9 of the biggest announcements from the first Triple-i Initiative showcase
Amid the plethora of video game presentations from major publishers and Summer Game Fest, the Triple-i Initiative is trying something different. This collective of top indie developers includes Evil Empire (Dead cells DLC), Thunder Lotus games (Ghostsman), Megacriticism (Kill the Spire), and many more, all coming together to show off what they call ‘iii games’ – or ‘blockbuster indie titles’.
“Since lettering seems to be the trend in the industry, we thought adding a few i’s to indie was a good way to describe this new format. Moreover, triple-i just sounds cool,” says Evil Empire marketing director Bérenger Dupré.
The first-ever Triple-i digital showcase debuted on Wednesday and lasted approximately 45 minutes with more than 30 announcements, including content updates, release dates and of course game reveals. Watch the full stream for the entire lineup, but in the meantime, here are nine big announcements and reveals from the showcase.
Kill the Spire 2 reveal
A sequel to the critically acclaimed roguelike deckbuilding Kill the Spire has been revealed. The teaser didn’t show us much when the Triple-i showcase kicked off, but from screenshots sent to the press, we know there will be a new class – called the Necrobinder – joining the Ironclad and the Silent adds. The game will receive early access in 2025.
Risk of Rain 2 free update
Dead cells has been a running theme in the Triple-i showcase, and this Risk of rain 2 announcement was no different. Gearbox Publishing has announced that the game will be collaborating with Motion Twin for a period of time Dead cells crossover, which will include a Prisoner skin. The free Devotion update also includes a new map and more.
Dinolords lets you fight dinosaurs in a medieval setting
Dinosaurs seems at first like a traditional medieval city builder and tower defense RTS, except for one twist: the enemies ride around on dinosaurs. It feels like that’s all you need to know. It’s coming to Steam Early Access first, although no date has been revealed. However, you can now make a wish list.
Vampire Survivors gets Contra DLC
Vampire survivors is teaming up with Konami for the Operation Guns DLC, joining forces with the Undead and the Contra series for a May 9 release. The trailer is expected to be full of the frenetic action the game is known for, but now you can fight with retro assault weapons and as a werewolf with a gun. Ahead of the DLC announcement, it was also revealed that the game would be coming to PlayStation 4 and 5 in Summer 2024.
Never Alone 2 gets its first trailer
Never alonefrom 2014, was a puzzle platformer that centered on a traditional Iñupiat story, which quite separated it from other games at the time. Never alone 2 was announced back in 2022, but the Triple-i showcase revealed the first trailer. The game features an original story by an Iñupiat writer and follows a new story featuring Nuna and her arctic fox companion from the first game.
Darkest Dungeon 2’s free game mode is coming soon
Darkest Dungeon 2 is getting a huge update later this year – with an all-new standalone campaign called Kingdoms, which includes new monster factions and more.
We suspect this Palworld arena teaser counts as an announcement
Fans of the survival crafting hit Palworld have something to look forward to. An arena mode is coming to the game sometime this year. The teaser shown during the showcase is… extremely short, but you can watch it if you want to know every little detail.
Cataclismo announcement
Cataclismo is a real-time strategy and tower defense game from Digital Sun, the developers of Beunhaas. The game takes place in the city of Hogar, which must defend itself against terrible creatures emerging from the mist. According to the developers, there will be magic, ancient civilizations and “Lego” style building. The game will be released for PC on July 16.
The Rogue Prince of Persia announced by the Dead Cells team
This isn’t the Sands of Time remake, but Evil Empire, the development team behind the post-launch Dead cells content, is releasing an indie Prince of Persia game that will hit Steam Early Access on May 14. This roguelike action platformer takes heavy inspiration from both Prince of Persia and Dead Cells, and comes with an excellent cinematic trailer.