Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis has been announced, marking the "latest entry to the Phantasy Star Online 2 universe". Announced at the Xbox Games Showcase and arriving in 2021, a new trailer showcased what fans can expect from the sequel next year on Xbox Series X, PC, and Xbox One. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/phantasy-star-online-2-new-genesis-expansion-trailer"] After many years as a Japan-only game, Microsoft helped bring the Sega MMO west this year. We awarded Phantasy Star Online 2 a 7/10 review, saying, "Between the ludicrous variety in classes, sheer number of things to do and see, and the slick, refined combat, there is a lot of meat left on these eight-year-old bones." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=phantasy-star-online-2-new-genesis-xbox-games-showcase-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis has been announced, marking the "latest entry to the Phantasy Star Online 2 universe". Announced at the Xbox Games Showcase and arriving in 2021, a new trailer showcased what fans can expect from the sequel next year on Xbox Series X, PC, and Xbox One. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/phantasy-star-online-2-new-genesis-expansion-trailer"] After many years as a Japan-only game, Microsoft helped bring the Sega MMO west this year. We awarded Phantasy Star Online 2 a 7/10 review, saying, "Between the ludicrous variety in classes, sheer number of things to do and see, and the slick, refined combat, there is a lot of meat left on these eight-year-old bones." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=phantasy-star-online-2-new-genesis-xbox-games-showcase-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

After months and months of rumors, Microsoft has finally announced Fable, a "new beginning" for the Fable franchise, developed by a new team at Forza Horizon studio Playground games. The trailer begins with a fairy as they fly through a fantastical forest, before getting eaten by a frog. How very Fable. And that's it! That's the long-awaited reveal. Fable is back and is being developed by the Forza Horizon studio. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/fable-xbox-series-x-announcement-trailer"] Fable has been mostly dormant since the release of Fable 3 back in 2010, though there have been a variety of spinoffs. There was also Fable Legends, a co-op action-RPG that was canceled on 2016. Back in early 2018, reports began that Playground Games, the studio behind the acclaimed Forza Horizon series, was working on a new Fable. Later that year, Microsoft acquired Playground, investing in the studio as a first-party developer. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=fable-xbox-series-x-screenshots&captions=true"] Since then, rumors have continued to persist that a second team at the studio was working on continuing the Fable franchise, which was originally developed by the now-shuttered studio Lionhead. Ex-Lionhead art director John McCormack even described a Fable 4 pitch Lionhead had that Microsoft rejected. Playground Games is best known for its work on Forza Horizon, a more open-world and carefree take on Turn 10's Forza Motorsport racing sims. The studio has been seen hiring developers with experience in RPG development, which prompted rumors that Playground Games' next project would be a departure from the racing genre. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M Kim is a reporter for IGN.

After months and months of rumors, Microsoft has finally announced Fable, a "new beginning" for the Fable franchise, developed by a new team at Forza Horizon studio Playground games. The trailer begins with a fairy as they fly through a fantastical forest, before getting eaten by a frog. How very Fable. And that's it! That's the long-awaited reveal. Fable is back and is being developed by the Forza Horizon studio. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/fable-xbox-series-x-announcement-trailer"] Fable has been mostly dormant since the release of Fable 3 back in 2010, though there have been a variety of spinoffs. There was also Fable Legends, a co-op action-RPG that was canceled on 2016. Back in early 2018, reports began that Playground Games, the studio behind the acclaimed Forza Horizon series, was working on a new Fable. Later that year, Microsoft acquired Playground, investing in the studio as a first-party developer. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=fable-xbox-series-x-screenshots&captions=true"] Since then, rumors have continued to persist that a second team at the studio was working on continuing the Fable franchise, which was originally developed by the now-shuttered studio Lionhead. Ex-Lionhead art director John McCormack even described a Fable 4 pitch Lionhead had that Microsoft rejected. Playground Games is best known for its work on Forza Horizon, a more open-world and carefree take on Turn 10's Forza Motorsport racing sims. The studio has been seen hiring developers with experience in RPG development, which prompted rumors that Playground Games' next project would be a departure from the racing genre. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Bloober Team, creator of Layers of Fear, Observer and Blair Witch, has revealed a new gameplay trailer for The Medium, showing off its Dual-Reality system, which sees two versions of the world rendered at all times, and can be switched between with no loading screens. In the trailer shown at the Xbox Games Showcase, we see the game's lead character Marianne exploring an abandoned building, both in the real world and spirit world. Both of those worlds will be available to see at any time, and can be switched between seamlessly, meaning the game is rendering two separate locations simultaneously. The gameplay implications of that switching aren't made totally clear, but we see Marianne using magical powers in the spirit world, and environments seem to differ, which implies you'll be solving puzzles in one world to travel through another. Unlike many newly announced Xbox games, The Medium is only coming to Xbox Series X and PC - that appears to be due to the taxing processor work this core mechanic will require. It's reminiscent of the tech that allows for the multiple, seamlessly switched-between worlds shown off in gameplay of PS5 exclusive Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. We've heard previously that the two realities will come with different soundtracks, one by one Bloober Team’s Arkadiusz Reikowski and the other by Akira Yamaoka of Silent Hill fame. The game will be released this Holiday, and pre-orders are open now. The Medium is just one of two Bloober Team games coming to next-gen this year, with Observer: System Redux also on the way. