Xbox held its second-ever Partner Preview showcase today, featuring developers and publishers, big and small, from around the gaming industry. Not only did the event reveal the release date for the Xbox port of Final Fantasy XIV (March 21 for all of the Eorzea sickos out there like myself) and the roadmap for Persona 3 Reload’s DLC Season Pass, but the indie developers showed up big for Team Green’s presentation.
11 Bit Studios, the team behind Frostpunk and This War of Mine, brought trailers for three games, including one that’s under its publishing branch. The trifecta of the gameplay reveal for The Alters, a July 24 release date announcement for Frostpunk 2, and the debut of world-saving monster-collector Creatures of Ava from co-developers Inverge Studios and Chibig was a statement showing for 11 Bit and the future of its ever-growing brand.
A surprise near the start of the show was RiffRaff Games’ witchy stealth noir, Slight of Hand, which teased its stylish setting and card-infused gameplay. As promised earlier in the week, EA Originals-backed Surgent Studios unveiled an extended look at gameplay of its stunning side-scrolling adventure Tales of Kenzera: Zau, which is set for release on April 23.
Capping off the indie presence for the Partner Preview is the resurfacing of Frogwares, the Ukranian studio behind the recent Sherlock Holmes adventure games. It is priming a sequel to the Lovecraftian Eldrich horror-inspired The Sinking City. The Sinking City 2 represents a new starting point for the studio, having broken ties with its former publisher Focus Home Entertainment, and, more importantly, Frogwares has found a way to develop in earnest again amid the ongoing conflict with Russia in its home country.
If you happened to miss the Xbox Partner Preview and don’t want to spend the energy performing a Google search for the games discussed above, you need only scroll down. We’ve compiled all of the indie trailers from the event for your convenience below.
Slight Of Hand – RiffRaff Games
The Alters – 11 Bit Studios
Creatures of Ava – Inverge Studios and Chibig
Frostpunk 2 – 11 Bit Studios
Tales Of Kenzera: Zau – Surgent Studios
The Sinking City 2 – Frogwares
This article is made possible by The Indie Informer’s generous Friend supporters who joined the site’s Patreon to ensure the team’s ability to bring the community more content. We couldn’t be more grateful for their help and, from our hearts, thank you all.
Thank You To Our Patrons:
Zachary Pligge
Jawarhello
Leave a Reply