Sea of Thieves launched in March, its first content update The Hungering Deep followed in May, and now that July's upon us we're about to unleash the most substantial update yet. Cursed Sails will be unfurling on July 31st, and like our other content updates it comes free of charge to all who own the game.
Cursed Sails will change things forever on the Sea of Thieves, as the sails you see cresting the horizon are no longer guaranteed to be other players making their own way through the world. The decks beneath those masts may now be manned by skeletal marauders returned to the seas from their restless graves. All that sustains these grinning terrors is a thirst for battle that leads them to terrorise Outposts and call out defenders to face them on the tides...
Fortunately, the threat of these fortress-like skeleton ships washes up alongside other features planned to help Sea of Thieves' living pirates face down the dead. The Galleon and Sloop get some company in the form of the Brigantine, a new ship type specifically tailored for a crew of three. An Alliance system is also added which encourages crews to band together in pursuit of their goals, tackling greater challenges and sharing the rewards.
For those who like to follow the lore, things are afoot with Sea of Thieves' ever-competitive shopkeepers, and a tale of ambition and greed escalating into something truly terrible will come to light in Cursed Sails. As before, the first seeds of this story can be found sprouting between the community celebrations making up popular seafarers' rag the Pirate Times.
Tackling the time-limited campaign that introduces Cursed Sails' new elements will hurl players into a series of fierce clashes and, as always, earn a fine set of in-game rewards upon victory. But rest assured that even if you're late to the party, you won't miss out on seabound skirmishes with the roaming undead as this new menace will remain in the world even after the campaign ends. You just can't put a good pirate down. Especially if they've already been dead for decades. The Brigantine ship and the Alliance system will also be permanent additions to Sea of Thieves.
Recent weeks have seen regular challenges and rewards on offer in Bilge Rat Adventures, but even those fast-living outlaws are likely to put their horseplay on hold as the events of Cursed Sails begin to unfold. Best to start bracing yourselves for the skeletal uprising as soon as their latest challenge draws to a close.
So jump back into Sea of Thieves to experience Cursed Sails in two weeks' time, on July 31st. Bring everything you've got. It's a bone-breaking battle for pirate survival, and nowhere on the seas is safe!
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds for Xbox One version 1.0 launches September 4
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds will leave Xbox Game Preview and launch as a full release (version 1.0) on September 4, developer Bluehole announced.
Here are the latest details, via PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds console lead Koo Sung Jeong:
While our team will continue to enhance the game and deliver new content to Xbox players, the Full Product Release marks the culmination of our efforts in Xbox Game Preview, where we worked closely with Xbox and the passionate and engaged Xbox community to regularly update, tune, stabilize and enhance the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds experience for Xbox One. We invite you to learn more about how the game has evolved on Xbox over the last 9 months and the journey to 1.0 in the video asset we debuted on Inside Xbox today in partnership with Xbox.
Fans can look forward to an updated experience for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on Xbox One that includes:
• The Xbox One debut of the Sanhok map. Inspired by the islands across Southeast Asia, Sanhok is a 4×4 compact battleground. The map might be smaller, but the battles won’t be, with speedier games and circle dynamics that have been adjusted to bring battles to a dramatic finish more quickly. Sanhok will introduce all-new weapons and vehicles in addition to the debut of dynamic weather changes for the first time on Xbox One.
• The arrival of War Mode on Xbox One, a deathmatch-style battle royale gaming experience where players hunt each other in a static zone, respawning you back in with a parachute and weapons if you’re killed. Teams get points with kills and reviving teammates, and the team that reaches certain points in the game wins the battle. War Mode will make its hands-on debut on Xbox One at gamescom 2018 in a can’t-miss experience in the Xbox booth.
• Achievements that will carry over from Xbox Game Preview to Full Product Release.
• The introduction of in-game currency to purchase cosmetics, Event Pass: Sanhok, which will allow players to open up more missions, more levels, and tons of permanent rewards on the Sanhok map, and much more. We will share much more detail about these products, how they will work and some of the cool content you’ll be able to unlock closer to 1.0 launch.
The full product release of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds for Xbox One will be available in both digital and retail disc versions, with the retail boxed version featuring an all-new colorway of the game’s iconic key art.
To celebrate the full product release of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds the retail disc version will ship with in-game DLC – the Xbox #1.0/99 Set, featuring an exclusive collection of clothing and accessories inspired by Xbox brand colors. Current owners of the game, and new players who purchase the game digitally can download the exclusive Xbox #1.0 Set beginning September 4th for a limited time from the in-game lobby, featuring a white branded hoodie and sweatpants and a custom Xbox skinned parachute to drop into battle in style.
