Hi everyone, I'm Julius Fondem, Community Manager here at Remedy Entertainment. Today I'm very excited, jazzed even, to talk to you about a brand-new feature in our upcoming game FBC: Firebreak—Altered Augments. If you're not familiar with FBC: Firebreak, it's a cooperative first-person shooter for three players set within a mysterious federal agency under assault by extradimensional forces, in the iconic Control universe. Battle through hordes of otherworldly monsters with up to two friends, customize your gear and level up as you fight back against this ever-growing threat.

This being our first multiplayer, we're very excited to bring it to you, the community, and to that end, we've designed FBC: Firebreak to be as easy as possible to get into. This is a game best played together with your friends, having a great time laughing while chaotic and wacky things happen! This isn't a new hobby that you need to log onto every day for rewards. None of that FOMO stuff here. Just get together with your friends over the weekend for a good time.

Bandai Namco Entertainment today announced the launch of BLEACH Rebirth of Souls, a new action game where players fight in iconic battles based on the legendary anime franchise and experience an original story created by Tite Kubo. The title is available now in Standard, Digital Deluxe, and Digital Ultimate Editions on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

In BLEACH Rebirth of Souls, players can engage in thrilling battles and experience their favorite characters as they relive the main story of BLEACH and immerse in the anime universe via multiple exciting game modes. The game's Story Mode features an epic journey spanning from Ichigo's rise as a Soul Reaper in the Substitute Soul Reaper Arc to the climactic battle against Sosuke Aizen in the Arrancar Arc. In Free Match, players can test their pride and skills in intense battles against other players worldwide. Versus mode enables local multiplayer battles with friends or offline CPU. Players can also unlock deeper insights into the characters of BLEACH with Secret Story Mode, revealing the moments that shaped their personalities.

Hunters! Join us on Tuesday March 25th at 7:00AM PDT / 14:00 GMT for a Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase stream, presented by Monster Hunter Wilds producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto! The stream will be approximately 15 minutes with news on the next free title update that we're looking forward to sharing with you! Please note that actual stream time is subject to change.

The unbridled force of nature runs wild and relentless, with environments transforming drastically from one moment to the next. This is a story of monsters and humans and their struggles to live in harmony in a world of duality. Fulfill your duty as a Hunter by tracking and defeating powerful monsters and forging strong new weapons and armor from the materials you harvest from your hunt as you uncover the connection between the people of the Forbidden Lands and the locales they inhabit. The ultimate hunting experience awaits you in Monster Hunter Wilds.

My name is Patrick, and I am the Art Director for Zockrates Laboratories, the indie studio currently developing Ruffy and the Riverside. Together with our publisher, Phiphen Games, we are proud to announce that Ruffy and the Riverside will be released on PlayStation 5 on June 26, 2025. We are happy to contribute to Playstation's tradition of representing innovative and unique gameplay.

A platformer adventure with unique gameplay
Ruffy and the Riverside is a platformer adventure with truly unique gameplay. When Ruffy isn't jumping, running, skating, or gliding, he is using his unique Swap ability. With the Swap, you can copy and paste textures to change the game world, solve puzzles, beat enemies, and eventually save the world. Just grab a texture and throw it somewhere else, and the world will change! It is as easy as it sounds and has huge impacts: Transform water into ice to cross an ocean. Throw a climbing vine onto a waterfall, and you can climb up. With the Swap, you can exchange materials, symbols, the sun for the moon, and all colors. If you color birds the same color, they might end up as a couple. Apples are more yummy when they are red, and some bushes will drop coins if they have a golden look. Of course, the Swap can help in combat, too. Why not freeze an enemy or catch him in flight by turning him into stone? The elements are on your side if you swap them wisely. Use your imagination and make it happen. It really feels magic to swap things.

At Xbox, our mission is clear: bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. We believe that gamers should be able to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want. Central to this vision is empowering game creators to deliver exceptional content across all platforms seamlessly. Our goal is simple: to make every screen in the world an Xbox.

