If I went to hell, I can’t imagine the first thing on my mind would be trying to pull off a bank job with a crew of fellow damned souls. However, in freshly announced tactical RPG Thousand Hells: The Underworld Heists, that’s the sort thing you’ll be doing, with plenty of choice and consequence if things go pear-shaped.
Thousand Hells is the latest cool thing from Six Ages and King of Dragon Pass devs A Sharp. While they’re working with Kitfox Games as publisher again, there’s plenty of different stuff going on, including a move away from world of Glorantha as a setting. That’s in favour of fantasy pastures new, inspired by myths of the ancient proto-Indo-European, Norse, and Mesopotamian varieties. Oh, and a dash of Hieronymus Bosch’s lovely paintings.
A short time ago, Dbrand came under fire for design issues with its Killswitch Case for Switch 2 – in short, some users were finding that, with the case attached, the magnetic connection between the console and its Joy-Con 2 controllers was weakened, leading to them disengaging unintentionally.
At the time, Dbrand appeared to dismiss the issue, only to quickly apologise and promise to issue replacement parts that would solve the problem. It has now contacted its customers to clarify how it is dealing with the fault.
History Reclaimed, Futures Reimagined: Celebrating Indigenous Storytelling Through Games
Team Xbox
Summary
Indigenous creators are reshaping the gaming landscape by telling authentic stories that reclaim historical narratives and imagine empowered futures, rooted in tradition and lived experience.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition spotlights this shift, with cultural expert Anthony Brave leading the respectful representation of Indigenous peoples as he penned the new ’Shadow’ campaign storyline.
Xbox is celebrating and supporting Indigenous voices in gaming through a curated collection of games by Indigenous developers and storytellers, highlighting the power of games as a modern vessel for cultural preservation, education, and community.
Gaming has evolved into more than pure entertainment. It’s now a dynamic canvas for culture. It can breathe life into ancestral knowledge, preserve endangered languages, give form to lived experiences, and become a vessel for empathy and understanding. A new generation of Indigenous creators are leveraging this canvas, not just to tell their stories, but to reshape how history is remembered and how futures are imagined.
Through games, indigenous creators are reclaiming the narrative; telling stories of survival, resilience, joy and identity rooted in tradition and grounded in truth. When Indigenous creators make games that reflect their cultures, these games become vessels for continuity, remembrance, and self-determination – and, from those playing them, new understanding.
This year, in honor of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Xbox is proud to spotlight Indigenous voices reshaping the world of interactive storytelling. Among them is Anthony Brave, a Sicangu Oyate (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) and Chippewa-Cree descendant, who served as the lead cultural expert on Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.
Anthony helped ensure Indigenous representation in the game was accurate, nuanced, and deeply respectful. He also penned ‘Shadow’, the second act in The War Chiefs storyline, an emotionally rich campaign told through the perspective of an Indigenous protagonist navigating the complexities of identity, survival, and legacy.
As a consultant, writer, and cultural ambassador, Anthony’s work exemplifies what’s possible when Indigenous creators are empowered to tell their own stories. Through his voice, and those of other creators featured in our curated collection of games by and about Indigenous communities, we see a new standard emerging, one where consultation is expected, and cultural respect is foundational.
When history gets a new perspective directly from the source, everyone benefits. These stories do more than entertain; they teach, challenge, and inspire. They remind us that tradition is not stuck in the past. It is active, evolving, and ready to shape the future.
Join us in celebrating Indigenous creators, honoring their contributions to gaming, and supporting a more thoughtful and truthful way of telling stories today and for generations to come.
PLAY
Discover Games Shaped by Indigenous Communities
Celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples through the power of play. During August and beyond, you can play a variety of game collections highlighting iconic games and franchises created by Indigenous developers, showcasing how their unique perspectives have shaped the gaming world we know today.
