Today, Blizzard’s Overwatch Spotlight announced the start of an exciting new story‑driven era for Overwatch, highlighted by a year-long narrative arc called The Reign of Talon, all‑new UI/UX design, and much more. Be sure to check out the full video for all of the details. As an extra treat, we’re joined by Lead Narrative Designer Miranda Moyer to dive deeper into what this new story‑driven chapter means for Overwatch. 

For the first time in Overwatch’s history, we’re telling a complete story.   

I don’t say that lightly. Over the past decade, Overwatch’s narrative has been about possibility – introductions, hints, and setups. We’ve met heroes, discovered conflicts, and learned just enough to know there was something bigger happening beyond the edges of the screen. But this year, we’re doing something we’ve never done before: telling a story with a clear beginning, middle… and yes, an end.  

That means things move. When something happens in the world of Overwatch now, it doesn’t sit untouched. Objectives are set, and met. You’ll see outcomes unfold across seasons. We’re finally seeing payoff for parts of the Overwatch world that you’ve maybe wondered about for years. This evolving story will be brought to life through a variety of mediums – including Hero Trailers, motion comics, and more – so you can experience each chapter in unique ways. All these pieces will be available on our dedicated narrative viewer, organized in chapters that guide you through the year’s epic narrative.  

At the center of this year’s Overwatch narrative is a global conflict that’s impossible to ignore. Vendetta has seized control of Talon, overthrowing Doomfist and rejecting the clandestine nature in which he operated. Where Talon once skulked in the shadows, Vendetta believes in acting loudly, decisively, and without restraint. Her goal is explicit: she wants the world, and she believes Overwatch is the only force standing in her way. Because of that, we’re not winding up to conflict: we’re starting with it. Talon strikes early, attempting to remove Overwatch from the equation.

What’s fresh about the way we’re telling this story is how deeply our heroes are embedded in it. Every new character plays a direct role in the narrative. Those new faces are also a great vehicle to continue the stories of established ones. We’re touching so many parts of the world of Overwatch, and the more stories we develop, the more opportunities we’ll have to progress the journeys of heroes both new and longstanding.

One of the biggest highlights for Overwatch this year is the introduction of 10 new heroes. In Season 1, which begins February 10, you’ll meet five of them at once: each with their own narrative thread which helps set the tone for what’s to come. 

• Domina operates on the edges of Talon’s chaos, not publicly aligned with Vendetta (for fear of unsavory headlines), but more than willing to profit from the destruction she causes.
• Emre is caught in a far more dangerous position, coerced into cooperation under the threat of catastrophic loss.
• Mizuki finds himself torn between old obligations and the people who have become his family. 
• Anran enters the fight on Overwatch’s side, driven and connected to the story in deeply personal ways.  

• And then there’s Jetpack Cat, a long-running meme turned mobile support. She’s worth keeping an eye on, both for the future of her curious tale (tail?), as well as to make sure she isn’t knocking anything off counters. 

This year’s narrative is about convergence—threads coming together, tensions peaking, and long-running questions colliding in ways that matter. Both established and new heroes will see movement in their stories, evolving amid this conflict. For Overwatch, this is the most ambitious narrative we’ve taken on. Each piece builds on the last, pushing characters and conflicts forward. 

Join us on this new journey, and jump into Season 1 on February 10 and see it unfold for yourself. 

Overwatch®

Blizzard Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆
2000

★★★★★

Get it now

Xbox One X Enhanced

Xbox Game Pass

Overwatch® is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based hero shooter game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 or 6v6 battlefield brawl featuring new heroes and maps, different ways to play, and unique cosmetics! Lead the charge, ambush your enemies, or aid your allies as one of Overwatch®’s 40+ distinct heroes. Team up with friends, take them into battle across 25+ futuristic maps inspired by real-world locations, and master multiple unique game modes.

Overwatch® – Season 20: Vendetta

Give the Gift of Vengeance

Embrace the season in a flurry of festivity with a new DPS Hero, Winter Wonderland modes, holiday event, merry Mythics, and more!

