Wielders of the Essence Launching in November!

SKÖVDE, Sweden, June 7th, 2026 | Coffee Stain Publishing and Lavapotion have today announced during the PC Gaming Show that Wielders of the Essence will launch on November 5th, 2026!

Based around the world, creatures, and aesthetic of hit fantasy strategy game Songs of Conquest, Wielders of the Essence takes on a distinct gameplay style with a blend of incremental, bullet heaven, and base building mechanics. Players adventure out into a randomly generated adventure map to fight foes until victory or death, collecting resources to upgrade their base. Every new building constructed adds something new, from skills and special powers to mighty new Wielders, enhancing later runs through a satisfying progression path.

Since its demo launch in February, Wielders of the Essence has seen a range of new features announced and implemented, including but not limited to:

• A range of new trinkets and spells, offering wider gameplay diversity
• Upcoming superpowers with powerful effects that changes how builds behave
• Twitch chat integration for upgrade suggestions
• Refined summary screens with additional stats
• Enhanced visuals and animations

Wielders of the Essence has more than 25,000 wishlists so far, and the development team are continuing to improve the game ahead of launch, working closely with the community to shape the game’s direction based on direct feedback.

“Wielders of the Essence is an exciting new venture for us, taking the established world of Songs of Conquest and applying it to a new genre.” said Lord Querkius, Dungeon Master at Lavapotion. “We’re very proud of the work we’ve done so far and we’re excited to share the finished product with both our existing Songs of Conquest fans who are keen to experience the world of Aerbor in a new way, as well as new folks that enjoy the genre. See you in November!”

Players can wishlist Wielders of the Essence now, and try out the demo ahead of the game’s full Steam launch on November 5th. For more information, head to the official website or join the Discord server. 

About Coffee Stain

Coffee Stain is a game developer, publisher and investor with offices in Skövde, Stockholm, Malmö, Trollhättan and Gothenburg. Founded in 2010, Coffee Stain is responsible for Goat Simulator, the Sanctum Games, A Story About My Uncle, Huntdown, and Satisfactory, currently in Early Access. Coffee Stain is also the publisher of popular games such as Deep Rock Galactic, Valheim, Songs of Conquest, Goat Simulator 3, and Midnight Ghost Hunt, made by external developers.

To find out more about partnerships and opportunities with Coffee Stain, visit the official website or follow Coffee Stain on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Lavapotion

Lavapotion was founded in 2017 by a bunch of games and TV-industry veterans with a passion for board games, epic fantasy novels, and old school strategy titles. Their recipe for a good game includes jaw-dropping pixel graphics and high replayability.

Article by: Susan N.

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Check Out Three Exciting Game Trailers from Summer Game Fest 2026!

Bath, UK (June 7, 2026) | Three exciting new game trailers have debuted during the PC Gaming Show and Future Games Show showcases as part of Summer Game Fest 2026: the PlayStation platform announce of painted afterlife Soulslike Prison of Husks, demo launch of dice-crafting RPG Spellsided, and new gameplay reveal for magical co-op adventure Witchspire.

At the Future Games Show, Glass Head Dolls confirmed that the nostalgic Soulslike, Prison of Husks, is headed to PlayStation later in 2026, alongside a planned PC release. Play as a doll in an unsettling yet artistically designed afterlife, exploring the dense and desolate setting in search of your beloved. Tweak your build, battle bosses, and uncover secrets along your quest.

Follow Glass Head Dolls on Bluesky and subscribe on YouTube. 

 

Roll up and roll your (magical, possibly haunted) dice in dice-building RPG Spellsided, from Mass Transfer Interactive, which revealed a new trailer during the PC Gaming Show. In this colourful, tabletop-set RPG, discover and combine spells in order to reshape the world. Strategic minds are welcome to try the demo out now on Steam.

Follow Mass Transfer Interactive on Bluesky and TikTok, and join the official Discord.

Days ahead of the Early Access launch on June 10, magical co-op adventure Witchspire revealed a new gameplay trailer as part of the Future Games Show and Green Games showcases. Explore by foot or broomstick, alone or with friends, and gather, craft and befriend and battle creatures as you fight back against corruption.