Check out a few highlights from our full Xbox Games Collectioncelebrating International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples:
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition completes the celebration of one of the most beloved real-time strategy franchises in definitive form, with enhanced features and modernized gameplay. Command mighty civilizations from across Europe and the Americas or jump to the battlefields of Asia in stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics and with a fully remastered soundtrack. Now featuring two new game modes: Co-Op Historical Battles and The Art of War Challenge Missions, including all previously released expansions and all 14 civilizations, plus two brand new civilizations – the Swedes and Inca.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits A story-driven action-adventure set in a charming world rich with exploration and fast-paced combat. Players find and grow a team of tiny spirit companions called the Rot, enhancing their abilities and creating new ways to manipulate the environment. Kena, a young Spirit Guide, travels to an abandoned village in search of the sacred mountain shrine. She struggles to uncover the secrets of this forgotten community hidden in an overgrown forest where wandering spirits are trapped.
Aztech: Forgotten Gods A cyber-stone action-adventure following Achtli, a young woman who battles the colossal Forgotten Gods. To uncover the truth behind her far-future Mesoamerican metropolis, she’ll have to turn the Gods’ power against them, as she soars through the city with power and grace using an ancient artifact, remnant of a time long forgotten.
Carto A charming adventure game wrapped around a unique, world-altering puzzle mechanic. Separated from her Granny during a storm, young Carto must use her innate cartography powers to map and manipulate the world around her on her quest to be reunited. As she discovers new “pieces” of the game map, players can rearrange them to shape the levels themselves – unlocking new paths, puzzles, and story moments. Use this power to explore mysterious lands, help a quirky cast of characters, and guide Carto on her journey back to her family. Carto will traverse strange new lands, learn their cultures, and enlist the help of new friends along the way in this hand-crafted adventure.
Aritana and the Harpy’s Feather “At the sunrise, it will be too late…” Run against time in a platform adventure with a unique poster changing mechanic – each one changing your attributes like speed, jumps, attacks and special abilities. Choose the right posture to get over obstacles and fight spirits from the forest in a fast, intuitive and fun game. All the while, the beast Mapinguari will chase you, leading to battles that require focus and mastery of all the skills learned.
Rewards members in the United States can earn and donate points to organizations supporting indigenous communities with Xbox. The organizations below will be available on the Rewards hub:
AISES: AISES is a national nonprofit organization focused on substantially increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and careers.
First Nations Development Institute: Our mission is to uplift and sustain the lifeways and economies of Native communities through advocacy, financial support, and knowledge sharing. We envision a world in which Tribal Sovereignty is upheld, and Native ingenuity and knowledge are honored and respected.
Xbox players 18 and older can earn Rewards points in various ways, such as playing games, completing Game Pass Quests (terms apply), and purchasing games and other eligible items at the Microsoft Store (exclusions apply). Start earning for impact today and redeem your points for great rewards. Donate your points on the Rewards hub or on the Rewards redeem page.
Wallpapers and Dynamic Backgrounds
The Xbox International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples design is available today as an Xbox wallpaper and dynamic background on console – follow these steps to apply the dynamic background:
Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
Select Profile & system > Settings > General > Personalization > My background > Dynamic backgrounds.
You can choose between Games, Xbox, or Abstract dynamic backgrounds. Choose the background art that you want with the A button.
This past week players took a vacation through their favorite games using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
dodgykebaabshares Astro taking a relaxing moment in the sun in Astro Bot.
BBSnakeCorngoes jetskiing in Grand Theft Auto Online.
mandylorian__shares their space adventurer exploring a colorful planet in No Man’s Sky.
snakemanuele shares Sam riding a coffin board through the desert in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
xenobitz shares a hunter with a giant beach ball in Monster Hunter Wilds.
JacoBee___shares a historical site in ancient Egypt from Assassin’s Creed Origins.
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Filter SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 13, 2025
Next week, pick a filter! Share moments from the game of your choice that have been stylized with a Photo Mode filter using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
However, one bright spot on the horizon appears to be signs of Bethesda finally adding the highly-requested ability to travel in your spaceship from one planet to another — rather than what happens now, as you load up a loading screen to enter orbit, and from there load up another loading screen to get to where you’re going.
