There is perhaps no setting more perfect for a cozy game than that of the Shire. Out of all the fictional universes and characters out there, Hobbits understand the appeal of growing crops and living an idyllic life as much as any Stardew Valley player. In fact, read the prologue of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and you'll see the halflings described perfectly: "For they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth. A well-ordered and farmed countryside was their favorite haunt." So on paper, the new cozy life-sim Tales of the Shire should be a home run; however, after completing its main story, like the Tooks and other Hobbits who suffer from wanderlust, I was left wanting something more.

Taking cues from the typical formula of "moving from the big city to the rural countryside" seen in most farming games (but with a Middle-earth twist), you're immediately thrown into the cartoony depiction of Tolkien's world as a Hobbit from the big-folk town of Bree. After staying (and presumably working) at the Prancing Pony inn, you discover that your customized hobbit has moved to the quiet community of Bywater to start a new life, one focused on foraging, dinner parties, and collecting recipes from your neighbours.

There are no big sprawling quests in Tales of the Shire, and it's easy to get used to the slow-paced rhythm that comes with gathering resources throughout a very peaceful and safe world. The game has placed itself firmly in the ideal period in The Lord of the Rings timeline, back when Sauron's forces and rise to power, which the rest of Middle-earth is facing, can't yet be felt by the Shire folk. So if you were expecting to see any hint of the Battle of Bywater or go on an adventure like Bilbo did during the events of The Hobbit, you're out of luck. Tales of the Shire instead has you equipping your cooking apron over a sword as you complete a variety of fetch quests in order to help Bywater get officially recognized as a village.

Good Shire-Folk

You'll find all the cozy game hallmarks in Tales of the Shire as you cook, forage, discover residents' preferences, and farm your way towards fancy upgrades that'll improve your daily chore completing. It's a meditative yet repetitive routine that the game tries to enhance by introducing in-depth cooking mechanics and various goals to work towards, with the inclusion of various clubs to level up and rewards to unlock. One of the unique features that I personally loved was how Tales of the Shire doesn't unlock upgrades with gold coins. Instead, you'll have to raise your friendship level with residents in order to flourish in Bywater, inviting hobbits over for meals and making sure that you take their cravings and favorite meals into account.

There's something beautiful and inherently Tolkien about doing away with any mass-producing money farming techniques and instead focusing on the community to succeed in your virtual life. Being hospitable will get you ahead, and you'll be rewarded with home and tool upgrades, decorations, and seasonal recipes. Too often, I've been obsessed with money when trying to relax in cozy games, be that worrying about tanuki landlords or rushing to gather resources to build a barn in Pelican Town. Worrying about what dishes I should cook for my daily dinner parties in the Shire, and trying to raise their ranking with perfect cooking techniques and taste combos, was a refreshing change of pace and felt inherently less stressful and more wholesome in comparison.

However, with such an emphasis on community and heart-raising activities, it's a shame how lonely Tales of the Shire can feel outside of the food of it all. While each resident has a small story, there are no rewards for daily chats, and it's easy to forget about them until the resident's postman, Orlo Proudfoot, reminds you that they are getting cranky that you haven't invited them over. Tales of the Shire doesn't have recurring festivals (at least not any that I've seen after completing the main story and playing through all the seasons), and at the end of the day Bywater feels stagnant after a good few hours, making it hard to immerse yourself in the community and feel as if you're genuinely a resident.

Trouble in paradise

Tales of the Shire's gameplay loop can stagnate as a result, making it hard to feel motivated to juggle plowing through the main story with unlocking everything. Even with my quest book filled to the brim with things to do and requests to complete, my time as the hobbit Belladonna Boffin in Bywater still felt aimless, and the world a bit too lifeless to keep me coming back, especially after I completed the main quest after 13 hours.

Getting Bywater recognized as a village was surprisingly easy. I was prepared to have to host a ton of hobbit meals in order to unlock new foragable areas, or complete a ton of tasks for all the foraging, cooking, gardening, and fishing clubs that I had to establish earlier in the game. However, completing the main story never required club levels, unlocks, special ingredients, or anything similar. All you need to do is a series of easy fetch quests and have high enough level ingredients to make a three-star meal.

In fact, you could find yourself in the epilogue section of the game without raising friendship levels at all, and largely ignoring the leveling up of the clubs as well. I'd only had a single house expansion and one backpack upgrade before I saw the final cutscene, and then I was told to work towards 100% everything. Yes, there are plenty of meals still left to cook, recipes to unlock, and there are even clubs to level up. But, without a main goal really to work towards, my efforts felt a tad hollow; there was really nothing enticing enough like the One Ring to hold my attention.

Tales of the Shire's story quest feels like an oversight, something that wasn't fully thought through, and thrown together, with how it doesn't have any targets that move you towards playing the rest of the mechanics or progressing in the game. Taking your own pace in the game is all well and good, but with a lackluster, small map that is very stylized, it asks a lot of players to stay invested. Pair this with some irritating hiccups, such as some occasional bugs around hosting meals in the morning, a blue bird quest marker that isn't super intuitive, and not being able to end the day whenever you want, and Bywater goes from charming to chore in the blink of an eye.

Tales of the Shire is extremely laid back, sometimes to its own detriment. However, that may appeal to some cozy gamers still, especially those who are looking for a new addition that doesn't have any restrictions, such as time-intensive quests or pesky stamina bars dictating what you do in a day. I also have to praise the work, as a Tolkien fan, for the tidbits of lore and Easter eggs that we see throughout the slow-paced days.

Tales of the Shire wastes no time in showing off its love and J.R.R. Tolkien knowledge, and I often found myself giggling with delight as I talked to townsfolk during their story events, or chose how much hair appeared on my hobbit's feet. The game makes references to the Fell winter, how the Dúnedain are still patrolling the Shire's borders, as well as the Hobbit family tree history. On top of that, you meet Rosie Cotton (aka Sam's future wife), Gandalf, and hear chatter around Bilbo. Hosting a hobbit meal in the famous Green Dragon Inn was also a nerdy pleasure of mine, and once I unlocked that location, it became my go-to dinner party spot.

One of my main fears was that Tales of the Shire would feel like an empty shell, using The Lord of the Rings as a selling hook and nothing more. But I can thankfully say that, for all its faults, the cozy title does the lore justice and honours the work that we all love. Will I return to Bywater? Probably not. But am I glad I visited the hairy-footed residents? Undoubtedly so.

Tales of the Shire was reviewed on PC with a code provided by the publisher.

