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JJ Abrams' Bad Robot Launches Their Own In-House Game Studio

Bad Robot, JJ Abrams

In a report from Venture Beat, JJ Abrams' Bad Robot has launched its own in-house game studio. The new studio has also hired Left 4 Dead creator Michael Booth as a general manager.

"We were able to put them on a couple of really cool projects back in the day, and I've always been a fan of the team," she said. "Getting to come on board and think how to leverage their amazing creative talent is just an incredible opportunity," said Anna Sweet, CEO of Bad Robot Games. "For me, the worlds that Bad Robot builds are very big and expansive. You can just imagine so many different stories playing out in those worlds, and not just the ones that we just get to see in film or television."

Based in Santa Monica, Sweet will manage deals with external partners on projects while also managing projects developed internally. Bad Robot Games will also work alongside Bad Robot's film and TV divisions on the companies own franchises. Additionally, they'll work on content that can be enjoyed across multiple entertainment mediums. Meanwhile, Booth will bring on developers to the team and lead them on future projects. These upcoming games will be triple-A titles for PC and consoles.

"We want to build worlds that are expansive, and can cross-media but don't necessarily start in film or TV," continues Sweet. "They could start as games. We just want to build big immersive worlds. We also want to build games that are as fun to watch as they are to play. Bad Robot has a long history of making things people love to watch. And so we want to bring that expertise to building games as well."

Bad Robot was founded in 2001 by JJ Abrams, who's on franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Lost. Back in 2018, Bad Robot entered game development with a deal between Tencent and Warner Brothers. Bad Robot is the latest major entertainment company to form its own studio since Amy Henig joined Skydance last year to form their own game studio.

The post JJ Abrams' Bad Robot Launches Their Own In-House Game Studio by David Gill appeared first on DualShockers.

FIFA 21 FUT Freeze Promo Team Gives Top Players New Positions

FIFA 21, EA Sports

FIFA 21 is having a bit of a big day this Friday afternoon. The team at EA Sports has dropped both a new promo and kicked off the first set of Icon Swaps. In the past, the holiday promo was called FUTmas, but the team has decided to switch things up. That means things are a little different. While there is still one daily player SBC, they've also added in a new promo team. They gotta sell those packs, after all. As scummy as the whole process is, the team does look pretty solid. It features some of the top players in brand new positions. Check it out.

Obviously, the marquee player is Liverpool's Mane. He's been converted to striker from his base winger position and gotten a healthy shot boost to boot. Of course, he's going to cost you millions on the transfer market, but he's quite the player. Joining Mane from the Premier League is Bernardo Silva. He's gotten a move to CAM, which lets you use his increased shooting and passing to full effect.

LaLiga got some backline love in both Casemiro (now a CB) and Lucas Torreira (checking in at LB now). Both players received a massive boost to their pace, making them intriguing options. Will we see less Ferland Mendy as a result? Probably not, but a boy can dream.

Bundesliga fans can now have Thorgan Hazard at striker and Salif Sane at CDM. If you can position switch Sane to CB in-game, he'll be a rock for you. And from the Ligue 1, we now have Marco Verratti at LM and Alexandr Golovin at RB. Verratti's pace and shot boosts are absolutely ridiculous, by the way.

The last three players are Lautaro Martinez, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Nani. Martinez is going to be a mainstay in many Serie A squads. He's an exceptional winger that you could convert to his natural striker position if you wanted. Nani might be the most intriguing player in the squad. He's a sick CAM that soft links to Ronaldo. Plus, he's got that 5-star/5-star skills to weak foot ratio that we all dream about. I'm not saying you'll see him everywhere, but he could be fun to try and get in the team.

FIFA 21 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Be sure to check back tomorrow if you need help completing the new daily player SBCs.

The post FIFA 21 FUT Freeze Promo Team Gives Top Players New Positions by Ricky Frech appeared first on DualShockers.

FIFA 21 — How To Complete the Marquinhos Player SBC

FIFA 21 is kicking off the holiday season with the start of FUT Freeze today. That means daily player SBCs for gamers to complete. Sadly, this year it's just one player per day. It's a far cry from the bygone years where we got three every single day of the event; however, EA is always going to chase that almighty dollar. Fortunately, even though it's just one player, they've at least made him interesting. Day one is PSG's own Marquinhos; however, he's been moved to CDM and given a major boost.

