What you can already play: REANIMAL's DLC and a samurai CRPG
THQ Nordic held its annual showcase yesterday and opened with a bang: The Prisoner, the first DLC for REANIMAL, the horror game from Tarsier Studios —the creators of Little Nightmares—, is available right now on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2 and PC. It adds two playable characters, the Soldier and the Prisoner, and it's the first of three planned DLCs, included in the Season Pass or sold separately.
The day's other launch was one we already knew well: Expeditions: Samurai, the turn-based CRPG set in feudal Japan, entered Early Access at €29.99 with a 34% discount if you grab it before August 14. We gave it its own coverage a few days ago, so if samurai with spreadsheets are your thing, you know where to start.
The dates: Way of the Hunter 2 in September and the full Gothic trilogy
On the dates front, the biggest is Way of the Hunter 2: its 1.0 version hits PC and debuts on PS5 and Xbox Series on September 29, with two new regions —North America and an African reserve— and gear from real hunting brands. Pre-ordering gets you the Heirloom Pack DLC.
Nostalgics are well served too: the complete Gothic Classic trilogy lands on consoles at €29.99 per entry. The first is available now, Gothic II Complete Classic arrives September 29 and Gothic III Classic closes things out on November 24, the latter also on Switch 2. And as a musical extra, Let's Sing 2027 and Let's Sing ABBA —with 32 hits from the Swedish legends— will get families singing on November 3.
Titan Quest II goes necromancer and Goldman boasts half a million wishlists
Among the updates, the one closest to home: Titan Quest II launches the Spirit mastery right now, turning your hero into a life-and-death spellcaster able to raise armies of your own. The Greek action RPG keeps growing in Early Access, and it's 30% off in the showcase sale, running until August 14 on Steam.
There was room for what's coming, too: The Eternal Life of Goldman, the hand-drawn platformer, boasted of passing half a million wishlists and confirmed a day-one Game Pass launch; Ashborne Games unveiled The Guild – Europa 1410, the return of the veteran medieval dynasty sim; and DigixArt dropped the show's little bomb: its next game will be set in the Road 96 universe. No title, no date, nothing else. Pure bait, and it worked.
My read: a cunning appetizer before Cologne
My impression? A solidly above-average showcase, no world-shaking bomb but with something to be thankful for: almost everything shown has a date or is already available. In the era of trailers three years out, a publisher selling things playable today is almost a revolutionary act.
And watch the calendar, because here's the trick: THQ Nordic fired its artillery two weeks before the biggest Gamescom in history, securing its week of headlines before Cologne swallows everything. Smart play. The next stop is August 25, and there we'll see whether yesterday was the appetizer or already the main course.
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