The single-player, first-person magic shooter from Ascendant Studios, in partnership with EA Originals, is now on the Play List for all EA Play members (Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See https://tos.ea.com/legalapp/eaplay/US/en/PC/ for details). PC Game Pass and Ultimate Game Pass subscribers can now experience the story of Jak, set in the Immortals of Aveum’s original fantasy universe.
Powered by the groundbreaking Unreal Engine 5.1 technology, Immortals of Aveum puts players in a visceral and cinematic fantasy universe that combines modern characters and a story-driven campaign with intense magic-based action, world exploration and puzzle-solving. The game tells the story of Jak (played by actor Darren Barnet) who discovers that he is a magically-imbued ‘Unforeseen’ and finds himself reluctantly caught in the middle of the raging Everwar. Members will find themselves thrusted into action-packed gameplay, testing their skills in fast, fluid combat that is easy to learn and satisfying to master.
In addition to Immortals of Aveum, EA Play members also get unlimited access to an expansive catalog of EA games, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, EA SPORTS NHL 24 and more, as well as a 10% discount on EA digital content (including game downloads, Season Passes, point packs, and DLC).
EA Play also offers members regular in-game rewards! This month’s rewards include:
Apex Legends Golden Syringe Weapon Charm – Now to June 3
Battlefield 2042 Offshore Protector – Now to May 28
EA SPORTS FC 24 Clubs Nike What The FC Tn Shark – Now to June 6
EA SPORTS FC 24 VOLTA Nike What The FC T-Shirt and COINS – Now to June 6
EA SPORTS FC 24 Ultimate Team Draft Token – Now to June 14
F1 23 5000 XP Boost – Now to May 31
Madden NFL 24 MUT May Pack – Now to May 31
EA SPORTS WRCSeason 4 Rewards – Now to June 3
NHL 24 Super Hero Set – Now to May 22
NHL 24 WOC Coins – Now to May 22
NHL 24 WOC Battle Pass XP Modifier – Now to May 22
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass PC members receive EA Play with their Game Pass subscription. Members enjoy great player benefits, including in-game challenges and rewards, special member-only content, trials of select new games such as EA SPORTS FC 24 and access to a collection of EA’s best-loved series and top titles, including the recently added EA SPORTS PGA Tour.
Visit the EA Play page for more details, and to stay up to date on the latest from EA Play, follow EA Play on, Instagram, or X. Please see EA.com/EA-Play/Terms for terms and conditions.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – How Performance Capture and Stunts Created Next-Level Combat
2017’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was an exceedingly special game. A bold, brash direction for Ninja Theory, the decision to craft a short, narrative experience revolving around mental health was a brave leap, but one that ultimately paid off. Now, seven years later, the studio is gearing up to reveal a sequel to Senua’s story, built with the same love and care, but expanding on the debut in every conceivable way.
In the run up to launch, we’ll be bringing you the story of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II from inside the studio itself, as well as stories and lessons from Hellblade’s creative leads. This is Ninja Theory’s ultimate form, filled with industry-leading talent, groundbreaking technology, and one of the most unique approaches to game development you’ve ever seen to fulfil the ultimate goal – the pursuit of true immersion.
Motion capture has been part of Ninja Theory’s heritage for a long time, and for good reason. The studio established itself as a pioneer in performance capture for games with 2007’s Heavenly Sword and has continued to innovate since. Now, with greater access to state-of-the-art technology – including its very own performance capture studio nestled within the walls of its Cambridge HQ – Ninja Theory is once again primed to break its own barriers within Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.
Ninja Theory utilised performance capture in the first Hellblade for its cinematic moments, but in Hellblade II, almost every in-game movement is performed by real-world actors and scanned in, to ensure the most realistic, human experience possible in-game. According to Studio Head Dom Matthews, capture for the combat sequences alone took almost 70 full days to complete.
“We see performance capture as a tool to deliver character performance in the purest way possible,” Matthews says. “We took that opportunity because it ties into our goal of doing everything we can to achieve immersion and keep it.”
