‘Limbo’ lead designer’s next project is the cosmic adventure ‘Cocoon’

Jeppe Carlsen’s new game has a distinctly different vibe than his previous releases. As the lead gameplay designer of Limbo and Inside, Carlsen is known for building spooky side-scrollers with morbid visuals, but his latest original project features a bug-like explorer in a mysterious, neon-speckled planet system. 

The main character resembles an anthropomorphic firefly as it picks up orbs and uses them to traverse the environment, leaping among worlds and exploring ancient alien technology. 

“Each world exists within an orb that you can carry on your back,” Cocoon‘s description reads. “Wrap your head around the core mechanic of leaping between worlds — and combine, manipulate, and rearrange them to solve intricate puzzles.”

It’s not all light and airy, though — Cocoon features a large, overwhelming world and plenty of shadowy areas, much like Limbo and Inside.

Cocoon is due to hit Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Game Pass, Steam and Switch in the first half of 2023. It’s published by Annapurna Interactive and in development at Carlsen’s studio, Geometric Interactive.

‘Grounded’ launches in September 2022 with a full campaign

If you’re looking to fight ants, scale fences, zip wire across grass and wear questionable helmets, Grounded is finally out of Game Preview and coming to Xbox Game Pass this September. 

Obsidian Entertainment’s first-person survival game is adding new bosses (including a giant mantis), the freedom to roam the entire backyard — please remember you’ve been shrunk — expansive armor customization options, base defenses and more biomes to discover.

The main upgrade from the preview will be a full story campaign, which appears to include creepy robots, lasers and ’90s era computer interfaces. 

And if you don’t like bugs, you might want to skip this one.

‘Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’ brings Nioh’s demon-killing pedigree to the Three Kingdoms

Fans of the rage-inducing difficulty and controller smashing frustration of the Nioh series from Team Ninja have something to celebrate. During the XBox Summer Game Fest on Sunday, Ninja teased its latest game, a brutal, demon-infested reimagining of Three Kingdoms-era China, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

You’ll play as a nameless militia member trying to stave off a demon incursion during the Late Han Period and, if this plays anything like Ninja Gaiden or Nioh, you’re going to do a lot of dying in your fight for survival. Not much else has been revealed yet aside from the release window which opens “early 2023.” 

Hideo Kojima’s next game will be published by Xbox Game Studios

The rumors were true: Hideo Kojima has confirmed his next game will be published by Xbox Game Studios. During Microsoft’s Xbox and Bethesda showcase today, Kojima said there has been a game he’s always wanted to create, which will be like “no one has ever experienced or seen before.” Now, thanks to Microsoft’s cloud technology, he says it’s possible. Kojima admitted it “may take some time” before the game is completed, but that’s to be expected at this point.

While there aren’t any other official details about the game yet, journalist Tom Henderson recently reported that Kojima’s next project was a horror game called Overdose. He described footage of the actress Margaret Qualley walking through environments with a flashlight—you know, the sort of thing you’d expect a character in a horror game to do. Kojima Productions also asked him to take down the report, which suggests it may be accurate.

Persona 3, Persona 4 and Persona 5 are coming to Xbox Game Pass

We didn’t see it coming. Microsoft is working with Atlus to bring the three latest mainline Persona games to Xbox Game Pass. Yes, that includes Persona 3 Portable, which was first released back in 2009 — on the PlayStation Portable. All three titles will arrive in their advanced versions with expanded content, in-game features and more. 

Persona 5 Royal will be the first game to land on October 21st. For the other games, Xbox promised that every game you’re seeing at its Summer Game Fest will arrive to play in the “next 12 months”.

‘Diablo IV’ lands in 2023 with Necromancers and an open world

Given that Microsoft will soon be the new owner of Blizzard Activision, there was bound to be some kind of Diablo announcement at its Summer Game Fest showcase. While we knew a direct sequel was coming as far back as November 2019, we got yet another deeper look at Diablo IV, which was once pushed back… indefinitely. Now expect to see it land sometime in 2023. 

The developers are promising a different style of Diablo, with open-world exploration, more substantial character customization and what appears to be the ability to switch playstyle with different skills. 

If players clear out the evil from certain areas, and they’ll turn into friendlier places for trade and everything that isn’t hacking away at monsters. Expect to see specific zones for PvP duels, and a kind of adaptive difficulty where talented players will get marked out in the open world.

