Koch Media was at E3 this week to announce Prime Matter, its new gaming label, which will produce 12 upcoming games that span new and classic IPs, as well as multiple genres, including shooters, strategy games, and RPGs.
Like numerous other titles announced at E3, many of these games won’t launch until 2022, but here’s a sneak peek at what the new game publisher has in store for consoles and PC.
Crossfire Legion
Command & Conquer fans should keep an eye on Crossfire Legion from developer Blackbird Media. Unlike its first-person shooter predecessor, Crossfire, Crossfire Legion is a full-blown real-time strategy (RTS) title. Blackbird has experience with RTS games, having released Homeworld: Deserts of Karak and Hardspace: Shipbreaker. It’s slated for a 2022 release.
The Chant
Developer Brass Token explores the darker sider of existence with The Chant. Like Alan Wake, The Chant tasks you with battling extra-dimensional, psychedelic monsters in a remote part of America. But are they real? The protagonist deals with severe mental trauma, so it’s unclear if the eldritch horrors are real or figments of the imagination. Instead of guns or knives, you fight enemies with occult items that enable melee or ranged attacks. The Chant comes to PC and consoles in Q2 2022.
Dolmen
Brazil-based Massive Work Entertainment brings something new to the Soulsborne genre: an outer space setting. Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and H.R. Giger, Dolmen’s unsettling environments instill a sense of dread and loneliness. As is typical of the genre, you’ll die multiple times throughout your journey. Dolmen will haunt PC and consoles in 2022.
Echoes of the End
Echoes of the End (a working title) is an action-RPG developed by Mykur Games, an Icelandic studio. The team plans to deliver a massive fantasy world inspired by its homeland. Mykur Games hasn’t released narrative or gameplay details, but the developer revealed that the protagonist, Ryn, has the ability to both create and destroy matter. In addition to fighting vicious foes, you’ll also face challenging puzzles and forge alliances with different NPCs. Interestingly enough, the game may offer co-op or PvP modes, as its multiplayer mode is currently “TBD.” Echoes of the End currently lacks a release window.
Encased
Set in an alternate 1976, Encased lets you play as one of five different factions residing in a futuristic dome overseen by the Cronus organization. Factions, such as the militant Black Wing or the science-minded White Wing, contain different skills and offer diverse playstyles. Like the RPG classics that inspired it, such as Baldur’s Gate and Divinity, Encased offers multiple ways to achieve goals. The Dark Crystal Games-developed title hits PC this September.
Final Form
Developed by Reikon Games, Final Form (also a working title) is a highly stylized FPS that emphasizes fluid traversal and twitch-based shooting skills. The sci-fi-focused campaign sees you play as a robot tasked with bringing the remnants of humanity to a new planet in a distant star system. Hostile aliens seeking cosmic dominance will try to stop your mission at every turn, but up to two other players can join in on the action to offer a helping hand. Final Form is headed to PC at an undisclosed time.
King’s Bounty 2
The classic King’s Bounty series makes its return after a 30-year hiatus. King’s Bounty 2 is a high-budget, AAA experience built for modern consoles and PC. Like the original game, King’s Bounty 2 has turn-based combat that features large armies of living (and dead) soldiers and creatures. The new additions include 3D battlefields that you can leverage to gain the tactical advantage. In terms of narrative, expect a politically focused story that’s impacted by your gameplay decisions. King’s Bounty 2 drops on Aug. 24 for PC and consoles.
Gungrave G.O.R.E.
In 2022, Studio Iggymob will deliver the first Gungrave game in years. Gungrave G.O.R.E. is an action game that lets you play an anti-hero who uses a variety of weapons to rain death upon his foes. Story details are light at the moment, but the developer stated that it contains themes centering on vengeance, love, and loyalty. The blastathon is heading to PC and console.
The Last Oricru
Science-fiction and fantasy merge in the Gold Knights-developed The Last Oricru. In this third-person action-RPG, you play as a human who wakes up on a strange, medieval world in a distant galaxy. Your goal is to discover how you arrived on the planet, while avoiding death from various, warring factions. Gold Knights promises tough, unforgiving, skill-based combat. Your decisions also play a gameplay role, as they affect the narrative in minor and major ways. The Last Oricru heads to PC and consoles in 2022.
Painkiller
All we know about the new Painkiller is that it’s in the early stages of development. Considering how Painkiller is a highly regarded (but often overlooked) pioneer of the modern-day FPS, it’s enough to know that we’re getting a new installment. Hopefully, it won’t be long until we receive an update.
Payday 3
Coming in 2023, Payday 3 is arguably Prime Matter’s most anticipated game. Like previous installments, Payday 3 involves executing daring bank robberies inspired by classic heist films. It continues the series’ ongoing narrative, but with unexpected twists and turns.
Scars Above
If you enjoyed Returnal’s sci-fi narrative and Lovecraftian landscapes, you’ll find a lot to like in Scars Above. The Mad Head Studio project features a lone scientist stranded on a hostile extraterrestrial world. To survive, she must scour the land, and craft tools and weapons. With these, she’ll solve intricate puzzles and fight monstrous creatures. Scars Above releases on PC and console in 2022.
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