According to the developer’s Steam Community post, the demo will allow players to “experiment with a selection of weapons, upgrades, and abilities as you face demonic horrors hellbent on your destruction.” The hook of “Fight, die, revive, and try again to find your favorite lethal combinations” fits with the game’s rogue-like structure, and while the overall length is unknown, there is a boss fight against The Monument at the end.

Of course, those who want to potentially access the demo early can sign up through FirstLook. The playtest starts on February 20th at 10 AM PST, and invitees may also be brought on to try out the full game ahead of launch.

As for everyone else, the demo will be available until March 2nd. Compared to its past efforts, including the action RPG Godfall or competitive CCG Duelyst, Armatus is a more grounded third-person shooter. Players essentially run through the demon-infested streets of Paris, fighting for their lives while obtaining enhancements, unique celestial skills and weapons such as SMGs and shotguns.

Armatus will launch for Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, and PC later this year. Stay tuned for more details on a concrete release date – and potentially another demo – in the coming months.

The report cites a LinkedIn post by a developer working at NetEase-owned studio Jackalyptic Games, which was allegedly working on an unknown project in collaboration with Counterplay Games. As per the post in question, the latter had been working on the project over the last six months but was recently “disbanded”.

“Over the past six months or so, our project at Jackalyptic has been supercharged by the world-class devs at Counterplay Games,” the post reads. “It’s impossible to overstate their impact. From the very first day, they put their shoulders to the wheel like it was their baby. Unfortunately, we were unable to continue our partnership into the new year, and CPG was disbanded.”

Godfall released in 2020 for PS5 and PC before coming to PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One over the following years. As per the studio’s website, it had a team of over 140 employees. Counterplay Games itself has yet to provide any official communication on its closure. Job listings in 2022 suggested the developer had started working on its next project, a AAA co-op “action fantasy shooter,” though there have been no updates.

Speaking to PC Gamer, lead producer Richard Heyne said, “The truth is, to this day we still look back fondly at what our little game achieved, and reminisce with our community on Reddit and Discord. We are even following some Duelyst-inspired games and projects! Through it all, one thought strongly resonated within our minds – people are still talking about Duelyst.

“We are experiencing some major changes in our industry: new technologies and consoles, and even massive consolidations that have occurred over the past couple of years. While only time will tell how these changes will alter the landscape, these shifts can potentially hit indie developers the hardest. That’s why we want to recognize that these developers, be they sole individuals or small teams, are vital for the growth and diversity of our industry.”

With the source code and assets available, this opens the doors for other projects based on Duelyst. It can also assist the modding community in various ways.

“There are no strings attached. All the source code and game assets are for you to use and for the community to leverage how they like. There’s no approval or permission from us, and you can grow, sustain, and monetize it however you would like. Enjoy and have fun!” said Heyne.

Duelyst first launched in 2016 and garnered positive acclaim for its art style and approach to tactics and collectible card games. However, later updates faced backlash due to the balance changes. Counterplay also announced action RPG Godfall around the same time, so it makes sense that resources were devoted elsewhere. Not that Godfall was that well-received anyway, but we digress.

Duelyst would shut down in February 2020, with servers taken offline. Time will tell if the source code’s availability could result in something significant, so stay tuned.

Godfall: Ultimate Edition includes the base game, the Fire and Darkness Expansion, the pre-order and Ascended cosmetic packs, and all free updates released till now. This includes the new Exalted update which adds Valorplate Shards for additional passives and new looks for each Valorplate. Timing Attacks have also been added and can be used after executing a weapon technique, ideally mixing up the gameplay.

Also, unlike on PS5, the Xbox Series X/S version supports Dolby Vision and Variable Refresh Rate. Godfall: Ultimate Edition costs $40 but is available for Xbox platforms and Steam at 25 percent off. The deal lasts until April 14th. Stay tuned for more details on further updates in the coming months.

The gameplay footage also showcases some of the new Valorplate Shard abilities that players can unlock in the Exalted update. Along with providing a new Ascendant Form for each Valorplate, these Shards confer a second passive. Level up all Shards and the Valorplate becomes Exalted – this unlocks a third passive and a brand new cosmetic look (as seen below with Exalted Mesa).

Godfall: Ultimate Edition is out on April 7th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Xbox One with the Exalted update being free for all platforms. Unlike the PS5, the Xbox Series X/S version will support features like Dolby Vision and Variable Refresh Rate. Stay tuned for more details when it releases next week.

Xbox Series X/S players also benefit from features like Dolby Vision and Variable Refresh Rate support (which are currently not available on PS5). The Ultimate Edition includes the base game along with its Fire and Darkness Expansion. Pre-order and Ascended cosmetic packs are also included. The free Exalted update, which adds new Valorplate Shards for further customization and new story sequences, releases on the same day for all platforms.

While Godfall supports cross-gen play between PS4 and PS5, cross-platform play with PC still isn’t possible. It’s also unknown whether this will be added for other platforms or even between Epic Games Store and Steam players. Stay tuned for updates on the same in the meantime.

Upon collecting all Shards for a Valorplate, their Ascendant form will unlock and provide a second passive. Level up all of the Shards, and the Valorplate becomes Exalted, earning a third passive and new cosmetic. As for the story, Ravenna and Soras now accompany and fight with Orin in some story missions while Macros has a stronger presence throughout.

Combat has also seen some improvements with each weapon now having Timing Attacks that can be used after weapon techniques. It’s also possible to quickly recover from a knockdown via a new skill and revive other players in co-op. Realm Bosses have also had the Sigil mechanic removed – they’ll be available when the story allows but there are now three captains that can be killed to remove banes from the boss and make it easier.

For more details on the different Valorplate Shards, head here. Godfall is currently available for PS4, PS5 and PC.

A recent job ad for a producer role published by Counterplay Games states that the developer is working on “an unannounced cooperative action fantasy shooter.” There isn’t much else to go on in the listing by way of details on the project, though it does seem like it’ll be built around a live service model, with the job listing making mention of “live operations AAA gaming.”

Of course, it’s probably going to be a while before we see what exactly this game turns out to be, though it should be interesting to see what lessons the studio takes from Godfall, and how it applies them to this new game.

Godfall: Challenger Edition doesn’t include the campaign. Instead, it immediately opens up its end-game with modes like Lightbringer, Dreamstones and the Ascended Tower of Trials. Along with being max level, players also receive a number of skill points to customize their Valorplate and various weapons to choose from. Co-op is also available for up to three players with matchmaking thankfully available.

PC users can also claim the Challenger Edition on December 9th via the Epic Games Store. It will be free until December 16th, after which it will be sold on the storefront. For more details on the base game, check out our review here (spoiler: It’s not very good).

The Fire and Darkness expansion is included with both the Deluxe Edition and Ascended Edition but those who only own the base game need to pay $20 for it. It offers new story missions and cinematics, new areas in the Fire Realm to explore, over 10 new enemy types and five new bosses. There are over 20 new Valorplate skins as well.

The Lightbringer update is also live for all players, adding a brand new mode for up to three players. It sees the player restoring light to the Seventh Sanctum by locating three Tears and fighting off enemies. Once a Tear has been found, one can accept a Curse which makes enemies stronger but leads to better rewards. New Cursed items are part of the deal, each offering massive benefits but only if you remove its Curse.