Since the original Xbox debuted as the first game console equipped with a built-in hard drive, this kernel of innovation has been at the core of our identity. With Xbox Live, we reshaped multiplayer gaming, establishing an industry standard for online connectivity, community building, and digital distribution. Furthering our commitment to accessibility and choice, Xbox Game Pass introduced a subscription model that redefined how players discover and engage with games, creating new opportunities for developers to connect with audiences worldwide. Since our earliest explorations in the console space, we're proud to have led the way in ensuring that hardware and services can best meet the changing needs of the gaming audience.

What if the world ended in the 1980s? The answer remains a mystery, but Bloober Team is offering a sneak peek of the first episode of the Cronos: The New Dawn dev diary. Premiering during the Future Game Show at the 2025 Game Developers Conference, this electrifying behind-the-scenes video takes you through the making of Bloober Team's all-new survival horror experience. Get ready to uncover some of the secrets lurking within this post-apocalyptic vision of 1980s Poland. In October 2024, Bloober Team, the masterminds behind Layers of Fear, The Medium, Observer, and the SILENT HILL 2 remake, unveiled their newest horror IP, Cronos: The New Dawn. This high-stakes survival horror adventure immerses players in a deadly struggle against overwhelming and relentless foes, all while unraveling the mysteries of a twisted and fractured time travel narrative.

The game's enigmatic premise has sparked intense curiosity, and now, developers and co-directors Wojciech Piejko and Jacek Zięba have addressed some of the most pressing questions from the community. This exciting video takes a deeper dive into the world of Cronos, revealing more about the game's determined protagonist, the hauntingly desolate future landscape, and the terrifying monsters players will encounter. What's exciting for players is that the Dev Diary offers an exclusive first look at new gameplay clips showcasing the mechanics that will define the player experience in the upcoming game.

Developers at Nightdive Studios will be the first to tell you no two projects are alike. Nowhere is this more true than the soon-to-be-released remaster of System Shock 2. Announced six years ago as System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition, Nightdive reannounced the project under a new name—System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster. This name change offered eagle-eyed fans a clue as to the remaster's release window, which is only accurate preceding August 11 when System Shock 2 celebrates its 26th birthday. Sure enough, during today's MIX Spring Showcase, Nightdive shared the exciting news that System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster will release on June 26. As exciting as it's been for System Shock fans to hear they'll soon be able to play Nightdive's long-awaited System Shock 2 remaster, one key question remains: why did it take six years?

Good things take time
Nightdive has been chipping away at its remaster of System Shock 2 in the years following its announcement, working on it in conjunction with other projects. While many of these harbored their fair share of challenges, System Shock 2 was unique in regards to the number and type of complexities the team encountered. One of the biggest according to Nightdive developer Alex Lima was a lack of access to the game's complete source code. To piece everything together, "extensive reverse engineering" was required. "The codebase is a complex amalgamation of various legacy libraries developed by Looking Glass, along with some more recent contributions from both Irrational Games and Looking Glass," Lima explains. "There's virtually no consistent coding standard. As a result, we had to depend extensively on debugging and breakpoints to understand its functionality."

With GDC kicking off, our team is in San Francisco to celebrate with independent developers who continue to inspire us every day with their ambition, creativity, and passion. In the past year alone, ID@Xbox has seen over 1,000 games launch, including fan favorites like Balatro, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and Phasmophobia, bringing new experiences to console and PC communities. Since ID@Xbox was launched in 2013, more than $5 billion have been paid to independent developers from all over the world. We're also proud to offer developers the ability to use our platform to maximize the opportunity to reach an audience across multiple screens.

As announced last week, over 1,000 titles are now supporting Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA). When players purchase an XPA game, they can play on Xbox and Windows 10/11 PCs at no additional cost, bringing their saves, progress and achievements across devices. This means players can access their favorite games in more places which has led to these titles getting 20% more play time. Today, Xbox offers more places than ever to play independent games: Xbox consoles, gaming PCs, and laptops, Windows handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally X or Legion Go, mobile phones, tablets, Samsung and Amazon FireSticks enabled by the Cloud - all of these are an Xbox, and all a potential home for your next favorite ID@Xbox title like Another Crab's Treasure, Neva, and Animal Well.