If you already own PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on Xbox One you will receive a content update with all new content and features detailed above on September 4th in addition to the Xbox #1.0 DLC Set.
We’re also excited to announce the Xbox Wireless Controller – PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Limited Edition, which is available for pre-order beginning today and starts shipping to retailers worldwide on Oct. 30 for $69.99 USD. Drop into battle and survive the ultimate life and death fight with an exclusive design featuring a distressed black digital camo print and new and exclusive trigger grips to help you stay on target in the final circle. The controller will ship with exclusive DLC themed on the controller design – we will share more details about this in the weeks to come.
Thank you to the passionate Xbox community for coming with us on this journey. We’re so excited to take this next step with Xbox fans next month, and look forward to many more battles to come. For fans at gamescom this week, be sure to swing by the Xbox booth to get hands on with War Mode on Xbox One exclusively for the first time and experience a variety of themed PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds swag and activities.
The State of Decay 2 add-on “Daybreak Pack” will launch on September 12 for $9.99, Microsoft and Undead Labs announced.
Here are the latest details:
The Daybreak Pack is a brand-new game mode for State of Decay 2 —a re-playable co-op “zombie siege” experience:
• Team up with friends. Players and up to three teammates play as highly skilled Red Talon soldiers armed with high-end weaponry; together, they will defend a fortified position against waves of oncoming zombies, while a vulnerable technician repairs a critical satellite relay.
• New enemies and weapons. Among the waves of regular and special zombies players will need to ward off will be a new enemy – the Blood Plague Juggernaut! This is a tougher version of the already powerful juggernaut who will expose players to blood plague. To combat this new scourge, players have access to a new set of CLEO weapons including eight new ranged weapons, six new melee weapons and six new deployable explosives.
• New rewards and achievements. The more waves you survive, the more rewards you earn. Rewards and unlocked items can be used to fight more efficiently in future Daybreak sessions and players will also be able to access those same unlocked items for their main community of survivors, giving access to the new CLEO weapons, additional accessories and upgrades for their base – including the opportunity to bring in a Red Talon soldier. Lastly Daybreak Pack comes with over two dozen new achievements for State of Decay 2 worth 250 Gamerscore!
Daybreak Pack will be available for fans who own the Standard Edition for $9.99 (USD), and is included with the Ultimate Edition at no additional cost. It will also be available at launch for Xbox Game Pass members with a 10% discount. As an Xbox Play Anywhere game, one digital purchase gets you both the Xbox One and the Windows 10 version of the game. In addition to the release of Daybreak Pack, there will be a content update to continue improving player experience. Keep an eye on www.stateofdecay.com for a full list of patch notes when the update goes live!
Sea of Thieves ‘Forsaken Shores’ update launches September 19
Sea of Thieves‘ third major free content update, “Forsaken Shores,” will launch on September 19, Microsoft and Rare announced.
Here is a brief overview of the update, via Microsoft:
The Forsaken Shores will take players to The Devil’s Roar to encounter brand new environmental perils with volcanoes, geysers, and earthquakes added to the game. With more than five million pirates around the globe, The Forsaken Shores further expands the ever-growing world of Sea of Thieves.
Sea of Thieves is available now for Xbox One and PC.
DayZ for Xbox One launches via Xbox Game Preview on August 29
DayZ will launch for Xbox One via Xbox Game Preview on August 29, developer Bohemia Interactive announced. Xbox Game Preview is a service that allows Xbox players to preview and purchase work-in-progress digital titles, as well as to take part in the development process.
DayZ is currently available for PC (Steam page). Here is a brief overview of the game, via its official website:
DayZ is a gritty, authentic, open-world survival horror hybrid-MMO game, in which players follow a single goal: to survive in the harsh post-apocalyptic landscape as long as they can. Players can live through powerful events and emotions arising from the ever-evolving emergent gameplay.
Publisher Annapurna Interactive and developer Aurora44 have released an 11-minute video of the Ashen gameplay demo shown off at Gamescom 2018 in Cologne, Germany last week.
Here is a brief overview of the game, via Annapurna Interactive:
Ashen is an action RPG about a wanderer in search of a place to call home. This is a world where nothing lasts, no matter how tightly you cling to it. At its core, Ashen is about forging relationships. Players can guide those they trust to their camp – together, you might just stand a chance.
Ashen will be released for Xbox One and PC. A release date has yet to be announced.