Game studio RocketWerkz announced today that its highly anticipated session-based survival game, Icarus, will officially open beta gameplay on August 28 with the first of several “Beta Weekends.” The company will roll out brand new features and content every two weeks for players to test out (see the schedule below). Anyone that has already pre-ordered Icarus, or pre-orders the game during August, will be able to play in the beta when it launches.
Icarus is a uniquely session-based PvE survival game for up to eight co-op players. Set on an Earth-like planet where terraforming failed, players explore, craft, build and survive against the elements as part of an interstellar goldrush. Initially equipped with nothing, players drop to the planet for missions lasting from hours to weeks, before returning to orbit to progress their character and tech for the next drop.
New features will be unlocked for the community to test every second weekend. “In the first Beta Weekend players will be invited to put Icarus’ core survival gameplay to the test,” says gamerunner Dean Hall. “Then we’ll start throwing more at them every two weeks. We’re really looking forward to playing Icarus with our community and hearing their feedback.”
The second Beta Weekend will unlock Icarus’ base-destroying storms, followed by the arctic biome two weeks later, then the desert biome, and special faction missions set by the corporations vying for control of Icarus in the following weeks.
“We wanted to do a smart beta,” says Hall. “By focusing on a new gameplay system each Beta Weekend we can gather more useful feedback from our community as we iterate and evolve the world. Icarus is ready for players, and we weren’t afraid to delay the game so we could get as much of their feedback as possible to make it the very best it can be.”
Icarus’ developers at RocketWerkz have been very open with their community during the game’s development, with regular community Twitch streams, a ‘Making of Icarus’ video series and an active Discord community. “We did this intentionally with the aim of developing the game collaboratively as we evolve the world,” says Hall. “We plan to continue this approach during the beta.”
1C Entertainment and Prime Matter are delighted to announce that King’s Bounty II has gone gold and is on track for its August 24th release date. After years of hard work, the legend returns and the dev team behind the project can’t wait to show it to all fans of turn-based RPGs.
The reception so far from the press has been extraordinary, and to celebrate this important moment 1C Entertainment is pleased to reveal the first official gameplay trailer. This narrated video showcases a taste of everything that awaits adventurers in the full game, where your wits, your exploration skills, and your ability to build and command a personal army are the tools you’ll employ to restore peace and order in the Kingdom of Nostria.
Additionally, 1C Entertainment can today unveil the minimum and recommended system configurations for PC players, helping you pick out the parts for a King’s Bounty II-ready system that delivers the experience you desire.
Darkness descends over the world of Nostria. Conspiracies, sabotage, and necromancy are overshadowing the country. Counties are demanding independence, bandits prowl the roads, and rumors about the overwhelming power of Blight emerge from a whisper in the dark. The old King Claudius was poisoned and cannot lead the kingdom, and so his son, Prince Adrian, must now unite the struggling lands while his power and faith fall under attack. But maybe a saviour – the kingdom’s last hope – is already here, to fight back and finally restore peace and order in Nostria?
King’s Bounty II will launch on August 24th on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Six Flags Great Adventure, the World’s Ultimate Thrill Park, today announced that its iconic fall festival, Fright Fest, will return in 2021 with new scares.
Fright Fest will feature family-friendly “Thrills by Day” and terrifying “Fright by Night.” Admission will include six elaborately-decorated areas, attractions for kids including the popular Trick-or-Treat Trail, nine live shows including its signature “Dead Man’s Party,” and the world’s greatest thrill rides in the dark. With its location along a mist-covered lake, the all-new Jersey Devil Coaster will deliver five intense elements in the eerie, nighttime fog. Plus, nine haunted mazes will provide the most extreme scares for an additional fee. The park will release details of its full Fright Fest program in the coming weeks.
