In late July, powerhouse indie games publisher Annapurna Interactive streamed their first-ever digital showcase, with new game reveals, closer looks at already-known titles, and partnership announcements from around the globe.
You can watch the entire 30-minute presentation below. Honestly, you should always pay attention when the Annapurna Interactive name is attached to anything. Indie games released under the publisher’s banner consistently deliver emotionally powerful experiences, innovative gameplay and/or big name pedigree.
Instead of covering everything, though, we thought we’d cherry pick the Showcase news that got us most excited.
Game reveals
We love simple but clever casual games. So count us down for Storyteller, “a unique and creative spin on the puzzle genre” from Brazilian developer Daniel Benmergui. In the game, you’re given the elements to piece together tales of love, betrayal, and revenge, your way. No release date yet for Storyteller, but it will be coming to Switch and Steam. Plus, you can download and play the demo already.
Coming to all consoles, PC, and the App Store, A Memoir Blue looks like it will scratch that itch for arty narrative-driven games. The official synopsis is “Dive into champion swimmer Miriam’s memories of her turbulent childhood and the complicated relationship she shared with her devoted mother.” Free of dialogue, the game uses music to convey emotion. A Memoir Blue is the first project from multinational studio Cloisters Interactive. Its release date is unannounced.
More on upcoming projects
The world fell in love with “backpack cat” game Stray last year when the teaser trailer was revealed as part of a PS5 presentation. That said, an adorable animal protagonist in a cyberpunk setting isn’t really enough to make a game compelling. Fortunately, the Annapurna Showcase showed that gameplay in Stray (from French devs BlueTwelve Studio) is exactly what we were hoping for: distinctly feline platforming and general catlike behaviour, in a gorgeous game world. Stray has been slightly delayed to early 2022. It will be releasing for PS4, PS5 and PC.
New partnerships
Annapurna Interactive has entered into a partnership with new indie studio Ivy Roads, which brings together the co-creators of The Stanley Parable, and Gone Home, plus Minecraft’s composer. Ivy Roads’ first project remains a mystery at this point, but that’s an impressive collaboration.
A question mark also hangs over the new project at the core of Annapurna Interactive’s relationship with Scottish devs No Code. We know the title will be a horror game though. No Code’s previous releases include the thrillers Observation and Stories Untold.
Release date announcements
The Pathless, a stylish open-world adventure game from the makers of ABZÛ is finally coming to Steam on November 16. Until now, the mystical exploits of an archer and eagle had been exclusive to the Epic Store for PC, Apple Arcade and PS.
The charming, and deceptively moving, I Am Dead is coming to PlayStation and Xbox consoles on August 9 after a 2020 release restricted to PC and Switch. Meanwhile, FMV mystery Telling Lies is joining the Xbox Game Pass library, and pioneering What Remains of Edith Finch pops up on the App Store.
For the record, the showcase didn’t include any further looks at the upcoming Xbox and PC timeloop game Twelve Minutes (with voice performances by Willem Dafoe, James McAvoy and Daisy Ridley), or mother-daughter road-trip adventure Open Roads (voiced by Keri Russell and Kaitlyn Dever).