Recent FCC documentation shows that a new Windows Phone device made by Chinese manufacturer ZTE has passed certification. There are not many details on the N859, as it is called, other than that it is CDMA-only and will be running Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango). One N859 has popped up on Occasional Gamer's gaming stats page, so we know there is at least one out there being tested in the wild.
It's a little odd that ZTE would be looking to release a WP7.5 device so close to the launch of Windows Phone 8 (Apollo), as many consumers will likely just hold off on buying a new phone so they can get the latest and greatest. However, ZTE tends to target emerging markets and cost-conscious consumers, so perhaps they are betting on demand for a more economical device with fewer bells and whistles.
Source: FCC, OccasionalGamer; Via: WindowsPhoneDaily, Engadget
This charmingly witchy 4-player life sim is one of 2025’s most anticipated indie games (and it’s coming to Xbox Game Pass)
If you’re looking for a brand-new, isometric, wholesome RPG with beautiful pixel art and a wholesome witchy vibe that you can play with up to three of your friends, Chucklefish has a game for you. The upcoming witchy life sim, Witchbrook, checks all the boxes for indie fans who want a “Stardew Valley meets Hogwarts Legacy” experience. Witchbrook is coming to Xbox, PC, and Game Pass later this year.
Witchbrook welcomes you and up to three friends to the coastal city of Mossport, a delightful and vibrant city just oozing with charm.
Like any good wholesome life sim, players will find themselves entrusted with a cozy woodland cottage and a surrounding garden that is in desperate need of repairs and renovations. Enroll in Witchbrook College and attend classes to learn and enhance your magical abilities, then use those skills to support yourself and renovate your own home and local businesses, and help the community as a whole.
Chucklefish has recently released a new trailer for Witchbrook, and while the game is still shrouded in a considerable amount of mystery, there are some intriguing gameplay mechanics to be gleaned from what we have seen so far. Mossport is alive with a robust city of unique characters, like the gardener Fenkel Blomgren and his 20-stone pumpkin, Gourdon, who players can meet in Chucklefish’s “Oracle” newsletters.
The first Oracle issue implies that players can expect seasonal content, including trick-or-treat events, sample quests and rewards, and a hint of some shops players can expect to find in the city.
The second, and most recently released, edition of the Oracle newsletter for Witchbrook focuses on some of the game’s Spring activities, including a seasonal festival. The Oracle makes the first mention of the player’s potential Coven, though it remains uncertain if this includes multiplayer activities, if each player will form their own coven with non-player characters from the city.
The newsletter features an ad for Witchbrook’s city postal service, implying the player characters can possibly take on local jobs and assist with things like package deliveries.
The Oracle newsletter and recently released trailer also revealed players can travel via broom, as all good witches do. However, the newsletter implies players will likely need to learn broom riding skills and level them up through gameplay if they want to be among the coolest witches in Mossport. You’re going to need all the cool points you can get if you want to be more than friendly with the locals, after all.
Witchbrook offers players the chance to live out the witchy life of their choosing in Mossport. You’re the one in control of your character’s look, the renovation, and decor of your character’s cottage, and even your character’s social and love life.
Fans of wholesome indie games just might recognize the studio name Chucklefish. The small, London-based team has a healthy roster of well-loved indie titles under its belt. Chucklefish served as a publisher for the iconic indie life sim Stardew Valley, and helped port the wildly popular title to consoles. It was also the publisher behind Hopoo Games’ Risk of Rain and worked with Robotality on the Wargroove series.
In fact, Chucklefish and Robotality have teamed up once again to finally bring Witchbrook to fruition. The title was originally revealed nearly a decade ago, and it has undergone significant changes to its look and gameplay loop in that time.
Chucklefish has 18 full-time employees on hand, who are working both on Witchbrook and continuing to publish other indies. The studio proudly declares that Witchbrook is being developed without putting the team through crunch, which has led to Witchbrook’s lengthy development window.
The time investment certainly appears to be paying off, however. New trailers for Witchbrook have been released recently, and the game’s overall appearance and gameplay loop have been significantly upgraded from the original version announced so many years ago. Witchbrook benefits from its own unique pixel art style and isometric camera angle, giving it a look and feel distinct from Stardew Valley and other pixel life and farming simulators.
Players can expect Witchbrook to launch sometime this winter on Xbox and PC via Steam, as well as the Nintendo Switch. Witchbrook supports Microsoft’s cross-platform entitlement initiative, Xbox Play Anywhere, which means you can enjoy your little slice of Mossport on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and your Windows PC. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can experience Witchbrook as part of their subscription on Day One when the game launches.
Your friends can also enroll from the platform of their choosing, as Witchbrook supports cross-platform multiplayer for up to four players at a time.
