Systemic Reaction has released the free “Landfall” update for the open-world co-op action game Generation Zero on Steam, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass. “Landfall” introduces the Soviets, a third faction hostile to both the Resistance (players) and the FNIX machines, opening the battlefield to new strategic possibilities as players can pit two enemy groups against one another.
“Landfall” Features:
New Soviet War Machines: A third faction arrives with two new machine types: the Soviet Lynx and Wolf, each designed with unique ways to challenge players and dominate the battlefield.
Base Building Pack: All players get a free pack containing a range of base-building items.
New UI Improvements: Players will discover more storage and resource capacity, as well as a new weapon wheel to quickly swap between gear, increasing the number of equipment slots.
New Map Revamps: The South Forest region has been redesigned with a ton of changes to enhance environmental storytelling.
Today’s update also brings new premium DLC. The “Base Defense Pack,” available on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation®4 for $3.99, includes bonus Resistance items such as a grenade launcher pillbox, spiked wall and floor traps, explosive barrel, human decoy, and sandbag shooting position.
Generation Zero puts players on the front line of the battle against the machines in an alternate history Sweden. More than one million players have experienced the game since launch, with numerous updates and two story-driven expansions (“Alpine Unrest” and “FNIX Rising”) continuing to drive the adventure, including a host of additional content planned for 2022.
NACON is pleased to announce the acquisition of 100% of the capital of Midgar Studio. By integrating this studio with its talented team of JRPG specialists, NACON continues its development strategy and adds new expertise to its portfolio.
Based in the south of France and founded by passionate creators, Midgar Studio has gained recognition for creating games that leverage high-quality technology and graphics to offer players immersive experiences. As enthusiasts of Japanese culture, especially JRPGs, the team are behind the game Edge of Eternity, which takes inspiration from the genre’s biggest franchises. Released in June 2021, the open-world game takes place in a fantasy world and offers a unique experience. Winning universal acclaim from critics and gamers, it has been nicknamed the “French Final Fantasy”.
“Being creative and technically excellent at the same time is a challenge that is characteristic of Midgar Studio and our trademark. We are very happy to be joining NACON, who listen and understand what we are trying to achieve. With their support, we have the chance to fulfil our ambitions while retaining a lot of freedom,” said Jeremy Zeler-Maury.
“It’s always exciting for NACON to welcome a new team to our family, and to do it without restricting the creativity and work practices that are behind their success. Midgar Studio makes high-quality games in a segment that we have not yet specialised in. By combining the studio’s expertise with our own on the publishing side, we will soon be able to offer our players new, high-quality, French-made gaming experiences,” said Alain Falc, President and CEO of NACON.
The Video Games division of NACON now includes 15 development locations (10 in France, 1 in Belgium, 1 in Italy, 2 in Canada and 1 in Australia), comprising nearly 600 developers, supported by a Publishing team of 70 people.
Step into the amazing world of the Loop. Tales From the Loop – The Board Game by Free League Publishing, based on the works by acclaimed visual storyteller Simon Stålenhag, has launched today and is available in the Free League webshop and in retail stores world-wide.
In Tales From the Loop – The Board Game, you and your friends play cooperatively to investigate the mysteries originating from the Loop, a huge underground science facility with strange effects on the suburban landscapes around it.
You take the roles of local kids that investigate whatever phenomena that threaten the islands (or perhaps just the local video store), and hopefully stop them. Each day starts at school, but as soon as the bell rings you can use whatever time you have before dinner and homework to go exploring!
Tales From the Loop The Board Game includes eight unique scenarios as well as six high-quality miniatures of Simon Stålenhag’s robot designs.
The Release Includes:
Tales From the Loop – The Board Game
Invasive Species expansion
The Runaway expansion
Coinciding with the six month countdown to Halloween, Spooky Swap Meet returns to the hauntingly beautiful Heritage Square Museum for a curated shopping experience of all things macabre, Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m both days.
Dozens of vendors will have selections of gothic antique furnishings, Halloween inspired decor, costumes, props, and more. Fortune telling and food will also be available for purchase.
Guests of all ages will also be able to trick-or-treat at Heritage Square’s manors whose exteriors have been adopted and haunted for the weekend by sponsors including Vamp & The Fiends, Bones’ Gulch Haunted Attraction, Samhain Cemetery, Fear Farm, and AdamJessFx.