Season 20 carves a cold path with Vendetta, the ruthless new melee DPS villain fueled by ambition and revenge. But it’s not all frosty edges—celebrate the holidays in the return of Winter Wonderland! Make some merry Mischief & Magic on a whimsical new wintery map, with a midway mode twist where the props fight back in Mischief & Magic Wonderland. Earn Winter Tokens through the Winter Wonderland event to unlock festive holiday skins for Tracer, Junkrat, and Torbjörn, then step into Stadium for a fresh map with new Heroes, updates, and prizes. Top it all off with Mythic Divine Desperado Cassidy and Orisa’s Mythic Capsule Cannon packing a cascade of cheer, plus more frosty skins as you jingle all the way through Battle Pass tiers. ‘Tis the season to deck your enemies’ halls, claim your vengeance, and unwrap your rewards!

Bringing the joy of gaming to everyone means protecting the people who play, and that responsibility has been core to Xbox since the beginning. We know that gaming just might be the most fulfilling, socially connected, and powerful form of entertainment today, and it’s crucial we continue protecting the shared moments and experiences that come from playing games together.

As we mark Xbox’s 25^th anniversary this year, our commitment remains unchanged. In 2022, we made a promise to stay transparent about the work we do to protect our community and moderate content on our platform by regularly publishing our Xbox Transparency Reports. This year, ahead of Safer Internet Day, we’re sharing more than ever about how we’re innovating protections and providing players, parents, and caregivers with a variety of tools and resources so they can feel confident that Xbox continues to be a place for positive play, for the next 25 years and beyond.

Today, we’re highlighting how we’re continuing to shape the industry standard for safe gameplay experiences, our newly published Xbox Transparency Report, an upcoming Minecraft world teaching digital citizenship and safety skills, and our ongoing work to implement Age Verification.

Shaping the Standard for Safer Play

At Xbox, safety starts with understanding how people play. Since launching the Xbox 360 in 2005, which helped set the bar for online gaming, Xbox has shaped how safety, privacy, and security are built into gaming experiences across the video game industry. Over the past two decades, this approach has evolved to meet the needs of players where they play. It is guided by five core pillars shaped by player and parent feedback, the constantly evolving nature of online harms, and the ways safety by default can help create safer, more welcoming communities from the start:

• Age Verification in the UK and beyond: Introduced in the UK and expanding to more regions later this year, age verification on Xbox helps ensure children only have access to age-appropriate content and are limited in how they can interact with others on our platform. Read more about our approach to Age Verification here, and stay tuned for information about Age Verification expanding to more regions later this year.
• Child and Teen Accounts: Specialized accounts on Xbox that consider the different needs of children and teens help ensure age-appropriate access for young players, giving them a tailored and protected experience. To set up a child or teen account, visit: Xbox Child Account
• Tools to Support Digital Parenting: Through tools like the Xbox Family Settings app, detailed settings that give families control over their gaming experiences can be managed directly from a mobile device, with features like Ask A Parent, which prompts children to request approval for activities and empower parents to make real-time decisions. Download the Xbox Family Settings app or learn more about Game Ratings, how to manage online and privacy settings, get familiar with the Minecraft Parents Guide, and more on the Xbox Family Hub.
• Continued AI Innovation Supported by Human Expertise: Constant innovation of automated AI tools combined with human moderators help us detect, review, proactively block and address harmful online behavior more accurately and efficiently than ever. AI quickly and proactively spots potential issues, supported by human reviewers who add context, focus on nuance, and remain central to applying judgment to complex situations.
• Commitment to Transparency: As the first in the video game industry to commit to regular transparency reporting, Xbox continues to ensure our community knows how safety is maintained and issues are handled.

