Hey, hey everyone! I’m Adam Volker, creative director at Flight School Studio, the team behind the 2019 game Creature in the Well, a top-down, pinball-inspired, hack-and-slash dungeon crawler… or “pinbrawler” as we all lovingly called it.

Published by MWM Interactive, our next title, Stonefly, a mech adventure game launches today (woohoo!) and I want to pull the curtain back on some behind-the-scenes tidbits we’ve never shared before.

At Flight School Studio, we like to make things that feel a little weird and different. Storytelling and art are things that we love and we’re always trying new approaches to games to see what’s fun and exciting. Stonefly is definitely our next iteration exploring those ideas. 

You play as Annika Stonefly, a brilliant yet naive young inventor who sets out on her own journey after disappointing her father. The Stonefly family runs the local repair shop, working on mechs and because of Annika’s oversight, her father’s prized rig, Chrysa, is stolen by a thief in the middle of the night. Chasing the thief, Annika discovers a big fantastic world, that inspires her to invent new mech capabilities, all of which come in really handy when she encounters buggos out in the wilderness.

Inventing a world

Annika’s story was inspired by the journey that many of us on the development team have had. Sometimes taking on a huge journey can be paralyzing, and Annika not knowing everything she is about to undertake is just what she needs to get started. Her determination and directness is really inspiring. As she ventures out into the woods, she takes notes of the people she meets, the creatures, and fauna. She uses all of it as inspiration and she funnels that creativity into upgrades and abilities for her mech. It is in her curiosity that she finds knowledge.

In Stonefly’s world, tiny people travel in mechs that glide along the wind and are composed of a few upgradable components: the hull, legs, and antenna. Annika is no stranger to how these mechs function and is constantly upgrading her’s as you adventure through the game. Depending on how you play you’ll be encouraging Ann to invent wind abilities, upgrade the utilities of the mech or find inspiration for cosmetic upgrades hidden throughout the world. 

For example, after being slowed down by silken worm goo over and over Annika invents a similar ability for her mech that makes bugs move slowly while she gets the loot. And, for any fashionistas, you can also scan elements in the environment to change the color of your rig, or even come up with your own cu

Since we announced the next chapter of our story with Evo in March, we’ve been gearing up for an exciting Evo 2021 Online tournament in August. Today, we’re thrilled to reveal even more opportunities for you to play, watch and learn your favorite fighting games as we help kick off the Evo Community Series, a global celebration of the fighting game community (FGC) starting on June 10.

Evo Community Series (June 10 – Aug. 3)

Starting next week, the Evo Community Series features more than 120 tournaments across the globe, $74,000 in total prizing, and more than 100 hours of broadcasts.

As part of this community celebration, PlayStation is hosting three tournaments from June 10 through August 3. Eligible PS4 players in select regions across the globe will be able to participate in these open-format competitions for a chance to vanquish rivals and win cash prizes (details below). Select matches will be broadcast on the PlayStation Twitch and YouTube channels, as well as Evo’s Twitch channel.

Whether you can perform frame-perfect inputs or simply enjoy watching the execution of a tricky combo, this culmination of fans’ commitment to the fighting game community brings together different scenes over a shared love for the genre. Look forward to a record-breaking number of upsets, underdogs, and unforgettable moments at these highly accessible events. Register today on the PlayStation Competition Center or the Events tab on your PS4 console.

Evo 2021 Online (August 6-8 and 13-15)

Ready to showcase your skills on a global stage? Registration for Evo 2021 Online opens today! Entry is free, and aspiring champions in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America* can sign up to compete in the world’s longest-running fighting game competition at evo.gg. 

PS4 Tournaments in the Evo Community Series

PlayStation Tournaments FGC Arcade: Evo Edition

Fight for glory in this pro-am tournament celebrating newcomers and underdogs. Free open qualifiers then swiss rounds will culminate in the winner challenging a pro for bragging rights and cash winnings from a $20,000 prize pool. Gain valuable insight from interviews and enjoy round table talent starring the voices of the community. For details on how to participate and watch, visit: Compete.playstation.com

Hello everyone! My name is Seiji Aoki and I’m the chief producer of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown. I’m very excited to share the inside story behind development of the newest game in the groundbreaking Virtua Fighter series and delve into a few new features you can look forward to when it launches on PlayStation Plus tomorrow, June 1.*

Virtua Fighter holds a special place in Sega lore – many of us on the dev team can still recall playing the original 3D fighting game when it first launched in arcades nearly 30 years ago. Its strategic depth, balanced combat, and realistic martial arts gameplay have stood out within the genre for decades, and it’s long past time a new game entered the ring.  

