Tag: Private Division
News Wholesome PS5 Hobbit Game Tales of the Shire Details Shared Meals Gameplay
"We've had one, yes. But what about second breakfast?"
Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game is a cosy life sim set in J.R.R. Tolkien's immortal fantasy universe. It's obviously very different in tone from games like Shadow of War and, yes, precious, even the awful The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. In honour of Tolkien Reading Day, held every...
News Hobbit Life Sim Tales of the Shire Has Been Delayed Again, Now Out in July
Pushed back another four months on PS5
Weta Workshop has announced a second delay for its Hobbit life simulator game Tales of the Shire. Originally slated to come out on PS5 next month, it's now been pushed back again by four months to 29th July 2025. The news was part of a statement posted to the game's social media channels, though an exact reason...
News Ex-Annapurna Staff Reportedly Snap Up Private Division's Portfolio
After Take-Two sold label to investment firm
Following its exodus last year, the former staff of Annapurna Interactive have reportedly reassembled as a new company and taken control of indie label Private Division’s entire portfolio. The latter was itself sold by Take-Two last year. If true, the complicated corporate story would effectively see...
News Take-Two Has Sold Its Private Division Subsidiary to an Unnamed Buyer
New owner to be announced in due course
Indie games publisher Private Division is no longer part of Take-Two, as it’s been sold to an undisclosed buyer. Strauss Zelnick, the firm’s head honcho, told GamesIndustry.biz that the new owner will be disclosed soon. The sale, according to the exec, will allow the firm to focus on larger projects...
News Lord of the Rings Life Sim Tales of the Shire Out for PS5 in March 2025
Become a Hobbit on 25th March
Wētā Workshop and Private Division revealed over the weekend that their life simulator based on The Lord of the Rings universe — the Hobbits community to be precise — will release for PS5 on 25th March 2025. Tales of the Shire looks to replicate the life of a Hobbit before it had to worry about Sauron, with all...
Preview Tales of the Shire Lets You Live a Homely Hobbit Life Set Before Lord of the Rings
Cosy little hobbitses
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are grand fantasy adventures laced with intense action, dramatic moments, and complex characters. When it comes to video game adaptations, most try to capture the feel of the films, or riff on the war at the centre of Tolkien's works. But what if we did away with all of that, and just...
News Future PS5 Game No Rest for the Wicked Opens to Positive Early Access Reviews
Might be a "landmark" action RPG
Ori maker Moon Studios is trying something different with its new, upcoming title No Rest for the Wicked, an isometric action RPG that can be just as colourful as it is dark. The game is slated to launch for PS5 when it reaches a 1.0 state, but until then, an early access phase is being conducted on PC, where its...
News Tales of the Shire Turns The Lord of the Rings into a Hobbit Life Sim
Out on PS5 later this year
Private Division has announced its Hobbit life simulator Tales of the Shire will release for PS5 later this year. Confirmed in an all-new reveal trailer viewable above, it matches stylised visuals with simulation mechanics like home decoration, friendship making, and exploration. Any other confirmed details are scarce,...
News Ori Dev's Action RPG No Rest for the Wicked Gets a Huge Update, Gameplay Looks Amazing
Hits early access next month
Announced for PS5 at The Game Awards last year, No Rest for the Wicked has returned with a lengthy gameplay showcase. Narrated by developer Moon Studios — the Austria-based team behind the Ori games — the footage shows huge promise. It's an isometric, dark fantasy RPG where you make your own character, experiment...
Mini Review Penny's Big Breakaway (PS5) - Unique Yo-Yo Platformer Has Its Ups and Downs
Yo with the flow
Penny's Big Breakaway comes from some of Sonic Mania's key contributors, and you can certainly see and feel the influences. This 3D platformer encourages speed, using momentum to your advantage, and exploring colourful, open levels, much like SEGA's mascot series. Despite the through-line, however, this game's core mechanics set it...
News Surprise! Indie Platformer Penny's Big Breakaway Available Now on PS5
Yo
Out of nowhere, Penny's Big Breakaway is now available for purchase on PS5. In case you're not caught up, this game is a stylish, colourful 3D platformer from developer Evening Star, with many members of staff having previously worked on Sonic Mania. The titular Penny is a performer who specialises in yo-yo tricks, and with a sentient yo-yo at...
News Ori Dev's Action RPG No Rest for the Wicked Announced for PS5
Wicked
Ori developer Moon Studios announced its new project at The Game Awards 2023, and it's a gorgeous-looking action RPG called No Rest for the Wicked. It's been confirmed for PS5, but we don't have a release date or window right now. However, more info will be dropping on the 1st March next year. Looks good, doesn't it? Is No Rest for the...
