Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!

Ten Dates – February 14
Xbox Play Anywhere

Ten Dates is the sequel to the interactive rom-com, Five Dates, taking place in the post-pandemic world. Throughout the game, your choices and interactions will either strengthen or weaken your relationship with your date. Amidst a branching, multi-directional chain of conversation topics and deep-dive questions, Misha and Ryan are faced with ice-breaker games, awkward scenarios, and unexpected truths. Will either find love?

Wanted: Dead – February 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A new hybrid slasher/shooter from the makers of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. The game follows a week in life of the Zombie Unit, an elite Hong Kong police squad on a mission to uncover a major corporate conspiracy. Play as Lt. Hannah Stone, a hardboiled Hong Kong cop, and plow through mercenaries, gang members and private military contractors in a spectacular cyberpunk adventure.

Cities: Skylines – Remastered – February 15
Game Pass

An award-winning, best-selling management game now remastered for Xbox Series X|S with all its robust city-simulation gameplay and unique charm along for the ride. Design, build, and manage the city of your dreams, from public services to civic policies, and challenge yourself to grow from a simple town to a bustling metropolitan hub. Available on Cloud and Console.

Geometric Sniper – Blood in Paris – February 15

As a sniper, you’ll have to pay attention to the details and find the perfect moment to shoot. Your targets know they are wanted and will try to hide in a variety of ways. Have the patience to establish a clear shot, memorizing the information for each mission.

Launcher Heroes – February 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A tactical, artillery, party game where you try to knock your opponents off the world. Use an assortment of items such as bombs, rockets, and jetpacks to help you navigate and destroy the terrain. Play locally or online (up to 6 players in total) in a variety of game modes.

Pocket Witch – February 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A little witch has been locked away in a dungeon filled with traps and deadly roving enemies — and it’s up to you to help her escape! Pocket Witch is a precision platformer presented in retro pixel art style, where the little titular witch must overcome a series of brainteasing challenges to thwart the evil sorcerer who imprisoned her.

W.A.R.P. – February 15

Face inertia, acceleration, and gravity in a challenge that requires pinpoint accuracy. Use each weapon and even the space hazards to your advantage and face the most difficult trials across three different modes: Adventure, Landing, and Survival (Arena) for different challenges!

Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart – February 16
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Race around Cretacia in a prehistoric kart championship for up to 4 players of all ages, where you can play as your favorite dino friends and even bump into the mysterious Giganotosaurus himself! Outrun dangers like hot lava eruptions from Mount Oblivion or feel the power of the famous Giganotosaurus Roar. Charge through the pack by picking up special skills that give you a shortcut, or a jetpack-powered boost… or a way to knock out your rivals.

Pinball FX – February 16
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Discover brand new exclusive tables created for Pinball FX, or find your favorites among more than 80 unique and visually enhanced favorites from Zen’s extensive digital pinball library. Relive the most iconic moments from entertainment powerhouses like Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Marvel, Universal Studios, and many more. Enjoy accurate re-creations of the most famous pinball machines of all time with Williams Pinball, or have fun with Zen’s original creations.

Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition – February 16
Game Pass

Trek across a mythic Asian land infused with the magic and technology of ancient samurai, now overrun by the demonic yokai from Japanese folklore. Experience the Definitive Edition of Shadow Warrior 3 with tons of new features and modes with fast-paced gunplay, razor-sharp melee combat, and a spectacular free-running movement system. Available on Cloud, Console, and PC.

CometStriker DX – February 17
Xbox Play Anywhere

An arcade action shooter featuring dodging, strategic power-ups, and intense boss fights! A world devouring, living space station has set its sights on your planet. Help Lt. Comet Striker on his journey to recover the Ancient Power Cores from various worlds to power the Planetary Defense Cannon, his world’s only hope against this cosmic menace!

CyberHeroes Arena DX – February 17
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Choose your robot, create your build, and destroy all cyber monsters to survive in this mecha-themed rougelite. Collect money to buy skills and items to complete missions and unlock other playable robots.

Dark Burial: Enhanced Edition – February 17
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A retro-styled puzzle platformer where you play as a sentinel who must fight his way through enemies and light signal fires, warning people that a dark army that is fast approaching. The Enhanced Edition includes 8 new levels, 1 new boss, partially improved graphics and gameplay.

Rise of the Fox Hero – February 17 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A colorful 3D platformer with fun combat and puzzle elements. Armed with a sword and a shield, you will help the fox jump, fight, and solve puzzles throughout four different chapters and 32 different levels. Explore colorful and beautiful environments and find all the collectibles while battling tons of different enemies. And beware — by the end of each chapter, an epic boss fight awaits!

Road Stones – February 17

Become the savior in this action-packed strategy combining arcade and strategy gameplay inspired by the tower defense genre. Stop the hordes of undead monsters whose sole aim is to destroy any living thing. Can you be the brave and bold hero that is desperately needed in this monster-infested kingdom?

Rooftop Renegade – February 17

An action platformer all about speed and flow. Evade capture by navigating through futuristic skyscrapers, channeling powerful abilities from your hover blades. Boost through levels under constant bombardment, avoid dangerous hazards and make split second decisions that mean the difference between a new personal best or total wipeout.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered – February 17

Dive back into Tales of Symphonia, an exciting and beloved action RPG, now with enhanced graphics and improved gameplay! In a dying world, legend has it that a Chosen One will one day rise from amongst the people and the land will be reborn. The line between good and evil blurs in this epic adventure where the fate of two interlocked worlds hangs in the balance. Follow the journey of Lloyd Irving as he and his friends try to save both worlds.

Wild Hearts – February 17
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Experience a unique twist on the hunting genre where technology gives you a fighting chance against fearsome beasts infused with the ferocious power of nature itself. Take on these creatures alone or hunt with friends in seamless co-op. Pre-order the Karakuri Edition to receive six pre-order exclusive items, the Ferocious Kemono Emote, and five Chat Stamps.

Related:
Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Madden NFL 23, Atomic Heart, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, and More<br>
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 6 to 10
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for January 16 to 20

Enthusiast Gaming, EA Sports, Nike, and the Arizona Cardinals partnered with Xbox to deliver incredible gaming experiences and to give back to the community.

Here at Xbox, we love sports just about as much as we love video games. In commemoration of Super Bowl LVII, Xbox partnered with Enthusiast Gaming, TurboTax, EA Sports, Nike, and the Arizona Cardinals to celebrate the gaming and the sports community.

As part of these activities, Xbox joined with Enthusiast Gaming on the season finale of NFL Tuesday Night Gaming during their All-Star Game to reveal that Madden NFL 23 is coming to The Play list on February 9.

Xbox is committed to amplifying representation in sports and gaming. On February 8, Microsoft, Nike, EA Sports, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and the Arizona Cardinals joined forces with the Phoenix Union School District at Camelback high school to host “Field the Future,” a community event focused on inspiring local youth around their shared love of football. In all, it was an exciting week full of activities, community engagement, and fun. Learn more about all the week’s activities below.

