This week’s strategy gaming news is headlined by the return of one of the industry’s most recognisable and contentious figures, alongside a console port, a city builder launch, and an indie challenger to Stellaris
Masters of Albion Announces Closed Beta as Peter Molyneux Steps Back Into View
22cans has opened registration for a closed beta playtest of Masters of Albion, the strategy title from studio founder Peter Molyneux. Sign-ups were live via the game’s Discord for a 48-hour window closing at 6pm GMT today. The game is set in Albion, the fictional world Molyneux previously used as the backdrop for the Fable series, and appears to be the same project he teased under the working title MOAT in October 2023, though 22cans has not formally confirmed that connection. Molyneux founded 22cans in 2012 following his departure from Microsoft, and his output since has been difficult to set aside. Godus, the god game crowdfunded on Kickstarter that same year, raised over half a million pounds on the strength of his name alone and still sits in Early Access on Steam with no updates in nearly a decade. His legacy from Populous, Dungeon Keeper, and Fable remains legitimate, but Masters of Albion arrives carrying considerable baggage. Steam Page
Hard West 2 Coming to Consoles
The turn-based tactics game set in an occult vision of the American West is heading to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Hard West 2 follows outlaw Gin Carter, whose attempt to rob a mysterious Ghost Train becomes a fight to reclaim his soul, commanding a posse of gunslingers across a strange and hostile frontier. The Bravado mechanic, which replenishes action points on kills and allows chained attacks across multiple enemies, was one of the more distinctive features of the PC release. No specific console release date has been confirmed.
Worshippers of Cthulhu Launches on Xbox Series March 27
The Lovecraftian city builder from Crazy Goat Games arrives on Xbox Series X|S on March 27th. Players manage a cult across multiple island cities, performing dark rituals and expanding their influence toward the awakening of Cthulhu, with decisions around non-believers adding a layer of moral economy to the resource management. The game launched in Early Access on PC in October 2024 and reached full release in May 2025. A PS5 version is also planned. Steam Page
Final Vanguard Announced
Heavy Pepper Inc., a husband-and-wife indie studio based in Hamilton, Ontario, has announced Final Vanguard, a real-time with pause 4X grand strategy set across a living interstellar empire. The central pitch is that population behaviour drives the shape of your civilisation rather than sitting as a background stat: citizens migrate toward opportunity, flee conflict, and generate refugee crises that ripple across neighbouring systems. Fleets require supply lines, colonies depend on resource networks, and overextension can destabilise entire regions. Ship design uses a modular system with interchangeable weapons and hardpoints. No release date or price has been confirmed. Steam Page
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