Project TH

Invariably these ‘Project X’ dubbed games get announced, generate hype, never materialise, then evaporate into thin air. Project TH appears to have strong chance it’ll release though, with well-known Korean actors involved in its production plus developer EVR Studio already an established company with Hollywood VFX credits to its name. If Project TH does release then, oh boy, we’re in for a treat. With stealth-action straight out of the Ubisoft playbook ala Splinter Cell and The Division, Project TH also demonstrates photorealistic visuals, lifelike character animation, and strikingly cinematic set pieces. Of course, there’s no official release date or platforms announced, but expect it to be current-gen and PC only.

Indie developer Playdead has an absolutely pristine track record, having delivered astounding games with each of its releases in Limbo and Inside. The latter was their most recent release, but it’s been roughly five years since it came out, and questions about what Playdead’s working on next have been asked more than a few times, by more than a few people.

Now, thanks to a number of job listings on the developer’s website (spotted by VGC), we have a much better idea of what they are working on- and it seems much more ambitious and larger in scale than anything they’ve made in the past. Listings for several positions (including Gameplay Programmer, Senior 3D Artist, Senior Programmer, and more), Playdead are developing a science fiction third person game.

The listings also describe it as being set in “a remote corner of the universe.” Meanwhile, the job ad for the position of Technical Director reveals that the game is an open world title, and is being developed for multiple platforms (that last one doesn’t come as much of a surprise). The developer also shows plenty of artwork for this mysterious game across those numerous job ads, which you can view in the gallery below.

There’s much we don’t know about this game just yet (like its name, for instance), but we do know that it will be published by Epic Games, thanks to a deal Playdead signed with the publisher last year. Read more on that through here.

Epic Games have announced a new initiative via their Epic Games Publishing Label that will be focusing on a “developer-first approach” as they move ahead with partnerships with three studios from around the world for the development of their next games.

One of these is Remedy Entertainment, who announced earlier today that they had entered into an agreement for two unannounced next-gen games that would be set in the same universe, one of which – which is already in pre-production (and could be the live service game they’ve mentioned earlier) and will be a AAA production.

The other two developers are Playdead (the developers of Limbo and Inside), and Japanese studio genDesign, led up by former Sony man and director of Shadow of the Colossus (among others), Fumito Ueda. Ueda’s genDesign was also involved in the development of The Last Guardian, and have been working on what is described as a very ambitious game over the last couple of years- and were looking for a publisher for their title less than a year ago.

“We’re building the publishing model we always wanted for ourselves when we worked with publishers,” said Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney.

“gen DESIGN, Remedy, and Playdead are among the most innovative and talented studios in the industry, with strong visions for their next games,” said Hector Sanchez, head of Epic Games Publishing. “They will have full creative control, while Epic will provide a solid foundation of project funding and services”

The deal struck between Epic and the three parties seems like one that the studios in question must be quite happy with. As Remedy confirmed during their aforementioned announcement for earlier today, each of these three studios will receive complete funding for the development of their projects, and will be splitting the net revenues accrued from their titles with a 50/50 split. Finally, each studio will also retain full creative control and will have complete ownership of their IP.

As controversial as the Epic Games Store tends to be, one thing that I would think almost anyone would be okay with is the steady amount of free games the storefront gives out (although I’m sure there’s those who have some issue with that in some way). This week we have two platformers that take two very different approaches to the genre.

Both games are critically acclaimed, with Celeste being a mixture of hardcore old school platforming alongside a deep dive into the mental state of depression. Inside is Playdead’s spiritual follow up to Limbo and is an almost dreamlike surreal game, open to interpretation as you go through a nightmarish grouping of levels. They are an interesting compliment to each other since they tackle the genre in very different ways.

Both are free now starting today and running through September 5th. Next week’s titles will run from September 5th-12th, with ABZU and The End is Nigh next in the queue.

Polytron Corporation’s indie platforming adventure Fez is the latest free title on the Epic Games Store. If you have the Epic Games Launcher, you can add it to your library and keep it forever. The offer is valid until August 29th.

Next week will see the return of two free games on the Epic Games Store and they’re quite the selection. Matt Makes Games’ Celeste and Playdead’s Inside will be available from August 29th to September 5th. Both games are critically acclaimed platformers, the former focusing on difficult timing-based challenges while the latter is more atmospheric puzzle-solving.

