Taxi Chaos 2, a sequel inspired by Crazy Taxi, unexpectedly launched on Xbox today featuring new modes, AI TaxiBots, and modern twists on classic arcade taxi gameplay, priced at around $25.
Bethesda's creative director Todd Howard hinted that the successful shadow drop of Oblivion Remastered was a test for releasing future games like Elder Scrolls VI or Fallout 3 remasters without prior announcement, emphasizing a preference for surprise releases over prolonged teasers.
The creative director of Hell is Us criticized the surprise release of Hollow Knight: Silksong as 'a little callous,' highlighting its impact on other game releases and the challenges of scheduling in the modern gaming industry, while noting their decision to stick with their original release date despite the chaos.
Hell is Us' creative director Jonathan Jacques-Belletête criticized Team Cherry's surprise release of Hollow Knight: Silksong, calling it 'a little callous' due to the short notice and impact on other games like Hell is Us, which was released on the same day. He highlighted the challenges of releasing games in a crowded market and the difficulty of securing a quiet release window today.
Descenders Next, an extreme sports game and sequel to the popular Descenders, has unexpectedly been released today as a shadow drop on Xbox Game Pass, available in early access on Xbox Series X, Series S, Xbox One, and PC, with ongoing development planned over the next few years.
Descenders Next, a re-imagining of extreme sports with snowboards and mountainboards, has unexpectedly joined Xbox Game Pass via a shadow drop, despite earlier delays, offering players new biomes, tricks, and achievements on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
The highly anticipated sequel to the popular downhill racing game Descenders, titled Descenders Next, was unexpectedly released via a shadow drop on Xbox and PC, entering Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview, with plans for ongoing updates and additional features over the next two years, aiming to become the ultimate extreme sports game.
The 'Overture' expansion for Lies of P, a prequel set in late 19th-century Krat, is now available across all platforms, featuring new story content, locations, enemies, weapons, and challenging boss battles, along with a game patch introducing new difficulty modes and boss fight modes.
The upcoming Xbox Games Showcase on June 9 is rumored to feature a shadow-dropped first-party game, likely Towerborne, and may also tease the long-rumored Xbox Portable console. Other anticipated reveals include DOOM: The Dark Ages, Gears 6, and updates on games like Avowed and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Xbox appears to dismiss the possibility of a same-day game release, or "shadow drop," during the upcoming Developer Direct event, stating that all games shown will be released "later." While this doesn't rule out surprises, it suggests a departure from the Hi-Fi RUSH tactic used in 2023. The event will feature a first look at gameplay for Bethesda's Indiana Jones game, and fans can tune in for coverage on Thursday.