Solo dev behind unique city-building game is "trying not to fear the reviews" as it launches against genre titans: "Whether it's loved, or not, it's my life's work"

Continuing our ongoing coverage of Yellow Brick Games’ debut action game, Eternal Strands, we sat down with some of the indie studios’ leadership team to discuss the origins of their scrappy studio, and learn more about the indie world they’re using their AAA backgrounds to create. First, we chatted with CEO Thomas Giroux and COO Jeff Skalski about the studio's origins, then we spoke to Chief Creative Officer Mike Laidlaw and Lead Writer Kate MacMullin about their journey to the indie scene, and the characters and story in Eternal Strands.

Botany Manor, a relaxing puzzle and adventure game developed by Balloon Studios, is now available as a day one launch title for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, and the highly rated interactive story Kona is also making a return to the service. Set in an expansive estate in 1890’s Somerset, England, Botany Manor is an immersive sim that puts players in the role of Arabella Greene, a retired botanist who continues to dabble in her passion and research. Many players will enjoy spending several relaxing hours completing Arabella’s botany research, growing rare plants, and filling out her botanical record.

Today’s AAA games require a lot of storage, and typically, they only get bigger post-launch as addition content and updates are applied. So, it’s somewhat surprising to report that Forza Motorsport – which launched at a very-meaty 130-GB-plus -- is actually shrinking in size with its latest patch. Forza Motorsport Update 7 will see the game’s file size reduced by around 25 GB on Xbox Series X and 29 GB on PC.

Another entry in the SOCOM franchise might be in the works, with a mention of one such possible project recently being spotted in one actor's resume. However, that evidence appears shaky at best, in part because the said actor had passed away some time ago.

After tumultuous back and forth, there's a new Major Order to liberate all Automaton planets in Helldivers 2 and crush the bot threat in the Western front. It's looking like the climax for an arc of the Galactic War that's now defined several consecutive weeks of Helldivers 2, and as players continue to spill oil in the name of democracy, the nature and direction of the game's emergent narrative has gotten some timely details straight from developer Arrowhead.

Kuro Game released a cinematic trailer for its upcoming free-to-play action RPGWuthering Waves, confirming its release date. However, that’s not all, as a new global launch trailer is available, teasing some details on the central conflict. Check it out below.

Kuro Game’s Wuthering Waves, a free-to-play open-world action RPG akin to Genshin Impact, is out on May 22nd. It will launch for PC via the Epic Games Store, iOS and Android. Check out the latest cinematic trailer below, which sees some of the main cast exploring the ruins of the old world (and battling its threats).

Free-to-play open-world action RPG Wuthering Waves will launch for PC via Epic Games Store on May 22, iOS via App Store, and Android via Google Play, developer Kuro Game announced. Pre-registration is available now via each storefront and the official website.

Plenty of big, AAA releases have problems at launch. Overwatch 2, Payday 3, and Redfall all launched to criticism from both reviewers and fans. It's far rarer to see a AAA game's community genuinely divided over whether or not a game is fantastic and groundbreaking, or an utter disaster at launch. But weirdly, that's what's happening with Dragon's Dogma 2.

If you grew up playing games like Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Need for Speed Underground, Wangan Midnight, and the like, you'll feel right at home in the driver's seat of a souped-up sports car in Night-Runner.

The first big Enshrouded update is finally out, and among many, many changes, its biggest addition are challenging new dungeons that you'll find in every Biome.

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