Hello dear readers, we are immensely pleased to have revealed our brand-new meditative action-puzzle climbing game, Jusant, at the Xbox Games Showcase yesterday.
As you may have noticed, it is quite different from Don’t Nod’s previous games in that there is no spoken dialog. Jusant tells a story, as do all our games, simply in a different way. Here, we wanted to go through some of the ways in which we tell this emotional story without words.
One of the most prevalent methods of storytelling in Jusant is environmental. You’ll start out at the bottom of this immeasurably tall tower, surrounded by arid land and desolate plains. What is this place, in the middle of nowhere? What is its purpose? Who lived here, and how? The answers may lie atop the tower, intriguing enough for you the climber to take on the challenge of reaching the peak.
There are telltale marks of civilization left on the tower itself, such as beaten paths and weathered walls, which show how old this place is, how long it’s been abandoned, and the ways the previous inhabitants traversed the structure. These marks tell us about the old ways of living and show which passages the people traveled most and the walls they climbed, as you will.
Other remnants of the past, such as old furniture, broken contraptions, rotting sail boats, will remind you that time seems to have stopped for this tower-dwelling civilization. When taking the time to explore off the beaten paths, you’ll be rewarded with frescoes, altars, and even letters you can read that provide more information about the world and its lore.
You’ll discover multiple different biomes as you ascend the tower. We wanted to include some environments and nature that we know in our world – such as deserts, mountains, caves – to give you something familiar in this strange world. We know what these places are in our world, but in this vertical world each biome had a specific purpose. By exploring the biomes, you will come to better understand how people lived and what was at stake when they were forced to leave. There are several environmental elements throughout the game that will encourage you to explore further.
While Jusant is peaceful and slow-paced (if you desire) the gameplay can be hard to master. This is because we want you to feel the sense of accomplishment and pride upon overcoming the challenges that the climb poses. It was interesting for us to have another character to offer help in this demanding journey and to again emphasize the importance of nature: a Ballast, a creature made entirely out of water. This companion will help you on the journey with its ability to open paths and wake nature along those paths, as well as reveal clues about the tower’s history. The relationship with the Ballast is harmonious: you will need one another to reach the top safely. Even without words, we tried to give a sense of symbiosis both in the gameplay and their interactions and it felt natural to give you the possibility to interact physically with the Ballast; to connect. (Petting the companion confirmed!)
Finally, is of course the music. In our lore, we put great significance on sounds and melody, which some objects and structures important to the narrative share a special connection with. We tried to illustrate this within the peaceful and atmospheric soundtrack composed by Guillaume Ferran. Music also helps us express the feelings of our characters and convey the mood. At the same time, we want to evoke emotion from you and engage in the ascension of this changing tower.
The music also represents how the relationship of both characters evolves. That’s why there is a theme for both the climber and the Ballast, and one that merges the two as another way to illustrate how complementary they are. Music is always a powerful narrative tool, and we make sure it holds a central place in this game.
Jusant, the upcoming meditative action-puzzle game from Don’t Nod, releases on Xbox Series X|S this fall and will be available with Xbox Game Pass. We can’t wait!
Since its launch in 2015, Cities: Skylines has enjoyed an eight-year reign as the optimal city builder, offering unrivalled freedom and resources that let players craft their perfect empires. Now, Paradox is set to take that one step further with Cities: Skylines II, the sequel to the long-running simulator.
Cities: Skylines II promises vast improvements to the city-building experience you know and love, while introducing exciting new elements that make yourmetropolis feel like they’re living and breathing alongside you. There are new economic simulations, traffic systems to manage the flow of your city, and realistic weather patterns that present unique challenges. Your cities now also have a buildable area of 172 square KM and can boast over 4,000 building assets – a huge expansion on the first base game.
Not only that, Cities: Skylines II has been built from the off with Xbox console players in mind, to provide the best possible experience for all those budding architects who prefer playing with a controller. We were lucky enough to speak to Mariina Hallikainen, CEO of Cities: Skylines studio Colossal Order, to learn more about what makes Cities: Skylines II the perfect sequel regardless of how and where you play.
Evolution For Players
PC players will feel right at home with the controls of Cities: Skylines II, but the delight here is now console players and their needs have been top-of-mind since development began. Hallikainen tells us that crafting a convenient console experience has been a “crucial part” of the game’s design.
“The game was designed for all platforms simultaneously, meaning it is the same code base, same UI, same achievements for all players. This allows for the same kind of experience, no matter on what device you decide to play on,” Hallikainen says.
“Unlike its predecessor Cities: Skylines II has been developed for multiple platforms from the start. It doesn’t matter if you want to design the perfect traffic network, the most efficient public services or just build the most beautiful skyline imaginable, everything is more fun and more relaxing when you do it from your couch.”
