As we enter the last full week of September, we have another packed week of new game releases to look forward to, although we're not likely to beat last week's lineup of games. This week's major release is a grand strategy game that might just rival the classic Civilization games. This is followed by a chill sandbox construction game set in an era of castles and cottage, a dystopian sci-fi horror looter shooter with a local co-op mode, a sequel to 2019 RPG title, a crafting survival game, but you're a duck, a sci-fi space game combined with a deck builder and finally, some football, of the global kind.

Ara: History Untold / This week's major release / Tuesday 24 September
Ara: History Untold is an evolution in historical grand strategy, featuring beloved classic PC strategy mechanics alongside innovative gameplay like a national crafting economy, true simultaneous turn resolution, a non-linear technology tree, and cloud-backed synchronous/asynchronous multiplayer - all with an expansive and vibrant presentation where you can zoom out from surveying the very edges of your empire all the way down to your citizens living their daily lives. In Ara, there are no pre-set paths to victory, leading to endless possibilities. Your choices will define the world you create, your experience, and your legacy. Steam link

Welcome to the first week of summer, at least in the northern hemisphere. There are no AAA releases this week, which gives you all plenty of time to focus on our Computex content instead of playing a new blockbuster game. This week's major release involves aliens, but not as you know them and they're out to kill. The rest of this week's new releases involves a DLC for a major MMORPG, a politics, religion and war game, some really old stuff, a nuclear plant meltdown cleanup and a dead dragon.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game / This week's major release / Tuesday 4 June
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror based on the iconic '80s film. In the battle between Killer Klowns and citizens of Crescent Cove, team up and use your wits to harvest humans or save them from the alien invasion! Crescent Cove is a sprawling arena for unique 3v7 fights between Klowns and humans—boasting various locations and a multitude of tactical opportunities for both teams. Steam link

Overseer Games are excited to announce that Kaiserpunk will participate in Steam Next Fest, which will run from June 10th - 17th. Experience the innovative blend of city-building and grand strategy firsthand with the first-ever Kaiserpunk demo, launching before Next Fest on June 3rd. Download the demo ahead of Next Fest and wishlist it on Steam.

In Kaiserpunk, you'll be thrust into an alternate history forged by the fires of the WWI and WWII era. As a returning soldier from the frontlines, you find your city-state in ruins. The mantle of leadership falls upon you. Now, it's your responsibility to rebuild, manage resources, forge alliances, and make strategic decisions that will shape your nation's destiny. Are you ready to reshape history?

Lead a nation of your design through a history shaped by your choices in Millennia, a new 4x historical strategy game from C Prompt Games and Paradox Interactive. Guide your people from the stone to a near future, maybe taking detours through historical ages of plague or steampunk technology in Millennia, available now. From us at Paradox Interactive & C Prompt Games, we hope you love the game!

Define history; turn by turn and age by age. In Millennia, you start with a blank slate on which to write a new society and culture. Choose traits and government forms as you accumulate power through a variety of domains (government, war, art, etc.), using these powers to expand and exploit the world around you. Develop a production chain to transform common resources into valuable goods, and then trade the surplus to a distant settlement, boosting its population and production. Define your nation as a land of warriors, explorers or learners as you adopt new traits over time.

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.

Hello there! Your friendly neighborhood Community Manager, Katten here, this time to introduce you to our CONFIRMED release date for Millennia! So, it's time to stock up on refreshments, order the pizza, and mark your calendars for March 26, 2024! Now, I am sure you are all super excited to see what has changed about the game, or for you newcomers, what the game is all about. Check out this amazing trailer below.

With this, Pre-Purchase is now live, with the Base game available for $39.99 and the Premium Edition for $59.99. The Premium Edition includes two skins for early game units as an instant unlock and our two planned upcoming expansions: Ancient Worlds & Atomic Ambitions! Now, don't those two sound like an "Explosive new start"? I now pass the microphone to the Co-Founder of C Prompt Games & Lead Designer of Millennia, Ian Fischer!