You’ll never feel that more than in Hellblade II’s unique approach to combat – which stands simultaneously as a testament to Ninja Theory’s deep belief in their way of doing things, but also as a brand-new experiment for the restlessly creative studio.
Combat, Evolved
Combat in Hellblade II is a vast improvement on the first title, but, fascinatingly, this is not a traditional action game in practice. You won’t be bashing and slashing through endless hordes in Hellblade II – every fight you’ll enter as Senua is calculated and intentional, every swing, punch and grapple is crafted to align you with her struggle, and her growth as she overcomes these hurdles. Every foe feels like the one that might finally finish you and Senua off, and walking away intact feels like a triumph every time.
“Instead of taking what we’ve got and adding to it, we looked how we could go deeper on the thing we really care about, which is making combat meaningful to the narrative,” Matthews says.
During my visit to Ninja Theory, I was shown this evolution in combat from multiple perspectives – a look at how the combat scenes were performed and captured by actors, a behind-the-scenes glimpse at some of these movements in their development stages inside Unreal Engine 5, and then of course, the finished gameplay itself, which showcases the end product of this fantastic and thoughtful work.
In one section, the chapter culminates in Senua facing off an onslaught of masked enemies, some with heavy builds primed to knock her down, and some with swift fire attacks that require well-timed dodging. Each fight – all handled one-on-one, but with new enemies barrelling in from off-screen to keep the frantic feeling alive – feels like survival by the skin of your teeth, and the sum of Senua’s power is funnelled through her retaliations; the movements to take down these foes are almost rhythmic, a desperate beating heart powering the game along.
It’s hard to explain unless you’ve played yourself, but this doesn’t feel like traditional video game combat. There’s a weight to it, both from Senua and her enemies, that turns this into more of a desperate dance than a piece of superpowered pugilism. It makes for exhausting, exhilarating sequences, producing the feeling of an intense boss rush, even against what would otherwise be regular enemies.
“We wanted to bring a sense of brutality and struggle to one-on-one combat,” says Benoit Macon, combat director on Hellblade II. “There is a sense of connection between the combat and the narrative.”
That brutality is felt even more keenly when you seeing it being carried out in real life. I watch two Lucky13 stunt performers act out multiple combat sequences, one taking on the role of Senua, and another acting as a hulking Northman. The two performers swing rapidly at each other, with one take culminating in a violent body slam. This is a real, tangible portrayal of a fight; the movements and body language – while expertly directed – are unpredictable, and differ slightly between takes, granting an authenticity that is seldom offered by wholly calculated digital character rigging.
The scene is also heavily cinematic; a mass brawl breaking out between these masked Viking slavers and their newly freed captives onscreen means it’s never entirely clear who Senua is about to square up against next (and indeed, if you die, you’ll take on enemies in a different order, the fights shifting to stop you simply pattern-learning). Macon cites Games of Thrones’ famous ‘Battle of the Bastards’ episode as an early reference point for this sequence, highlighting the relentless, indiscriminate violence that Jon Snow faces in what seems to be a losing battle against endless foes. Similarly, Senua is not trying to be a hero in this chapter, merely fighting to survive – and you’re right there with her.
Bringing Senua to Life
Paradoxically, while I play, I realise that part of the genius of Ninja Theory’s work on combat is the effort they’ve put into the moments where you’re not fighting, and how they link together. Even when Senua’s sword is sheathed, moments of exploration, puzzle solving and conversations with other characters are rooted in a deep sense of dynamic realism – and crucially this means the game feels like a seamless whole. You don’t walk into a blank arena and realize, “Oh, this is a combat sequence.” The wholeness means that, even in its quiet moments, it feels as though you could enter combat at any moment.
Even Senua’s most incidental movements feel intensely authentic – as she’s carefully padding through abandoned villages or trepidatiously navigating around terrifying enemies, I often found myself mirroring her reactions. If Senua’s shoulders are tense, mine are similarly braced; if Senua is making herself smaller to not be detected, I’m also hunching into myself as though the masked nightmares are going to see me through the screen. This is all brought to life by Senua actress Melina Juergens’ astronomical efforts to create a living, breathing character that is now an extension of her.