Fragments of code uncovered by Starfield fans now suggest Bethesda has a more streamlined experience in the works, though potentially still with some caveats. While you may be able to travel between planets within the same system, fans say it looks like you won’t be able to fly all the way between systems. Oh, and you also won’t be able to fly directly from a planet’s surface into orbit, like No Man’s Sky. Oh, well.
References to the new offering, referred to in the game’s code as “Cruise Mode,” were detected by players this week and shared on reddit, though Bethesda has reportedly now issued another small patch to scrub them from view.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has reaffirmed 2K Games’ assertion that the reportedly troubled BioShock 4, currently in the works at Cloud Chamber, will make it to release.
The reassurance follows a report from Bloomberg earlier this week which reported that the game had failed a recent internal progress check, with the story specifically being tapped as an aspect that needs reworking, and some of the devs working on it have been reassigned to non-BioShock roles.
To speedily summarise a lot of very knotty reporting, last month a bunch of credit card companies and payment processors forced Steam and Itch.io to alter their definitions of acceptable sexual material in PC games. Seemingly faced with the prospect of having all transactions blocked, the two storefronts now require developers to comply with the extremely open-ended adult content policies of their financial partners. This has led to a spate of delistings or outright takedowns across Steam and especially Itch, with projects affected ranging from anime stepdaughter fantasies on Steam to bundles of self-described “games for girlthings with something wrong with them”.
Borderlands 4 will cost $70, publisher 2K Games confirmed in June. That seemingly innocuous fact was big news after the price of the upcoming looter shooter was thrust into the headlines when Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford sparked a backlash with a series of controversial tweets.
A) Not my call. B) If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen.
Pitchford ended up having to address the negativity surrounding his comments, which some suggested might have harmed Borderlands 4’s chances of success. But this was hardly the latest drama revolving around Randy Pitchford, who often gives the press plenty to talk about whenever he addresses hot topics within the video game industry.
So, in an interview with Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Gearbox parent company Take-Two, ahead of the company’s latest (and impressive) financial results, I asked whether he has a mini heart attack whenever Pitchford tweets anything.
In his response, Zelnick admitted Pitchford can be a controversial figure, and even suggested some of his antics are deliberate, but ultimately he’s a big fan.
“I love Randy, first of all. Let me just say that on the record,” Zelnick began. “And I love his big personality. I love his passion and he is one of the all time great game makers. He also can be controversial at times — sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. I still love him to death.”
Some had expected Take-Two to follow Nintendo’s (and at that time, Microsoft’s) lead and make the jump to $80 for Borderlands 4, which it’s now decided will hold the line at $70. I asked Zelnick why that was the right decision for the looter shooter, and his response was along similar lines to his answer to 2K’s Mafia: The Old Country being set at $50.
“We’ve always engaged in variable pricing and we really want to make sure that the consumer’s experience of the title is that Borderlands 4 is a great, great game, which we believe it is, and that we’re offering a terrific value at the same time,” Zelnick said.
Zelnick has used this sort of response to answer questions about GTA 6’s price (some believe it will be $80, some as high as $100). “We always want to make sure that we deliver way more value than whatever we charge consumers, because we think of the consumer’s experience as an intersection of the thing itself and what you paid for it,” Zelnick said, talking generally of Take-Two’s strategy.
“So we just want to make sure we’re always delivering way more value than whatever we charge.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Of the big three platform holders, Nintendo is the ‘family-friendly’ one. Did you know that?
Of course you did – you’re an intelligent human being. And over the course of the Switch generation, with all the company’s eggs now in a single console basket, Nintendo has diversified its business, leaning into non-gaming areas and getting its IP under the noses of a broader audience with mobile apps, movies, theme parks, stores, and all that game. This has been a stated goal for many years, and the monster success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie worked as planned, funnelling interest back to its gaming hardware and software, resulting in revenue bumps across the board.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC, 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!
