Prepare for the incoming storm, World Warriors. Rashid of the Turbulent Wind makes his Street Fighter 6 debut in Fighting Ground and the single-player World Tour mode starting on July 24. With a whirlwind of moves that will send him flying through each fight, Rashid leaves all opponents in the dust – unless they decide to Like and Subscribe.
First appearing in Street Fighter V, the charming Rashid returns to the series, searching for a new outlook on life. Having an epiphany, he realizes he wants to find the strongest warriors around the world and record what their meaning of strength looks like. So starts his journey to becoming a vlogger, always carrying around his trusty camera to livestream and capture the spirit of strength.
Meet Rashid in World Tour where your avatar can learn his moves, speak to him about his life, and increase your bond with him through presents and missions. Max out your bond with Rashid to obtain his Outfit 2, which should look familiar to his fans and followers. Take your avatar with Rashid’s new moves to the Battle Hub and see what havoc you can wreak in Avatar Battles.
According to Game Director Takayuki Nakayama, Rashid’s “hair and bangs were a challenge and involved a lot of trial and error to get right. We wanted to emphasize his use of wind and parkour, so we ended up using cloth materials that were thin and fluttering. Since he’s a Footuber, he has a camera attached to the belt that crosses over his chest, and a smartwatch is embedded in his bracelet since he’s a gadget-loving character. Air is added to his sandals to emphasize his lightness and bouncing and running parkour movements. His gloves, sandals, and other parts that are used to attack are decorated with a motif of a hawk’s beak.”
Rashid retains much of his previous move set from Street Fighter V, but the winds of change have blown in a fresh gust of inspiration to play with. Rashid’s trademark ability to soar throughout the stage from all angles is intact, but with even more options to bring about the hurricane.
Nakayama-san provided insight into how Rashid plays in Street Fighter 6:
“His unique fighting style is characterized by parkour and nimble movements while also utilizing whirlwinds/air currents to trifle with his opponents. He has many techniques to attack while moving forward and has a unique Run action that is used from a forward step, giving him plenty of ways to approach his opponents.
His normal moves have a few quirks and are easy to execute, giving him a solid neutral game. In Street Fighter 6, Rashid’s basic ease of handling from Street Fighter V is maintained, while expanding his overall range of movements by increasing the number of acrobatic movements and air currents incorporated into his moves.
For example, Arabian Cyclone is a new special move that can be used on its own where Rashid performs a spinning kick conjuring up a small whirlwind and can also be transitioned into Rolling Assault and Wing Stroke, which were previously available as V-Skills in Street Fighter V. Combos incorporating these moves look great, so we hope you try them out in battle.
As for other additions, Rashid has a feature that allows him to improve his mobility and enhance his moves by creating and using a whirlwind/air current. Rashid’s V-Trigger I from Street Fighter V, where he summons a large advancing whirlwind, is now his Level 2 Super, Ysaar. Like its previous iteration, when some of Rashid’s special moves meet the large whirlwind, their properties change. His Whirlwind Shot also has the ability to create air currents when held down to charge. The OD version of the aforementioned Arabian Cyclone also creates an air current Rashid can ride to victory. Air currents can be utilized to expand his neutral game, strings, and combos, allowing the player’s individuality to shine through.
With these elements, Rashid has become more distinctive as a character, and we hope you will experience the fun of moving around on the screen.”
Rashid also has a new double jump move known as Arabian Skyhigh that will surely keep opponents guessing on where he’ll land from the air. Finally, Rashid can switch sides with Side Flip, which can also be followed up with a Front Flip to take Rashid into the air once again. He wants you to capture his best angles, after all.
Super Rashid Kick is his Level 1 Super, where Rashid offloads a devastating kick while soaring forward and up through the air.
Altair returns as Rashid’s Level 3 Super, where he twirls around and summons a tempest that lifts opponents in the air before he rains down upon them with a monsoon of powerful blows.
Rashid will be unlocked for owners of the Year 1 Character Pass on July 24. By proxy, this also means anyone with the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition. If you’re on the fence, try out Rashid for free for one hour with one Rental Fighter ticket, which can be obtained in the Fighting Pass.
Speaking of the Fighting Pass, the Rashid Arrives Fighting Pass is available now until July 23, featuring items and cosmetics themed around our favorite new Footuber.
