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Yakuza fans have a busy 2023 and 2024 ahead of them. In addition to Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Sega announced today it would release the next mainline entry in the series, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, in early 2024. The sequel picks up after the events of 2020's Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The trailer Sega shared on Saturday features protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, who finds himself naked on a Hawaiian beach with no recollection of how he got there. The usual hijinks ensue before Ichiban realizes what's going on and tries to shield himself. Sega previously announced it plans to release Like a Dragon:Infinite Wealth on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam.   

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest right here!

It's been a while since our last look at Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, but Microsoft made sure to include it in the Xbox Games Showcase. The sequel finally has a release window too: it's coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2024. Naturally, Game Pass subscribers will have access to it from the jump.

The latest trailer opens with Senua crawling through a narrow opening into a vast cave. It only takes a few seconds for things to become a little unsettling, thanks to eerie whispers and moving walls. The new clip of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, which is being built in Unreal Engine 5, is beautifully detailed, with light reflecting off of a pool of water and bouncing around the cave. For what it's worth, Microsoft says the footage was captured on an Xbox Series X. 

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest right here!

We got our first glimpse at gameplay from the newest entry in the long-running Payday game series during the Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest Sunday. Starbreeze Studios may have assumed the franchise's helm from Overkill, but it looks like Payday 3 will deliver the same fraught and frenetic first person shooting that fans have come to expect. 

In the demo at Sunday's showcase, a familiar-looking quartet of gunmen sets about taking over and looting a neighborhood bank through the application of aggressive intimidation tactics, a variety of high tech gadgets and a whole lot of downrange fire. Gameplay mechanics like hostage-taking (which previously allowed robbers to trade in captured civilians after for taking too much damage and being "arrested") appear to still be very much a part of the new title. Payday 3 arrives on September 21st for Xbox X|S (and presumably other platforms as well). 

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest right here!

Obsidian Entertainment is finally ready to show us a little more of Avowed, its forthcoming first-person fantasy RPG. At Xbox’s SGF showcase, we got to see a barrage of magical spells, battle dynamics, and all kinds of mythical beasts you’re likely to face. Interestingly, you'll be able to wield swords and guns in addition to magical incantations. Like previous Obsidian games, companions will feature heavily. According to Feargus Urquhart, Studio Head, your first companion will be Kai, a “Coastal Aumaua” and apparently one of the only friendly faces you’ll come across. 

The game is set in the same universe as the crowdfunded Pillars of Eternity, so expect to see more playful writing and storytelling. You’ll play as an envoy of Aedyr, investigating rumors of a plague. From there, it seemingly all goes further downhill. With the tagline of “Forge your destiny”, the trailer hints that you can choose to be a good or (very) bad guy. It looks like it may scratch that Elder Scrolls itch, until Elder Scrolls 6 finally shows itself. 

Avowed is set to launch in 2024.

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest right here!

Indie studio Thunder Lotus announced a game today that invites you to “Face the Wrath of God.” 33 Immortals is the Spiritfarer developer’s new co-op action / roguelike that supports up to 33 players.

“Pick-up and raid, cooperate to survive hordes of monsters and rise above the Almighty,” the title’s description reads. The game’s trailer shows 33-player co-op rendered with an art style that reminds me of old Space Ghost cartoons (meant as a compliment). However, the somewhat retro appearance may have made it easier for Thunder Lotus to render 33 simultaneous co-op players along with enemies and its dungeon-crawling environment.

Thunder Lotus says 33 Immortals will be available on Game Pass (Xbox Series X / S) and the Epic Games Store in 2024. You can check out the reveal trailer below.

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest right here!

Compulsion Games is back with a new project called South of Midnight, a third-person action adventure set in an original world of magic, monsters and giant, blues-playing skeletons. The game's debut trailer is a cinematic snippet introducing the protagonist, a young woman named Hazel, as she attempts to reason with an immortal specter on a dark dock. Hazel is hunting a monster — or, it's hunting her, as the trailer goes on to show — and she can wield bright threads of magic. 

South of Midnight is in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC, including a Steam release, and it'll come to Game Pass on launch day — whenever that may be.

South of Midnight is set in a fictional town in the southern United States and the game is infused with magical realism. It's a Southern Gothic love letter of sorts, creative director David Sears said on Xbox Wire.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest right here!