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Tetris Effect: Connected is '2.0 version' of Tetris Effect coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC via Windows 10. It will be available on Xbox Game Pass, and take advantage of the Smart Delivery upgrade scheme. Connected combines the original Tetris Effect with brand new 1-3 player co-op and 1-2 player competitive multiplayer modes, playable online and locally. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/tetris-effect-connected-announcement-trailer"] Multiplayer will be available as both unranked and ranked variants, and will include player progression, unlocking online avatars. The game will feature cross-play across all Xbox platforms. The multiplayer modes will be added as a free update to PS4, Epic Games Store, and Oculus Quest versions in Summer 2021. We awarded the original Tetris Effect an 8.5 review, saying it "turns the game you know into something you’ve likely never experienced." Make sure to check out everything else announced at the Xbox Games Showcase. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Image & Form, creator of the SteamWorld series, has announced a brand new game, The Gunk, for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC. It will arrive in fall 2021. Starring two space haulers who chance upon a planet teeming with life, the third-person adventure will see you encountering undiscovered alien life and discovering the secrets of a lost civilisation, while cleaning up the titular Gunk, an alien parasite that's infested the planet. I'm getting almost Luigi's Mansion / Mario Sunshine vibes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/the-gunk-announcement-trailer"] It's a major switch for more ways that one for the Swedish developer. For a start, this marks the studio's first ever 3D game. Image & Form has also been most closely associated with Nintendo over the years, launching every game in the SteamWorld series first on a Nintendo platform, so a switch to an Xbox exclusive marks a new chapter for the developer. In a press release, CEO Brjann Sigurgeirsson explains: “A bit into the development process it became obvious that The Gunk would be very hardware-demanding. We’ve always managed to keep our games lean, but The Gunk is all bells and whistles about to explode spectacularly. We had to make a choice: either we quiet it down considerably, or we go talk to the guys with the most powerful hardware. We decided to go talk to the guys with the most powerful hardware.” Perhaps this switch shouldn't be a surprise, however - Image & Form has made its name on trying out new ideas almost every time it releases a new game, with the SteamWorld series alone encompassing platformers, tactics games, and a card-based RPG. We awarded he last SteamWorld release, SteamWorld Quest, an 8.6 review, saying its "card-based RPG combat offers an insane amount of choice, making it as flexible as it is fun." Check out everything announced at the Xbox Games Showcase. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will be coming to next-gen, as it arrives on Xbox Series X in 2021. Announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, the long-awaited sequel to the cult classic PC shooter will bring its mix of FPS, horror and immersive sim to console in 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/stalker-2-announcement-trailer"] In a separate blog post-GSC Game World detailed how the developers want the Zone, the setting of Stalker, to feel like its own character. The open-world will be one of the "biggest ones yet" for the series. Various monsters and factions will populate the Zone and interact with each other. A-Life 2.0 will simulate character behaviors making the world feel more alive than ever before. Player decisions will also determine how the story plays out with branching paths that change depending on the choices you make. After being announced and cancelled in 2011, development on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was restarted at developer GSC Game World in 2018. Previously, all we've seen of the game was a single screenshot. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=stalker-2-xbox-games-showcase-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Fatshark has announced Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, a 4-player co-op shooter coming in 2021. Set in the hive city of Tertium, players and their friends will be set against hordes of enemies based on the many threats of the grimdark Warhammer 40,000 universe. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/warhammer-40k-darktide-announcement-trailer"] Fatshark has good pedigree in this department, having previously maked the Warhammer: Vermintide games. We called Vermintide 2 "a beautifully dark game", and praised its "hack-n-slash, Left 4 Dead-inspired co-op fun of bashing hordes of rats and zombies to a pulp" in our 8/10 review. Check out everything else announced at the Xbox Games Showcase. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Obsidian Entertainment has announced its next project following the release of The Outer Worlds and the early access beta for Grounded. The famed RPG house announced it is developing a new first-person RPG title called Avowed. Avowed is set in Eora, which is the world that Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity franchise is set in. The trailer has a very high-fantasy feel before quickly tesaing the first-person perspective. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] Avowed is Obsidian's first RPG since it was acquired by Xbox Game Studios in 2018. Previously the studio released The Outer Worlds with the help of publisher Private Division. The Outer Worlds is a sci-fi, first-person RPG set in a universe dominated by mega-corporations. Read IGN's Outer Worlds review here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.