Madden NFL 23 drops into The Play list on February 9

Are you ready for some football?! Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with EA Play can now hit the gridiron with Madden NFL 23 as it drops into The Play list… today! What better way to get excited for the Big Game than taking your favorite NFL team on the virtual field and seeing if you can guide them to the championship. Or if you’re throwing a party, make Madden NFL 23 the centerpiece of your get-together while stuffing your face full of chips and queso. Celebrate with a limited-time reward for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members by giving your Ultimate Team a boost with the EA Play Supercharge Pack — just head to the Game Pass Ultimate Perks page between February 9, 2023, and March 9, 2023, to claim the pack (terms and conditions here). Requires Madden NFL 23 (sold separately), all game updates, internet connection, and an EA account.

Madden NFL 23’s all-new FieldSense gameplay system on Xbox Series X|S delivers consistent, ultra-realistic gameplay and gives players much more control at every position, resulting in competitive WR and DB battles, skill-based passing attacks, and more. Beyond the gameplay, you can call the shots in Franchise mode with free agency and trade logic updates and assemble the most powerful roster in all of Madden NFL Ultimate Team. Learn more here about Madden NFL 23.

Xbox and TurboTax join Enthusiast Gaming for NFL Tuesday Night Gaming All-Star Game

NFL Tuesday Night Gaming (NFL TNG) is the only place to watch popular gaming content creators and NFL stars from all 32 NFL teams compete live in your favorite video games. NFL TNG was created in partnership between the National Football League and Enthusiast Gaming to attract younger audiences to the NFL by connecting the worlds of gaming and sports. Featuring epic Madden NFL show matches, nail-biting Fortnite battles, obstacle course chaos in Fall Guys, acrobatic game-winning goals in Rocket League, and more!

Earlier this week, fan favorite talent from season one competed in a series of epic live matchups (you can see an archive of the livestream even here). As presenting sponsors of the All-Star Game, Xbox and TurboTax were on hand with the Xbox Series X and Series S, announcing that Madden NFL 23 will be available in The Play list for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members starting on February 9.

Also, starting on January 31, be on the lookout for TurboTax banner ads on Xbox for a chance to win exclusive prize packages including custom Madden NFL 23 Xbox Series X|S consoles and more!

Field the Future

In the background of one the biggest sporting events on the planet in Super Bowl LVII, EA Sports Madden NFL, Microsoft, Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and the Arizona Cardinals showed the power of football to bring people together by hosting the Field the Future event in collaboration with the Phoenix Union School District at Camelback High School with a focus on empowering local youth within the Hispanic and Latino communities and beyond.

The Field the Future event united some of the biggest brands in sport around a shared mission to give back to the local community welcoming the global NFL family into their city, while also inspiring the next generation through a day of meaningful experiences around the love of football.

Thanks again to our partners at Enthusiast Gaming, TurboTax, EA Sports, Nike, and the Arizona Cardinals in celebrating the gaming and the sports community with us.

Madden NFL 23 Xbox Series X|S

Electronic Arts

☆☆☆☆☆
586

★★★★★

$69.99

$20.99

Get it now

Introducing the FieldSENSE™ Gameplay System in Madden NFL 23

Providing the foundation for consistent, ultra-realistic gameplay, and available on Xbox Series X|S Madden NFL 23’s new FieldSENSE™ Gameplay System equips players with more control at all positions in every mode. FieldSENSE leverages animation branching technology and a suite of new user control mechanics for a seamless gameplay flow with authentic results on every play.

360° Cuts
Whether you’re a running back, wide receiver after the catch, or returning a kick, new 360° Cuts give you the freedom and fluidity as the ball-carrier to hit the gaps you want to hit, plant-and-go, and elude defenders to break more big plays.

Skill-Based Passing
Lead your receivers open, drop back-shoulder throws into tight windows, and place every pass where only your receiver can catch it with surgical accuracy thanks to this all-new way to pass. New skill-based passing introduces an accuracy reticle and passing meter.

Hit Everything
Redefining defensive pursuit, new Hit Everything mechanics let you be more disruptive on defense. New animation branching technology in Madden NFL 23 enables next-gen Hit-Stick physics so you can perform mid-air knockouts, hit the pile to assist in tackles already in progress, blow up blocks, and force turnovers with stand up tackles.

Face of the Franchise: The League
The League drops you into your fifth NFL season at a skill position of your choice (QB, WR, RB, CB, MLB) and you’re seeking a fresh start with a new team. Negotiate a one-year “prove-it” contract with one of 32 NFL teams and show out with great on-field performance to earn rewards and level up. New position-specific mechanics brought to life by FieldSENSE* and player-focused cameras bring you closer to the action and add to gameplay depth by allowing you to dominate every snap, from anywhere on the field. The addition of New Drive Goals and Drive Summaries allow you to tweak your experience throughout a game and get feedback and rewards based on how well you play. Get performance boosts from weekly activities and training between games while Madden Ratings Adjustor Chad Johnson guides your career development by providing ratings updates as you strive for the highest level of prestige on your Road to 99. Will your NFL career rank among the all-time greats? It’s up to you.

Franchise
Utilize refined scouting, staff management, and weekly strategy features to take your Franchise to the top. New athlete motivations like team location and salary demands factor into contract negotiations and add to the drama of NFL free agency. Updated Trade Logic AI represents the value of star players more accurately for fair and more realistic offers.

Madden Ultimate Team
Develop your dream roster of current NFL superstars, Hall of Fame legends, and more. Always have something to play for with the first-ever Field Pass challenge and reward tracker in Madden Ultimate Team. Play to earn MUT Champions entry tokens and compete at your convenience. Simplified Set building lets you navigate your content binder more effectively so you can focus on improving your Ultimate Team roster all season.

This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items, including a random selection of virtual in-game items.

CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS APPLY. SEE https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-23/buy/offer-disclaimers FOR DETAILS.

Madden NFL 23 Xbox One

Electronic Arts

☆☆☆☆☆
398

★★★★★

$59.99

$17.99

Get it now

Play your way into the history books in Madden NFL 23!

Control your impact with every decision in all-new ways. Call the shots in Franchise with free agency and trade logic updates, play your way into the history books in Face of the Franchise: The League, and assemble the most powerful roster in all of Madden Ultimate Team™.

Face of the Franchise: The League
The League drops you into your fifth NFL season at a skill position of your choice (QB, WR, RB, CB, MLB) and you’re seeking a fresh start with a new team. Negotiate a one-year “prove-it” contract with one of 32 NFL teams and show out with great on-field performance to earn rewards and level up. The addition of New Drive Goals and Drive Summaries allow you to tweak your experience throughout a game and get feedback and rewards based on how well you play. Get performance boosts from weekly activities and training between games while Madden Ratings Adjustor Chad Johnson guides your career development by providing ratings updates as you strive for the highest level of prestige on your Road to 99. Will your NFL career rank among the all-time greats? It’s up to you.