For more picks, check out our lists of the best Lord of the Rings games ever made and the best farming games to play today.

Tales of the Shire is the coziest take on the Lord of the Rings universe yet, putting players in the shoes of a Hobbit in the midst of Hobbiton and tasking them with uniting the community surrounding Bywater. You're able to fish in ponds, produce food and crops, forage for fruit, and trade with townsfolk to better your comfy life.

Revealed in 2024 from developer Weta Workshop Game Studio - a subsidiary of Weta Workshop, best known for working on the Lord of the Rings movies - the storybook life sim set in Middle-earth gives off some Stardew Valley vibes and promises to be a great entry point for newcomers, alongside longtime fans of Tolkien's universe. It's long been one of our most exciting new games for 2025, and now that it's been released, we can share some details before you decide to pick it up for yourselves.

So if you're looking to live out your Tolkien dream life, read on for a full recap of everything we know about Tales of the Shire. From gameplay, trailers, reviews, and details on when it takes place in the timeline, we've got all your hairy-footed needs covered!

Tales of the Shire release date

The Tales of the Shire release date came our way on July 29, 2025.

Originally, the publisher, Private Division, had said that we'd get to see the title in 2024. That was also after two other delays, but thankfully, our waiting is over. However, that being said, perhaps the game needed a bit more time in the oven still. Multiple early reviews point out issues with some bugs. In our own Tales of the Shire review, we commented on crashes happening. Hopefully, a patch arrives soon, but it's something to keep in mind if you were planning on grabbing the game early.

Tales of the Shire platforms

Tales of the Shire is available on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch upon release. This is great news for all of us cozy gamers, as there are a ton of titles in the genre that tend to be either PC exclusives or Switch-only titles.

Currently, it's "unknown" if the upcoming Lord of the Rings game will be Steam Deck verified. However, judging from the low-demand graphics of the game and the fact that it will have controller support from the outset, we're guessing that the game will at least be "playable" on Steam Deck from the get-go. In fact, during our review of the game, we tried it out on our Deck to see if it would run, and it performed great.

It's also unconfirmed if the cozy game will be added to the list of upcoming Switch 2 games in the future. Despite the fact that Nintendo announced its new console and how many cozy gamers gravitate towards their products, Tales of the Shire has only been announced for the original Switch so far. We'll keep you posted if anything changes on that front!

Tales of the Shire trailer 

Right now, we have three Tales of the Shire trailers to go off. However, the first announcement trailer is still the longest teaser we have and is the best at setting the scene for the new game. In the teaser above, we see shots of cozy hobbit holes, paired with a voice-over that sounds a lot like our favorite grey wizard, Gandalf.

The clip also gives us some scenes showing off gameplay mechanics such as cooking, fishing, exploration, and friendship building. It's an idyllic delight, so much so that it's easy to forget that in a few decades' time Ringwraiths will be riding about looking for Frodo and co. From the clip, no orcs or mention of Mordor is in sight, so don't worry, your hobbit life is a strictly peaceful affair!

Tales of the Shire gameplay  

A better look at Tales of the Shire's gameplay comes in the more recent trailers and our own in-depth preview of the game, which you can watch for yourself above. This time, we're getting a good look at Hobbits roaming around Hobbiton, hanging out together near the edge of lush lakes, foraging for food, and baking goods.

The above clip is a really good look at how Tales of the Shire plays, and the general speed and rhythm of the game. In short, as you might not be surprised to hear, it's a slow-moving adventure, just like we've come to expect from farming sims like Stardew Valley and such. As we mentioned in our Tales of the Shire preview and our review, the upcoming game stands out thanks to its cooking mechanics.

Instead of just making sure you have all the needed ingredients in your inventory when it comes to crafting a dish, you can chop, fry, and season your food - which will result in different textures. Getting the right combinations and serving the best plates at your Hobbit dinner parties is the main focus of the game.

While our first taste of Tales of the Shire wasn't perfect (with its heavy focus on fetch-quests and sometimes non-cozy weather animations), it is still a fine enough experience. It's also been confirmed by game designer Catherine Booth (via Gamereactor) that the game takes place after the events of The Hobbit but before The Lord of the Rings in the Lord of the Rings timeline. That means that we are looking at the 59 years before Frodo inherited the One Ring.

This time period was generally semi-peaceful for Hobbits, so don't expect any combat or to be playing the events from the Battle of Bywater that Tolkien described in his works. Honestly, we don't mind this peaceful approach, and with a little more fine-tuning and updates, we may just have a new entry to the best Lord of the Rings games on our hands here.

Is Tales of the Shire multiplayer? 

Unfortunately, if you were hoping to roam around Hobbiton with your friends, it looks like you're firmly out of luck. Steam's store page for Tales of the Shire has a ‘Singleplayer' tag listed by publisher Private Division, so put those multiplayer dreams to bed.

It's also worth pointing out that we probably shouldn't hold out hope for a multiplayer mode further down the line. Adding a multiplayer mode for any game isn't as simple as flicking a switch - there's servers to purchase and maintain and features to adjust and fine tune, for example. Let's not get our hopes up for now.

Tales of the Shire news 

• Unlike Animal Crossing, house decoration in the Lord of the Rings life sim game doesn't operate on a grid because Hobbits also love "clutter-core"
• Lord of the Rings finally meets Stardew Valley in March as Tales of the Shire sets a new release date
• Cute and cozy Lord of the Rings life sim Tales of the Shire delayed to early 2025
• Tales of the Shire is more than Lord of the Rings-branded Stardew Valley, and it fixes one of the genre's biggest problems
• The cutest Lord of the Rings game yet gets its first trailer, and I immediately want to live in this Hobbit take on a Stardew Valley-like life sim

For recommendations, you can play right now; here's our pick of the best simulator games. Or, if you want more Middle-earth fun, check out our in-depth guide on The Rings of Power season 3.

Moon Studios - the team behind brilliant Metroidvanias Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps - has announced an early access release date for its next (very different) game. The combat looks fierce, but I'm mostly just here to decorate houses and rebuild the settlement. 

No Rest For The Wicked was announced late last year as the developer's take on a Diablo-style action roleplaying game. The game's only similarities with Ori are the breathtaking painterly art style and the frantic action carried over from the sequel. We'll now get a taste for both when No Rest For The Wicked enters Steam early access on April 18.

No Rest For The Wicked lets players create a magical holy warrior who sets out to bash and slash plagued beasties across a dark fantasy land. The studio has since described the game's combat as "brutal" and "precision-based," with a heavier emphasis on intimate fights, rather than the massive hordes that normally define Diablo. You can see for yourself in the 25-minute gameplay walkthrough below.

