Annapurna Interactive Showcase: Solar Ash, Stray, And Every Announcement

Annapurna Interactive had plenty to reveal during its July showcase, releasing trailers for several upcoming games and expansions. The publisher also revealed that it's partnered with a few more developers that are currently working on unannounced projects.

Below, we go over everything that was announced during the Annapurna Interactive Showcase. We go through the announcements in the order that they happened.

The Artful Escape

After a brief intro, Annapurna Interactive kicked off the show with a new trailer for The Artful Escape, an upcoming musical game about a young performer struggling to escape his father's shadow. The trailer ended with the reveal that The Artful Escape will launch for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Xbox Game Pass on September 9.

Neon White

Up next, Annapurna Interactive revealed a gameplay trailer for Neon White. When talking to GameSpot, Neon White developer Ben Esposito said "[Neon White] is structured like a speedrunning game," but added that the game isn't just for pro speedrunners. The trailer concluded with the reveal that Neon White is coming to Switch and PC this winter.

Outerloop Games

Annapurna Interactive revealed that it is partnering with several developers on their next project. The first of these is Outerloop Games, the studio behind Falcon Age. Outerloop Games' next project looks to be a skateboarding game with a narrative that explores immigrant culture and features parkour movement mechanics.

A Memoir Blue

A Memoir Blue got a beautifully mesmerizing reveal trailer during the Annapurna Interactive Showcase, showing off how the interactive story uses a mixture of music, 3D animation, and 2D art to tell a story about memory and motherhood. When talking to GameSpot, creative director Shelley Chen said that A Memoir Blue takes inspiration from old movies, telling its story without written or spoken dialogue. A Memoir Blue is scheduled to launch for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PC, Switch, iOS, and Xbox Games Pass.

Jessica Mak

Another partnership for Annapurna Interactive: Jessica Mak is working on an unannounced music-based adventure game. Mak is best known for her work on Everyday Shooter and Sound Shapes.

Storyteller

In keeping with Annapurna Interactive's tendency to promote story-driven games, the publisher announced Storyteller, an upcoming game where you progress by telling stories. The trailer showcases how you're given a prompt and need to rearrange the characters in the story to fulfill it and move to the next page. Storyteller will launch on Switch and PC.

Solar Ash

Solar Ash got a new trailer during the showcase as well, showing off more of the upcoming game's fluid traversal. In an interview with GameSpot, creative director Alx Preston said that getting the movement mechanics feeling good was first-and-foremost on the minds of the folks at developer Heart Machine. The trailer concluded with the reveal that Solar Ash will launch for PS5, PS4, and PC on October 26.

Ivy Road

Annapurna Interactive next announced it's partnering with Ivy Road, a brand-new studio co-founded by Davey Wreden (creator and designer of The Beginner's Guide and The Stanley Parable) and Karla Zimonja (director of Gone Home and writer for Life is Strange 2). The studio is at work on their first project, a currently unannounced game.

Skin Deep

Someone at Annapurna Interactive must really like cats because we got two cat-related announcements during the showcase. The first was a new gameplay trailer for Skin Deep, where you play as an insurance agent responsible for defending a cat-filled spaceship from attacking pirates.

New Platform Announcements

Annapurna Interactive then revealed that it's bringing some of its already released games to new platforms and services in the coming months.

• The Pathless will release for Steam on November 16
• What Remains of Edith Finch will release for the Apple App Store on August 16
• I Am Dead will release for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4 on August 9
• Telling Lies will come to Xbox Game Pass "soon"
• Gorogoa will come to Xbox Games Pass "soon"

Stray

The second cat-related announcement was for Stray. Annapurna Interactive revealed a detailed gameplay trailer for the upcoming game, showing off how exploration, platforming, chase sequences, combat, and conversations will play out. The trailer ended with the news that Stray is being delayed--it's been pushed out of 2021 into early 2022. It will launch on PS5 and PS4.

No Code

The final studio partnership revealed during the showcase was No Code, the studio behind Observation. No Code's next project will be the studio's "biggest to date." The folks at No Code said they are surprised that players found Observation to be occasionally spooky when they really weren't trying to scare the player--they followed up by adding that they will actually try to be scary this time around and this new game will be a horror title.

Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye

Annapurna Interactive concluded the showcase with the announcement that Outer Wilds is getting an expansion called Echoes of the Eye. The trailer doesn't give much away, but we'll know soon enough what Echoes of the Eye is all about as it's scheduled to launch on September 28.