Interscope Records Launches Custom Juice WRLD Fortnite Island and Juice WRLD-inspired Xbox Design Lab Controllers
Darell BookerCorporate Affairs Specialist, Xbox
Summary
On November 30, a custom Juice WRLD-themed Fortnite Island, “Juice WRLD: The Party Never Ends” launches, featuring unreleased music, iconic tracks, and Xbox Lounges.
Xbox will release two Juice WRLD-inspired Xbox Design Lab controllers.
Xbox will also host a live Fortnite tournament during the final Juice WRLD Day at Chicago’s United Center.
In celebration of the upcoming release of The Party Never Ends, Juice WRLD’s highly anticipated final, posthumous album dropping on November 29, Xbox is partnering with Interscope, Grade A, and Life Free 999 to launch a custom in-game Island – “Juice WRLD: The Party Never Ends” – inspired by the artist. Fans can dive into this unique experience starting November 30, 2024. Please note: this is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Epic Games, Inc.
This Island features an epic tower-climbing race set amid stunning landscapes of lush mountains, serene lakes, and open fields. Along the way, players will be able to chill at Xbox Lounges, where they’ll hear a snippet of an unreleased Juice WRLD track alongside fan-favorite hits like “Lucid Dreams,” “Wishing Well,” and “Robbery.” Juice-related imagery and collectibles are woven throughout the experience, ensuring fans feel truly immersed in his world.
Xbox will also launch Juice WRLD-inspired Xbox Design Lab controllers, available to order starting today. These custom designs honor Juice WRLD’s bold style and love for gaming, giving fans a unique way to incorporate his influence into their gaming setups. You can order them here.
The celebration doesn’t stop there—on November 30, Xbox will host a live, in-person Fortnite tournament during the fourth annual and final Juice WRLD Day at Chicago’s United Center. Local students will compete in the custom Island finale, adding excitement to a day filled with an exclusive listening experience, surprise performances, and more. It’s a tribute fans won’t want to miss!
Crescent County Is the Witch-Tech Racing-Delivery-Life-Sim You Didn’t Know You Needed
Before I played an early version of Crescent County, I didn’t know that an in-game version of a motorized, magical broomstick could feel right. But here I am, drawing wide arcs through the gently swaying grass of the Isle of Morah, identifying the perfect hillock to glide off from, and intuitively following paths of flowers to shortcuts across its open world. You’d think there’d no right way to depict something as bizarre as this, but as I feel a leyline-powered boost ignite the rumble of my controller, I start to think, “well, maybe.”
The debut game from Electric Saint – a two-person development team made up of Anna Hollinrake (Fall Guys) and Pavle Mihajlović (Erica) – Crescent County is part-open world exploration, part-dating game, part-gig economy delivery challenge, part-racer, part-life sim, and all-centered around that motorbroom experience. It’s ambitious, and with so many moving parts, you might expect it to have come together in pieces – but the real origin point was straightforward.
One of the earliest pieces of art that inspired Crescent County. Credit: Anna Hollinrake
Hollinrake has been painting images of what she dubs “witch-tech” for years, building a following as people fall in love with the bright, curious worlds she creates in static form. Choosing to leave the world of AAA development behind, and contacting Mihajlović to create the tech, there was only one setting they wanted to bring to life together.
“The number one piece of feedback I get when I’m at conventions selling art based on this world, or on social media when I post images of it, is that people wish that they could live in the paintings I create,” she tells me. “I’m an art generalist for games and have worked along the whole art pipeline, but my specialty is infusing moreish worldbuilding into my work, from concepts to full 3D environments, that give a sense of place, with little story hints throughout. I really want to give people the opportunity to step into a lovingly crafted, painterly space that feels both joyful and a little melancholy and that, critically, they feel at home within.”
It means that Crescent County wasn’t built out of disparate mechanical ideas that the developers wanted to jam into one playspace – every choice has been made because it fits the theme. Even in the early form of the game I play, that comes across. As main character Lu, your motorbroom is key to everything you do – you arrive on the island and take part in a race, then become the island’s delivery courier. That job allows you to meet characters you can get to know (and romance), afford furniture for your apartment, and to customize your broom and go further, faster. In Crescent County’s world, motorbrooms aren’t a vehicle, they’re a culture.
“Motorbroom racing is an underground sport, practised by a small group of the coolest people you know,” says Hollinrake. “It’s very inspired by roller derby and the roller skating community (I’m an avid quad skater myself!), and we wanted to capture that punk, do-it-yourself attitude within motorbroom subculture.”
“In terms of racing though, it’s more about friends challenging each other in playful ways (like seeing who can get up the mountain first), than it is about big formal races with sponsors and crowds,” adds Mihajlović. “If you win, you can expect to learn some secrets about the island, or maybe get a hot tip on how to get a particular broom part, but you can also choose to lay back and spend some more quality time with a racer you have a crush on.”
That idea, that every activity can affect another, seems key to Crescent County. You’re building a life for Lu on the island – a race can lead to romance, a delivery job could net you new decorations, and even the house creation element (so often a side activity) can have effects on the wider game.
“We’re really interested in how we can take classic, cozy house decoration and make it push our story forward rather than being purely for aesthetics,” explains Hollinrake. “In that classic scouring-Facebook-Marketplace way, you can do jobs around the island for people who’ll pay you back with a couch they have in the shed and aren’t using. Inspired by our own experiences living in crappy house shares in our early twenties, we know how big of a difference each single piece of furniture can have on your social life or sense of place – you can’t have a dinner party without a dinner table, and getting your new friends around it lets you chat late into the night and deepen those relationships. Even if the spaghetti bolognese you made was terrible.”
It leads to what promises a very satisfying loop – the more you play, and the more you engage, the more opportunities await you. Again, building Crescent County as a living world rather than a sandbox, is the key. The game’s organized into days and nights that pass based on what you choose to do (you can deliver by day, and race by night), rather than through a linear cycle, which gives you an incentive to choose the interesting thing rather than the efficient thing.
“Each day brings a host of new opportunities to earn some cash, make your flat less sad, and learn more island drama,” says Mihajlović. “You’ll get to pick who you want to help that day – whether it’s because you want to know a particular bit of gossip, you want to get a specific broom upgrade, or because your friend Rava has promised you she’ll give you her unwanted and admittedly ugly couch if you help round up her wayward sheep. You can either plan out your route carefully, or take it a bit more casually and ride around and see what you get up to. At the end of the day you can take your weird couch home, pick where to place it, and invite your friends over for a movie night – who point out you don’t actually own a TV.”
All of this would be moot if the brooms themselves didn’t feel quite so good, and the Isle of Morah wasn’t quite so fascinating a location. That connection to Hollinrake’s art means that this world is a deeply interesting place – unfamiliar silhouettes clutter the horizon, and the sheer fun meant that I spent as much time simply going places than doing, well, Lu’s job. The final piece in the puzzle, then, is in creating a motorbroom that suits you.
