Thought non-E3 was over? Ha! A month after Geoff Keighley convened the entire gaming industry in Los Angeles for a week of marketing, Annapurna Interactive, a bit late to the party, hosted its annual presentation. Today, over the course of 30 minutes, the independent publisher took a look at what’s in store for its unconventional portfolio. Before you ask, no, there is no news of a Stray sequel. Come on people, it just came out. Still, there’s a lot to write about. Here are all the important things, organized from most impressive to least.
Three PlayStation games coming to Xbox
Since the launch of this console generation, Annapurna Interactive has released three stellar games on PlayStation: The Pathless, an atmospheric archery action game; Maquette, a recursive puzzle with a heartbreaking narrative; and Solar Ash, a sci-fi platformer from the folks who made Hyper Light Drifter. (All three are also available for PC.) Now, the trio’s console exclusivity deals have expired:
- The Pathless is coming to Xbox and Switch this winter, no specific date yet.
- Maquette is coming to Xbox and Switch, and will also be added to Game Pass, Microsoft’s hugely popular on-demand gaming service.
- Solar Ash is coming to Steam on December 6th. (On PC, it’s currently only available on the Epic Game Store.) It’s also coming to Game Pass later this winter, but there’s no date yet.
Screw console exclusivity. It’s good when more people get a chance to play.
Thirsty Suitors is coming in 2023, demo on PC today
Thirsty Suitors, the next game from the creators of Falcon Age, finally has a release window. First revealed during the 2021 Game Awards, the multi-genre RPG is set to launch next year on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC. It’s a long way off, yes, but in the meantime, there’s a demo available on Steam today. Earlier this summer, I played a version of this demo at the Tribeca Festival. It’s a drug.
Hohokum developers are making a multiplayer game
Flock is a multiplayer game about getting lost in an idyllic wilderness and collecting flying animals, which you simply… ride on. It’s developed by people who previously worked together on Hohokum, a placid PlayStation game in which you control a colorful snake creature and navigate a beautifully colored space without any goals or objectives. It’s probably the quietest game of all time, or at least of the last generation of consoles.
Oh yeah, speaking of, Hohokum is now available on Steam.
Retrospective comes out next week
The obviously smashing narrative game Hindsight is coming out on August 4th for PC, Switch, and iOS devices. Last week, a representative from Annapurna Interactive told me that it’s the kind of game that will make me feel feelings. It was not clear if this statement was directed at me, personally, or if it was intended as a descriptor for a wider audience.
What’s Left of Edith Finch is getting a next-gen port
First-person narrative game What Remains of Edith Finch, released in 2017, will receive a free next-gen upgrade. Like most next-gen updates, it will bring the game up to the now-standard 4K resolution with frame rates of 60 frames per second. It’s available today.
Outer Wilds too
It will be available on September 15. There’s no updated news on the incoming Switch port, however, which was announced during a Nintendo Direct last February.
The developers of Kentucky Route Zero have a new game in the works
Cardboard Computer, the three-person team behind indie gem Kentucky Route Zero, is working on a new game, but hasn’t shared any information about a name, genre, or release date.
Bounty Star is a mech shooter
Annapurna’s portfolio hits me far more often than it misses, but that’s because the publisher specializes in bigger fare that you’d rarely see in the AAA space. Bounty Star, a third-person shooter slated for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox (where it will launch as part of the Game Pass library), doesn’t seem to fit that bill. While it features base building and farming elements, it feels like you spend a lot of time piloting a mech and using it to shoot nondescript enemies.
The Lost Wild is a survival horror game about escaping dinosaurs in a jungle at night
Watch the trailer above. Yeah, uh, nooooo! No no no nope.