TheXboxHub interviews

Back in 2019 we heard from Chameleon Games and their plans for release of Tamarin on Xbox, PlayStation and PC. It was one we had huge interest in, mostly as a bunch of ex-RARE talent were getting involved. In the two years since, this delightful looking adventure has released on both PlayStation and PC, but until now Xbox players have been left wanting. But now it releases on Microsoft's systems, and it was that renewed Xbox interest which allowed us to go to the founder of Chameleon Games - Omar Sawi - in order to find out more about the game.

Treasures of the Aegean is one of those indies that immediately grabs you. It’s slathered in stylish comic book art, with a slick animation style that would make Jordan Mechner of Prince of Persia fame weak at the knees. There’s no denying that it’s one of November’s ‘ones to watch’, so when we were given the opportunity to interview the founder of Undercoders, the development studio behind Treasures of the Aegean, we did a full-screen jump at the chance.

There wasn’t much of a drumroll or a sense of anticipation around Rainbow Billy: Curse of the Leviathan. When it arrived in September 2021, we hadn’t heard much about it at all, in fact. But that made our playthrough even sweeter, as we felt like we were unearthing a bright gem. Emerging from our time with it, we had questions about Rainbow Billy: Curse of the Leviathan, and ManaVoid, lovely people that they are, agreed to answer them for us. Many thanks to Christopher Chancey and Anthony Vaucheret-Rosabal for giving us the lowdown.

The Big Con arrived on Xbox and PC at the back end of August, giving gamers the chance to take in a wonderfully created '90s-styled cross-country comedy adventure that was pretty much unlike anything else. We loved it, praising the strong dialogue, the weird and wonderful cast of characters and the stunning art style. So when we were given the opportunity to quiz Mighty Yell Studios' and The Big Con's Game Director in order to find out even more about the game, we absolutely jumped at the chance.

There aren’t many games that are built from the ground up to be speedrun. Aeon Drive, sequel to Dimension Drive, is not only built for that community: it’s got dedicated and respected speedrunners already parkouring through it, setting times, posting videos and creating competitions. So, how do you build a game for this purpose? We sat down with David Jimenez, Lead Game Designer and Co-Founder of 2Awesome Studio, to find out.

With The Addams Family entering the cultural zeitgeist once more, PHL Collective and publisher Outright Games have put together a four-player Addams Family game that captures the macabre but fun spirit of the show and movies, called The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem. We put down our pads for long enough to chat with Nick Madonna of PHL Collective to find out what this gruesome beast is. 

As gamers we've been pretty starved of decent boxing experiences on console and PC. In fact, you could probably look all the way back to the Fight Night series for the last properly good all-round puncher. That all looks to change though with the release of Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions on PC and console, as the Survios team break free from the shackles of VR to provide boxing fans with a new option. We wanted to find out more so reached out to the team behind it. Thankfully they were more than happy to divulge a little more info ahead of launch.

There are plenty of reasons to play a video game, but one of the most undervalued is to relax. ISLANDERS definitely wants you to kick back. Developed by newbie studio GrizzlyGames, it’s a beautiful, serene little city-builder, where all of the usual pressures of the genre - resources, time limits, enemies - have been stripped out completely. You take your time, place your buildings, and keep playing until you or the game stops. It’s a fascinating model for a game, and we couldn’t wait to grab GrizzlyGames to talk about it.

Bringing a game to Xbox, particularly one as console-unfriendly as a turn-based battler, will always be a challenge, so we approached Cookiebyte about how they managed it with Fort Triumph, as well as the joys of getting their game launched on our fair green shores.

The second we heard of Moonglow Bay, we knew we just had to know more. Perhaps it was the visual artstyle, or maybe it was the overall premise. In fact, it may just have been the chance to take in a little bit of fishing whilst getting on with life. Whatever it was though, Moonglow seemingly oozes quality. Thankfully the team at Bunnyhug Games were up for a bit of a chat, happily divulging more info prior to Moonglow Bay releasing on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Xbox Game Pass soon.

Honestly, we were pretty amazed by the reception Lawn Mowing Simulator gathered up at its first announcement. In fact, out of all the sims that we've seen make a move to Xbox, this is the one that managed to build its own hype. So when we were given the opportunity to have a little chat with Skyhook Games, in hope of finding out more about the lawn mowing hype, we couldn't turn down the opportunity.

While The Ascent is still warm from the presses, we approached Arcade, the Creative Director of The Ascent, to see how launch has gone for him and fledgling studio Neon Giant. 

Comedy is difficult to get right in video games. Very few broadly humorous games get a universal thumbs up. But from watching trailers and playing an opening demo, we’re comfortable in saying that UnMetal nails it. It helps that it has some extremely parody-able topics in its sights, with Metal Gear Solid and 80s action movies all getting a ripping. While we idly wait for UnMetal to land on the Xbox and PC via Steam, we caught up with the programmer and designer of UnMetal (and cult hit UnEpic), Fran Téllez de Meneses, to get more deets. 

The platform exclusivity for Get Packed with Google Stadia has elapsed, and it is now coming to Xbox. To give us an oversight of what comes in this full-fat version of Get Packed, what the developers felt about Moving Out, and how the community has helped to progress it post launch, we talked to Marcus Gardner of Moonshine Studios.

Rust has been drawing players in for years on PC, providing gamers with the chance to take in what many see as the ultimate survival experience. But now it's also made moves onto console with the team at Double Eleven picking up Facepunch Studios' idea and pushing it out to console. As that move was made we had the opportunity to find out more, with Matt Philipps, Lead Programmer on Rust Console Edition, happy to divulge some little secrets...