“Broom customization is both about building a motorbroom that looks amazing and feels just like you, but it’s also in how you decide how you’re going to navigate the island,” says Mihajlović. “Whether you want to speed down the straights, cut across a field, or glide over a canyon, different broom setups will open different paths and playstyles. You can also put Sigil Stickers on your broom that give you weird and wonderful powers, like an offensive sideways phase shift that you can use to bump your rivals off the track, or a more forgiving 10 second rewind that lets you retake a corner if you didn’t get it quite right.”
The way the team is winding together mechanical and narrative benefits to the player isn’t just fascinating – it’s unusual. It’s the kind of thing that might have been hard to pitch at their previous studios, meaning self-publishing with ID@Xbox has been a boon:
“We’re huge fans of the ID@Xbox program – and before that Xbox Live Arcade,” says Mihajlović. “It birthed or enabled so many of the games that we love, and in a lot of ways the whole indie wave that got us into the games industry in the first place. I actually remember the first Summer of Arcade, and how exciting and validating it was as a teenager to see indie games on a console, so it’s incredible to now be a part of the program.”
With a two-person team, the game still has a way to go until release – and they’re not set on a release date just yet – but the early version I play makes abundantly clear how wild, weird, and ambitious Electric Saint is getting. Just like its motorbrooms, Crescent County might be unfamiliar, but it’s feeling just right already.
Discover this beautiful open world racing on the back of your very own motorbroom. In Crescent County you play as Lu, as you move to the island under tense pretences, eager to start afresh. It’s a game about finding home in a brand-new witch-tech universe.
During the day you’re a motorbroom courier; delivering packages, herding sheep, and setting off fireworks. You find yourself building a life through helping the locals; getting to know their struggles, and their island home. Plan your day every morning by picking your jobs, and then zoom around the island getting things done! The better your broom is the more you can do, and the more of the gossip you uncover.
After you’ve made some change, head down to Bo’s workshop to upgrade your motobroom and make it your own! Replace parts to improve your broom’s handling, top speed, or gliding ability, and pop some Sigil Stickers on it to enable special powers such as Phase Shifting and Time Rewind.
At night, use your customised motorbroom to defeat your new friends in improvised races around the island. Discover shortcuts on ancient ley lines, and sprint through abandoned power stations in rebellious, secret races to win new broom parts.
Start in your cousin’s empty bedsit and collect furniture from the locals to scrap together a cosy new life for yourself on the island. The better your home is, the more activities you can do with your new friends. Can’t have a dinner party with a table, or a date without a couch!
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: Bringing ’80s Movie Magic to a 2024 Game
Indiana Jones has a feeling. It’s not just in the more tangible elements – the stories, the hero, or the music – it’s also in the way it was filmed, the minutiae of choreography, and the tone. Those ineffable qualities are what have made this series so beloved, and so lasting. And that’s a very difficult thing to recreate in a video game.
It presented Indiana Jones and the Great Circle developer MachineGames with an extra challenge – not only did the team have to create a fantastic, modern-feeling game, but one that simultaneously captures the magic that swirls around the movies. It comes down to a question of balance: making a compelling game that still looks, feels, acts, and sounds like the movies it’s drawing inspiration from.
In speaking to developers across MachineGames, it’s fascinating to hear how that was achieved, mixing modern game design with traditional filmmaking techniques, all in service of creating something that hits the sweet spot MachineGames has been striving for.
Perhaps one of the best examples of the deep thinking applied comes out of a single scene – one you might even describe as incidental.
‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’ contains perhaps one of cinema’s best-known jokes. A crowd parts, and our hero is faced with a menacing swordsman, brandishing a scimitar. He chuckles darkly, passing his sword from hand to hand, before twirling it with expert precision – a show of how tough this fight will be. Indy grimaces, pulls out his revolver, and drops him with a single shot. What we thought was about to be a fight scene becomes a punchline. It’s perfect.
And it’s exactly the kind of scene that shouldn’t work in a video game. This is effectively the intro to a boss battle – this guy should have multiple attack patterns, three different health bars, the works. As it turns out, that very scene may have started as the challenge the team faced – but it became part of the solution:
“That scene is a very good example of type of humor that one can experience in the classic Indy movies – priceless!”, says Creative Director Axel Torvenius. “What we absolutely have been inspired by from that, and similar scenes, is that very humor. To have varied, engaging and rewarding combat encounters has been very important – but to make sure we spice them up with the Indy-humor has been equally important.”
Taken on a wider level, this tells us a lot about MachineGames’ approach – in almost every regard, the team has gone the extra mile to help capture the movies’ magic, even if they’re not an immediately natural fit for gaming, in a new form. And as you’ll see, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Matinée Idol
“Sitting as close as possible to the original look and feel of ’80s cinema was something we wanted to get right from the beginning,” explains Torvenius. “There was never an interest in reinventing the look or feel of Indiana Jones – the core ambition was always to make sure it really hit home in terms of having a style close to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’.”
You might be surprised at just how deep that effort goes. The team scrutinized the early films, not just for their tone and writing, but for technical detail. What color palettes and film grading were used? Which kind of film stock was in the cameras? How did the original audio team record sound effects? What kind of stunt work was done? And from there, the hard work began – translating those original techniques into not just a modern context, but an entirely different medium.
Some of the stories here are fascinating. Torvenius explains that the team studied how the original film teams created their sets, and applied those rules to locations in the game:
“Obviously in games, the big challenge is that you can constantly peek behind the curtain and go ‘backstage’ – you can roam freely and break the composition. But there are many locations throughout the game where we know from which direction the player will come, or where they will exit and what type of scenery they will see. So we identified those early and pushed those further so we can set the scene more in certain places.”
For cutscenes, which are naturally more controlled, the team could go further: “Another big thing we did for this project was to have a Director of Photography on set for all the cinematic filming in the motion capture studio,” continues Torvenius. “We had the talented Kyle Klütz helping us and working in the mocap studio with this huge, heavy camera dolly rolling around to make sure we captured the right amount of velocity in pan, angular movement, composition and framing. Once we transfer this data into the cutscene shots in the game engine, it gives us a very solid start in terms of a camera work that feels reminiscent of the early Indiana Jones movies.”
Pitch Perfect
Sound is just as important as look for Indiana Jones, of course. From the iconic John Williams score, to the “feel” of its effects, to the iconic Wilhelm Scream (yes, it’s in the game), the soundscape of the movies is just as nostalgic as the look and story.
