements and new features.

While beta access is limited to invited participants in select countries, we plan to release the update globally in the coming months. If you're selected to participate in the beta, you'll receive an email invitation today when it's available to download. Some features available during the beta phase may not make it into the final version or may see significant changes. Let's jump in to the newly added features below.

Helldivers 2 has exploded onto the gaming scene in a massive way. This co-operative third-person shooter packed with danger, action, humor, and surprises has already become one of this year's most talked-about games. What some people may be less familiar with though is its progenitor. The original Helldivers, which debuted in 2015 (and is still active) is a co-op, multiplayer overhead twin-stick shooter packed with action, intensity, and plenty of challenging situations that a player might find themselves in.

We asked Johan Pilestedt, CEO & Creative Director at Arrowhead Studios about the process of adapting the original overhead-view gameplay of Helldivers into the third-person format-after first congratulating him for the rip-roaring success of the game. We asked how the team felt about the positive reception. "Overwhelmed and ecstatic! Over the last 15 years, we've seen a keen interest in the types of games we make and it was great to see our work recognized at this scale."

It's been three-and-a-half years since Reflector Entertainment and Bandai Namco Europe unveiled Unknown 9: Awakening with a teaser trailer at Gamescom 2020. Well, we're back and ready to share the fruits of our labor with the world! We are thrilled to unveil Unknown 9: Awakening's Announcement Trailer, which reveals our tough-as-nails protagonist Haroona, a first look at the gameplay, and a Summer 2024 release. We'd love to get you up to speed on the game, share what we've been up to behind the scenes, and explain why you should join the quest to uncover humanity's best-kept secrets, so let's dive in!

Your Unknown 9: Awakening Refresher
The third-person action-adventure title centers on Haroona, a truth seeker with a troubled past whose connection to a shadowy dimension known as the Fold has blessed her with powerful abilities. The last time the world caught a glimpse of the game's heroine, she was just a child left to fend for herself on the streets of Chamiri, India, unsure of what to make of her unearthly gifts. Fast-forward to today, and Haroona is all grown up. She's embraced her unique talents and continues to learn the ways of the Fold.

CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk development team expected to conclude work on 2077 around autumn of last year—following the release of their v2.0 Content Update, and Phantom Liberty DLC campaign expansion. Game director, Gabe Amatangelo, declared in a September 2023 interview with PC Gamer, that his team was ready to move onto the development of a sequel, but some members continued to deliver updates. December's upgrade to v2.1 added a functional metro transport system, while January's Patch 2.11 expanded vehicle customization options. Game File's Stephen Totilo interviewed Amatangelo during last month's DICE Summit—his recently published article included a discussion regarding CD Projekt RED's surprising extended support schedule for Cyberpunk 2077.

Amatangelo okayed the addition of a Night City Area Rapid Transit (NCART) system, after absorbing news coverage and fan feedback: "my team had a plan on how to accomplish it in a reasonable way, sort of in a timely way." Cyberpunk 2077's game director confirmed that work has finally concluded on his team's open world magnum opus: "Yes. We're done." The temptation does remain to tinker with the current game: "It's possible that there are some other little things that comes in here or there, just because, as you're kind of messing around with stuff, sometimes you discover something that is not a high risk. Or it's easy to integrate. Or, you know, some developers have some bandwidth...Then they bring it to me." Amatangelo indicates that he could approve further updates, but "Cyberpunk Part Deux" takes priority: "Well, I trust you that it isn't going to mess with your other work…So let's give it a go."

The original Monster Hunter Stories game is back and coming to Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 4! Become a Monster Rider and hatch, raise, and battle with your favorite monsties in this epic RPG adventure. Become a Monster Rider who raises monsters and forges lifelong bonds with them in this epic adventure set in a vast, vibrant world. Befriend monsters to transform them into your Monsties! Transfer genes between monsters to raise Monsties with their own unique attributes and skills! Utilize your Monstie's Riding Actions out in the field to discover everything the locales have to offer!