For anyone not quite taken by the mobile-centric Diablo Immortal, it can’t come soon enough. There hasn’t been a new Diablo game in 10 years. If you have been waiting that long, beta pre-registration is now open here.

First ‘Redfall’ gameplay trailer shows a whole lot of vampire slaying

Microsoft opened its not-E3 Xbox and Bethesda showcase with a deeper look at Redfall. The co-op vampire shooter from Arkane Austin was supposed to be out this summer but it has been delayed until the first half of next year. In the meantime, many more details about the game have been revealed.

The first gameplay trailer begins with one of the playable characters, Layla, exploring a blood-drenched church by themselves. In an attic space, they hear a voice muttering. A vampire attacks, followed by a couple more. Sharpshooter Jacob, one of Layla’s teammates, shows up to help out. 

Redfall is set on an eponymous island off the coast of Massachusetts. It’s filled with vampires and cultists who want to be turned (i.e. familiars). The vampires blocked out the sun and caused the tide to recede, making it impossible for those on the island to escape. 

There’s a brief look at the two other playable characters: engineer Remi, who has a killer robot companion, and Devinder, an expert on all things creepy (or a cryptozoologist, if you’re fancy). Layla, meanwhile, has telekinetic powers and Jacob has a cloaking ability. The characters’ various abilities can be upgraded.

As with the Dishonored games, playing stealthily will be to your advantage. “A huge emphasis for Redfall has been the solo experience, in keeping with Arkane’s passions,” explains Arkane Austin studio and creative director Harvey Smith said. “Redfall is an open world game, but it can be soloed with any of the heroes. The pace becomes more exploratory; you can use recon and stealth to gather info on encounters and avoid enemies or get the drop on them.”

The vampires have a hierarchy, seemingly ranging from grunts to powerful bosses. There will be nests to clear out. The cultists, meanwhile, are willing to lay down their lives to protect the vampires. They will shoot on sight. 

Luckily, you’ll have an extensive arsenal with which to battle your enemies as you try to purge the island of evil. Some of the weapons have unique traits. Along with regular ol’ guns, you’ll have slightly more traditional vamp-vanquishing weapons, including a stake launcher and a UV beam. 

Redfall is coming to PC, Xbox consoles and Xbox Cloud Gaming in the first half of 2023.

‘Minecraft Legends’ is a new action-strategy game coming 2023

A new Minecraft game has made its world premiere at the Xbox Summer Games Fest — one where you’ll be able to build structures and command your allies to fight enemies. Xbox Games Studios has showcased a short clip of Minecraft Legends at the event and has also announced that the new action-strategy game is coming sometime in 2023. It was developed in partnership with Blackbird Interactive and will feature an online campaign co-op and a competitive multiplayer mode. Dennis Ries, the game’s executive producer, said the studio will announce more information about them later this year.

In Minecraft Legends, you’ll need to protect the Overworld, with its rich nature and resources, from an invading army of piglins. You’ll have to forge alliances with mobs and lead them into strategic battles against the invading forces. Ries said the “game will have a very exciting campaign that will introduce many surprises for both new and seasoned Minecraft player alike.” The studio has only shared a few details about the upcoming game for now, though, and has promised to reveal more about it soon. You can also follow the official Minecraft LegendsTwitter account to keep up with the latest news about the game.

‘Forza Motorsport’ will arrive on Xbox and PC in spring 2023

The new Forza Motorsport is due to hit Xbox consoles and PC in spring 2023, and it’ll hit Game Pass on day one. This’ll be five years after the release of Forza Motorsport 7, the latest game in the series. The new entry isn’t called 8 — just Forza Motorsport, thank you very much.

Xbox studio Turn 10 showed off the new title during the big Xbox and Bethesda games showcase, highlighting its many technical improvements and car-reflection effects. 

There’s also a gameplay video showing off a track at Maple Valley, a classic tree-lined track from the original Motorsport in 2005 that’s been reimagined for the new game. Other returning tracks include Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and Laguna Seca Raceway. South Africa’s Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit is making its Forza debut in the the new Motorsport.

Forza Motorsport has a dynamic time of day system for every track, alongside its weather system. 

“Changes in time of day alter ambient temperatures, which, in turn, impacts the track surface temperatures,” creative director Chris Esaki said on Xbox Wire. “These track temperature changes will affect the grip of your car, as does rubbering in and weather.”