The UI and controls have been expertly crafted and tested with the controller in mind, too. Hallikainen tells us that you’ll be able to navigate the UI seamlessly whether you’re using a controller or a mouse and a keyboard.
Whole New World
Cities: Skylines II has been built to take onboard all the lessons learned from the making of its predecessor — as well as fan feedback — in order to make it feel more alive than ever before.
The most noticeable change up front is that Cities: Skylines II is much, much bigger. Each map is made up of 441 tiles, which can be unlocked in any order you want.
“You can grow a continuous city from the starting tiles, create smaller separate areas connected by pre-built highways in the map or anything in-between,” Hallikainen tells us. “The cities can become massive and your imagination is the only limit!”
“The cities can become massive and your imagination is the only limit!”
The visuals of Cities: Skylines II take advantage of the latest graphics technologies as well, presenting the cities in much greater detail.
“Lighting is physics-based and the sun’s position depends on the latitude of the map, giving the game a more realistic look that strives to also replicate the lighting conditions of different areas around the earth faithfully,” Hallikainen adds.
The simulation in Cities: Skylines II has been overhauled and is much more detailed than before; the inhabitants of your city – be it citizens, vehicles, businesses — react to their environment, the changes around them, and have entire paths that you can observe.
“It supports a redesigned economic system which is built on real-life economic models,” Hallikainen tells us. “This means that citizens in Cities: Skylines II earn money and spend it on living, travelling and activities in their free time.”
Companies find locations with good connections to resources and access to the workforce, and adjust their production in real time to help boost their profitability. The various new material resources allow for a deeper business simulation as the companies sell, buy, import, export and refine the resources into goods that are then sold to citizens and other companies.
The pathfinding and traffic AI have also been reworked to make for a more immersive experience. Vehicles can make decisions on the fly that will improve the flow of traffic, such as changing lanes, and will even try to give way to emergency vehicles passing by. It’s smarter, reactive, and makes for hyper-realistic management.
“Another cool and new thing is the introduction of parking spaces, which really makes the cities feel more realistic,” Hallikainen adds. “The citizens need to find a parking space and that will further drive up the importance of handling roads and traffic.”
Power to the People
Another striking new addition to Cities: Skylines II is the Lifepath feature, which allows you to track your citizens, who they are, what they do, and where they’re going at any time.
Each citizen has their own income and expenditures, and all of them are intertwined to affect the choices they make, such as where they live or where they want to shop – and how they want to get there.
“Citizens have been an integral part of Cities: Skylines since the beginning, so in Cities: Skylines II we wanted to give them more agency through the advanced AI and simulation, as well as a way to meaningfully voice their opinions about the city,” Hallikainen explains.
Even with all this added depth, the economy simulation is designed to balance itself out in most cases in order to provide the player a smooth playing experience, Hallikainen assures. The economy simulation helps beginners and newly-founded cities to succeed, but more experienced players can delve deeper into the simulation and work out its intricacies to fine tune their city more.
Changing with the Seasons
Seasons are a brand-new feature for Cities: Skylines, and they go far beyond your typical expectation of seeing sun in the summer and snow in the winter. Hallikainen tells us that that they’ll recreate realistic weather patterns found on different sides of the globe, an updated pollution system where air pollution now takes wind direction into account, and groundwater options for freshwater pumping.
“Seasons work differently on each map as the exact position and latitude of the map defines how the weather and thus the seasons will affect the gameplay,” Hallikainen explains. “Seasonal variations will have an impact on the electricity consumption, traffic and weather which will give players additional problems to adjust to. Players can expect familiar challenges as in Cities: Skylines II, but the added depth in the simulation will provide new challenges to tackle for those that are well-versed in crafting a digital metropolis.
However, the AI is perfectly balanced to support newcomers to the series, and players can familiarise themselves with the game’s wealth of features and assets at their own pace.
“Even with all this added depth, the economy simulation is designed to balance itself out in most cases in order to provide the player a smooth playing experience,” Hallikainen explains. “The economy simulation helps out beginners and newly-found cities to succeed but more experienced players can delve deeper into the simulation and work out its intricacies to fine tune their city more.”
So whether you’re a seasoned architect ready to take your building game to the next level, or an aspirational overlord raring to put down your very first road tile, Cities: Skylines II is poised to welcome you into its world, and its bigger, bigger and bolder than you could ever imagine.
Cities: Skylines II is heading to PC, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass on October 24th.
Create and manage your own city without restrictions. Offering a deep simulation and a living economy, Cities: Skylines II will challenge your decision-making skills and allow you to build the cities of your dreams. Get ready for a new epic scale in the most realistic city builder – ever.
Here your city will evolve and react to your decisions. A dynamic and ever-changing world that is both challenging and rewarding. Use your creativity and strategic planning skills to grow your city into a thriving metropolis that will attract businesses, residents, and tourists alike. From residential neighborhoods to bustling downtowns, the possibilities are endless. Navigate through the complexities of running a city and keep up with the needs and demands of your citizens.