Ken Kutaragi—the former chairman and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE)—met with retro PlayStation enthusiasts earlier this month. Almost three weeks later, news outlets have just familiarized themselves with Julian Domanski's happy (March 1) social media post. The Tokyo-based professional videographer/photographer spent some time with the "The Father of the PlayStation," as well as an extremely rare piece of console gaming history: "I never thought I'd see something so rare, but today I actually got to fondle a Nintendo PlayStation! The last one in existence was believed to have sold at auction for $300,000. Turns out the ex-CEO of Sony CEI has one in his closet. Ken Kutaragi, top bloke. Signed my PS1 too!" Back in the late 1980s, Sony and Nintendo started work on a CD-ROM version of the 16-bit Super Famicom (international SKU: SNES). Sony unveiled a prototype "Play Station" at the 1991 Consumer Electronics Show; apparently Nintendo's internal reference name was simply "SNES-CD."

Famously—a day later—the House of Mario broke away from this partnership and ended up working with Philips; resulting in the extremely underwhelming CD-i home entertainment system. Kutaragi and colleagues formed Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) in late 1993, and proceeded with the development of their first-gen proprietary 32-bit RISC-based console design. Ultimately, the PlayStation would far surpass Nintendo's N64 (expensive cartridge format) gaming platform in terms of sales by the late nineties. Since then, hardcore collectors have spent countless hours tracking down Nintendo PlayStation prototypes. Rumors had spread about only two-hundred units being produced back in the day. Domanski's mentioning of a $300K+ winning bid harkens back to another former SCEI executive; Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson. As reported by VGC, the other example: "was once owned by the first CEO of Sony's games division." This BBC article does a good job of describing a bizarre chain of events; ending with Ólafsson's prototype being sold for $360,000, including a $60,000 buyer's premium fee. Kutaragi's variant seems to be in much better condition, and sports slightly different external markings—most notably; a strong blue PlayStation logo.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is out now on Steam, inviting you on a journey with the stealthy shinobi Naoe and powerful samurai Yasuke as they explore Feudal Japan and discover a shared destiny. As you recruit allies, expand your Hideout, and use your network to gather knowledge about the world, Steam offers a number of additional ways to enjoy the game—let's take a look at what you need to know about playing Assassin's Creed Shadows on Steam.

Achievements
There are many Steam achievements available for Assassin's Creed Shadows and all of them can be earned in a single playthrough, regardless of story choices or difficulty level. They are earned not only by playing through the main story, but also by exploring the world, completing different activities, upgrading the Hideout, meeting allies, and more. Check the full list here.

As expected, Nintendo has kept quiet about the upcoming Switch 2 hybrid console's feature set and internal makeup. The next-gen portable gaming system's debut presentation served as a mostly surface-level teaser. News outlets have relied heavily on leaks for "insider" reportage, going back to the early 2020s—starting off with kopite7kimi's discovery of a mysterious NVIDIA "T239" chipset. As reported last week, Famiboards—a Nintendo-centric online forum—has served as a somewhat reliable source of inside track information. Earlier in the year, one member started to share NDA-busting details about Switch 2's display technology: "I've heard that the screen supports 120 Hz and VRR, which should help a lot in handheld." Weeks later, SecretBoy elaborated on the benefits of this setup: "developers can optimize the handheld profiles of their games with VRR and 40 FPS in mind."

The GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit views SecretBoy's leaks as being fairly accurate/legitimate: "(they) called out the GPU performance before the clock speeds were leaked; 10 days later back in January (3 TFLOPS docked, 1.4/1.5 TFLOPS handheld)." Earlier today, the tipster's latest musings were compiled into a Reddit summary—another set of quotes reads as follows (in condensed form): "I will reiterate that the screen is 120 Hz with HDR and VRR support. That's what I'm personally most excited for...No idea about the actual quality of the screen, but I think OLED was always going to be too expensive for this feature set, which they needed to get into the first iteration of the hardware so that developers could optimize their games around it (speculation)." Screen technology connoisseurs have expressed much disappointment about Nintendo's alleged selection of an "inferior" panel—many will point out that Valve was inspired by the Switch OLED model (2021); their Steam Deck handheld was famously upgraded/refreshed in 2023 with a fancier screen. Invited guests will get to experience Switch 2's "hugely revelatory" LCD tech at various Nintendo-hosted international preview events in April.