Franchise
Plan and strategize like an NFL head coach with refined scouting, staff management, and weekly strategy features to take your Franchise to the top. New athlete motivations like team location and salary demands factor into contract negotiations and add to the drama of NFL free agency within Franchise. Updated Trade Logic AI represents the value of star players more accurately for fair and more realistic offers.

Madden Ultimate Team
Develop your dream fantasy roster of current NFL superstars, Hall of Fame legends, and more. Always have something to play for with the first-ever Field Pass challenge and reward tracker in Madden Ultimate Team. Play to earn MUT Champions entry tokens and choose to compete at your convenience. Simplified Set building lets you navigate your content binder more effectively so you can focus on improving your Ultimate Team roster all season.

This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items, including a random selection of virtual in-game items.

CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS APPLY. SEE https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-23/buy/offer-disclaimers FOR DETAILS.

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Calling all Pilots: SD Gundam Battle Alliance comes to Xbox Game Pass!
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Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Madden NFL 23, Atomic Heart, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, and More<br>

Are you ready for intense, multiplayer mechanized combat? SD Gundam Battle Alliance is now available on Xbox Game Pass for you to push your pilot skills to the next level. Do battle in this action RPG where you take control of various Mobile Suits from the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. Play with AI or squad up with 2 of your friends to smash foes head-on as you explore a brand new story featuring many familiar faces!

Correct A False World

The G-Universe needs help! Lead a 3-unit squad to correct this distorted timeline and repair the broken history. Along the way, you’ll be able to team up with Mobile Suits and pilots across the Gundam franchise and build the true Battle Alliance. It’s up to you to right the wrong history.

Customize Your Mobile Suit

Completing missions earns you Capital – allowing you to level up your suits and increase the stats that fit your playstyle. Additionally, you can swap parts to enhance various stats to further make your favorite Mobile Suit truly yours.

Launch Into Battle With Friends

Get extra assistance in missions from friends! Multiplayer allows you to play with up to 2 other players to form a 3-person team. Experience intense action with your friends and create the best team to take on foes. Venturing the battlefield is always more enjoyable with friends to back you up!

Featured Mobile Suit Gundam Series

Obtain Mobile Suits from different Gundam series and grab your favorite unit.

• Mobile Suit Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
• Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack Beltorchika’s Children

Available Now

SD Gundam Battle Alliance brings Mobile Suits and characters across the Mobile Suit Gundam universe into one all-action RPG where you must rewrite the G: Universe and correct history. Build the Battle Alliance that stands the test of time and history with friends or solo.

SD Gundam Battle Alliance is available NOW on the Xbox Game Pass. We await you in the G: Universe, Pilots!

SD GUNDAM BATTLE ALLIANCE

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆
205

★★★★★

$59.99

$47.99

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

In SD Gundam Battle Alliance, Mobile Suits and characters from across Mobile Suit Gundam history take center stage in this all-new action RPG.

• A Battle Alliance to Correct a False World
The story takes place in G: Universe, a world where Gundam canon twists and turns in ways no one can predict.
To correct this world’s distorted history, the player leads a 3-unit squadron consisting of Mobile Suits and pilots from across Gundam history – a true Battle Alliance.
What Awaits Beyond False History…

• Combo action with stunning visuals and dynamic animation
Indulge in a wide array of Mobile Suit weaponry to crush many foes with! Control Mobile Suits portrayed with realistic weathering that showcases them as weapons of war as they tear across the battlefield with dynamic animations.

• Strange phenomena known as Breaks are twisting legendary moments from Gundam history, and you’re in charge to fix them.
Experience Gundam history’s most famous scenes as you develop new Mobile Suits to add to your arsenal. Gather Capital and expansion parts to transform your favorite machine into the ultimate MS.

• Tackle missions with friends in multiplayer!
Launch into battle with 2 partners to back you up. In multiplayer, you can play through the game with up to 2 other players in a 3-person team. Enjoy this new SD Gundam action RPG solo, or with friends.

• Featured Series
Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack Beltorchika’s Children
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Mobile Suit Gundam F91
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam
Mobile Suit V Gundam
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
After War Gundam X
Turn A Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED VS Astray
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie -Awakening of the Trailblazer-
Reconguista in G
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
Musha Knight Command: SD Gundam Scramble

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Free Play Days – For Honor, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, and Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker

Video games can use many different styles to create a unique look and feel. For Clash: Artifacts of Chaos, we knew from the beginning that we wanted to use a very colorful and non-realistic one for many reasons: to set it apart from other games in the genre, to allow us to stylize and exaggerate the animation and color palette, and to approximate the illustrations and punk-fantasy art that inspired the creation of the world in the first place.

Stylized rendering is a powerful tool that highlights that “What to draw?” and “How to draw it?” are two different questions. This is the third time we have visited the surreal world of Zenozoik and its primitive humanoid animal inhabitants, but it is the first time we are approaching the “how to draw it” with a really different technique!

There are many ways we could have gone, and we tested several different styles before landing on the one we used. By choosing what to simplify and what to exaggerate, you get very different effects. One of the more interesting styles we tested was a painterly thick brushstroke look (above). It allowed very expressive shapes, a messy almost impressionistic look, and was certainly very different.

We eventually decided against this style because of the excessive simplification it produced: our artists always wanted to add more small details to characters and environments, details which would not really shine in this impressionistic style.

The rendering style we ended up going for is called hatching, or crosshatching. It is a drawing style that creates shading and conveys lighting by drawing closely spaced lines. The closer the lines are together, the darker the area will appear. This style is often used in traditional drawings, illustrations, and comic books, and gives the artwork a hand-drawn look. This technique allowed us to achieve an illustrated style while still preserving detail.

By separating the lighting information and conveying light intensity and detail mostly with the ink pencil linework, we can treat color as a separate layer. This allows us to use more artificial color schemes which would look strange in a realistic rendering style but feel consistent with the look of an illustration. Violet and orange skies, characters with blue or yellow skin, orange dirt, cyan and green mineral deposits in the mountain walls… we intentionally use saturated colors, or color combinations hard to find in nature to convey this is a different world.

One of the main challenges to make the hatching style work was to make sure that it worked at different distances and different levels of detail. It is not just drawing lines on the surfaces, because what works for small details up close might not work for a mountain at a distance. Also some features must be preserved more carefully, like character eyes which are a focus point and must always remain well defined and sharp. The linework needs to be consistent to seem like it was all done with the same tool.

Finally, while we have designed a very specific look for the game, we still chose to enable configuration options for players to personalize the look. Players can choose a cleaner look or add and remove effects. We even left in a comic book inspired black and white mode, which is not ideal for readability, but is still very cool to play with!

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos will be released on March 9 and is available now for pre-order on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. If you are interested in keeping track of all future news, devs blogs and trailers, don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or join our official Discord server.

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos

Nacon

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

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Other words for “revelry” are partying, festivities, merrymaking… and that’s exactly what you can expect from this season of Apex Legends. In the four years since launch, it has steadily flourished with new Legends, weapons, maps, seasons, and more. But with the Revelry update on February 14, this may be one of the most significant years for Apex Legends yet.