“The benefit of working with actors like [Juergens] or any of the other cast is that we can bring them in to try different ideas; a scared walk, for example,” Matthews says. “We ask ourselves what you’d be feeling in that moment, and how do we convey that to the player? We can then capture it, and the end result in the game is based on a real performance.”
Juergens tells me that even aspects like the weather are considered – how will Senua move and behave if it’s raining heavily or there’s strong winds? There’re even scenes with multiple versions of the same dialogue between Senua and other characters, and the line that is delivered will depend on whether Senua is walking or running. It’s this constant reactivity not just to NPCs, but also to the dynamic world around here, that means you’re completely immersed in her world.
Some of the Ninja Theory team are even now trained in how to safely build scaffolding, due to its consistent use throughout the filming process to simulate climbing and suspension scenes, an incredible commitment to the craft.
In some instances, Juergens will film physical movements first, and then record the facial expressions later to make for an even more realistic and animated approach. In other scenarios, actions and expressions are filmed in tandem, as Juergens is acting out the scene. She describes one instance of shimmying through a set piece with an iPhone camera strapped to her head to capture her face as she goes – which is all I could think about when later playing through a similar segment in the game itself.
The result is something that feels differently pitched to most action games. We aren’t just driving Senua from one battle to the next, nor do those fights feel like interruptions to the wider story – combat is a part of Senua’s journey, and the intense work put into making her feel like a real person, both in and out of those fights, means we as players, are left in a state of blissful unease. The next fight could come at any moment.
Fighting With Purpose
All of this work – the stunt work, meticulous acting capture, and new mechanical ideas of how to present a fight – feel as much like a Hollywood production as they do a traditional game. Ninja Theory is aware of the appetite for sprawling, lengthy AAA blockbusters, and we’re increasingly familiar with the Hollywood techniques they employ. However, Matthews prefers to liken Hellblade II to a quality independent film, and tells me that the confidence to keep creating mindful art has only been reinforced by the success and resonance of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. In terms of combat, that means creating a system that doesn’t just feel good to play, but serves the wider message. Senua isn’t mindlessly engaging in battle – she has to do this to meet her goals, and that’s reflected in how Ninja Theory has approached every aspect of putting a character onscreen.
“That mindset has encouraged me and the people in the team to continue to be brave in our creative work, to continue to doggedly pursue the things we all personally care about,” Matthews says.
It makes Hellblade II’s combat less a cog in a gaming machine, and more of a brushstroke in the wider piece of art Ninja Theory is presenting. The studio is fuelled by a fearlessness to keep innovating on Senua’s journey in its own thoughtful, meticulous way – yes, this feels very fun to play, but fighting means something in this game. That might be an achievement in itself.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will be released on May 21, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam and Cloud – and will be available with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass day one.
How Ninja Theory Strives to Make Senua the Most Human Character in Gaming
2017’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was an exceedingly special game. A bold, brash direction for Ninja Theory, the decision to craft a short, narrative experience revolving around mental health was a brave leap, but one that ultimately paid off. Now, seven years later, the studio is gearing up to reveal a sequel to Senua’s story, built with the same love and care, but expanding on the debut in every conceivable way.
In the run up to launch, we’ll be bringing you the story of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II from inside the studio itself, as well as stories and lessons from Hellblade’s creative leads. This is Ninja Theory’s ultimate form, filled with industry-leading talent, groundbreaking technology, and one of the most unique approaches to game development you’ve ever seen to fulfil the ultimate goal – the pursuit of true immersion.
During one particularly tense cutscene in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, I’m rooted in place as I watch Senua make a critical decision. After triumphing in a bloody battle against Viking slavers, she’s presented with the choice to save a new character from a terrible fate. Ninja Theory’s incredible performance capture and Unreal Engine 5 visuals allow me to scan every emotion soaring across Senua’s face – concern, worry, distrust – as she considers the consequences of rescuing someone in need.