We're just a few weeks away from The Last of Us Part II Remastered arriving on PC on April 3, and we here at Naughty Dog wanted to make sure players were prepared for the journey ahead. Whether it's your first time experiencing Ellie and Abby's acclaimed stories, or you've previously played and are excited to jump in via a new format, we have plenty of quality-of-life features and even new content in store.

PC features detailed
The PC version of The Last of Us Part II Remastered brings with it all the improvements and new features added in the PlayStation 5 version released in 2024, such as the roguelike survival mode No Return, Guitar Free Play, and hours of developer commentary. And in partnership with our friends at Nixxes Software and Iron Galaxy, Part II Remastered has been brought to PC with plenty of PC-centric quality-of-life features that further bring the snow-covered mountains of Jackson, Wyoming, and the rainswept streets of Seattle, Washington to beautiful life.

Pick up MySims: Cozy Bundle and rediscover the charm of two classic MySims games. Use your imagination to rebuild a town in MySims and help a cute magical land become an even better place in MySims Kingdom. There are stories to uncover, locations to explore, and lots of characters with big personalities to have fun with. Meet funny, friendly characters filled with personality! Some will be with you the whole time, and others you'll meet as you play and explore. Help them, give them gifts, and become friends (or even BEST friends!) as they inspire you to get even more creative. You're not only building houses, you're building communities of memorable, adorable townies!

Sul Sul, MySimmers! MySims is now available on Steam! We have loved bringing this game to you on Switch, so we're excited that PC gamers now get to enjoy the same levels of cozy customization. But we aren't done *just* yet. We have also been working hard on a couple new additions that will be coming to PC soon…. Stay tuned for more updates…

When Lunar debuted in North America in 1993, it was a standout in the emerging Western market for Japanese RPGs. Lunar featured detailed, animated cinematic cutscenes, plenty of voice acting, high-quality music, and-most importantly-an endearing story packed with engaging and memorable characters. While it wasn't the first CD-ROM-based JRPG to hit the market, it was one that left a powerful impact on everyone who played it. A sequel, two PlayStation remakes, a PSP outing and more further broadened the audience for Lunar. More than 30 years after the series' debut, Lunar and Lunar 2 are coming back to the realm of PlayStation with the Lunar Remastered Collection. To give some insight into what makes the Lunar games special—and to stir fond memories among longtime fans—we talked to Matthias Pergams, producer over at GungHo Online Entertainment America.

Silver Standard
"LUNAR was one of the first JRPGs on the CD-ROM format, with animated cutscenes, in-game voice acting, and even an opening theme song," Pergams explains. "The series gained a dedicated following both within and outside Japan, paving the way for the genre as a whole. It's a work that has a unique historical significance." The original Lunar has been remade and re-released a few times for various platforms (along with Lunar 2, to a lesser degree), so we were curious as to why the PlayStation 'Complete' versions of the two games were chosen as the base for the remasters. "Each version is different and possesses unique merits, so we actually struggled quite a bit with this question. Ultimately, the choice came down to which version we felt represented the series best. For us, it was the PlayStation version."

Hello everyone, we shared with you—earlier this month—that we wanted to tell you more about the status of our team and our future; so what better opportunity to do so as a celebration of Metro's 15th anniversary. In honor of the incredible 15 years of Metro, we've created a video to celebrate our journey throughout the tunnels of the metro system, made possible by our devoted community—always supporting us along the way. This is our thanks to you, the players.

Metro turns 15
The legacy and success of Metro over the past decade and a half is something we at 4A Games are incredibly proud of. It actually started 20 years ago when 4A Games was founded, and inspired by Dmitry Glukhovsky's then online novel, we began to work on our inaugural title of the same name, Metro 2033. Our partnership has continued, and he is working with us on our next Metro title, but more on that later. Many of the development team here at 4A Games have seen Metro evolve over the past 15 years. It is amazing to see the advancement from the pages of a novel, into a fully-realized game, through ever-improving sequels, and now into a global franchise with millions of players. We have loved being able to grow and foster an incredible community which has gone from strength to strength along with us. What we are achieving now was a far distant dream all those many years ago, and we are lucky to have so many dedicated, talented developers who are as passionate about the series as you, the players.