New 2026 Xbox Transparency Report Shows Continued AI Innovation & Reduction in Spam

Our sixth Xbox Transparency Report shares insights into the work we do behind the scenes to protect all players from disruptive behavior and support experiences that are fun, positive, safe, and age appropriate. Key takeaways, which span Xbox safety efforts in 2025, include:

• Responsibly advancing our AI approach to safety. We expanded the scope of our proactive AI moderation solutions to include 11 additional harmful topics that matter to players, allowing us to identify harmful content more effectively so our human moderators can focus on combatting the most nuanced and complex harms.
• An adaptive response to spam. In 2025, our proactive moderation efforts to prevent unsolicited content from ever reaching players resulted in a 90% drop in spam message complaints compared to 2024, and an overall 23% drop in complaints for messages from non-friends.
• Improved Player Reporting for More Frictionless Play. Our constant efforts to improve safety processes reach across all of our teams at Xbox. Developer Turn 10 recently expanded reporting capabilities around user generated content in Forza Horizon 5, allowing players to more efficiently file a report for cheating and unsportsmanlike conduct without ever needing to leave their game. Our teams at Turn 10 and across Xbox are excited to continue exploring improved functionality like this for future projects.  

You can read more about our efforts to protect players in the full Xbox Transparency Report here.

Practicing Safer Online Decisions with Minecraft Education

On Safer Internet Day next week, Minecraft will launch CyberSafe: Bad Connection?, the fifth installment in the CyberSafe series for Minecraft Bedrock and Minecraft Education. This new world will help young players build online safety and digital citizenship skills through scenario-driven gameplay. Players will explore ways to recognize risks and red flags, learn how to report suspicious activity, and build confidence to keep themselves and their community safe. Bad Connection? builds on the legacy of the CyberSafe series, which has reached more than 80 million downloads since 2022, equipping players with the skills, practice, and confidence to navigate online spaces.

Bad Connection? will be available for free in the Minecraft Marketplace and Minecraft Education on February 10, along with free, downloadable materials for parents and educators to support critical, ongoing conversations about online safety. We also recently shared more about the Minecraft Safety Council, which brings together industry experts to help guide safer multiplayer experiences for the Minecraft community. Meet the council and learn more here.

Our Ongoing Commitment to Safety Today and for the Next 25 Years

Every gaming community is unique and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to keeping players safe. Whether it’s Call of Duty’s ongoing studies on player trust and positive play, new insights from the tenth annual Global Online Safety Survey publishing on the Microsoft On the Issues blog on February 10, or our recent update to our Online Safety Principles developed with Nintendo and Sony Interactive Entertainment, our teams are constantly working to help players enjoy fun, positive, and inclusive experiences.

Our work in player safety at Xbox is ongoing. For more information on Microsoft privacy, safety, and responsible gaming, explore these resources:

• Microsoft Online Safety Guides
• Microsoft Privacy for Young People
• Digital Safety for Young People

Whether you’re playing on console, PC or handheld devices, Xbox Play Anywhere makes it easier than ever to take your games with you – and right now, it’s the perfect time to dive in.

Heading Out, Kamikaze Lassplanes, Once Upon a Jester, and The Gap each bring something wildly different to the table, from high-speed road trips to theatrical chaos and introspective storytelling. Best of all, they’re all going on sale, letting you experience these standout indie titles wherever you play, for less. Find them in the Indie Selects Anniversary Sale and Deals with Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential through February 9.

Heading Out – A Wild Road Trip Through America’s Highways

Heading Out is a high-speed road trip with a twist – part racing game, part narrative adventure, and entirely about the journey. As you blast across striking comic book–style landscapes, you’ll make choices that shape your story, meet unforgettable characters, and confront the fears chasing you from the rear-view mirror.

Kamikaze Lassplanes – a Hand-Crafted Anime Story-Driven Arcade Shoot-’em-up

Kamikaze Lassplanes blends a vibrant visual novel packed with humor, heart, and larger-than-life personalities with classic shoot ’em up action. Between missions, you’ll spend time with a colorful cast of characters, make story choices, and uncover their motivations through lively dialogue and expressive anime-style art. The result is a game that’s as much about getting to know your squad as it is about lighting up the skies.