In the first game, she might not have experienced the same internal conflict, but in the sequel, she’s making choices and processing emotions in new ways. Senua has not arrived here overnight. She’s gone through and will continue to go through an incredible narrative evolution in Hellblade II. In gaming, “growth” is so often mechanical, statistical – but the Hellblade series makes it a truly characterful experience, and it’s one of many things that makes Ninja Theory’s work stand out.
At the end of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, we see Senua come to terms with the loss of her love, Dillion, and soak in the physical and emotional journey she’s undertaken. Her sequel begins with the sum of that evolution; she’s hardened by her experiences, familiar and accepting of her condition, and tasked with a wider, more selfless goal. This emergence of Senua’s personality and extraversion of herself as she meets new people is an extraordinary step in making her feel real.
“Her purpose in the first game was very interior, the guilt that she felt over Dillion was a very personal mission to her,” says Lara Derham, Stage Director and Writer on Hellblade II. “While that drive is still present in this game, she’s pushing her goal a little more out of herself and into the world. It’s not about her personal love or her circumstances, it’s about preventing harm from coming to other people now.”
This evolution in Senua’s character is also outlined by a deeper understanding of herself, and how her experiences are no fault of her own. Professor Paul Fletcher, who has served as the mental health consultant on the Hellblade series, outlines the tonal shift between the two games: “The hallmark of [Senua’s Sacrifice] was it was totally enveloped by a darkness, and I think she’s emerging from that and finding a different meaning.”
“It’s not about [Senua’s] personal love or her circumstances, it’s about preventing harm from coming to other people now.”
Lara Derham
She’s still faced with the ever-present mental load of the Furies – the name given to the competing voices in her head – but they’ve evolved with her, and have more external factors to react to as Senua meets new characters. They don’t really have a consistent tone of voice, they’re reactive to Senua’s state of mind; if she’s anxious or frightened, they tend to be a little more chaotic and overbearing, when things are calm, they’re quieter. This dynamic ruleset allows for brief moments of respite for the player, but it also showcases growth in how Senua manages her condition.
According to Fletcher, this is in keeping with the clinical experiences of those living with psychosis – the voices do shift in what they mean to an individual.
“What I find interesting is that the voices now comment on what other people are doing, which was never really a part of the first game,” Fletcher says. “So they may encourage her to distrust what another person is saying, which really captures the dual reality that people might face in the midst of psychosis.”
Derham notes that most people have some sort of internal monologue active when we’re being spoken to, but it’s mostly not at the foreground, and it’s also not audible: “Imagine if every time someone was talking to you, you had that constant commentary on what they’re saying, maybe even arguing about the meaning. Every time Senua meets a new character, the voices are going to react to that.”
Fletcher accentuates this by describing a big step in the understanding of psychosis from a research perspective, which revolves around the meaningfulness of experiences for those living with psychosis. They’re not just neural noise – the experiences are constructed in the same way we all construct our reality.
“What’s exciting to me about Hellblade II is the growing interest that people can entertain two levels of reality,” Fletcher says. “Senua may have the darkness and the voices, but at the same time, she can recognise and be part of other people’s constructions too.”
“Senua may have the darkness and the voices, but at the same time, she can recognise and be part of other people’s constructions too.”
Professor Paul Fletcher
Senua’s willingness to be part of other people’s stories – as we briefly mentioned earlier regarding her choice to save someone who is a stranger to her – also showcases another aspect of how she’s moving past certain experiences that made her so insular.
“Her psychosis had influenced her relationships with other people to a point where she was weary and withdrawn from the world, Derham says. “What we’re showing now is her starting to overcome that, depending on who she meets, and we’re showing that her perspective is just as valuable as anyone else’s.”
“Some people will react to her with harshness or horror, but some will see her differently, and she’ll find common ground and share positive experiences with them. It’s really exciting to watch Senua explore these interpersonal dynamics and relationships with other characters, and how she can help them.”
