PLAION’s co-founder and CEO Klemens Kundratitz says the rebranding reflects the company’s growing ambitions as a global player in the games industry.

In a press release, Kundratitz said: “Over the last 28 years, we have built an incredibly strong business, partnering with many of the best-known names in the industry. Since joining the Embracer Group in 2018, growth has accelerated and we have become increasingly diversified. To reflect the evolving nature of our business in terms not only of content, but also of geography as we continue our expansion across the globe, we have chosen our new name to better portray who we are and the journey we are taking.

“Our new name offers us the opportunity to build on our rich history as a publishing partner and our outstanding, constantly growing network of world-class development studios and creative people, to keep delivering premium service to our partners, to highlight our ambition as a global player within the entertainment industry but also to reinvent ourselves. Our vision is to enable and inspire our worldwide teams and partners, unlocking their full potential.

“Our industry is incredibly dynamic, the expectations of our customers and our partners are continually evolving, and we must recognize this. Relying on our strong foundation whilst embracing change will deliver something new, something better. As PLAION, we’re building on our years of success while striving for more, much more. PLAION is a promise to deliver outstanding entertainment to our customers. I’m happy and proud to continue our journey as PLAION.”

For those unaware, the PLAION brand has a number of notable game developers of publishers under its ownership, including the likes of Deep Silver, Flying Wild Hog, Milestone, and Warhorse Studios.

Deep Silver is publishing the Saints Row reboot later this month for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC, while Flying Wild Hog’s Evil West launches in September for the same platforms (barring Stadia)- though the latter is being published by Focus Entertainment.

Goat Simulator 3 is a sequel to 2014’s Goat Simulator, skipping over any game numbered at 2. Starring Pilgor the goat, Goat Simulator 3 takes place in the sandbox island of San Angora. Much like its predecessor, players are free to wander around and do whatever they might want in Goat Simulator 3.

Pilgor the goat can be fully customised, with options for the goat’s head, back, feet, body, horns, and furs. It will feature over 300 different gear parts, including clothing items as well as goofier options like toilet rolls and tea trays. Some gear parts will also provide new abilities, altering your play style.

A key feature in Goat Simulator 3 is the addition of multiplayer. It features 4-player co-op that can be played locally or online. The in-game world will be fully explorable in co-op mode, along with 7 multiplayer mini-games.

Check out the announcement trailer below, which parodies the infamous reveal trailer of Dead Island 2.

Speaking recently with Windows Central, Nightdive’s director of business development Larry Kuperman said that the System Shock remake’s development is “nearly complete”. The game’s PC version seems to be much further along, with Nightdive apparently having finished work on all weapons, enemies, and other elements. Work on the game’s console versions, however, is still ongoing, and Kuperman says the team wants to launch the game on all platforms simultaneously.

It was confirmed in December last year that the System Shock remake will be published by Koch Media’s new label, Prime Matter. At the time, the game was given a 2022 launch window, though there have been no updates on that front since then. Whenever the game launches, it will be available for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and Xbox One.

In fact, in Embracer Group’s recent quarterly fiscal report, the company confirmed it has more than 25 AAA games currently in the works across its studios that are planned for launch before April 2026. Meanwhile, AAA not withstanding, Embracer collectively has a total of 216 development projects going right now.

Meanwhile, speaking about recent Embracer acquisitions like Dark Horse Media, the company said, “Upon closing of these transactions, Embracer Group will have one of the most diversified portfolio of IPs across the games industry. The dependency on any single title or IP is expected to be less than five percent of group net sales, hopefully making our operational performance even more predictable.”

As for what these AAA projects could be, that remains to be seen. 4A Games is working on a new IP, a Metro sequel, and a multiplayer Metro experience, so one of those (or perhaps more than one) could be among that list. Meanwhile, it seems like the long-in-development Dead Island 2 might also finally launch within the coming year.

Crossfire: Legion follows the conflict between Black List and Global Risk, two PMCs constantly at each other’s throats, in the campaign. However, there will also be multiplayer and AI skirmishes to partake in. The gameplay sees players building a base, managing resources and creating an army to throw at their foe. As a Commander, you’ll have different abilities that can be used to gain an advantage.