Once Upon a Jester – Improv, Friendship, and Chaos Steal the Show

Once Upon a Jester is a joyful, wholesome story about friendship, improv, and putting on the best show you possibly can. As two aspiring performers chase their theatrical dreams, you’ll explore whimsical lands, make delightfully awkward choices, and stumble through comedic situations shaped by your decisions.

The Gap – Delve Deep into your Own Memories to Unravel the Mystery of your Family’s Affliction

The Gap is a narrative-driven adventure that invites you to explore memory, identity, and the spaces between moments that define us. As you move through fragmented recollections and solve environmental puzzles, the story unfolds in unexpected and often intimate ways. Thoughtful, atmospheric, and quietly powerful, it’s a game that lingers long after the screen fades to black.

If any of these titles catch your attention, grab them while they’re still on discount!

Heading Out (-33%)

Kamikaze Lassplanes (-30%)

Once Upon a Jester (-30%)

The Gap (-70%)

All of them have been upgraded with XPA compatibility, so you can enjoy these gems of indie gaming wherever you are!

The Gap

Crunching Koalas

☆☆☆☆☆
11

★★★★★

$19.99

Get it now

The Gap tells a story of one man’s struggle to find a cure for his family’s illness through the exploration of parallel realities which include memories dear to his heart, forcing him to dive deeper into his psyche.

Joshua Hayes is a neuroscientist, whose family is affected by a rare neurological disorder that slowly eats away at one’s capability and mental well-being. The struggle and fight of the family is witnessed through the lens of his highest and lowest moments. While exploring the raw, minimalist spaces, he comes across items that act as gateways to his past.

Moreover, while taking part in an experimental neuroscientific program, led by a biotech giant – Neuraxis, Joshua unknowingly finds himself entangled in a corporate intrigue.

In hopes of unraveling the web of memories, he’ll need to face a distressing question – can he really trust himself?

See why Madden NFL 26 is Built From Sundays. Get unlimited access with EA Play starting February 5, then score a Supercharge Pack in Ultimate Team by March 6.

Members can blitz for days with unlimited access to all the new explosive gameplay and feature updates.

• EA Sports Madden NFL 26 is available on the Play List on February 5. Play with Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox PC Game Pass or Ultimate with EA Play.
• Members can also score a Supercharge Pack in Ultimate Team, available from Feb 5-Mar 6.
• Keep building your roster all year long with monthly Ultimate Team packs.

Game Pass Ultimate members can get unlimited access today, as well as 10% off EA digital purchases, including Madden Points.

Snag your Supercharge Pack, filled with 6 Elite player items, simply by entering Ultimate Team before March 6. Get a head start on building your roster so you can take on Challenges, H2H games, and more.

Build a lasting legacy and take the reins as a coach in Franchise. Play your way from the Draft to the Super Bowl in Superstar. Craft the roster of your dreams in Ultimate Team. However you want to define football success, Madden NFL 26 is waiting. Start playing today.

What’s New in Madden NFL 26?

Built From Sundays

Madden NFL 26 leverages a new AI-powered machine learning system trained by real play calls and game situations over nearly a decade to deliver more explosive gameplay—with new coach and player-specific traits, authentic playstyles, and adaptive counters that match on-field tendencies and strategies of professional quarterbacks and coaches.

True Gameday Experience

Get hyped for kickoff with stadium enhancements across the league. New run-outs feature real team traditions, with authentic crowd chants, unique stadium themes, and extreme weather that impacts gameplay and strategy.

Dance down the tunnel in Minnesota, or steal the spotlight during the pre-game light show in Baltimore. New presentation elements and custom broadcast packages depend on your matchup and add depth to each game’s unique storyline.

Franchise Updates

Create your coaching legacy by choosing from four exciting new archetypes, or step into the shoes of your favorite pro head coach, each bringing their authentic strategies to Franchise. Customize your Weekly Strategy by selecting new coach abilities every week that offer different tactical advantages and evolve as you level them up. Earn more abilities and fine-tune your game plans each week, tailoring them more precisely to your opponents as you progress. New Play Sheets add a strategic layer to play-calling, a coach Approval Rating system holds you more accountable for your decision-making, new Trainer abilities offer new ways to control Wear & Tear recovery, and new Weekly Recaps hosted by Scott Hanson keep you updated on league news.