Accessibility is a fundamental right for people with disabilities and makes technology easier for everyone. We see this reflected in how customers are using Microsoft technologies around the world. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is unlocking workplace productivity like never before, more than 10 million people use Edge each month to have the web Read Aloud, over 1 million people use Immersive Reader to make webpages easier to read and partners like Tobii Dynavox and Special Olympics are bringing AI to people with disabilities globally. And these are just some of the highlights of what we shared today! Here's a quick summary of the new accessibility products, features and programs announced at the 2025 Ability Summit.

What's new in 2025?
We announced that the Xbox Adaptive Joystick is now available for purchase exclusively at Microsoft Store. With more than 429 million players with disabilities worldwide, we know each player has unique needs and preferences for how they choose to play. The Xbox Adaptive Joystick is a singular, wired controller primarily designed to meet the needs of players with limited mobility. Its versatility helps players seamlessly incorporate it into their existing gaming setups. Built with the Gaming and Disability community who inform the development of Xbox products from the beginning. The joystick joins our family of adaptive accessories including the mouse, pen, adaptive kit and Xbox Adaptive Controller. For more details visit Xbox Support.

Analogue's modern reimagining of Nintendo's N64 home console has hit another pre-release obstacle. Their Analogue 3D model was first revealed in 2023, with a projected 2024 launch on the cards. The system has experienced a series of setbacks—prior to the latest official announcement, customers were expecting to receive finalized hardware by now (first quarter of 2025). Once again, the company has revised release timeframes for its $249.99 FPGA-powered console—according to an official "3D Preorder FAQ": "Analogue 3D was originally available for pre-order at the end of 2024, (and) scheduled to ship Q1 2025. Shipping is delayed (as of March 18th, 2025) and is now shipping by July 2025. We are working hard to get your 3D order in hands ASAP, and appreciate your patience. If you have an open pre-order no action is needed. As always, if you'd like to cancel your pre-order at any time, Analogue has always had a no questions asked, 100% refund policy for pre-orders."

Analogue's promotional materials showcase a very slick-looking premium reinterpretation (in black or white) of the classic N64 system. The R&D team spent: "nearly four years engineering it in FPGA. No more incompatibilities found in software emulation like input lag, graphic/audio inaccuracies, timing/frame rate issues and more. For the first time, you can re-experience the N64 exactly as it was meant to be, without compromise." According to product pages, a controller is not bundled in with the Analogue 3D package. Authentic front panel connectors indicate customers having to reuse original "trident-shaped" N64 (NUS-005) controllers, or third-party equivalents. Certain promo shots show off 8BitDo's recently introduced 64 Bluetooth Controller. Given Analogue's revised schedule, this wireless gamepad is expected to arrive weeks ahead of its natural partner piece.

Remastered, remade, remixed, this is the definitive version of Yooka-Laylee! With shiny, new 4K graphics and visual effects, a brand-new control scheme, entirely new moves and the ability to swiftly chain moves together, it's a quicker, slicker platforming experience. Yooka-Replaylee builds on our nearing 10 years of growth and experience since making Yooka-Laylee, as well as taking on board a whole bunch of community feedback over the years. It's jam-packed with brand new content that we think platforming fans new and old will love! Each world in Yooka-Replaylee has been expanded by default, no longer requiring players to do that themselves, giving us the opportunity to fill each world with new challenges, new collectibles, and new THINGS added to every corner!

Quills!
Quills have new purpose in Yooka-Replaylee! Now, each world has its own Quill colour, and with all of Yooka & Laylee's abilities now unlocked from the start, Trowzer has had to up his game and provide some new goodies! Quills can be traded to Trowzer for things like level exclusive cosmetic items and health/energy upgrades!

