Video games publisher Curve Digital is delighted to announce that the highly anticipated debut title from Swedish indie studio Neon Giant, The Ascent will be released on 29 July 2021 on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC and be available on Xbox Game Pass.

The Ascent was originally announced during the Xbox Series X Showcase back in May 2020.

A solo and co-op action-shooter RPG set in a sci-fi cyberpunk world, The Ascent is the first title from Neon Giant, a new 12-person studio composed of games industry veterans who were some of the minds behind iconic AAA titles such as the Gears of War, Bulletstorm and Wolfenstein franchises. The game will target 60 FPS and have full 4K support on the Xbox Series X, offering amazing gameplay performance for new generation console players.

Neon Giant creative director and co-founder Arcade Berg said:

“We are super excited that people will soon be able to jump into the world of The Ascent.

We love making games and we do it because we want people to enjoy the experience and world we have created – so we’ve designed a game that lets all players have fun with the element of gameplay that interests them the most. W

hether you’re someone who enjoys exploring every corner, loves exciting combat or gets invested in the story and lore, we’ve tried to put something in The Ascent for everyone.”

Fellow Neon Giant creative director and co-founder Tor Frick added:

“A month ago we celebrated Neon Giant’s third anniversary and we’re so happy to be launching our first title just after this milestone for our young studio.

We have a very passionate and dedicated team and each person in the studio has brought something new and great to the overall experience of The Ascent, so we’re really excited to share the planet of Veles with everyone and see what people think of the world our team has created.”

The Ascent will see players dive into ‘The Ascent Group’ arcology, a self-contained corporate-run metropolis, stretching high into the sky and filled with creatures from all over the galaxy. Taking on the role of an indentured worker, the world starts to go haywire when The Ascent Group shuts down for unknown reasons. Life becomes a case of survival, with rival corporations and crime syndicates looking to fill the empty space. Players will have to take up arms and hold them off. The Ascent begins here.

The Ascent will offer players the chance to step into an action-orientated sci-fi RPG powered by Unreal Engine that takes the genre to new levels, available to play in both single-player and up to four-player co-op.

Features:

• A free-roam play style in a cyberpunk-inspired dystopian world.
• Classic RPG mechanics to enable players to build up their character including cyberware, augmentations and looting.
• An unprecedented sense of verticality within its world, with different levels and platforms discernible within play.
• Double-aim mechanic enables players to utilise the full screen and choose between multiple targets anywhere in the environment.
• A narrative-led adventure playable in single and up to four-player co-op modes.

The Ascent will launch on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC (via Steam), as well as on Xbox Game Pass, on 29 July 2021.

In the meantime, check out the trailer below: