All Triple-i Initiative Announcements in one Place

The first Triple-i initiative made its debut last night. The showcase featured 36 games in just under 45 minutes. Two games made by studios based in the GSA were also featured.

Yesterday evening the first Triple-i Initiative Showcase took place, which focused on indie developers in the video game industry. A few months ago, the project was just an idea by Evil Empire, the French studio behind the last five years of Dead Cells content. Now it is a collaborative effort with the support of indie studios such as Re-Logic (Terraria) and Mega Crit (Slay the Spire). They presented what they called a "no-nonsense digital showcase" of 36 games in about 45 minutes. The showcase consisted of trailer after trailer, interrupted only by short fade-ins of slogans from the Triple-i initiative. There was no presenter at the show.

Two games made by studios based in the GSA were also featured: Endzone 2 from publisher Assemble Entertainment and in-house developer Gentlymad Studios, and Brotato from Blobfish Games in Switzerland. Assemble showed the first gameplay trailer of Endzone 2, including the new expeditions, sandstorms, and the Endzone bus that roams the dystopian landscape. One of the key additions to the second game are "Zones", which allow players to manage multiple settlements at once. Since its announcement in Summer 2023, Endzone 2 has amassed 150,000 wishlists and more than 12,000 followers on Steam. Early Access launch is scheduled for Summer 2024.

Switzerland's Blobfish Games has announced the launch of its first DLC, "Brotato: Abyssal Terrors", along with a major free update that introduces local co-op for up to four players. The DLC plunges players into the depths of the ocean, offering 20 new challenging waves, new characters, new weapons and new items to enhance the gameplay experience. Blobfish Games is a small independent game developer based in Zurich. Their game Brotato has been enjoyed by over ten million players worldwide.

More Announcements

The first announcement of the showcase was Mega Crit's Slay the Spire 2, coming to Early Access in 2025. The iconic roguelike deck builder returns with an all-new engine. Evil Empire revealed its first game after nearly five years of working on post-launch content for Dead Cells. The Rogue Prince of Persia is based on Ubisoft's iconic video game IP and will launch in Early Access on Steam on 14 May 2024, before being released on other platforms at a later date with the features of Ubisoft Connect. In this action-platformer roguelike, players take on the role of the titular Prince and alternate between platforming and combat as they battle their way through the capital city with one goal in mind - to find a way to save Persia from a Hun invasion using dark magic. Evil Empire employs 70 people.

Another world premiere was Kill Knight, an arcade-inspired isometric action shooter. It will launch later this year on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch. It is the first console project from PlaySide Studios - the developers behind Age of Darkness: Final Stand. Humble Games and E-line Media announced their partnership to launch Never Alone 2. The sequel to Never Alone is a cooperative journey in an expanded 3D world with an original story by an Inupiat author - all developed in collaboration with Alaska Native elders, writers, storytellers and community members.

During the Triple-i Initiative showcase, Ghost Ship Publishing, the company behind Deep Rock Galactic, revealed the gameplay trailer for Dinolords, an upcoming medieval strategy game with a prehistoric twist - players get to command dinosaurs. Developed by Danish studio Northplay, Dinolords is set in an alternate history where the King of Denmark's invasion of England sparks the first dinosaur-powered conflict. "We're so excited to be able to highlight Dinolords at the Triple-i Initiative Showcase today. We’ve been consistently impressed with Northplay's work, and we're delighted to be able to offer them a platform to showcase their game to the indie gaming community," said Søren Lundgaard, CEO of Ghost Ship Publishing. "Northplay is a wonderful example of how much talent the Danish games industry has to offer - I just can’t believe they’ve unveiled the great secret about our dinosaur-filled history!"

After three years of development in stealth mode, Thorium revealed UnderMine 2 as port of Triple-i Initiative. "Delve back into the UnderMine and uncover greater secrets than ever before. Navigate labyrinthine levels, find your way to Delvemore Castle and face the King himself. You won't be alone. Adventure with new playable allies and do it all with a friend in co-operative play", the announcement reads. Gearbox Publishing and Wabisabi Games announce RKGK / Rakugaki, an anime inspired, action-packed graffiti platformer. Wabisabi Games has received initial funding from Riot Games' Underrepresented Founders Program, which invests in founders from underrepresented communities to help them create games and experiences for gamers of all backgrounds.

Darkest Dungeon II gets a new free stand-alone campaign game called "Kingdoms". A kingdom must be protected by defending a vital network of safe havens and clearing dangerous environments of insidious threats. Players can upgrade inns to strengthen their defences, embark on unique quests and battle three new monster factions. Kingdoms adds a new layer of persistent strategy and sacrifice. "This new mode will combine some of the persistence and roster management of the original Darkest Dungeon with the traversal and combat of Darkest Dungeon II. At Red Hook, we evaluate projects based on their potential to inspire surprise, delight and despair... Kingdoms hits all three. We can't wait to share more with our community," says Chris Bourassa, Co-Founder, Creative Director at Red Hook.

Streets of Rogue 2 has unveiled a gameplay trailer showcasing the key mechanics of the upcoming sandbox RPG, which is set to hit Steam Early Access later this year: "From dozens of quirky playable classes, crafting, and a huge procedurally-generated open world to supercars, farming, and unique items like a rat-summoning ocarina and an alien shrink ray — Streets of Rogue 2 promises to elevate everything that made the original game a cult roguelite hit." Gestalt: Steam & Cinder, an handcrafted action-RPG, will launch on Steam on 21 May. Developed by Metamorphosis Games and executive produced by Dodger and Jesse Cox, the game invites players to unleash their inner flame as Aletheia, an elite mercenary of the Steam City of Canaan. Thomas Feichtmeir from Austria, the art director of TinyBuilt, worked on both titles as an art director and as a pixel artist.

Releases

• CRPG Broken Roads celebrates its launch on PC and consoles with a trailer.
• Mountainside city-builder Laysara: Summit Kingdom has surprisingly launched on Steam Early Access during the showcase. Developed by 3-person indie Quite OK Games and published by Future Friends Games. Players must plan transport networks, defend against avalanches, and build their way up the mountain to build a grand temple at the summit.

Release dates

• Cataclismo, a real-time strategy game about building castles brick by brick and defending humanity against swarms of horrors, is coming to PC on 16 July 2024. The game is being developed by Digital Sun (Spain), the creators of Moonlighter and The Mageseeker.
• Hooded Horse announces the early access release date of 16 May 2024 for Norland, the medieval kingdom sim where players manage an aspiring noble family and navigate them through the trials of a harsh class-based society.
• What the Car? is coming to Steam in September. A demo is available now.

Ports

• PM Studios and Pathea Games are bringing Let's School to consoles. Launching this summer on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
• The immersive detective sim, Shadows of Doubt, is coming out of Early Access and onto PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2024.
• Tchia, a tropical open-world adventure, arrives on Nintendo Switch on 27 June.
• Vampire Survivors is finally coming to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 this summer. As well as the base game with all the latest updates, all four DLCs will also be available to purchase on PS5 and PS4 at launch.

DLCs, Updates and Expansions

• Poncle joins forces with Konami Digital Entertainment's iconic Contra series. Vampire Survivors: Operation Guns embraces the visceral simplicity of classic Contra, "with build-focused characters that encourage min-maxing and stat manipulation, huge maps, 11 characters, a ton of weapons (we're talking 22, including evolutions!), and a difficulty curve that combines quintessential arcade gameplay with the original Vampire Survivors formula," according to the announcement.
• Death Must Die will receive its first major content update on 20 April with the Act II patch. The patch introduces talent trees, a new hero, a new god and a host of new abilities, items and monsters.
• In Dyson Sphere Programme, the battle against the Black Mist continues. In the next phase, Icarus will join forces with carriers and space stations to face the oncoming legions of the Black Mist.
• Pathea Games, Focus Entertainment and PM Studios have announced that cross-platform multiplayer will be coming to the PC and console versions of My Time At Sandrock this summer.
• Mohawk Games' 4X strategy game Old World will get another DLC at the end of May: Old World - Behind the Throne features a wealth of new content focusing on character interaction and dealing with the stresses of ruling an empire.
• In 2024, the Pal Arena makes its way to Palworld. This arena allows players to compete against other players.
• Nacon and Passtech Games presented the third chapter of Ravenswatch, Fall of Avalon, which will be released on 22 April. This chapter introduces a new map to explore, new enemies, a boss, hero talents and a new game mode.
• Gearbox Publishing has announced a collaboration with Motion Twin's Dead Cells for the hit action roguelike Risk of Rain 2. The Prisoner joins the Survivor's Rank as a free Alt Skin for the Mercenary.
• The Sharpshooter Assassin update for Shadows of Doubt launches today. It brings an all-new murder mystery to the game, as well as a host of updates to the immersive detective.
• Publisher The Arcade Crew and developer Ishtar Games have announced Dwarves of Runenberg, a DLC for The Last Spell, to be released on 24 April. This first DLC will bring a new map, a new playable dwarven character class, challenges and more.

Other stuff

• Heart Machine gives a first look at the Flame Wizard, one of the many mini-bosses in Hyper Light Breaker. The open-world rogue-lite adventure is due out on Steam Early Access this summer.
• In a behind-the-scenes development diary, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn composer Eric Hillman talks about composing the music.
• The Gentlebros reveal Cat Quest III's opening cinematic and new gameplay footage.
• Thunder Lotus announced the closed beta dates for 33 Immortals, the 33-player co-op action roguelike. It will begin on 24 May 2024 and run until 2 June 2024.
• The latest gameplay trailer for Mouse was unveiled at the Triple-i Initiative. The game is a 1930s noir, cartoon-inspired FPS.
• Swedish developer Stunlock Studios and Konami Digital Entertainment have released the first gameplay trailer for V Rising - Legacy of Castlevania. This crossover collaboration will be released on 8 May alongside the full release of V Rising on Steam, with the PS5 version coming later this year.
• Humble Games and Dead Mage have conjured up a first look at the action-packed gameplay of Wizard of Legend 2, a sequel to the popular roguelike. The trailer takes fans back to the Floating Lands to master the elements in the fast-paced dungeon crawler.

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