Follow Witchspire by signing up to the official newsletter, joining the Discord, or following on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and TikTok.

About Glass Head Dolls

Glass Head Dolls (GHD) is Tammy Morley, an indie developer who creates nostalgic, esoteric fantasy games that inspire feelings of wonder, whimsy and melancholy. She takes heavy inspiration from the 2000s era of games where graphical capabilities were improving amidst hardware limitations. Using low polygonal detail and low-res textures, her worlds call back to a fuzzy and charming appearance with a strong sense of atmosphere. 

PRISON OF HUSKS is GHD's first commercial project after Tammy's prior involvement in numerous game jams and participation in Tranzfuser 2022, serving as a composer and level designer for a studio called creature friends.

https://glassheaddolls.games/ 

About Mass Transfer Interactive

Mass Transfer Interactive is an upcoming independent game development studio based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 2023 by Ango Zhu, Dion Spyropoulos and Lilith Lee, the trio initially met at university as peers in a music composition course. Mass Transfer Interactive is looking to develop games with heartwarming stories and subversive takes on genre, driven by exciting new mechanics.

http://masstransfer.dev/

About Envar Entertainment and Envar Games

Envar Entertainment is a global art outsourcing and co-development studio founded in 2020. The veteran development team has experience in supporting giants such as Riot Games, Blizzard Entertainment, and Tencent.

The newly founded Envar Games team, based in Stockholm, Sweden, is embarking on their own adventure to craft timeless AA gaming experiences. The developer’s first original IP Witchspire launches into Early Access Summer 2026. 

https://www.envarstudio.com/

Article by: Susan N.

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Frontier Developments Revealed Planet Zoo 2 at PC Gaming Show!

Cambridge, UK – 7 June 2026 | Frontier Developments has today unveiled a world exclusive first look at the gameplay of Planet Zoo 2 during the PC Gaming Show. The sequel represents a generational leap forward, with aquatic and flying species appearing for the first time, alongside a deeper focus on conservation. Planet Zoo 2 is available to pre-order now on PC, PlayStation®5, and Xbox Series X|S, ahead of launch on October 13, 2026.  

From high-fidelity fur, feathers, and scales to truly authentic behaviour, Planet Zoo 2 represents a generational leap as Frontier’s most authentic zoo simulation to date. Building on this realism, there’s a significant focus on conservation and rewilding. Players fulfil the ultimate goal of zoos and conservation projects worldwide by releasing animals back into their natural habitats. 

Unveiled at the PC Gaming Show, the latest gameplay trailer for Planet Zoo 2 showcases habitat construction and the Scottish Highland Wildlife Reserve alongside the Red Deer, Masai Giraffe, Blackspotted Puffer, White-tailed Eagle, Great Hornbill, and Eurasian Beaver. These new animals join the Grey Wolf, which debuted at the Wholesome Direct on June 6th, and previously announced animals such as the Sumatran Tiger, Hawksbill Turtle and Toco Toucan.

Planet Zoo 2 Gameplay Trailer:

• Authentic Zoo Simulation – Discover a diverse range of animals, each with unique behaviours and needs.
• Unbridled Construction – With thousands of scenery pieces, blueprints, and more, all backed by Frontier’s iconic piece-by-piece construction tools, creating perfect habitats for species has never been easier. Plus, Planet Zoo 2 takes construction a step further with an expanded terrain editor equipped with new tools.
• Aquariums & Aviaries – For the first time, a new world beneath the water and in the sky awaits budding zookeepers. Planet Zoo 2 introduces fully aquatic and flying species alongside custom aquariums and aviaries.
• Dynamic Needs – Zoo management goes further than ever before, with animals exhibiting behaviours based on their current mood. Zookeepers will need to ensure habitats are equipped with water, food, enrichment, and more.
• Nurture, Release, Conserve – Planet Zoo 2 features a deeper focus on conservation, with players restoring damaged environments to ready them for animal repopulation. In the latest trailer, we’ve highlighted the breathtaking Scottish Highlands, the perfect home for Red Deer and White-tailed Eagles.

 

Players who pre-order will receive the Bonus Content Pack at launch, which includes the Toucan Eat Shop and Signage, three Unique Animal Donation Bins, and the Tiger Photo Stand-In Wall.

