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Crusader Kings III is Coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC in 2020

by Henrik Fåhraeus, Game Director, Paradox Development Studio Posted on October 19, 2019October 18, 2019

Seven years ago, Paradox Interactive redefined grand strategy, emergent storytelling, and alternate history in one incredible game: Crusader Kings II. Today, seven years of expansions, surprises, and amazing stories later, we announced a worthy heir to the throne at PDXCON 2019: Crusader Kings III is coming in 2020. We can’t wait to share a new generation of grand strategy with players everywhere, and we have even more good news: if you’re on Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) it’ll be included in your subscription. Crusader Kings III is the sequel to an all-time favorite title from Paradox Development Studio, offering players a realm of medieval conquest, intrigue, and high drama.... Read more

Play Surviving the Aftermath on Xbox Game Preview Today

by Lasse Liljedahl, CEO and Lead Designer, Iceflake Studios Posted on October 19, 2019October 18, 2019

Hi, everyone! I know we shared some exciting news last week when we revealed the newest game in the “Surviving” series from Paradox. We mentioned that the game would be available to check out soon via Xbox Game Preview, but today I got to announce the crucial answer to the inevitable question of when: Surviving the Aftermath is available to play today as an Xbox Game Preview title on Xbox One. Xbox Game Preview lets us share this game with our fans much earlier than usual, which is going to be fantastic for a creative game like Surviving the Aftermath. Players have their work cut out for them in this post-apocalyptic survival game: yes, you’ll need to deal with crises at home,... Read more

Designing and Adapting Characters in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, Coming Soon to Xbox One

by David Whitfield, Product Manager, En Masse Entertainment Posted on October 18, 2019October 18, 2019

Bringing characters into a game from an existing IP is always challenging, but when you’re dealing with a big and beloved world like "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance," it’s important not only to make them playable, but not to lose any of what makes them fan favorites! To really bring the characters in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics to life, the team at BonusXP went all-in on a job system. In tactics-based games, picking the right job for the challenge at hand can mean the difference between success and embarrassing failure. But picking the right job for your character can be even more critical. Apart from level creation, designing jobs and pairing them to... Read more

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5 Survival Tips for Open World Adventure Stranded Sails – Explorers of the Cursed Islands, Available Now on Xbox One

by Roman Matuszczak, Art Director, Lemonbomb Entertainment Posted on October 18, 2019October 18, 2019

Ahoy there adventurers! Now that Stranded Sails – Explorers of the Cursed Islands has arrived on Xbox One, get ready to set sail with five key survival tips for life in the open-world pirate adventure now that's available now on Xbox One. Build and manage your crews and maintain their happiness Alongside your crew, you begin Stranded Sails shipwrecked on a mysterious archipelago… As either the son or daughter of the injured captain of the ship, you’re tasked with finding the rest of your crew before you can eventually escape! To expand the camp, there will be a multitude of quests and tasks to make life on the island more manageable, from building new structures such as... Read more

A Peek into the Creation of the Cinematic Platformer Stela, Releasing Today on Xbox One

by Joel Stack, Design Director, SkyBox Labs Posted on October 18, 2019October 18, 2019

I've been working on games for over 15 years and playing them non-stop since I was a little kid. My dad brought home my very first adventure game (Space Quest I if you're wondering) and I've been absolutely hooked ever since. I've always loved exploring game worlds, poking and prodding their corners, and satisfying that very human need for discovery and adventure - but hadn’t really had the opportunity to create one from scratch until Stela. Let me tell you a bit about the world we've created. Stela tells the story of a mysterious young heroine struggling to survive the haunting and hostile environments of a world suffering through its last breaths. It's an arduous journey and it's... Read more

Get Ready to Pig Out in Pig Eat Ball, Available Now on Xbox One

by Nathan Fouts, Designer, Pig Eat Ball Posted on October 18, 2019October 18, 2019

Hey all, I’m Nathan Fouts, lead developer at Mommy’s Best Games, creators of Shoot 1UP and Serious Sam DD XXL for Xbox 360. Pig Eat Ball was my crazy idea—how to create an “arcade adventure”? I wanted to make something that felt like a series of arcade games, but linked together by an over world to explore with a fun story. It’s not super tough, but has a nice difficulty curve, just enough to tickle your brain parts; no rage quits. The gameplay twist is, "What if Pac-Man got larger while eating?" And… you’re on a giant space adventure across 200+ levels!? Plus the whole thing takes place on a Space Station Kingdom, there’s cupcake people to talk to, and a dastardly Dean... Read more

