Greetings contestants! The air is crisp, the leaves are beginning to change, pumpkin spice is in our lattes, fall is officially upon us.Though the clocks are soon to be moving back, this change in season has us looking at the road ahead. Origins has been a passion project for us here at Xaviant and we’ve been moved by the kind words, well wishes and messages of support you’ve given us since its release. We know that The Culling is as special for many of you as it is for us and we’re thrilled to return to the island once again. As exciting as Origins is, it is just the first big step in what we hope is a much longer journey. As we enter a new season, today feels like as good a day as any to share some of our far-reaching plans, as well as deliver a state of the union as to what’s currently cooking at L’Studio Xaviant. [b]Immediate[/b] Xbox One: Our focus is to launch The Culling: Origins on Xbox One. We’re currently in the thrall of the Xbox certification process which makes it difficult to pinpoint an exact date, but we think we are down to a matter of days, not weeks. We’re committed to delivering on our promise and bringing free-to-play to all contestants as quickly as possible. Server Stability: We’re strengthening our online infrastructure to be faster and more reliable. We’ve rolled out several fixes and improvements already and we will continue to implement new upgrades on a regular basis. [b]Short-term[/b] In addition to launching Xbox One version of Origins, we are also hard at work on a new update that includes quality of life changes and improvements for all users. [These changes are planned to go live following The Culling: Origins on Xbox One]

• Mini-Stagger: You’ve made yourselves clear, it’s time for mini-stagger to go, and go, it shall. The removal of mini-stagger is in its final stages of internal testing and will be included (or is that excluded?) in the next update.
• Showdown: You made it clear that you’d like to see Showdown return. We intend to make some improvements to ensure that it communicates clearly and traps as many no-good teamers as possible.
• Enhanced Matchmaking: The Culling is a lot of fun when everyone in the match has a chance at a win. Our existing matchmaker prioritizes queue times and full matches over making sure you’re matched with players of a similar skill. Our new formula will be unwilling to match new players with veterans. - To bolster this system, bots will be used to fill out online matches in low-population situations. As such, bots are receiving a round of cosmetic and behavior improvements to ensure that they enhance, rather than hinder matches where they appear.
• Early Closure: In case a match is full of highly aggro contestants, you’ve asked that we keep the action moving quickly and shut the match down early. We’re working on a simple method to shave a few minutes when the conditions are right.

[b]Long-term[/b] This is it. The grand kahuna.The big potato. The spiciest chicken wing. This is The Culling 2018/2019 Roadmap. Below you will find a nifty graphic that highlighting our vision for the future. Though not all-encompassing, each milestone on the roadmap represents key, tentpole changes coming to The Culling. Along the way we will continue to optimize, fix bugs, and address any pressing balance issues that arise. Also note that these milestones will be achieved incrementally, not in one fell swoop. So you can expect to receive juicy updates at regular intervals along the way. —————————————————————————————————— [b]Milestone 1[/b] For too long Duo play has played second fiddle to Solo. It’s time for Duos to play first fiddle, or at least equal fiddle. A mutually successful fiddle. Double Trouble puts the emphasis on team play in the wild and in custom matches. Perk up, partner up and take on on other teams in expanded matches with more contestants than ever before.There may be no I in team, but there is a U in Duos. [b]Milestone 2[/b] What is a game show without bonus prizes?Challenge Accepted ups the ante and weaves in new layers of achievement during each match. There can only be one winner, but who says you can’t go home with some consolation prizes? [b]Milestone 3[b] We’re throwing a party and everyone is invited!With Private Party we’re offering you the producer hat and giving you the tools you need to create your very own Cullcast sponsored events.Choose the contestants. Customize the match options and showcase all the mayhem in a brand new spectator mode. [b]Milestone 4[/b] By this point, The Culling will have emphasized Duo Play, debuted a new challenge system and overhauled custom matches to be more customizable than ever before.It’s time to think big and play big. It’s time to Bring the Whole Squad.More friends. More enemies. More match events. More island. More Culling. The future is bright and we’re chomping at the bit to bring all of the above, and more, to The Culling over the coming months. —————————————————————————————————— We want to know what you think. Send us a message on Facebook and/or Twitter and let us know what you’re most excited for. But that’s all of our time for today. Until next time… See you on the island!