The storm alert has now been issued for July 24 when Rashid joins Street Fighter 6. Until then, we’ll see you on the streets. *turns off stream*
As we await the verdict in the Microsoft vs. FTC trial regarding the fate of Xbox’s Activision-Blizzard acquisition, we dig into some of the other things happening in the world of Xbox, from the future of Banjo-Kazooie (if there even is one) to Ubisoft’s rumored Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake to this month’s hidden gem on Xbox Game Pass, and more!
Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out my recent interview with Todd Howard, who discussed the realization of his vision for Starfield after eight years, how Red Dead Redemption 2 was something of an inspiration, what his future holds, and more!
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
Watch the skies above you, Naraka: Bladepoint fans! Because big news about the melee battle royale game is on the way. The third Naraka Fest is upon us, and an upcoming live stream will give information on all the updates coming to Naraka: Bladepoint.
Here’s a watch guide on where and when to watch IGN’s stream of Naraka Fest. We’ll also take some guesses at what you can expect to see when you tune in.
Naraka Fest Stream Start Time
The 2023 Naraka Fest stream starts on Wednesday July 5, 2023 at 7 p.m. PST. That’s at 10 p.m. for folks on EST. It’s also a sensible Thursday July 6, 2023 at 12 p.m. in AEST.
Where to Watch the Naraka Fest
Tune in to any of the links below to watch the Naraka Fest Stream. We have several portals to the show:
Naraka: Bladepoint’s high-paced melee combat has earned the game a strong fan base of over 10 million players worldwide since its launch in August of 2021. While it is a battle royale, its focus on close combat means it handles much differently from a shooter like Fortnite or PUBG.
Naraka: Bladepoint’s developers and community teams have acknowledged its fanbase, and they promise this Naraka Fest will discuss new content. They also hint at “highly requested features.” So we may be getting a look at new characters and maps. Will the new content continue to utilize Naraka: Bladepoint’s Eastern art style, or will it diverge into new territory? Tune in on July 5th to find out!
“A cherished colleague for over a decade at Ubisoft Montpellier, we laughed and wept through good times and bad, and shipped a lot great games together,” Morel’s former colleague M. Gabrielle Shrager wrote on LinkedIn. “Emile was so very proud of Beyond Good and Evil 2, the Space Monkeys and his teammates. He will be sorely missed.”
Emile was so very proud of Beyond Good and Evil 2, the Space Monkeys and his teammates
According to Morel’s LinkedIn page, he began working at Ubisoft in June 2009. Other projects Morel was involved in while employed at Ubisoft include Rayman Legends, where he served as the game’s senior game designer. Morel was already involved in Beyond Good and Evil 2, originally serving as the Associate Creative Director, before taking over as creative director for Beyond Good & Evil 2, following the departure of Jean-Marc Geffroy.
Ubisoft did not immediately respond to IGN’s request for comment.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 was initially revealed in 2017 at E3, but Ubisoft has been silent on the game’s development since. In February 2022, we learned that the game was still in pre-production. while in August of that same year, we learned that Ubisoft hired Sarah Arellano to serve as the game’s lead writer.
Image Credit: Greg Hermittant/LinkedIn
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Oaken is a brand new turn-based tactical roguelike coming to Xbox consoles.
Oaken takes place in a mystical world inspired by Celtic and tribal legends.
Oaken’s battles take place on a hexagonal grid and are highly tactical.
It all starts with a tree. Oaken’s story revolves around the Great Oak and its spirits: the Lady, a clueless, yet pretty brave little sprout – along with her awakening into this whimsical world, she inherits a quest to bring back the Oaksong – a spell which has kept the inhabitants of the Oak peaceful for countless cycles; Kidu, a fierce and unpredictable fire Spirit, who has his very own ideas on how to deal with all of this mess; and the Pathfinder – a mysterious mentor, who helps them reach their destination along with many other spirit Guides discovered during the journey.
In most tactical roguelikes and card battlers, the conflict pits “your side” versus the “enemy side”. In Oaken, battles are focused on your hero character who participates in the battle. Heros can summon spirits and use spells and trinkets. And you will of course lose the game if your hero is defeated. The so-called line of sight and “action areas” are calculated from the position of your hero. There are events and dialogues directed at them, and at the end of the day it is up to the Lady and Kidu to resolve the conflict of the story in their own ways!