“The first thing we did was try to identify the core elements of that Indiana Jones sound,” says Audio Director, Pete Ward. “What did we have to nail to evoke the feeling of playing as Indy, in a cinematic way? We sat down as a team and watched all the Indy movies again, and we realized there were several things we absolutely had to get right – Indy’s voice likeness, the musical score, the whip, the revolver, and the punches. There were other things too, like the sound of the puzzles, and the fantastical elements, where we constantly referenced the original movies and [original Indiana Jones sound designer] Ben Burtt’s sound design.”
It led Ward’s team down some unexpected paths. The aim wasn’t to reuse sound effects directly from the game, but reproduce them as faithfully as possible to serve the game’s needs – which in some cases meant returning to techniques used by the original team more than 40 years ago.
“We did hundreds of hours of original recordings, using props like the whip, the fedora, the leather jacket, and lots of different shoe types on lots of different surfaces,” continues Ward. “For impacts in particular, we also used techniques originally used by Ben Burtt and his team, like beating up leather jackets with baseball bats. We also used practical effects where possible, like plucking metal springs with contact mics attached, to get some of that old-school vibe in our spectacular set pieces.”
The result is a game that sounds reminiscent of an ’80’s movie – it’s still naturalistic, but listen closely and you’ll find it comes across in a different way from most modern games.
The same went for the score – John Williams’ soundtracks are among the most recognizable in cinema history, but the aim was never simply to impersonate them. MachineGames brought in composer Gordy Haab to achieve that – a fitting choice given that he’s won awards for his work on multiple Star Wars games by drawing heavy inspiration from Williams, while making them his own.
“Gordy was such a great composer to work with for this project – he really nailed the style and tone, and was able to emulate and seamlessly extend the original score where needed, while also creating entirely new themes for our story and characters that fit perfectly within the Indiana Jones universe,” enthuses Ward. “We were very careful about where and when we first hear certain themes as well – the Raider’s March is the iconic, instantly recognizable theme for Indiana Jones, and we wanted to incorporate it at the right moments, but also develop our own musical story with our own new themes.”
But the risk of creating new elements amid such an iconic score is that they’ll stick out –and again, MachineGames went the extra mile to ensure that this didn’t happen. Haab and Ward researched how the original soundtracks were recorded, and even recorded in the same studio, Abbey Road. Amazingly, they even found out that they’d created accidental connections to the original along the way:
“We even had a couple of session musicians who played on the original sessions for Raiders,” explains Ward. “It was a lovely moment when they came to the control room after the session was finished and told us that!”
Telling the Tale
But where look and sound allowed the team to look back at what had come before, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s story needed to be something entirely new, yet totally fitting for both the franchise – not to mention the game’s setting between ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and ‘Temple of Doom’. For Lead Narrative Designer Tommy Tordsson Björk, it required a different kind of research.
“Indiana Jones has an incredibly rich lore with movies, comic books, games and more that we could dig into and use in different ways, not only for immersing the player in Indy’s world, but also to connect the different stories and characters. In this regard, our great working relationship with Lucasfilm Games helped us enormously.
“From there, a lot of our work when developing the worldbuilding has been devoted to researching the 1930s, and then filtering it through lens of what we call an ’Indy matinée adventure’ to make it feel both authentic and true to the story of this world.”
You’ll see that commitment not just to the Indy series itself, but for the time period in which it’s set, in the ways characters talk, the world around you, and even down to the era-appropriate spelling of Gizeh. MachineGames – and the connection of many of its developers, including Björk, to the acclaimed Starbreeze – means that the team has a lot of experience working with established franchises, from The Chronicles of Riddick to The Darkness, and it’s an experience that guided them in this new endeavour.
“The approach that we’ve had on all of our games is to make them as true to what made the originals so great. We don’t want to retread what has already been told, but instead move into new territory that evokes the same tone and spirit,” says Björk. “I think what the development of Indy has taught us is the importance of letting the character control the path of both the story and the gameplay, because this franchise is so much defined by Indy and who he is to an even greater extent than the previous games we’ve worked on.”
Playing With History
And that leads us to the final piece of the development puzzle – turning the history of a movie series into a playable experience. How do you capture the excitement of a tightly-edited, linear movie in an interactive experience, where every player will choose to do things slightly differently, and take their Indy in different directions?
Part of that is in returning to the movie making of it all, by grounding so much of what we play in real-life performance:
“We have done so much motion capture for this game! I think this is most motion capture and stunts we have ever done,” says Torvenius. “And some of the scenes we have in the game are quite wild from a stunt perspective. We shot a number of scenes at Goodbye Kansas in Stockholm, which has a ceiling height of almost 8 meters, just because some scenes required stunts to be performed from that height.
“We’ve been working with some very talented stuntmen and women throughout the production and together with our talent director Tom Keegan I dare to say we have some of the strongest action scenes from a MachineGames perspective yet. When it comes to capturing the look and feel of the stunts and action sequences in the early Indiana Jones movies, it has been a combined effort from various members within MG; obviously our Animation Director Henrik Håkansson and Cinematic Director Markus Söderqvist has an important part to play here for look and feel of animations. And then the audio work from Audio director Pete Ward and his department also plays an important part in making sure everything sounds true to the movie.”
But even the smallest elements have been scrutinized, like throwing a simple punch, for example:
“It has been very important to make sure the combat feels fun and rewarding and easy enough to get drawn into but then hard to master for the ones that likes to crank up the difficulty settings,” explains Torvenius. “We definitely wanted to capture the cinematic feel of the melee combat! Getting those heavy cinematic impact sounds in, having a good response from the spray of sweat and saliva as you punch someone in the face, interesting animations, and the behaviour of a hulking opponent coming towards you.”
This depth of thought is everywhere in the game. Puzzles have been designed with the spirit of whether they might feel right for the movies; locations given the buzz not just of real-life, but a film set; and even the ability to use almost any disposable item as both a distraction and a weapon is drawn from the comic spirit of the movies.
“One of the core ingredients in Indiana Jones is definitely humour. It is something we have worked hard with across every aspect of the game: environmental storytelling, script and VO, in cutscene and story beats, and it absolutely needs to be conveyed in the minute-to-minute gameplay, such as combat. And it is not only the tools you use but also a lot of hard work from the engineer and animation teams to make sure we have interesting, rewarding and fun take down animations. And on top of all of that you also need the best possible audio! And when that cocktail is shaken just the right amount, voilà – out comes something very delicious and fun!”
Which brings us all the way back round to that iconic scene with the swordsman. In a normal game, no, that scene might not make sense when translated to a video game context. But in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle? Well, MachineGames has put in the research, the work, and the commitment to ensure that, while you’re playing this game – from solving spectacular puzzles to near-slapstick combat – it’ll feel worthy of those classic movies.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (with Game Pass), or Steam on December 9. Premium and Collector’s Editions will offer 3 days of early access from December 6.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: Digital Premium Edition
Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade.
***
Live the adventure with the Premium Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle!
