Simon The Sorcerer Origins, the long-awaited prequel to the iconic 90s point-and-click graphic adventure released a new trailer featuring Chris Barrie, the original voice of Simon, plus exclusive scenes and partnerships - including pop legend Rick Astley.
Simon the Sorcerer Origins is an all-Italian project that immediately won over Simon and Mike Woodroffe, the original creators of Simon the Sorcerer, who enthusiastically welcomed the team’s desire to create the adventures of the young sorcerer in a nostalgic, yet modern game.
The overview trailer includes brand new gameplay scenes featuring British actor Chris Barrie, the original voice actor of the main character, and music from the soundtrack composed by Mason Fisher.
Simon the Sorcerer Origins is being lovingly created by a team of 80 professionals, dedicated to delivering a new adventure worthy of continuing the Simon the Sorcerer legacy with 15,000 hand-drawn frames.
Finally, the participation of pop legend Rick Astley, with his hit Together Forever, is just one of the many reasons Simon the Sorcerer Origins is one of the most anticipated releases of the year
Wether you're a long-time fan or new to the series, get ready for an experience filled with enchanting visuals, intriguing characters, and the iconic wit that made Simon a legend
Simon The Sorcerer Origins will launch on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PS4/5, Nintendo Switch, and PC in 2024.
Under the experienced leadership of Alex Beck, Beck Interactive Partners (BIP) has launched with a vision to transform the gaming industry's marketing and influencer dynamics. BIP is dedicated to establishing true partnerships between game development innovators, influential content creators, and strategic publishers.
Having served as the former Director of the Loaded Games Team, the largest influencer management firm on Twitch, Beck has orchestrated over 500 creator deals, facilitated collaboration with over 50 game publishers, and has deployed over 17.5 million USD in budget for creator collaborations with game studios worldwide.
Beck's vision involves a framework aimed at forging sustainable and reciprocal relationships between studios and influencers, with a special focus on emerging studios and games in the early stages of development. Utilizing a proprietary dataset, BIP strategically connects their studio clients with top-tier influencers. This involvement amplifies the game's development journey, leveraging creators' vast, dedicated audiences across social platforms. This engagement boosts public interest and enthusiasm, generating momentum as the game nears its launch.
This revenue-sharing partnership not only bolsters the game's appeal and brings attention to the studio, but enables creators to invest in projects they are truly passionate about. This cultivates an environment that attracts great publishers, who come prepared to offer favorable deals, supporting the collective success of all parties involved.
Through this model, BIP not only addresses the challenge of discoverability in a deeply saturated market, but throws into focus the maturation of creators, and their largely untapped potential in-game marketing.
"The influencer ecosystem has shifted," says Beck. "It’s not the wild west anymore. A rapidly growing number of today’s creators are brand-conscious professionals seeking to be a positive force in gaming. They want to be advocates and partners, curating relationships with studios where they aren’t simply contracted to play and stream a studio’s game for short-term gain, but invest personally in its long-term success. BIP exists to facilitate these relationships, ensuring creators are foundationally matched with studio clients, so their go-to-market roadmap is paved with the best publishing agreements possible.”
While BIP can easily support the needs of established studios, Beck seeks to distinguish his firm with a mission to elevate the games of emerging indie developers with limited resources.
Concludes Beck, "With so many studio closures and games lost to cancellation in recent years, navigating our industry is already daunting. Much like the '90s ushered in a golden era of independent movies when the film industry was struggling, I believe indie games can play a similar revitalizing role for us while our industry finds its footing, and beyond. However, for that to happen, these games need to be seen. Our goal is to ensure that the studios we represent, regardless of development team size or resources, have every opportunity for success and recognition in a crowded marketplace. We intend to be the one-stop, industry solution that ensures the next Lethal Company doesn’t slip through the cracks because there was nobody there to evangelize on its behalf."
BIP will announce its first studio/creator partnership in the coming weeks.
Predator: Hunting Grounds, the 1v4 asymmetrical multiplayer experience from the asymmetrical multiplayer masters ILLFonic, Inc. (@IllFonic), expands the jungle onto Xbox Series X|S and PS5 alongside major content updates in 2024 and 2025, with IllFonic as the new publisher in collaboration with 20th Century Games.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is an immersive asymmetrical shooter set in remote areas worldwide. Players are transported into the Predator universe, giving fans the closest experience to being in the films, where the Predator stalks the most challenging prey. Play as an elite special forces team member - the Fireteam - and complete paramilitary operations before the Predator finds you. Then again, what better way to bond with your fellow Fireteam than to try to turn the tables on the Yautja… Hunt the Hunter! Or play as the Predator to hunt the most worthy prey, choosing from your vast array of deadly alien tech to collect your trophies one by one. The Predator’s mission is clear: The Hunt. Study the warriors in the jungle and choose the best of the best to engage. Dispatch your targets and collect trophies to display as tokens of each hunt. Do not let your prey escape.
IllFonic will release two major upgrades in 2024. The April version 2.49 upgrade for the currently available PS4 and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store) versions updates player movement, Predator and Fireteam weapon balance, UX improvements, and more. Look forward to more details on the Xbox and PS5 versions coming later this year, with new Predators on the horizon later this year and in 2025.