Celeste will especially be worth checking out since it has some free DLC coming out. Dubbed “Chapter 9”, it sports new songs and over 100 new levels along with its own storyline. There’s no release window yet but hopefully we’ll here more before the year is out. Stay tuned for more information in the meantime.

Echtra Games may be developing Torchlight Frontiers, bringing the franchise into the free to play space. However, you can enjoy the first Torchlight by Runic Games for free via the Epic Games Store. You need to have an Epic Games account and download the launcher to claim it.

Torchlight is quite the outstanding action RPG, created by former Diablo developers and featuring some stellar combat. Players can also have different pets that will carry their gear and could be sent to town to sell it. The game will be free until July 18th.

On that day, Playdead’s Limbo will become the next free offering. A classic in its own right, Limbo is a monochromatic platformer starring a child traversing limbo in search of his sister. It will be available from July 18th to 25th. In the meantime, grab Torchlight while you can (and maybe check out its equally stellar sequel Torchlight 2 later).

Though PlayStation Plus doesn’t have a whole lot to look forward to this month, the same can’t be said for Xbox Live Gold. Microsoft has announced the free Games With Gold for Xbox One and Xbox 360. While Big Crown: Showdown and Meet the Robinsons may not appeal to you, there’s also Inside and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Inside is from Playdead and offers atmospheric platforming, much like Limbo. It sees a boy traveling through a strange, dimly lit world, gleaning details about mind control and other horrors from his environment. Suffice it to say that the ending comes out of nowhere. Inside is available for free from July 1st to 31st.

As for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it’s one of the titles to contribute to the Metroidvania genre and arguably the finest title in the franchise. It’s developed by Koji Igarashi, who recently released a spiritual successor to the title in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Despite its age, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is well worth checking out – it’s available for Gold members from July 1st to 15th.

Playdead’s Limbo and Inside, two side-scrolling puzzle platformers that have proven critically and commercially successful worldwide, are coming to the Nintendo Switch this month. Famitsu recently interviewed the developer and received confirmation that both games would be available in the Nintendo eShop.

Limbo follows a young boy in a strange world, chasing after a young girl while avoiding a large killer spider. With its monochromatic visuals and unique puzzles, Limbo quickly earned a following and sold 3 million copies as of June 2013.

Playdead followed up this success in 2016 with Inside, an even more enigmatic platformer about mind control, manipulation and twisted experiments. Inside was very well reviewed and has been available for PS4, Xbox One, PC and iOS. With the recent surge of indie developers finding success on the Switch, both games would be a perfect fit for the handheld.

Check out GamingBolt’s official reviews for Limbo and Inside in the meantime to see if they’re for you.

Following the hit critical reaction to Inside, Playdead announced that it’s working on a new title.

The developer’s official Twitter stated, “Thanks for your warm reception of INSIDE. Since release, Playdead founder Arnt Jensen and the team have been working on the next adventure.”

The image showcases a man in a helmet dragging what appears to be a torn parachute up the side of a mountain as an object falls in the background. There’s not much more information than that available but the aesthetic is dark and moody which Playdead is known for.

Playdead’s first breakout success came with Limbo, a mono-chromatic platformer with devious puzzles and minimalistic story-telling. From there, the developer worked on Inside, which released in 2016 following numerous years in development. Inside is currently available for Xbox One, PC and PS4.

What are your thoughts on the next adventure to come from Playdead? Let us know in the comments below.

Playdead has announced that Inside, its puzzle platformer released for Xbox One and PC, will be heading to PlayStation 4 on August 23rd. This was confirmed in a new trailer which can be viewed below (blurbs containing praise for the overall experience included).

Reports of Inside possibly heading to PS4 emerged when a Trophy list for the same came up. Reports further indicated that it would be arriving on PS4 in August and the recent announcement has confirmed the same.

Inside has been critically acclaimed for Xbox One and PC, drawing strong critical acclaim even with its short length. It seemed only a matter of time until it actually released for PS4 since Playdead has had experience with the console (Limbo was released on PS3 and PS4 in the past).

What are your thoughts on Inside heading to the PS4? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information.