News Tales of the Shire Is a Cosy New Lord of the Rings Game from Weta Workshop
Previously helped make the movies
Publisher Private Division and developer Wētā Workshop have announced Tales of the Shire, a brand new game in the Lord of the Rings universe. Coming to PC and consoles sometime in 2024, it's described as a "heart-warming" new game all about your "cosy Hobbit life". The above new teaser trailer has just been...
News Sonic Mania Dev Reveals New PS5 Platformer Penny's Big Breakaway
Yo
Do you miss the days of classic 3D platformers? Then you’re probably going to want to pay attention to Penny’s Big Breakaway, an upcoming PS5 platformer that harks back to the era of collectathons on Nintendo 64 and PS1. It’s being developed by Evening Star, a new studio fronted by Sonic Mania’s Christian Whitehead, so you know it’s...
Review After Us (PS5) - Big Swings and Some Big Misses in This Artsy Platformer
The Last of After Us
When developing a game, having lofty ambitions in mind for your project can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, if everything involved works in concert to execute on a well-defined creative vision, the results can be magical. However, if any of what you strive to accomplish misses the mark, each failure shines that much...
News Pokémon Dev Reveals Project Bloom, New IP Funded by GTA Owner
Launching in fiscal year 2026
Pokémon developer Game Freak has announced it's creating an all-new action-adventure IP in collaboration with Private Division, a publisher part of Grand Theft Auto owner Take-Two. Currently named Project Bloom, it is slated to release in fiscal year 2026, which runs from the start of April 2025 through to the end of...
News The Outer Worlds Is Still a Mess on PS5, Two Patches Later
Get outer here
Just over a month ago, on the 7th March, The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition brought Obsidian Entertainment's quirky RPG to PS5. The upgraded sci-fi adventure promised loads of visual improvements and better technical performance overall. Unfortunately, only one of those promises was actually realised; the game certainly looked...
News The Outer Worlds on PS5 Might Work Now, More Patches Planned
Update 1.2 available now
Post-launch work on The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition has hit a new milestone as Private Division announces version 1.2 is available to download now on PS5. The updated port released with a very long list of technical problems, which forced some buy
News Melancholic Platformer After Us Brings Life to PS5 with May Release Date
Green green grass
From the makers of Arise: A Simple Story comes After Us, announced at the end of last year. Published by Private Division, the game has just received a new overview trailer, which explains the premise and what you'll be doing throughout the adventure. Further to that, we now also have a release date; it's due out on PS5 on 23rd May...
News The Outer Worlds' Rough PS5 Port Gets First Post-Launch Performance Patch
Company mandated
A patch for sci-fi action RPG The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition has been released, which purports to fix many of the performance issues players have reported in recent days. The Spacer's Choice PS5 upgrade was released in such a poor state that it had some players immediately calling for refunds, complaining of abysmal...
News The State of The Outer Worlds on PS5 Has Players Calling for Refunds
It's not the best choice, it's Spacer's Choice!
The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition was just released on PS5, and the RPG runs quite badly even in its dedicated performance mode, with the state of the game already causing some players to call for refunds in threads on the game's
News The Outer Worlds' New PS5 Version Has Some Really Disappointing Performance Issues
Frame rate is a disaster
Officially billed as a 'remaster' of the 2019 sci-fi RPG, The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition is out now on PS5. It's available to buy at a slightly-lower-than-retail price, or you can pay a small upgrade fee if you already own The Outer Worlds and its two expansions on PS4. Truth be told we were looking forward to...
Gallery The Outer Worlds PS5 Remaster Screenshots Show Much Improved Graphics
Better models, lighting, weather
Just announced and releasing next week on PS5, The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition is being officially referred to as a remaster — and going by these new screenshots, we suppose it's easy to see why. The role-playing game, which originally released for PS4 back in 2019, has been given a surprisingly...
News The Outer Worlds Remaster Coming to PS5 Next Week with Various Improvements, DualSense Support
Isn't a free upgrade
The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition has been officially announced for PS5. This is actually being billed as a "remaster" of the 2019 role-playing title, featuring "higher resolution graphics, a dynamic weather system, overhauled lighting and environments, improved performance and load times, enhanced details on characters,...
Review OlliOlli World (PS5) - Fantastic Skateboarding Game Is a World Apart from Predecessors
Perfect landing
Republished on Wednesday, 1st February, 2023: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February 2023's PS Plus line up. The original text follows. For a certain type of player, OlliOlli World is just pure fun. Let's not beat about the bush here: this side-scrolling skateboarding game is simply...