Personally, I don't run a Ligue 1 or a Brazilian team, so Marquinhos isn't too interesting to me. However, I know a lot of people will like it because it gives you an inventive way to link in someone like Neymar into a hybrid team. Fortunately, he comes in a pretty reasonable 160,000 or so coins.

That compares favorably to the Sami Khedira Flashback SBC we got a little while ago. Khedira is the better player in my eyes, but it's close enough that it's basically just coming down to links. But what do you have to do to unlock Marquinhos? Check out one of the cheapest solutions below.

As you can see, the key here is to find some players in your club that get you easy chemistry. Here, I've gone with a mix of Brazilian and Premier League players. If I were you, I wouldn't copy this squad from scratch. Instead, find a few high-rated fodder players you already have in your club and see if they already link together. That will bring the price down quite a bit with just a little extra work.

FIFA 21 also dropped a puzzle SBC that rewards you with a Mega Pack today. I'll post a solution for that below as well; however, you really shouldn't just copy what I have. Instead, pick a few major nations like Portugal, Spain, or France and build around them. Given the high chemistry count, it's going to take a little work, but you should be able to build this pack for under 9,000 coins if you play your cards right. Here's what I used after messing around with players I had in my club:

So there you have it. A few simple solutions to today's SBCs if you need them. Again, it's worth switching my solutions up slightly to make it a bit cheaper on your end. Either way, I'll wish some good luck on that Mega Pack. May the odds be ever in your favor.

FIFA 21 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. FUT Freeze will have new SBCs every day, so be sure to check back if you need some help finishing them up.

The post FIFA 21 — How To Complete the Marquinhos Player SBC by Ricky Frech appeared first on DualShockers.

PlayStation 5 Breaks Record for Highest Console Launch Month in the US

PlayStation 5, PS5

According to NPD's stats for November, the PlayStation 5 broke several records, including having the highest console launch month in the US.

"PlayStation 5 achieved the highest launch month unit and dollar sales for a video game hardware platform in U.S. history," said NPD's Matt Piscatella on Twitter. "The records were previously held by the PlayStation 4, which debuted in November 2013."

While the PlayStation 5 was the highest-selling console in terms of dollar sales, the Nintendo Switch still reigned supreme with the most units sold. As Piscatella points out, $7 billion dollars was spent on gaming across hardware, software, and accessories. This is a 35 percent increase compared to last year. On just hardware, $4 billion dollars was spent, which is 34 percent higher than last year. This crazy amount of growth is thanks to the launches of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Besides the PS5's sales, Spider-Man: Miles Morales was the third best-selling game of the month. It's also the second best-selling superhero game, just behind 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man. In addition to the PS5 and Miles Morales, the DualSense controller was the highest-selling console accessory. It's gone onto become the best-selling gamepad in history in terms of dollar sales and launch month units sold. You can check out a list below of the top-selling games for November.

  1. Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War (Activision Blizzard)
  2. Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft)
  3. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Sony)
  4. Madden NFL 21 (EA)
  5. NBA 2K21 (Take-Two Interactive)
  6. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Nintendo)
  7. Watch Dogs: Legions (Ubisoft)
  8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)
  9. FIFA 21 (EA)
  10. Demon's Souls (Sony)
  11. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo)
  12. Super Mario 3D All-Stars (Nintendo)
  13. Just Dance 2021 (Ubisoft)
  14. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Nintendo)
  15. Luigi's Mansion 3 (Nintendo)
  16. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Nintendo)
  17. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo)
  18. Marvel's Avengers (Square-Enix Inc.)
  19. Mortal Kombat 11 (Warner Bros. Interactive)
  20. Ghost of Tsushima (Sony)

The PlayStation 5 is available now worldwide. You can read our review of the console here. Stay tuned to DualShockers for more PS5 and next-gen news.

The post PlayStation 5 Breaks Record for Highest Console Launch Month in the US by David Gill appeared first on DualShockers.

FIFA 21 — Guide to the First Batch of Icon Swaps

FIFA 21, EA Sports

Today marks the first set of Icon Swaps entering FUT in FIFA 21. That means six of the world's greatest stars from years past are now available to earn. If you played FIFA 20, these likely look somewhat similar. However, EA has made quite a few changes to rewards. So, if you're looking for a one-stop-shop to usher you through the whole process, give our guide a look below.

