Finnish indie game studio Dreamloop Games and Swedish indie studio Neon Giant have partnered to bring the critically-acclaimed cyberpunk RPG The Ascent to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles. The title will launch on both platforms March 24th, 2022. 

Dreamloop, notable for its long track record of collaboration projects (including a Nintendo Switch port of Bloober Team’s Layers of Fear 2, a massive five-platform port of Unfold Games’ DARQ, and the co-development of Funcom’s Moons of Madness) has brought their platform expertise to bear in a stunning port that will see the much-lauded cyberpunk title make its long-awaited PlayStation debut.

As long-time fans of the cyberpunk genre and admirers of the title itself, the Dreamloop team was more than pleased to get the opportunity to work side-by-side with the industry veterans at Neon Giant.

“The Ascent is absolutely iconic in the genre already – it’s been great to get the opportunity to work on such a deeply important title and alongside such talented folks,” said Steve Stewart, Dreamloop’s Associate Producer for the PlayStation 4 and 5 ports and Head of Communications.

“We had huge respect for the team over at Neon Giant before working with them – both for The Ascent and for their founders’ absurd body of work – and that respect has only grown over the time we’ve spent on the project.”

Indeed, working with Neon Giant on The Ascent very much turned out to be a labor of love for a studio with such a massive appreciation for the title and genre.

“From the first time I saw The Ascent, I thought it was absolutely badass,” said Stewart. “I knew from the first line in the trailer that I was going to love it, and when it launched I dove in and just ate up the beautiful world. So in that regard, we’re incredibly hyped to be part of bringing it to PlayStation; me perhaps most of all, as PlayStation 5 is also where I spend most of my time gaming.”

In The Ascent, players run and gun their way through a vast handbuilt world in the form of a labyrinthine cyberpunk Arcology situated on the planet Veles. The planet is home to a number of iconic alien species and a seemingly endless cast of fascinating characters. 

Gritty “lohab” roughnecks, slick corporate suits, and cyberdeck-slinging hackers all go about their lives in a world with incredible verticality – from the grimy underbelly of the deepStink to the soaring heights of The Pinnacle.

“The game is just absolutely gorgeous,” said Stewart. “What Neon Giant did with the aesthetics, world-building, and moment-to-moment gameplay made The Ascent a marvel – both from a technical perspective and as a game.”

Throughout the porting process, the two teams worked closely together to ensure that Neon Giant’s vision was as masterfully executed on PlayStation 4 and 5 as it was on other platforms.

“It looks fantastic on PlayStation,” said Stewart. “I think this is going to make a lot of players very happy, and I’m looking forward to sinking in even more hours with my friends as soon as it launches.”

ABOUT DREAMLOOP GAMES

Dreamloop is an independent game development studio from Tampere, Finland. Dreamloop makes games with heart and teeth, and helps others to do the same with co-development and porting services. Dreamloop’s own title ‘Stardust Galaxy Warriors: Stellar Climax’ can be found on all major consoles, and the team has ported multiple Unity and Unreal games from PC to consoles in collaboration with other studios and publishers.

ABOUT THE ASCENT

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 Ascent is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles and PC and Xbox Game Pass and will come to PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles in collaboration with Dreamloop Games.

ABOUT NEON GIANT

Neon Giant is a small team of experienced games industry veterans with a heritage in some of the world’s biggest action game franchises. With our combined know-how, passion and ambition, we’ve set out to create a new type of studio. Our intention is to draw upon our AAA experience and focus on working efficiently, empowering each individual in order to maximise our creativity and push the boundaries of making really fun videogames.

At Neon Giant, every team member is a key player in our bold vision of creating world-class action games that will stand proud and tall with the giants. Small is beautiful, small is Neon Giant.

ABOUT CURVE GAMES

Curve Games is an award-winning independent label working with developers across the world to deliver the best in interactive entertainment. With a uniquely diverse games catalogue that includes renowned indie hits such as For the King, Bomber Crew, The Ascent and Lawn Mowing Simulator, and the multi-million selling smash hit Human Fall Flat, Curve Games has taken its place as one of the leading games publishers worldwide.

CONTACT:

PR[at]Dreamloop.net