Xbox Partner Preview: Control Multiplayer, Pirate Yakuza, Subnautica 2 and More

Microsoft had a bevy of trailers for games from partner studios, including first reveals of long-teased games. Here’s everything seen at the Xbox Partner Preview in October.

Not all of the games and expansions are new, but all are either available now or coming soon. For instance, indie darling Animal Well released back in May, and is finally available on Xbox, while newly-revealed neon shooter BlindFire is available now in early access. You’ll have to wait for other games shown today, most of which are set to release in 2025. 

More info for every game shown in the showcase is available on Xbox Wire, and here are all the trailers from the October Xbox Partner Preview.

Alan Wake II DLC: The Lake House

The second (and as far as we know, final) DLC to the lauded Alan Wake II got another trailer. While the first one shown at Gamescom was just a tease, now we’re seeing gameplay of the expansion, confirming that the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) agent in the base game, Kiran Estevez, will be a playable character in this DLC. 

Cronos: The New Dawn

This reveal trailer was more vibes than gameplay for Cronos: The New Dawn, a new game by Polish studio Bloober Team (The Medium). The creepy trailer juxtaposed a chess game between an old lady and someone in a sealed black suit (like a SCUBA diver in space) and scenes of the latter splattering malformed humanoid creatures. The game comes out in 2025 for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

BlindFire

The neon punk shooter BlindFire from studio Double Eleven got a reveal trailer, showing demonstrative gameplay for the game’s vibes. It’s all about managing light: despite starting a round in darkness, thermal scans, explosions, spotlights and blacklights tip the player off to opponents running around a map decorated like a laser tag arena. The game is available in early access today for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii

A new trailer for the delightful Yakuza spinoff shows Goro Majima, now the sole protagonist, happily bouncing around Hawaii and oblivious to his organized crime past. The trailer also reveals naval combat that will be available in the final game. Careful watchers will note that the game’s release date is now February 21, 2025, moved up a week from its previous date so it doesn’t have to share a launch day with Monster Hunter: Wilds. 

Read more: I Played Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. It’s a Swarthy Sea Dog Adventure

Mouse: P.I. For Hire

The surely-Disney-won’t-sue game from Polish, now titled Mouse: P.I. For Hire, got a new trailer showing off its unique black-and-white first-person shooter gameplay mixing noir story with vintage “rubber hose” animation. The game comes out in 2025 for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Subnautica 2

A trailer for the eagerly-awaited Subnautica 2 shows bright, delightful shallow water coral reefs alongside what monstrous beasties are awaiting divers deeper in the waters. Subnautica 2 will release in early access in 2025 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. 

Animal Well

The indie hit Animal Well, released for PC and NIntendo Switch back in May, is now available on Xbox Series X/S — news delivered with the amusing voice of Dunkey, who (amazingly) published the game.

Edens Zero

Based on the manga, Edens Zero is an action adventure game featuring the series characters slashing and shooting their way through the sci-fi adventure. The game is coming in 2025 for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Eternal Strands

The Eternal Strands trailer showed off a bright, vibrant world filled with environmental and elemental combat: players will hurl objects and themselves around maps as they take on big enemies, Shadow of the Colossus-style. The game is coming in early 2025 to Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Mistfall Hunter

A new trailer for Mistfall Hunter from Bellring Games showed a dark hack-and-slash adventure with fast-paced melee, ranged and magic combat, sort of like a third-person Diablo, with huge enemy bosses to match. Per Xbox Wire, the game is a “mixture of Soulslike combat and extraction-action mechanics,” which will likely become clearer when the game gets closer to launch. Mistfall Hunter is coming in 2025 to Xbox Series X/S and PC. 

Wheel World

Want to cycle around to cool vibes in an open world with weird secrets? The trailer for new game Wheel World shows players riding around with their customized pro bike (the pedal kind) in a lush cel-shaded art style reminiscent of Sable. There’s also a floating flaming skull head that cycles with you, an excellent touch. The game comes out in early 2025 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. 

Phasmophobia

Studio Kinetic Games’ freaky multiplayer ghost-hunting game Phasmophobia, originally released in 2020 on PC, is finally coming to Xbox Series X/S — and it’ll be here in a week on October 29, 2024.

The Legend of Baboo

The Legend of Baboo trailer showed off a new adventure game set on a vibrantly lovely but mysterious island. Players take on the role of a young boy and his large fluffy (and most importantly, rideable) dog, exploring beaches, mountains and the dark secrets within the isle, with action-adventure that feels straight out of classic Rare games. The game is coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2025.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

A trailer for a new game by 505 Games shows a bloody action-adventure game that blends Chinese history with dark fantasy and magical combat. It’s tough to tell if the combat is explicitly Soulslike, but it’s bright, bloody and features wild enemy designs. The game comes to Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2025. 

FBC: Firebreak

The long-awaited multiplayer game set in Remedy Games’ Control universe finally gets revealed. FBC: Firebreak pits players in three-agent teams against the unleashed chaos that the Federal Bureau of Control sets out to pacify. From the looks of it, players can pick between different classes with interesting abilities and weapons, though we’ll have to wait for more information to know how the game will be set up. The game comes out in 2025 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. 

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