The wait is nearly over! We're thrilled to announce that the highly anticipated remaster of Croc Legend of the Gobbos is launching April 2, 2025! Wishlists are open for PC on GOG.com—with Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox digital storefronts following soon. Croc's back and he's still got the moves! Croc Legend of the Gobbos is the heartwarming journey of an endearing, humble little crocodile equipped with only his iconic backpack and a wiggly butt as he platforms his way across a series of unique worlds by running, jumping, climbing, swimming and tail spinning on his quest to rescue his adopted family of Gobbos from the grasp of the evil sorcerer Baron Dante and his impish Dantini hordes.

With its broad appeal and groundbreaking creativity, the original game quickly became a multi-million selling platforming classic, and while the Croc Legend of the Gobbos remaster delivers an authentic gameplay experience that transports players back to the golden age of gaming, it also introduces a roster of modern updates including enhanced HD graphics, modern control mechanics with an updated camera, and retro video modes to recreate the gaming experience that charmed us in the 1990s.

Back in January 2022, Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm Games announced a new "Star Wars strategy game." Press material revealed a production collaboration between Respawn Entertainment and Bit Reactor. The latter party was described as a: "newly formed studio, helmed by games industry veteran Greg Foerstch (ex-Firaxis Games). Respawn will produce the new Star Wars strategy game while Bit Reactor leads on the development of the title." EA's PR piece did not go into major detail, given the very early nature of the generically monikered strategy project. In the interim, Bit Reactor has spent just over three years of production time on their mystery title. Last Friday, the official Star Wars website published a schedule for next month's Celebration LIVE! Japan event.

Eagle-eyed journos and fans soon noticed an intriguing entry, titled: "Bit Reactor Developer Panel featuring Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games." The April 19 early Saturday evening slot—4:30PM to 5:30PM, Live on the Galaxy Stage—will be dedicated to a "first look at a new Star Wars turn-based tactics game." According to reports from last summer, Greg Foerstch and fourteen other former Firaxis team members are involved in the making of the EA/Lucasfilm's unnamed Star Wars turn-based IP. Interestingly, a Bit Reactor 2024 blog post goes to great lengths in explaining that there is more to their internal makeup than being mere "XCOM" veterans. The scope of Respawn Entertainment's involvement is not clear, but Vince Zampella's studio is primarily working on an untitled Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sequel. Earlier on in March, an ex-employee leak indicated the unfortunate cancelation of an unannounced first-person shooter game. Industry watchdogs believe that the now dissolved Respawn "new game incubation team" was tasked with the creation of a Titanfall multiplayer prototype.

Assassin's Creed Shadows, launching on March 20, will continue the series' tradition of bringing players closer to history with a section of its database titled "Cultural Discovery." As part of the in-game Codex, this feature offers players carefully selected encyclopedic entries on the history, art, and culture of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. This cultural encyclopedia was written by historians and includes images from museums and institutions. Similar to the History of Baghdad feature in Assassin's Creed Mirage, Cultural Discovery will be integrated into the main game of Assassin's Creed Shadows, and is tied to player progression. Cultural Discovery contains almost two times as many entries as the History of Baghdad, with more than 125 entries at launch, and more to come.

As players visit sites that provide a historical and cultural exploration of 16th-century Japan, they will unlock articles on the economy, castles, military affairs, daily life, historical figures, and events. One notable cultural codex entry, shown above, features an exclusive replica of a Kabuto, or Japanese war helmet, that symbolizes the first contact between Japan and Spain. The original Kabuto is part of one of the oldest collections of Japanese armor in Europe, and is kept at the Royal Armory in Madrid. This Kabuto had been almost entirely damaged during the fire suffered by the Royal Armory on July 10, 1884. Ubisoft, Patrimonio Nacional, and Spanish company Factum Arte joined forces to recover what was left of this Feudal Japan relic, create a faithful physical reconstruction of it, and make it accessible to people around the world through its inclusion in Assassin's Creed Shadows. The physical replica from Factum Arte will become part of the Royal Armory of Madrid's collection.