Team Deathmatch Replaces Arenas

I was disappointed to hear that Arenas mode is being removed from the game (it’s one of my personal favorites). But in its place, Respawn is bringing Team Deathmatch (TDM) to the game. This iconic game mode will feature 6-player teams competing for the first-to-30 kills in best-of-three matches. You can team up with two friends (or autofill) and join another team of three to battle it out against two other teams of three across Skull Town, Party Crashers, and Habitat 4.

In addition, Apex Legends is getting a Mixtape mode in March, which is a persistent playlist of TDM and fan-favorite limited time modes from previous seasons on a rotating cycle. Team Deathmatch and Mixtape will not have a ranked mode (at least for now). Speaking of ranked modes and map rotations, Ranked Battle Royale will feature a map rotation this season, another longtime fan-requested feature.

Remastered Legend Classes and Perks

One of the biggest reveals from a recent hands-on preview event is that Legends will now be assigned to one of five classes while retaining their individual abilities. The developers discussed how players weren’t selecting Legends based on their roles, largely because the class structure wasn’t impactful enough. This disparity ultimately led to the overhaul of the entire core class system.

The way this will work after the Revelry update is that each class will receive a specific benefit (perk); this will be available to all Legends in that class. Some perks will be similar to abilities that exist in the game today, like supply bins with special compartments and scanning for the next ring location. Others will be new and potentially game-changing, like revealing enemy player locations on the map and crafting fallen teammate banners in the Replicator. This redesign is intended to benefit teams with a blend of offensive and defensive classes and Legends.

Nemesis Burst Assault Rifle

Designed to compete with the R-301 and the Flatline assault rifles, the Nemesis Burst Assault Rifle is a hybrid between the Hemlock and Havoc. It fires a four-round burst with each pull of the trigger, but holding the trigger engages the Auto Trigger function, repeating burst fire automatically. The longer the trigger pull, the shorter the time between bursts until it’s firing like a fully automatic weapon. It’s very powerful and I expect to see a lot of players using it.

Other weapon changes coming this season will include the return of the Rampage Light Machine Gun to the battlefield, and the Volt Submachine Gun and Longbow DMR will be available to craft on the Replicator. Additionally, shotguns are getting some much-needed upgrades. The Peacekeeper and Mastiff can now equip tactical stocks to improve reload speed, handling, and aim drift, plus a gold shotgun bolt will be available, improving rate of fire and the added ability of reloading automatically when you slide.

The Top Three Things I’m Most Excited for in Apex Legends Revelry

• Recovering Ally Banners (Even When Expired) – Of all the new class perks revealed during the preview event, this was the one that excited me the most. Support Legends (Loba, Lifeline, Gibraltar, and Newcastle) will be able to craft teammates’ banners from a Replicator for 30 units of material, even if their Banner Card on their death box has expired. You’ll still need to use one of the stationary or mobile Respawn Beacons to respawn your teammates, but hopefully this change encourages fallen players to stick around for a chance to rejoin the fight.

• Care Package Weapon – Learning the Hemlock Assault Rifle will be part of the Care Package this season was a bit of a surprise since it isn’t one of the more popular weapons – but it’s one of my personal favorites and this augmented version is devastating in combat. It boasts increased damage, especially with headshots, plus it’s equipped with the boosted loaded feature. It’s pretty awesome.

• New Player Experience – I applaud Respawn for improving the onboarding of new players by implementing measures to help them learn the game. Recruits will have to complete a number of orientation matches against a battlefield comprised mostly of bots before access to the public servers will be available. Also, new recruits can earn an Apex 101 badge for completing 10 challenges designed to introduce core gameplay mechanics. While these innovative measures will help welcome newcomers into the game, it will also help experienced players be matched up with competent battle-ready teammates.

As with every new Apex Legends season, Revelry will feature a new Battle Pass complete with Legend and weapon skins, gun charms, banner frames, and emotes. Each of the maps is getting a celebratory makeover with colorful banners decorating the buildings and Chibi balloons of the Legends brightening the sky. Best of all, the return of the Mirage Voyage. Let the Revelry begin!

Apex Legends is a free-to-play shooter available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Be sure to check out everything included in the new Revelry season when it launches on February 14. And if you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, don’t forget to redeem your perks and grab the Arc of Gold Weapon Charm available for a limited time with your monthly EA Play Rewards.

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The Callisto Protocol was already an unforgiving experience, tasking you with escaping Black Iron Prison amid an outbreak that turns its denizens into horrific biophages – but now it’s offering its sternest challenge yet. As part of a free update, Striking Distance Studios has introduced Hardcore Mode – and I caught up with Creative Director Ben Walker to dive into the new horrors it brings.

“It’s right there in the name – Hardcore Mode is just plain hardcore,” Walker begins. “We designed The Callisto Protocol to be tough, and with this new mode, we’re giving fans of really brutal gameplay a whole new level of challenge to master.

“We’re dramatically lowering the number of enemy drops, giving enemies more attacking power, shortening the time it takes for creatures to mutate, and giving items less resale value at the Reforge to make resources even tighter.  We’re also reducing the damage doled out by the Stun Baton while making GRP charges more expensive.

“We’re also adding three new achievements for players who have what it takes to survive Hardcore Mode.  But don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

Hardcore modes are a big part of the survival horror scene – in a genre all about getting through the experience against all odds, it’s perhaps no surprise that the most committed players want those odds made even harder. But even Striking Distance was surprised by how proficient those players could be:

“Hardcore Mode has been on the roadmap for a while,” Walker says, “but after launch, we were blown away by the number of people that were actually beating the game on the Maximum Security mode [previously the toughest difficulty level] – it validated the concept, and we’re thrilled to give it to players.  We didn’t pull any punches here, so we think it’ll offer our hardcore players a hardcore challenge.”

But that’s not say this was simply a case of making the game a one-death game over experience. Striking Distance concentrated on how to make this notably different to Maximum Security mode, without simply adding a more artificial barrier. That means fewer ammo and health drops, reduced contraband value, and enemies even more keen to take you down:

“A lot of other hardcore modes are focused on permadeath,” Walker explains. “We wanted to lean more into the turning and creating scarcity for items.  This mode is all about pushing players’ skills to the limits […] It’s hard as hell, but it’s fair, and it’s a pretty awesome accomplishment for those that can get through it.”

That begs the question: how many people at the studio have actually managed to beat their own Hardcore Mode?

“We’ve spent hundreds of hours playtesting the game, so lots of people around the studio have beaten the game on Hardcore Mode,” says Walker, “but I’ve still found myself sweating during some of the encounters.  Especially with Two Head. I haven’t thrown my controller yet, but I’ve come close once in a while. Beating it always feels like an accomplishment.”

But one key question remains: will you be able to beat it? Find out today.

