The Banner Saga 2 Release on Consoles Moved Ahead

While the developers originally announced that The Banner Saga 2 would be coming to consoles in late July, it seems like they ended up being ready to push the title out of the door much sooner. With a press release, publisher Versus Evil announces that the title will launch on July 1 on Xbox One, as part of the Games with Gold! program, and on July 5 on PlayStation 4. Here’s the full PR:

SEQUEL TO AWARD WINNING INDIE HIT TO LAUNCH EARLY ON PLAYSTATION®4 AND XBOX ONE

Special Offers and Exclusive In-game Items Also Announced

BALTIMORE, MD – June 28th, 2016 – Stoic, an independent game development company, and Versus Evil, one of the leading independent video game publishers announced that the launch of Banner Saga 2 on consoles would happen much earlier than expected thanks to a collaborative effort between the developers and first party partners Sony and Microsoft. Banner Saga 2 will launch into the Games with Gold! program for Xbox One on July 1st, 2016. The game for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system will launch shortly thereafter on July 5th where PlayStation®Plus members can get 10% off Banner Saga 2 and 30% off the Banner Saga 1 and 2 complete pack.

“We are incredibly happy to be able to release Banner Saga 2 on console so that fans of the series can finally jump into the second installment of this epic saga,” said John Watson, Technical Director at Stoic. “We pulled out all the stops to make this happen in timely manner and shortly after the PC version was released.” he added.

As an added bonus, PlayStation®4 gamers will get an exclusive passive ability boost, the Playful Hilt of Arnr, a hilt of a sword that was said to provide comfort in extended battles. Xbox One gamers will get the Tome of X, a book of catalogued pastimes, competition, puzzles. Both items will be automatically unlocked in the game and can be equipped when a player’s character reaches the required level.

“Launching the Banner Saga 2 on consoles this close to the PC launch is just tremendous,” commented Steve Escalante, General Manager at Versus Evil, “We just had a great launch earlier this year with the first Banner Saga and now we are continuing to grow our console presence with this latest release and our partners Sony and Microsoft. With the additional benefit of being part of the Games with Gold program on the Xbox One, we are excited about how this launch will reach mass market levels as we begin our march towards the conclusion of the saga. Gamers new to the series can jump right into Banner Saga 2 without being penalized for not playing the first game. For those that have, their choices from the first game will carry over to the sequel.”

Banner Saga 2 released in April this year on PC and Mac where it received excellent reviews across the board – to celebrate the launch the team released an accolades trailer which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN1lPeZWr5M .

The original game , The Banner Saga, launched to much critical acclaim and has received several awards and nominations, including winner of the 2014 Geekie Awards for “Best Video Game”, winner of 2014 Game Developers Choice: “Best Debut” award, finalist placement for “Excellence in Visual Arts” category at the Independent Game Festival, 3 BAFTA Award Nominations, and winner of Pocket Gamer’s 2015 Best Adventure/RPG Game and Best Android Game of the Year. The sequel, Banner Saga 2 for PC is available now through most digital retailers including Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/281640/