Rewards

Let's start with the fun part. Unlike last year, you only have six Icons available in this first set. However, EA has padded the rewards out with some intriguing new packs. Depending on how many swap tokens you earn (there will, presumably, be 17 total), you have several options available. Check out your options.

  • Ultimate Packs X2 (2 Swaps)
  • Five 85+ Player Pack (3 Swaps)
  • 25 83+ Play Pack (5 Swaps)
  • Base Nemanja Vidic (7 Swaps)
  • Base Icon Pack (8 Swaps)
  • Mid Gheorghe Hagi (9 Swaps)
  • Base or Mid Icon Pack (10 Swaps)
  • Mid Davor Suker (11 Swaps)
  • Mid Icon Pack (12 Swaps)
  • Prime Ronald Koeman (13 Swaps)
  • Prime Frank Rijkaard (14 Swaps)
  • Mid or Prime Icon Pack (15 Swaps)
  • 89+ Mid Icon Pack (16 Swaps)
  • Base Icon Player Pick (17 Swaps)
  • Mid Thierry Henry (17 Swaps)

As you can see, the rewards have changed quite a bit. If you don't have time to get all the Swaps you need for a certain player, you can grab a heaping helping of fodder to help build out your squad. However, if you're up for a grind you can grab some pretty decent players.

Both Vidic and Suker are new Icons to the game this year. Neither are game-changing, but it shouldn't be hard to unlock them if you're interested. The same goes for Hagi. It's cool to see EA putting Prime Icons in this first slate, though neither Koeman and Rijkaard are probably the ones most people want. As far as Henry, I used that card quite a bit last year, so getting him for free isn't a bad thing.

That said, personally, I think the packs you can earn are more interesting. The 89+ pack doesn't completely cut off all the stinkers, but it does give you a much better chance of getting one of the big boys. Importantly, it includes the latest Icon, David Beckham. I'm still not which I'll go for, but there are some intriguing choices here. But how do you get them all? Find out below.

Earning Swaps Tokens

Fortunately, earning Swaps is basically the same in FIFA 21 as it was last year. You can easily earn three tokens through Squad Battles. The requirements are incredibly easy to finish if you've been playing the game for a while, so, at the very least, you'll be able to grab some easy fodder if you're not interested in going all the way down the rewards. Check out the requirements here.

  • Win 5 Squad Battles on World Class with 11 Eredivisie players in your starting lineup
  • Win 5 Squad Battles on World Class with 11 MLS players in your starting lineup
  • Win 5 Squad Battles on World Class with 11 EFL Championship players in your starting lineup

If you've been keeping up, you'll notice those three leagues are the ones we've gotten milestone players for. So, if you've been doing those, you already have three solid players from each league to build your team around. And, those teams don't have to be first-owner, so you can buy players off the market as needed. The same can't be said for the other Swaps.

On the FUT Friendly side of things, players will need to use some first-owner players. That means you have to have gotten the players through either packs or completing SBCS. No buying players off of the transfer market. Check out these requirements below.

  • Win 6 matches in Live FUT Friendly: One League with at least 5 First Owned Premier League players in your starting lineup.
  • Win 6 matches in Live FUT Friendly: One League with at least 5 First Owned Serie A players in your starting lineup.
  • Win 6 matches in Live FUT Friendly: One League with at least 5 First Owned LaLiga players in your starting lineup.
  • Win 6 matches in Live FUT Friendly: One League with at least 5 First Owned Bundesliga players in your starting lineup.
  • Win 6 matches in Live FUT Friendly: One League with at least 5 First Owned Ligue 1 players in your starting lineup.

That's a ton of wins in just 20 days, but it should be doable. You'll also scoop up some packs as you go for scoring in all those matches. As you can see though, this is only eight Swaps in total. Meaning this will extend into the next season of FUT in FIFA 21. That's not too surprising, but I know many were hoping for shorter seasons given how few players were included in this first round.

That said, this seems like a decent start to Icon Swaps. Obviously, it's not going to blow anyone out of the water with the player selection. However, this gives players plenty to do between Weekend Leagues, which is always a good thing. And hey, if your luck is in, you could pull a big boy out of one of the many packs you can pick up through Swaps.

FIFA 21 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Not only is today the start of Icon Swaps but EA has also kicked off the brand new FUT Freeze promo. So, if you've been starved for new stuff to do, rest assured you'll have plenty to hop into this weekend when you take a break from Cyberpunk 2077.

