Game Designer - Systems

Risk of Rain 2: Hallowed Concepts expansion now available. October 9, 2026 Today, 2K and Gearbox Software released Hallowed Concepts, the fourth expansion coming to Risk of Rain 2, for PC, PlayStation 5, and XBOX Series X|S. Check out the launch trailer here. Hallowed Concepts takes fans deeper into the cult-like world of N'Kuhana. To discover the hidden secrets of the N'tormat, players will fight through haunting new regions of Petrichor V, face horrific new enemies, and uncover powers never before possible in Risk of Rain 2. The expansion offers powerful curses to overcome, deadly trials to face, and new stages to conquer, including the fetid depths of the returning Damp Caverns, the villages of the Tenebrous Quagmire, and the sacred ground of The Lurid Basilica. Two New Playable Survivors: Acolyte and Enforcer Players can explore this new content as two new playable survivors: Acolyte and Enforcer. The Acolyte personifies choosing more power at a great cost. She is a close-range glaive-wielder who can chain through anything she sees as she dances around the battlefield, toying with the souls of her enemies and bargaining with her own. A portion of the health the Acolyte loses, as well as incoming healing, is set aside for her to reclaim later while slicing through enemies. Her Sacrifice special brings her array of attacks together, marking an enemy and channeling the power of the Death God through it, ripping them apart in a burst of massive damage. A returning survivor from the original Risk of Rain, the Enforcer laughs in the face of enemy attacks, pairing an unbreakable defense with dynamic, tactical movement and powerful, shield-focused abilities. Steel Protection blocks everything in front of his shield and can parry dangerous projectiles, sending them right back to their owners. Shield Tackle can close the distance and bring the Enforcer right into the center of the action to provide cover for other survivors. Finally, Rally Point creates a shockwave that knocks enemies away and leaves behind a barrier that gets restored with each kill. Conquer the Trials of N'kuhana Players can rely on the power of these new survivors to take on the Trials of N'kuhana, timed challenges that bring survivors into pocket realms, each with their own unique objectives and rewards. Trials come in three haunted flavors: Winnowings of Survival, Predation, and Mortality, where players must endure the pain, hunt down prey, or race for their very soul. A single timer is shared between all Trials, giving players a choice between attempting another Trials or returning to their run with the power they've collected. Hallowed Concepts delivers plenty more new content as well, including new stages, bosses and enemies, item types, music, and more. For the latest information on Risk of Rain 2, visit its website, and follow the game on YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok. Play Hard Or Don't Play At All!