Hello there! Community Manager Katten here, we provided access to the Steam Next Fest Demo! So this Diary is here to get you caught up to speed to the question; What is Millennia? Millennia is a revolutionary turn-based 4X game developed by C Prompt Games, a team of experienced strategy developers known for their work on the Age of Empires franchise. This game introduces innovative elements such as alternate history, custom tech trees, and a focus on both economy and combat. Millennia stands out by redefining the 4X genre with dynamic historical progression, where your decisions shape the unfolding of different historical ages. Each age brings its own distinct gameplay challenges and opportunities, taking players on a journey from ancient civilizations to futuristic societies. With every choice holding significance, Millennia offers unparalleled replayability and strategic depth with its unique core pillars, so let's dive in!

Ages
A key innovation in Millennia is the Age-based design. There are ten Ages in a "normal" game, ranging from the Age of Stone to the near-future. Each Age provides the experience of the Age - the Age of Iron has Iron Age technologies, Iron Age units, Iron Age buildings, and rules specific to the conditions of the Iron Age. If you keep things within "normal" parameters, you might progress through 10 "standard" Ages, each delivering historical gameplay. However, Millennia allows history to go off the rails. If you make some different decisions, you might steer your timeline into alternate Ages. These Ages are still historically themed, but explore some "what-if" territory. The Age of Aether is based on a history where the internal combustion engine doesn't come about as soon as it did and steam-power develops further. The Age of Blood is based on a war raging out of control and spreading across the world. Ultimately, most of the things you have to use in a game come from the Ages, so you can end up with very, very different scenarios depending on the specific history and alternate history your timeline moves through.

As you may have seen during our latest Developer_Direct, there's no lack of passion for gaming to be found when walking the halls at Oxide Games. The studio is full of game industry veterans who would probably bleed strategy board game pieces if you were to so much as nick them on the arm. This team has been crafting in this space for decades and has no shortage of ideas on what makes a compelling strategy game experience. Now, with Ara, they're looking to carve out their place at the top table with their own take on one of the most beloved genres in PC gaming. Ara: History Untold bills itself as a grand strategy game that's working to evolve the genre of historical grand strategy. But trying to usher in the next chapter of such a well-established space is a daunting task. Where does one even start? That's easy - look at what bothers you, and go from there.

"One of the first things we did when we started (Ara) was to identify key aspects of the [grand strategy] genre space that have always annoyed us, like areas we could improve upon—one of those is optimal strategy," explains Oxide Games Design Director Michelle Menard. "Something that plagues the genre space is that once you've kind of figured out how to win or how the game works, you've mastered it. You stop playing because you solved the problem; it was a binary problem because one of the key drivers of something like a tech tree is a static, solvable problem."

We, the Mohawk Games team, are pleased to announce that the fourth DLC for Old World, entitled Wonders and Dynasties, is now available on Steam, Epic and GOG. Old World - Wonders and Dynasties introduces 30 brand new ways of starting your game with the addition of new Dynastic leaders - each empire has received new leaders and starting conditions. Play as the dictator Sulla to leverage your unique dictator trait, as Khufu to construct endless wonders with the help of his wonder cost reduction, or as Nebuchadnezzar to quickly control large amounts of territory and forge a massive empire in the early game.

Meanwhile, eight new wonders of the ancient world will add new and unique modifiers to your empire. Generate free specialists with the Jerwan Aqueduct, become the trade capital of the world with the Al Khazneh, or spawn an endless army of swordsmen with the Colosseum. Carve your legacy in blood, or stone.

As autumn continues, we have another week of big game releases to look forward to, hopefully with something that'll suit most gamers here. This week's AAA title involves a lot of sand, wars and monuments. As for the rest of this week's new games, you can be a tycoon, a driver of very expensive motor vehicles, craft your own stick, pretend to be a starship captain or you could be a monster slayer. Let us know if any of these tickle your fancy in the poll.

