Video Games
First-Person Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Invincible’ Announced For Next Gen Consoles And PC
Krakow-based developer Starward Industries’ has announced their new first-person game The Invincible. Based on the Stanislaw Lem novel of the same name, The Invincible will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam in 2021.
Led by former CD Projekt RED senior producer Marek Markuszewski, Starward Industries is no stranger to the genre, having members who have shipped titles like Dying Light and Dead Island. “The Invincible, which has been secretly in the making for some time, combines a fascinating setting, iconic story and an established non-linear gameplay to deliver a truly unforgettable experience,” said Starward Industries CEO Marek Markuszewski in a press release.
Set in a retro-future timeline, The Invincible casts you as a scientist onboard an interstellar scientific expedition to the planet Regis III. Tasked with finding the missing crew members of your sister ship, you’ll have to rely on your instincts to survive on a planet that quickly becomes unwelcoming. You’ll eventually discover while piecing together the fate of your crew that Regis III holds terrifying secrets. And as you delve deeper into the mystery, you realize that you’re not alone, and that some places like this planet are better left untouched.
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.”