Putting a smile on my face, at around the 13-minute mark, the developers dive into how you can rebuild its central settlement to get further upgrades and meet new characters. But you can also buy real estate, starting with one house at launch, and decorate it to your heart's content. As long as you have sufficient funds. 

Early access is also said to include the campaign's opening chapter, several side quests that delve into the world, and the expected banquet of weapons, gear, skills, and crafting options that let us mess around with builds. Once we've swept up the quests, we can then sink into the replayable dungeon and daily challenges. 

Before No Rest For The Wicked reaches its 1.0 version, the team will add four-player co-op, additional regions, a funky farming mechanic, and more of what's already in the game. The game was previously announced for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as well, though console players will need to wait a little while more. 

Gamesradar's No Rest For The Wicked preview called it "mesmerizing," which bodes very well for its early access journey going forward. The only way is up, right?

See what else is on the horizon with our new games of 2024 and beyond guide. 

Pokemon studio Game Freak and The Outer Worlds publisher Private Division have announced a brand new "sweeping" and "ambitious" action-adventure IP codenamed Project Bloom, and the concept art is legitimately stunning.

We don't know a whole lot about Project Bloom just yet, but it sounds like it'll be a stark departure from Game Freak's pedigree, which includes the mainline Pokemon games all the way back to Red and Blue, as well as oddities like Little Town Hero, Giga Wrecker, and... Tembo the Badass Elephant.

Private Division is a subsidiary of publishing giant Take-Two Interactive dedicated to publishing games from small to medium-sized developers. Some notable games it's published include The Outer World, OlliOlli World, Rollerdrome, and Kerbal Space Program 2. Game Freak says it's had its eye on the publisher right from the start.

"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to create new IP that is bold and tonally different from our prior work," said Game Freak director Kota Furushima. "From the beginning, Private Division was the publisher we wanted to work with on our new game. Their track record and global expertise give us all the confidence to create a sweeping new action-adventure game that we can't wait to share more about in the future."

Private Division also has plenty of praise for Game Freak and teased that it's helping the studio to unlock its full potential with Project Bloom, which further hints at the game's seemingly bigger scope.

"Over the past three decades, you'd be hard pressed to find a studio which has released more iconic hits than Game Freak," said Private Division boss and Take-Two exec Michael Worosz. "We're ready to help Game Freak unleash their potential and we're honored to be the first Western publisher to work alongside this exceptionally talented and proven team to bring a bold new IP to market."

Now for the not-so-exciting news: Project Bloom is still in "early development" and isn't expect to launch until Take-Two's 2026 fiscal year. By then it could practically launch on a new generation of consoles, but neither the developer nor publisher have confirmed anything about what platforms Project Bloom is targeting.

For everything nearer on the horizon, here's our guide to new games of 2023.

After Us transports players to a surrealistic vision of a post-apocalyptic Earth, to try and bring hope to a planet ravaged by the impact of humans. As revealed in the developer presentation from Piccolo Studios during the Future Games Show Powered by the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro, it will arrive on PC via Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X on May 23, 2023.

• Wishlist After Us on Steam

You play as Gaia, the Spirit of Life, and will travel on an emotional journey to save the souls of all the lost animals, guiding them back to safety on the Mother's Ark. To do this, you must discover their Earthly vessels and learn of their final fate – how the deer was hunted down, or the whale harpooned – before using your Life Force to rescue their souls.

As you explore the various landscapes you get to experience first hand the destructive impact of humanity on the planet, from collapsing cities to dying forests, while your special powers start to breathe life back into these desolate locations. Using Gaia's traversal abilities you can dash, jump, and glide through these areas, while you attempt to remove the oil that has consumed everything.

It's not all plain sailing though, as you'll need to use your movement skills to avoid deadly traps as you travel on Gaia's journey, while also dealing with the biggest threat of all – the Devourers. These nightmarish humanoid monsters are attempting to drain the world of its remaining life, but by defeating them and leading the fallen animals to their triumphant rebirth, you can begin to restore love and hope on the Earth once more.

If you’re looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.

The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition publisher Obsidian has apologized to players for all the issues the game has been experiencing since it launched a couple of days ago. 

In a Reddit post, user ObsidianChris wrote: "I am sorry that you all have been experiencing performance issues with The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition." The post continues: "I understand how frustrating this can be, and I assure you the team at Private Division is working on getting a patch out as soon as possible. When we have more information about that patch we'll be sure to let folks know."

The post also advises players to continue reporting to developer Private Division's support page in the meantime, adding that: "we're doing our best to funnel all of the information to them, so they can find solutions as quickly as possible," before thanking players for their patience and understanding.  

the_outer_worlds_spacers_choice_edition_bug from r/theouterworlds

The Spacer's Choice Edition of The Outer Worlds was only released a couple of days ago on March 7, 2023, but it's already garnered a 'very negative' review score on Steam. This is mostly due to the problems players have been experiencing with the game including things like stuttering and frame rate issues, which fans are saying have made the game "unplayable." This isn't limited to just PC either, as PS5 and Xbox Series X players have also reported similar problems.

If you didn't know, The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition is a re-released version of 2019's The Outer Worlds - yeah, this game probably didn't need a remaster so soon either. 

The new version came with enhanced visuals for next-gen consoles and PC, an increased level cap, and all the DLC previously released for the game. Those who already owned the original only needed to pay $10 to upgrade, but it seems like even this was too much to ask while the game is in this state. 

Find out everything you need to know about The Outer Worlds 2 with our guide. 

The Last of Us Part 1 was a complete visual remake of the original game, and coming just nine years after the PS3 release, even series fans were quick to question whether they wanted to buy it over again. Now how would you feel about buying a much less substantial remaster of a 2019 game?

The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition was announced earlier today ahead of its launch on March 7. This edition of Obsidian's 2019 satirical sci-fi RPG will feature enhanced visuals for next-gen consoles and PC, an increased level cap, and all the previously-released DLC. Even if you already own the original game and DLC, you'll have to spend $10 for the upgrade, and now I'm scratching my head over who, exactly, this release is for.

The Outer Worlds is a fine enough game and I'm happy to see it get an update, but there's a precedent - and I think now an expectation - for next-gen upgrades to be freebies there to generate goodwill for the franchise. Games like Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima have gotten away with charging for similar upgrades, but both those games also featured substantial new content to sweeten the deal. Even The Last of Us Part 1 might've hewed closely to the original, but at least it was a whole new game from a technical perspective.