Hardcore Mode is a free update, available today, for The Callisto Protocol on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Also out today is the Outer Way Skin Collection, the first of four DLC drops, available as part of the game’s Season Pass and sold separately. The Callisto Protocol Season Pass is on sale, with 20% off, until February 13.

The Callisto Protocol™ for Xbox Series X|S – Digital Deluxe Edition

KRAFTON, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆
1211

★★★★★

$89.99

Get it now

In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon.

HORROR ENGINEERING
The Callisto Protocol is a next-generation take on survival horror from the mind of Glen Schofield. Blending atmosphere, tension, and brutality with terrifying moments of helplessness and humanity, The Callisto Protocol immerses players in a pulse-pounding story where unspeakable horrors lurk around every corner.

UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNITED JUPITER COMPANY
Set on Jupiter’s dead moon Callisto in the year 2320, The Callisto Protocol casts players as Jacob Lee, an inmate in Black Iron Prison. When a mysterious outbreak throws the moon into chaos, Jacob must face his darkest fears to defeat the bloodthirsty creatures that stalk him as he unravels the dark mysteries at the heart of the powerful United Jupiter Company.

MASTER BRUTAL, STRATEGIC COMBAT
The Callisto Protocol challenges players to master a thrilling blend of hand-to-hand and ranged combat, including a unique gravity weapon once used by Black Iron guards to control the prison population. Players will be forced to get up close and personal with their grotesque opponents, hacking off limbs, blasting off legs, and getting creative with whatever is at their disposal to survive each life-or-death encounter.

EXPERIENCE THE ISOLATION OF JUPITER’S DEAD MOON
One of the most hostile, isolated environments in the universe, Callisto looms large over Jacob’s desperate struggle to survive. Players must not only contend with the horrors of Black Iron Prison, but also the centuries-old secrets that plague Jupiter’s long-dead moon, both above and below the surface.

Pre-order now to get the following digital content:
– Retro Prisoner Character & Weapons Skin
– Season Pass

The Season Pass includes:

Outer Way Skin Collection: Bear the armor of the Outer Way, an underground insurgency pitted against the UJC, as you fight to survive the horrors of Callisto.

Contagion Bundle: Discover the ultimate survival horror experience with a new mode, Contagion. With reduced ammo and health drops, a customized difficulty and permadeath – there are no second chances to escape Black Iron Prison or the horrors lurking beneath the surface of Callisto. The Contagion Bundle also includes thirteen new Jacob death animations and the Watchtower Skin Collection.

Riot Bundle: Venture into a previously undiscovered area of Black Iron Prison and battle through waves of brutal enemies. Gather credits to upgrade your weapons, or forge new ones, and survive the onslaught as long as you can in Riot, an all-new mode. The Riot Bundle also includes twelve new enemy death animations and the Engineer Skin Collection.

Story DLC: Dig deeper into the horrifying secrets of The Callisto Protocol.

The Callisto Protocol™ for Xbox Series X|S

KRAFTON, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆
1156

★★★★★

$69.99

Get it now

In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon.

HORROR ENGINEERING
The Callisto Protocol is a next-generation take on survival horror from the mind of Glen Schofield. Blending atmosphere, tension, and brutality with terrifying moments of helplessness and humanity, The Callisto Protocol immerses players in a pulse-pounding story where unspeakable horrors lurk around every corner.

UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNITED JUPITER COMPANY
Set on Jupiter’s dead moon Callisto in the year 2320, The Callisto Protocol casts players as Jacob Lee, an inmate in Black Iron Prison. When a mysterious outbreak throws the moon into chaos, Jacob must face his darkest fears to defeat the bloodthirsty creatures that stalk him as he unravels the dark mysteries at the heart of the powerful United Jupiter Company.

MASTER BRUTAL, STRATEGIC COMBAT
The Callisto Protocol challenges players to master a thrilling blend of hand-to-hand and ranged combat, including a unique gravity weapon once used by Black Iron guards to control the prison population. Players will be forced to get up close and personal with their grotesque opponents, hacking off limbs, blasting off legs, and getting creative with whatever is at their disposal to survive each life-or-death encounter.

EXPERIENCE THE ISOLATION OF JUPITER’S DEAD MOON
One of the most hostile, isolated environments in the universe, Callisto looms large over Jacob’s desperate struggle to survive. Players must not only contend with the horrors of Black Iron Prison, but also the centuries-old secrets that plague Jupiter’s long-dead moon, both above and below the surface.

Related:
5 Ways Minecraft Legends Twists PvP into a Brand New Action-Strategy Experience
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Xbox Celebrates Safer Internet Day with Minecraft’s New Privacy-Themed Learning World and Safety Tips for Parents

Minecraft Legends, the upcoming game from Mojang Studios and Blackbird Interactive is “not your normal strategy game,” according to Principal Design Director, Craig Leigh. Appearing on the Xbox Podcast last week, Leigh dove into multiple ways the new title (coming on April 18 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC (Steam & Windows), Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4|5) offers a very new twist on the genre. “We get that all time,” he explained, “People are like, ‘This is not the game I thought it was, this is an action game!’, and that’s what I love about it.” 

When you’re blending genres, you need to come up with fresh ideas for how it will work, not least in Minecraft Legends’ 4v4 PvP mode, which was introduced during the Developer_Direct last month. The developers have come up with multiple ways to do that, and Leigh explained several of the ways PvP has been innovated on in this new twist on the formula. 

Fast Travel 

Not something you’d necessarily associate with strategy games, Minecraft Legends introduces a fast travel system to help players balance the various activities they’ll need to do to conquer their enemies. While base building is a key part of the picture, players will also need to venture out, explore, gather resources, and attack enemies to win a round – and that means offering them an easy way home to keep their base safe. 

“So if you’re out in the world and you’re far away from your base and you hear that you’re under attack, you can fast travel,” Leigh explained. “So you can open the map, click on your base and go ‘whoosh’, be back home really quickly, because we didn’t want players running, panicked, ‘oh I can’t get back home in time’.” 

Fast travel doesn’t just apply to player-characters, either. “If you’re at home as well, and you get attacked, you can go to a spawn and recall units, units that are out in thew world that maybe aren’t doing anything, you can call them back quickly to your base,” Leigh added. “You’re not running around looking for them, ‘Where are those Cobblestone Golems?’, you can just pull them back to help you with defence.” 

PvPvE 

It’s clear that Minecraft Legends will have players doing a lot during rounds, but its NPCs are pretty busy too – and may even offer players new ways to take down their opponents’ base: 

“The thing I think people will be most surprised about is the game’s PvP, but there’s a little PvE in there as well,” Leigh revealed. “The Piglins [the enemies in the game’s story-led campaign] are also in PvP, and the Piglins do whatever the Piglins want. So the Piglins are attacking both teams, and there’s a day-night cycle going on during the battles, but the Piglins attack more ferociously at night – so do you time your strategy when the Piglins attack at night and wait for them to break the walls down and sneak in? So you’re not only dealing with the other team, you’re dealing with the Piglins are well.” 