Interview How Roll7 Released Two of PS5's Best-Feeling Games Within Six Months
Were coming out "in the same week" at one point
There were exactly 189 days between the launch of OlliOlli World on 8th February 2022, and then Rollerdrome on 16th August 2022. This means little without context, so what if the two titles were made by the same dev? What about if that studio isn't exactly the biggest in the world, without the budgets...
News Industrious Horror Dev Bloober Team Signs with Private Division for New Project
Bloober trap
You may be forgiven for thinking Polish developer Bloober Team has a lot on its plate, what with its Silent Hill 2 remake and soft reboot Layers of Fears. But no, apparently the developer is up to its neck in jump scares, as it’s signed a third project with publisher Private Division. This will be a brand new survival horror property,...
News Revive a Post-Human World in After Us, an Atmospheric Platformer on PS5
From the makers of Arise: A Simple Story
After Us has been announced for PS5, the new game from Piccolo Studio. You may know it as the creator of Arise: A Simple Story, which we really rather liked back in 2019. This new game looks to be in the same ballpark — a platformer with a sombre tale at its core. In After Us, you'll play as Gaia, the...
News The Outer Worlds Is Totally Coming to PS5, Even if Its Sequel Won't
Silver linings
Are you a fan of Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds at all? No problem, because as previously reported, a native PS5 edition of the role-playing release has been rated. And if you were still sceptical of the updated re-release, subtitled Spacer’s Choice Edition, here’s its freakin’ box art to prove it: Obviously, the...
News OlliOlli World DLC Finding the Flowzone Goes Sky-High on PS5, PS4
Second expansion on the way
OlliOlli World has enjoyed some pretty nice post-launch support, with the meaty DLC pack Void Riders arriving earlier in the year. Developer Roll7 has just announced the next expansion, named Finding the Flowzone, and it looks like another great excuse to hop back in. Launching on 2nd November, Finding the Flowzone...
News Native PS5 Version of Sci-Fi RPG The Outer Worlds Rated for Release
"It's not the best choice, it's Spacer's Choice!"
A native PS5 version of Obsidian's excellent sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds has been rated by the Taiwanese ratings board, suggesting that an updated version of the game could be heading to current-gen consoles. Called 'The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition', it would make sense for this version of...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Rollerdrome?
Skate or die
10 days on from Roll7's second PS5, PS4 release of 2022, it's time to have your say on Rollerdrome. The futuristic blood sport asks you to rack up high scores by taking out goons and performing tricks and grinds in-between. We had a really great time with the title, awarding it an 8/10 in our PS5 review. We concluded in our Rollerdrome...
Video Rollerdrome Tips and Tricks That Will Make You a Pro Skater
Skate your way to the top of the leaderboards
If you are anything like us, you’ll have been glued to your TVs this week as you familiarise yourselves with the mechanics of Rollerdrome. The latest from Roll7 is quickly proving itself to be among the best releases of the year, with gameplay as smooth as butter, and combat that’ll have you trying a...
News Play Rollerdrome for Free in New PS Plus Premium Trial
Get your skates on
There aren't any new Classic games to play as part of today's PS Plus refresh, but there is one bonus PS Plus Premium members can take advantage of: a new Limited Trial
Review Rollerdrome (PS5) - Just As Good As Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Keep on rollin'
There's a moment in all 11 of Rollerdrome's levels where everything just clicks. Runs rewarding grades unfit for college graduation are the norm in the latest game from OlliOlli World developer Roll7, but practise makes perfect, and this futuristic Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game knows how to make top marks feel good. The Birdman makes...
News Master the Art of Rollerslaying With This Rollerdrome Gameplay Walkthrough
Lace up for a high-octane workout
Rollerdrome is set in a near-future in which players compete in a bloodsport of the same name, blasting enemies with various firearms whilst doing cool rollerskate tricks. We recently got a chance to go hands-on with the title and loved its combination of style, speed and motion. In the latest instalment of...
Hands On Rollerdrome Feels Utterly Phenomenal to Play
We preview the first six levels
There's a real sense of speed, motion, and style fuelling Rollerdrome that can only be matched by the early Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games of the PS1 era. The second game in the space of six months from British team Roll7 feels sublime to play, asking you to kill enemies with a touch of swagger in between performing...