While Obsidian was bought out by Microsoft prior to the release of The Outer Worlds, both the original game and the Spacer's Choice Edition are published by Private Division, a subsidiary of Take-Two. The Outer Worlds 2 is due out under the Xbox banner, uh… eventually.

For more upcoming Xbox Series X games, you know where to click.

Roll7 has had a busy few years, but the OlliOlli World and Rollerdome developer is confident that big things are still to come – including, potentially, a new IP.

"It does really feel that the next thing we put out will be the magnum opus, the big game," Roll7 co-founders Simon Bennett and John Ribbins tell Edge in issue #380. The studio was acquired in 2021 by GTA publisher Take-Two Interactive's indie games branch, Private Division, and has since seen success with two flagship games. 

The promising trajectory certainly looks set to continue. The Roll7 co-founders still want to bring out fast-paced, fluid "flow-state" titles, but that isn't to say that their "magnum opus" will be another sports or skating game by default. Although the duo plans to keep it a "two-game studio", according to Ribbins, they have been toying with some new concepts whilst encouraging teams to get comfortable with scrapping them simultaneously.

Despite the cogs turning, Bennett and Ribbins have made it clear that there are no active projects currently in the works at Roll7. "OlliOlli World was a sequel – it was the best game we ever made, but it wasn't a totally new IP," Bennett tells Edge, adding that "it's been a long time since we've been in that headspace." 

Does that mean a new game under a fresh IP could be on the horizon? Bennett and Ribbins gave nothing away except to say that under the umbrella of Private Division, "we're going to make something really big."

 Looking for some more digital sporting goods? Check out the best sports game to play right now. 

GamesRadar+ is thrilled to confirm our first digital games showcase of 2023, the Future Games Show Spring Showcase, broadcasting on March 23.

The Future Games Show (FGS) invites you to discover something new in our upcoming multiformat games broadcast which will deliver over an hour of exciting new trailers, announcements, developer interviews, and playable demos.

FGS is rapidly becoming one of the best ways to find exciting, unusual, new games with previous shows including the world premieres of inventive puzzler The Case of The Golden Idol, and Sam Barlow’s interactive trilogy Immortality. The Future Games Show has also featured AAA blockbusters, from LEGO Star Wars to Death Stranding, reaching over 300 million viewers since its debut in June 2020. 

We look forward to showcasing some of the most-exciting developments in gaming this 2023 and beyond. FGS Spring Showcase will take a special look at the very best in virtual reality gaming, in a new section containing titles from PlayStation VR 2, HTC Vive, Oculus Quest and more popular VR hardware.

The FGS: Spring Showcase is the first of three digital events planned for 2023, with further broadcasts set for June and August. Read on for details on how to take part in the Future Games Show and join our growing official co-streamer program.

What is the Future Games Show?

The Future Games Show is GamesRadar’s flagship games showcase, which has featured over 400 games from publishers including Square Enix, Private Division, Kojima Productions, Warner Bros. Games, Team17, Sony, Sega, Frontier, Ubisoft, Devolver and many more leading developers.

The event is broadcast live on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and all major streaming platforms, and hosted by famous video-game voice actors. Previous show hosts include Christopher Judge (Kratos, God of War) and Danielle Bisutti (Freya, God of War), Denise Gough (Dedra Meero, Andor) and Doug Cockle (Geralt, The Witcher III) and Troy Baker and Laura Bailey (The Last of Us 2).

You can find out everything you need to know about the Future Games Show right here and watch highlights from previous shows.

How to take part in the Future Games Show

The Future Games Show is the ideal way to debut your unannounced game, share new information about an existing title, and reach new audiences. The Future Games Show has reached over 300 million viewers to date, averaging over 30 million views across all content from each show, with many titles seeing huge increases in Steam wishlists from appearing in the event.

Indie or AAA - console, PC, VR or mobile - we want to showcase the most exciting and innovative games of 2023 and beyond, with all titles considered for broadcast.

Developers can nominate their game by filling in the Future Games Show 2023 nomination form  or getting in touch via the addresses below:

To take part in the Future Games Show please contact:

Editorial:
daniel.dawkins@futurenet.com - Content Director
james.jarvis@futurenet.com - Executive Producer

Sponsorship:
tom.parkinson@futurenet.com - Commercial Lead (UK)
melissa.makhmaltchi@futurenet.com - Commercial Lead (US) 

Want to feature your game in the FGS VR showcase?

As above, you can get in touch with the Future Games Show via the email addresses listed or the FGS 2023 Consideration Form. The FGS Spring Showcase will contain a special section focused on the best and most exciting new VR games available on multiple virtual reality platforms including PlayStation VR 2, Oculus Quest and HTC Vive among others. We'd be delighted to share trailers, development footage or developer interviews.

How to watch the Future Games Show

The Future Games Show will broadcast three events during 2023:

• Future Games Show: Spring Showcase - March 23, 2023
• Future Games Show @E3 - June 11, 2023 (TBC)
• Future Games Show @Gamescom - August 23, 2023 (TBC)

You can watch future events by subscribing to GamesRadar's Twitch, our Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter, and the website, GamesRadar.com. 

How to join the Future Games Show official co-streamer program

The Future Games Show invites you to join our official co-streamer program for 2023, with benefits including:

• Official co-streamer asset pack
• A chance to be listed on GamesRadar as an official co-streaming partner
• Early access to show partner information and announcements
• A chance to enter VIP co-streamer programs with merchandise from featured partners

The official co-streamer program is open to anyone, whether you’re an established broadcaster, or starting to grow your community.

You can apply for the Future Games Show Official Co-Streamer Program right here. 

Future Games Show Twitter channel

Don't forget to follow the Future Games Show Twitter channel to stay up to date with show announcements, and get in touch if you’d like to take part.

You can follow the GamesRadar Twitter channel for major FGS updates and check out exclusive previews and hands-on reports from the show.

Stay tuned to gamesradar.com for some exciting Future Games Show partner announcements and hosting details over the following weeks  

The studio behind the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake, Bloober Team, has announced it is working on an "all-new survival-horror game" with a new publisher. 

Bloober Team tweets: "Horror fans, rejoice! #BlooberTeam is working on an all-new survival-horror game and @PrivateDivision steps in as the global publisher." The rest of the tweet reads: "It's all in early development and we will share more details about this game in the future."