Guess your opponent's attack patterns and experience the excitement of mainline Monster Hunter titles while engaging in thrilling, turn-based battles with monsters.
In addition to featuring Japanese and English voice overs, this remastered version also includes a "Museum" mode where you can view concept art and listen to the game's music! Monster Hunter Stories launches on Nintendo Switch, PC, and PS4 on June 14 with refined graphics, a new Museum mode, and content previously released only in Japan. Ride on!

Season 2 of The Finals launches on March 14, and strange things are happening in the arena. The game show has been compromised by the rogue hacking collective CNS, and showrunners are scrambling to decipher their cryptic messages—but one thing is clear: the show must go on! Throughout the jam-packed season of this free-to-play game, contestants can experience new weapons for each class, the hacked new map SYS$HORIZON, the all-new 5v5 game mode Power Shift, a new skill-based League System, rewarded weekly career progression, private matches—for now in a feature-limited beta version—and the new Hacker Playstyle, which adds several ways for contestants to alter the arena to their favor.

THE Finals' new Hacker Playstyle lets players step into the shoes of CNS, with a set of new gadgets and a new specialization that can be mixed and matched with players' existing toolset. Remove walls, defy gravity, tunnel across the arena, and transform items—become the glitch in the system, the ultimate cyber tactician, and bring a new dimension to the game.

Hello Drivers, we are excited to announce that Taxi Life: A Driving Simulator is now available! From landmarks to traffic jams, come to Barcelona! Climb into the driver's seat of your car and your business, transport passengers across Barcelona and grow your company! After arriving in Barcelona with nothing but a car and a dream, drive around the busy streets of the famous city and transport passengers while offering them impeccable service.

You will need to follow the rules of the road; deal with impatient tourists, changing weather and rush hours; adapt your routes to avoid traffic jams and accidents; and, most of all, ensure your clients are pleased with your service to earn the best ratings and the most generous tips! It's time to start your new career as a taxi driver in Barcelona! Available now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a highly unique, Japanese-inspired single-player game that blends multiple genres to create an action-packed adventure unlike any other! First revealed in June last year during Xbox Games Showcase 2023, this new title from Capcom will release day one with Game Pass, as well as on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Windows in 2024.

A New Tale of the Kami Awaits
The story begins when the legendary Mt. Kafuku is covered by an evil defilement and the 12 masks, including their special powers, are stolen. Our protagonist, Soh, must work together with Yoshiro, the Maiden with divine powers, to purge and cleanse the villages of the defilement. The masks worn by Soh and the villagers each feature a different divine power, and these powers are the key to protecting Yoshiro. As you cleanse additional villages from their evil defilement, you'll recover more masks and work together with the various villagers that each mask unlocks to bring Mt. Kafuku back to its original beauty.

Hello everyone, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game has officially been out for a couple of days, and we'd like to extend a huge thanks to all of you for the feedback received so far. Everyone in the team is on deck, watching streams, videos, and reading your comments and reviews. We're happy to see many of you enjoying Expeditions and what it's trying to achieve, although we also are aware and understand that some of you aren't satisfied with the game's current state.

Our current priorities
Some of your most recurrent feedback is about UI/UX. We cannot overhaul it in one night, but this is a big focal point for the team right now, and it will be improved through several updates. Our first update releases with this message, to bring some immediate improvements. We're also hard at work on bug reports, and the March 7 patch brings a lot of fixes based on your feedback. Be assured that we'll continue to squash as many technical issues as we can in the coming updates. We've also noticed many requests for a photo mode in Expeditions, and we're glad to add it with today's update. It only needed a few extra days of cooking!

Ah, Sparta! Home to the finest warriors in all of ancient Greece, a marvel of a city, a true superpower on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, protected by its mighty city walls... wait a second. Wasn't Sparta famous for its walls being its army only? So why can we see Spartans riding home through a massive wall in Titan Quest II's announcement trailer? The latest dev diary for the upcoming action RPG Titan Quest II highlights Sparta and explains how Titan Quest II offers a fantastical twist on the actual ancient reality.

For a deep dive on the music and world design of Titan Quest check out the previous dev diaries. Forged in the creative crucible of Grimlore Games in Germany, Titan Quest II is currently under development. This epic odyssey is destined for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X, eagerly anticipated to launch when the time comes.