The post FIFA 21 — Guide to the First Batch of Icon Swaps by Ricky Frech appeared first on DualShockers.

Returnal Release Date and Gameplay Revealed During The Game Awards

Returnal, PlayStation 5

During Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards, we received a gameplay trailer for Housemarque's Returnal. On top of that, it was also announced that the game will launch on March 19, 2021. You can watch the new trailer below.

The gameplay trailer shows off the different areas you can explore and the types of enemies you'll face. We also get an idea of the roguelike elements in the game. Several times in the trailer we see Selene, the main character die followed by a shot of her waking up before she goes back to fight. Towards the end, we see shots of who could be Selene on a farm, which could hint at her past somehow.

Returnal follows Selene, an Astra space scout who's trapped in an endless loop on a planet. This is the latest game from Housemarque, a developer more known for bullet-hell games like Super Stardust and Resogun. It was first announced back in June during PlayStation's Future of Gaming showcase.

Over on the PlayStation Blog, we get some more details on the game. In addition to fast loading times, the game will take advantage of 3D audio and the DualSense controller's haptic feedback. For each weapon you use, there is an "alt-fire" mode and you can switch to it using the adaptive triggers on the controller. As Housemarque points out, switching back and forth between "alt-fire" and aiming down your sights will be essential to the game.

There were so many announcements during The Game Awards. Bioware showed off new looks at Dragon Age 4 and teased the return of Mass Effect. We also got updates on new content coming to games like Among Us and Fall Guys. Additionally, Perfect Dark has been announced from The Initiative, one of Xbox's first-party studios.

Returnal launches on the PlayStation 5 on March 19, 2021. Stay tuned to DualShockers for news on the game and other next-gen games.

The post Returnal Release Date and Gameplay Revealed During The Game Awards by David Gill appeared first on DualShockers.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light Review – Step Forward Prince Marth

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light Review

For the first time since its release on the Famicom 30 years ago, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light has been localised in the West. The strategy-RPG was the introduction into the world of Fire Emblem and the birthplace of Marth, who is most notable for his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The game takes no time throwing you straight into the action. With little explanation of anything, you take control of Prince Marth and his army. Your first job is to repel invading forces from a nearby castle. Something which, as you progress, you'll need to get used to as this is the overall crux of the game.

Marching across the continent of Archanea, you fight to liberate various kingdoms from evildoers and ultimately regain the throne for yourself. The problem with the story is it sadly gets lost, most often due to the limitations of the time in which the game was released. While it tries to tell an epic tale of a prince fighting for what's rightfully his, it ultimately fails.

Every story beat plays out at the start of each of the game's many chapters. However, once you enter the battle all becomes forgotten. There's maybe a solitary reminder per chapter of why you're doing what you are, but otherwise, it's left by the wayside.

This leaves every mission feeling repetitive. Although the game tries to build grandeur at the start of each mission, fundamentally you're dragging your troops from point a to point b, fighting enemies and reclaiming either a castle, a throne, or something similar.

It's true that, ultimately, the majority of strategy RPG's follow this similar formula. However, they at least have engaging characters or dialogue to help drive you forward. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light sadly doesn't have that. You can go for significant periods of time without ever really interacting with anybody, except when you engage in combat or visit a shop.

Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

As you boot up Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light for the first time, it immediately thrusts you into battle. The game explains nothing. While to those who have a storied history with the Fire Emblem franchise, this may not be a problem, to somebody like myself, who fell in love with Fire Emblem: Three Houses last year, as their first Fire Emblem game, this is far more of an issue.

I got about six painstaking missions in, fumbling around like a lost sheep, before I really started to understand the intricacies of the game. Sadly, by this point, it was too late. I didn't realise you could visit buildings and just thought they were there for decoration. I didn't realise you could recruit certain members of the opposing forces during battle or enter villages and find new party members. And I certainly couldn't initially tell the major benefits of all of the different classes. Yes, a lot of it could be put down to my naivety (see: stupidity); however, some sort of explanation would have been nice.

My breaking point came during the sixth mission when I encountered the boss. I'd played the game so poorly to this point, that short of rewinding back through almost an hour of gameplay (one of the nice additions to this rerelease), I wouldn't be able to beat him. So I restarted the game.