Senua’s Sacrifice is considered one of, if not the most authentic representation of psychosis in modern media, but Derham and Fletcher both agree that there may never be a truly complete depiction of the condition, as it “doesn’t remain static, and people’s relationship to it changes over time,” according to Derham.
One line in particular struck me during my time with Senua Saga: Hellblade II, which sees Senua calmly and assertively say “it’s not a prison, it’s a promise.” In this moment, we see Senua make peace with her past, and prepare to pursue her new goal confidently, not just for herself, but for the people around her. It’s in this line where I really feel her growth as a character, as a survivor, and more widely, as a woman living in a harsh world with a chronic, invisible condition.
“It was important for us to show that Senua is still on a journey,” Derham adds. “The courage and persistence that she showed in the first game is still evident, but it’s more self-directed now. She will still hear voices that’ll try to influence her, but she can choose whether to respond to that or not. She has agency in a way she didn’t have in the first game, and that evolution really is key.”
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will be released on May 21, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam and Cloud – and will be available with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass day one.
Since this month’s Community Update is on the lighter side with regard to specific projects, we’ve decided to try something a little different. In addition to the usual fare, we’ve included some highlights from our recently released features and bug fixes. Let us know if you enjoy these callouts and we’ll keep them in moving forward!
Enterprise
We’re making headway on some continued improvements to the Xbox Insiders subreddit. We’ve had a few internal discussions around content planning and support improvements, so we’re hopeful those will bear fruit soon. Granted, there’s still much to be done to truly get things where we’d like, but we’ve really appreciated all the continued feedback and discussions around the changes so far. Keep ‘em coming!
State of Gold
We’ve seen quite a few different features land across our entire ecosystem in the past couple of weeks. On the console side of things, we enabled the ability to remember up to ten different WiFi Networks for all Alpha & Alpha Skip-Ahead users (Alpha Ring (2406.240429-2000)). Additionally, just yesterday, Alpha users received “Update Pre-download” for games that have enabled that feature (Alpha Ring (2406.240509-2000)).
Over in the PC/Cloud realm, we had a big update to Compact Mode go live to all PC Xbox Insiders that included a handful of new experiences (Compact Mode continues evolving in the Xbox App on PC). We also enabled a suite of “User Content Management” features for Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) that all Xbox Insiders can enjoy (Xbox App [2405.1000.39.0]).
These are just a few of the numerous improvements we’ve made across our platforms recently, so remember to regularly check our Console and PC release notes at their new home! Also, if you’re thinking to yourself, “These are mostly going to Alpha/Alpha Skip-Ahead! I can’t get them yet!” I may or may not have good news coming soon for those of you that are recently highly experienced and want to join those rings.
Integral
Finally, we want to call attention to a few Community-driven fixes that were made possible specifically due to the efforts of Xbox Insiders’ feedback. For both a notification issue, as well as a party chat/game chat issue, the feedback that was submitted was instrumental in determining the root cause and delivering a fix for the platform. We greatly appreciate all the feedback that we receive from our Xbox Insiders, and we’ll continue to highlight this in future Community Updates.
It’s Been a Pleasure
As always, I hope everyone enjoyed this installment of the Xbox Insider Program Community Update. If you want to chat about this—and everything else XIP—hop on over to the r/XboxInsiders subreddit or throw us a follow @xboxinsider.
Hey, Xbox Wire readers! Fred Hoffman here, the better of the two brothers behind
Newfangled Games. I can hardly believe it, but we’re releasing Paper Trail on Xbox One and Xbox Series on May 21. If that sounds too far away for you, then I’ve got good news – we’ve got a shiny new demo available right now! It’s only available from now until our May 21 launch, so make sure you get it whilst you can!
A charming world of crafty puzzles awaits: grab and fold the fabric of reality like paper, and embark on a magical journey like no other! You play as Paige, a budding academic and the first of her family to be accepted into university. The problem? Your parents don’t want you to go. Using your secret origami powers (that’s totally a thing), you leave the confines of home to make your own way in the world.