Membership for EA Play is included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscriptions at no extra cost.

Whether you’re scoring an unbelievable hat trick in the EA SPORTS FC franchise, showing no mercy on suburban battlegrounds in theBattlefield series or timing a perfect hit to dominate the gridiron in the Madden NFL franchise, you can feel the thrill with EA for just $5.99 a month. Membership unlocks unlimited access to a collection of top titles, trials of select new games, in-game member rewards and more. Members also save 10% off EA digital purchases—including game downloads, points packs, and DLC.

For more details on all the EA Play member benefits this month, visit: EA Play Member Benefits

Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See EA Play Terms for details.

Love is in the air… and so are new gaming possibilities.

Score More With Xbox is celebrating Valentine’s season by helping players discover their next sporting passion with ‘The Perfect Match’. We’re making it effortless to find the sports game that feels like it was made for you, with one easily accessible hub that brings Xbox’s biggest and best digital sports titles together.

Even the most dedicated players fall into comfort zones – we all have our “forever games,” and they’re great – but Xbox’s sporting line-up is broader and more exciting than you might have realized.

So, whether you’re usually loyal to one title or you bounce between genres, this is your chance to speed-date your way through a curated lineup of digital sports games and find the one that just… clicks.

Football fanatic? Hoops-obsessed? Or just want something fast-paced and arcade-friendly? There’s an undiscovered match waiting for you in the collection. Think of it as matchmaking… but for gamers.

The Perfect Match Giveaway

We also have some Valentine’s presents for you.  From February 3-16, creators from the NBA, Madden, and EA Sports FC communities will show off their own speed‑dating journeys, jumping between titles, chasing challenges and triggering giveaways. We’ll also be doing giveaways through our global and regional Xbox channels on X. Make sure to stay tuned for your chance to win.

What You Can Win

During the campaign window, players will have chances to win:

• A matching set of Xbox Perfect Match controllers
• An exclusive set of Perfect Match caps
• Game codes for three of the featured sports titles (EA Sports FC 26, NBA 2K26, Madden 26)

Three creators will be offering Perfect Match giveaways:

• For EA Sports FC: ShaunaGames
• For NBA 2K: YoThatsEJ
• For EA Sports Madden: Tray

On Xbox’s own channels, simply like posts about the Perfect Match campaign, and reply with “#ThePerfectMatchSweepstakes” to enter the sweepstakes –  you’ll also get a bonus entry for reposting. Full terms and conditions here.

Ready to Find Your Perfect Match?

Your next sporting passion might be just one tap away. Head to the collection now and start speed-dating your way through the lineup. Whether you find a lifelong love or a fun new fling, there’s a perfect match waiting for every kind of player.

Crosak has arrived, ready to transport you to a fun universe made of play-dough, where gravity is on your side. Step into the role of a true caveman, grab that sturdy bone club, and head out in search of adventure, because adventure is just a small planetary spin away.

Life in Routine Village is peaceful, but it doesn’t take long for things to take a dark turn with the arrival of the evil wizard Double G.

Your journey will take you through several freely explorable open worlds, each with its own distinct theme. You’ll need to overcome the challenges and minigames, and to progress in the adventure, you’ll also need to battle Double G’s minions, the Kobi, defeat Mr. Egg and Big Rock, eventually reaching the depths to face Double G himself. Read on to discover some of the best ways to explore, vanquish enemies and save the world.

Exploring the planetoids and uncovering their secrets is a big part of the fun. Thanks to the smooth gravity shifts that keep you glued to the ground, you can walk across their entire surface. If you see the horizon getting close, don’t worry, just keep moving and you’ll discover you can loop around to the other side, uncover hidden areas beneath the surface, or even drop through a hole into the planet’s inner layer.

There’s only one exception: those ultra-flat platforms have gravity fixed in a single direction, tied to their specific zone. So don’t try to stand on them upside down or you’ll fall into nothingness… or lava… or water… either way you end up respawning at the last checkpoint.    

