Rivals of Aether 2 is a fighting game on Steam that has not yet introduced any guest characters, unlike its predecessor, which featured Shovel Knight. A new shark character has been added to the roster, and Mina the Hollower, from Yacht Club Games, will join the game in 2027. Mina's inclusion was teased at the EVO event, and she will be part of a cast that includes the shark character and various anthropomorphized animals. Additionally, a new character named Gouie, a whimsical platypus with a unique fighting style, will be introduced on August 4. Gouie can swallow opponents and launch parts of his body as projectiles, and his voice varies between cheerful and deep growl. Yacht Club Games has seen success with the launch of Mina the Hollower, which received a 90% rating from PC Gamer and has been praised for its combination of combat and visuals.
Cherry Picker has successfully set up a crowdfunding campaign for the sequel D1AL-ogue+. The core planning stage has been completed, including 20 characters and the main ending. New character animations have been completed for several characters, and progress has been made in art, writing, and programming. The sequel will have over 8x more story content than the original, be non-linear, and introduce new characters and puzzle mechanics.