“We’re thrilled to bring back one of the most anticipated Halloween events of the season. Fright Fest has been a fall ‘must-do’ since the early 1990s,” said Chris Allen, Six Flags Great Adventure operations director. “In 2021, Fright Fest will incorporate all of the thrill rides, extreme scares, and fantastic shows that guests love, plus innovative twists that we introduced in Hallowfest last season. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Due to the pandemic, the theme park introduced Hallowfest in 2020, which featured family-friendly activities and socially-distant scaring. The event was extremely successful, but Fright Fest fans have been eager for the return of its exciting show lineup and full complement of haunted mazes.
Fright Fest will stretch for eight weeks, kicking off Sept. 10 and running weekends and select weekdays through Oct. 31. Six Flags is currently hiring scare actors. In-person scare actor/zombie auditions will take place August 6 and 20 at 6 pm, and August 28 at 2 pm in Six Flags Great Adventure’s Employment Center. Group auditions are perfect for those with no previous experience in scaring, and include fun exercise before the casting team. Applicants are encouraged to showcase their quirky, strange, funny, and creepy qualities. All participants must be at least 16 years old. Applicants will enter through the employee entrance at 1 Six Flags Blvd., Jackson, NJ.
Candidates should apply online before attending an audition at www.sixflagsjobs.com or text SCARE to 220MONSTER. Seasonal team members who work through October 31, 2021, can earn up to an additional $500-$1,000 or more with a 10% bonus for wages earned from July through September and a 15% bonus for wages earned in October.
Today ArenaNet and NCSOFT provided the first look at Guild Wars 2®: End of Dragons, the third expansion for the award-winning and critically acclaimed MMORPG Guild Wars 2. Featuring a host of new gameplay features and epic adventures set in the lost land of Cantha, End of Dragons will enrich the vast, subscription-free online world of one of the most enduring and beloved PC games of all time.
End of Dragons™ will feature an all-new story set in the mysterious island realm of Cantha, a multi-ethnic land of magic that is home to the oldest nation of humans in all of Tyria. First seen in 2006’s Guild Wars Factions, this lush region dotted by islands and exotic architecture has been closed off and isolated from the rest of the world for over 200 years in the aftermath of The Jade Wind, a magical curse that petrified everything it touched and devastated the southeastern coastal regions. Canthan innovators have long sought practical applications for the material now known as “dragonjade,” achieving solutions undreamed of elsewhere in the world thanks to this vast store of magical energy. But the dragon cycle that has sustained and blighted Tyria for ages is collapsing…
“We’re incredibly excited to bring players back to the realm of Cantha for the first time in 15 years,” said Colin Johansen, studio director. “End of Dragons represents the realization of the entire development team’s passion for Guild Wars 2, and our continued commitment to creating quality content for players old and new.”
Players will take their first steps in rediscovering this hidden land when End of Dragons launches in February 2022. A roster of new voice talent, including Erika Ishii, Noshir Dalal, Ry Chase, Rina Hoshino, Tina Huang, and Sarah Sokolovic will serve as guides, allies, and foils on a new adventure that promises to reveal some of the Guild Wars franchise’s oldest canonical secrets.
End of Dragons will introduce a wealth of new features, activities, and storylines to the game, including the triumphant debut of the game’s first multiplayer mount, the Siege Turtle. Capable of hosting two riders, this walking war machine will bring co-op gameplay to Guild Wars 2’s renowned and acclaimed selection of game-changing mounted beasts.
New personal watercraft called Skiffs will serve as a mobile ferry for friends and guildmates, and for the first time fishing arrives in Guild Wars 2, providing a new way to interact with the fauna of Tyria, be it catching up some dinner or taking part in tournament events for new anglers.
As with previous expansions, new Elite Specializations for each of Guild Wars 2’s nine professions will provide new ways to play even maximum level characters, presenting new gameplay to master. All Guild Wars 2 players are invited to partake in monthly week-long Elite Specialization beta events coming to the game beginning August 17, and continuing in September, October, and November. Free for everyone, players can log in and create a new character during the beta period that will provide early access to the new Elite Specializations in advance of the expansion launch next year.
