Somervillewas created by Jumpship, a development company founded by Dino Patti who left Playdead. Last year, at the Microsoft and Bethesda conference,Somervillewas announced for a 2022 releaseon Xbox Game Pass. The game debuted with a trailer that showcased a tone and art style similar to Dino Patti’s previous entries with Playdead, as the atmosphere evoked a somber feeling of isolation where the protagonist is seen exploring a rural world. Thanks to Microsoft, eager players can download the game a week ahead of its release so that they can be prepared for this Sci-Fi adventure.
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Somervillereleases on Xbox Game Pass on November 15, but players are now able to download the indie game thanks to the Xbox subscription service. It will be located in the “Coming Soon” section of Xbox Game Pass, so all players will have to do is hit the “pre-Install” button on the 10 GB-sized game. Despite the current excitement, there has not been any information on this game since theSomervilletrailer at The Game Awards, which was over 10 months ago. This might be a good thing though considering the fact that the intrigue from games like this, such asInsideandLimbo, comes from the mystery of its story and world. The release date was also not known outside of it being expected sometime in 2022, so it came as a welcome surprise that the game is releasing just around the corner for Xbox players.
Somervilleis described as a riveting narrative experience across a desolate landscape, which seems to give off similar feelings to Hideo Kojima’sDeath Stranding, which just reached a sales milestone upon its 3-year anniversary. However, the experience ofSomervillewill be all its own, as the executive producer is Dino Patti, the same creative mind behindInsideandLimbo, with Chris Olsen, the animator, as writer and director.
However, while the tone looks similar to Playdead’s previous work, the potential themes that may be explored inSomervilleare quite different. The themes of family and survival seem to be reflected by the large-scale threat, which looks to be alien, but the origins of this threat are an aspect of the game that players will have to discover for themselves upon its release. For players that want quick adventures to experience similar toSomervillebefore the release of the game, they can check outLimboandInside, as they are considered some of the mostinfluential indie gamesof the early 2000s.
Somervillewill release on May 18, 2025, for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