See your city grow and transform over time. With stunning graphics that are as beautiful as they are detailed, Cities: Skylines II will bring your city to life.
Today, at Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct, we showed the exciting future for players and game creators – dozens of new games, a new 1TB Series S console and new ways for players to get their games anywhere with PC Game Pass coming to NVIDIA GeForce NOW later this year. After our double feature, Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox Creator Experience, Sarah Bond, Head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, and Game Director at Bethesda Game Studios, Todd Howard also addressed the future of gaming at Microsoft in our What’s Next for Gaming event.
Players are discovering and playing games like never before – we have reached new records for monthly active users and monthly active devices, and just last quarter we saw a 46% increase year over year in people playing PC games on Game Pass. Game Pass continues to grow – our revenue from subscriptions overall reached nearly $1 billion last quarter.
We’re excited about the future of Xbox, and we see the opportunity to grow not only our own business, but the entire industry as a whole – through creating groundbreaking new games, inviting creators to build their dream projects on our platform, and opening gaming up to everyone, no matter where they are in the world. These are our key pillars to help continue that growth.
Xbox players, across all formats, will see new exclusives arrive more reliably
We know that players choose to play Xbox because of great content. Our ambition is to release at least four first-party games a year- although we’ll also balance that out with careful consideration for each project’s needs. That’s on top of the work our teams are doing to grow our existing communities that we’ve fostered over many years like The Elder Scrolls Online, Sea of Thieves, Minecraft, Forza, and so on. In the last five years, our teams across Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda have shipped 10 games with over 10 million players each life to date, from new IPs like Sea of Thieves and Grounded, to franchise entries like Minecraft Legends and Elder Scrolls Online.
Our first-party games now have over 150 million monthly active users. We’re committed to investing in new franchises, taking risks, and creating the most diverse line-up of games from any company in the industry – and the likes of Fable, Clockwork Revolution, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and more represent the most ambitious line-up of games we’ve ever presented.
Of course, Starfield is one of these games. With a simultaneous release on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Steam – with Game Pass day one on Xbox, PC and Cloud – it’s our belief that Starfield will become the most-played Bethesda Game Studios title, ever. Bethesda Game Studios has built on the Xbox development platform for a long time, and now that Bethesda is a part of the Xbox family, we’ve been able to support them more than ever – and it’s allowed the team to create the most ambitious game in the studio’s history, inside their first new universe for over 25 years.
We enable creators of all sizes
In today’s Showcase, we included ID@Xbox games like Dungeons of Hinterberg, a game from a husband-and-wife duo in Austria, whose debut title shared a Showcase with Starfield. With our support, we allow creators of all sizes to create the games they want to, at whatever scale they need.
To do that we offer multiple paths into the business, and multiple paths to success. Our indie program, ID@Xbox, has now paid out over $4 billion to over 5,000 creators in over 100 countries. Our new Developer Acceleration Program is helping to bring new, less-heard voices into the space – we’ve already helped to fund projects from 30 underrepresented developers and are in contact with 250 more.
Game Pass offers a way to get games played by millions of members. One of Sarah Bond’s favorite notes coming out of the Showcase is that every one of the Game Pass titles featured this year comes from a creator that has previously released a game with Game Pass. We’ve also expanded PC Game pass to 46 more markets, bringing us to a total of 86, so game developers can reach millions of people in new countries.
There are currently more than 5,000 games in development for Xbox from developers across 100 countries – that’s more games in development from third parties than at any time in Xbox history. With this wellspring of games to come, our vision is to enable Xbox to offer the most diverse, easy-to-access line-up in the industry – you’re never far from finding your next favorite game.
We want to bring gaming everywhere
In today’s Showcase we showed Forza Motorsport, Starfield, South of Midnight, and more definitively next-gen games – titles that utilize the power of the Xbox Series X. Supply chain issues have now eased and we’ve been able to increase our supply globally making Xbox Series X easier to find than ever before, just in time for the line-up of exclusives we showed today to arrive.
We also offer the most affordable way into next-gen with the Xbox Series S, opening modern gaming up to more players than ever before. It’s a strategy that’s working – our data shows more than half of Series S buyers were new to the Xbox platform – and today we built on that strategy. We’ve heard your calls for more storage – withthe new black Series S, we’ve introduced a version of the console with 1TB of space, perfect for those looking to build out a fuller library on their console. It will hit store shelves on September 1. We’ve also recently worked with our partners at WD and Seagate to bring down the price of our expandable storage and introduce more size options for our plug-and-play solution.
We’re also making the Xbox console experience even faster and more user-friendly, working on an all-new Home User Experience. After testing in our Insider program for several months, and continuously refining through Insider feedback and user research, we will be bringing a fresh look anchored on discoverability that will begin rolling out to all users in the coming months.
