Virtual SEA Weekly News Update #1
Welcome to the Virtual SEA news update! In this format, we summarize the most important events of the week so that you always stay up to date with the latest news, updates and releases from the Southeast Asian game world. This week we start with some brand-new information about Ubisoft Singapore, Escape from Naraka, Hellsweeper VR, and Good Knight.
More severe problems reported at Ubisoft Singapore
The bad news about the Singapore branch of the French publisher Ubisoft does not end. In a detailed article, Kotaku reports on the persistent problems within one of Southeast Asia’s most prominent AAA developers. According to Kotaku, the studio, which is currently still working on the open-world pirate adventure Skull & Bones, has had a toxic work culture for a long time, characterized by sexual harassment, discrimination, and poor pay. These are serious allegations, but they fit into the overall picture of the French company, which has repeatedly been confronted with similar accusations.
Because of this news, it remains more and more questionable whether and when the former flagship project Skull & Bones will still appear. Rumour has it that it is currently in alpha status, but not only insiders like journalist Khee Hoon Chan doubt whether it will ever appear.
Escape from Naraka now features Ray Tracing and DLSS
Gaming fans with powerful graphics cards can rejoice! Indonesian indie Xelo Games and hardware manufacturer Nvidia have released a brand new trailer that showcases the ray tracing and DLSS features for Escape From Naraka. It would be the first game from Indonesia to support Nvidia’s graphics techniques, which should particularly benefit the in-game reflections and the lighting. However, one of Nvidia’s powerful and costly RTX graphics cards is necessary for this graphic splendour.
Escape from Naraka is a first-person action-platformer inspired by Balinese themes, local mythologies and legends. It will launch on Steam on July 29, 2021.
Makers of Sairento VR reveal extended trailer for their next VR title Hellsweeper VR
In a post on Reddit, Mixed Realms announced its new game Hellsweeper VR. The developers from Singapore, known for their futuristic ninja slasher Sairento VR, stay on familiar territory. In Hellsweeper VR, we assassinate our way through hordes of opponents in style and virtual reality, but this time in a fantasy scenario reminiscent of Doom’s apocalyptic sci-fi setting. The developers want to expand the arcade melee gameplay and also offer magical abilities. There won’t be a story campaign, but a playable demo of the alpha version will be available before it comes out. The planned release for Hellsweeper VR is the third quarter of 2022. Then the game should appear for Oculus and PCV.
Good Knight receives release date
The Filipino developer Team Good Knight has announced the release date for their one-button bullet hell game. Good Knight is due to appear under their publisher Doublethink Games’ label on Steam on September 3, 2021, and relies on a characteristic mix of hardcore gameplay and a style that combines Filipino culture and history with the myths of ancient Greece.
New Releases
You can look up which games from Southeast Asia were released last week in our handy release overview: to the release overview.