Jason Blundell—a veteran producer (at Treyarch) of many entries in the highly popular Call of Duty (CoD) franchise—has confirmed the founding of a new video game development studio: Dark Outlaw Games. This fledgling outfit started operations under the umbrella of Sony Interactive Studios (SIE). In an interview conducted by Jeff Gerstmann—a well-liked video game journalist—Blundell disclosed a very fortunate (early days) situation: "it's such a privilege to be able to do it with Sony as a new first-party studio...Sony doesn't set up first-party studios all the time. To have that privilege is humbling, it's really nice. I'm really excited." Industry whispers previously pointed to the "circa late 2023/early 2024" formation of an unnamed first-person shooter specialist team at PlayStation Studios, comprised of Jason Blundell and other ex-members of Deviation Games. This older organization started off back in 2020, under Blundell and Dave Anthony's direction—by June 2021, SIE announced an exciting partnership with Deviation Games. This "second-party" collaboration pointed to a new intellectual property destined for launch on Sony's market leading PlayStation 5 home console.

In 2022, Blundell left Deviation under mysterious circumstances. The Los Angeles, California-based studio would eventually limp to a disappointing end in 2024; with no finalized product released. The eventual founding of Dark Outlaw Games is a point of curiosity, given Sony Corporation's widespread gutting of staff headcounts across first-party studios in early 2024. As revealed to Gerstmann during their bonus podcast episode appearance, the seasoned CoD vet outlined current project conditions: "staffing up (and) keeping it kind of 'low key' as the team develops its game...We're getting the team to jell, getting the ideas clicking—I'm a programmer at heart, so let's test those assumptions: Is it working? You're trying to escape velocity." The growing Dark Outlaw team has busied itself with an unannounced project. Blundell described a secretive approach—rushing in with a premature unveiling would not be appropriate at this point in time. He elaborated: "(Dark Outlaw Games) has worked away in the shadows for a while, and when we've got something to talk about, we'll step out into the light...But, you know the story for me is about the game, not about the studio...so the reason why we're not doing a fanfare or shout about it from the rooftops is like, let's get something, right?"

Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive are excited to share a Reaction Trailer for their upcoming game RoadCraft, celebrating its demo's success during Steam Next Fest and allowing everyone to witness all kinds of memorable moments filled with truckloads of fun. The next-gen heavy-machinery simulation and sandbox game where players reshape the Aftermath is coming May 20 to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The demo is still live for a few days!
In one week, over 350,000 players tried out the RoadCraft demo. With almost 12,000 simultaneous active users, it ranks 3rd most played demo during the Steam Next Fest. Having been greeted so warmly, the demo has won an extended lifetime following its Steam Next Fest participation, giving everyone the opportunity to get in on the fun… or go back to it until March 20, 6 pm CET!

We're back with more day one games for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, more games for Game Pass Standard, and more games for Game Pass Core! There is a little bit of everything, including co-op battles, classic console games, survival action and more. Let's get to the games!

Available Today: 33 Immortals (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one! 33 Immortals is a co-op action-roguelike for 33 players. Play as a damned soul, and rebel against God's final judgment. Dive straight into epic, 33-player co-op battles with instant "pick-up and raid" matchmaking. Cooperate with your allies to survive against hordes of monsters and massive, challenging bosses. Expand your arsenal and equip powerful new relics to permanently upgrade your soul.

Bleach Rebirth of Souls is an upcoming fighting action game based on the legendary anime franchise, delivering an immersive Bleach experience. Engage in thrilling one-on-one sword combat with your favorite characters and unlock powerful forms to overturn the tide of battle - the more desperate the situation, the more powerful you become! Of course, a Bleach game would be nothing without protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki—and we have some news on the classic character. Ahead of the game's release on March 21, we're excited to reveal Ichigo Kurosaki's most powerful form, Final Getsugatensho and its unique playstyle—as well as his two other forms, Bankai and base.

Through the Story Mode, re-live iconic battles and moments from the Bleach storyline and experience the growth of Ichigo Kurosaki as he discovers his new powers and unlocks powerful transformations. In the game, this will be represented by three different forms, each as a separate playable character, which will come with different combat styles to best suit his stage of growth in the Story Mode. Let us run you through each one.