Today we shared that Game Pass members will soon be able to stream select PC games from the library through Nvidia GeForce NOW. This will enable the PC Game Pass catalog to be played on any device that GeForce NOW streams to, like low spec PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, mobile devices, TVs, and more, and we’ll be rolling this out in the months ahead. We’re excited by our future – to grow the industry, bring great new first-party titles every year, give partners more ways to deliver and access games and offer multiple ways to play all of them, wherever our players want to play. We are looking forward to going on this journey together with our community.
Today at the Xbox Games Showcase we revealed that Forza Motorsport is coming October 10, 2023, to Xbox Series X|S, Windows 10 and 11 PCs via the Microsoft Store and Steam, and with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and support for Cloud Gaming (Beta).
We also shared more details on Forza Motorsport’s cover cars. The stunning 2023 No.01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R racecar and 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray will be available for fans to drive in Forza Motorsport at release.
The Forza Motorsport community is fueled by its passion for competition. We can’t wait for you all to experience these innovative and ultra-modern cars from General Motors in our game.
In addition to this closer look at Forza Motorsport’s cover cars, we also revealed our latest trailer during the Xbox Games Showcase, which was captured in-game on PC:
Experience Over 500 Cars at Launch
As we mentioned in January, Forza Motorsport launches with 20 completely rebuilt tracks from around the world with multiple layouts, including 5 never-before-seen tracks in a Motorsport game. Each feature fully dynamic time-of-day with weather, living crowds, and tracks that rubber in and react to temperature changes.
As for the cars you’ll be racing on these tracks, Forza Motorsport starts with over 500 cars at release including modern race cars. You’ll have spotted a few in our new trailer and the latest screenshots we’ve featured in this blog! Here’s a snapshot of the cars we showed today:
Wield Specialized Track Competitors in the Builders Cup Career Mode
Out-build the competition by earning over 800 performance upgrades and race our most advanced AI opponents yet in an all-new, fun and rewarding single-player campaign, the Builders Cup Career Mode.
We’ll properly introduce you to this single-player car building experience, including a full walkthrough with actual gameplay in our next Forza Monthly livestream on Tuesday, June 13 at 11:00am PDT / 6:00pm UTC following the Xbox Games Showcase Extended. We’ll see you there!
Race the World Alongside Your Friends
Compete for the podium in Featured Multiplayer events with a race weekend inspired structure or create the racing you and your friends desire in Free Play.
Online racing is safer, more fun, and more competitive with AI-powered Forza Race Regulations, tire and fuel strategy, and new driver and safety ratings.
Pre-order Forza Motorsport to Receive Early Access
Pre-order the Forza Motorsport Premium Edition and be first on the starting line with 5 days of early access beginning October 5, 2023. Xbox Game Pass members, as well as Forza Motorsport Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition players, can upgrade to the Premium Add-Ons Bundle to receive early access and all other add-on content included in the Premium Edition.
Steam players, add Forza Motorsport to your wish list starting today to be notified when pre-orders are available and follow the game to receive the latest news and announcements delivered to your Steam library.
To help you decide which version of the game is best for you, check out the contents of the Forza Motorsport Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Editions below:
• The Forza Motorsport Premium Edition includes the full game with 5 days early access, the Race Day Car Pack, Car Pass (30 cars delivered to your game weekly, one per week), VIP Membership and Welcome Pack.
• Out-build the competition using more than 800 performance upgrades in the all-new, fun and rewarding single-player experience, the Builders Cup Career Mode.
• Race alongside your friends in adjudicated multiplayer events with tire and fuel strategy, a race weekend inspired structure and new driver and safety ratings.
• Compete with cutting edge AI opponents, advanced physics, powerful assists, new damage and dirt systems and photorealistic visuals with real-time ray tracing on-track.
• Immerse yourself in over 500 real cars across 20 world-famous environments, including fan favorite locations and multiple track layouts, each featuring fully dynamic time-of-day with weather and unique driving conditions.
Race over 500 real-world cars including modern race cars and more than 100 cars new to Forza Motorsport. Make every lap count across 20 living environments with fan-favorite locations and multiple track layouts to master, each featuring live on-track scoring, fully dynamic time-of-day with weather and unique driving conditions that ensure no two laps ever look or play the same.
Experience a cutting-edge simulation with incredible photorealistic visuals that deliver real-time ray tracing on-track, new damage and dirt accumulation systems, and massively upgraded physics featuring powerful assists and a 48x improvement in tire fidelity.
Out-build the competition by earning over 800 performance upgrades and race our most advanced AI opponents yet in an all-new, fun and rewarding single-player campaign, the Builders Cup Career Mode.
Compete the podium in Featured Multiplayer* events with a race weekend inspired structure or create the racing you and your friends desire in Free Play. Online racing is safer, more fun and more competitive with AI-powered Forza Race Regulations, tire and fuel strategy, and new driver and safety ratings.