The Ping System 

With a shared pool of resources, multiple activities to do, and attacks on multiple fronts, communication is key in Minecraft Legends’ PvP. Thankfully, the team has a neat solution for that, beyond the expected: 

“We also have ping system,” Leigh said. “It’s really important to work together, because you’re sharing resources and so with the ping system you can say, ‘I want to build a Redstone Launcher’, and the team go, ‘OK, let’s save up our Redstone. Or you could be like, ‘I want coal!’, and so people go ‘OK let’s save up our coal’. You can use voice chat, and it’s great, but also we wanted to make sure there was a system that people could give out the basic commands because you are sharing resources.” 

Game Time 

Seasoned strategy players will be used to multiplayer matches that can take a very long time to finish, battling through stalemates to earn a hard-earned victory. Minecraft Legends wants to offer that same experience, but in a more manageable time frame, letting players constantly start new games, with procedurally generated maps offering fresh experiences every time they play. 

“We’ve worked really hard, so games last between 20 and 30 minutes,” Leigh explained. “It does depend on the strategy; if teams have a crazy strategy they might win earlier if they take the team by surprise, or if both teams decide, ‘We’re going to build bastions with stone walls and massive towers,’ then the games might go on a little bit longer.  

“But we’ve been working really hard to balance the games this way, because we don’t want it to be a 14-day siege of the Blue Team, and so our longer games have lasted around 30 minutes. It’s an old-fashioned thing to think about, but we wanted players to get two games in in a lunchtime, be able to play a couple of games in they were playing in their lunch. “ 

Cross-Platform Ease 

Strategy games are traditionally the dominion of PC, but Minecraft Legends is coming out on every major gaming platform, simultaneously. In doing that, the team’s worked to make sure that not only can you play with anyone, on any platform, but that no one will be disadvantaged by playing on a specific machine. 

“We thought it was really important, regardless of what platform you’re on that you could play together, we want as many players as possible playing together,” Leigh made clear. 

“It doesn’t matter where you play, on launch day you’ll be able to play on any of those platforms in PvP and it plays perfectly on any platform. The way we’ve designed it there’s no advantage to be on a keyboard and mouse versus a controller, it’s not a first-person shooter or anything, so it’s been designed that way, so it’s perfect for cross-platform play. We thought that was really important, so we’ve designed it that way.” 

And with a huge pool of players across platforms and continents playing together, that just means there will be more twists to PvP that even the developers can’t see coming. 

“I’m particularly excited to see the crazy strategies that people come up with in PvP,” finished Leigh. “Because we think we’ve done everything and then someone will come in and just do something crazy that we haven’t thought of. We all joke on the team that we’re going to be good at the PvP for about and hour and then all the community will just crush us because they’ll come up with new strategies.” 

Minecraft Legends launches April 18 on Windows PC (day one with PC Game Pass), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One (day one with Xbox Game Pass), Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. 

Minecraft Legends – Windows

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

The piglins’ Nether corruption is spreading across the Overworld, scorching everything it touches. Are you the hero who will protect this gentle land? Plan your strategy and face the piglins in epic battles – but be warned: they always fight back. Take on piglin bases by day and defend your allies after dusk. Explore lush biomes filled with treasures and perils, meet new friends, and reunite with familiar mobs. With the allays by your side, all that’s left to do is save the world.

Experience an epic legend from the Minecraft universe and the Overworld as you’ve never seen it before

Form alliances with new friends and familiar mobs, then lead the charge in epic battles against the fierce piglins to defend the Overworld

Traverse a lush, dynamic world that’s rich in resources and different in each playthrough

Challenge your friends or team up in intense battles as you defend your village while leading your units to destroy your opponents’ settlements

Related:
Journey to Deep Space with the Stellar Shift Special Edition Wireless Controller
Xbox Celebrates Safer Internet Day with Minecraft’s New Privacy-Themed Learning World and Safety Tips for Parents
Take The Journey Of A Lifetime In Deliver Us Mars, Out Today On Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One

Today, we are excited to announce the Xbox Wireless Controller – Stellar Shift Special Edition as the newest member of the Shift Special Edition series. The Shift series debuted with Aqua Shift, inspired by the deep sea, and Lunar Shift capturing the awe-inspiring aura of the moon, but we knew that the Stellar Shift had to take it one step further. The Stellar Shift controller features a striking color shifting blue-purple shimmer that gives it a mesmerizing feeling of deep space vibes. Each controller has unique swirl grips that allow you to hold onto all of your gaming action.  

Explore new adventures with textured grips on the triggers, bumpers, and back case that provide a better hold of the controller. Alongside is a hybrid D-pad that gives the Stellar Shift an accurate yet familiar input. While you are out making discoveries, you can utilize the dedicated Share button, which can seamlessly capture and share content with all your other friends like video and screenshots on the Xbox Accessories App. Using this app, you can also create custom controller profiles and remap your buttons to your liking. The 3.5mm jack allows you to connect any of your favorite headsets. Feel free to take your controller beyond the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, with Bluetooth technology that allows for wireless gaming on your PC and mobile devices.  

One special feature of the Stellar Shift Xbox Wireless Controller you won’t want to miss out on is the unique dynamic background that is only unlocked once you connect your new controller to your Xbox Series X|S console. Dynamic backgrounds are animated augments that bring your Xbox dashboard to life. Bask in the deep purple and blue swirling design as you venture off to wherever your Xbox takes you. To access this feature, click the Settings button on your console dashboard. Under the General tab, hit the Personalization button and find the “My Background” button. Once there, you’ll be able to see Dynamic Backgrounds and can pick between this or multiple other fantastic dynamic looks to customize your Xbox experience even further. Once you have your background applied, you will retain it until you swap it for a new design. To restore this background, simply connect the Stellar Shift controller back to the console and navigate to the menu to reapply. 

The Xbox Wireless Controller – Stellar Shift Special Edition is available today in select Xbox markets worldwide for $69.99 USD MSRP. Check your local retailer or xbox.com for more information. 

Related:
Xbox Celebrates Safer Internet Day with Minecraft’s New Privacy-Themed Learning World and Safety Tips for Parents
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Join the Party in Sea of Thieves’ Next Community Day on February 11!

It’s time to bundle up and prepare for an arctic chill with the launch of Overwatch 2 – Season 3 on Tuesday, February 7, kicking off a month of exciting activities for all types of players with a new map, Battle Pass, and tons of other fun surprises in store.

New Reward System and Permanent Discounts on Epic and Legendary Overwatch Skins

One of the big changes for Overwatch 2 – Season 3 will be the rollout of 10 additional tiers of rewards along the free track. Part of this includes 1500 Credits to spend in the Hero Gallery in addition to 500 additional Credits for the Premium track.

If you’ve been holding out on dropping some Coins or Credits on Epic and Legendary skins, then you’re in luck. Prices have been lowered on nearly all 300 of these skins from the original game and can be found in the Hero Gallery – these will always be available for purchase with Coins or Credits.