Art-wise, the team over at Laki Studios had fun coming up with these crazy and cute Spirits inhabiting the Oak. A lot of celtic and slavic folklore served as a base for the designs and the lore of Oaken. That being said, they also wanted to twist that base in a fun, whimsical direction. Games like Rayman or Final Fantasy were also big inspirations. The developers wanted the design to be adorable while remaining very mysterious and kind of ancient at their core.
As for the mechanics, the Laki Studios crew are self-professed big board-game fans and they got a lot of inspiration from physical games, one of their favorites being Neuroshima Hex . That game gave us the initial push to try and experiment with rotating units on a hexagonal grid. They then tried to use the most fun aspects of card games like Hearthstone and Faeria, mixed with the smart roguelite and tactical aspects of Into the Breach. So you can clearly say that Oaken was created by mixing tons of different elements!
Speaking of mechanics, every unit in Oaken has a “front” and “back”, and can rotate in one of six hexagonal directions. Depending on their position and rotation, they can use multiple abilities, backstabs, dodges, charges – there’s plenty of placement, movement and attack actions to outsmart your enemy. Don’t get fooled by the cute art style though! Oaken is a tough tactical game even on standard difficulty. We are pretty confident than battle tested players will find the higher difficulty levels to be quite challenging!
That being said, the developers also wanted to make sure that Oaken is not overly complex on the first playthrough while also being hard enough for demanding players! They introduced a system called Talents and Masteries that allows players to gradually increase the difficulty as they make progress into the game. And as a way to also support players who are mainly here for the story and are purely into relaxed gameplay, they also added a Relaxed mode.
We are well aware that there are many Tactical and roguelikes out there. Oaken places a higher emphasis on positioning and especially rotation as the team found that to be something underutilized in the genre. Laki Studios also worked very hard on Oaken’s character design. Every spirit in the game went through a detailed process of design, from multiple concept arts to polished illustrations. They also paid special care to the game’s world building. It is coherent and logical and has been in development for years. Oaken’s story about the cute spirits has actual meaning. But to learn more about that, players will have to get the game!
Ported to Xbox consoles by Red Art Studios, Oaken is coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on July 20. Pre-order Oaken on the Microsoft Store and get 20% off its full price.
BattleBit Remastered, the low-poly, massively multiplayer shooter perhaps best described as Battlefield by way of Roblox, has sure shifted a lot of copies since it became a viral sensation a couple of weeks ago.
This year’s Resident Evil 4 remake marked an incredible return for one of the greatest games of all time, turning the best game of 2005 into (probably) the best game of 2023 (so far, anyway).
4TB SSDs are a rarity – particularly models with the high-speed flash memory and PCIe 4.0 connection necessary to hit reads of 7300MB/s and writes of 6900MB/s. Today you can pick up just such a drive from Newegg for $253.62, as long as you’re OK with a lesser-known brand: Nextorage.
For context, this SSD cost $359 as recently as March, making this a tidy discount for a PC or PS5-compatible high-speed drive that originally retailed for $650.
Prior to the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, 2023 was looking decidedly quiet for Switch. In March, the system entered its seventh year on store shelves and with sales numbers slowing, it seems that the long-rumoured appearance of new Nintendo hardware may finally be on the horizon in the next 12 months or so.
It is, after all, a natural progression. The lifecycle of successful consoles may well span a decade or more, but that doesn’t preclude the launch of a successor long before the retirement of the outgoing device. Remember how long 3DS was on its ‘deathbed’?
This July, as part of Disability Pride Month, Team Xbox proudly celebrates players, creators, and community members with disabilities. More than 400 million video game players have disabilities worldwide, and we recognize the incredible contributions the gaming and disability community has made in making Team Xbox, and the broader gaming industry, more inclusive and welcoming for everyone.
Disability Pride holds a special place in my heart, as I am not only a Program Manager on our Gaming Accessibility Team, but also a person with disabilities. Most people wouldn’t think of me as having a disability at first glance. In fact, I didn’t know I had disabilities until I was in my 20’s when I was diagnosed as being neurodiverse. Now I know that I have had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder since I was a young child. And, as the years have gone by, I’ve acquired new disabilities due to illness, injury, and trauma. Chronic pain is now part of my life, as is hearing loss, and anxiety and depression related to complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
The reason I share all of this is that if you aren’t already dealing with your own disabilities, chances are very good that someone close to you is. It’s estimated that at least 15% of the world’s population has some form of disability, and the vast majority of those are invisible.