INCLUDES:
• Base Game (digital code)
• Up to 3-Day Early Access**
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants Story DLC†
• Digital Artbook
• Temple of Doom Outfit
***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.
YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.
WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.
THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
*Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active.
**Actual play time depends on purchase date and applicable time zone differences, subject to possible outages.
†DLC availability to be provided at a later date.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Standard Edition
Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade.
***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.
YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.
WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.
THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
*Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active.
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for November 25 to 29
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
The year is 2053. The world as we know it came to an end in a war lost to time. Now, only inequality remains, in the form of Viridis, the great city that encompasses the dangerous Blind City and the luxurious Bright City. As former police detective Axel McCoin, you will become the key piece to unmask a plot of corruption and power that plagues the unstable peace of Viridis.
A lore-rich, hand-drawn 2D action-platformer with Sekiro-inspired, deflection-based combat. Embark on a journey through an Asia-inspired fantasy world, explore a land once ruled by an ancient alien race, and follow a vengeful hero on a quest to slay the 9 Sols—the powerful rulers of this forsaken realm.
You are pulled out of the water by a masked native. With his help, you begin a journey into the depths of a mysterious island. Face the challenges that await you and uncover yet undiscovered places like a dangerous volcano, mysterious figures, and mystical tribes. What will you do to survive?
The game has 50 levels, with increasing difficulty and the introduction of new mechanics as the player progresses. Players can have three distinct sizes: small, medium, and large, growing whenever they collect a seed and shrink one size when they take damage (see board tiles/enemies). If the character takes damage when small, the game ends.
Step back into Hanwell and discover the world beyond it, set in the deeper parts of London. Explore a rich, atmospheric take on Westminster and its various Locations, filled with lore and secrets to discover as you scavenge scarce supplies like weapons and ammo as you utilize the environment in creative ways to take out the Anomolies in a frantic effort to simply survive.
Enter the relentless world of Death Elevator, a sleek, low-poly FPS where every decision matters and every encounter could be your last. With a one-hit death mechanic and dynamic slow-motion, each battle demands precision and quick reflexes. Ascend through randomized floors, battling waves of enemies with ever-changing weapons, as you unravel the mystery behind the elevator.
Show your logical skills and quick mind to help Ada save Codeland by defeating enemies and clear dungeons in this fun and thrilling action adventure full of logical puzzles, loops, and fun visual algorithms suited for players of all ages.
After a 3-year break, the official game of the MXGP is back. All the official bikes and 20 tracks of the 2024 calendar await to give you the full championship experience. Over 50 riders are available, including those from official teams like Red Bull KTM, Red Bull GasGas, Monster Energy Yamaha, Honda HRC, Kawasaki, Nestaan Husqvarna, Monster Energy Triumph, Fantic and Beta MRT.
The Battle of Penguin’s Road is a fast and fun 3rd-person action shooter. The player is given an arsenal of weapons and tools to defeat enemies that attack from the land, sea and air. Master run-and-gun, cover-shooting, long aims, close blasts, melee and commanding tanks for victory!
A top-down rogue-like action game in which you play as heroes of tales and legends that must slay hordes of nightmarish creatures in nerve-racking fights. After the success of Curse of the Dead Gods, Passtech Games returns with an improved formula and a compelling game experience with endless replay value. It can be played solo or with up to four players in co-op.
A relaxing puzzle game where players work to restore the energy systems of a damaged spaceship. The main objective is to move reactors and activate the power grid, solving directional and color-based challenges. The game introduces new levels and obstacles that add depth while keeping the series’ accessible and easy-to-pick-up gameplay.
Embark on a chilling journey with the Thornvale family as they confront a malevolent force unleashed by their own patriarch’s archaeological discoveries. With each passing night, the family is tormented by terrifying apparitions and escalating paranormal activity, leading them to unravel dark secrets buried within the walls of their own home.
Explore nearly 180 territories and tens of thousands of cities. Build airports anywhere and start transporting passengers globally. Adapt your strategy to different regions: shorter routes are easier to manage in places like Europe, while long-distance connections in vast areas will require careful planning due to higher costs.
Blast through 30 high-intensity action-packed racetracks as you compete to be the fastest in every contest. Catch bursts of speed while avoiding slippery banana peels. Grab bottles of nitro to build up your vehicle speed. Collect coins to trade in for stylish new custom skins from the in-game store. Dodge punches and kicks and outrun opponents on different tracks around the world. The big Furious Biker trophy awaits you.
Enjoy over 50 unique levels, each with its own set of obstacles, twists, and turns. Its simple controls make it a snap to learn from the outset and through its three modes, you’ll soon go from fledgling to master putter.
Shines Over: The Damned will take you into a unique experimental horror experience in first person, where your senses will be tested and your reality questioned. You have no name, no memory, no weapons. There are no friends to protect you. You are alone except for your faithful German Shepherd dog, who will guide you through this dark world and stay by your side.
Iron Meat’s first major update adds a whole new layer of gameplay with Mirror Mode.
Picking up a Supercharge or third copy of a weapon upgrade will now turn bullets red.
Added visual background updates, weapon buffs, keeping extra lives, and more to chew on.
Following the success of Iron Meat’s launch back in September, the team at Retroware has been hard at work charting the path forward with planning major content updates to their modern retro gem!
With the first major update arriving on Xbox, you can experience a fine platter of new content to sink your teeth into!
Mirror, Mirror
One of the highly requested new features in the game is Mirror Mode–an option that lets you run through every level, but this time to the left! While flipping the x-axis may seem like a trivial update, facing every enemy, every boss, and every level becomes a whole new experience. Players can unlock this mode after beating the game for the first time on any difficulty!
Red Rapid Fire
A second new feature is the automatic Supercharge upgrade–or the “third” tier of possible weapon upgrades. With the Supercharge upgrade active on a player, all of that player’s projectiles will now have a red coloration, instead of maintaining their blue or green colors, regardless of their current upgrade tier.
So, if a player has one or two guns that are fully upgraded (as in, they fire green projectiles instead of blue), they can try to pick up a third copy of that gun(s) and be rewarded with an automatic Supercharge (Rapid Fire) upgrade, coupled together with a new red color for their projectiles!
My 1UPs, Thank You
With this first major update, we’re happy to announce that all extra lives players earn while playing through a level will be kept as you start a new level. In other words, you now get to keep extra lives if you finish a level with more lives than you started with.
Visual Enhancements to Level Backgrounds
We’ve gone back to the backgrounds of certain levels and added in some more details that we believe will really drive home some of the unspoken narrative points relevant to Iron Meat’s story. Some of these new details include: adding a brief section where the helicopter flies in shooting down at Meat monsters on Forest, adding in spikes to the midboss on Base, adding in surviving pilots to the ending credits animation, and explosive impacts from the Meat meteors on Train.
Other Updates
In addition to minor bug fixes on the backend, we’ve also:
Buffed the default damage dealt by the “E”, “U”, and “M” guns.