On the second playthrough, things ran more smoothly. I had a much better understanding of the classes, the systems, the enemies, maps, and buildings. So much so that I actually started to enjoy the game a little.

It wasn't this stressful experience that I'd come to feel through my first few hours of play. I could strategically plan my way around the map, figuring out which of my party would be facing off against certain members of the opposition forces. I could focus on my plan to level up my weaker party members, readying them for the next battle. Finally, I could actually play the game as it was designed. There finally were some generally enjoyable moments. Whether it was entering a village and unlocking a party member of a new class or building one of my team up to be an absolute tank. I was finally having some fun.

But it shouldn't be like that. I understand that this is a 30-year-old game and I respect that. That said, the obtuse nature and lack of explanation will certainly be enough to put off more than a few newcomers to the franchise who are looking to jump in from where it all began. When localising the game, the devs were presented with the perfect opportunity to add a few lines of dialogue that help to ease players in, something which they neglected to do.

Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

The obtuse nature isn't only limited to the lack of explanations either. You can certainly see the foundations that Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light laid for the future games in the franchise. However, in this iteration, these foundations are mostly a meagre brick, waiting to built into what the series is now.

Each of your party can only hold four items each. Sometimes, the game forces them to pick up certain items during play, taking up a precious slot. While this isn't the end of the world, you either need to visit a convoy (which could be located anywhere on the map) to drop off an unwanted item, or you have to use a turn to land on a square next to a party member to hand them the item. However, if their inventory is full, then it's a no go. There is no ability to swap items one for one. Instead, you need to just ensure that the person you're handing the item to has a free space, which causes problems of its own.

You could also only have one party member enter a shop per turn. When controlling 13 or 14 different characters, each of whom could use a new weapon or healing item, meant either you had to be very selective with who got upgrades or had to play the very long game.

There is also no outline in the game that shows the movement range of your team. This isn't a massive gripe. However, it does mean you're constantly spending time moving your cursor, fumbling around to figure out their best move. Overall, these were some of my biggest problems. The archaic nature of the game and its systems slowed everything right down.

Not only did the different systems, features, and design choices slow the game down, but it was just generally slow. You control a lot of party members at any given time. Figuring out where each of them can move, waiting for their move animations, and then waiting for the enemy took forever. The team added certain functionality to help speed things along. That said, even playing the game at double speed with battle animations off still felt lethargic.

I take no pleasure in being this critical of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. The most recent entry into the franchise was my game of the year last year. This is certainly a culturally important game, but going back and playing it now is tough. It definitely scratches that strategy itch and it's undeniably cool to see the origins of some of the weapons, characters, and systems I came to love last year, especially for under six bucks. However, can I truly say you'll have a good time with this one? Unfortunately, almost certainly not.

The post Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light Review – Step Forward Prince Marth by Sam Woods appeared first on DualShockers.

Win a Copy of This War of Mine: Complete Edition for Nintendo Switch!

This War of Mine Nintendo Switch Giveaway New

With the Holidays around the corner, what better way to celebrate than a massive code giveaway? Thankfully — to celebrate a massive update that is a capstone to This War of Mine: Complete Edition — developer 11 Bit Studios has partnered with us to give out 100 codes for Nintendo Switch.

If you somehow haven't heard of This War of Mine since its release on PC in 2014, the game is one of the most powerful pieces of gaming media — getting critical acclaim across the board for breathing life into the horrors and unseen victims of war. The game is so impactful, it is the only video game that makes a country-wide 'reading' list (looking at you, Poland). Now, with all the updates finally on Nintendo Switch, you can experience the game in full on the go.

Check out the video and giveaway link below for more info on how to enter!

How to Enter

Entering this giveaway very easy! Following @DualShockers on Twitter is mandatory for entry, as we will be contacting the winners via Twitter Direct Message. Please make sure that you don't unfollow us before the end of the competition, as that will invalidate your win.

Other than that, the ways to enter can be found down in the giveaway box below. Most of these qualifications to enter require you to follow us on various social media platforms or check out what 11 Bit Studios has going on. The more ways you enter, the more likely you'll then be chosen as the winner for This War of Mine: Complete Edition for Nintendo Switch.

Win a Nintendo Switch Code for This War of Mine!