The characters in a Lovecraft story are susceptible to… mutation. Minds and bodies are forever altered by exposure to the horrors hiding in the darker corners of the world. It's perhaps no surprise, then, that The Sinking City 2—which just got a world premiere in the latest Xbox Partner Preview broadcast—has undergone its own unexpected change. Where the first game was a detective adventure, with horror bubbling up from its flooded world, its sequel has taken on a darker, more aggressive form. The Sinking City 2 is a true horror game now, with more emphasis on combat, while keeping a Lovecraftian narrative close to its twisted heart.

"The Sinking City is one of our most successful titles, because of our stronger horror genre leanings and the setting," Frogwares Head of Publishing, Sergey Oganesyan tells me. "For us, it was kind of a breakthrough, and we are super excited to work on a full-scale horror game. We have created quite a few detective adventures in the past, so now we're going to mix things up to keep doing what people love from us - meaning story-rich experiences - while still being able to evolve."

Absolutely Games and Team 17 Digital have launched WWII-based strategy epic Classified: France '44 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. An original take on the turn-based tactics genre, Classified: France '44 authentically captures the challenges of World War II firefights, shining a light on a lesser known story. Take charge of the Jedburghs: a group of special forces dropped deep in the heart of Nazi-occupied France, working with the Resistance to disrupt and sabotage enemy forces in the lead up to D-Day.

Surrounded on all sides and deep behind enemy lines, you'll need to make every shot count! Classified: France '44 is a World War Two turn-based strategy game that puts you in the shoes of the French Resistance in the run-up D-Day. Build your team of resistance fighters and take the fight to the German war machine through stealth, ambush and assault tactics! Classified: France '44 is a turn-based, tactical espionage and combat game. Lead an elite team of soldiers and resistance fighters to victory against the German occupation forces.

Every choice we made when developing Outcast - A New Beginning had, at its core, one motivation: freedom. It was important to us not to limit where players could go at any point; instead, we gave them the tools to navigate the detailed open world we've spent the last few years crafting. We're incredibly proud of Outcast's world and want players to share its richness with us. As players set out across Adelpha, we want to reward them for their curiosity and sense of adventure. Whether it's blitzing through an invader base and unlocking a new weapon module, zipping through gliding challenges to earn jetpack upgrades, or simply taking in the sights, we've strived to make every second spent on the planet of Adelpha feel meaningful to players.

Traveling in style
Knowing that players would be spending a lot of time in Cutter Slade's boots, it was important to us that it felt fun to maneuver him through the world. Open-world games often ask players to cross great distances, and it's our job as developers to ensure that you always feel invigorated by navigating the wilds of Adelpha. When designing how Cutter moved through the world, we didn't want to gatekeep fun traversal abilities for later in the game. From early in Outcast - A New Beginning, you can take advantage of Adelpha's teetering precipices and deep valleys with your gliding suit, swooping across the alien landscape.

Prepare for your grand adventure, Arisen! Create your characters for Dragon's Dogma 2 in this free tool, available now! Customize the looks of your main character, the Arisen, and the looks and inclination of your companion, your Main Pawn. The character data created in this tool can be transferred to the base game of Dragon's Dogma 2. In this tool you can store up to 5 characters of each, the Arisen and your Main Pawn respectively. PC gamers can download the Dragon's Dogma 2 Character Creator & Storage tool via Steam.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is a single player, narrative driven action-RPG that challenges the players to choose their own experience - from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more - in a truly immersive fantasy world. You can pre-order the Standard Edition or the Digital Deluxe Edition of Dragon's Dogma 2 via the game's official site. Dragon's Dogma 2 will release worldwide on March 22.

Helldivers, get the Cutting Edge advantage on the battlefield! Greetings, fearless heroes of galactic democracy! Steel yourself for the next big push against the disgraceful enemies of freedom with our brand-new Warbond—Cutting Edge! Packed with high-voltage vibes, Cutting Edge gives you the chance to enhance your loadout of liberty with ultra-futuristic armour, guns that spit lightning, super stylish capes and epic emotes.

Super Earth R&D Experiments
Helldivers… we need your help. The brainiacs in Super Earth Research & Development have some cool experimental armour ready to be field-tested. This is where you come in, you're just the right people for the job.

