In this Introduction to Worldbuilding video, we explore the narrative behind Still Wakes the Deep and the research driving development. Lead Environment Artist Iain Gillespie, Associate Art Director Laura Dodds, and Lead Designer Rob McLachlan offer a behind-the-scenes look into our next title. We discuss how the environment will evolve over time as well as the key inspirations behind the game's horror.

The period, the geographical location of the rig - these all play a crucial role in this narrative-driven horror story. Fans will discover how the team developed a fascination for cranes and scoured British Petroleum's documentary archives when striving for an authentic representation of a Scottish oil rig in the 1970s. We hope you enjoy it, and feel free to leave a comment with what you'd like to hear about next in a similar format...🌊

Today, Focus Entertainment and its studio Deck13 shared a gameplay presentation for their upcoming game Atlas Fallen, the epic fantasy action-RPG where you battle legendary creatures in superpowered combat. Prepare to glide torrid sands this summer, with the game getting released on August 10 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Pre-order it on any of those platforms and get to know the dev team and their creative journey in the new trailer showing what's "Behind the Sand."

An epic adventure is born
With Atlas Fallen, Deck13 takes its passion for thrilling action-RPG experiences to a new territory. Following their sci-fi series, The Surge, the team embraces a fresh vision for a unique medieval fantasy world and a faster-paced-oriented combat. The video gathers the words of several developers and creatives, as well as gorgeous concept art and footage of the game, telling the fun, exciting, and inspiring adventure that led to Atlas Fallen. Over the years, the innovative people at Deck13, a small but talented dev team based in Frankfurt, Germany, have consistently sought to enhance the RPG experiences they offer, exploring new ideas, all within their on-house engine, Fledge.

When Assassin's Creed Mirage launches on October 12, it will continue the series' tradition of bringing players closer to history with History of Baghdad, a feature that adds historical context to the game's simulation of the past. Part of an in-game Codex that also includes tutorials and a Database with lore, History of Baghdad will deliver expertly curated information on the history, art, and culture of Baghdad and the Abbasid Caliphate circa the ninth century, accompanied by images provided by museum partners.

In keeping with Assassin's Creed Mirage being a tribute to early Assassin's Creed games, History of Baghdad will be integrated into the main game, similarly to the Database of earlier games, and is tied to player progression, with an in-game reward for Basim once completed. As Basim visits 66 historical sites throughout Baghdad, players will unlock research-driven articles that dig into information across five topics: Economy; Belief & Daily Life; Government; Art & Science; and Court Life.

Since the end of The Callisto Protocol's main game, things have gone from bad to worse inside the penitentiary. The virus that's been wreaking havoc inside is threatening to escape the prison and it's up to you to retrieve Mahler's data and transmit it off-world. It's not going to be a walk in the park. You're going to have to fight tooth and nail to make your way through monster-infested corridors, where new abominations await.

When it comes to battling Biophage, players need reliable tools to survive. The Stun Baton is a great blunt instrument, but new threats call for new gear. According to Lead Systems Designer, Paul Guirao, the team behind The Callisto Protocol listened to fan feedback and decided to add a new melee weapon to the game. "We wanted to give players something more powerful than the Stun Baton," Guirao explained.

In the upcoming Alone in the Dark, players can choose between two protagonists to experience the haunting story: Emily Hartwood and Edward Carnby. To bring these two iconic characters to life, the developers partnered up with famous actors Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, Free Guy) and David Harbour (Stranger Things, Black Widow), who will lend their voices, their appearance, and their formidable acting skills to the protagonists. Depending on who you play, you will get a different take on the same story. You can see both of them in action in the new spotlight video, showcasing a ton of gameplay.

We hope you are not trembling with fear now, because we have more shocking news to share: Alone in the Dark is launching on October 25th, 2023 on PC, Xbox Series S/X, and PlayStation 5, and will be available at an SRP of €59.99 / $59.99 / £49.99. The digital pre-order kicks off today.

Nintendo famously announced last March that its much anticipated sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was getting delayed to May 2023. The Japanese developer offered a profuse apology - fans were expecting Tears of the Kingdom to arrive at some point in 2022, but the EPD Production Group (No. 3) ultimately required some extra months to finalize their intended vision. The game's producer, Eiji Aonuma, was tasked with delivering the bad news back then - he has now admitted that his blockbuster open world adventure was essentially feature complete at the time. In an expansive interview conducted by the Washington Post this week, Aonuma-san says that the launch was postponed in order "to make sure that everything in the game was 100 percent to our standards."

The discussion turns to the game's very involved (possibly Havok-derived) physics engine - said to be more complex than examples running within the most expensive AAA titles on higher-powered console platforms (PlayStation 5 is cited as an example). Aonuma indicates that his team worked hard on the object manipulation system, and he hopes that it inspires players to become more creative with problem solving outside of Nintendo's environment: "I would really be happy if our game encourages imaginative thinking in people, and that they could carry that into their real lives."