South of Midnight from We Happy Few developer revealed at Xbox Games Showcase

South of Midnight is an upcoming action-adventure game that was revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, 2023. It is developed by Compulsion Games, best known for their provocative dystopic immersive sim "We Happy Few," which was a whimsical dive into an Art Deco 1960's English city-state gone awry into the uncanny valley.

On the contrary, Compulsion Games' latest project seems to cast its sight on the American Deep South. The reveal trailer for the game opens in a muddy fishing village in some Mississippi creek. This time, The artistic direction seems to incorporate claymation into the Tim Burton-esque character design that the developer's previous work seems to have leaned towards.

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When is South of Midnight releasing? Expected release date and gameplay

The two-minute-long featurette that Compulsion Games had on display for the Xbox Games Showcase was only a first look at the game. The vagueness of its scope makes it difficult to estimate how long the development might take and when we will get to play the game. The release date for South of Midnight remains TBA and will likely not be this year.

This is not Compulsion Games' first foray into an action-adventure game. Their first original release, Contrast, was an art nouveau romp through a linear narrative with interesting puzzle-platformer mechanics. Before that, the external projects that the developer has worked on also includes the first Darksiders game. Their staff has also doubled since We Happy Few.

This is the developer's first project since their acquisition by Microsoft. As such, the game will not have an early access, as Compulsion Games' Naila Hadjas noted previously in an interview with Xbox Squad. She also clarified that the game will be chiefly a narrative-focused experience.

It will have third-person combat, and the nature of the trailer heavily implies boss battles with magical beasts a la Monster Hunter. Compulsion Games founder Guillaume Provost is of Arkane Studios pedigree, so a fleshed-out combat system is well within expectations.

The protagonist, Hazel, is shown to wield magic at the end of the trailer. It is apparent, however, that the hauntingly beautiful atmosphere and the sense of awe in its magic realist depiction of the Deep South will take center stage as the game's unique selling point.

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Is South of Midnight coming to Game Pass Day 1?

South of Midnight was the second game featured in this year's Xbox Games Showcase. Like most other games at the expo, it will have day-one access in all tiers of Game Pass, Xbox's subscription-based live service.

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Is South of Midnight exclusive to Xbox and PC?

South of Midnight is confirmed to be available for Xbox Series X/S and Windows (Steam) on launch. Whether it will be available on other consoles, including PlayStation 5, is unknown at this point.