We have just pushed out a required update to Killing Floor. This brings the game to version 1036.

Additions:
<ul>
<li> Updated Abusement Park - Find the entrance to Hellride and Pop a Clot</li>
</ul>

Both clients and servers will need to update.

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The Killing Floor Summer Sideshow event is back for a limited time and
starts right now!! Knowing just how much fun everyone has had with
Killing Floor special events, we could hardly let the Summer pass
without celebrating it in true Killing Floor style. So all your
favorite Summer Sideshow freaks are back, with the addition of a new
map, new achievements, new weapons all for free to anyone that owns the
game. We've also cooked up new playable DLC characters for you and
created our craziest trailer to date - think Killing Floor monster
truck rally commercial style!

The new free content starts with the map Hellride - a cute little
carnival ride through Heaven and Hell only the monsters on this ride
are real. The event also brings 5 new weapons for you, also free. For
all those of you who like to collect the playable characters, Steampunk
Mr Foster can now be unlocked again, but only for the duration of the
event. Also included is a brand new DLC pack of 4 playable characters -
the Urban Nightmare crew.

On top of that, we're introducing Harold Lott, a tribute to the whole
Loadsamoney generation and bastion of 1980s taste. Not only can you all
run around shouting "Money, money, money" in-game - with Harold's
special particle effect, you will be able to leave your own trail of
dosh all over the place!

The event runs from 5th July through 23rd July, so make the most of it!

We've got a new trailer for you, so check it out. And don't forget the
new web page at: <a href="http://www.killingfloorthegame.com/summer2012/">http://www.killingfloorthegame.com/summer2012/</a> .

Summer Sideshow Event Details
<ul>
<li>Free for everyone that owns Killing Floor – auto downloaded through
Steam</li>
<li>All new level – Hellride - experience heaven and hell as you follow
the course of this doomed carnival ride</li>
<li>All creatures in game replaced with freak-shows themed monsters
including Pukey the Clown and his side-kick, the Fleshclown</li>
<li>16 new Summer Sideshow achievements return only for the duration of
the event</li>
<li>9 All new achievements added</li>
<li>5 new official weapons - the IJC community weapon pack has been
polished up and made an official part of the game</li>
<li>Steampunk Mr Foster” playable character Unlockable again for the
duration of the event</li>
<li> New DLC Character Pack - "Urban Nightmare"</li>
</ul>

For all the details on the Summer Sideshow event visit the event web
page at: <a href="http://www.killingfloorthegame.com/summer2012/">http://www.killingfloorthegame.com/summer2012/</a> . Killing
Floor is available now on Steam
(<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/1250/">http://store.steampowered.com/app/1250/</a> ), all major digital outlets
and in stores across the world. Don't forget to check out the new
trailer, share it with all your friends, force them to watch it over
and over again... well you get the idea! The Summer Sideshow event only
lasts until 23rd July, so don't miss your chance to experience the
gaming event of the summer!

Here we are, 5 days after the initial unveiling of the Killing Floor Gold packaging and the introduction of Female Characters to the game. Much has been said in this short period of time, and we have been listening. But first, lets look at the history of these characters.

Downloadable character packs started as an experiment for Killing Floor. When we created them we had no idea they would become the runaway hit that they have. But to this day, we as a company have looked at them and treated them as extra completely unnecessary content, not gameplay content. These were items players could obtain at a minimal extra cost to help them stand out (or just support further KF development) for a minimal additional cost. Being as they are still something fairly new to us, we have experimented with them even further since their release. Our commitment to keep updating Killing Floor with additional content for free remains unchanged.

Over time we have seen the community pick and choose their favorite characters, and ask for even more. There have also been those who have gone out of their way to obtain every available character, such as the exclusive The Ball character who was available as a pre-order only bonus. This was a reward for those who took a leap of faith on The Ball sight unseen. We made a promise to those who did pre-order that it would be theirs and theirs alone. We have stood by that promise. For Red Orchestra 2, we again introduced exclusive characters for those that obtained the digital deluxe edition (not making it time limited based on feedback from the The Ball character), and even allowed the ability to upgrade your version to DD after purchase.

Which leads us to where we stand today. Thanks to Iceberg Interactive, our European distribution partner, we were able to go ahead and create both the tech and voices required. As such, they have an exclusive on the very first character, so that they can recoup the costs through their retail outlets. We can then use all of that tech moving forward to introduce additional female characters for the community as DLC and/or as unlockables during special events.

But both we and Iceberg have heard the community's request on Ash. We weren't expecting such a surge of interest from the existing player base, so, Iceberg have offered to let us release her as DLC, after their retailers have had a short period of exclusivity. This way, the Gold Edition is a good deal for those who don't yet have the game - and retailers get a limited-time exclusive. We'll release her as DLC in August at $4.99 (base US price) for the special character plus the voicepack. And, for good measure, we'll donate 20% of the proceeds to charity as a bit of a penance for not realizing quite how much extra characters matter to people!

Well, here is a reason to give big thanks to Iceberg Interactive over in Europe. We’ve talked about special editions. we’ve talked about adding playable female characters – and we’ve talked about new voicepacks. So, with over 1 million units sold and some assistance from Iceberg, we now have… a Killing Floor Gold Boxed Edition, with an exclusive FEMALE playable character, along with voice work in English, French and German for her. Their full news post is on their website – <a href="http://www.iceberg-interactive.com/news-mainmenu-33/1-latest/486--killing-floor-gold-edition-to-arrive-june-1st-2012.html">click HERE</a> . The new edition can also be pre-ordered (for shipment to Europe) on their site. We’ll have imports of the box up on the Tripwire Interactive web store shortly, for shipping to North America. Shipments will be sent out, starting on 1 June 2012.

EDIT: Just to make the thanks to Iceberg quite clear - they all love the game so much that they actually commissioned the work to get a female character in game. They did all the voice work - we did some script tweaks and plugged the pieces together. So they get the exclusive box as a thanks. And now, we have the tech in place for us to produce female DLC for the rest of our lives

And, so everyone understands, the box comes with:
<ul>
<li>Killing Floor</li>
<li>The 6 current DLC packs</li>
<li>1 exclusive female playable character, with female voice packs in English, French and German</li>
</ul>

This will be the ONLY way to get that female playable character. For those who already own the game and/or any of the existing DLC, all of those will show up as tradeable/giftable items in your Steam inventory for you to swap with friends or even just give away!

The fine folks behind the <a href="http://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/showthread.php?t=51041">IJC weapons pack</a> are working on some brand new weapons. But in order to get one of them unlocked, 1000 Likes are needed on their new <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ijcdevelopment">IJC Facebook page</a>. So head on over and give it a like (and make sure your friends do as well!), and don't forget to vote for your weapon of choice on their <a href="http://www.ijcdevelopment.com">forums</a>.

Also as a reminder, you can also follow Tripwire through various social media as well! <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/TripwireInt">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/tripwireinteractive">Facebook</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/tripwireinteractive">Youtube</a>. I'd mention our various Official Game Groups on steam, but I figure you already know how to find and use those!