News Oxenfree Invades OlliOlli World with Free DLC
Available in-game now
Update: It turns out you don't even need the Void Riders DLC to access this bonus crossover between OlliOlli World and Oxenfree. Once you've gotten past the Sketchside area, simply use the MV32FR33 postcode and you can play the bonus content. Original story: OlliOlli World is getting a free bit of bonus DLC by the way of an
News Rollerdrome Has 2022's Coolest Slow Motion Mode
PS Plus Premium Trial available at launch
Roll7 has put out the first in a series of developer diaries all about Rollerdrome as we close in on its 16th August 2022 release date on PS5 and PS4. The first focuses on level design and flow, revealing how you'll get about the skate parks in style all the while shooting bad guys with an assortment of...
Mini Review OlliOlli World: VOID Riders (PS5) - Extraterrestrial Expansion Is a Fun Return Trip
A skate odyssey
We suppose you could argue OlliOlli World: VOID Riders is simply more of the same. That's not really much of a negative, though, when the game is already so great. This is the first expansion DLC for OlliOlli World, the wonderful skateboarding side-scroller, bringing a whole bunch of exciting new levels that spice things up with a...
Reminder OlliOlli World's First DLC Expansion, Void Riders, Kickflips to PS5, PS4 Today
Watch the launch trailer
OlliOlli World is already a banger, and now developer Roll7 has just made it bigger. Void Riders is the first DLC for the side-scrolling skateboard title, and it's available right now on PS5 and PS4. Check out the launch trailer above, which goes through the new features it adds. First and foremost is a new gameplay...
News Rollerdrome Is a Shooter on Rollerskates from the Makers of OlliOlli World
And it looks dope
Here's one we weren't expecting — a brand new game from roll7, the studio behind the OlliOlli series. Having put out OlliOlli World just a few months back, it's a pleasant surprise to see another title from the indie team, and it looks like it could be another winner. Rollerdrome is its name, and you can see what it's all about...
News OlliOlli World DLC Expansion Void Riders Abducts a June Release Date on PS5, PS4
Step into the void
OlliOlli World has been out a good few months now, so odds are you've probably seen everything the base game has to offer. Whether you've stopped playing or are still raking in high scores in Gnarvana, DLC for this super fun skateboarding title is more than welcome. The first of two planned expansions is Void Riders, introducing...
News Kerbal Space Program 2 Prepares for Launch in 2023
T-minus about a year or so
Hands up — we genuinely forgot Kerbal Space Program 2 was happening. Publisher Private Division announced the sequel to the massively popular space simulation game back in 2019, with a tentative release window of 2020 on PS4 and other platforms. Just over a year later, the game was delayed a second time to Fall 202
News OlliOlli World's Sci-Fi Expansion Void Riders Adds New Gameplay, Characters, and More
Skateboarding in spaaaaace
OlliOlli World arrived back in February, and it elevates everything about the side-scrolling skateboarding series to a new level. While the base game has plenty to see and do, developer Roll7 has been working hard to release a pair of expansions, and we've got a taste of what to expect from the first of these courtesy of...
News New OlliOlli World Trailer Will Have You Pining for an Animated Series
Time for an adventure
The art style in OlliOlli World feels clearly inspired by modern cartoons, so for its latest trailer, publisher Private Division has turned it into one. Embedded above is the new cinematic trailer for the side-scrolling skateboarding game, and it's fantastic. The video really sets the tone for the game, showing off the wide...
Hands On OlliOlli World Is a Bold and Brilliant New Spin on the Skateboarding Series
JollyOlli good
Before getting our hands on the PlayStation 5 version of OlliOlli World for this preview, we refreshed ourselves on the basics in OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood. We quickly remembered the challenging but intuitive controls, the ridiculously addictive allure of besting your scores on each level, and the clean, understated...
News OlliOlli World Wall Rides onto PS5, PS4 in February 2022
Another one
Flippin' heck, February is filling up. We'll all be praying for our wallets as January rolls out of view, and one more game has been thrown into the mix. The super stylish skateboarding game OlliOlli World has now been confirmed for release on 8th February 2022. Coming from developer Roll7 and publisher Private Division, this is the...
News OlliOlli World's Customisation Options Mean You Can Play as a Skateboarding Bumblebee
Or whatever
OlliOlli World is the third game in Roll7's wonderful skateboarding series, and it's shaping up very nicely indeed. We went hands on with the side-scrolling skate-'em-up earlier in the year and came away rather impressed, and it just keeps on looking great each time we see it. Case in point: this new trailer, which focuses on...
News Take-Two Has a Trio of Unannounced Ports or Remasters in the Pipeline
More re-releases on the way
Take-Two, the organisation in charge of labels like Rockstar and 2K Games, has already announced a couple of next-gen conversions: Grand Theft Auto 5 and Kerbal Space Program being the duo. However, as part of an investor relations report, it’s quietly confirmed that it has three more “new iterations of previously...