Halloween Update Adds Spooks and Scares to Black Desert on Xbox One

by Danny Park, Live Service Project Manager, Black Desert Posted on October 18, 2019October 18, 2019

This Halloween, the massive world of Black Desert on Xbox One is being invaded by magical forces that might give you a trick or a treat. New ghost and witch bosses offer the chance to win special items and craft new costumes - read on for more details about new Halloween content! Swarming high over the sands of the Black Desert, Spook is a new boss within today’s Halloween Update. Beware of sneak attacks at all times, since Spook enjoys spawning in random locations and times around the world to prey on unsuspecting adventurers. If you’re able to defeat him, Spook drops special items such as Black Fabric, Memory Fragment and Stabilized Magic Blackstone. Using ten pieces of Black... Read more

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 21 to 25

by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Posted on October 18, 2019October 18, 2019

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to... Read more

The Inspiration Behind The Jackbox Party Pack 6

by Allard Laban, Chief Creative Officer of Jackbox Games Posted on October 17, 2019October 17, 2019

Athena sprung from the head of Zeus fully-formed. That’s rad. We wish we could say games emerged from our skulls in the same way, but it’s a much more complex, lengthy process. We thought it would be cool to share the inspiration behind our games, to shed some light on the initial ideas that grew into the fully-formed Party Pack 6 that we are thrilled to bring to Xbox One. The first thing we agreed upon this year was that we wanted to do a reboot of one of our most-loved games, Trivia Murder Party. And like any self-respecting sequel, it needed to be bigger, better, and even spookier. So we set Trivia Murder Party 2 in a haunted murder hotel. Our murderous host is back and this time... Read more

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Dungeons & Dragons Classic RPGs Baldur’s Gate I & II, Planescape: Torment, and Icewind Dale Now Available on Xbox One

by Luke Rideout, Project Director, Beamdog Posted on October 17, 2019October 17, 2019

I wanted to start this post by saying thank you to everyone for your amazing support as we bring these venerable games to new platforms. The release of these titles represents the culmination of, in some cases, over 20 years of work building and improving these games. My team and I are honored to have the opportunity to bring these classics forward to a new generation of players. When Baldur's Gate was released 20 years ago from BioWare, it was a hugely ambitious game - especially for the young studio that BioWare was back in the late '90s, when no games studio had really successfully created a game of that scope before. From the perspective of a seasoned game designer and producer,... Read more

Free Play Days – Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, and Stellaris: Console Edition

by Vincent Wang, Product Marketing Manager, Xbox Posted on October 17, 2019October 16, 2019

This weekend, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can play Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, and Stellaris: Console Edition for free on Xbox One during this weekend’s Free Play Days! The Free Play Days event begins Thursday, October 17 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and runs through to Sunday, October 20 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. You can find and install the games here on Xbox.com. Click through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold membership. To download on console, click on the Gold member area on the home dashboard on your Xbox One. If you like what you’ve played and want to... Read more

New Smite Update Brings Yemoja, Goddess of Rivers, to the Battleground

by Dishant “TitanClumzy” Samtani Posted on October 15, 2019October 14, 2019

Control the might of water and trap your foes between waves as Yemoja, Goddess of Rivers, in the newest Smite update, now available on Xbox One. Every river must have its beginning, and that beginning is Yemoja. The Goddess of the Ogun River is mother to the Yoruba pantheon, and from her floodwaters sprang the first mortals. She is the mistress of all rivers and the eternal guardian of the ancient mysteries of life itself. She cares deeply for all her children, be they mortal or god, comforting them and cleansing them of their sorrows. At Yemoja’s blessed touch, wounds are healed, and sickness is cured. But even her kindness has its limits, and should she be roused to anger, she... Read more

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This Week on Xbox: October 11, 2019

by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox! Surviving the Aftermath is Coming to Xbox Game Preview Plus New Surviving Mars Update Hello, Survivors! I’m thrilled to reveal the next game in our Surviving brand, Surviving the Aftermath! Launching on Xbox One late 2020, players who want to get... Read more: This Week on Xbox: October 11, 2019

Narrative Adventure Game The Bradwell Conspiracy is Available Today on Xbox One

by Georg Backer, Founder and Game Director, A Brave Plan Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

Hi Xbox Fans, The Bradwell Conspiracy is a narrative adventure game about photography, 3D printing and some worrying corporate underhandedness. We’re launching on Xbox One today and we wanted to share with you some behind-the-scenes insights that’ll make your experience in our game world just a little richer. When you first load up The Bradwell Conspiracy you’ll quickly notice two things: Firstly, due to an injury you can’t talk and, secondly, the building around you is collapsing! The Bradwell Stonehenge museum you were visiting has been severely damaged in an explosion and (almost) everyone has been evacuated. You’ll be communicating with the only other survivor,... Read more