If you're curious about Private Division, this publisher is based in the US and has worked on games such as The Outer Worlds, Hades, OlliOlli World, Rollerdome, and more. We're sure you're familiar with Bloober's work, but just in case you're not - the Polish studio is known mostly for its survival horror games such as Blair Witch, The Medium, Layers of Fear, and more. 

The developer must be busy at the moment, considering that alongside this new IP, Bloober is also working on the Silent Hill 2 remake, as well as another game in the Layers of Fear series, appropriately named Layers of Fears. It sounds like development might be wrapping up on at least one of these projects though as Silent Hill 2 Remake is reportedly nearly done, and a release date is expected soon.

In other Bloober news, it was also recently announced that the studio's 2021 game The Medium is being adapted for TV. We don't have any kind of timeframe for the show yet, but it's set to be a collaboration between Bloober and Polish production company Platige Image, with Oscar-nominated director Tomasz Bagiński and Bloober CEO Piotr Babieno leading the project. So you can count on it being somewhat faithful to the source material. 

Need something to play while we wait for all these Bloober projects? Take a look at our best horror games list. 

Kerbal Space Program has a new launcher, and players are worried that it threatens long-held save games.

Earlier this week, patch notes for Kerbal Space Program 1.12.4 dropped, announcing a new update set for November 2. In that update, the game's developers told players that "as we are dedicating our time and effort to launching KSP 2, future patches for KSP will be less prioritized." It's not quite a sunsetting, but it's certainly confirmation that focus is switching firmly in the direction of the upcoming sequel.

Confusingly, those patch notes seem to date from October 31, but they didn't appear on Steam until yesterday, where they also announce the arrival of a "new launcher for KSP on Steam." That launcher, which appears to have taken a number of players by surprise, is said to "serve as a resource for news and updates about KSP & KSP 2 Early Access," but the community doesn't seem impressed.

One player dubbed the move "anti-consumer" due to publisher Private Division pushing advertising on the community through a game they already own. Others complained about the tedious extra step of using Steam's launcher to open another, dedicated launcher. More still, however, are worried that the new update seems to have stopped them from playing games the way they want.

User Schnautzi claims that they're unable to launch in borderless fullscreen mode, while psywhale claims that Linux support has been broken by the change. On the Steam community forums, one player who says they've had their game locked to an older version to avoid bugs says today's update has also been pushed on their client, theoretically opening them up to the issues they'd been trying to dodge.

The community appears to have developed its own workarounds to avoid the launcher for now, but many solutions require backed up versions of previous patches, or entirely isolating Kerbal Space Program somewhere within your PC so Steam can't update it. Those are far from ideal options for most players, but there's no guarantee dodging the update will work in the longer term.

After multiple delays, Kerbal Space Program 2 is set to release into early access on February 24, 2023.

Here are the best space games to explore the unknown with.

Rollerdrome is a brand new game with rollerskating and shooting coming to PS4, PS5, and PC (via Steam) in August.

Announced today during PlayStation's State of Play stream, Rollerdrome is set in the year 2030, where apparently blood sports have been fully legalized. This one puts contestants in a pair of rollerskates and has them duke it out with real-ass guns in arenas that look like skateparks. You know the guns are real because when people are shot, lots of blood comes out. You'll face off against other contestants with specialized gear like ballistic shields and a giant mech that shoots canons. The single-player third-person shooter is due to launch on the above-listed platforms on August 16, 2022.

When you aren't literally dodging bullets, you can get a little flashy with your performance in Rollerdrome, as the game allows you to pull off neat-looking twisty tricks and rail-grind along ledges. It's possible you'll get bonus points for tricks, but it might just be for show.

The game is in development at Roll7 and is being published by Private Division, the same developer/publisher duo that brought us OlliOlli World. That alone gives us plenty of reason to be excited for Rollerdrome, as we awarded OlliOlli World 4.5 out of 5 stars in our review, praising its downright "immaculate vibes" and skating feel despite a noteworthy learning curve and cumbersome story.

For everything else announced or soon to be announced, check out our comprehensive hub for all things E3 2022, which lives on thanks to events like the Future Games Show.

Update: Yellow Brick Games showed off the first look at Mike Laidlaw’s upcoming RPG in a recent press release.

The first two concept images from the unannounced title show off two very different environments, featuring the same large, golem-like giant in both. In one image, a verdant cliff rife with greenery overlooks the enormous figure, which appears to be an enemy. In the next image, we see what looks like a protagonist clad in armor diving down toward the giant ready to make a killing blow in some sort of forest area.

It’s unclear exactly what’s happening here, or if the two giant-like characters are the same being or two different ones. But both images are certainly evocative of the fantastical feeling the game looks to achieve.

“We’ve made incredible progress thus far and feel fortunate to have such high caliber talent come together,” said Yellow Brick COO and co-founder Jeff Skalski. “Under the creative helm of Mike Laidlaw and armed with Unreal Engine 5, we are truly making magic come true every day. If building a new fantasy Action RPG within an environment of support and respect sounds interesting, please let us know.”

The game will be set in a “unique fantasy universe”, according to Yellow Brick Games, and will debut on Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PC. There’s no release window planned just yet, as the game is in such early stages it’s not gotten past the concept art phase yet.

Original story: Mike Laidlaw, former head of BioWare's Dragon Age series, is working on a brand new title with his new studio Yellow Brick Games.

The game, referred to as an "ambitious new action RPG" by publisher Private Division, will act as Laidlaw's return to the development arena after his most recent stint at Assassin's Creed Odyssey studio Ubisoft Quebec.

This will mark the first effort from Yellow Brick Games, which will be published by Private Division. It's still quite a while away, however, as apparently it won't be releasing until around the start of the 2024 financial year.

"I find myself energized by the challenge of helping build a new studio - full of incredible talent, ambitious ideas, and real focus on our product - while taking risks that might not be possible in AAA game development," said Laidlaw. 

"We want to deliver something special for our debut title, and partnering with Private Division provides our team with the support to create a game that's truly memorable."

There aren't any further details beyond the genre when it comes to what we should expect from Laidlaw's new project. However, if it's anything like his work with Dragon Age, we can expect something promising.

Laidlaw spent 15 years at BioWare, during which he helmed the Dragon Age series. It's continued in his stead, but there hasn't been much news about where it will go from here as of late. With EA opting to skip its annual EA Play Live show in 2022, we may not hear more about the newest Dragon Age entry for some time. Oh, and sadly there's "no chance" the game will debut this year. 

