Video Games
‘DOOM Eternal’, ‘Killzone’, ‘The Witcher 3’ Devs Announce Tactical Survival Horror Shooter ‘The Forever Winter’ [Trailer]
Fun Dog Studios, an independent studio formed by developers from the likes of Horizon: Zero Dawn, DOOM Eternal, Killzone, Hawken, The Witcher 3, Mass Effect and more, have announced their first project. Called The Forever Winter, this tactical Survival Horror shooter releasing on Steam has you and your squad fighting to survive against monstrous war machines.
The trailer was revealed today during IGN Fan Fest, and reflects the team’s belief that gaming needs to be harder to be fun, worth your time and your money. According to the press release, Fun Dog Studios are “not here to make games for everyone, and refuse to make their games easier or water down our vision of ‘fear becoming fun.'”
“This is personal to us. We’ve worked on some of the most successful games ever, and miss the days when the industry flourished with new experimentation, new stories, new gameplay, and new voices; so we formed our own company where we could be free to do that,” said Miles Williams, CEO and Creative Director of Fun Dog Studios. “As independents we’re free to forge our own path to make games we all can’t wait to play ourselves. We’re not chasing the hot new trend, we’re trying to bring back things that we’ve felt the industry has lost. Think new IP, less plastic.”
The story for The Forever Winter concerns ecological collapse compounded by runaway technological advancement: a world “choked by 40 years of industrial-scale violence between two military superpowers, unmerciful mass killing by AI automata, human-machine hybrids, and the bleak truth of human nature.” You must scavenge and fight to stay alive under the shadow of gargantuan war machines that can literally tower over the battlefield.
Thanks to The Forever Winter’s Dynamic Encounter system, enemies will have their own goals and agendas, operating in coordinated groups, undertaking full-scale battles — while intelligently reacting to your actions. Players must use their wits, stealth, and skilled gunplay to make it out alive. Choose your path in the shadow of the two great superpowers, loot the dead, and make it out alive. While the warring factions may ignore you at first, the more disruptive you become to their goals, the more they’ll be keen to remove you from the equation.
Video Games
Bloober Returns to ‘Star Trek’ With Psychological Thriller ‘Star Trek: Shadow Frontier’ [Trailer]
Bloober Team weren’t done dropping news this week. After surprising everyone with SAW: Genesis at Summer Game Fest yesterday, they’ve now announced a new horror-slanted Star Trek title with Paramount Games Studio in Star Trek: Shadow Frontier. This is the second Star Trek title Bloober has developed, having released the VR body horror title Star Trek: Infection earlier this year.
“We’ve long admired the way Bloober Team crafts deeply immersive, atmospheric experiences that keep players on the edge of their seats,” said Paramount Games Studio senior vice president and head of creative and production Shawn Kittelsen. “For Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, it was essential to partner with a studio that could both honor that legacy and push it forward. We have full confidence in Bloober’s ability to deliver a game that does justice to the ‘Star Trek’ name while bringing something bold and new to the beloved franchise.”
Launching for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, the Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam in 2027, Star Trek: Shadow Frontier is a story-driven action-adventure that sees players step into the role of former Lieutenant Ro Laren (voiced by Michelle Forbes). After crashing onto a distant planet overtaken by a strange consciousness, Ro Laren must survive in an environment that is as breathtaking as it is lethal. Ro’s mission is driven by duty and purpose. But here, discovery comes at a terrible cost. The more she uncovers, the deeper she is pulled into a corrupted labyrinth where her memories twist and the planet threatens to sever her connection to reality.
The hostile ecosystem of the planet poses a constant threat to Ro’s existence. It seeks to absorb Ro’s consciousness, burrowing deep into her mind and plaguing her with haunting visions. Environmental hazards and obstacles lurk around every corner. Exploration is both your only path to salvation and your potential undoing. Players will be able to use their Tricorder to scan and analyze items, and of course rely on their Phaser to solve puzzles and fend off enemies.