Coming to the jungle in 2024/2025
April 2024: Patch 2.49 will cover the currently released PS4 and PC: Steam / Epic Predator: Hunting Grounds. The focus is on player movement, Fireteam weapon rework and balance, Predator weapon balance, and UX/playability improvements. More to come in the team’s patch notes.
Late 2024 Release: Xbox Series X|S, PS5 Release: Predator is coming to Xbox. This release is focused on next-gen running on Unreal 4.27, Vivox, and Wwise, with a Standard Edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition offered.
Winter Release, 2024: New Predators
Spring Release, 2025: More new Predators
Predator: Hunting Grounds is available now on PS4 and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The game will release in late 2024 on Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
Still Wakes the Deep is a narrative horror from the masters of interactive storytelling at The Chinese Room. Players must navigate the perilous, sinking oil rig they call home, with nothing more than their wits to protect them from whatever has entered the rig, and the roiling sea below.
You are an off-shore oil rig worker, fighting for his life through a vicious storm, perilous surroundings, and the dark, freezing North Sea waters. All lines of communication have been severed. All exits are gone. All that remains is to face the unknowable horror that’s come aboard.
The release date was revealed in an atmospheric new trailer at the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2024, showcasing the Beira D oil rig situated off the coast of Scotland – and the first glimpses of the unknowable horror that has taken root.
Still Wakes the Deep launches across Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC (Steam/Epic Games Store) and Xbox Game Pass on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
SPINE (@playspine), a new story-driven beat 'em up game from developer Nekki, is heading to Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam in late 2025. SPINE focuses on intense close-quarters gun fights with aesthetics of Gun Fu movies. Check out the new pre-Alpha gameplay footage.
In SPINE, players take on the role of rebellious street artist Redline, accompanied by her sentient combat implant, Spine. Players join them as they challenge the autocratic AI regime of Tensor Corporation while learning to trust each other. The game features camerawork and combat choreography by action movie specialists and is powered by Unreal Engine 5 and Nekki’s original animation engine, Cascadeur, making players the star of their own action movie where no two fights are the same.
SPINE features
Close-quarter Gun Combat: SPINE introduces a unique fusion of cinematic gunplay and close-combat beat 'em up, emphasized by elaborate camerawork and providing players with dynamic and immersive gun fu gameplay.
Cinematic Action: Collaborating with action movie specialists and paying homage to iconic action movies, Nekki promises a truly cinematic adventure where every moment feels like a scene from an epic blockbuster.
Gripping Narrative: Explore an immersive cyberpunk world as Redline and Spine challenge Tensor’s autocratic regime. Discover a story of rebellion, trust, and survival, while exploring the risks and benefits of AI.
Cutting-Edge Tech and Graphics: Powered by Unreal Engine 5 and Nekki's proprietary animation engine, Cascadeur, SPINE boasts fluid, lifelike combat animations within a detailed cyberpunk environment, pushing the boundaries of gaming graphics.
SPINE will release on Xbox Series X, Series S, PlayStation 5, and PC (Steam) in late 2025.
Hauntii is a beguiling adventure built around a creative haunting mechanic that lets you possess the environment and the creatures that inhabit it. Once you’ve taken control, you can take on enemies using the special abilities of Hauntii’s denizens and come up with ingenious solutions to overcome the many challenges littered across Hauntii’s enchanting world. You will be possessed by a captivating blend of exploration, puzzle solving, and twin-stick shooting, all set in a stunning hand-crafted world filled with charming characters, and underpinned with a ghostly mystery that will see you diving deep into your past.
A new release date trailer gives players a peek at a sublime aesthetic experience that will possess them with its balance of cosyness, mystery and melancholy. Hauntii features a creative haunting mechanic that lets you possess the environment and the creatures that inhabit it as the game shifts effortlessly between compelling puzzles, minimalist storytelling, action and discovery.
Hauntii lands on Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC in 2024. Play it on Day One with Xbox Game Pass!
Polish studio Mighty Koi has announced two major titles. Players can explore the world as Vuko from Jarosław Grzędowiczs popular "Lord of the Ice Garden" series in the first game. The second is an interactive rendition of Thorgal's iconic comic book escapades. Both games are being developed for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC platforms.
The Night Wanderer
lets players experience the world known from the “The Lord of the Ice
Garden” book series by Jarosław Grzędowicz. Vuko – the main character
from the books – will embark on a journey to Midgaard, a planet
inhabited by an alien civilization with technological advancements
comparable to the early Middle Ages on Earth.
Vuko, the protagonist of the books as well as the game, is part of a space expedition with the mission to uncover the fate of previous explorers sent to the planet of Midgaard. At the time of his mission, the alien civilization's technological level can be compared to the early Middle Ages on Earth.
The protagonist has to give up all modern inventions and try to blend in with the inhabitants, without interfering with their rate of development. His only help is a fungi-based biochip, which gives him some superhuman abilities. Upon arrival, Vuko realizes that Midgaard is ravaged by unexplained, almost magical anomalies, which might be linked to the disappearance of the previous expedition.
Mighty Koi promises a dynamic and innovative combat system, which blends soulslike gameplay with RPG and adventure game elements.
Thorgal is an action RPG set in the mythical Norse world, known from bestselling comics written by Jean Van Hamme and illustrated by the legendary Grzegorz Rosiński. The saga has sold over 20M copies worldwide and is still being published since 1977. Finally, gamers will get a chance to experience the digital version of this epic saga.