The second annual Annapurna Interactive Showcase aired today, and it was full of exciting new games for 2022 and beyond. Not only did we get an official release date for the narrative exploration game Hindsight, but news dropped that Thirsty Suitors is now available to demo on Steam (we'll be previewing that soon enough, don't you fret). The presentation also included platform update announcements on Outer Wilds, Solar Ash, Hohokum, and more.
But what about game announcements? Luckily, the Annapurna showcase was full of them – eight to be exact, though some were more announcements of partnerships than full reveals. From a survival horror game set in a dinosaur-filled forest to a new game from Katamari Damacy's Keita Takahashi, it's clear that there's a lot of interesting new projects coming out of Annapurna in the months and years ahead.
Here are all the games announced during the 2022 Annapurna Interactive Showcase, and what we know about them so far.
Every game announced at the 2022 Annapurna Interactive Showcase
Untitled game from Kentucky Route Zero devs
There's no official game announcement here, but we do know that Cardboard Computer, the team behind the award-winning Kentucky Route Zero, is indeed working on a new game. That new game is being built with new tech (including something that lets them scan their faces on their phone and translate it to in-game animations), and will have a different tempo that is "faster and hopefully funnier" than Kentucky Route Zero. The studio says this is "the first project where we're seriously focusing on performance as a core part of the piece", so who knows if this new title will have a similarly protracted development cycle to KRZ – a five act play that took a decade to deliver.
Bounty Star: The Morose Tale of Graveyard Clem
Bounty Star is an over-the-shoulder 3D action game from developer Dinogod that features mech combat, base-building, farming, and customization. You play as Clementine McKinney, a war veteran and mech pilot who wants to break free from the shame of her past and "be a force for good" in the Red Expanse, the "post-post-apocalyptic version of the American Southwest." It's due out sometime in 2023, and will launch on PS5, PS4, Steam, and via Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Untitled game from new studio Yarn Owl
Yarn Owl is a small, two-person studio based in Austin, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia that is working on a currently untitled game heavily inspired by one of the best games of all-time – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. That means you should expect a twisting RPG adventure, full of intricately designed dungeons and smart puzzle design. Yarn Own is still early in development of its debut adventure, but from the small peek we got of this game today, it looks like one worth watching.
Forever Ago
Forever Ago is the debut game from German studio Third Shift. While this game was technically teased all the way back in 2020, Annapurna has picked up the publishing rights and given it a fresh showing here. If you aren't familiar, Forever Ago is a narrative-driven road trip adventure game that follows an elderly man named Alfred, who is documenting his trip through the Pacific Northwest after a "tragic stroke of fate". It seems to be all about exploring beautiful environments, interacting with objects to learn more about those spaces, and taking pictures to help document your journey. There's no release date yet or confirmed platforms aside from Steam, but this is one to watch out for.
Untitled game from If Found studio
Dreamfeel is the Irish studio behind the visual novel title If Found, and it is working on a brand-new game with Annapurna Interactive. The untitled project is set in a fantasy version of Ireland where all the characters are cats – following the success of Stray, it should come as no surprise that Annapurna Interactive is doubling down in this respect – and the message/theme of the untitled game is said to be: "everything drowned will someday rise to the deep." 2020's If Found was a moving, emotionally resonant experience, so we're keen to see what Dreamfeel is able to do next.
Flock
Flock is an upcoming co-op adventure game from developers Hollow Ponds and Richard Hogg. Described as a "multiplayer co-op game about the joy of flight and collecting adorable flying creatures with your friends", you'll be the flying shepherd of your own unique herd of impossibly cute creatures. You can even use the wool from your hover-sheep to make hats and cardigans! Flock is due out on 2023 and will drop on PS4, PS5, Steam, and via Xbox Game Pass for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.
Uvula from Katamari Damacy's Keita Takahasi
Well, this looks interesting. We only get a brief teaser trailer for Uvula, an upcoming game from Keita Takahashi – the creator of Katmari Damacy, Noby Noby Boy, and Wattam – but it's enough to leave us scratching our heads in confusion and wonder. The trailer shows the inside of someone's mouth as they're sleeping (hence the name "Uvula"), before zooming out to show a dog cuddled up next to them. Then there's a promise of more news coming, but no details on when or where.
The Lost Wild
The Lost Wild is an upcoming survival horror game from Great Ape Games "about overcoming nature's most formidable forms of life." You're stranded in a world full of dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts, but a mysterious voice on the radio offers you hope. You'll have to run or intimidate attacking dinos with non-lethal weapons, discover abandoned facilities full of supplies you'll need to survive, and try and stay alive in a world full of things that want to eat you. Sick. We don't have a release date yet, but we know The Lost Wild is coming to Steam. The console situation is "TBD."
It's early days yet for many of these games, so in the meantime why not check out some of the most anticipated upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games coming in 2022 and 2023.