Immerse yourself in an expanding world of motorsport. New career championships and online events will be regularly introduced offering unique challenges, incredible new cars and tracks, and exciting new gameplay experiences for years to come. Forza Motorsport Premium Edition includes the full game with 5 days early access, Race Day Car Pack, Car Pass, VIP Membership and Welcome Pack.
Race Day Car Pack features 8, new-to-Forza cars built exclusively for the racetrack including high-performance machines; Car Pass delivers 30, new-to-Forza cars to your game weekly, one per week, for you to collect, build and race (available as released); Welcome Pack jumpstarts your career with 5 immediate car unlocks and bonus credits that you can use towards purchasing the car of your dreams; and VIP Membership provides a PERMANENT 2X CREDITS BOOST, 5 Forza Edition cars reserved for VIP Members, VIP Driver Gear with 5 colorways to choose from, the VIP Player Card, VIP Crown Flair, VIP-exclusive Rivals events and more.
*(online console multiplayer requires Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Live Gold, sold separately)
• The Forza Motorsport Deluxe Edition includes the full game and Car Pass (30 cars delivered to your game weekly, one per week).
• Out-build the competition using more than 800 performance upgrades in the all-new, fun and rewarding single-player experience, the Builders Cup Career Mode.
• Race alongside your friends in adjudicated multiplayer events with tire and fuel strategy, a race weekend inspired structure and new driver and safety ratings.
• Compete with cutting edge AI opponents, advanced physics, powerful assists, new damage and dirt systems and photorealistic visuals with real-time ray tracing on-track.
• Immerse yourself in over 500 real cars across 20 world-famous environments, including fan favorite locations and multiple track layouts, each featuring fully dynamic time-of-day with weather and unique driving conditions.
Race over 500 real-world cars including modern race cars and more than 100 cars new to Forza Motorsport. Make every lap count across 20 living environments with fan-favorite locations and multiple track layouts to master, each featuring live on-track scoring, fully dynamic time-of-day with weather and unique driving conditions that ensure no two laps ever look or play the same.
Experience a cutting-edge simulation with incredible photorealistic visuals that deliver real-time ray tracing on-track, new damage and dirt accumulation systems, and massively upgraded physics featuring powerful assists and a 48x improvement in tire fidelity.
Out-build the competition by earning over 800 performance upgrades and race our most advanced AI opponents yet in an all-new, fun and rewarding single-player campaign, the Builders Cup Career Mode.
Compete for the podium in Featured Multiplayer* events with a race weekend inspired structure or create the racing you and your friends desire in Free Play. Online racing is safer, more fun and more competitive with AI-powered Forza Race Regulations, tire and fuel strategy, and new driver and safety ratings.
Immerse yourself in an expanding world of motorsport. New career championships and online events will be regularly introduced offering unique challenges, incredible new cars and tracks, and exciting new gameplay experiences for years to come.
Forza Motorsport Deluxe Edition includes the full game and Car Pass.
Car Pass delivers 30, new-to-Forza cars to your game weekly, one per week, for you to collect, build and race (available as released).
*(online console multiplayer requires Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Live Gold, sold separately)
• Out-build the competition using more than 800 performance upgrades in the all-new, fun and rewarding single-player experience, the Builders Cup Career Mode.
• Race alongside your friends in adjudicated multiplayer events with tire and fuel strategy, a race weekend inspired structure and new driver and safety ratings.
• Compete with cutting edge AI opponents, advanced physics, powerful assists, new damage and dirt systems and photorealistic visuals with real-time ray tracing on-track.
• Immerse yourself in over 500 real cars across 20 world-famous environments, including fan favorite locations and multiple track layouts, each featuring fully dynamic time-of-day with weather and unique driving conditions.
Race over 500 real-world cars including modern race cars and more than 100 cars new to Forza Motorsport. Make every lap count across 20 living environments with fan-favorite locations and multiple track layouts to master, each featuring live on-track scoring, fully dynamic time-of-day with weather and unique driving conditions that ensure no two laps ever look or play the same.
Experience a cutting-edge simulation with incredible photorealistic visuals that deliver real-time ray tracing on-track, new damage and dirt accumulation systems, and massively upgraded physics featuring powerful assists and a 48x improvement in tire fidelity.
Out-build the competition by earning over 800 performance upgrades and race our most advanced AI opponents yet in an all-new, fun and rewarding single-player campaign, the Builders Cup Career Mode.
Compete for the podium in Featured Multiplayer* events with a race weekend inspired structure or create the racing you and your friends desire in Free Play. Online racing is safer, more fun and more competitive with AI-powered Forza Race Regulations, tire and fuel strategy, and new driver and safety ratings.