To save your impatient pals, you’ll need to overcome a wide variety of challenges and games. Here are a few hints of the ones you’ll have to discover: find the toy plane so a Kobi will agree to race you, convince a pterodactyl to carry you to a distant planetoid, chase and catch slippery critters, take on combat arenas, ground-pound buttons to flush out hidden Kobi, roll a massive ball of bones without falling into the void, and for those giant balls… find a proper goal.

Oh, and will you manage to find the T-Rex? At first, it may seem a bit aggressive, but that’s only because you wandered into its lair unannounced. Soon enough, it’ll become a loyal friend, letting you ride on its back to reach places that would otherwise be impossible.

As for enemies, don’t let them pile up. They may be small, but they pack a punch. If you keep them under control, you can definitely defeat them. Knock out the Kobi by hitting them or jumping on their heads. The karate dinos are easy to beat but very fast, so take them out quickly. If carnivorous plants give you trouble, try attacking them from behind. Snakes are sneaky, dodge their strike and hit back right after. And when it comes to skeletons, a solid ground pound will keep them from getting back up.

If, when you start playing, you notice small white items floating around that don’t seem to do anything yet, don’t panic, they’re power-ups you’ll unlock later on. You’ll earn the anti-gravity feathers by defeating Mr. Egg, and these will allow you to jump higher and fall more slowly, making longer jumps possible and letting you escape the planet’s gravity at certain locations. The rock helmet, unlocked after beating Big Rock, adds weight so you can sink in water and grants damage resistance, enough to walk across lava. Finally, by defeating Double G, you’ll obtain the flaming club, which lets you shoot fireballs and access green fire areas.

All of this can also be enjoyed in co-op mode with a second player. Invite a friend, sibling, parent, child, grandparent, cousin, anyone you like! They can jump into the game at any time.

This co-op mode doesn’t use a split-screen setup to allow both players to work together toward the same goal without losing track of each other during exploration. And if the second player strays too far or gets a bit lost, the teleport function is always there to help.

Crosak comes packed with a feel-good vibe, a touch of classic platforming, and a strong sense of adventure, all while having fun turning the world upside down. Jump in and enjoy the ride!

Crosak

WildSphere

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$14.99

Get it now

Do you like platforming, exploration, and plumbing…? Uh, I mean… play-dough?! Well, we may not have pipes, but we can give you 64 reasons to join Crosak’s daring adventures.

1. Become a real caveman jumping and clubbing your way through a multi-gravity universe made of sticky play-dough: six open worlds full of secrets plus three special worlds with everything a galaxy could wish for.

2. Invite your favorite second player to have fun with Crosak and his friend Ena! Enjoy the full adventure in one- or two-player mode, switching whenever you like.

3. Face crazy “Jurassic-inspired” enemies — from giant carnivorous plants to karate dinosaurs or our take on the missing link (the Kobi).

4. Experiment with various power-ups to overcome the twisted planets’ challenges: anti-gravity feathers, rock-helmet, or flaming club, to name a few.

64. And let’s not forget the main mission! Rescue the 60 cavemen from Routine Village captured by the fearsome warlock Double G. 60 objectives with all kinds of missions: races, pterodactyl flights, mini-games, free falls, T-Rex rides, powerful boss fights, and much more.

Don’t overthink it — give your world a spin with Crosak!

When two of the most iconic zombie universes collide, the result is something uniquely intense, atmospheric, and unmistakably thrilling. Today we’ve launched World War Z x The Walking Dead, bringing four legendary survivors into the heart‑pounding co‑op action of World War Z.

Players on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One can step into the boots of Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne, and Negan as they fight through three new story chapters inspired by some of the most iconic locations in AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”

The Prison

Once a symbol of stability and hard‑won peace for Rick’s group, the Prison became one of the earliest and most dramatic battlegrounds in AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” In the crossover’s opening chapter, players return to this fortified correctional facility as a rescue mission spirals into a desperate fight for survival. Narrow hallways, cell blocks, and open yards create a mix of tight encounters and massive swarms — a perfect showcase for the new Walkers.