Giveaway Process/Requirements

To make this clear, we've got a hundred This War of Mine: Complete Edition codes that will be given away. Submissions for entry will also close next week on December 20th at 11:59 pm EST. With that said, the code is for North America accounts — make sure you have access to one of those, and that you are 17 (or older) to win a copy of the game.

This War of Mine News & Updates

This War of Mine has been floating around the indiedev scene since the beginning of last generations, so there's been a ton of news and updates over time. In case you missed it, here are some of the recent stories:

Best of luck if you enter! We'll officially reach out to the winner next week on December 21st, 2020.

The post Win a Copy of This War of Mine: Complete Edition for Nintendo Switch! by Lou Contaldi appeared first on DualShockers.

Dead Space Creator's The Callisto Protocol Revealed at Game Awards

callisto protocol

Very few horror titles have had as much of an impact as Dead Space. So when Glen Schofield, Striking Distance's studio head and creator of the original installment of that series, said he was working on something new then lots of us were anxiously waiting to see what he had in store. Fast forward to this year's Game Awards and we now get our first look at his survival horror title The Callisto Protocol and it looks like it could very well be everything that Dead Space fans have been missing for years.

We got a few really good tidbits about what we'll be seeing in The Callisto Protocol directly from Schofield. He went on to say with the reveal that it is a single-player third-person survival horror game with a strong focus on its story. He also is aiming for this to be one of the scariest games ever made which is a tall order for anyone but if anyone can do it, it's him and his team. And just from the little bit that we have already seen of the upcoming project, it seems as though they could very well make good on that goal.

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The trailer opens with a man in a prison jumpsuit locked in a cell with tech on the back of his neck not too dissimilar from Isaac Clark's health indicator in Dead Space. Something is obviously going very wrong on the futuristic penal colony with a distress call going out to everyone present. Things quickly take a turn when a very disgusting and very unsettling creature arrives to attack the imprisoned man with tendrils from its gaping mouth before he is consumed. We then see an exterior shot of the derelict station on Jupiter's moon and it all immediately sets a very specific and horrifying tone.

This will definitely be one for horror and sci-fi fans alike to keep an eye out for as we move into the new year. The Callisto Protocol could prove to be a true spiritual successor to Dead Space if the track record of the talent behind the scenes at Striking Distance is any indication of what is in store for this new horror adventure. We may be in for something truly nightmare-inducing.

The Callisto Protocol is set for a release in 2022.

The post Dead Space Creator's The Callisto Protocol Revealed at Game Awards by Camilo Olmedo appeared first on DualShockers.

Persona 5 Strikers Pre-Orders Are Now Live for PS4, Switch, and PC

While Persona 5 Royal gave players a chance to jump back into Tokyo this year with the Phantom Thieves, the expanded re-release isn't the only trick that they have up their sleeves. As Atlus confirmed this week, Persona 5 Strikers–released in Japan as Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers earlier this year–is making its way to the west in February 2021, and you can now pre-order the title ahead of its debut this coming winter.

During The Game Awards 2020, Atlus officially set pre-orders live for Persona 5 Strikers, the upcoming spin-off for the Persona series that mixes in action-RPG gameplay inspired by Musou titles. As shown through the game's official website (where you can pre-order now), Atlus is offering both a standard edition and a few premium editions that come with special perks with pre-orders across the PS4, Switch, and PC versions of the game.

The standard and digital editions of Persona 5 Strikers will include a copy of the game's soundtrack with 40 music tracks, a digital artbook, and a behind-the-scenes video on the making of some of its original music. Additionally, a SteelBook edition for the Switch version is available at Best Buy, while those that pre-order any version of the game at GameStop will get a free collectible Joker pin.

Aside from the standard edition, Atlus will also be offering a Digital Deluxe Edition across all three versions that features additional perks and bonuses. Specifically, the Digital Deluxe Edition (which retails for $69.99) will offer legacy music packs featuring music from across the Persona franchise (including Persona 3 & 4), and an All-Out Pack with extra items and bonuses. The Digital Deluxe Edition will also offer players that pre-order with four days of early access to the game before its official release, which will unlock on February 19, 2021.

Persona 5 Strikers will release in the west on February 23, 2021 for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. For more on the game, you can read our full preview of 30 minutes of gameplay from its upcoming western release.

The post Persona 5 Strikers Pre-Orders Are Now Live for PS4, Switch, and PC by Ryan Meitzler appeared first on DualShockers.