This is in addition to the login bonuses and the in-game challenges that are part of Season 3. This will include a new, earnable Legendary Overwatch 2 Skin that will be part of an upcoming IP collaboration with Japanese Anime “One-Punch Man” to bring themed skins and cosmetics to the game, including Twitch Drops, all of which are detailed here on the official Overwatch Blog.

Take Control of the Antarctica Peninsula

Antarctic Peninsula is the first new Control map for Overwatch 2 and takes inspiration from the iconic Ecopoint base featured in the “Rise and Shine” animated short that chronicled some of Mei’s backstory. The base, created by Overwatch to help find the cause of the planet’s radical change in climate, housed many scientists, along with Mei, who were in the middle of this research when they were trapped by a massive storm. Deciding to enter cryostasis to wait for rescue by Overwatch, Mei would be the only one to survive this ordeal and awaken some 10 years later. It was from here that she dedicated herself to carrying on the work of her fellow scientists.

This snow-themed map will include several lore tidbits scattered throughout for eagle-eyed fans to find, like an ice-breaker ship stuck in the ice that attempted to save Mei and her friends, as well as an underground drilling station that hints at some of work these scientists were up to.

“There are so many areas that we think players are going to love exploring in the new Antarctica map,” mentions Overwatch 2 Art Director Dion Rogers. “But I will say that fighting in an abandoned ice breaker ship is pretty rad.”

Additional level designs will feature flanks and high ground elements that can make or break a team’s success. Also, be sure to say hello to some of the facility’s current residents…

“Antarctica is a unique map.” says Overwatch 2 Lead Narrative Designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie. “Not only does it hint at the mysterious answers to a number of long-standing questions about the lore, it spans a number of locations in Antarctica, offering a lot of gameplay variety, new places to explore, and easter eggs to find. It also has penguins,”

New Accessibility and Game Balancing Features

In addition to all the Season 3 details, a series of matchmaking, competitive, Hero balance tweaks, and more have been implemented to improve the overall experience in Overwatch 2 – check out the official blog for a complete breakdown of this.

There have also been a slew of accessibility updates as well, like text scalability, character portrait icons, speaker name, text color changes, background color changes, and subtitle preview. In addition, a setting to select custom colors for Group and Alerts in the UI, which can be previewed before saving for easier setup. You can find all these features live now as part of Overwatch 2 – Season 3.

Overwatch 2 is for Lovers in February

This month, Overwatch 2 will have two Valentine’s themed events. The first up will be a text-based dating sim (seriously) where you can choose to spend quality time with either Mercy or Genji with Hanzo… er, Cupid… as your guide. We’ll have to see how this shakes out when it launches February 13 on Loverwatch.gg, but it seems like a fun way to get to know a few of the Heroes from Overwatch a little better. If you manage to unlock the secret ending, you’ll be rewarded with a themed Play of the Game highlight. There will also be the Overwatch: Ultimate Valentine event available from February 14 to 28; stay tuned to the official Overwatch Blog for more details in a few weeks.

PachiMarchi Returns

Everyone’s favorite adorable onion… thing… is back! PachiMarchi will be part of a new limited time Kill Confirmed game mode from March 21 to April 4 where you can earn up to six unique player icons, a weapon charm, name card, and an epic Roadhog skin — if it’s anything like last time, expect another series of adorable designs to cover our favorite one-man apocalypse. Stay tuned for further details when the PachMarchi event kicks off on March 21.

Jump in and start playing Overwatch 2 today for free on Xbox Series X|S and don’t forget to stay tuned for all the awesome in-game activities on the horizon.

Overwatch® 2

Blizzard Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆
1997

★★★★★

Get it now

Xbox One X Enhanced

Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Team up with friends and dive into the reimagined PvP experience as a time-jumping freedom fighter, a beat-dropping battlefield DJ, or one of over 30 other unique heroes as you battle it out around the globe.

36 HEROES, 23 MAPS AND 6 GAME MODES
Lead the charge, ambush your enemies, or aid your allies as one of 36 distinct heroes. Take them into battle across 23 futuristic maps inspired by real-world locations, and master six unique game modes.

SEASON TWO IS NOW LIVE
New heroes, maps, and game modes will be added in seasonal updates every nine weeks. Drop into Season Two to unlock the latest hero, Ramattra, and over 20 tiers of completely free rewards on the Battle Pass. Purchase the Premium Battle Pass to unlock even more cosmetic rewards including the all-new Mythic Zeus Junker Queen skin, legendary skins, sprays, voice lines, weapon charms, and more!

A mobile phone number must be linked to your Battle.net Account to play Overwatch.

Overwatch® 2: Watchpoint Pack

Blizzard Entertainment Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆
9457

★★★★★

$39.99

Get it now

Gear up for Overwatch® 2 with the Watchpoint Pack!

The pack includes the following Overwatch® 2 in-game content: Season Two Premium Battle Pass, 7 Legendary skins (including 2 all-new Space Raider skins), 5 Epic skins, 2,000 Overwatch® Coins and instant access to all 32 Overwatch 1 Heroes as well as the new Tank hero Ramattra.*

With the Season Two Premium Battle Pass you can unlock over 80 Tiers of rewards including Mythic Zeus Junker Queen, Legendary Poseidon Ramattra, and more. In addition, as a Season Two Premium Battle Pass owner you will automatically receive access to Overwatch’s latest hero, Ramattra!*

A mobile phone number must be linked to your Battle.net Account to play Overwatch.

*Instant Access to the Season Two Battle Pass subject to logging in to Overwatch 2 during Season Two. Provides the Season Two Battle Pass and will not award access to heroes, Battle Passes or seasonal/live content introduced after Season Two.

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As the ID@Xbox brand turns 10 years old this year, our indie publishing service is stronger than ever. With PC Game Pass able to put unique games in front of more players than ever, we wanted to take a look at how ID@Xbox is empowering developers to make their dream projects, and get them onto the screens of players across the world that are keen to find their next hidden gem.

As part of a recent ID@Xbox event, we were able to get an in-depth look at four upcoming games. The event gave us a first glimpse of gameplay and other details for Lightyear Frontier, Planet of Lana, Everspace 2, and The Last Case of Benedict Fox, some very different but equally exciting titles headed to PC Game Pass in 2023.

Xbox Wire also got to sit down with Guy Richards, Head of Global Independent Creator Partnerships at ID@Xbox, to learn more about how the publisher finds great developers and titles to bring to PC Game Pass.

Richards tells us that there are two main things that ID looks for when it comes to seeking out promising new games. The first is simple – they need to be awesome-looking, high-quality, fun projects. With PC Game Pass, it’s all about quality over quantity to ensure members are getting the best possible experiences. From his perspective, that’s one of the most fun parts of the job, getting to explore as many amazing games as possible.

“We are completely aligned on viewing the games as an art form and wanting to push the industry forward from a creative perspective,” he says.

The second is focused on diversity — the team is constantly on the lookout for something different in genre, art style, theme, from developers and studios across the globe that can tell unique stories.