Total War: Pharaoh / This week's AAA title / Wednesday 11 October
In Total War: Pharaoh, the newest entry in the award-winning grand strategy series, immerse yourself in ancient Egypt at the zenith of its power and experience the dramatic events that threaten its destruction. With dynamic real-time battles and incredible turn-based empire management, can you rise above your adversaries to become Egypt's last great Pharaoh and stand against the collapse of an iconic civilisation?

Paradox Interactive and Nimble Giant Entertainment have announced that their upcoming grand strategy game Star Trek: Infinite, under license from Paramount Consumer Products, will launch on Mac and PC on October 12, 2023. Players can now pre-order either the base game or Digital Deluxe Edition, granting them access to bonuses like skins, ships, and special voiceover. Star Trek: Infinite takes players on an interstellar saga with its emergent gameplay and complex choices, as they face the powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.

More News on the Horizon!
Starting next week, we—Nimble Giant Entertainment—will be publishing the first in a series of Developer Diaries that will dig deeper into the game and its development journey, so be sure to come back for those. With this week's news, we will also be opening up our Discord server, which you can join through the URL below. Our announcements are great for anyone who has been hungry for news about Star Trek: Infinite, because we bring you our gameplay features trailer, a load of new screenshots that are live on the store page, and have now opened up pre-purchasing, allowing you to unlock bonus content on release.

Hello Everyone! First up, thank you all for all the feedback following the announcement of House Ecaz. We're very happy with how the faction is coming together and we can't wait to hear your thoughts on Arrakis' newest arrival when the game launches out of Early Access later this month, which conveniently leads us to our next announcement...

We are very proud to share that Dune: Spice Wars launches out of Early Access and into 1.0 on the 14th of September! With release now within spitting distance, we thought it would be a good time to address some of the burning questions we've been getting of late and give some details on what to expect from this major milestone in D:SW's development! So read on for the official Dune: Spice Wars 1.0 F.A.Q...

Proving that knights in shining armor, family squabbles and grand tours of your realm never go out of style, Paradox Interactive announced that its hit medieval strategy-role playing game Crusader Kings III has sold 3 million copies of the base game, not counting attached expansion or cosmetic packs. We're excited to share this milestone with our loyal players! You've all helped make this game what it is today through your comments, feedback, and suggestions over the last three years, and we can't thank you enough for the support you've given us and the time you've put into our game.

Hitting this sales milestone three years after its release in September 2020 is testimony to the enduring power of Crusader Kings III as a story-telling experience par excellence, and a strategy game with a wide appeal beyond the stereotypical history fan. Crusader Kings III is the first Paradox grand strategy game for many players, acting as an entry point to a wider world of historical gaming.

INTRODUCING THE CANAANITE FACTIONS—Canaan is a region ravaged by wars waged by the larger empires bordering its north and south. However, while often disregarded by Hatti and Egypt, it's best not to underestimate the peoples of Canaan. Be it the humble diplomat or the great raider, a Canaan leader will rise from the embers of both Hatti and Egypt - be it through subterfuge or by further fanning the flames of war. Today, we're taking a look at the two playable Canaanite factions in Total War: PHARAOH. Please note that the game is still in development, and certain things may yet change between now and release.

THE CONTRASTING FIGURES OF IRSU AND BAY PROVIDE VERY DIFFERENT VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF EGYPT
Canaan's two leaders could hardly be more different from one another. Starting out in Retjenu, Irsu has no interest in ruling. Instead he yearns only to acquire. Be it resources, money or conflict - if you have something he wants, he will take it. Society's downfall is of no concern to him - he will continue to raze and loot regardless. A prize fighter who brings heavyweight champions to their knees, to most his arrival heralds an oncoming apocalypse.

Hello everyone! Today I'm happy to announce that we're putting the next update for Age of Wonders 4 into Open Beta! This previews some of the improvements that are part of the Watcher update, due later this summer. This coming update focuses on what we feel are the issues which are most important to you, and we'd love to get your feedback on what we've managed to do so far.