On top of a new set of Masteries, a new suite of third generation Legendary Weapons inspired by the iconic Elder Dragon Aurene will be available for players to seek out at launch, offering the ultimate heroic character reward, while new Strike Missions provide challenging encounters to tackle with a squad of 10 players. For the first time, challenge modes for each of the new Strikes will be enabled shortly after End of Dragons launches, which will put even the most battle-hardened groups to the test.
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons is available for pre-purchase starting today at guildwars2.com/end-of-dragons for $29.99, and includes a bundle of pre-purchase bonus items, including a Flame Serpent Weapon Chest, a Shing Jea Mosaic Cape, a special Prodigy of Shing Jea character Title, a shared inventory slot, and a level 80 character boost. The Deluxe Edition ($54.99) comes with the standard edition bundle, plus another batch of exclusive items: a Shing Jea Dragon Boat Skiff skin, a Canthan Raptor mount skin, an additional character slot, and an Identity Repair Kit. The End of Dragons Ultimate Edition ($79.99) includes the exclusive Standard and Deluxe Edition items, plus 4,000 Gems, Guild Wars 2’s premium in-game store currency.
Additionally, to commemorate the launch of End of Dragons, ArenaNet is making available a special edition premium statue of the Elder Dragon Aurene, the player character’s stalwart in-game companion. Sized at 8-by-10 inches, this translucent crystalline sculpt of Aurene in her regal Eye of the North pose will be available for pre-order from the Guild Wars 2 web site between July 27 and August 20 for $120 plus tax and shipping. She will also come with a digital redemption for a unique in-game character cape with her logo emblazoned upon it.
ArenaNet and NCSOFT will reveal more about the expansion throughout the summer on their Twitch and YouTube channels via a series of Friday live streams, with many more surprises in store throughout the remainder of 2021.
Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of online games, and Cryptic Studios announced that Neverwinter’s 21st module, Jewel of the North, is now available on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and Arc Games) and will arrive on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One later next month. This major update allows all adventurers – whether new, returning or veteran adventurers – the opportunity to experience all of the epic content the free-to-play Dungeons & Dragons® MMORPG has to offer like never before. For the first time since 2016, Neverwinter introduces a brand-new class, the iconic and multi-skilled Bard, which hails from the original pen and paper adventure game. Jewel of the North also features major quality of life improvements, including a new streamlined leveling system which makes content more accessible for adventurers of all experience levels, making this the best time for gamers to play Neverwinter.
“With Jewel of the North, we wanted to make it easier than ever for players to create a character and set out on adventures throughout the Forgotten Realms,” said Matt Powers, Executive Producer for Neverwinter. “The leveling experience has been streamlined, now better aligning with the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop experience, and we’re extremely excited to bring the highly-expressive Bard class to Neverwinter.”
Neverwinter: Jewel of the North introduces an all-new class, the Bard, inspired by the popular Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition class archetype. Neverwinter adventurers who choose the Bard become daring heroes who possess the ability to weave magic into their swords, inspire allies with music, manipulate minds, and heal wounds. Adventurers will find that the Bard stands out due to its Perform Mode that lets them play a variety of songs that can enhance, heal, or hurt their targets, and its Free Perform Mode in which Bards can use their equipped instrument to freely create and play their own songs for other adventurers to enjoy.
Along with the new class, Neverwinter: Jewel of the North brings major game-changing improvements that make it easier for all adventurers to access and enjoy all of the content available in Neverwinter. With the new streamlined leveling system which follows the beloved system found in Dungeons & Dragons, the max level cap in Neverwinter has transitioned from level 80 to level 20. This allows new and returning adventurers to reach epic-level content much faster (in approximately 10-12 hours) and gives veteran adventurers the option to quickly level up their alternate characters. Additional notable improvements geared towards providing a greater experience for all adventurers include the new Adventures feature, two new locations (the Adventurer’s Guild and Training Room) and revamped tutorials and early game performance improvements.