Conquer the Red Planet in New Warface Update on Xbox One

by Ivan Pabiarzhyn, Warface Franchise Producer, My.Games Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

looked to the stars for a new start, free from conflict and war. But there is no running from war. Blackwood Games and My.Games are proud to introduce the Mars update, a new chapter in the Warface saga on Xbox One which takes the action from Earth to the red planet itself: Mars. This latest update also introduces a new Mars-inspired PvP map, and the new Battle Pass: Season 3! Warface’s long-time nemeses, the nefarious Blackwood organisation, have been building their strength and their military might on Earth in the form of a vast SED army. It’s clear that their ambitions are more cosmic in scale and nature as their sights are now set on Mars. With Earth’s security at stake, not... Read more

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The Meaningful Design of Frostpunk’s Society System

by Kuba Stokalski, Lead Designer, 11 bit studios Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

Society is everything in Frosptunk, the Victorian-era city-builder and a society simulator from 11 bit studios that is making its way to Xbox One today, October 11. As you reign in the last city on a severely frozen Earth, your success heavily depends on how you steer society and how well you balance between their hope and discontent. Let’s not forget that you also build and maintain infrastructure; Frostpunk is a mix of city-builder, survival, and society simulator after all. Anyway, staying on the topic, it’s not an exaggeration to say that designing society's behaviors as reliable and meaningful was a huge part of the development process. Ruling the Frostpunk society is... Read more

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 15 to 18

by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Posted on October 11, 2019October 17, 2019

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to... Read more

Details on Vigor 1.1 Update: Bridges

by Petr Kolář, Project Lead, Vigor Posted on October 10, 2019October 10, 2019

Hei, Outlanders. Post-war Norway was quite a ride over the last months. As Vigor went free-to-play during the gamescom announcement, new Outlanders started to flow in. We are humbled by the number of players who decided to give Vigor a try. There were already over 2.5 million players who tried Vigor since the start of Xbox Game Preview, which means over 1.3 million players jumped in within the first month after the full release. The numbers far exceeded our expectations and, sincerely, we were not prepared enough for it. Finally, we recovered, and now plan to update the game more on a regular basis. We took our time to find and fix the most pressing issues (so called "ghost bullets" and... Read more: Details on Vigor 1.1 Update: Bridges

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Play Moons of Madness with the Lights On

by Eirik Nergaard, PR Manager, Funcom Posted on October 10, 2019October 10, 2019

There is nothing quite like closing the curtains, turning off the lights and powering up your Xbox with a brand-new horror game installed. Usually the ominous music, the screeches, or worse; whistling, that accompanies the dark and gloomy intro screen are enough to make my hair stand on end and goosebumps cover the majority of my arms. It’s self-torture, but I love it. I must admit, though, that every now and then, I find myself heading for the light switch with lightning speed. Like when daddy Jack Baker first makes his appearance in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard or when the lights start flickering about half an hour into Alien Isolation. It’s either lights on or stop playing... Read more

The Future of Atlas on Xbox Game Preview, Available Today on Xbox One

by Erik Waananen, Atlas Lead Game Designer, Grapeshot Games Posted on October 9, 2019October 9, 2019

When I talk to players about Atlas, there’s one phrase I often hear: “Atlas could be my perfect game.” As a developer, it’s very exciting to hear so many people express that opinion. You can’t help but think “Wow, people really love what our game has to offer.” But when you work on an Xbox Game Preview title, you also have to recognize that the operative words in that phrase are “could be.” When players start joining the game today on Xbox One, they’ll experience the most polished, most stable, and most fun version of this massive pirate adventure to date. But it’s not the final version of the game. On the contrary: for the development team, the Xbox One... Read more

The Outer Worlds, Stellaris, and More Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for PC

by Megan Spurr, Community Lead, Xbox Game Pass Posted on October 9, 2019October 11, 2019

“Are you feeling anything that could be construed as explosive cell death? No? Wonderful! Let’s get started.” – Dr. Phineas Wells from The Outer Worlds We think this quote from The Outer Worlds is applicable in most situations. No explosive cell death? Awesome! Speaking of explosive, we’ve got a great batch of amazing games that are out of this world (see what we did there?) coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) this month. Also, now’s a great time to remind you to keep your eyes on our Xbox Game Pass for PC Twitter account for release date announcements news and updates, and titles leaving soon in the Xbox (Beta) app (which is always a great time to use your member... Read more