Immerse yourself in an expanding world of motorsport. New career championships and online events will be regularly introduced offering unique challenges, incredible new cars and tracks, and exciting new gameplay experiences for years to come.
*(online console multiplayer requires Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Live Gold, sold separately)
October 10 is only the start of this journey. Forza Motorsport will continue to evolve and expand after its release with regular new career championships and online events, incredible new cars and tracks, and exciting new gameplay experiences over time.
There is so much about Forza Motorsport that we can’t wait to show you. From our new online racing mode to all the technical and gameplay innovations, as well as our car and track reveals, the next few months will be exciting!
Stay tuned to Forza.net and our Forza Monthly livestreams to ensure you don’t miss a beat, and as a reminder, we’ll be live on Tuesday at Twitch.tv/Forza, YouTube.com/Forza and Steam to give you a full walkthrough of our single-player gameplay.
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!
Dordogne – June 13 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass: Immerse yourself in a unique narrative experience and explore the thousand summer colors of Dordogne as you revisit your childhood to uncover lost family secrets in this touching formative journey. Playable on Cloud, Console, and PC.
A story-driven survival horror game that takes place during the early ‘90s. As Ryan Baker, equipped with a baseball bat and a few bullets in his trusty revolver, the story takes you across the atmospheric neighborhood of Greyhill, which is invaded by UFOs and Grey Aliens.
Get ready to arm yourself to the teeth and save the world from a cyborg invasion! Brave Soldier – Invasion of Cyborgs is a side-scrolling run ’n gun action game that recalls the 2D pixel art style and tough-but-fair challenge of 16-bit and arcade classics. Take the role of a courageous commando as he stomps through 30 unique stages spanning jungles, snowfields, clifftops, and more.
Enter a low-poly environment where castles, tough soldiers, battle-hardened knights, and loyal bishops are the true stars in this unique chess game. Use your best strategies to open a path and conquer the castle of your opponent’s king.
F1 23 – June 15 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
The official videogame of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship. A new chapter in the thrilling “Braking Point” story mode delivers high-speed drama and heated rivalries. Race wheel-to-wheel at new Las Vegas and Qatar circuits and earn rewards and upgrades in F1 World. New Red Flags add an authentic strategic element, and the 35% Race Distance feature delivers more action and excitement while experiencing updated 2023 cars with the official F1 lineup of your favorite 20 drivers and 10 teams. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play members can enjoy a Play First Trial starting June 13 with the launch of the F1 23: Champions Edition.
An original narrative adventure and love letter to those who are there for us whenever we do not feel like ourselves. The game tackles sensitive topics with an approachable narrative, relatable characters, and resonating dialogue featuring tons of exploration, fun mini-games, and casual platforming.
Beat ‘Em Up Archives (QUByte Classics) is a collection of two beat ‘em up classic games: Iron Commando and Legend, both released in the ‘90s. In Iron Commando, you’ll take on a quest to stop G.H.O.S.T. from capturing a radioactive meteorite. Legend is an arcade-style side-scrolling beat ’em up that takes place in the kingdom of Sellech.
A pinball machine game where you’ll try to score points while avoiding sharks, octopus, and many other perils. Discover all the missions and secrets in this unique pinball arcade machine. Complete all the missions and become number 1 in the world (or the best among your friends), posting your high score on the online leaderboard.
Punch, whip, and zipline your way through a post-apocalyptic America in this 16-bit, retro-style action platformer! Play as Taro Takahashi, a resistance soldier on a revenge mission against the dictator who lords over the ashes.
Army of Ruin is an auto-shooter in which you guide legendary heroes on a quest to defeat the Armies of Evil. Use the unique skills of each hero to turn the tides when they least expect it. Enhance your trinkets and equipment and find powerful combinations that will evolve your weapons beyond their limits!
After wandering into the forest, Marnie discovers a young female knight in a glade, clutching a sword – the knight has been sleeping for many centuries, but Marnie has inadvertently woken her up. Together, the two young girls go on an adventure in this narrative-focused adventure game.
The people of Boston are shocked by the recent series of mysterious murders, and you are given a task of bringing the culprit to justice as fast as possible. As the police detective Emily Meyer, you are facing the task of solving the case of a mysterious “Guilty Man” in this hidden object adventure game.
Take on a series of epic battles against powerful bosses and unlock new abilities and power-ups to become an ultimate warrior. Dodge a barrage of laser beams and explosions to make sure you are the last one standing in this high-energy, action-packed shooter set in a fantastic 2D world.
Create the park of your dreams without being held back by gravity! Take the role of a visionary architect for a struggling company and create mind-twisting theme parks. You can create the rides you have always dreamed about but that couldn’t exist in real life. Team up with Phil, the enthusiastic park veteran, Izzy, the stern but friendly executive, and a host of other colorful and passionate characters, to build a successful and profitable park company.