Sega’s 60^th Anniversary, a massive community project celebrating the most iconic games over our entire company history, finally provided us that opportunity. Sega put together a new team of developers from AM2, the original creators of the VF series, and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios – combining extensive console expertise with a deep passion for the franchise to kick off development on a definitive Virtua Fighter game for the new generation. 

Remade for a new generation

When development began in 2019, we knew there was an entire generation of gamers who had never seen or played Virtua Fighter. To us, 2012’s Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown represented the series pinnacle – the result of nearly two decades of fine-tuning and development. But many younger fans had never experienced the fluid 60fps martial arts combat, intricately balanced and grounded in reality, that game perfected in its day. We knew from the very beginning that we wanted to re-create that experience on modern consoles. 

Although Final Showdown was top of its class from a gameplay perspective, the graphics, UI, audio, and especially online play were due for an overhaul. Utilizing RGG’s Dragon Engine Technology, we dramatically upgraded the look and feel of the game, remaking character models and stages entirely from scratch. Visual effects like lighting and shaders received a significant rework, while modern CG expanded the range of effects we could produce. An entirely new opening cinematic added the final layer to the presentation.

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PlayStation Now’s June lineup features open world adventuring, 30^th anniversary celebrations, the return of a fighting icon and a compelling combination of roguelike and card building. Starting tomorrow, June 1, you can hunt monsters in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year Edition (also known as the Complete Edition), celebrate Sonic’s birthday with a trio of fantastic titles starring the blue hedgehog, battle friends locally or online in Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown and attempt to Slay the Spire.

Let’s take a closer look at each game.

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition

This story-driven open world role-playing game is set in a visually stunning fantasy universe, full of meaningful choices and impactful consequences. Play as a professional monster hunter tasked with finding a child of prophecy in a vast open world rich with merchant cities, dangerous mountain passes, and forgotten caverns to explore. The Game of the Year Edition includes The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, all 16 DLCs, and two Expansion Packs: Hearts of Stone & Blood and Wine.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available on PlayStation Now until September 6, 2021.

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Team Sonic Racing

The speeding ‘hog switches sneakers for wheels in this thrilling, competitive style arcade racer. Face-off with friends in intense multiplayer racing, race together across stunning worlds and work together as a team by sharing power-ups and speed boosts. Pick one of the Sonic franchise’s iconic faces,

Get ready to make your move. Auto Chess Season 12 arrives May 31, along with new Chess Pieces, a new Race, and optimized PlayStation controls. You’ll be able to control the cursor anywhere in the UI, speeding up gameplay so you can focus on the exciting battles.

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Introducing Horn, a brand-new race

Horn are northern nomads who worship the power of nature through their totems. The Horn are natural warriors who thrive in the frozen plains of the north, making them especially cold-resistant and physically strong.

Siblings Sunchaser Servant and Sunchaser Shaman grew up as poor orphans in the Horn tribe, taking care of each other to survive their tough childhood. Their fate changed when Sunchaser Shaman inherited the Sunchaser Totem and was chosen as the heir to the Great Shaman. Her brother trained hard as an elite warrior and was selected to become one of the Great Shaman’s guards earning the name, Sunchaser Servant. They have each other’s back both on and off the battlefield and have never lost a match yet.

Medal System

You can now earn medals to boast your achievements with the Medal System. Equip them to your personal information interface to flaunt them in front of your friends and rivals. Collect four types of medals: Set Medal, Career Medal, Championship Medal, and Event Medal.

4v4 team mode

Ready to dig into some multiplayer battles? Get ready for the new 4v4 team mode. Eight players are divided into two teams of four, and the team with the most points wins. Players earn match points based on their ranking, and team points are the sum of all members’ match points. Make sure not to get knocked out – if all your team members get eliminated, you lose!

Season 12 Chess Pass and Senior Pass

S12 kicks off with the introduction of an all new theme: Sleepless Night.

Open the Sleepless Cube for the chance to get the Purple Skin Dark Musician or Orange Skin Rhythm Musi