Below is a detailed list of key features:
New Bard Class – Inspired by the iconic and multi-skilled Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition class, the new class for Neverwinter weaves together quick, deadly swordplay and powerful magical ballads into an orchestra of destruction for enemies and boons for themselves and allies. The class offers two unique Paragon Paths for players to choose from:
Songblade – Charming swashbucklers who dispatch their foes in style with swordplay, magic, and music. This path is for those who want to be close and mid-range damage dealers, and who want to make use of dramatic spells and supporting songs to enhance their natural combat ability.
Minstrel – Master musicians who support allies from afar with songs of bardic inspiration. These healers can also use music to create psychic attacks and illusions.
New Streamlined Leveling System – Following the beloved system found in Dungeons & Dragons, the max level cap has transitioned from level 80 to level 20, making it easier for all adventurers to experience the many adventures available within the Forgotten Realms in Neverwinter.
New Adventures Feature – A new and intuitive way to play through content, track progress, and get some great rewards. The Adventures feature allows adventurers to know what to explore and experience next as they continue their epic journey.
Major Quality of Life Improvements: All adventurers can prepare and be ready for their many adventures thanks to the following new improvements:
Two New Locations:
The Adventurer’s Guild – Located in Protector’s Enclave, the guild serves as place for all the greatest adventurers to meet, train, and claim their hard-earned rewards.
The Training Room – A special demiplane created by the wizards of the Adventurer’s Guild where adventurers can hone their skills and explore combat systems using a variety of modifiers.
Revamped Tutorialization – New tutorials, messaging and visuals have been added for new and returning adventurers to better understand what it takes to be a true adventurer in Neverwinter.
Neverember Recruitment Event – During Neverember’s Recruitment event, any new characters who log in during this event will earn extra rewards, such as rare mounts and companions, while leveling as well as Neverember Incentives, which can be exchanged for account-wide rewards.
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® today announced that T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert will deliver a keynote address during CES® 2022, the world’s most influential technology event. Sievert’s keynote will discuss 5G innovations for consumers, businesses and thought leadership – and spotlight a look into the future of how these advancements are enabling people to work, communicate and learn more efficiently.
“As we return to in-person events, we look forward to convening innovators and business leaders from around the world who will showcase how technology impacts and improves every facet of our daily lives,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “The pace of innovation has accelerated over the last 18 months, and the rapid roll-out of 5G will only increase the momentum. There’s so much excitement in this space and for the first time, we welcome Mike Sievert to our keynote stage to share more about T-Mobile’s vision for fueling 5G innovation.”
5G is the key ingredient driving the future of many industries – from telecommunications and healthcare to transportation and smart cities – and will eventually underpin the global economy. CES 2022 will showcase these technologies and bring together industry advocates, including Mike Sievert, to share insights on the where 5G is headed.
“The last year has shown us the critical role connectivity plays in our lives – for consumers, businesses and society as a whole,” said Sievert. “As the nation’s 5G leader, T-Mobile is driving a transformation in wireless communications. I can’t wait to keynote CES 2022 and showcase new ways this 5G network is unleashing game-changing innovations both now and in the future!”
As CMO, COO and now CEO of T-Mobile, Sievert leads a customer-crazed team of disruptors and innovators, working tirelessly over the last eight years to change the rules of wireless, resulting in T-Mobile becoming the fastest-growing company in the industry. As CEO, Sievert is unrelentingly focused on supercharging the successful Un-carrier strategy to deliver both the best value and best network in wireless and building a company and culture that is world-famous for putting customers first.
CES returns to Las Vegas Jan. 5-8, 2022, with Media Days taking place Jan. 3-4, 2022. This is the first CES 2022 keynote announcement, as CES heads back to Las Vegas for an in-person event . The CES keynote schedule will be updated regularly as keynote speakers are announced. Top visionaries and thought leaders will speak and share insights on premiere technologies during CES 2022. The keynotes will be viewed in-person in Las Vegas and accessed across the globe through the digital experience, giving the world a front row seat to experience the future of technology.