It's important to remember that this is a work in progress patch. This means that it may be unstable or imbalanced, and that the features we've added may not work entirely as we want them to. It also means that we may revert certain changes later if we feel that they aren't achieving what we want them to or if we're inspired to replace them with something better! Instructions, Patch Notes and F.A.Q. are provided below...

"Egypt will no longer be led by short-sighted locusts, determined only to chase satiation." Check out our latest Total War: Pharaoh gameplay showcase (below), taking a closer look at Tausret's faction and exploring some more features and mechanics!

In Total War: Pharaoh, the newest entry in the award-winning grand strategy series, immerse yourself in ancient Egypt at the zenith of its power and experience the dramatic events that threaten its destruction. With dynamic real-time battles and incredible turn-based empire management, can you rise above your adversaries to become Egypt's last great Pharaoh and stand against the collapse of an iconic civilisation?

Paradox Interactive and Triumph Studios have released Age of Wonders 4: Dragon Dawn, the first expansion for the hit fantasy strategy game that sold more than 250 thousand copies in its first week. Dragon Dawn enhances gameplay with a distinct leader type, a physical appearance for factions, more Tomes of Magic, and even a fresh realm. Dragon Dawn is now available for a suggested retail price of $9.99/£8.49/€9.99 on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Players who purchased the Premium Edition of Age of Wonders 4 or the Expansion Pass will receive Dragon Dawn at no additional cost.

In Age of Wonders 4: Dragon Dawn, players delve into the realm of dragons, embracing their mythical allure and ascending as mighty Dragon Rulers. Create dynamic empires, lead reptilian armies, and wield draconic magic as players burn their way through the battlefield.

In honor of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Paradox Interactive and Nimble Giant Entertainment, under license from Paramount Consumer Products, revealed a new trailer and details for Star Trek: Infinite, a grand strategy game coming this Fall. Recently announced at Summer Games Fest 2023, Star Trek: Infinite takes players on a thrilling journey through space, placing them in the heart of the galactic struggles between the powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Star Trek: Infinite, with its emergent gameplay and complex choices, launches on PC this Fall.

Though this game draws inspiration from the iconic Star Trek: The Next Generation, this story isn't just about one ship. Star Trek: Infinite puts players in command of one of four major powers in the galaxy: the United Federation of Planets, Romulan Star Empire, Cardassian Union, or Klingon Empire. Each major power possesses individualized traits, stories, quests, and more to make their play feel distinct. Players can send fleets to explore the Alpha and Beta quadrants, manage an economy, and navigate diplomatic endeavors.

"I am the rising dawn... and I will lead us into a new age!" Check out our first Total War: PHARAOH gameplay showcase (below) and get better acquainted with our first faction leader, Ramesses - a young Egyptian warrior eager to fulfil his true destiny!

In Total War: Pharaoh, the newest entry in the award-winning grand strategy series, immerse yourself in ancient Egypt at the zenith of its power and experience the dramatic events that threaten its destruction.

Rulers! We are thrilled to announce that Age of Wonders 4 Dragon Dawn Content Pack will be available in almost two weeks—on June 20th 2023! Like its name implies, the Age of Wonders 4: Dragon Dawn Content Pack is all about dragons. Players can build their fiery empires, lead reptilian armies, harness draconic magic, and set fire to their enemies as a Dragon Ruler. The pack will also launch alongside the free Wyvern Update, including an array of updates, quality of life upgrades, and balance changes identified by the Age of Wonders community.

Dragon Dawn enhances the gameplay with a distinct leader type, a physical appearance for factions, more Tomes of Magic, and even a fresh realm option. Dragon Dawn will launch on June 20, 2023 for a suggested retail price of $9.99/£8.49/€9.99. Players who purchased the Premium Edition of Age of Wonders 4 or the Expansion Pass will receive Dragon Dawn at launch. Read more about Dragon Lords in a dedicated Dev Journal.