Speed or Death is a frenzied racing game where the most important thing isn’t reaching the finish line but surviving the chaos around you. Unlock the different cars and live to tell the tale another day.
Welcome to the home of The Butcher. Why are you here? Why has this mad man chosen you, and what are his plans for you? How will you escape? Can you even escape? All these questions have answers, but you must seek them out. If only you’d heeded their warning to… stay out of the house.
During today’s industry-shattering Devolver Direct, we had the distinct pleasure of revealing brand new gameplay for two of our most anticipated games for Xbox Series X|S: The Talos Principle 2 and Wizard with a Gun! In case you missed it (where were you?!), read on to learn more about these gorgeous games.
Question the nature of the cosmos with The Talos Principle 2
The Talos Principle 2 is the long-awaited sequel to 2014’s smash hit philosophical puzzler. Set in a distant future where humankind has long been extinct, human culture lives on through interminable robots made in our image. Embarking on a quest to investigate a mysterious megastructure, you will be confronted with questions about the nature of the cosmos, faith versus reason, and the fear of repeating humankind’s mistakes. If you’re a fan of mind-bending puzzles, rich storylines and big, beautiful sci-fi worlds, then this is the game for you!
The Talos Principle 2 is the biggest, most ambitious, most thought-provoking game Croteam (Serious Sam 3: BFE, Serious Sam 4, The Talos Principle), has made yet, and you can play it on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S later this year.
Survive within a magical wilderness in Wizard with a Gun
We heard gamers crave stunning co-operative experiences packed with magical weapons and weird creatures — as it happens, developer Galvanic Games have just the thing!
Wizard with a Gun is a sandbox survival game set in a magical wilderness wrought with dangerous creatures and arcane mysteries. Embark on your journey alone or with a friend, collecting resources, crafting items, and customising your wizard’s magical tower to your heart’s content.
Carefully design weapons and ammunition using ingredients found throughout procedurally generated worlds, creating unique and unusual combinations to tackle increasingly mounting odds. But monsters are not the only threat, as the magic you wield threatens to escalate beyond your control!
We’re proud to share these exciting new games with you all and can’t wait until players on Xbox Series X|S get to experience them both later this year!
Hello! My name is Tyler Lansdown, Community Manager at NetherRealm Studios. Now that you’ve seen the gameplay trailer at Summer Game Fest (if you haven’t… GO DO THAT NOW! I’ll wait.), let’s dive deep and find out more about the fighting systems in Mortal Kombat 1.
In this exciting new iteration of the Mortal Kombat Universe, we wanted to give our players a new level of player expression… enter Kameo Fighters. In Mortal Kombat 1, Kameos are a unique roster of partner characters that assist your main roster fighter during matches. Kameos give you an advantage in every fight, providing an arsenal of additional Special Moves, and aiding their teammate with Throws and Breakers. Kameos are also one half of the bone-krushing Fatal Blows and feature their own Fatality.
Each Kameo Fighter is unique, and brings different strengths to the fight. Maybe your favorite roster character has excellent offense but isn’t as strong on defense – you could use Kameo Kano to shore up defense by using his knives and the threat of Kano ball as a keep-out tool. Or choose a Kameo to enhance your strengths.
Maybe you are all about flashy kombos! Use Kameo Sonya Blade and gain access to ground kombos with leg grab, or extend air kombos with square wave. And lastly, if you like setups, mind games, and traps, you could choose Jax and use his ground pound to force action and then air grab to thwart jump-in attempts. It is entirely up to you to figure out which character pairs best with each Kameo. We are very excited to see the fighter-Kameo combinations that our players come up with.
But it’s not just Kameos that drive the fight forward. Show off your skills on the ground and in the air! In Mortal Kombat 1, air kombos have returned! Start a high damaging kombo on the ground, take the fight to the sky, and slam your opponent back down to earth. Or continue the kombo from there – it’s up to you. The fight can take place anywhere in Mortal Kombat 1!
There is so much more to talk about when it comes to Kombat, but that will have to wait for another time! Stay tuned on our social media channels for up-to-the-minute news and updates. September 19 can’t get here fast enough!
Pre-order now to get Playable Character Shang Tsung, and Early Access to Mortal Kombat 1.
It’s In Our Blood!
Discover a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang. Mortal Kombat 1 ushers in a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities! Premium Edition includes Kombat Pack, 1 week early access to downloadable content characters, and 1250 Dragon Krystals (In-game Currency).
Pre-order now to get Playable Character Shang Tsung
It’s In Our Blood!
Discover a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang. Mortal Kombat 1 ushers in a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities!
A corruptive presence has invaded the Federal Bureau of Control and only you have the power to stop it. Keeping it simple and putting YOU in Control with Free Play Days! Control is available this weekend for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday, June 8 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, June 11 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
How to Start Playing
Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and enter the Gold member area to locate the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Keep the Fun Going
Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and earned achievements during the event! Please note that discounts and percentages may vary by title and region.