Virtual Crunchyroll Expo is right around the corner and Crunchyroll is bringing together the global anime community to celebrate the beautiful art form of anime through guest panels, premieres, performances and more. There’s so much content planned for this year’s event that, in addition to four live stages for three days, fans worldwide can view panels 24 hours a day until 10 PM PT on August 9 in the Video on Demand section.
This year, fans will be welcomed back to New Crunchy City and can expect:
An incredible lineup of guests including voice actors and creative staff from Black Clover, JUJUTSU KAISEN, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X, The Rising of the Shield Hero and To Your Eternity among many others.
World premieres including the original anime series SAKUGAN, Restaurant to Another World 2 and the new OVA for Crunchyroll Original TONIKAWA: Over the Moon for You ~SNS~!
First looks at Fena: Pirate Princess, a Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Original, ORIENT, The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window and In the Land of Leadale, alongside Crunchyroll Original High Guardian Spice, which will make a special appearance in the Crunchyroll Industry panel.
An extensive slate of panels including The Making of Blade Runner: Black Lotus, an upcoming Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Original, Professional Athletes of Anime panel including Defensive End Ifeadi Odenigbo of the New York Giants and Defensive Tackle Larry Ogunjobi of the Cincinnati Bengals, and fireside conversations with voice actors Junya Enoki (JUJUTSU KAISEN, Girlfriend, Girlfriend) and Zeno Robinson (My Hero Academia), just to name a few.
The return of Crunchyroll-Hime’s Cosplay cup, which includes 41 finalists from 8 different countries including Australia, Brazil, Japan, Trinidad, and more, all vying for the top spot.
A showcase from Crunchyroll Games on the latest titles, partnerships, launches and more including special guests from Princess Connect! Re: Dive, Mitrasphere, and Grand Summoners.
Musical performances by 7 Billion Dots, Burnout Syndromes, MAGIC OF LiFE, Rhythmic Toy World, and TeddyLoid.
Concerts featuring music from The Rising of The Shield Hero and Tower of God
This exciting programming will be featured within Virtual Crunchyroll Expo’s immersive digital convention experience, allowing fans to enjoy and explore New Crunchy City. Each online city district represents the areas that fans are used to enjoying at live conventions including:
The Theater District featuring more than 100 hours of content across 4 live-streaming stages. Video on Demand will also be available for 5 days, with select content available in 7 languages.
The Super Arcade will house fan activations and activities like galleries for TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy- and The aquatope on white sand, alongside Crunchyroll’s fan-favorite celebrity-inspired anime art gallery.
The Anime Arts District will feature V-CRX’s online artist alley where fans can purchase directly from artists around the world.
Tastemakers LLC’s Arcade1Up, the leader in home retro gaming entertainment, begins preorders for one of their most anticipated arcade machines yet: The Simpsons at-home arcade machine, releasing on the 30th anniversary of the game’s first entry into the market. Arcade1Up’s latest at-home arcade machine transports fans back to the early ‘90s, where players can play as Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa, to take on swarms of their favorite televised characters.
“Arcade1Up is excited to expand its family home game room offering with a modern lens on retro gaming and classic pop-culture game collection editions like The Simpsons” said Scott Bachrach, CEO of Tastemakers, LLC and Arcade1Up. “With over 2 million home arcade and pinball machines sold by Arcade1Up, fans of The Simpsons will enjoy bringing home the authentic arcade experience with endless gameplay.”
Exciting features consumers can bring home with The Simpsons home arcade machine include:
2 Games in 1: The home arcade machine comes with The Simpsons Arcade Game and a bonus game slated to be announced during pre-orders this summer.
Expansive Player Access: Up to four simultaneous players can experience endless animation inspired fun and remote play with the Live feature.
Retro Authentic Artwork: True to the original arcade machine, this custom shaped machine and matching riser design with lit marquee is the perfect conversation piece for any room in the home and even offices with its stunningly vibrant graphics.