Paradox Interactive and developer Nimble Giant Entertainment, under license from Paramount Consumer Products, today revealed Star Trek: Infinite, a grand strategy game based on the iconic sci-fi franchise. Set a few decades before Star Trek: The Next Generation, players will run an entire fleet within the Star Trek universe, commanding one of four major powers in the galaxy: the United Federation of Planets, Romulan Star Empire, Cardassian Union, or Klingon Empire. Star Trek: Infinite is coming to PC and macOS this Fall.

Star Trek: Infinite puts players in command of one of four major powers in the galaxy, each with individualized traits, stories, quests, and more to make their play feel distinct. With stunning visuals, difficult choices, and unique gameplay, this game allows players to experience a beloved franchise in a new way as they navigate contact with other empires and worlds. "It is an honor to bring one of entertainment's most iconic properties to life for our players and Star Trek's multigenerational fanbase," said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. "We know how much this franchise means to fans all over the world, and we are working closely with Nimble Giant and Paramount Consumer Products to create a faithful and fulfilling game that lives up to their expectations."

Welcome to the first Age of Wonders 4 development diary since release. My name is Lennart Sas game director / studio manager at Triumph. Today we'll be reflecting on the launch, the reception and we are going to be looking forward to the big Dragon Dawn DLC and specifically the free Wyvern Update that accompanies it.

Reflecting on the Launch
Wow! What a launch. For us the Age of Wonders 4 launch has been a dream: both a critical and commercial success. Paradox put out a press release the game is the fastest selling in the series; selling 250,000 units by day four of release. We are very grateful to all the people making this possible. The launch has been a rollercoaster in other ways too of course; some may have seen the user reviews directly after release. This was primarily caused by people not being able to launch the game after purchasing. This was unfortunate and we started investigating and preparing a hot fix which alleviated some of the issue.

The Pharaoh is dead, and the people of Egypt, Canaan, and the Hittite empire cry out for a new leader. Many desire the power of the throne, but the path to becoming Pharaoh is a perilous one. As the leader of these great nations, you must overcome societal collapse, face natural disasters and fight to protect your people against invaders from far off lands…

Today we're thrilled to announce that Total War: Pharaoh, the next instalment in the award-winning strategy franchise, will release in October 2023! Total War: Pharaoh will immerse players in the turbulent events of the Egyptian New Kingdom period where they'll determine the fate of three great cultures as they fight for survival amid the cataclysmic Bronze-Age Collapse. You can pre-order your copy of Total War: Pharaoh here.

This immersion pack for Victoria 3 introduce Agitators and new exclusive content for France. Lose yourself in the dramatic political maneuvering of the 19th century as famous figures from history lobby for their preferred policies in Voice of the People, a new immersion pack for Victoria 3, available today. With dozens of new historical characters, you can write an intriguing new history of the Victorian age, where nihilist authors and liberal reformers challenge established authorities.

Victoria 3 is Paradox Interactive's grand strategy simulation of society in the century from Andrew Jackson to World War I. Players guide the industrial, political and social development of a historic nation, moving with the tides of time as new ideologies and shifting political alliances challenge your grand plans. In Voice of the People, more historical flavor is added with new characters integrated into the new Agitator mechanic, as well as a deeper simulation of French politics of the century, with new events, missions, and more.

Paradox Interactive states: "To my fellow Godir. First off, we want to thank you for the awesome release! It's been amazing seeing so many of you finally getting your hands on the game. Many of you have been able to enjoy the game as we intended but there have been difficulties along the way. Over the past few days we've been hard at work to address the most common issues that have popped up. The people on the Hotfix branch have been incredibly helpful in tracking down the Graphics Driver issues and we're now confident in rolling out the fixes at large."

For users with the NVIDIA Graphics cards defined below, that have experienced frequent crashes, we have added a Driver Workaround setting. This setting will be automatically enabled for the affected users and should alleviate the most commonly experienced crashes. May your Pantheons Thrive