Added more Meat to different sections of the Moon Base.
Retooled certain patterns of the MI-24 helicopter boss fight to be more clear.
And slightly changed sections of all levels to be more fair to the player (for example: Meat worms are now killable on Base the second they appear, the Meat Mouth Doors on Train are now killable, and other minor fixes).
We wanted to give players a taste of what we’ve got in store for Iron Meat’s future, and we can’t wait to share even more new content with updates later down the line!Iron Meat is available now!
Iron Meat is a fast-paced, run-and-gun shooter that immerses players in a world overrun by The Meat–an all-consuming interdimensional biomass. With a mix of classic arcade and console mechanics, players will battle against mutated victims and machines, dodge bullet barrages, and crush bosses in nine levels of gore-ific brutality. As Vadim, fight back against The Meat and stop the terrors spawned from scientist Yuri Markov’s experiments on the Moon.
MULTI-PHASE BOSS FIGHTS
Iron Meat pays homage to classic run-and-gun titles from the past, with intense boss fights fixed into multiple phases. With three difficulty settings to choose from, players can put their skills to the test, where a higher difficulty is rewarded with an even more challenging boss battle.
MULTIPLAYER COUCH CO-OP
Who says you have to take on The Meat invasion alone? With 2-player couch co-op, you can grab a buddy to leave a trail of bloody, Meat-infected corpses together! It’s double the firepower, double the carnage, and double the MEAT!
OVER 30 UNLOCKABLE SKINS
You don’t have to be a soldier to fight against The Meat. Hell, you don’t even have to be a HUMAN to do so! With over 30 unlockable skins to choose from, players can customize their character the way they want. Each skin comes with interchangeable parts, allowing for greater customization with mixing and matching. Want a shark head on a robot body with dinosaur feet? DONE. Maybe a half human, half doggo? YOU BET! Or how about a cowboy with a tail and demon wings? Hmm…YEP!
Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card – Developer Tips to Win Big at Kessel Sabacc
Brittany Spurlin, Editor, Ubisoft
Summary
Star Wars Outlaws’ first story pack, Wild Card, is available today on Xbox Series X|S, featuring a high-stakes game of Kessel Sabacc.
The Kessel Sabacc table aboard the casino cruiser Morenia is slightly larger with a slightly different set of rules compared to other tables across the galaxy. Learn those differences now and start preparing your strategy.
Developer Thibaut Machin gives insider tips on the best cheats to use and intel to gather to knock out your opponents and win the grand prize.
Star Wars Outlaws’ first story pack, Wild Card, is out now for Xbox Series X|S. To access the story pack, players need to complete the Gunsmith quest as well as The High Roller quest for Lando Calrissian.
In Wild Card, Kay Vess is tasked by Toshara’s own Governor Thorden with infiltrating a high-stakes Kessel Sabacc game and winning a coveted prize – only to find out another, secret game is being played in the underworld. This game of Kessel Sabacc is only part of the adventures that await in Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card. However, the game is invite-only, so Kay will have to use her scoundrel charm and wit to locate and find a way into the game.
The basics of Kessel Sabacc remain the same in Wild Card: you’ll face off against opponents and draw blood and sand cards to see who can piece together the winning hand. Each round consists of three turns, and once you’re out of chips to draw new cards, you’re out.
However, this high-stakes iteration of Kessel Sabacc will look a little different from the Sabacc tables players are used to. Protocol Droid EY-E9 is the host of the event and the owner of the casino cruiser Morenia, where the game takes place. She sets the house rules, one of which is that shift tokens are banned. Shift tokens are typically a tool for Kessel Sabacc players to give themselves the upper hand at the table, or devastate an opponent’s strategy. However, EY-E9 wants to ensure every player has a fair shot to win, so no shift tokens are allowed at her table.
Cheating, on the other hand, is still possible (provided you can get away with it). The three primary cheats in Star Wars Outlaws are using magnetic dice, Lando Calrissian’s double draw trick (which allows you to draw two cards instead of one), and spying on opponents’ hands with Nix. However, in Wild Card, Nix won’t be able to be the usual extra set of eyes for Kay. The game takes place in an open, lively environment with a crowd watching, making it difficult for Nix to sneak behind players unnoticed. However, that doesn’t mean the beloved merqaal can’t help Kay out. In Wild Card, Nix has a new cheat up his furry sleeve: the ability to plant cards on other players in the hopes that EY-E9 catches them “cheating” and ejects them from the game.
Another new Kessel Sabacc element in Wild Card is that the other players will also be able to use cheats of their own to gain an advantage at the table. It’s up to Kay to pay attention to their actions, and their dialogue with one another, to catch them in the act and surreptitiously alert EY-E9 to their antics. This will make the droid more suspicious of those players, and will often lead to their ejection from the game.
Speaking of other players, Kay will have to outwit more of them in Wild Card. Across the galaxy, Kay typically encounters four-person tables, with herself and three opponents playing at one table. On the casino cruiser Morenia, there are six total players at the table. EY-E9 will also oversee the table, to announce what’s happening to the audience, interact with the players, and keep an eye out for cheating.
To help players craft their best strategy for victory in Wild Cards’ twist on Kessel Sabacc, we spoke to Thibaut Machin, game director at Ubisoft Paris, about how to handle these new rules and win big.
DoubleDraw
“The double draw technique, the expert skill players learn from Lando, is crucial in this game,” says Machin. Typically, in a game, players would use double draw for a better chance at pulling a favorable card, then use double discard to discreetly return the extra card to the deck before getting found out. Machin advises players to use the double draw cheat, then pair it with Nix’s new card-planting ability instead of discarding the bonus card. Not only will you get to keep the better card for your hand, but you’ll get a chance to have one of the other players kicked out.
Gather Intel
According to Machin, players will need to explore the Morenia to find a way into the game, and players should keep their eyes peeled for useful pieces of information about the others at the Sabacc table.
“During that investigation, there are many clues to find about the other players, which will help you know how they cheat during the game,” says Machin. “If you collect those clues, you’ll be able to act during the game to expose them.”
Have a Good Reputation
Many of the syndicates will be onboard the Morenia, having received an invitation to the Kessel Sabacc game from EY-E9. In addition to adding flavor to the casino cruiser, these syndicate representatives will be key for Kay to find her seat at the table. According to Machin, Kay will either ally with or betray them, but “having a good reputation with the syndicates will help Kay navigate the cruiser, and will make things easier in the story pack.”
Take Your Time
“The best tip I can give is not to rush,” says Machin. “With so much happening at the table, it’s safer to play carefully and avoid acting too quickly. Also, paying close attention to the table dynamics is crucial to stay ahead.”