Contained within the game, is a whole interactive storybook. As you travel further from your home, fragments of memory return and must be pieced together, weaving together the stories of your past, present and future. We won’t go too far into spoilers here, but it’s a story which is personal to us – and one we believe a lot of people will relate to.
Your adventure takes you through many beautiful hand painted locations, from sun drenched ruins, to rain swept forests. Each new area comes with quirky characters, hidden secrets, and unexpected puzzling twists. Uncover ancient patterns, connect magical circuits, navigate dizzying heights, and plumb long forgotten depths in your journey along the Paper Trail!
To have gone from wrestling the controller from my brother to get a turn on Halo as a kid; to releasing our own game together on Xbox – it’s a dream come true. Five years ago, we had an idea for a little paper folding game, it’s taken us around the world and back to where it all started. So if you have a sibling, go tell them that it’s your turn on the family console, and play the Paper Traildemo – available now!
Paper Trail is a top-down puzzle adventure about leaving home, set in a foldable, paper world. You play as Paige, a budding academic, leaving home for the first time to pursue her studies. On the journey, you learn to fold the world, merging two sides to solve puzzles, explore new areas and uncover long-lost secrets.
Price Reductions Available Now on the Digital Xbox 360 Store – Closing July 29, 2024
Xbox 360 launched 18 years ago and was a generation-defining console that invited many people to jump into gaming for the first time and connect with friends around the world. We’re thrilled people continue playing their favorite Xbox 360 games on Xbox 360, or on newer consoles via Backward Compatibility for supported titles.
As we shared last August, we have a change coming to the Xbox 360 experience. Starting on July 29, 2024, Xbox will stop supporting the ability to purchase new games, DLC, and other entertainment content from the Xbox 360 Store on the console and the Xbox 360 Marketplace (marketplace.xbox.com).
To celebrate the legacy of Xbox 360, we’re working with our amazing publishing partners to bring you as many price reductions from our online store or from the Xbox 360 Store on the console. We’ll be updating this list with more games on June 18, 2024, and on July 16, 2024, bringing you as many repriced games as possible before the end of July.
It’s important to know that this change will not affect your ability to play Xbox 360 games or DLC you have already purchased — Xbox 360 game content previously purchased will still be available to play.
Grab your controllers and keyboards, because we have another round of games coming soon! Most importantly though, grab your headphones – Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II launches next week. While sharing is caring, this is one you’re going to want to listen to yourself for the full experience. Now let’s get to all the games!
Available Today
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (Cloud, Console, and PC) The critically acclaimed and award-winning classic is returning to the Game Pass library! Guide two brothers on an epic fairy tale journey from visionary Swedish film director Josef Fares and developer Starbreeze Studios. Solve puzzles, explore the varied locations, and fight boss battles while controlling one brother with each thumb stick.
Coming Soon
Chants of Sennaar (Cloud, Console, and PC) – May 15 In this award-winning puzzle adventure game, play as the Traveler whose quest is to reunite the Peoples of the Tower. Observe, listen, and decipher ancient languages in a fascinating universe inspired by the Myth of Babel.
EA Sports NHL 24 (Cloud) EA Play – May 16 EA Sports NHL 24 will be available with Xbox Cloud Gaming soon via EA Play! Feel the intensity of hockey with all new gameplay features that dial up the pressure, physicality, and control of authentic on-ice action.
Immortals of Aveum (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) EA Play – May 16 Immortals of Aveum is coming to The Play List! Summon your power with PC Game Pass and Ultimate via EA Play in this single-player, first-person magic shooter. Unleash an arsenal of spells as Jak, who joins an elite order of battlemages to save a world on the edge of abyss.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – May 21 Available on day one with Game Pass! The sequel to the award winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua returns in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. Intent on saving those who have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny, Senua faces a battle of overcoming the darkness within and without. Pre-install now to get ready to play on day one.
