How often does anyone get to boast that they’re launching three games at the same time? This is a banner day for the team at Paradox, along with our friends at Xbox, Codeglue, and Harebrained Schemes, as we all get to bring the amazing universe of Shadowrun to life for a new audience. If you’ve somehow managed to never experience Shadowrun in its nearly 35-year history, you’re in for something special, and we’re honored to be the ones to welcome you into this world of megacorps, magic, and mystery. Xbox Game Pass players now have three points of entry into this amazing setting — Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong, all available collectively as the Shadowrun Trilogy.
Shadowrun, for the uninitiated, is a role-playing game set in a dark, dystopian future, where advanced technology and magic tangle together into a web of corporate espionage, urban warfare, and cyber-crime. Players take on the roles of the eponymous and anonymous “shadowrunners,” specialists and operatives who handle the dirty work for powerful corporations and syndicates when there’s data to be hacked or heads to be cracked. The setting has grown deeper, more intriguing, and increasingly popular with every new edition and game, and we’re not the only ones who think so; the original PC release of Shadowrun Returns was funded on Kickstarter in just 28 hours!
The team at Harebrained Schemes, including the original creators of Shadowrun, brought this fantastic world to life as an isometric tactical RPG with Shadowrun Returns on PC, and players and critics alike responded in a big way; big enough to let the team build two more games, Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Shadowrun: Hong Kong. There’s been a lot of fantastic new experiences over on the tabletop side of Shadowrun, too, with the sixth edition of the core TTRPG releasing as Shadowrun: Sixth World recently, and the Sixth World Companion book full of new character options just this year!
Nothing makes us happier than when people get to visit this wild, weird world for the first time, and when we got the opportunity to work together with Harebrained Schemes, Codeglue, and Xbox to bring the Shadowrun Trilogy to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, we put a team of deckers together right away, optimizing these fantastic games for controllers and improved console performance. Now we get to share Shadowrun three times over with everyone on Xbox Game Pass, and let new players experience the amazing stories and tactical combat of these celebrated classics.
What’s more, there’s a lot happening this summer for Shadowrun fans who’ve been around for a while, too. The classic RPG is leaping into the virtual tabletop realm on Roll20 with a free release of the Shadowrun: Sixth World Quick-Start Rules! This introductory set is going to be followed by full digital releases of the Core Rulebook and the new Sixth World Companion soon, so you can experience Shadowrun no matter where and how you game, and enjoy this incredible world all summer long.
Tap into our world with the Shadowrun Trilogy and let us know what you think — we’ll see you in the shadows.
Shadowrun Trilogy
Paradox Interactive
The unique cyberpunk-meets-fantasy world of Shadowrun has gained a huge cult following since its creation over 30 years ago. Nearly 10 years ago, creator Jordan Weisman returned to the world of Shadowrun, modernizing this classic game setting as a single player, turn-based tactical RPG. In the urban sprawl of the Seattle metroplex, the search for a mysterious killer sets you on a trail that leads from the darkest slums to the city’s most powerful megacorps. You will need to tread carefully, enlist the aid of other runners, and master powerful forces of technology and magic in order to emerge from the shadows of Seattle unscathed. Shadowrun Dragonfall – Director’s Cut
In 2012, magic returned to our world, awakening powerful creatures of myth and legend. Among them was the Great Dragon Feuerschwinge, who emerged without warning from the mountains of Germany, unleashing fire, death, and untold destruction across the countryside. It took German forces nearly four months to finally shoot her down – and when they did, their victory became known as The Dragonfall. It’s 42 years later – 2054 – and the world has changed. Unchecked advances in technology have blurred the line between man and machine. Elves and trolls walk among us, ruthless corporations bleed the world dry, and Feuerschwinge’s reign of terror is just a distant memory. Germany is splintered – a stable anarchy known as the “Flux State” controls the city of Berlin. It’s a place where power is ephemeral, almost anything goes, and the right connections can be the difference between success and starvation. For you and your team of battle-scarred shadowrunners, there’s no better place to earn a quick payday. Now, a new threat is rising, one that could mean untold chaos and devastation. One that soon has you and your team caught on the wrong side of a deadly conspiracy. The only clue: whispers of the Dragonfall. Rumors that the Great Dragon Feuerschwinge may still be alive, waiting for the right moment to return… Shadowrun Hong Kong – Extended Edition
HONG KONG. A stable and prosperous port of call in a sea of chaos, warfare, and political turmoil. The Hong Kong Free Enterprise Zone is a land of contradictions – it is one of the most successful centers of business in the Sixth World, and home to one of the world’s most dangerous sprawl sites. A land of bright lights, gleaming towers, and restless spirits where life is cheap and everything is for sale. As an ex-con living in Seattle, you try to make an honest living but when your foster begs you to meet him in China, things turn grim and you find out the police are trying to arrest you. And by arrest, they mean to kill you on sight! Build your team of Shadowrunners, mercenaries with big personalities who can fight using mystical or technical powers, and turn the tables on the elite corporate and the police. Through real-time exploration and turn-based action, you will be met with deadly conspiracy, corporate greed, Triads, social segregation, and gang wars.