Video Games
‘Killing Floor 2’ Bringing New Weapons, Enemies in Yuletide Horror Update
Once again, Tripwire Interactive is bringing the goods with a new holiday update for Killing Floor 2. The Yuletide Update, which is launching today, will introduce a new community map called Sanitarium, along with a new objective map called Biotics Lab, two free and two paid new weapons, and the return of “zesty” Christmas Zeds.
The biggest addition this year, however, is Rachel Clamely, making her Killing Floor 2 debut as a tough new boss known as The Matriarch. The story goes that Clamely is the daughter of Kevin Clamely, the former CEO of Horzine, the company responsible for the outbreak of Zeds. After unleashing the Zeds, Clamely mutated himself into the monstrous Patriarch. Rachel helped bring down two clones of the Patriarch in the original Killing Floor, but like her father, she’s now mutated herself.
“The Matriarch is a multi-stage boss that builds on and combines previous mechanics from other bosses,” Tripwire explains. “That being said, the Matriarch has a unique few tricks of her own. The boss battle is built on 4 primary phases, each tied to the different states of her health bars, broken up by escalating waves of E.D.A.R.s enemies that are added into the fray as she enters a new phase.”
As for the hardware you’ll be getting to bring her down, players will be gifed with the HRG Incision for the Field Medic, Winterbites for the Gunslinger, the Mosin Nagant for the Sharpshooter (though this is a paid DLC weapon), and the Riot Shield / Glock 18 combo for SWAT.
And yes, it wouldn’t be Christmas without the return of Gary Busey’s Badass Santa, who is back as a purchasable playable character. Also, stick around after the teaser trailer for a special surprise that Tripwire has in store for the game next year.
The rumoured cuts at Xbox have come to fruition, with plans to lay off 3,200 employees. In addition, five studios are also set to be let go, with Double Fine and South of Midnight developer Compulsion breaking off to go independent, while Ninja Theory (Senua) and Undead Labs (State of Decay 3) have been sold.
The fifth studio, Marvel’s Blade and Dishonored studio Arkane Lyon, is set to be divested from Xbox Game Studios, though details are still being kept under wraps.
Per Xbox Wire, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed the layoff and divestment plans at Xbox, but announced no plans for closures or game cancellations.
According to Sharma, Xbox is operating at “margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses.” Sharma acknowledged Xbox’s previous pivots to Game Pass, multi-platform, and a “broader portfolio of content” have resulted in “meaningful value”, but it hasn’t been enough.
“Since 2018, we have aggressively expanded our studio portfolio while the number of games created each month across the industry now outpaces the last ten years combined,” she said. “We now find ourselves competing not only with the largest publishers, but also with smaller independent studios. It is neither possible nor desirable to own every great independent studio.”
As a result, Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions “will return to management and transition to independent studios with their IP, catalog, and runway for their next games.” Meanwhile, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs “have entered terms to join new ownership with funding to complete and grow Senua and State of Decay 3.” As for Arkane Lyon, the studio’s management “is beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options.”
The 3,200 cuts will be made throughout Xbox’s financial year across departments, with some areas being more affected than others. This is expected to affect around 20% of the developer’s workforce.
In addition, Bethesda will also undergo “a significant overhaul”, and will pivot to focus on its core franchises: Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein. None of our first party publicly announced games or projects are being cancelled as part of these reductions.
“These changes are about a bigger future for Xbox, not a smaller one,” says Sharma. “The next decade of gaming will be larger, more global, and more creative than anything we’ve seen before. This year, we’ll invest as much in Xbox as we ever have, but we’ll invest with greater focus, greater discipline, and greater clarity, all in service of making Xbox where the world plays and creates.”