Galacticare (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S) – May 23 Available on day one with Game Pass! You are the Director of Galacticare, an interstellar healthcare company and quasi-voluntary savior of the Galaxy (for cash.) Build hospitals and recruit staff to satisfy the whims of various alien species and cure their bizarre illnesses Save the (literal) Galaxy in story mode, or head into sandbox to design the hospital of your dreams.
Hauntii (Cloud, Console, and PC) – May 23 Available on day one with Game Pass! Play as a brave yet naive little ghost, Hauntii, and set off on a quest guided by enigmatic Eternians. Possess, solve puzzles, and shape your fate in this captivating adventure. The game’s hand-crafted art style blends line art and animation with a striking palette, creating a visually captivating experience. Coupled with the dynamic soundtrack, it enhances the immersive exploration of mysterious landscapes.
Moving Out 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – May 28 Are you ready to become an all-star F.A.R.T? That’s a Furniture Arrangement & Relocation Technician in the world of Moving Out 2. Working solo, or with up to three friends, slip into your uniform and help the residents of Packmore, and beyond, to pack up and ship out!
Humanity (Cloud, Console, and PC) – May 30 Become a Shiba Inu and help reconstruct humankind in the acclaimed action-puzzle game Humanity. Drop commands to guide a mindless human horde to the goal through 90 increasingly challenging handcrafted story mode stages. Then, choose from thousands of user-made puzzles expanding on the breadth of mechanics, or design your own and share it with the community.
Lords of the Fallen (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – May 30 A vast world awaits in the all-new, dark fantasy action-RPG, Lords of the Fallen. As one of the fabled Dark Crusaders, embark on an epic quest to overthrow Adyr, the demon God. Learn more about how Lords of the Fallen goes rogue(like) with its recent ‘Master of Fate’ update on Xbox Wire.
Firework (PC) – June 4 An accidental fire at a funeral forces the police to re-investigate the closed case of a massacre. You will play as a rookie police officer who participates in the re-investigation by chance. As the investigation goes deeper, the past of the victims gradually emerges and the case becomes more bewildering.
Rolling Hills (Cloud, Console, and PC) – June 4 Available on day one with Game Pass! Serve up sushi as a robot chef in Rolling Hills, a life sim about running your own restaurant in a cozy village. Make new friends, purchase ingredients, enhance your shop, and improve the lives of your neighbors as you perfect your craft!
DLC / Game Updates
Vampire Survivors: Operation Guns – Available now Game Pass members save 10% off their purchase! Vampire Survivors: Operation Guns sees the smash hit roguelike join forces with Konami’s iconic Contra series, adding tons of guns and other weapons (we’re talking 22, including evolutions!), 11 new characters, a huge map, and a soundtrack that combines classic Contra tracks with Vampire Survivors covers.
Minecraft 15 Year Anniversary – Starting May 15 Minecraft is celebrating 15 years of gripping adventures and mind-blowing creations! Whether you’ve been crafting since alpha or joined somewhere along the way, you’ve left your mark on every block. Watch out for upcoming announcements from Minecraft!
Starfield Update – May 15 Starfield’s largest update since launch is coming on May 15! The May Update includes more detailed surface maps; new gameplay difficulty options and display settings; new features for ship customization and more! Learn more on Bethesda.net.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Minecraft: 500 Minecoins – Starting May 15 Claim 500 Minecoins! Spend them on epic adventure maps, skins, add-ons, and more imaginative content, all crafted by creators and available on Minecraft Marketplace. What will your next adventure be?
Naraka: Bladepoint – Available Now Claim exclusive Xbox headgear, new season treasures, legendary skin trial bundle and more in the new Perks Bundle! Get a kick start in the new season with the help of experience boost cards! This Perk content requires Naraka: Bladepoint to use.