He goes on to describe that a common strategy for players is to immediately spend chips to draw a better hand, but in Wild Card, the game will last for more rounds, and players will only have eight chips. It’s better to use discretion when spending chips to draw cards, as well as paying close attention to your opponents’ banter and interactions.
“Lando has a few funny lines that I really like, as do the others,” says Machin. “The mood is pretty intense for the player, so they’re meant to make it more lively.”
Play Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card today on Xbox Series X|S! There’s more content coming to the game, so stay tuned to Star Wars Outlaws official channels on Facebook, Instagram, X (Formerly Twitter), and here on Xbox Wire.
How Player Choice Is Infused into Avowed’s Approach to Combat
Summary
We explore combat and player choice in our extended hands-on time with Avowed.
Gameplay Director Gabe Paramo and Senior Combat Designer Max Matzenbacher share insights into the combat design process.
Avowed is launching February 18, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app for Windows, Steam, Battle.net and will be available on day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It is currently available for pre-order on the Xbox Store, Battle.net, and Steam. The Premium Edition offers up to five days early access, two premium skin packs, and access to the Avowed Digital Artbook & Soundtrack. Learn more here on Xbox Wire.
As soon as I got off the boat and set foot in Dawnshore, the first major open zone of Avowed, I knew I was in for a good time. The port city of Paradis is absolutely dripping in character. From the mix of weathered buildings with missing bricks, merchants waving me over to see their wares, and a handful of thieves hanging about that don’t want to talk to me, it all felt so alive. So naturally the first thing I do is climb to the top of the bell tower for a better view and discover some gold coins resting inside a bird’s nest. “The game anticipated I might go here; this is going to be great.”
Player choice is at the forefront in Avowed and it’s a theme that is infused into just about everything you can do within the game’s world, born from a studio that prides itself on the motto of, “Your Worlds, Your Way.” That means everything is on the table, from complex dialog choices to customized character builds that let you choose how you want to explore the Living Lands within the world of Eora. Combat also fits within this framework of player choice, and it was an aspect that I explored in detail during a recent hands-on media event for Avowed.
I must have tried close to a dozen weapons during my session (the powerful arquebus rifle would become my favorite, more on that in a bit), but having the freedom to cycle between axes and bows and hammers and wands and even a spell book was incredibly flexible. I felt encouraged by the game to experiment even though my starting background as a ‘War Hero’ began to feel more like a suggestion – as designed.
“I would describe it as like an open class system,” Senior Combat Designer Max Matzenbacher tells me. “In games where it’s class-based, you can be restricted on which weapons you can wield, which abilities you can select from. But in Avowed, the classes are more of a guideline or a flag post for someone to follow; you can mix and match your weapons at any time in the game. You can put things in your primary and off-hand, and then you can combine nearly any ability from any tree at any time. So, you could take something from a wizard build that’s a Meteor Storm style ability and then have a more fighter-centric ability. It’s giving the player the opportunity to build their class. We give you some indicators and you can find nods to Pillars of Eternity within those trees, and more nuanced subclasses, but you can really build whatever you like.”
“Flexibility in combat actions was always a goal for us,” adds Gameplay Director Gabe Paramo. “In terms of weapons, you can expect anywhere from a one-hit dagger to a slow reloading arquebus, two-handed great hammers, a one-handed sword, one-handed pistol, a one-handed wand, and we have a dual-wielding system that lets the player equip off-hand and one-handed weapons together in a dual-wielding type way.”
As I continued my experimentation with weapons, I initially found myself gravitating to the Grimoire early on, which is a magic weapon that allows you to tap spell abilities even if your class isn’t magic-based. Holding it in my off-hand while wielding a sword in the other felt like a great combination that could yield some entertaining results in combat. We’re told you can also discover more of these Grimoires throughout Avowed, and then choose to either improve it or learn spells from it. For example, you could take something that you learned from a Grimoire, like a “Fan of Flames” ability, and put it into your ability bar, and then run around with a giant hammer while tossing fire independently of the spell book.
“I think the biggest kind of unique element is how all the pieces fit together and how we don’t restrict the player; to give them ultimate flexibility in being able to quickly swap and execute these actions, like their abilities they choose from their trees, the weapons they fire, the dodge — all those I would say is a mix of how a lot of games handle it; we just mix some elements more uniquely,” Paramo says.
Avowed also lets you enchant (modify) unique weapons by utilizing resources that you’ve gathered throughout the world, rewarding the more adventurous and curious players with the tools needed to upgrade more powerful weapons and gear. As someone who loves to explore every nook and cranny, I was thrilled to see how often my curiosity was being rewarded, like the previously mentioned bird nest on top of the bell tower. It was also when exploring these nooks that the world of Avowed really opened up for me, not only because it was rewarding my curiosity and how I wanted to approach combat, but how those tie into the freedom to explore the world how I wanted to.
“With the enchantment system and weapon upgrading systems, and the unique [weapons] with passive abilities that the player can unlock to enhance those weapons, they can really drill in deep on the mechanic side of things to really min/max or improve the playstyle that they are choosing,” Paramo explains. “We also have a very flexible respecing system if they want to kind of change their minds and try something else, maybe choose a different ability to enhance another set of weapons that they find that they like later.”
“I would add that the attribute system is inspired by the Pillars of Eternity concept of not having restricted class specific attributes, where to wield a certain type of weapon, or to optimize a certain weapon, you must take a specific attribute,” Matzenbacher adds. “All the attributes are available to all players and builds, so they can use that to extend their play style if they want to be more damage centric or have more survivability or have more resources to use either weapon attacks or abilities.”
This raised the question of how they balance all these weapons while still rewarding player choice and experimentation. Matzenbacher and Paramo explained that it was all about stripping these weapons down to their most basic components first and adjusting from there. For example, larger weapons will cost more stamina but deal more damage; smaller weapons will use less stamina but could be better used for stunning. The same rules generally apply to taking the time to cast with a powerful attack spell and their essence cost; the more powerful the spell, the more cost to cast.
“Choice and consequence are not just something that we have in dialogue, but it’s something that we also have in combat, where for every choice the player makes and what they’re choosing to equip, there’s a consequence to that,” Paramo explains. “So, if I’m going to choose a two-handed great hammer, I’m going to do heavy damage, but have a slow attack speed that leaves me open more to hits but costing me stamina. Each one of these things is all about finding the system that the player will funnel into and then kind of creating those different consequences for choosing that weapon or load out.”
The way this played out for me was pairing the powerful arquebus rifle with the Charge ability for my “War Hero,” which had me dash forward and smash into anything in my way. Through its repeated use, I also discovered it did a great job of running up the stun meter on enemies — attacking a fully stunned enemy allows you to perform a special attack for massive damage. Combining that with my slow-loading (yet powerful) rifle proved to be a vicious combination, especially against some of the more formidable enemies I came across, like a diseased bear and giant spider.