Dedicated Zookeepers looking to expand their animal conservation efforts further can purchase the Planet Zoo 2: Deluxe Edition, which bundles the Planet Zoo 2 base game alongside the Planet Zoo 2: Deluxe Upgrade Pack. This introduces an additional six animal species from across the globe, as well as a selection of exclusive animal signs to decorate their park.

Planet Zoo 2 will be available on PC, PlayStation®5, and Xbox Series X|S for a suggested retail price of £39.99/$49.99/€49.99 for the Standard Edition, and £54.99/$64.99/€64.99 for the Deluxe Edition. 

Visit the Planet Zoo 2 website or follow us on socials for more information:

• www.planetzoogame.com
• X (Formally Twitter)
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• TikTok
• Discord

About Frontier

Frontier Developments plc is a leading independent developer and publisher of videogames, specialising in Creative Management Simulation (CMS) experiences. Headquartered in Cambridge, Frontier builds and supports globally successful CMS franchises such as Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo, and Jurassic World Evolution, using its proprietary COBRA technology. CMS games form the core of Frontier’s strategy and continue to drive long-term growth through strong player engagement, robust back‑catalogue performance, and a focused pipeline of new simulation titles.

Article by: Susan N.

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PC Games Show Reveals Puzzle Adventure Backfirewall_!

Krakow, Poland – June 13, 2022 – Publisher All in! Games and female-led developer Naraven Games pushed an automatic update of the reveal teaser for Backfirewall_, a first-person puzzle-adventure set inside a smartphone at yesterday's PC Gaming Show event. The high-brow narrative journey full of mystery, drama, and twists arrives on App Stores for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam later this year.

You, the Update Assistant, have been tasked by the ominous Update Protocol with updating the phone’s operating system. But the buggy old OS9, desperate to avoid removal, has other plans for you. Backfirewall_ depicts the torment of programs whose code is regularly erased and replaced in the cause of technological progress.

Explore a weird and wonderful smartphone’s setting, brimming with life and telltale conversations. Navigate wifi’s bureaucratic nightmare or party in the speakers’ exclusive nightclub and encounter many quirky characters, each an irreplaceable piece of personified software with its own rich file history, brought to life through iconic voice-acting.

Backfirewall_ is an amazing nano-journey where you manipulate your surroundings to solve puzzles, hunt down bugs, and use cheat codes in an attempt to disrupt the update. Discover what truly goes on inside your smartphone and contemplate the perpetual struggle between self-preservation and noble sacrifice. Make up your own mind: does OS9 really deserve to be discarded, or is there a way to let him stay?

“We want players to feel like they're playing inside a Pixar movie while also reflecting on the rather mindless way in which we interact with our everyday digital devices,” said Julia Jean, Creative Director at Naraven Games. “If you think twice before you update your phone after playing Backfirewall_, our job is done!”

“Backfirewall_ is a really refreshing approach to a narrative adventure and we are excited to bring such a fun and wholesome experience that everyone can relate to,” said Raul Nieto, Head of Marketing at All in! Games. “Naraven Games have tapped into something with real originality that addresses our everyday connectivity on algorithmic digital platforms and our recurring relationship to our smartphones.”

For more information on Backfirewall_ visit the Steam page, follow both OS9’s personal account and Backfirewall_’s account on Twitter and TikTok, join the app uprising in the community Discord, and search #Backfirewall on social media.

About All In! Games

All in! Games is a publicly-traded video game publishing and production house based in Krakow, Poland. Founded in 2018, the team creates and supports local and international games for PC and consoles. All in! Games’ portfolio features titles such as Chernobylite (The Farm 51), Exo One (Exbleative), Paradise Lost (PolyAmorous), and many more. For more information, visit: https://www.allingames.com/

About Naraven Games

Naraven is a young female-led team based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Armed with movie-making knowledge, Naraven has gathered a diverse network of contributors all over the world to create the narrative adventure Backfirewall_. Inspired by Toy Story, its aim is to raise awareness toward how we interact with everyday objects and carelessly discard them. For more information, visit: https://www.naravengames.com/team

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Article by: Susan N.

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