Update 15/06/2026: A report from The Verge claims that Ninja Theory is being shut down by Xbox, and that the next-best hope for the studio's future would be for it to find another studio to acquire it. The report reiterates that Compulsion and Double-Fine remain in negotiations to spin-off as independents, though that is seemingly not an option for Ninja Theory. This comes a little more than a week after Ninja Theory revealed the next entry in its Hellblade series, Senua, a game that we may never get to play, if the studio is ultimately shuttered. Original Story: The scale […]
Ever since Bloomberg's report that there would be layoffs at Xbox at the end of the month, the entire video game industry has been on high alert. Waiting in horror to see how bad the layoffs would be this time, with initial claims pointing to them being potentially as bad as when Microsoft laid off 1,900 employees at Xbox and shuttered Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin in 2024. Or perhaps even as bad as the layoffs last year, which cut 9,000 employees across Microsoft and also drastically impacted the Xbox division. Today, we're hearing more bad news that is starting […]
Update 15/06/2026: Kotaku's report (linked below) has been updated to claim that leadership at Compulsion is "in negotiations" with Microsoft over the studio's fate, though any details and decisions have not been shared. Original Story: Shortly after a report from Bloomberg claimed Xbox was planning more mass layoffs for the end of June 2026, a report from The Verge added that those layoffs could also include studio closures. Now, a new claim from Mike Straw, a reporter at Insider-Gaming, adds that at least two of the studios concerned for their safety are Compulsion Games in Montreal, makers of last year's […]
The Canadian Game Awards 2026 have come and gone to finally close out the awards season for 2025, and while its regional restrictions meant this was one awards show that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 couldn't run away with, it did have a singular game dominating the night. South of Midnight was the clear winner of the evening, taking home seven awards, including the biggest award of the night. Compulsion Games' story-driven adventure won in almost every category it was nominated in, save for Innovation in Accessibility, which Assassin's Creed Shadows took home as its singular win of the night. Compulsion […]
Compulsion Games is one of the more interesting studios to have been swept up by Microsoft during the company’s big developer spending spree from years gone by, with the previously-indie studio known best for creating the somewhat-mixed We Happy Few. In the wake of the team’s most recent release ‘South of Midnight’ Compulsion Games have confirmed that they are currently working on a brand new IP.
While relatively little can be gleaned from the jobs themselves, the post concludes with a slight tease for what Compulsion Games is working on, stating: “It's the same, wonderful group of people to work with. A fascinating, intriguing, brand new IP.”
While neither We Happy Few nor South of Midnight were the most popular of releases, it is still interesting nonetheless to see the team opting to create another brand new IP for the 4th time in a row.
Going from We Happy Few to South of Midnight, Compulsion Games are clearly improving with each new release. As such, here’s to hoping that 3rd time’s the charm and that whatever they are currently working on winds up putting the studio on the map.
KitGuru says: What do you think of Compulsion's output? Are you hopeful for this new IP? What direction would you like to see the team head in? Let us know down below.
At the tail-end of last year, Microsoft and Compulsion Games announced that the first-party Xbox console exclusive South of Midnight would be coming to the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 in Spring of 2026. With the season almost upon us, South of Midnight’s multi-platform release date has now been revealed, with the game officially arriving later this month.
Making the announcement via a new ‘Critical Acclaim Trailer’ the team at Compulsion Games officially confirmed that South of Midnight will arrive on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 on the 31st of March – one week ahead of the game’s 1st anniversary.
For the uninitiated, South of Midnight is the first project from studio Compulsion Games since they were acquired by Microsoft back in 2018. Arriving in April of last year, the game was praised for its music, storytelling and art design, but was unfortunately hampered by repetitive gameplay and combat in particular.
So far, details surrounding the PS5 and Switch 2 versions remain light, with no price being provided – though we do know the game will offer both a Standard and Weaver’s Edition; the latter of which simply comes with a digital artbook; soundtrack; documentary and other bonus bits of media.
In terms of specifications, nothing was shared, although the PlayStation Store page does confirm that the game is PS5 Pro Enhanced. For context, the Series X version of the game ran internally between 1080p and 4K at 60fps, with the Series S arriving at between 540p to 1080p – and so expect the PS5 and Switch 2 to land in a similar ballpark.
Regardless, while not for everyone, South of Midnight occupies a particular spot within the wider games industry, and so it is exciting to see the game coming to additional platforms where it can hopefully reach new audiences.
KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to South of Midnight? What do you think of its unique stop motion aesthetic? How much do you reckon the game will cost? Let us know down below.
After confirming that South of Midnight would be coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in Spring 2026 a few hours ahead of The Game Awards 2025, developer Compulsion Games has confirmed that its previously Xbox Series console exclusive will arrive on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 later this month on March 31, 2026. The release date for the new versions of the game came with a new trailer, which you can see below. After Avowed, Compulsion Games' South of Midnight was the next major release from an Xbox Game Studios team to hit shelves last year. Now, it'll […]
Login