Easy Assembly: Once the arcade machine is plugged in at home, players can follow the in-game setting menu and on-screen game selections. No coins required!
Starting Monday, August 16th, 2021, consumers can pre-order The Simpsons home arcade machine on www.arcade1up.com. For more information on Arcade1Up, visit www.arcade1up.com and follow Arcade1Up on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).
The battle for Troy cannot be waged by man alone. In distant corners of the realm there are whispers of three ancient behemoths: A winged calamity reigning terror. A slithering serpent with many heads. A beast prowling the abyss. Track them, harness them and turn the tide of war.
Watch the announcement trailer here:
Experience MYTHOS
Within the MYTHOS content Pack for A Total War Saga: TROY players can experience the Trojan War in all its Mythological glory.
Create your own odyssey and embark on one of three new expeditions to track, fight and tame legendary beasts and unleash them upon your enemies: the Cerberus – a vicious hound of Hades that guards the abyss, the Griffin – a deadly master of the skies, and the Hydra – a nine-headed serpent spreading poison and madness.
Spill blood in epic theatres of war whist commanding renowned heroes of the age alongside devastating mythical warriors. Multiple new units are yours to recruit including the legendary Arimaspoi and Shades from the underworld alongside mythological redesigns for iconic key units such as the Centaur, Giants and the Minotaur. Bolster their battle prowess with supercharged battle abilities including deadly spells and regenerative magic.
Turn the tides of the Trojan conflict within a mythologically inspired campaign map featuring all-new gameplay options to execute and new ways to entice the gods and enact their divine will.
Free content for all owners of TROY
Alongside the titanic swathe of content in MYTHOS, a brand-new game mode will be available to all owners of TROY that dramatically changes the gameplay experience. The new Historical mode offers refreshing gameplay that overhauls TROY’s features so that players can experience the Aegean conflict from a realistic, history-first perspective. Such changes include wars being fought between generals and their bodyguards instead of one-man armies wielding the powers of gods.
TROY is coming to Steam
Players who prefer to wage war on Steam can now take up arms and join the action when A Total War Saga: TROY and its DLC packs officially launch on the platform alongside the release of MYTHOS on September 2nd. There’s never been a better time to wage war in ancient Greece as three editions will be available purchase for a limited time from launch.
STANDARD EDITION (TROY base game) – 25% off
MYTHIC EDITION (TROY base game + MYTHOS expansion) – 30% off
HEROIC EDITION (TROY base game + Mythos expansion + Amazons DLC + Ajax & Diomedes DLC) – 40% off
More information on MYTHOS can be found on the official FAQ. And additional information on TROY’s Steam release and editions can be found here.
McFarlane Toys’ huge success story with their DC Multiverse action figures is getting bigger and better as they announce they are further expanding their relationship with DC and Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP). McFarlane Toys have entered into a global licensing agreement with WBCP to unleash a new line of McFarlane Toys designed statues, busts, and figures based on DC’s expansive roster of iconic characters. Fans and collectors can look forward to an array of McFarlane Toys created DC Direct collectibles under legendary artist Todd McFarlane’s creative direction coming in 2022.
McFarlane will also manage current DC Direct inventory.
Under McFarlane Toys, DC Direct will continue to produce high-quality collectibles, including fan-favorite lines DC Designer Series, Batman Black & White, and Harley Quinn Red, White & Black.
In 2020, McFarlane Toys launched its successful DC Multiverse line with ultra-posable action figures and vehicles to bring dozens of iconic DC characters based on the comic books, video games, and feature films to life at mass specialty retailers globally. McFarlane Toys’ DC Multiverse line is one of the top-selling action figure lines in the US.
McFarlane Toys will continue to sell and market all the current and upcoming pre-ordered DC offerings.
Fans of both McFarlane Toys and DC can check McFarlane.com and the McFarlane Toys social media channels for updates and news.