So, this month, we encourage everyone to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the many players with disabilities across the globe who make up the vibrant gaming community, as well as think about those people in your life who also are part of the disability community and what you can do to be an ally for them. For example, one way to support the disability community is to learn about the technologies and tools they use to play. You can do this by taking our free Gaming Accessibility Fundamentals learning path. Or, if you are an Xbox Ambassador, consider completing the Xbox Ambassador Accessibility Explorer Path, a gamified experience that allows Xbox Ambassadors to learn more about accessibility in gaming, as well as try out new gaming accessibility features across PC and console.
As for all of us at Xbox, a source of pride is being able to work to ensure our industry is welcoming of players of all abilities and backgrounds, celebrating and partnering with the Gaming & Disability Community, and investing in solutions to help ensure everyone can play. Because when everyone plays, we all win.
In celebration of Disability Pride Month, check out how Xbox is supporting the disability community to help make gaming a place where everyone feels heard, included, and supported in gaming in a way that brings them joy.
Gaming & Disability Community Stories
We are proud to highlight stories and experiences from members of the Gaming & Disability community, including what Disability Pride means to them. Check out their stories, in their words, below:
MikeTheQuad
He/Him
July marks Disability Pride Month. What does Disability Pride mean to you, personally? Disability Pride is acceptance of all disabilities. It’s the celebration of all people who have a disability, and not the fact we are proud of our disability, but we are proud of overcoming all the obstacles we face on a daily basis.
How do you “show” or “live” your pride? I showcase Disability Pride by living my life as a problem solver. Many people with disabilities have to adapt to their surroundings, because we live in an inaccessible world. I overcome these obstacles daily, not letting anything stop me from achieving my goals.
Howhasgamingenabledyoutoshowcaseyourpride? Gaming is my biggest enabler with showing disability pride. My handle “MikeTheQuad” was the name I chose because it immediately draws attention to my disability as a quadriplegic. I’ve actively broken down barriers by showing how I play through my gaming content, in turn inspiring others that they can not only game if they have a disability, but they can use that mentality in everyday life.
Queerlybee
They/them
July marks Disability Pride Month. What does Disability Pride mean to you, personally?
Disability Pride represents a time for the disabled community, which has historically been ostracized and shunned, to be visible and show that we can have pride in our identity and community. Oftentimes, abled people associate disability with a life that is lesser than or not worth living, saying things like “Oh I don’t know how you do that, I could never live like that,” but the reality is that we make the most out of our situation and you would too if you were in our shoes. And it’s important to remember that disability is the only marginalized community that anyone could become a part of at any moment and when/if that happens to you, due to old age, injury or sickness, you’ll be grateful for this community of support we’ve built that will help you when the government/society often fails to do so.
How do you “show” or “live” your pride?
I show my pride by being open about my disabilities and sharing my lived experiences as a disabled content creator; I think this normalizes the experience and helps others feel less alone and like they can open up about their experiences too which can be healing. I curate a space that specifically caters to the disabled and neurodivergent community to have a safe space during this period of the pandemic where it feels as though everyone has moved on and left us behind.
Howhasgamingenabledyoutoshowcaseyourpride?
Gaming has created a way for me, as a disabled person, to have accessible income and community. Through simulation games, I’m able to be a storyteller and share both queer and disabled stories that we don’t always see in the media. Seeing other creators talk about the importance of accessibility in games and gaming spaces has inspired me to make it a pillar of my own space… Accessibility for some benefits all, so I highly encourage other creators, game developers and others to talk to disabled gamers and uplift our voices so we can make sure gaming is for everyone!
Shawn Games
He/Him
July marks Disability Pride Month. What does Disability Pride mean to you, personally?
I have been disabled in speech-language for 100% of my life and with fibromyalgia for over 50% of my life without knowing it. I was undiagnosed with lupus for 14 years until getting a confirmed diagnosis this year of fibromyalgia which has allowed me access to care and improvement of my life. Disability Pride allows me to showcase my invisible disabilities that still affect me on a daily basis.
How do you “show” or “live” your pride?
By educating as much as I can about my experience, so others do not have to wait as long as I did for care.