Tickets for the event go on sale at 10:00 am PST, Saturday, February 12 at spookyswapmeet.com. General admission is $15 for timed entries between 11am and 7pm. A newly added VIP “Ghost Hunter” option includes a Spooky Swap Meet soft enamel pin and allows for entry at 10am when ticket buyers will be the first to have access to vendors and their wares-priced at $25.
As a bonus, a free, printable “Valloween” card will be available to download for those who plan to purchase tickets to give as a Valentine’s Day gift.
“After selling out our event in 2021 and receiving overwhelming positive feedback from guests and vendors, we looked forward to returning in 2022,” said Spooky Swap Meet Co-Creator Claire Dunlap. “Along with being able to bring in fantastic vendors, we’ve also been able to recruit some uber-talented haunt pros to spook up the house’s exteriors for a daytime trick-or-treat experience.”
For more info visit SpookySwapMeet.com and on Instagram and Facebook at @spookyswapmeet.
Spooky Swap Meet is co-created by Claire Dunlap (Producer/Co-founder of Midsummer Scream and Cemetery Lane) and Sarah Cooke, Instagram Influencer (@the_pumpkin_queen) and owner of GOREnaments. Event production assistance provided by David Markland (Owner, Black Cat Orange, Executive Director, Midsummer Scream) and Jon Cooke (Creative Director/Owner, Plague Productions). A portion of the proceeds from each ticket sale will go toward the Heritage Square non-profit foundation, providing maintenance of this rare and distinct Los Angeles treasure.
A new trailer blasts off this morning for Disney and Pixar’s original sci-fi action-adventure “Lightyear.” Releasing June 17, 2022, the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear—the hero who inspired the toy—follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure. “Buzz’s world was always something I was excited about,” said director Angus MacLane. “In ‘Toy Story,’ there seemed to be this incredible backstory to him being a Space Ranger that’s only touched upon, and I always wanted to explore that world further. So my ‘Lighytear’ pitch was, ‘What was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear toy?’ I wanted to see that movie. And now I’m lucky enough to get to make it.”
Joining the previously announced Chris Evans, who lends his voice to Buzz, are Keke Palmer, Dale Soules and Taika Waititi as a group of ambitious recruits. Peter Sohn voices Buzz’s robot companion, Sox, and the cast also includes the voices of Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr. “The cast for ‘Lightyear’ is truly a dream team,” said MacLane. “Each of the performers immediately inhabited their character, which gave us the opportunity to play a bit during recording sessions. This resulted in a level of specificity that elevated the material and brought additional depth to the characters’ relationships. It has been a privilege to work with such a talented and generous cast.”
Also revealed this morning, award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, who’s behind the scores for the upcoming film “The Batman,” as well as “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” is on board to score “Lightyear.” Giacchino has a long history with Pixar; he won an Oscar, Golden Globe and GRAMMY for the original score in “Up.” His other Pixar credits include “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “Cars 2,” “Inside Out,” “Coco” and “Incredibles 2,” among others. The Lightyear Original Motion Picture Soundtrack from Walt Disney Records will be available on June 17, 2022.
“Lightyear” is produced by Galyn Susman (“Toy Story That Time Forgot”).
Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness, the grim-dark CRPG, is set to officially launch on Steam and GoG on March 17, 2022 ($24.99). Developed by GrapeOcean Technologies and published by V Publishing, the successfully backed Kickstarter project has had a hugely successful Early Access campaign, delivering more than 20 huge updates since August 2021.
From significant improvements to loading times, all new quest chapters, to a fully reworked tutorial and fresh zones; explore the northern frozen harbour of Freynagar, separated from the city by a huge ice dome, or take a trip to Amanuel’s Hoard, the seaside fort owned by the greediest man in history.
Black Geyser has also delivered Linux and Mac Support, a full rebalance for casters, implemented improved boss mechanics and delivered major improvements to its combat and damage scaling. Created by a small indie team and inspired by classics like Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale, the game features challenging real time tactical combat with pause, over 300,000 words of dialogue, deep lore, and memorable companions.
“As a small team, it’s been a long road since Early Access’ release, and thanks to the amazing feedback we’ve received from players, both the features and the performance of the game has massively improved. It has been a real community effort – from the fans, to the fans, of the classic-style RTwP genre” – David Zakal, Director and Founder of GrapeOcean Technologies.
Black Geyser invites players to explore a sprawling unique fantasy world, where players are free to build their own hero from five different races and 13 class types. With a unique Greed mechanic that impacts on those around you, players will need to recruit characters with unique personalities and explore a land ravaged by civil war and a mysterious curse.