Sid Meier's Civilization VII charts a new course with Arc of Tomorrow update and first expansion, Earthrise. September 7, 2026 Arc of Tomorrow introduces the new Atomic Age, while Earthrise takes players from charting the stars to launching missions across the solar system. Executive Summary: * Arc of Tomorrow: The next major free update launching in 2027 for Sid Meier's Civilization VII introduces the Atomic Age, an entirely new fourth Age spanning approximately the 1950s through the 2050s, with period-specific gameplay, buildings, units, visuals, music, civilisations, leaders and more. * Sid Meier's Civilization VII: Earthrise: The first paid expansion for Sid Meier's Civilization VII coming in 2027 explores humanity's relationship with space and the environment across the entire campaign, culminating in space agencies and missions throughout the solar system. * Update 1.5.0: Later this month, players will experience Update 1.5.0 which brings quality of life updates to the game and the long-requested True Start Location: Earth map. Today at PAX West, in celebration of the franchise's 35th anniversary, 2K and Firaxis Games announced new updates for Sid Meier's Civilization(R) VII. Coming 2027, players can expand their empire's story into the present day and beyond in a major free update, Arc of Tomorrow*. Additionally, later in 2027, the game's first paid expansion, Sid Meier's Civilization VII: Earthrise**, will empower players to reach for the stars. The full Civilization VII PAX West panel can be viewed here. What is the Arc of Tomorrow update? Arc of Tomorrow, a major free update launching in 2027 introduces the Atomic Age. Players are invited to sign-up for a chance to playtest Arc of Tomorrow content through the Firaxis Feature Workshop during the first round of playtesting later this year. * Atomic Age: A new, fourth Age that extends the playable timeline of history from the 1950s through the near future. * Modern World & Visuals: Sweeping urban city architecture, updated tech and civic trees, new Triumphs, social policies, narrative events, and more. * New Civilizations & Leaders: A new roster of period-specific civilisations, plus the return of leader Gandhi. * Expanded Nuclear Gameplay: New offensive and defensive options and units, with a new twist on mutually assured destruction. * New Empire Management Tools: Players can recognise the independence of your Settlements and release them as City-States, giving them new tools to address empire size and loyalty. * Great Works of Film: Film Crews will hunt for the perfect filming location that differs depending on desired genre, and gives variable benefits depending on the quality of Film produced. * Manufactured Goods: Follow recipes that combine specific commodities to produce brand new, powerful resources like Enriched Uranium. What is Sid Meier's Civilization VII: Earthrise expansion? Sid Meier's Civilization VII: Earthrise is the first paid expansion for the title, themed around the historic space race and deploying missions across the solar system. Earthrise isn't just about looking up but also protecting the Earth itself. More details about Earthrise will be shared in the coming months. * Antiquity & Exploration Ages: Players chart the night sky and name the celestial bodies above before expanding their insights of the solar system and their own planet's place within it. * Modern Age: Launch early orbital missions around Earth and the Moon, setting the stage for additional space operations later on. * Atomic Age: Launch missions across the solar system with the player's own established space agency, discovering planetary features and untapped resources which feed back into their civilisation's power here on Earth. * Environmental Adaptability: New unit abilities and technologies enable you to alter the terrain and bonuses of tiles in your empire. New civil engineering structures help you fight back against increasing Natural Disasters as global temperatures rise-and you can even reverse the warming itself. And as your empire becomes more proficient in working the land in specific biomes, your civilisation will earn new gameplay advantages that enhance your abilities in those biomes. What is coming in Update 1.5.0? Later this month, players will experience Update 1.5.0 which brings quality of life updates to the game and the long-requested True Start Location: Earth map. * Earth Map & True Start Location: This new map generates the land, features, and resources of the real world, enabling a stronger roleplaying fantasy through history. Players start their campaign in a map location representative of where their civ began in the real world, with each game spawning a different set of natural wonders in their natural locations, keeping things fresh even on a familiar map. * Map Updates: Updated Terra Incognita and Shuffle map types with the Voronoi map generation algorithm. This will help ensure these map types are more varied and look more natural. * Updates to Resource Generation: Map loading and generation is speedier, and resource placement should feel more varied. * Updates to Diplomacy: Players can use Influence to stay in an alliance without joining their allies' misguided wars. * UI Updates: Additional updates to plot tooltips, settlement banners, game set up, and a new tile ruler to help with city planning. For more details on Arc of Tomorrow, Earthrise and Update 1.5.0, read the official announcement article. Sid Meier's Civilization VII is available on PlayStation(R) 5 (PS5(R), PlayStation(R) 4 (PS4(R), XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, Nintendo(TM) Switch, Nintendo(TM) Switch 2, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and Mac and Linux via Steam. Sid Meier's Civilization VII is rated PG. Firaxis Games is a 2K studio. 2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). *Base game required. This content is free for all owners of Sid Meier's Civilization VII and will be delivered automatically in-game on release. Terms apply. **Sid Meier's Civilization VII: Earthrise is paid post-launch DLC available for separate purchase (base game required). Exact release timing to be announced at a later date and will be subject to change. Terms apply. Play Hard Or Don't Play At All!

Civilization VII announces Earthrise expansion for 2027. Firaxis and 2K just announced Civilization VII's first paid expansion: Earthrise. Per @CivGame and the new Steam page, Earthrise is built around solar-system exploration and environmental adaptability. In Antiquity and Exploration, chart celestial bodies for strategic advantage. In Modern, launch early orbital missions. In the Atomic Age, found a space agency, fly missions across the solar system, and bring planetary resources back to Earth. On the ground side: new units and technologies that alter terrain and tile bonuses, civil-engineering tools to weather intensifying natural disasters as temperatures rise (including reversing the warming), and biome mastery bonuses for tundra, desert, and tropics. More systems, civs, and leaders are still to be announced. Release window is 2027; exact date TBD. Base game required. Same PAX West panel also teed up Arc of Tomorrow - a major free 2027 update that adds a fourth Atomic Age (~1950s-2050s) - and Update 1.5.0 later this month with the True Start Location: Earth map.