Choice also applies to enemies as well, in how they are designed to utilize the environment to find the best method of attack. All of them, from sporelings to skeletons to Xaurips (this universe’s reptilian race), each have distinct rules of engagement on top of their more basic commands — fodder units will try to charge and attack you; ranged units are going to be at a distance; blocker units will always try to block. But here’s where it gets a bit more intriguing, as these commands also feed into a “parkour everywhere” approach for both the player and enemy movement within the environment that can keep these encounters challenging and fun.
“The AI knows how to parkour up (cliffs or ledges) and get to you. Or they know that you are trying to be on a high level trying to shoot at them from at a range distance,” explains Paramo. “They adapt, and even though they might be a more melee-focused character, they’re going to try to get to you. And if they can’t get to you, they’re going to switch to something more ranged too so that you can’t just like capitalize on them and cheese them basically.”
This exact scenario happened to me numerous times while battling crowds of Xaurips. I’d see them scatter up to higher ledges, trying to hit me with their arrows. As I climbed the cliff to get at them, they’d do backflips to get to a higher ledge as I chased them down. Eventually I had enough of this, equipped my Grimoire, and shot flames at them to put an end to this chase. But I really liked seeing that enemies both had an appreciation of their own survivability, but also continued to try and gain an advantage against me.
“Having the player able to jump up on locations, that kind of creates a different dynamic for the AI,” continues Paramo. “We also have stealth grass in the game where the player can take a bit more of a stealthier approach. And we have destructibles in the game that the player and enemies can destroy, or explosive barrels that the player can use range attacks on, so that can help get them an advantage in that encounter, and damage bonuses for stealth attacks when the player is hitting unaware enemies.”
“There are also environmental interactions in the game,” adds Matzenbacher. “So, there could be water on the ground that will react if you’re using shock magic. And then there are certain cases where there are traps and hazards that can either affect the player or enemies that they can trigger and interact with — there’s both the layout and the structure of the space, but also elements that can be combined and leveraged against the enemies.”
There are so many intriguing parts of Avowed, like being able to build our characters as we want, choosing the load outs and companions we want, and having such a dynamic approach to combat, that it will no doubt create numerous and exciting moment-to-moment adventures within the world of Eora. Obsidian are masters of their craft at giving players choice and freedom to play within their worlds as they want, and Avowed is shaping up to be their next great proof point of this concept – from everything we’ve seen and played so far, it’s leading up to something truly special. And we can’t wait to go back.
Avowed is launching February 18, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app for Windows, Battle.net, Steam, and will be available on day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It is currently available for pre-order on the Xbox Store, Battle.net, and Steam. The Premium Edition offers up to five days early access, two premium skin packs, and access to the Avowed Digital Artbook & Soundtrack. Learn more here on Xbox Wire.
Premium Edition includes:
– Avowed base game
– Up to 5 days early access
– Two Premium Skin Packs
– Access to Avowed Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.
Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands – an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?
The Weird and Wonderful Living Lands
The Living Lands is a place that feels foreign yet somewhat intrinsic to you as it feels the island itself is calling out to you for help. Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem.
Visceral Combat to Play Your Way
Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way. Dig into your grimoire for spells to trap, freeze or burn enemies, bash them with your shield, or use range bows to attack from a distance.
Companions as part of your journey
Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities. From a former mercenary to an eccentric wizard, they will be part of your journey with your choices shaping them as you help them with their quests.
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.
Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands – an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?
The Weird and Wonderful Living Lands
The Living Lands is a place that feels foreign yet somewhat intrinsic to you as it feels the island itself is calling out to you for help. Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem.
Visceral Combat to Play Your Way
Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way. Dig into your grimoire for spells to trap, freeze or burn enemies, bash them with your shield, or use range bows to attack from a distance.
Companions as part of your journey
Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities. From a former mercenary to an eccentric wizard, they will be part of your journey with your choices shaping them as you help them with their quests.
Get ready for Magikrab’s Gauntlet, where you’ll hop aboard one of the Mer-line’s interdimensional trains and face off against old friends, foes, and bosses from your previous adventures. This thrilling challenge is unlocked after completing the main story—it’s the perfect test for those who believe they’ve truly mastered their adventures in New Wirral! The gauntlet can be tackled alongside a friend in online co-op – so grab your buddy and brace yourselves; this journey is going to be a wild ride!
Enough yapping, let’s explore the specifics of what’s in store when you board the Midnight Train!
The gauntlet train is a randomized series of challenging battle encounters, that increase in difficulty as you progress. Think you’ve mastered beast battle? Think again – these are tough battles that are sure to make even the most seasoned adventurer break a sweat! The train also includes:
Occasional carriages that contain chests instead of battles.
A rest carriage that heals you and saves your progress. You can also spend some of your winnings at Magikrab’s café here!
Boss carriages that will test your mettle – including Archangel fights that you are still able to challenge with a buddy!
The longer your winning streak, the more Fused Material you’ll rack up. But be warned, the Gauntlet is a double-edged sword — the longer you go, the greater your reward, but you also risk losing it all if you fail a battle along the way. Tap out and claim your reward or push it one more encounter, the choice is yours.
You’ll be facing off against many familiar faces as you go (whether as a friend or foe), but all of them have had significant upgrades to their tapes and stickers. Some of the encounters are only present in your gauntlet if you’ve met certain conditions. We’ll let you discover how this affects your run while you play!
This update also introduces the Sticker Fusion feature, newly added to the Harbourtown Town Hall. Sticker Fusion allows players with stickers that have rare and uncommon attributes to transfer those attributes onto other stickers, provided that the attributes are compatible. This gives you the chance to revamp your move stickers like never before using Fused Materials. Be sure to stockpile those Fused Materials, they’re a precious commodity!
We also have a new cosmetic DLC launching today!
The Fashion Pack is priced at $3.99 /€3.99 EU/£3.29 and will come with a ton of new looks for your character as they travel through New Wirral!
The Fashion Pack adds the following cosmetic items to the player’s wardrobe:
• Baseball Cap
• Flat Cap
• Twin Tails
• Bow & Bangs
• Foxy Cut
• Windswept
• Spikes & Goggles
• Swept Mohawk
• Flower & Fringe
• Beret
• Round Specs
• Trenchcoat
• Crop Top
• Tall Boots
Share your gauntlet progress with us by tagging us @ByttenStudio or, better yet, join our Discord where you can chat with other players, find groups to join, and share your biggest and best moments: https://discord.gg/byttenstudio
Welcome to New Wirral, a remote island inhabited by strange creatures you’ve only dreamed of, nightmares you hopefully haven’t, and a cast of brave folks who use cassette tapes to transform for battle. To find a way home you’ll need to explore every inch of the island, and record monsters to your trusty cassette tapes to gain their abilities!
Transform into monsters using… retro cassette tapes? Faced with the constant threat of monster attacks, the residents of Harbourtown, New Wirral choose to fight fire with fire. Record a monster to tape, then play it back to take on its form for battle!