Valiant Hearts: Coming Home and Valiant Hearts: The Collection, which includes Valiant Hearts: The Great War and Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, is now available on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC through Ubisoft Connect. Valiant Hearts: The Great War, the first installment of the duology, interweaves the stories of five characters as they experience the horrors of World War I. Karl, who was expelled from France and drafted to the German army; his father-in-law Emile, who has been drafted into the French army; Freddie, an American volunteer in the French Foreign Legion; Anna, a French combat nurse; and Walt, a medic's casualty dog - who also helps players sneak into areas inaccessible to humans.

Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, previously an exclusive Netflix mobile game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier in partnership with Old Skull Games, continues a dramatic narrative during World War I, once again focusing on four interconnected stories. James is a member of the historic Harlem Hellfighters looking for his older brother Freddie; the nurse Anna's returns to her work tending the wounded; Ernst is a German diver; and George is a British aviator. And, of course, the good dog Walt returns to help players with puzzles and exploration. Music plays an important role in the game as well, as the Harlem Hellfighters played a key role in introducing jazz music to Europe, and players can listen to the game's jazz soundtrack by Jason Moran on music streaming platforms.

Embark on a thrilling scientific adventure today with Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, the latest creation from Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive, the renowned studio behind MudRunner and SnowRunner. The game is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC! In a fierce and beautiful wilderness, become the essential hero for scientific breakthroughs. Utilize your tools and high-tech gadgets to navigate muddy terrain, plan your itinerary, or uncover valuable equipment caches hidden in rocky cliffs or wooded mountains. Confront the steepest slopes and treacherous terrain with the help of specialist abilities, making each adventure an epic expedition.

Prepare for a year-long journey with 4 seasons of diverse content, featuring new missions, vehicles, never-before-seen gadgets, and surprises, including a free-for-all multiplayer update coming later this year. Year 1 Pass is included in Year 1 Edition and Supreme Edition. Prepare for a year-long journey with 4 seasons of diverse content, featuring new missions, vehicles, never-before-seen gadgets, and surprises, including a free-for-all multiplayer update coming later this year. Year 1 Pass is included in Year 1 Edition and Supreme Edition. Discovery awaits!

Creatures of Ava was announced during Xbox Partner Preview, and we're excited to confirm that it is arriving on Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2024. That's why we at Inverge Studios wanted to use this opportunity to tell you more about the beautiful world of Ava. Creatures of Ava is a Creature Saver game in which you will have to help creatures escape from an infection that is rapidly growing on the planet Ava, threatening to wipe out all living beings. Your goal is not to collect the creatures for your amusement nor hurt them—your goal is to save them.

One of our overarching goals when developing the game was to make it non-violent while remaining really fun to play. From the outset, we've been captivated by the notion of saving creatures from a distant planet, not for any utilitarian purpose, but simply because they're sentient beings deserving of compassion. With that vision in our mind creating a non-violent game was essential. However, this initially proved to be one of our biggest challenges, until we settled on the flute as one of the key mechanics in the game—that really helped us realize our goal. Let me explain….

We recently released a patch containing our first round of balance changes to Helldivers 2 and our Head of Product Testing has some valuable insight into our philosophies and practices when it comes to balancing. Hello everyone! My name is Patrik Lasota, I was the designer on the first Helldivers and am currently Head of Product Testing at Arrowhead. A bit of a grandiose title, but what it means in this context is that I'm responsible for how Arrowhead listens to feedback and balances its games. I'd like to talk about the changes we made in this patch and why.

Primary weapons
First I'd like to speak to the general power of primary weapons. Many have commented that they aren't powerful enough and are unable to deal with all the enemies either by the amount of ammunition required or their raw DPS. This is very much intentional, you need to rely on your Stratagems, and the Stratagems of your team to deal with all the enemies effectively. Either by Eagle Airstrikes, Orbitals, Support Weapons, or Turrets, some of your loadout/team should be tailoring their loadout to killing the weaker stuff more efficiently. This doesn't mean that your primary weapon shouldn't feel good to use, but please understand that it is primary only in the sense that it's something you always spawn with.