All Articles: Killer Instinct

A lot of people were skeptical when Microsoft announced that their Killer Instinct revival would be free-to-play. But the Xbox One launch title has won the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere… so naturally Microsoft is responding with a special retail release.

The “Killer Instinct: Combo Breaker Pack” will be available on September 23 and it’ll include all eight characters from the game’s first season (Jago, Sabrewulf, Glacius, Thunder, Sadira, Orchid, Spinal, and Fulgore) as well as a download code for TJ Combo, one of the characters in line for Season 2.

The “Killer Instinct: Combo Breaker Pack” can be yours for $19.99.

Iron Galaxy Studios is hard at work on the second season of characters for Killer Instinct, Microsoft’s free-to-play fighter for the Xbox One. During this year’s E3 Expo, the developer gave us a quick glimpse at TJ Combo, the first confirmed character for Season 2. This weekend, a second fighter joined the fray as Iron Galaxy confirmed (via their Facebook page) that Maya will also be included in Killer Instinct: Season 2 this Fall.

Maya is an Amazonian warrior who was first introduced in Killer Instinct 2, making her the first character from the sequel to be included in the Killer Instinct reboot. Cinder and Riptor remain the only two characters from the original Killer Instinct still unannounced for the new Killer Instinct. Hopefully, they’ll be officially announced soon.

One final unreleased character, Fulgore, remains as part of Killer Instinct‘s “first season.” Today, we learned that Fulgore will be available on April 9, fulfilling Double Helix’s commitment to the game. After that date, the developer will become the full property of Amazon.com and have nothing to do with Killer Instinct’s future. So what will happen to the game’s second season? Iron Galaxy Studios, the team behind last year’s Divekick, will take over development duties on Killer Instinct after Double Helix’s departure.

Iron Galaxy has lots of experience in the fighting game arena, having previously developed 2011’s Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition, 2012’s Marvel vs. Capcom Origins, and 2013’s Darkstalkers Resurrection.

Iron Galaxy’s CEO, Dave Lang, recently spoke to Polygon at length about his studio’s history and Killer Instinct. He declined to reveal any details about the game’s second season, but he was very forthcoming about his love for the long-neglected franchise.

In addition to Fulgore, Double Helix will also add a single-player Arcade Mode and eight-player Online Lobbies to Killer Instinct on April 9.

The launch of the Xbox One is just hours away and Microsoft has released a Killer Instinct launch trailer that unveils the game’s eighth (and final) character… Fulgore! The cyborg has long been the face of the Killer Instinct franchise and its great that we finally know for sure that he’ll be part of the reboot.

Killer Instinct will be available alongside the launch of the Xbox One as a free-to-play title. Initially, players will have access to a single character, Jago, with additional characters available for $4.99 each. Players can also purchase the “Combo Breaker Edition” (for $19.99) to obtain all eight playable characters or, if they also want an Xbox One-compatible download of the original arcade game, the “Ultra Edition” (for $39.99).

Only six of the first eight characters will be available to download tomorrow. Spinal, the living skeleton, will follow in January and Fulgore will be released in March.

With less than three weeks to go before the Xbox One is available in stores, Microsoft continues to tease characters from their upcoming free-to-play reboot of Killer Instinct. In the latest trailer, B. Orchid puts the moves on Jago through a combination of high kicks and her tonfas. And be sure to stick around until the end as Spinal, the living skeleton, makes a quick appearance.

Killer Instinct, and the Xbox One console, will be available on November 22.

Microsoft still has no plans to release a disc-based version of their Xbox One launch title, Killer Instinct. But they’ve teamed up with Penny Arcade (specifically, artist Mike “Gabe” Krahulik) to produce a boxed version of the game known as the “Pin Ultimate Edition.”

Instead of a game disc, the box will contain a voucher for the “Ultra Edition” of the game, which includes all eight Season One characters and a downloadable version of the original Killer Instinct arcade game. Two “Pinny Arcade” pins designed by Krahulik, Jago and the Killer Instinct 3D Logo, will also be packaged with the Pin Ultimate Edition. Finally, the box will contain a display board for all 16 Killer Instinct pins. Additional pins will can be earned through in-game efforts, though some will be sold separately or available as part of future promotional activities.

The Killer Instinct: Pin Ultimate Edition has been priced at $59.99, a $20 premium over the digital-only Ultra Edition. It’ll also be released on November 29, a week after the launch of the Xbox One.