Fuse monster forms. Getting close to your companion has benefits–while transformed you can combine your strengths to gain the upper hand in battle! Any two monster forms can be fused to produce unique, fully-animated new fusion forms.
Explore a rich open world. Certain monster abilities can be used in human form. You’ll need these to help you get around, solve puzzles, and locate dungeons. Glide, fly, swim, climb, dash, go invisible, or turn magnetic!
Travel alongside a diverse cast of human companions. Never fight alone! Form bonds, spend time together, and help your selected partner complete personal goals to become a better team.
Master a deep battle system. Take advantage of elemental chemistry to apply extra buffs or debuffs alongside your attack, or even alter your opponent’s elemental type!
Play with Friends!
Team up in online multiplayer to trade Beasts, Challenge your friend to 1v1 duals, or take on a fearsome raid Beast with up to 8 friends to reap great rewards!
Now through until December 4 Xbox Insiders can join a limited-time Console Playtest .
Build your first mech in three modes, battle on the worlds of the Wild Ten, and unlock a free Daybreak Sparrow Sticker for participating.
New worlds are calling! War Robots: Frontiers, a new entry in the smash-hit War Robots series, is coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in 2025. To celebrate and welcome new Pilots on Xbox, a limited-time Console Playtest is available to Xbox Insiders from November 20 until December 4.
Get ready to build your very own mech fleet, squad up with friends, and take the fight to the Wild Ten in this online mech shooter. If you’re new to the War Robots universe, let’s brush up before you jump in the cockpit.
Battles Rage on New Worlds
Human advancement sees this future-set War Robots game rocket across the stars. The new setting known as the Wild Ten is a collective of planets that Dominions – mega corporations from Earth – are vying for control over, employing mercenary Pilots and their mechanical War Robots as enforcers.
From your base of operations on Tortuga, you can accept jobs from Dominions, then go out and battle across these new worlds. Storm the fiery refineries of Catalyst, plunge into the towering industry of Fissure, and traverse the city-spanning Spectrum in six-versus-six online battles. You’ll be beset by dynamic weather as well as enemy teams, so be sure to keep that metal in good shape.
Battles can be waged in three modes. Capture points for your team in Warp Rush, go all-out on destruction in Team Deathmatch, and make quick work of the enemy team in Last Robot Standing.
You Are the Pilot and the Engineer
Build a battle-ready War Robot, finetuned with a massive selection of Pilots, weapons, parts, and abilities. New unlockables can be found in a variety of ways to help you stay on top of new strategies and counters. Different War Robots and combinations can be used to experiment with different combat roles, and play to the strengths of your own personal playstyle.
When you’re in the midst of battle, you’ll have to manage the War Robots at your disposal. These mechs don’t come cheap, so respawns are limited. Optimize your fleet and coordinate with friends to give yourself a fighting chance, and adapt to the task at hand and the state of play.
Titanic Power
Pilots of the Wild Ten have made a new discovery: the Titan, a hulking power-up build with maximum damage in mind. These Robots are much larger and more formidable than their more standard counterparts. They’re powerful, but they also make for a large target. If you can build up enough power to unleash it, you might just turn the tide of battle… or go down in flames. Worth a try either way!
Titans come with their own quirks and abilities but have limited use per battle. Deploy wisely, and if you see the enemy team call their own Titan in, take it out with extreme prejudice.
Ready to construct your first mech? War Robots: Frontiersis now available to play on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One for Xbox Insiders, with the full game set to launch in 2025.
How to Participate:
Sign in on your Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One console and launch the Xbox Insider Hub app.
Navigate to Previews > War Robots: Frontiers – Beta.
Select Join.
Wait for the registration to complete, and you should be directed to the Store page to install it.
Battle in the Wild Ten star system in War Robots: Frontiers! Build and customize your mechs, squad up, and unleash the destructive power of your machines in this online multiplayer mech shooter.
MASSIVE MECHA MAYHEM
Shoot and smash your way to victory in 6v6 online battles. Whether you’re an attacker, tank, support, or speed-loving gearhead, there’s a playstyle for you.
GALACTIC BATTLEFIELDS
Storm the worlds of the Wild Ten in battles that rage across a vast, tactically rich map roster. Immerse yourself in this brave new galactic frontier with dynamic weather systems and satisfyingly stompable terrain.
ENGINEERED VICTORY
Construct the perfect mech and customize it with the huge selection of Pilots, weapons, parts, and abilities at your disposal. Switch up your builds with new unlocks to keep up with the competition!
TITANIC DESTRUCTION
Build up enough power to unleash your ultimate secret weapon: the Titan. This hulking power-up is built with maximum damage in mind, and armed with unique specializations and abilities.
Watching A Lot of Football This Month? Keep the Game Going With EA Play
Charlie Fortescue, Director, Global Corporate Communications, EA
Gamers, treat yourself this month to some incredible gaming experiences with your EA Play* membership!
When you’re done watching your favorite football team defeat their rivals on TV, you can keep the heart-pumping moments by booting up your console to launch a perfect bomb downfield for a game-changing touchdown in EA Sports College Football 25 and Madden NFL 25. With EA Play game trials, you can keep the game going and dominate the gridiron for up to 10 hours. Love the game? Save 10% on a full game download with your progress carried over, and add to your lineup with monthly Ultimate Team Packs.
In addition to these titles, EA Play offers trials of up to 10 hours for many other favorite games, including EA Sports NHL 25, EA SportsFC 25, EA Sports UFC 5and EA Sports F1 24. And there’s even more gaming to experience when you’re done with trials! EA Play members can jump into an unrivaled collection of EA’s best-loved series and top titles, including Madden NFL 24,EA SportsFC 24 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
EA Play members can also score monthly rewards on select titles, including 10% off purchases of Electronic Arts digital content including game downloads, Season Passes, Madden Points and more. This month’s member benefits include:
Apex Legends Golden Demon Weapon Charm – Now to December 2
Battlefield 2042 Sanguine Impact – Now to November 26
EA Sports F1 245000 XP Boost – Now to November 30
EA Sports College Football 25 Loyalist Ultimate Team Pack – Now to November 30
Madden NFL 25 MUT Pack – Now to November 30
EA Sports FC 25 Powered Right Leg Tattoo & Clubs Coins – Now to November 28
EA Sports FC 25 Football Ultimate Team Draft Token– Now to December 14
EA Sports NHL 25 3000 CHEL Coins – Now to December 5
EA Sports NHL 25 WOC Battle Pass XP Modifier Tokens – Now to December 5
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass PC members receive EA Play with their Game Pass subscription. Members can experience the world of EA with unlimited access to a collection of top titles, trials of select new games, in-game member rewards and more.
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.
: Digital Premium Edition