Your choices, good or evil, will decide the fate of the Kingdom of Isilmerald. Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is available now as an Early Access title on Steam and GoG.
The Chorus soundtrack is out now and discoverable on over 35 different global music streaming services including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube, featuring 26 immersive classical creations.
Composer Pedro Macedo Camacho worked together with Deep Silver FISHLABS’s audio director Philipp Muckenfuss, with the music being created alongside the game’s development over nearly two years, from the first sketches to the final stage.
Classically trained, Pedro created his first musical composition at the age of 10 and has worked on soundtracks for A Vampyre Story, Civilization V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Star Citizen, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands.
The atmospheric soundtrack, composed completely remotely, is a truly global project with Pedro in Portugal as main composer, with the lead vocalist Úyanga Bold based in the United States, though originally hailing from Mongolia. Additional work on the soundtrack came from Alex Pfeffer in Germany, along with various artists from France, South Asia, and Bulgaria.
Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games have released a new trailer for Evil Dead: The Game. The groovy and gruesome co-op PvP and PvE multiplayer action game, inspired by the iconic horror, humor and battles of the “Evil Dead” universe, will release on May 13, 2022, for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC via Epic Games Store.
Pre-orders for Evil Dead: The Game go live today on all platforms alongside a new trailer that pays tribute to the film’s original trailer and aesthetic. Dripping in vintage, lurid, early-’80s horror movie trailer vibes, the new pre-order trailer shows off some of the classic fan-favorite characters, weapons, and demons that fans can expect to reckon with in the game.
Pre-ordering any version of Evil Dead: The Game grants two bonus Ash outfits: the Ash Williams S-Mart Employee Outfit and the Ash Williams Gallant Knight Outfit. The Standard Edition of Evil Dead: The Game is now available for pre-order for $39.99, while the Deluxe Edition is available for $59.99 and includes Season Pass 1. Season Pass 1 includes four upcoming DLC packs at a discounted rate, with several exciting DLC releases to be announced.
In addition to the standard edition of the game, Boss Team Games are producing two special physical Collector’s Editions that are also available for pre-order today. Evil Dead: The Game Collector’s Editions will only be available in limited quantities and feature rare, official collectibles. The Collector’s Edition includes: the Deluxe Edition of the game with Season Pass 1, an exclusive in-game skin for Ash designed by Tom Savini, exclusive steel case, collectible box, hardcover artbook, original vinyl soundtrack, exclusive T-shirt, and five art cards, all for $124.99. The Ultimate Collector’s Edition includes all of the above content, as well as a full-size replica Evil Dead II Book of the Dead Necronomicon Prop by Trick or Treat Studios and licensed by STUDIOCANAL, for $199.99. Pre-orders for both versions of the Collector’s Editions are available directly from the official Boss Team Games store at https://store.bossteamgames.com.
Evil Dead: The Game brings the biggest characters from the franchise together in an over-the-top, gore-filled action experience against the forces of darkness. Work as a team of four survivors, including Ash, Kelly Maxwell, Pablo Simon Bolivar, Scotty, Lord Arthur and more, to kick Deadite butt and banish the vile Kandarian Demon. Or become the mighty Demon yourself, using your powers of possession to stop the good guys dead and swallow their souls! Discover fan-favorite sights from the franchise, battle with more than 25 hard-hitting weapons in multiplayer and the game’s bonus single-player missions, and level up a variety of skill trees to survive the night.
Evil Dead: The Game is officially licensed by Boss Team Games from Renaissance Pictures, STUDIOCANAL, leading entertainment company Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), and global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) to develop the first multi-platform console and PC game based on “The Evil Dead,” “Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn,” and “Army of Darkness” films and the STARZ “Ash vs Evil Dead” television series. The game is being developed and published by Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games.
Evil Dead: The Game will release on May 13, 2022, for PC via Epic Games Store, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, and Xbox One. It is scheduled for release on Nintendo Switch in the future. For more information, visit www.EvilDeadtheGame.com, and follow the game on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvilDeadTheGame, Twitter @EvilDeadTheGame and Instagram @EvilDeadTheGame.
YAGER has announced that the second free closed beta of the high-stakes survival shooter The Cycle: Frontier will run from March 10-28 on PC. Experience a unique blend of PvE, PvP and co-op gameplay in persistent matches on a beautiful sci-fi world where every action can have massive consequences. You can register now to play the beta on Steam and the Epic Games Store when the beta kicks off next month.