Madden NFL 26 leverages a new AI-powered machine learning system trained on thousands of plays from nearly a decade of real NFL data to deliver more explosive gameplay—with new player-specific traits, authentic playstyles, and adaptive counters that match on-field tendencies and strategies of NFL quarterbacks and coaches.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is the first-ever turn-based TMNT video game. Inspired by the classic cartoon, you’ll experience a bold new approach to the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Splinter and Shredder are dead, and as the Turtles approach adulthood, they’re not just growing up… they’re growing apart.
With The Toaplan Shooting Collection Vol. 1, you get eight of these milestones. Enjoy them as the historical classics they are, or simply as fantastic action games packed with pixel explosions and crisp 2D graphics. It’s quadruple the action, a billion times the fun, and a thrill ride back in time to the neon-lit arcades of the past!
With modern enhancements, leaderboards, screen filters, and quality-of-life extras, no threat stands between you and absolute victory. Got what it takes? Prove it on the battlefield!
A cinematic third-person action-adventure game. It blends a deeply personal, character-driven story with thrilling magic and sword-based combat, engaging traversal and thought-provoking puzzles. Inspired by Iceland, this epic adventure offers a mature, rich and immersive experience in a breathtaking and original fantasy world.
Gear up for 4-player co-op action with a modern twist! Ra Ra Boom rockets you to a future Earth overrun by rogue AI. Battle waves of enemies and upgrade your ninja cheerleader’s skills as you beat ‘em up, shoot ‘em up, and smash through the chaos!
Step into the sharp mind (and quick paws) of a samurai cat in training! In Temari Trials, you’ll solve logic-based Sokoban-style puzzles, pushing temaris to unlock chests and prove you’re ready for the warrior’s path.
Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind.
A group of ducklings finds a mysterious 100-in-1 cartridge and are now forced to play all the games to escape the insidious cartridge spirit! 100 microgames, fun and increasing difficulty, what more do you need for an interesting adventure?
Take the role of a recently passed soul, unable to recall who you are or how you died. After a chance encounter with a powerful entity, you begin an epic journey to defeat a growing darkness, while recovering your memories along the way. Engage in fast-paced turn-based battles against a wide variety of enemies, evade damage by dodging enemy attacks in snappy minigames and cast powerful spells to fend off your opponents.
Play as a sneaky city cat with sticky paws and a heart of gold. Sneak, leap, and loot your way through cozy urban levels to bring the purrfect gifts home to your beloved human. Every shiny trinket is a treasure in this 2D pixel platformer of feline thievery and chaotic charm!
A frantic game where you must try to survive random rounds, accumulating a curse with each room from the 60+ available cards in the game, while killing enemies with your pistol flash and a variety of amazing shots. No two attempts are ever the same!
A deceptively simple yet brutally challenging platformer where your mission is clear: get to the moon. Move left, move right, jump, that’s all you’ve got. But mastering your jump strength is key to landing on those elusive platforms and climbing higher.
In Dorfromantik you start with a stack of procedurally generated tiles. One after the other, you draw the top tile of the stack, place it on one available slot and rotate for the best fit. Thereby groups and combinations of landscapes are formed, such as forests, villages or water bodies, and you are rewarded with points depending on how well the tile fits.
Rearrange the world. Reunite the twins. Rediscover wonder. Abi and Ben are lost—but not alone. In Lost Twins 2, you’ll shift entire pieces of the world to guide them through a beautifully handcrafted puzzle adventure full of cozy charm and clever surprises.
Steampunch: Lost Tombs is the second game in the franchise, and it takes the action to a whole new level with simplified combat, mysterious levers, and precision-based platforming. Run, jump, and dash in eight directions as you explore dangerous tombs, collect relics, and unlock portals to the next challenge.