After a secretive agency in New York is invaded by an otherworldly threat, you become the new Director struggling to regain Control.
From developer Remedy Entertainment, this supernatural 3rd person action-adventure will challenge you to master the combination of supernatural abilities, modifiable loadouts and reactive environments while fighting through a deep and unpredictable world.
Control is Jesse Faden’s story and her personal search for answers as she grows into the role of the Director. The world of Control has its own story, as do the allies Jesse meets along the way. Jesse works with other Bureau agents and discovers strange experiments and secrets.
Don’t miss out on this exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.
We are thrilled to announce that Nova Lands, the highly anticipated video game, will be launching on Xbox One on June 21, 2023. Prepare yourself for an immersive experience as you step into a vast and diverse world teeming with unique biomes, fascinating creatures, and endless possibilities.
Explore and Customize Your World
Nova Lands combines the elements of base building, automation mechanics, and adventure to offer players an unparalleled gaming experience. As you embark on your journey, you’ll be captivated by the stunning landscapes and challenged to survive and thrive in this mesmerizing universe.
With an array of building and crafting mechanics at your disposal, you can customize your structures and equipment to suit your individual needs and style. Unleash your creativity as you unlock new technologies that will aid your mission of survival and prosperity.
Master the Art of Automation
In Nova Lands, advanced automation technology becomes your ally. At the beginning of the game, you’ll unlock the ability to create and configure bots with unique functions, revolutionizing the way you approach industry and resource management. Witness the satisfaction of watching these bots in action as they tirelessly carry out their assigned tasks.
There are three types of bots available to you. The purple collector bot can be assigned to gather specific materials and deliver them to any location you choose. The yellow logistics bot transports collected materials to the areas where they are most needed. Finally, the blue fighter bot can be utilized for hunting or defense, depending on the situation.
But that’s not all. Nova Lands offers a plethora of tools to assist you in automating your planetary industry. Drones are at your disposal to efficiently deliver materials between islands, while specialized transporter arms work hand-in-hand with logistics bots to move extracted resources.
Reach for the Stars: The Space Station Beckons
As you expand your industrial empire, Nova Lands presents the opportunity for even greater achievements. In due course, you will have the chance to engage in interplanetary trade and construct your very own spaceship, opening up a new realm of possibilities.
Venture into the vastness of space and pay a visit to the Space Station—an interstellar hub bustling with life. Here, you will encounter NPCs, embark on quests, peruse intriguing shops, and uncover various points of interest waiting to be explored.
A World of Wonder and Danger Awaits
Nova Lands is a world comprised of multiple islands, each brimming with its own unique minerals, flora, fauna, and points of interest.
Along your journey, you will encounter NPCs who offer quests and equipment upgrades, and some may even become your allies. However, beware of the dangers that lurk in the shadows, for dangerous creatures also inhabit this captivating world.
As you venture deeper into Nova Lands, you’ll unveil a tapestry of mysteries waiting to be unraveled. Prepare to discover the secrets that lie beneath the surface and unravel the enigmas that will shape your journey.
Join Nova Lands on June 21
Mark your calendars and gear up for an exciting adventure of base building, automation, and interplanetary exploration. Nova Lands will be available on Xbox One starting June 21, 2023. Immerse yourself in a world of boundless creativity and adorable bots that assist in automating your interplanetary industry. Get ready to embark on an unforgettable journey across the vast expanse of Nova Lands!
Pre-Order Nova Landsnow. Be a pioneer, shaping and conquering with endless possibilities today!
If you were to mix Factorio, Forager, and Satisfactory, Nova Lands would be just that. Explore, build, and automate your base in this awesome, open-world 2D game!
BASE BUILDING
New planet, new home. Build your new base with all sorts of resources available to you, from basic rocks and wood to rare and unknown materials. Unlock new possibilities with every new building, maximize efficiency, and push deeper to other islands.
AUTOMATION
As you progress through the game, you will be able to automate more and more things, freeing up more time to explore! Your little helper bots will be instrumental in helping you do that.
WHAT ARE THE BOTS?
The bots are the tipping point where your ingenuity will begin to shine. These little self-sufficient machines can form entire production chains and sustain your industry all on its own. They’re easy to set up and manage.
THE ISLANDS AND EXPLORATION
Just like you’re not the only person to land on this planet, your started island is one of many! Kickstart your industry to get all the tech you need and comfortably explore other islands. You’ll come across various biomes, creatures, landmarks, caves, and some really important people…
COMBAT
Of course, there’s a blaster you can fire, and critters large enough to be a real menace! Engage in combat and gather rare materials, or, go the full pacifist route and remain a kind guest to this planet – even when boss creatures are concerned. Be prepared to offer valuables to make peace with them, however.