Looks like there's a lot of waiting in store for anyone looking for a chance to jump back into the series or something like it. 

Elsewhere at BioWare, Mass Effect 5 is also coming together - but you'll be waiting even longer for that.

Microsoft will be publishing any "future iterations" within The Outer Worlds franchise, according to a statement given to Gamaustra from Private Division. 

Private Division, which is owned by Take-Two, cleared up some confusion around any future The Outer Worlds games and who would be holding the reins. While Microsoft purchased Obsidian back in 2018, the company worked with Private Division to publish the title. And according to IGN, during a recent Take-Two Q4 2021 earnings call, president Karl Slatoff made comments that suggested the partnership would continue going forward, stating, "we will be participating in the franchise and whatever the future holds for that franchise," Slatoff said. "So we feel really good about it. And we think that it's still building audience and this game itself has a lot of life left in it. And in the future -- we'll see what the future holds for it. But we do think it's a long-term franchise and it is certainly something that we're pleased with the results."

Despite this, Microsoft will be publishing any future Outer Worlds titles. Private Division will still support The Outer Worlds, especially through the upcoming release of its Murder on Eridanos DLC for Nintendo Switch. The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos DLC dropped for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles on March 17. The rest of Private Division's statement reads, "Moving forward, Obsidian and Microsoft will be publishing future iterations in the franchise, and we're absolutely thrilled to see where they take it." 

If you're looking to get into the hilarious space RPG, check out The Outer Worlds tips ahead of time.  

Borderlands developer Gearbox is working on a new franchise with 2K games which will be introduced this fiscal year.

This information comes from Take-Two Interactive’s quarterly earnings report which was released yesterday. Take-Two didn’t give any other details on this title, other than to describe it as one of their “core releases”. This is something of a surprise given that Gearbox is now owned by a rival publisher, Embracer group.

Embracer purchased Gearbox for $1.3 billion back in February 2021, bringing the veteran developer into the fold alongside its array of studios and publishers including THQ Nordic and Koch Media/Deep Silver. 

At the time, 2K Games released a statement clarifying that “The merger does not change 2K’s relationship with Gearbox nor our role as the publisher for the Borderlands IP or any other projects we are currently working on with the studio.”

The statement does mention other projects so it seems likely that this title was already far into development when the purchase was finalized. Whatever this game is, it will almost certainly be the last new IP that Gearbox works on with 2K Games, as we’d imagine Embracer is keen to start earning back some of that $1.3 billion.

It’s going to be a busy year for Take-Two, which is the parent company of both 2K Games and GTA developer Rockstar games. It was announced during the earnings report that it has 21 games planned for release during the fiscal year 2022. That includes four “immersive core releases”, of which two will be new franchises. One of these is the new Gearbox franchise and the other is as yet unknown.

Alongside this, Gearbox is also planning to release one new independent title through its Private Division indie publishing arm, which will be OlliOlli World. Take-Two also has ten free-to-play mobile games on the way, with six from new franchises and four from existing Take-Two IP. There are also six “new iterations” of previous releases coming, including the recently announced PS5 and Xbox Series X version of GTA V.

E3 2021 is just around the corner and that seems the likely place for Gearbox and 2K to unveil this latest collaboration, so stick check out our E3 2021 schedule to keep up to date on all the big announcements.

Disintegration multiplayer will shut down 5 months and one day after the game came out.

Developer V1 Interactive delivered the news in an update to Disintegration's official website. The removal of multiplayer will be carried out in phases, starting with the disabling of the in-game store today and ending with the full removal of Disintegration multiplayer on November 17. The announcement includes a brief explanation for the decision from the studio and its publisher.

"From both the development team at V1 Interactive and publishing group at Private Division, we stand by the creative risks taken to launch such a unique, genre-bending game created by this small but talented and passionate team. While our player base showed interest in the single player campaign, the game unfortunately struggled to build a significant audience necessary for a compelling multiplayer experience. After weighing options, we have collectively made the decision to sunset the multiplayer support."

It's not uncommon for games to disable parts or all of their multiplayer after launch if they lose popularity. Most do last longer than five months; I'm not sure if that's a record for the shortest-lived multiplayer component of a fully released game, but it's gotta be close.

GR's own Austin Wood actually preferred Disintegration multiplayer to its campaign in his 2-star review, though it was faint praise for a game he felt missed the mark overall: "If there is a group of people who really liked the turret section in Binary Domain and thought it would be improved by the addition of pet robots and another 10 hours, maybe they could extract some amount of fun from Disintegration. Unfortunately, I could not."

Our sister publication OXM talked to V1 Interactive studio head Marcus Lehto, one of the original creators of Halo, about the connection between his previous work and Disintegration. 

Disintegration, the new strategic flight shooter from Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, is launching for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on June 16, 2020. 

Developer V1 Interactive and publisher Private Division announced the news via a new story trailer for the game, seen below, which provides a better glimpse at what to expect from Disintegration's single player campaign. 

Disintegration, which is set to retail at £39.99/$49.99, can now be digitally pre-ordered on Steam, PSN, and Xbox Store online. 

Taking place from the rider's perspective of a Gravcycle ship, Disintegration puts you in charge of a number of units on the battlefield, all while you deploy your own artillery and skills to stay ahead of the enemy. 

The game also features an ambitious multiplayer experience, in which different crews compete across multiple maps and modes, with the winnings used to customise and upgrade your own squad over time. 

V1 Interactive has also promised that release day is just the start for Disintegration, with post-launch support based around seasonal content drops throughout the weeks and months following June 16. 

There's no word yet on a potential next-gen port of Disintegration for Xbox Series X and PS5, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything more. 

For more read our interview with Disintegration director and Halo's co-creator Marcus Lehto, or watch our next-gen focused episode of Dialogue Options below. 

Update, March 31: The Outer Worlds Switch release date is back on track, and you'll be able to play it early this summer.

Developer Obsidian and publisher Private Division shared the news that The Outer Worlds Switch release date will land on June 5, 2020. The announcement follows just under two months after the companies announced the new version of the game would miss its original planned release date of March 6, due to its development partner Virtuos shutting down offices in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

As it confirmed with some silver-lining news before, the delay means The Outer Worlds will arrive with a physical version on cartridge as well as a digital download on eShop. The full game will fit on the cart, though there will also be a 6GB day-one patch that "will optimize gameplay, provide additional hi-res textures, and include other fixes," so it's worth keeping an eye out for. 

Update, February 6: The Outer Worlds Nintendo Switch release date has been delayed just a week after it was first announced, but we officially cannot be mad about it.