The Alexandria Safe Zone

Alexandria has long represented hope — a walled community striving to rebuild civilization. But when Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and Negan arrive in this chapter, they find the settlement engulfed in flames and overrun by Walkers. Players will navigate and extinguish burning structures, defend panicked survivors, and push through increasingly dire challenges as the Safe Zone teeters on the brink. It’s a homecoming turned nightmare.

Grady Memorial Hospital

The final chapter takes the survivors to Grady Memorial Hospital, a location remembered for tense standoffs and its inhabitants’ moral flexibility. In World War Z, the hospital becomes a claustrophobic maze of dark corridors, abandoned wards, and sudden ambushes. Players will desperately search for much needed medicine — but will they make it out alive?

A New Breed of Undead

This crossover doesn’t just bring iconic characters — it transforms the battlefield. The standard Zeke that you face are now replaced by the slower, more methodical, and menacing Walkers from The Walking Dead, creating a threat that forces players to rethink every corridor, choke point, and fallback plan. A new special enemy, the Spiked Walker, adds even more tension. Armored, relentless, and capable of inflicting bleeding damage, it demands precision and teamwork to bring down safely.

A Crossover Years in the Making

By blending WWZ’s frenetic Swarm Engine technology with the atmospheric dread of “The Walking Dead”, we’ve aimed to create a crossover that feels both familiar and entirely new. The result is hopefully a campaign that honors the legacy of both franchises while offering Xbox players a fresh, high‑stakes survival experience. If you own a copy of World War Z, you can pick up World War Z x The Walking Dead right now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One!

World War Z

Mad Dog Games, LLC

☆☆☆☆☆
514

★★★★★

$29.99

$9.89

Get it now

Xbox One X Enhanced

Xbox Game Pass

Humanity is on the brink of extinction. From New York to Moscow and Jerusalem, the undead apocalypse continues to spread. As the end looms, a hardened few bands together to defeat the horde and outlive the dead.

World War Z is a heart-pounding co-op third-person shooter for up to 4 players featuring swarms of hundreds of zombies. Based on the Paramount Pictures film, World War Z focuses on fast-paced gameplay while exploring new storylines from around the world.

Battle swarms of hundreds of zombies – the Swarm Engine seamlessly renders hordes of zombies in incredible firefights. Advanced gore systems offer gruesomely satisfying action.

Co-op story-driven campaigns – survive around the world, as unique groups tell their stories of perseverance.

Fight other players for survival – several intense Player vs Player vs Zombies game modes complement the co-op campaigns.

Grow stronger – unlock powerful weapon upgrades and level 16 character classes to take on greater challenges.

I Hate This Place is an isometric survival horror game that very intentionally uses a lot of comic book–infused design choices. With the launch of the game today on Xbox Series X|S, I’d love to take this moment to dive a little into the how and why this was done to help create I Hate This Place.

Living Alongside the Original “I Hate This Place” Comics

The first obvious reason for the comic aesthetic is that our game is set in the same world and universe as the award-nominated comic series “I Hate This Place” by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin. But since we were always going to be making a standalone story with our own characters, we decided that keeping that connection to the comic series alive was important, but it had to be in a way that wasn’t just parroting the original look.

Below are some examples comparing the game to the comics so you can see where and how we stayed true to the source while also allowing our team to make the art style and overall feel our own. Elements such as proportions, the vibe of the setting, sticking more to realism vs a totally cartoony approach, were all taken from the original comics. Where we chose to diverge was things like in the shading, line thickness, and the use of a wider color palette.

Bringing the 80s Back

Since the original series takes place in the 1980s, both the comics and the game lean heavily into that strong, stylized comic book aesthetic inspired by that decade. This is not a muted or realistic take on horror. Instead, it is loud, a bit graphic, and unapologetically over the top.

Visually, that again meant thick black outlines, bright and punchy colors, and heavy contrast and saturation throughout the world. Shadows are deep and deliberate, highlights pop, and there is, of course, plenty of VHS-style static.