Players will discover a ton of new and refined features in The Cycle: Frontier’s next closed beta, including:
New Faction Campaigns: Three new faction campaigns will guide you through your first steps on the surface, all while unlocking valuable new gear and insight into the lore of The Cycle: Frontier.
New In-Match Activities: Fortuna III is getting even more dangerous. Call down the new and improved Laser Drill for a big payday, but be ready to fight anyone coming to steal what’s yours.
New Monster Variations: Familiar fauna return with a few (deadly) surprises. New creature variations provide even greater challenges and rewards for those bold enough to take them on.
New Map Design: Both Bright Sands and Crescent Falls have been revamped for better traversal, plus improved visuals to strike the perfect balance between Fortuna III’s danger and beauty.
The original closed beta for The Cycle: Frontier was a huge success and one of the highest trending games on Twitch at its peak, smashing viewership records for the studio’s previous title, The Cycle. Fans diving back in for the second closed beta of The Cycle: Frontier will find a range of enhancements driven by community feedback, including improved combat balance, enemy AI, loot, and tutorials, as well as visual and audio optimizations, bug fixes and more.
The Cycle: Frontier is a free-to-play, high-stakes, PvPvE FPS. Complete missions on a deserted planet while defending yourself from hostile creatures and armed opponents. But beware: resources and mission objectives can only be kept if you leave the planet alive. Increase your reputation with a variety of factions to unlock advanced new tools, upgrades and weapons.
You’re never completely alone on the alien world of Fortuna III — dangerous beasts and other greedy players armed to the teeth are always on the prowl. Whether playing solo, in a squad with friends, or making temporary alliances with strangers, The Cycle: Frontier offers the ultimate competitive multiplayer and survival combat experience for everyone.
Check out YAGER’s new blog post for a full preview of what’s coming in The Cycle: Frontier’s next closed beta, and keep up with the latest updates by following the game on Twitter @TheCycleGame, YouTube, and joining the community on Discord.
Disney Branded Television has announced casting for the Disney+ original series “American Born Chinese,” the genre-hopping action-comedy based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang. The cast features talented international stars Michelle Yeoh (Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), Ben Wang (“MacGyver”), two-time International EmmyÒ Award nominee Yeo Yann Yann (“Wet Season”), Chin Han (“Mortal Kombat”), Daniel Wu (“Reminiscence”), Ke Huy Quan (“Finding ‘Ohana”), former Taekwondo champion Jim Liu and Sydney Taylor (“Just Add Magic”). A Disney Branded Television series, “American Born Chinese” is produced by 20th Television and will begin production later this month in Los Angeles.
“American Born Chinese” tells the story of Jin Wang, an average teenager juggling his high school social life with his home life. When he meets a new foreign student on the first day of the school year, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. The action-packed coming-of-age adventure explores identity, culture, and family.
Cast breakdown is as follows:
Michelle Yeoh as “Guanyin,” an unassuming auntie, who helps her nephew Wei-Chen navigate the challenges of American high school while maintaining her secret identity as the all-powerful Buddhist bodhisattva of Compassion.
Ben Wang as “Jin Wang,”an American teen whose parents immigrated from Taiwan, who is struggling to carve out exactly who he’s supposed to be socially and culturally.
Yeo Yann Yannas Jin’s mom, “Christine Wang,”a strong-willed, opinionated woman with a sly wit, who loves her family deeply.
Chin Han as Jin’s father, “Simon Wang,”a hard-working, devoted father and husband who is bumping up against the “bamboo ceiling” at his job.
Daniel Wu as Sun Wukong “The Monkey King,” the legendary, all-powerful god of the Chinese epic Journey to the West, who enters our world in search of his son.
Ke Huy Quan as “Freddy Wong,” a fictional character from a popular mid-1990s sitcom.
Jim Liu as Jin’s confident friend “Wei-Chen,” a teen who has just arrived in the United States, whose sweet demeanor belies the deeper mystery of his true identity.
Sydney Taylor as “Amelia,” a friendly “All-American” girl who is Jin’s classmate and crush.
Emmy® Award-winning writer/producer Kelvin Yu (“Bob’s Burgers,” “Central Park”) serves as executive producer and showrunner. Destin Daniel Cretton (Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Short Term 12”) is set to direct and serves as executive producer, alongside Melvin Mar and Jake Kasdan (both of “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” for Disney+, and “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Jumanji: The Next Level” feature films), Erin O’Malley (“Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.”), Asher Goldstein (“Short Term 12,” “Just Mercy”) and Gene Luen Yang.