Publisher Private Division revealed in a series of tweets that Virtuos, the Singaporean company creating the Switch version of the game, has temporarily closed some of its worldwide offices in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Private Division isn't able to share an updated release plan yet, but it says it will have more info "shortly."

People's health always has to come first over making products, so I'm glad Private Division is being transparent about the whole thing. I'm not sure if or how it's related to the delay, but it's cool that the physical version of The Outer Worlds for Switch will now come with a physical cartridge as well.

Original story, January 30: We knew it was coming, and now we know when: The Outer Worlds is dropping for Nintendo Switch on March 6. 

Obsidian, Virtuous Games, and Private Division announced the Switch release today, revealing the game will retail for $59.99 / €59.99 / £49.99. The game will be available as a physical boxed version containing a download code and a digital version in the Nintendo eShop. It's dropping just over four months after its October 25 release for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, which is an impressively speedy port.

Adding The Outer Worlds to the Switch's library is a genius move for Obsidian, as the console's big-budget RPG list is rather short. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim are the two most notable RPG ports of the last few years, and the Switcher runs surprisingly well on the handheld. Considering The Outer Worlds is a smaller, more approachable RPG than the aforementioned titles, it'll likely run well and look pretty damn good too. 

If you didn't embark on an adventure through Halcyon and learn about the perils of late-stage space capitalism when the game dropped last year, now's your time. I can picture it now: you're heading into work on the run-down NYC subway that pays just enough that you can barely afford your miniscule apartment, while playing a game where almost no one gets anything nice and everyone is a victim of the giant wheel of corporate greed. Phew, it's almost too real.

The Outer Worlds is a genuinely fantastic RPG that can satisfy both casual and hardcore role-players alike. A Switch port has been on the table since the game's launch in late October, and it's great to see it finally happening. 

If you want more role-playing and decision-making, check out our 25 best RPGs.  

Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky are explaining the origins of The Outer Worlds to me over the phone, and I can't help but believe in my heart that it is all an elaborate fabrication. I'm told that production began back in 2016 in collaboration with Private Division, and that the game was finished long before Microsoft opened its cheque book to acquire the studio. That the project has been a labour of love for Obsidian Entertainment, fuelled by the passion of two reunited game directors working alongside a small team of talented young programmers and veteran RPG designers. They explain that The Outer Worlds is the most ambitious game the studio has worked on for quite some time and that it hopes its release garners enough interest to warrant a sequel. I hear what they're saying, and I'm not buying it. 

I can't – I'm half expecting Cain to shoot me an apologetic call any minute now, explaining that he couldn't tell me the real origin story while Private Division is listening in on the line. That The Outer Worlds isn't a new creation, but rather a surprise discovery. That Cain was rummaging through a storage cupboard one fateful afternoon and stumbled upon the source code for an Obsidian RPG that you've never played before. That he dusted off the code and set to work giving it a well-deserved polish, enough so that the studio could pass it off as a modern release. "Shhh," he'd say, "don't tell anybody." 

This series of imagined events wouldn't be out of the realms of possibility for me because The Outer Worlds looks like a game torn out of time. Torn out of time, but not dated by it. Like it was regretfully put to one side sometime between 2009, as Obsidian worked through the development of Alpha Protocol and Fallout: New Vegas as freelance guns for hire, and 2012, as the studio turned to Kickstarter to fund its isometric throwback Pillars of Eternity. No studio makes RPGs in this style anymore, and there's nothing else quite like The Outer Worlds in the industry right now as a result. 

The past becomes the present

"I'm a lot older than a lot of the people working on the game and when we first started on it I said to the team, 'I hope this becomes your Fallout.'" It's a sweet sentiment from Tim Cain, the co-director of The Outer Worlds, sat alongside the other co-director, Leonard Boyarsky. Once upon a time, the duo was a part of the core creative team at Interplay Entertainments – responsible for the original Fallout, one of the most influential RPGs of all time. Now, more than two decades later, they are hoping to do it all over again with The Outer Worlds.

"I hope that in 10 or 20 years people are still talking about The Outer Worlds. I hope that games are still being made in this universe. I hope other games are inspired by it..." Cain continues until Boyarsky leaps in to finish his thought; the two are easy in conversation. "I hope that it resonates with people. To do that, it needs to be satisfying in a deep way, in a way that makes people want to just keep on returning to it over and over again. I want this to feel like a universe that people continually want to play in." 

To achieve this lofty goal, Obsidian has constructed a tight adventure cast out across the stars. The Outer Worlds is ostensibly about being lost in space and trying to find your place in it. You are awoken from cryostasis decades after your ship first embarked on its mission to reach the furthest edges of the galaxy, all in an effort to help settle the Halcyon colony. After being left for dead by the colonies' mysterious benefactors, it is you that will act as the unplanned variable in the decimation equation threatening to consume it all. It's heady and it's hearty – this is an Obsidian game, after all. 

The Outer Worlds is designed so that you can engage with as much or as little of this core narrative throughline as you desire. With numerous factions vying for power, with countless characters to interact and engage with across two core planets, and a medley of ships and space stations, there is plenty of scope to forge your own path through it all without it becoming disrespectful of your time or attention. "We knew from the beginning that this wasn't going to be a 100-hour epic," Boyarsky explains. "We are doing everything that we can to make sure that we can deliver a great, polished, and fun experience."

In many respects, The Outer Worlds looks like a direct response to the gluttonous RPGs that have become so pervasive in the industry today. The Outer Worlds is a smaller, tighter, and more densely packed proposition than any of its immediate competition, a hand-crafted adventure that is designed to reflect your personality and preferred playstyle through its action and dialogue. "We're making the story that we're trying to tell; our story really lends itself to having smaller areas," Boyarsky continues. "This is a space science-fiction game, where you're a space hero that needs to fly around space and go to all of these different places. If we had just one big continuous map, it wouldn't really have the space opera fantasy/pulp sci-fi fantasy feel that we were going for." 

It means that The Outer Worlds should feel manageable. In spite of its scope and depth, it's being created to be something that you can tackle one area, mission, or character interaction at a time. It's refreshing, really. As too is hearing the conviction the game directors' have to ensure that The Outer Worlds is as optimised and bug-free as possible. "Looking at the time and budget we had, we really wanted to take the time to make sure it was a polished experience." 