Sound You Can See

While comic-inspired visuals are the most obvious choice, we also wanted the gameplay itself to have comic flair. One of the most distinctive design choices in I Hate This Place is how sound is communicated visually. Instead of relying purely on audio cues, the game translates sounds into comic book-style callouts that appear directly in the world.

For example, your footsteps are represented on screen as bold “thud” effects and are color-coded to communicate volume. Green footsteps mean you are quiet, crouched, moving slowly, and minimizing danger. Yellow footsteps signal normal movement and moderate noise. Red footsteps mean you are running or being loud, effectively becoming a beacon for nearby threats. This is especially important because many of the monsters in I Hate This Place also hunt by sound, not just sight.

Weapons follow the same philosophy. Guns don’t simply fire out an audio crack. Instead, they visually rattle across the screen with bold “bang!” and “ratatat!” effects. Creatures also announce themselves with jagged, unsettling visual screech callouts, reinforcing their presence just as they are about to attack. As a result, sound becomes something you read just as much as hear, much like in a comic panel.

Dialogue in Bubbles, Not Boxes

Another way we ramp up the comic book presentation is through character communication. Dialogue in I Hate This Place appears in speech bubbles above each characters’ heads rather than as traditional subtitles at the bottom of the screen. This keeps conversations grounded in the feeling that you are playing through a graphic novel rather than watching a cinematic overlay.

Available Today on Xbox Series X|S

At its core, I Hate This Place is about honoring the comic while finding ways to make its visual language interactive. The thick lines, vibrant colors, on-screen effects, and speech bubbles are not just stylistic flourishes. They are intentional design choices meant to shape how you read the world and make it feel like both a game and a comic book at the same time.

Thanks so much for reading. I Hate This Place is out today on Xbox Series X|S, and we really hope to see you out there on our twisted, haunted ranch!

I Hate This Place

Feardemic

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$29.99

$23.99

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Enjoy your stay in the worst place on Earth.

I Hate This Place is an isometric craft-based survival horror game set in a cursed land filled with reality-bending nightmares and terrifying creatures that thrive in the dark. You’ll need to scavenge, build, sneak, and fight if you want to make it out alive.

Classic Craft-Based Survival Horror

Scavenge every corner of Rutherford Ranch to stay alive. From haunted forests, a derelict town, to infested bunkers. Explore a world teeming with danger as you gather vital resources, craft essential gear, upgrade your campsite, and rebuild outposts to have somewhere to hide.

Day Prepares You. Night Hunts You

A dynamic day-night cycle that changes the world. Use daylight wisely to explore, scavenge supplies, craft what you need, and prepare for what’s coming. When night falls, the real nightmares come out to play. More enemies appear, stronger and more aggressive than before. The landscape becomes harder to navigate with just your flashlight. Sometimes your best hope is to find shelter and hunker down till morning.

Deadly Silence Goes A Long Way

Stealth and combat go hand-in-hand here as many of the twisted creatures in Rutherford Ranch hunt and stalk you by sound alone. Brute force will often just land you in an early grave. Use sound to your advantage, luring creatures away from your path or cleverly leading them straight into deadly traps you laid.

80’s Vibes Meets Comic Book Flair

Inspired by the award-nominated comic book series created by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin, I Hate This Place comes to life with bold colors, a punchy retro comic book style, and a heavy dose of ’80s flair. A unique blend of horror, dark humor, and just the right touch of camp and gore where unsettling dread meets stylized charm.

Developed and published by Broken Mirror Games – founded in 2024, co-development horror label under Bloober Team S.A. Broken Mirror Games and Bloober Team are registered trademarks of Bloober Team S.A. in US and/or other countries. “I Hate This Place” and all related logos, characters, names, and related indicia are © 2025 Skybound Interactive LLC. “I Hate This Place” is based on the comic book by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin. SKYBOUND, SKYBOUND GAMES and any related logos are registered or otherwise protected trademarks of Skybound, LLC. All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.