“We know that Game Pass members play more genres, they play more games, and 90% of them play games they wouldn’t have played otherwise,” Richards says. “So I think it’s really important for the catalogue that we’re providing members with this huge array of awesome experiences.”

Partnering with ID@Xbox is just the first step for a game; once the journey begins, a whole world of opportunity is unveiled. Richards details how ID@Xbox is able to utilize its reach to ensure that a game finds its audience. “One of the most rewarding journeys that we can go on is seeing the reaction from fans when those games are finally announced and shown,” he says.

Another asset is the millions of Game Pass subscribers that a game is delivered to on day one. Richards tells us that discoverability is a constant topic with developers.

“Trying to find a way to stand out is harder than it’s ever been, and Game Pass is a really powerful tool for enabling that,” he says.

Your friends can help with discovering new games, too: “I’ve has this personal experience with online multiplayer titles that launch into Game Pass day one, knowing that me and my friends have all got the same game library, and we can jump online to play,” Richards explains.

There’s also the more pragmatic monetary element with which ID@Xbox and Game Pass can support developers. Richards says that Game Pass members spend 50% more on the Xbox store than non-members, on games both inside and out the catalogue.

“This support is empowering developers to take more creative risks to build the games they want to build,” he adds. “That’s what we were built to do.”

Speaking of those games, let us talk through four titles coming to PC Game Pass through ID@Xbox in 2023 – and we asked each game’s developer what being a part of PC Game Pass has offered their project.

Lightyear Frontier

Lose yourself in a beautiful new planet in Lightyear Frontier, a fresh spin on the farming genre. Equipped with your trusty, colourful mech, you’ll set out to build a new life in a mysterious new setting filled with secrets to discover.

Using your mech as a tool you can explore lots of exciting subzones, from lush fields of crops to hidden caverns brimming with rocks and stones. Forage for new plants with special properties or collect resources for upgrades, and bring them back to base to build up your homestead.

Lightyear Frontier is far from a solitary experience, you can use the radio tower to make contact with a number of NPCs living on neighbouring planets, each with their own unique information, skills and missions that will reward you with new items and knowledge. Be sure to visit the Merchant whenever they visit your landing pad too, to trade old resources for new items, and learn about the latest goings on in the surrounding areas.

If your homestead still feels a little empty, you can invite up to three friends to come over and build it with you. Explore the planet together, collaborate to create a bigger, better base and uncover as many secrets as you can.

Xbox Wire: Why did you choose to join Game Pass, and what does it offer to you as a studio?

Joakim K. Hedström, CEO of Frame Break: “We think Game Pass is an excellent environment for a unique multiplayer game like Lightyear Frontier. With a lower barrier of entry, we hope more players will try the game out, both in single player and multiplayer.”

Lightyear Frontier lands on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One – available with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass – in Spring 2023.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox

Metroidvania meets Lovecraft in this side-scrolling spooky platformer. You’ll assume the role of Benedict Fox as he works to uncover his dead father’s secrets, accompanied by a friendly demon companion.

Scout around for clues that pertain to your father’s memories, and gain valuable insights to his life work as an inventor, scouring objects in detail. as you try to uncover his magnum opus. As you solve this mystery, Benedict will be plagued by spine-chilling foes, demons with a mission to stop you piecing this puzzle together.

Benedict has a number of skills at his disposal, including various melee attacks and a dangerous pistol to keep the monsters at bay. Once you’ve slain a few demons and collected their ink, be sure to visit the tattooist, where ink can be traded for new skills that’ll help Benedict take down even deadlier foes.

Xbox Wire: Why did you choose to join Game Pass, and what does it offer to you as a studio?

Bartek Lesiakowski, Creative Director at Plot Twist: “Plot Twist isn’t the biggest studio in game devel opment, but we are ambitious. As any other developer out there, we wanted to share our stories and work with others. So going with Game Pass was a natural step for us. It’s incredible how supportive the Game Pass team always been, and the marketing support is just amazing.”

The Last Case of Benedict Fox launches for Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One – available with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass – on April 27, 2023.

Everspace 2

Strap in for a starry shootout in Everspace 2, the sequel to 2017’s Everspace swaps roguelike for Rogue One to become a semi-open-world space looter shooter filled with opportunity.

Hop into your ship and pick up jobs from every corner of the galaxy in order to earn credits and unlock better loot. Mission difficulty can be adjusted for a calmer or more intense experience, but the harder you go, the more rewarding the loot will be.

Everspace 2 features a robust campaign, and includes six different companions to befriend, each with their own skills, background and questlines. Outside of missions, there’s a wealth of planets to explore, from the flaming craters of lava planets to the gorgeous depths of mysterious ocean worlds. Each location is full of secret to explore and stories to uncover.

With nine different types of ship available, you’ll always have the right firepower at your disposal, whether it’s for flying long distances or manoeuvring through a dogfight. At the hangar, your ship can be customized even further to match your needs, tinker with everything from weapons to shields, and finetune your handling, speed and other perks to your liking. You’ll be able to change your ship’s look too, for the ultimate interstellar bounty hunter experience.

Xbox Wire: Why did you choose to join Game Pass, and what does it offer to you as a studio?

Michael Schade, ROCKFISH Games CEO and Co-Founder: “Everspace 2 is our studio’s dream game. We’ve spent the last five years focused on creating an experience that calls back to some of our favorite games while crafting something that feels new and we’re excited for the millions of Game Pass players to get hands-on with what we’re building.

“The financial boost and the extra time it allowed helped us to craft a more polished experience for players everywhere.”

Everspace 2 flies to Windows PC – available with PC Game Pass – early 2023.

Planet of Lana

A lush, hand-painted world awaits in Planet of Lana. When her quaint fishing village is invaded by mysterious war machines, our heroine Lana and trusty alien sidekick Mui must embark on a cinematic adventure to save Lana’s sister.

Lana can’t make it through the world of Novo alone, and so Mui must assist with increased manoeuvrability, long distance jumps, and other unique skills –  such as a hypnosis ability – to help the pair progress. The two will uncover help along the way, like the magic stone that allows Lana to bring old structures to life. Here, Lana can learn more about the world and the machines that destroyed her village.

Inspired by the likes of Studio Ghibli and atmospheric side-scrollers like Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee and accompanied by a score from The Last Guardian composer Takeshi Furukawa, Planet of Lana is an awe-inspiring journey of growth and survival against a mechanical invasion.

Xbox Wire: Why did you choose to join Game Pass, and what does it offer to you as a studio?

Adam Stjärnljus, Creative Director at Wishfully: “It was a really easy decision to bring Planet of Lana to Game Pass. For one it lowers the financial risk which means we can focus more on being creative and be able to design the game we want.”

“And since we’re an indie studio making our debut game it’s just an incredible opportunity that enables us to reach a huge audience that might not have discovered our game otherwise.“

Planet of Lana is heading to Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One – available with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass – in Spring 2023.

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