"We didn't want a lot of randomised or quickly-slapped-together content, we wanted to really focus on making the content by hand and making sure it was really fun to play," Boyarsky tells me. "And the flip side of having smaller areas [and] less overall game time is that, because we put so much player-driven choice and reactivity in this game that, when you're done with it, you'll be excited to get back into it and immediately try out some different paths through it – as opposed to some of the longer games where you're like, 'Okay, I need to wait six months before I could even think about starting another playthrough of this game."

Every action has a reaction

Why does Obsidian think you'll be so eager to jump back in? Well, that's because this is something of a freeform experience. The Outer Worlds is a classless RPG; you can build your character in any way that you see fit, investing in skills and perks that you think will be interesting. There is never a single path through any mission, environment, or opportunity, and you'll have plenty of scope to improvise along the way – leaning on abilities such as smooth-talking, sneaking, and fighting as a baseline of how to proceed through each and every scenario that you stumble into. 

Obsidian has effectively run itself ragged to prioritise player choice and reactivity in The Outer Worlds. The goal has been to create something that always feels like it is bending to match your decision making, the natural evolution of the work the creative duo has done in this space in years gone bye. "The goal that we had on the original Fallout is the same goal that we had here," says Cain. "Players can play the game in any way that they want to, and the game will react accordingly."

"I think we've evolved since we first worked on Fallout, in terms of our understanding of how to better deliver that experience to the player," Boyarsky continues, noting one of the core lessons that the creative duo has learned since 1997. "If a game is reacting to the player, then the player needs to know and understand that it is reacting. If you don't see or feel like an outcome might have been different if you had done it in another way then it's not going to feel like your choices are making a difference." 

Boyarsky goes on to explain that communicating change isn't as explicit as it might be in, say, a Telltale game – "we don't throw our hands up and say 'people are going to remember that!'" – The Outer Worlds is designed in such a way that you should immediately understand when your decisions are having an impact on both a micro and macro level. "If you can't see the fact that the game is reacting to your decisions you're just going to think 'oh, that's what happens when I play the game', and then you have to play it two or three times to see any difference. We're very cognisant of making sure that you understand why things are happening due to the choices that you make [...] we show it through action and dialogue, and the way the world reacts to your presence and the way the game plays out after that."

While it may be difficult to get your head around now, it would be very difficult for The Outer Worlds to offer the same experience to two separate players. The studio has attempted to playtest as many character builds as it possibly can, pushing through as many of its branching paths as possible, but in a world where effectively every character can live or die by your hand, has made exploring every possible outcome something of a challenge. 

"We've had the game playable for so long now; we've had a chance to play all of those through multiple times, and in different manners and fashions. We've really hammered out all of the different ways that you can go through the game," Boyarsky says, with Cain jumping in to add: "The Outer Worlds has been playable from start to finish for about two years! I've played it at least 15 times." 

When The Outer Worlds launches for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 25, you'll have the opportunity to see for yourself just how successfully Obsidian has pulled off its latest RPG experiment. Still, what reassurances can the two directors provide to convince anybody still sitting on the fence that The Outer Worlds is going to be as deep and malleable as promised? Boyarsky thinks on this for a second, chuckles to himself, and asks: "Do we really need to talk about how long we've been doing this?" 

Want to know when can you start playing The Outer Worlds? Follow the link to find its launch times broken down by time zone and platform.

Just as PAX West was coming to a close, Obsidian dropped a new propaganda-flavoured teaser for its upcoming RPG, The Outer Worlds.

Extolling the benefits of colony life, the trailer invites players to "come to Halcyon" where a host of "new employment communities" await you. 

But whilst the plummy narrators talks cheerfully of guaranteed housing, work, and "company-approved social clubs" in places like Terra 2 and Monarch, the small print and accompanying visuals suggest a very different fate awaits those that venture there...

Between the lies and propaganda, however, you can also get a peek at some of The Outer Worlds' colourful environments, the people that , and the wildlife that roams the land, too. 

"Do you dream of working on the frontier of space?" teases the video blurb accompanying the video on YouTube. "Can you pass a basic aptitude test? Then Halcyon is the place for you! Prosperity and adventure awaits on Terra 2, Monarch, and other exciting locations across the Halcyon colony. The character you decide to become will determine how your story on the Halcyon colony unfolds in The Outer Worlds."

The Outer Worlds is slated to touch down on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 25, 2019, and will be available on the Xbox Game Pass on the day of release, too. A Nintendo Switch version is also expected, but as yet there's no confirmation on its release – we'll keep you posted, though!

As Heather reported a few weeks back, it looks like The Outer Worlds might be a brand new series for Xbox gamers going forward. Speaking during an interview with Game Informer, head of Xbox Studios Matt Booty revealed that Microsoft believes The Outer Worlds has the potential to be "an enduring franchise", hinting at the possibility of an Xbox exclusive sequel. 

Microsoft acquired Obsidian, the studio behind The Outer Worlds, back in 2018 – making it one of the 15 names that currently make up the Xbox game studios roster alongside the likes of Ninja Theory, Rare, Playground Games, and most recently Tim Schafer's Double Fine Productions. 

Want to know more about Obsidian's latest RPG? Here's everything we know so far about The Outer Worlds.

Disintegration is the new game from V1 Interactive, a studio founded by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, and it's going to be a sci-fi first-person shooter. The studio has been taking shape since 2014 after Lehto left Bungie, and it's finally ready to share more about its first project. In this case "more" is a title, a release window, and a teaser trailer that pans over the many angles of a futuristic fighter ship, but a full reveal is coming at Gamescom on August 19.

"The opportunity to create not only a new game, but this entire studio has been exhilarating,” said Lehto, studio president and Disintegration game director, in a press release. “It is great to be able to share what this amazing team has been working on, and we can’t wait to introduce this new game that our team is building to the world next month."

The studio's vice president and CEO Mike Gutmann also led work on several of the SOCOM games at Zipper Interactive, so there's some strong shooter lineage going on at V1 Interactive even beyond the Bungie connection. That said, I get a strong Destiny 2 European Dead Zone vibe from this teaser image V1 shared back in December. It's all the rusty metal walls and overgrown urban mystique, I think, though you can spot something that looks to be in better repair in the lower left (looks similar to the ship in the teaser trailer, actually).

Disintegration is being published by Private Division, a boutique games label established by GTA parent company Take-Two interactive that's also publishing The Outer Worlds and Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. Private Division says Disintegration will come out some time from April to December 2020. Everything's in position, now we just have to wait to see what the game actually looks like when it's revealed at Gamescom.

No need to disintegrate your savings to keep up with video games, just keep an eye on our Amazon Prime day game deals.