30 June 2023 , 16:00
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Stray took the world by storm last July when it launched on PlayStation and PC. Now publisher Annapurna Interactive has announced it's finally coming to Xbox just over one year from its original release
Stray is the debut title from BlueTwelve Studio, being a former PlayStation and PC exclusive that places you in a futuristic cyberpunk world as an adorable little cat. You and your drone companion traverse the world while evading giant bacteria and security drones who aren't partial to cats as it turns out.
The title launched directly onto PS Plus Extra as one of the first day one launches for the service and blew up online with cat lovers everywhere. While the game received some criticism for its combat and gameplay loop, it garnered praise for its storytelling and incredible attention to detail within the animation. Cat behaviours were recreated almost perfectly by the team to a level not seen in games before.
Despite criticism towards the game it ended up being nominated for Game of the Year at the BAFTA Games awards, The Game Awards, the GDC Awards, and the D.I.C.E. Awards.
While players on PS4 and PS5 are set to lose the title from the PS Plus Extra library in July, Annapurna Interactive announced at last night's Annapurna Interactive Showcase that not only will Stray be making its way to Xbox One and Xbox Series X |S, but it'll be arriving very soon, on August 10, 2023, to be exact.
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Annapurna Showcase recap
Other titles announced at the Annapurna Interactive showcase include Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth – Annapurna's first ever developed title, which is being headed up by Chelsea Hash, who worked on titles like Solar Ash and What Remains of Edith Finch.
As the name implies Blade Runner 2033 is set in 2033, which places it firmly between the original Ridley Scott film and its – superior – sequel Blade Runner 2049. Set 14 years after the original film, and 11 years after the blackout you'll be pursuing around a dystopian Los Angeles as a former LAPD agent whose been brought back into the fold. The trailer was very mysterious so we don't know too much about it yet.
Another personal highlight from the showcase was To a T, the new game from Keita Takahashi – the creator of Katamari Damacy – which stars a young man who is struggling in life due to be constantly stuck in a T pose. Luckily he has a helpful dog companion to help him out day to day. to a T is billed as an "episodic 3D adventure" and has a frankly amazing theme song you can hear in the trailer for the game. Even though the game looks great, I was sold at the words Keita Takahashi who continues to be one of the most wonderful developers around.