Relic Hunters Legend is a fast-paced looter-shooter RPG where you collect powerful weapons, upgrade skills, and battle enemies in intense combat. Play solo or team up in a 4-player co-op as you embark on a journey to recover lost memories and take down the tyrant Duke Ducan.
An atomic war has reduced the world to a toxic heap of ruins and chaos. As an ex-agent named Sebastian Beck, you’ll face off against 7 dangerous criminals and traverse 7 levels filled with enemies and traps to overcome. The game also challenges you with a unique mechanic where the environment becomes increasingly hostile due to radiation—reach regenerating refrigerators that serve as life-saving checkpoints. Use your blade, grenades and shotgun to fight your way through this dangerous world, in glorious 1980s arcade style.
Bangman gives you everything you love: hordes of monsters, tons of unique characters, countless ways to slaughter them, and many, many, many attempts to do so. Wondering what’s in short supply here? The game costs very little money! And that’s always nice.
Step into the inky nightmare of Bendy: Lone Wolf, a thrilling survival adventure set in the twisted, rubberhose world of Joey Drew Studios. As Boris, the lone wolf, you’ll brave endlessly shifting corridors filled with monstrous cartoon creeps, deadly traps, and the relentless pursuit of the Ink Demon. Every day brings new challenges in this heart-pounding quest for survival and truth.
Your once-sacred homeland now lies in the grip of a demonic invasion. Wielding two fully customizable weapons, you’ll fight back with precision and power—dodging, parrying, and blazing through relentless enemy hordes. With hundreds of upgrade combinations, adapt your playstyle and push back the darkness. Shatter enemy cover, deflect incoming fire, and emerge as a true slayer of demons.
Girl squad assembled! Conquer the tower in this auto chess adventure! In this adventure, you can recruit over 70 unique companions across 17 races and classes, including orcs, archers, assassins, dwarves, elves, mages, and more. Build your ultimate team by combining their abilities and synergy.
Welcome to a distant and absurd future where even time is subject to government regulations. In this glorious era of progress, an elderly citizen requires vital medication. He acquires a government-approved Time-Clone device for pill delivery. The process is, as always, efficient and precise – to get the pills, he must clone himself and send the clone into the machine, where it solves puzzles, retrieves the pills, and travels through time.
Embark on a relaxing yet mind-bending journey through thousands of uniquely designed mazes. From classic square puzzles to complex circular, triangular, and even hexagonal labyrinths—experience a truly diverse and enchanting experience.
An attractive puzzle platformer where you use magnetism to escape a factory. Meet a cast of magnet characters and work together to solve logical conundrums. Created by Mark Brown, owner of the popular YouTube channel Game Maker’s Toolkit (GMTK), Mind Over Magnet is a blast for players of all ages and skill levels! Escape a dangerous factory using the power of magnetism. You must team up with three different magnet friends and use their unique abilities to solve more than 50 tricky single-screen puzzles.
Travel through worlds inspired by the fauna and culture of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Explore lovingly crafted stages, solve logic-based puzzles through collaboration, and uncover a silent story that speaks straight to the heart. Control two characters at once from your couch — perfect for friends, couples, and families.
In the post-apocalyptic remnants of an advanced alien civilization, an orphaned outcast named Inayah sets out on a perilous journey to find her tribe. Guided by her mentor, she navigates a divided world, forging bonds and uncovering secrets that redefine the meaning of family. Experience an emotionally charged adventure where every decision shapes Inayah’s destiny.
A challenging 2D platformer in pixel art style with fixed-screen levels, where each stage is a deadly puzzle on its own. Step into the boots of a young explorer who, upon receiving an ancient map, decides to enter a mysterious cave from which no one has ever returned.
Zumba – Treasure of the Marble Sea throws you into a fast-paced marble shooter set in a colorful pirate world! Help your cheeky pirate survive the marble madness by shooting, matching, and destroying endless waves of rolling marbles. Choose a level, aim carefully, and fire your marbles to create chains of three or more matching colors.
Madden NFL 26