Leaving May 31
The following games are leaving soon, so be sure to jump back in and tie up and loose ends or grab some extra achievements before they leave! You can also save up to 20% off your purchase to keep them in your library and keep the fun going.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Farworld Pioneers (Cloud, Console, and PC)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Pac-man Museum Plus (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Little Witch in the Woods (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Crafted with meticulous attention to player feedback, this electrifying track is a direct response to the clamor for more verticality in our racing experience. We heard you loud and clear after the release of our first Racing circuit, and Titans’ Alley delivers in spades. Prepare to navigate hairpin turns, dizzying ascents, and heart-stopping descents as you vie for victory in this thrilling new desertic environment.
Harness the power of your Dragons and ascend to victory in the ultimate test of speed and skill!
Ready for an unparalleled adrenaline rush? Get set to soar with the wind and command the strength of Dragons as you plunge into the depths of the Titan’s Alley desert.
The Circuit of Champions event not only unveils the new desert-themed circuit, but also two new Pick Ups:
Blast ability: This ability works like the one used in PvP modes on the Phantom & Windguard: You first launch a projectile with a visible “bubble” to display its blast radius (grey for the caster, red for the enemies). The projectile explodes when colliding with a surface or when you press the ability key again for manual activation.
Dash Ability: This ability is similar to the Feral Charge used by the Rimeblood in PvP modes. You can lock a target in front of you and quickly dash towards them upon activation. If you hit the target, they are struck while you continue forward.
You can also experiment with two new features added to the Dragon Racing game mode:
Double Pickup System: You can now carry up to two abilities at the same time. The UI now displays an active slot in the foreground and a reserve slot in the background.
Draft System: The Dragon Racing mode now features a Draft System, similar to other racing games. Staying behind a dragon for a short time (1.5s) will trigger a small speed boost.
The swiftest Dragoneers will not only claim victory but also unlock amazing prizes as a testament to their triumph!
As Dragoneers take flight atop their majestic dragons, navigating through challenging laps and outmaneuvering rivals, their quest extends beyond mere glory. They’re racing towards the promise of incredible prizes, awaiting those bold enough to seize victory with skill and determination.
Dragoneers will not only etch their names into the annals of dragon racing history but also gain access to exclusive rewards that will leave them in awe. From legendary Dragon gear, legendary and epic chests to scarce in-game currency and beyond, every triumph in the Circuit of Champions event propels you closer to a vault of jolly rewards.
Don’t wait another moment—leap into action today and claim your place as the quickest Dragoneer in this time-limited challenge!
Century: Age of Ashes, the multiplayer dragon battle game is now available for free! Customize your dragon, dive into the arena and compete to become a legendary Dragoneer. Burn your enemies and rule the skies!
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INTENSE ARENA BATTLES
Dive into the arena alone or with friends and fight for your survival in exciting game modes:
– Outbreak (PvE): team up and protect the towers of Hel’s Breach against waves of horrific enemies.
– Carnage (PvP): A killing spree with special power ups. It’s Team Deathmatch, Dragon riders style!
– Gates of Fire (PvP): Two teams clash over possession of the flag. Gain points by flying through gates while holding the flag!
– Spoils of War (PvP): Steal gold from carriers & the enemy while protecting your own nest, and adapt to unexpected situations!
– Survival (PvP): It’s every dragoneer for themselves! Pit against other players in a ferocious and unforgiving free-for-all clash.
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CHOOSE YOUR CLASS
Experience different play styles with unique classes, each with their own abilities! Shield and disorient as the Windguard, track and destroy as the Marauder, stealth and trap as the Phantom, rush and thunder-shock your opponents as the Stormraiser, vine-trap them as the Thornweaver or frost-charge them as the Rimeblood! How will you choose your path to victory?
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FULL CUSTOMIZATION
Your dragon, your style! Century: Age of Ashes offers carefully designed cosmetic items to stand out in the arena. Gain experience as you play and unlock awesome skins to customize your dragon and its rider! Don’t worry, these items are purely cosmetic and offer no advantage in battle.
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FREE TO PLAY
Century: Age of Ashes is completely free-to-play. In order to keep the experience fair and equitable, in-game purchases are purely cosmetic. Battles are won by skill and teamwork alone.
Draft Token – Now to June 14
Draft Token – Now to June 14
