Xbox’s Winter Demo Fest arrives next week with a rebranding and fresh access to one of the most interesting indies coming in 2025

Xbox's Winter Demo Fest arrives next week with a rebranding and fresh access to one of the most interesting indies coming in 2025

What you need to know

  • A little more than a year ago, Ocean Drive Studio unveiled its upcoming top-down twin-stick roguelike shooter, Blackout Protocol.
  • Since its launch into Early Access, the game has undergone a rebranding, and Ocean Drive Studio continues to share roadmaps for the game’s updates with continued development through 2025.
  • Now called Section 13, the game still features the same premise of an internal containment breach at a secretive corporation, with players taking on the role of the employees unlucky enough to be sent to deal with it.
  • A demo for Section 13 is set to be accessible via the Xbox Dashboard during the Xbox Indie Winter Games Fest demo event, starting December 10 to December 31.

As a seasoned analyst with decades of gaming experience under my belt, I must say that the ongoing development of Section 13 (formerly known as Blackout Protocol) by Ocean Drive Studio is nothing short of intriguing. With its roots firmly planted in the top-down twin-stick roguelike shooter genre, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a game that combines charm and cosmic horrors so effectively.


Ocean Drive Studio and Kakao Games have revealed some exciting news about their upcoming early access game, Section 13. They’ve announced that a playable demo of the game will be available on Xbox as part of the Winter Games Fest demo event hosted by Xbox Indie. This event is scheduled to take place from December 10th to December 30th. During this period, demos of various games can be found exclusively for a limited time on the Xbox Dashboard.

In the summer of 2023, Ocean Drive Studio unveiled a project titled Blackout Protocol that was in production. The game’s launch trailer exuded appeal, depicting a clandestine agency beset by entities that could be nothing other than cosmic terrors. A small band of valiant volunteers from the company’s ranks stepped forward to confront the nightmares hidden within the research facilities.

Teams of players can either join forces to battle or run away from the onslaught of enemies who’ve overrun the office, and it’s crucial they persistently strive to stay alive. If they don’t, it may mean extra paperwork for HR, but in this line of work, death is an inevitable aspect.

Section 13, previously called Blackout Protocol, was launched on Steam last year in Early Access. Now it’s playable and costs $13 on Steam. You can even try a free demo there! The roadmap for future updates of Section 13 can be found on its Steam page, outlining plans for early 2025.

Ocean Drive Studios has planned several updates for their game, including:

In simple terms, Section 13 is Steam Deck compatible and works with controllers on PC at present. The Xbox demo will become available starting December 10th. As of now, there’s no word on when the full version might be released. An initial release date in early 2025 was tentatively scheduled, but it appears to have been delayed until Winter 2025. This darkly amusing and somewhat frightening cooperative adventure may not exit early access before winter.

Ocean Drive Studio, a branch of Kakao Games, is known for its past release of the turn-based tactical RPG, Lost Eidolons. The sequel, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch, debuted in Early Access on Steam this November. Additionally, the studio has also launched God Save Birmingham, a sandbox survival game, and an action RPG based on the Sword Master Youngest Son IP. Previously, Kakao Games, the publisher behind Section 13, has been associated with publishing popular titles such as Black Desert Online by Pearl Abyss, PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds by Krafton, and Guardian Tales by Kong Studios.

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2024-12-06 13:09