How has gaming enabled you to showcase your pride? Are there characters, stories, or experiences with your community or fellow creators that have positively impacted you?
Queerlybee is a disabled creator in the gaming space whose voice allowed me to feel safe enough to share my experience. Without them being as vocal as they are I know I would not be as vocal as I am today. Having others in the space being vocal about their lived experiences allows more people to know that they aren’t alone in the world and that they also can share their stories. I know we’ll see more diversity in characters in years to come and I am excited to champion them.
DeafGamersTV
He/Him
July marks Disability Pride Month. What does Disability Pride mean to you, personally?
Disability Pride is a celebration as a person not hidden away in the shadow of society. We are out here too and existing just as everyone else is.
How do you “show” or “live” your pride?
I show that I’m proud of being Deaf. I’m proud of my American Sign Language as a culture and language. I show that there should be no reason to fear. Love what makes you smile.
How has gaming enabled you to showcase your pride? Are there characters, stories, experiences with your community or fellow creators that have positively impacted you?
Gaming lets me show that I can’t be backed down by barriers. It allows me to speak up on how to be inclusive & allow gamers with disabilities to be invited to play games.
To learn more about the above Gaming & Disability community members, who earlier this year joined the first Xbox Next Level (XNL) Creator Program, a six-week accelerator designed to help gaming streamers from underrepresented communities, click here.
Updates from Xbox
Mike and Jake – users of the Xbox Adaptive Controller – enjoy connection, mentorship and friendly competition at weekly adaptive video gaming nights at Craig Hospital – a neurorehabilitation and research hospital in Denver, Colorado, specializing in spinal cord injury and brain injury – as part of the hospital’s adaptive video gaming program, a collaboration between its Assistive Technology and Therapeutic Recreation teams.
Xbox believes that everyone should be able to experience the joys, connection, creativity and fun of gaming, and it is our job to make that happen. For Disability Pride Month, the Xbox Accessibility team is thrilled to announce some new updates, which are all part of our mission to empower gamers around the world to come together to play the games they want, with the people they want, on the devices they want. These include:
New Xbox Adaptive Controller User Guide
On June 28, a new resource called the Xbox Adaptive Controller user guide launched on support.xbox.com. Consisting of new instructional videos, resources, and links to external peripheral options, the guide serves as a comprehensive “one-stop-shop” focused on helping players with disabilities, their family members, and anyone else new to gaming or Xbox learn about what the Xbox Adaptive controller is and how to use it.
Whether you’re completely new to using the Xbox Adaptive Controller and want to check out the “getting started” page (video above), or have the basics of the controller covered and want to explore the “advanced functionalities” page that discusses lesser-known adaptive controller functions like shift mode, un-mapping, action remapping, and more, the guide has you covered!
Check out the full Xbox Adaptive Controller User Guide below, which includes:
A 3D-printed joystick attachment connected to an Xbox Adaptive Controller.
The team at Xbox has been amazed at the creativity shown in the maker community, a group of innovative individuals and non-profit organizations that identify problems and design inventive solutions by creating 3D-printed peripherals meant to help make gaming with Xbox controllers and Xbox Adaptive Controllers more accessible for those with fine motor disabilities.
In celebration of this impressive work, we’ve partnered with a couple makers, including Adam Breece and Caleb Kraft, to curate a list of some of our favorite 3D-printed peripherals, which can be found in a new article on Xbox’s accessibility support pages. If you have a 3D printer and want to try making some yourself, or want to send a design to a 3D print vendor to make for you, check out our resources.
Xbox Brazil Releases Glossary of Gaming Terms Used by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Players
It’s common for gamers to use different terms while they play, whether it’s drifting in Forza Horizon or anchoring the ship in Sea of Thieves. In May, Xbox Brazil partnered with streamer, content creator and leading Brazilian figure in game accessibility, Jessyka “Suuhgetsu,” to create a glossary of gaming terms commonly signed by deaf and hard of hearing players (like “drift” or “Xbox”). These expressions, also known as “Libras” (the short term for Brazilian Sign Language), were featured on Xbox Brazil’s official YouTube channel. Check out a video detailing Forza Horizon 5 terms above, and the full glossary via Xbox Wire.
Team Xbox is incredibly excited to celebrate and honor Disability Pride Month. We strive to uplift and honor the disability community not only this month, but each and every day. Please stay tuned for even more exciting announcements this fall!