Ubisoft's long-awaited open world Star Wars game will arrive in 2024. The publisher announced Star Wars Outlaws on Sunday during Microsoft's Xbox and Starfield Direct showcase with a cinematic trailer that introduces fans to the game's Han Solo-like protagonist, Key Vess. Ubisoft is billing Outlaws as the first-ever open world Star Wars game — though it's worth noting many past games in the franchise, including the recently released Jedi: Survivor, feature open world elements. Ubisoft first teased Outlaws in 2021, noting at the time that Massive Entertainment, the studio behind The Division 2, was creating the game inside of its in-house Snowdrop engine. The publisher promised to share gameplay footage from Outlaws during its Ubisoft Forward showcase on June 12th. Ubisoft will release Star Wars: Outlaws on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC.   

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest right here!

It's been three years since we learned that a Fable reboot was in the works and we got our first glimpse at the game in action during the Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest. The clip opened with the unmistakable face and voice of Richard Ayoade. His character Dave (a vegetable enthusiast) complains about so-called heroes who take out bandits and slay legendary beasts. 

As Dave rambles on, he gets up to investigate something and we learn that he's a giant. He comes nose to face with one of those heroes before they get into a fight.

The trailer includes some gameplay snippets and it suggests there'll be an offbeat tone to Fable, which is being made by Playground Games. There's no release date as yet, but the action RPG will be available on Xbox Series X/S and PC. Of course, it'll be on Game Pass.

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest right here!

More platform instability could be in Twitter’s near future. In 2018, Twitter signed a $1 billion contract with Google to host some of its services on the company’s Google Cloud servers. Platformer reports Twitter recently refused to pay the search giant ahead of the contract’s June 30th renewal date. Twitter is reportedly rushing to move as many services off of Google’s infrastructure before the contract expires, but the effort is “running behind schedule,” putting some tools, including Smyte, a platform the company acquired in 2018 to bolster its moderation capabilities, in danger of going offline.

If Twitter can’t migrate the system to its own servers before the end of the month, Platformer suggests a shutdown would greatly impact the company’s ability to combat spam and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Before Saturday, Smyte had been already showing signs of strain, following Elon Musk’s deep cuts to Twitter’s workforce. In December, Musk reportedly asked Twitter’s trust and safety team why the automated system hadn’t caught a Twitter Blue user who had been impersonating him to pump a crypto scam. The team told Musk the system had been unstable for a week, crashing “at least once a day.”

Platform instability has been a hallmark of Twitter 2.0. In February, many of the platform’s core features went down on more than one occasion. More recently, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had trouble announcing his bid for the Republican presidential nomination after Twitter Spaces could not handle the influx of people who wanted to listen to the broadcast. If Twitter is in fact planning to stiff Google, it wouldn’t be the first time the company has ghosted on a contract. At the end of last year, California Property Trust, the owner of the building that houses Twitter headquarters, sued the company for failing to pay rent.

Get ready for some announcements, trailers, demos and an in-depth look at the upcoming RPG Starfield, as the Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest is nearly upon us. With E3 dead in the water, this is likely the year’s biggest event for jaw-dropping reveals. The festivities begin at 1:00 PM ET and there are plenty of ways to watch live. Microsoft is hosting its own YouTube stream and Twitch feed for the event and multiple streams are available via the festival itself.

So what can you expect to see this year? Microsoft says the stream will focus on both exclusive first-party and third-party Xbox releases, so it’s anybody’s guess. Rumors swirl that iconic Xbox franchise Fable will be making an appearance in some form, along with DLC for Hi-Fi Rush and a 60FPS mode for beleaguered vampire shooter Redfall. Also, expect updates on Forza Motorsport, Hellblade 2, Avowed and more.

However, Aaron Greenberg, the VP of Xbox Games Marketing, recently told fans on Twitter to come in with an “open mind” and “enjoy the ride”, suggesting that folks should temper expectations. After the presentation, Bethesda takes over for an indepth look at long-delayed space adventure Starfield before its September launch.

The show should run around two hours, with 90 minutes dedicated to the presentation and the remaining 30 minutes given over to Starfield. Of course, Engadget has staffers on location to report on the biggest reveals and announcements, so keep the site open for updates.