Interestingly, there will be three factions in total, each with their own main characters and players can team up with friends in Operations to battle the AI. A level editor is promised which allows for creating new maps and modes. Those interested in the technical test can request access here. Blackbird will be approving players each day so keep an eye on your Library for the same.

For more details on development, check out the roadmap below.

In a recent announcement on Koch Media’s official website, it’s been revealed that the game will be published by Koch’s newest publishing label, Prime Matter. The game is targeting a 2022 release for PC and consoles, and is available right now to pre-order on multiple PC storefronts. Additionally, you can also download a playable demo of the game.

“System Shock has been a true labour of love and our goal has always been to deliver a game that is as close to perfect as we can make it,” said Stephen Kick, founder and CEO of Nightdive Studios. “We’re excited to partner with Prime Matter to achieve that goal and see this as an important step in the growth of Nightdive Studios.

“It will allow us to offer System Shock to fans all over the world, both in digital and physical goods formats, as well as fully honour our commitments to our fans and, in particular, to our thousands of supporters on Kickstarter, without whom this game would have never been possible.”

Nightdive Studios also previously released a new trailer for the game highlighting its many aspects, such as combat, exploration, and others- read more on that through here.

Prime Matter is the latest publishing label under the giant that is Koch Media (which itself is owned by Embracer Group), and will be publishing many other upcoming projects as well, such as Payday 3, Gungrave G.O.R.E., Dolmen, and more.

Objective-based encounters are also new here with the Rangers having to complete different objectives – like activating countermeasures or shutting down reactors – while being assaulted by endless mutants and machines. These encounters promise to be some of the toughest in the game especially if players crank the difficulty up. As with the base game, one’s decisions will have extensive consequences (and some of your earlier choices will factor in as well).

Wasteland 3: Cult of the Holy Detonation is now available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. It’s purchasable either standalone or with the Expansion Pass (which also includes The Battle of Steeltown). New players can get the base game and DLC along with the Colorado Survival Gear items with The Colorado Collection, which is 30 percent off till October 19th on Steam.

Gungrave GORE is a shooter from Iggymob, and will have players jumping and shooting a bunch of enemies as what looks to be a vampire hunter. Gungrave has mostly remained dormant for quite some time with the exception of Gungrave VR. Fans of the franchise seem to be optimistic about the revival, and hopefully the game meets all expectations. Details on the gameplay front remain scant for now, so stay tuned for more updates.

Gungrave is being published under Prime Matter, which is the newest publishing label from Koch Media. Gungrave GORE releases for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S sometime in 2022.

A short teaser trailer for the DLC, which you can check out below sets the stage for what’s to come. Obviously enough, the biggest addition comes in the form of a new cult, which will a separately designed narrative and quests. It releases on October 5th later this year for all platform.

A point worth noting is this is the final expansion for the game, and a Wasteland 3: Colorado Collection will also be releasing on the same day which packs the base game with all post-launch content. Wasteland 3 was received pretty well, and rumors suggest that InXile might be working on a new FPS with RPG elements.

Industry heavyweights such as Xbox, Bethesda, Activision, EA, and Ubisoft have all been confirmed. Meanwhile, you can also expect to see the likes of Bandai Namco, 505 Games, Koch Media, Headup, Thunderful Games, and more at the show at least in some capacity. More are likely to follow in the coming weeks. The full list of confirmed partners so far is as follows:

• 505 Games
• Activision
• Aerosoft
• Assemble Entertainment
• astragon Entertainment
• BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
• Bethesda Softworks
• Electronic Arts
• GAMEVIL COM2US Europe
• Headup
• Indie Arena Booth
• Koch Media
• NExT Studios (Tencent Games)
• SEGA Europe
• Team17
• Thunderful Games
• Ubisoft
• Wargaming
• Xbox

“Especially in view of the challenges for game production during the Corona pandemic and the much shorter preparation times of a digital event, we’re very delighted about the very impressive list of gamescom partners who are already confirmed,” says Oliver Frese, COO of organizer Koelnmesse. “With this, the purely digital gamescom with its shows and innovations underlines its great value for the industry and the worldwide gaming community.

“Together with already confirmed and continuously joining partners, we will continue to bring an exciting and eventful program to millions of gaming fans worldwide in 2021.”

Meanwhile, as previously confirmed, the event will once again be kicked off by Gamescom Opening Night Live, on August 25, hosted by Geoff Keighley.